Austin folks: how is RideAustin doing? On paper, that is something that should be popular in Portland.
Sorry I had to punt on this week’s Micro Monday. I have a great show ready to be edited, but post-travel exhaustion combined with family obligations just kept me from getting it done. Look for it this coming Monday.
I’m interested in hearing about how rideshare drivers can contribute to civic policy making, so here I am. 🚗
(Still at least a couple weeks from being fit enough for @yft driving. I miss it!)
Micro.pancake at Slappy Cakes.
I’m excited that Christopher Eccleston will be headlining Gallifrey One in February, but especially look forward to seeing the writer of my favorite Series 11 ep (Demons of the Punjab) Vinay Patel.
I guested on The Doctor Who Flashcast, discussing this episode.
Due to technical incompetence, the week’s Micro Monday episode will be published on non-Micro Tuesday.
In the meantime, here’s an @monday recommendation: @dejus for terrific photos from the Release Notes location this week… and for all the great photos of 🐈🐕🦆🐥 every week.
End of another Release Notes conference. My OmniFocus inbox has quite a few interesting new entries, but it’s my heart that really got filled up by the amazing energy I get from this corner of geekdom.
To catch my flight to Release Notes Conf, I’m up at Slovenia o’clock, the time of day I can reply to folks in Slovenia in real time.
PS. I’m booked to return to Ljubljana for a do-over next summer. Bonus: I won’t be in the beginners group. 🇸🇮 🕜🇺🇸🕞
So chilly and rainy now. I don’t have cats or Netflix, but I have The Doubleclicks. “And I am going to stay indoors / for 4 or 5 months or more.” 🎵
I don’t think I am up for any Inktober this year. But maybe later in the month…
Speaking of ample-sized rodents…
One of my nephew’s hamsters. 🐹
It was quite tame and adorable, but oh so tiny! I like a more substantial rodent pet.
(Insert guinea pig emoji here.)
It’s still Monday somewhere, right?
I had a great chat with @jeannie for this week’s Micro Monday podcast episode. Hope you enjoy it!
Sigh. My audio editing skills have deteriorated over the summer. I thought I’d have the new Micro @monday and a new episode of @voyager_cast out today, but both threw me curve balls I should have been expecting. Sorry. Stay tuned…
It was pretty exciting to fill out this NASA form to send your name to Mars with my nephew. (h/t @jasonbrush)
Today’s adventure in mobility: picking up my nephew from 1st Grade. Staying out of the way of the anklebiters speeding around after the closing bell.
New Doc Martin series is starting up on Acorn. A carrot so I get stuff done and can take a TV break. 📺🥕
Related: I canceled BritBox (subbed for the latest series of Vera). No new sub without canceling an old one = surviving the new economy of content silos…
I’ve fantasized about an impromptu trip to the UK to take advantage of the current Brexit-influenced exchange rate. But that’s not happening.
Instead I splurged on an @alfredapp Mega Supporter Lifetime upgrade license (£29). They’ve earned it!
Twenty Years Late to "Law & Order: SVU" Fandom
I do not mind admitting I am addicted to Law & Order. I don’t remember exactly when it was added to my TV-watching diet. That would be like remembering when you started breathing air. For the last 20 years, if you were channel surfing on a hotel room TV, you’d invariably find an episode in syndication. The fact that you could usually start watching in the middle of an episode and still enjoy the story, thanks to the twists and turns, made it perfect channel-surfing material.
I am a fan of the original series and cast, and a HUGE fan of Vincent D’Onofrio and the Criminal Intent franchise. But I have always avoided Special Victims Unit. A series devoted to sex crimes against women and children struck me as too depressing. Until last fall…
I don’t subscribe to cable TV. Even when I had basic channels, I didn’t keep up with cable box updates, since I had Apple TV and Roku, so I didn’t even get limited service I paid for. But last year, I cut cable completely and bought an HDTV antenna. Suddenly, I was back to four networks, broadcasting in real time, just like when I was a kid. I watched the Season Premiere of The Good Place, which I also love. Being sucked into couch potatohood, I decided to stay tuned to NBC for the 20th season premiere of Law & Order: SVU to satisfy my curiosity.
I had no idea how hard I would fall for the star Mariska Hargitay. Until the 13th season, she was the co-star, with Christopher Meloni, with emphasis on the “co-”. Every time I caught a bit of SVU while channel surfing, Meloni’s character was generating the majority of the story’s energy. A flawed father of five with major anger management issues, the character of Elliott Stabler could not be ignored. The actor left in 2011, reportedly over contract issues.
Since then, Hargitay’s character, Detective Olivia Benson has been the heart and the soul of the show. After watching Season 20 of SVU, I went back and rewatched starting Season 12. And I realized, “Wow, I like the Stabler-free version of this show so much more.”
It goes beyond great acting. Hargitay has become a trained rape counselor. She has produced an Emmy-award-winning documentary for HBO about the travesty of untested rape kits, an institutional failing that denies justice to victims and allows criminals to attack again. On SVU, Hargitay allows me to feel safe, to feel that someone on this show actually cares about violence against women as I watch some of the “most heinous” crimes in the L&O universe. (I still skip some that are too upsetting. If they do a Brock Turner- or a Brett Kavanaugh-based episode, I’ll pass.)
I also appreciate watching a woman my age as the lead of a TV action show. Benson is a great role model. And a rare one. I generally gravitate to British detective shows, with lots of fantastic complex mature female characters (Check out the great shows featuring Jane Tennison, Vera Stanhope, Sam Ryan, Catherine Cawood.)
Congratulations to everyone associated with this show, as of tonight the longest-running prime time show in history with Olivia Benson the longest-running prime time character.
I’ve gotten some good advice on the difficulty I’m having removing my XS SIM. Meanwhile I’ve misplaced that little tool TWICE, and haven’t been able to try that advice.
(This is one of those “post about something being lost and it will turn up” posts… hey, it works sometimes!)
Is it me or my iPhone XS? I can’t seem to pop out the SIM tray so I can return it. Don’t want to use too much force, but a trip to the Apple Store is a little bit ambitious for me and my knee.
Amtrak is eliminating full-service dining on long-distance routes.
Oh no, @Amtrak! This is what makes long distance train travel interesting. 😭
I know @joec and @DazeEnd will be there…who else from Micro.blog will be at Release Notes Conf next week?
I want to organize a little Micro Reunión (aka Meetup) while we are there, including anyone who is wants to know more about Micro.blog and our community. 🍹💁♀️
“Can I hide in this cuddle cup so the vet doesn’t see me?” – Ada
I was reminded by Micro.blogger @philroy that today is the anniversary of the 1991 release of Nevermind by Nirvana, which made me want to share this awesome artwork from Piggie Parodies.
