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Hooray for social!
Jan. 2nd, 2009 12:50 amWent into the city to hang out with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ataniell93 and jamoche. I'd decided that based on the misadventures of the 31st, I was going to play it safe and just drive to the BART station, then take that in and walk the rest of the way. Naturally, I got turned around on my way to the BART station, so I was later than I might have been.
There was only one really weird guy that I encountered on my walk. The two guys vaulting over the barriers and doing the James Bond gun-hand thing didn't count; they were just normal weird. The guy who came up closer than social distance and proceeded to rant at the side of my face about Immigration doing a sweep and arresting loads of people and that would serve them right for letting him go hungry, that was the weird guy. I ignored him as completely as possible, which I was told afterward was the right way to handle that level of weird.
Just prior tojamoche arriving, we watched this particular segment of The Chaser's War on Everything, which was so hilarious that we watched it again once she arrived:
(NSFW: dude details how he tests mattresses prior to purchase.)
( Video. )
After this, we watched Night Watch and Day Watch.
For those not acquainted, Night Watch, Day Watch, Twilight Watch, and Last Watch are a series of Russian modern fantasy noir novels, about the delicate balance and cold war between Light and Dark magic users (called "Others"). To maintain the balance, a group of Light Others called the Night Watch keeps tabs on the Dark Others, and the Dark Others have the corresponding Day Watch. I recommend the books highly; they're best served with a handkerchief, and vodka optional. Currently all but Last Watch are available in English translation.
Night Watch was lovely, and true to the tone of the series if not the actual events in that particular episode in the novel. (Scary crossovers: imagine this Night Watch crossed with the Discworld Night Watch.) Then we started in on Day Watch.
Day Watch is pure crack. The plot is woven from threads of several episodes from the novel. We were expecting Russian modern fantasy noir. We got Russian modern slapstick fantasy with some noir elements. Watch carefully for an unusual murder weapon (it showed up at the beginning and it was a That's Unusual, so I was not surprised to see it near the end). There are conversations to not have in the middle of the road. There are driving stunts that James Bond only wishes he could pull off. There's an intriguing little plot of confusion. There's ... something that's almost femslash. :D There are times that snogging in the car is not recommended. Some Dark Others celebrate No Pants Day. The bear shapeshifter made us make PREVED references. There was tangoing! Unorthodox use of a juice box! By this time we were trying to think where else we'd seen this sort of cascading clusterplot. It's a Bujold dinner party. It's a Korman finale. It's pro wrestling. It's RP gone wild. It's several other book and/or movie references that I didn't catch. Nude watermelon slicing! THEIR WORLD IS CRUMBLING AROUND THEM! Ferris wheels running amok! The MacGuffin! It was not at all what any of us were expecting, but I'd watch that again.
After that, we did some RP hashing-out. Benito is good with understatements such as "That did introduce some undesired elements," after his experiment is tested under field conditions that he did not take into account when designing.
( Character nattering: Lovie vs. Sally )
I walked back to the BART station, and did not have any unnerving encounters, although there was a thing at the ground level of the station that looked very interesting, with an assembled group, a speaker, and five candles in paper bag lanterns. I figured out which train I needed, and caught it.
A group of young people got on at a later stop, and then got off at the next stop.
"That was really fast!" marveled a young lady.
"That's what the 'R' is, for 'Rapid'," one of the young men said. "Otherwise we'd have BAT. ...Which is what they have in Boston."
I found my car with no problem and drove back home, not getting lost in the process. Rat-memory wins the day: I remembered how my aunt had gone and it happened to be the right way, and got me back to where my directions left off.
It was very good to see people who weren't family. I've been fairly well holed up here, in social hibernation. I've needed that in part, and it's great being with my family, but social time is very necessary.
ataniell93 and jamoche. I'd decided that based on the misadventures of the 31st, I was going to play it safe and just drive to the BART station, then take that in and walk the rest of the way. Naturally, I got turned around on my way to the BART station, so I was later than I might have been. There was only one really weird guy that I encountered on my walk. The two guys vaulting over the barriers and doing the James Bond gun-hand thing didn't count; they were just normal weird. The guy who came up closer than social distance and proceeded to rant at the side of my face about Immigration doing a sweep and arresting loads of people and that would serve them right for letting him go hungry, that was the weird guy. I ignored him as completely as possible, which I was told afterward was the right way to handle that level of weird.
Just prior to
jamoche arriving, we watched this particular segment of The Chaser's War on Everything, which was so hilarious that we watched it again once she arrived: (NSFW: dude details how he tests mattresses prior to purchase.)
( Video. )
After this, we watched Night Watch and Day Watch.
For those not acquainted, Night Watch, Day Watch, Twilight Watch, and Last Watch are a series of Russian modern fantasy noir novels, about the delicate balance and cold war between Light and Dark magic users (called "Others"). To maintain the balance, a group of Light Others called the Night Watch keeps tabs on the Dark Others, and the Dark Others have the corresponding Day Watch. I recommend the books highly; they're best served with a handkerchief, and vodka optional. Currently all but Last Watch are available in English translation.
Night Watch was lovely, and true to the tone of the series if not the actual events in that particular episode in the novel. (Scary crossovers: imagine this Night Watch crossed with the Discworld Night Watch.) Then we started in on Day Watch.
Day Watch is pure crack. The plot is woven from threads of several episodes from the novel. We were expecting Russian modern fantasy noir. We got Russian modern slapstick fantasy with some noir elements. Watch carefully for an unusual murder weapon (it showed up at the beginning and it was a That's Unusual, so I was not surprised to see it near the end). There are conversations to not have in the middle of the road. There are driving stunts that James Bond only wishes he could pull off. There's an intriguing little plot of confusion. There's ... something that's almost femslash. :D There are times that snogging in the car is not recommended. Some Dark Others celebrate No Pants Day. The bear shapeshifter made us make PREVED references. There was tangoing! Unorthodox use of a juice box! By this time we were trying to think where else we'd seen this sort of cascading clusterplot. It's a Bujold dinner party. It's a Korman finale. It's pro wrestling. It's RP gone wild. It's several other book and/or movie references that I didn't catch. Nude watermelon slicing! THEIR WORLD IS CRUMBLING AROUND THEM! Ferris wheels running amok! The MacGuffin! It was not at all what any of us were expecting, but I'd watch that again.
After that, we did some RP hashing-out. Benito is good with understatements such as "That did introduce some undesired elements," after his experiment is tested under field conditions that he did not take into account when designing.
( Character nattering: Lovie vs. Sally )
I walked back to the BART station, and did not have any unnerving encounters, although there was a thing at the ground level of the station that looked very interesting, with an assembled group, a speaker, and five candles in paper bag lanterns. I figured out which train I needed, and caught it.
A group of young people got on at a later stop, and then got off at the next stop.
"That was really fast!" marveled a young lady.
"That's what the 'R' is, for 'Rapid'," one of the young men said. "Otherwise we'd have BAT. ...Which is what they have in Boston."
I found my car with no problem and drove back home, not getting lost in the process. Rat-memory wins the day: I remembered how my aunt had gone and it happened to be the right way, and got me back to where my directions left off.
It was very good to see people who weren't family. I've been fairly well holed up here, in social hibernation. I've needed that in part, and it's great being with my family, but social time is very necessary.
