lesbiassparrow

No, I do. It's absolutely one of the few things I can't abide on the Telly. That and Fox 'News.' So I'm about 20 minutes into this thing and I have (not cutting this because there's no spoilers):

a) rarely loathed anyone as much I loathe Starbuck in this. Seriously, it's about wiping out all liking I have for her as her remarkable self-centeredness (which apparently must be excused because she is screwed-up) is repellent. ETA: Lee is running her a close second, though.

b) been forced to watch far too much boxing. Which is to say any at all.

Is there some pay-off for sitting through all this boxing? Will I suddenly find out that Starbuck was possessed by evil alien overlords?

Er, though, judging by the flist reaction this is a very loved episode, so I am out in the cold.

( So I sat through the rest and now there are spoilers. Plus added rant.  )

So, queenofthorns posted some spoilers for BSG.

( cut for, well, spoilers )

I don't really have great thoughts on this episode and its fiesta of Lee angst but ( I will say that most of the people of the fleet appear to be too stupid to live - spoilers for the latest BSG below the cut )

Caprica's Heavy Machinery News would just like to point out that its issue 'Gauge sizes and tititanium screws: 3" or 2"- which is optimal?' was more riveting than this week's episode. It had a certain train wreck quality (akin to reading our rival publication, Big Hulking Lumps of Movin' Metal) but not a lot else.

And that wanker Adama has confiscated our last issue in the name of 'military security.' I guess he didn't like our calendar 'Hot men and women of the Galactica fix things in their underwear,' featuring Captain Adama as Mr. Fix-it for July. Hey, we have no prurient interest - it was all for charity. Charity, I tell you.

In other news the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South is stupendously amazing and wonderful and I am only sorry that it was not longer. Those Northern men sure know how to brood. And lead a strike. I approve of both, by the way. It is a pity that they can't combine the two for some character in a BBC drama.
There's a community recently started for it here: North and South.

ETA: Also I am reminded of the comedy series Brass which was set in a Northern town in the 1920s; it was replete with self-made men, nyphomaniac aristocrats, feisty socialists, and gormless lovers. In other words, it was excellent. Especially the inevitable statement every episode of 'there's trouble at Mill.' I wished someone had said that once in N&S - you know they were itching to.

...or (not so) deep thoughts about Battlestar Gallactica

<( Cut for spoilers for the most recent episode )

I am determined to be a Roman matron (too old to be a puella) this Halloween. Anyone have any suggestions for good ones you can buy online? I am terrible with sewing so making one is not really an option as it would doubtless fall apart as some shaming moment.

I had my orientation for my second part time job this morning. It will be fun teaching adults once more though I fear Latin I is not the most thrilling class to teach or take. All that declining and conjugating is deadly. The other sort of adult class I am teaching is going okay though some of the students who should speak up in class don't and some of them clearly can't follow instructions which are clearly written out and said at the start of every class. (I say sort of adult as it is undergraduate and while undergraduates can be very mature and adult, some of them need a little time to grow up still. Not insulting anyone on my friends list who is an undergrad - I am sure you fall into the mature and responsible category and would never dream of hijacking another person's presentation instead of doing the one you are supposed to.)

This year is going to be terribly busy though, as I still have to do my full time job, these classes and get myself into gear to finish an article and think about a talk for a conference in the spring. The last I'm most worried about as the conference will contain many very clever people who know far more than I do about the subject. They might mock me and that would be very traumatising.

I haven't seen BSG yet as I managed to mess up the Tivoing, which shouldn't be possible, but somehow I managed it nonetheless. I have to wait until it repeats so I can record it properly - for some reason all I have is the first 19 minutes of the show.

ETA: Do you know that if you are pregnant you must under no circumstances step over a beaver? According to Pliny the Elder this is a big no-no for pregnant Roman women. I wasn't aware that this was even possible in Rome, but I guess there might have been a rogue beaver problem caused by barbarian pets.

I can't be the only person to be irked by the increasing tendency towards multiple editions of DVDs.  Nothing annoys me more than buying something and then the producer/director/studio accountant putting out another edition of the film/TV show, with four seconds extra advertising footage and 'special' commentary by the guy who made the coffee. I don't buy the new editions, because I am nothing if not cheap, but it still annoys me especially when they haven't advertised the fact that they are planning on coming out with version 2.0.

Although I totally deny that I am an addict of Farscape I did go to Best Buy today and see what Farscape they had and they had a $95 edition of some of the series, plus some new 'Starburst edition' that is a) cheaper and b) comes with new extras but doesn't look complete.  If I'd bought this show already on DVD I know I'd be really annoyed.  I ended up not buying anything, because, well, $95 is a lot to pay for a TV show and how do I know that they won't come out with a third edition when they want to squeeze some more cash out of fans? 

And what on earth could you put on  an 'collector's' edition of Labyrinth that makes it worth $44? Unless it's a piece of the trousers Bowie was wearing.

ETA: As I am in a grumpy mood...why do people think Lee is whiny? Poor guy seems stoic to a fault to me, yet I keep hearing about his whinging which I never see. Sure he holds a grudge, but it's not like other people on the show are exactly models of forgiveness and light. And I'm not sure he's wrong to be grumpy at his dad, especially as we don't know much of the backstory beyond snippets.

My sole thought about Battlestar this evening...

( Cut for the extremely spoilerphobic )

Just to warn you, I didn't really like tonights episode, so there's a bit of a rant behind the cut

( There's no crying in Space! Spoilers for tonights episode of BSG behind the cut. )

Actually this is a serious question rising from the comment that Moore gave that the Galactica was not really staffed with the brightest and best so I started wondering why would the crew be so insanely fond of him on the show. I don't mean just fond of him but devoted to him personally.

( Pros and cons: no spoilers beyond the general first seasony stuff )