Week 17: Cookiiiiiiiiiies

(Apr 23 – Apr 29)

Second week of school holidays brings various levels of fail, mostly technical, but I also discover a truly amazing cookie recipe.

Monday

I get to work and two people are off. Nobody likes Mondays. Or maybe we’re simply entering that stage of the year when the winter colds pick us off one at a time. There’s the makings of a very dull thriller in there somewhere.
In the evening I experience a major tech fail while trying to watch The Terror. I’ve found that I can watch the show (legally) on [Amazon] Prime Video, so I’m trying to do just that. Somewhat awkwardly, Prime Video only works on my PS4. Even more awkwardly, tonight the PS4 doesn’t want to connect to the internet. I restart the router and the PS4, but no dice.
I then resort and to watching my downloaded copies, but Plex refuses to cast to my Chromecast. I reboot both the server and the chromecast. I even reboot my phone for good measure. After this, the chromecast refuses to connect to the internet entirely, which means it won’t actually cast anything. Which is its sole purpose of being.
In the end, I somehow manage to get Plex working on the PS4, but only after a full thirty minutes of wrangling, I’m finding that my supposedly relaxing evening on the sofa is anything but.

Tuesday

I start the day with a lie in, but it really doesn’t make the rest of the day feel any better.
For the evening I decide to avoid all prospect of tech fail by playing Doom on the PS4 with the Elderbeast. It’s a ridiculously fun game, until we reach a bit that stumps both of us. It’s basically a different genre of tech fail.
I end the day more successfully by starting a new book, which is a truly momentous occasion.

Wednesday

It’s Anzac Day, so I enjoy a proper lie in and *still* have time to do some writing after I get up. My father in law has offered to come and help me resolve a leak under the sink, which I’m convinced is related to my recently blocked drains. I’m expecting the pipes under the sink to be clogged with all sorts of terrifying matter, but they turn out to be virtually clean. We fix the leak, but determine that the blockage is in the pipes somewhere under the floor. Crap.
It’s a problem for another day.
I spend the rest of the afternoon embarking on the first steps in a new project to bake the perfect cookie. The first attempt comes out damn good, and I wonder if I’ve peaked already.

Thursday

Despite the ongoing tech fail, I finally manage to finish watching The Terror. I have mixed feelings about it. It’s extremely well made, and hugely atmospheric, but I can’t help feeling it’s lost a little in the translation from the book. I’m not usually a “well, you know, the book was better” person, but on this occasion there are a few stylistic choices that (for me) take away a little of the impact and mystery. That said, I suspect there are other changes that have benefited the story and I look forward to giving the book a fresh read so I can compare.

Friday

A glorious #childfree weekend. For Fridate horror we, quite logically, watch 28 Weeks Later. It has a much better transfer, and is a damn good follow-up. I hope we get the not-so-inevitable 28 Months Later eventually.

Saturday

I did my food shopping on Thursday to make sure I had the morning free to go … clothes shopping. Yes, it’s the even less exciting kind of shopping. However, I need to get the kinderbesten some basic winter clothes, and I need to get myself some new work trousers. I achieve moderate success with the winter clothes, but rapidly run out of energy and willpower and escape for home without any work trousers.
I enjoy a pleasantly chilled afternoon of relaxing and minor tasks. It seems after my recent weeding and painting endeavours, I’ve exhausted all motivation and energy for other major household tasks. Oh well.
I decide that my movie of the weekend will be Kill Bill (both parts). I saw part one when it first came out, but have so far failed to catch part two. However, because there’s at least four hours of film to be watched, and dinner to be eaten, I need to start early. I have the unexpected benefit of awesome company for both the film and dinner, but massive, farcical tech fail (pretty much a repeat of Monday) means that I only have time for part one.
Still, it was pretty awesome and I’m even more stoked for part two now … whenever I manage to get around to it.

Sunday

It’s Pathfinder Day! I show up, kill a few things, eat yummy food, and get to hang out with friends. Pretty good show for a Sunday.
For the evening it’s time for the traditional Sunday Night movie for myself and the Elderbeast. I remain wary of tech fail, so I advise the Elderbeast to pick a bluray from the shelves. He picks Devil, an M Night Shyamalan produced thriller that I saw once several years ago. It revolves around five strangers who get trapped in a lift, one of whom may be the devil in human form. Naturally the passengers start dying off one by one, and it’s down to us to work out which one is the killer—and, possibly, the devil.
It’s a modern-day B movie, and therefore a perfect Sunday night choice.

Things I bought

• $50 New jeans. In lieu of proper work trousers, I did at least buy myself some new jeans, which will be respectable enough for most work days. Jeanswest offering 40% off was enough incentive to get my internet, click and collect order.
• $35 Alien comics. One of the benefits of Alien Day (April 26) turned out to be Comixology having a massive sale on Alien comics. The upshot of this is that I spent over $30 on Aliens comics, but I did get to buy almost all of them!

Watched

Read

Started (re)reading The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, which I had attempted to read last year and stalled. This time I got into it pretty quickly. I also started reading some of my many, many new Aliens comics.

Eaten