topaz119 | (no subject)

1. Are you an Essential Worker?
No, but my company pivoted pretty quickly (well before the state did anything) to fully remote, so I've been on video calls all day, every day for over a month now.

2. How many drinks have you had since the quarantine has started?
None. I've been playing with non-alcoholic cocktails for the inevitable Zoom happy hours, but other than that, nope. D can't drink, still, and there is way too much history of addiction in my family to let me be comfortable with solo drinking.

3. If you have kids... Are they driving you nuts?
Well, the HoB is all grown up now, so even though they're here, they all get along and can take care of themselves and help around the house, so no. (Though BabyBoy is starting to stress about finals and #2Son will be entering that phase immediately after BB is done, so ... maybe?)

4. What new hobby have you taken up during this?
Refrigerator jenga? Getting food for 5 adults into the fridge & then juggling leftovers is definitely A Thing.

5. How many grocery runs have you done?
4 or 5, counting prescription pickups.

6. What are you spending your stimulus check on?
If we qualify, nothing exciting. Maybe a few books from my fave bookstores or an extra curbside pickup dinner or three.

7. Do you have any special occasions that you will miss during this quarantine?
My nephew has canceled their wedding (but not the marriage and they're hoping to livestream the (small) ceremony. Beach Week is really iffy at this point. I had reservations at Disney World for a post-finals family trip, but I canceled them early on, before WDW even closed. I was tentatively scheduled to SDCC for the geeky mom blog I contribute to, but that's off the table now. And I don't know how DragonCon is going to happen even though it's in late August or if I'll feel comfortable going even if it is.

8. Are you keeping your housework done?
Eh. Kinda. The living room is currently serving as a video production site for BabyBoy's classes, and the kitchen is just crazy. I did get all of the stuff put back into the storage room and have started digging out the office, so that's a bit of progress.

9a. What movie have you watched during this quarantine?
I watched Silverado last night, in honor of Brian Dennehey. I'm through the first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I tried Harlots, but it was a little too stressful for these times. Oh, and I'm working my way through my Austen adaptations and got in (yet another) encore viewing of Crazy Rich Asians.

9b. What are you reading right now?
For whatever reason, Ilona Andrews is doing it for my brain these days. I've read the first 3 of her Clean Sweep series and am listening to the latest of the series with the houses/families with mental powers.

9c. What video game are you playing?
Ugh, Drop 7 is becoming an Issue.

10. What are you streaming with?
All Of The Streamers. Allllll of them.

11. Nine months from now is there any chance of you having a baby?
Yeah, no.

12. What's your go-to quarantine meal?
I have been cooking my ass off, feeding everyone. In terms of frequency, we usually throw some burgers, brats, and hot dogs on the grill at some point during the week and then have them around for lunch options, but otherwise, I'm just cooking all the things.

13. Is this whole situation making you paranoid?
D is considered high risk, so I'm doing a lot of stuff there that would ordinarily not be necessary, so no, not paranoid, but really, really careful.

14. Has your internet gone out on you during this time?
Amazingly enough, no.

15. What month do you predict this all ends?
Sometime in 2022.

16. First thing you're gonna do when you get off quarantine?
BRUNCH. On a patio. With eggs benedict that someone else has prepared and will clean up after and a bottomless mimosa. (This is almost the last thing I did do before All This, but it's spring in Georgia, I miss my patio dining.)

17. Where do you wish you were right now?
I could go for that cancelled WDW trip right about now.

18. What free-from-quarantine activity are you missing the most?
Hanging out with friends.

19. Have you run out of toilet paper and hand sanitizer?
No. I spent the latter half of January and a lot of February on 1 am calls to the teams I support in China who were shutting down and in chaos, so that, plus the random happenstance of streaming Netflix's docu-series Pandemic made me reallllllly aware of the bad possibilities, so I started really stocking up in the weeks before everything really slammed in here in the US. And now I look for things every time I'm out, so we're good so far.

20. Do you have enough food to last a month?
Yeah, for sure, even with all the boys home.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I really enjoy Ilona Andrews and though it's a hard choice, I think the Clean Sweep series is my favourite, simply because of the Inn. It's such an interesting idea.

That's such a shame you're going to miss so much cool stuff. I know I'll miss hearing about your beach week.

I have not read their biggest series (Kate Daniels? Is that IA?) but I think I agree with you about the Innkeeper series. I love how she can reconfigure the inn, plus now that she's got the alien chef it's like a side-order of food porn for a treat.

Oh, I hadn't heard about Brian Dennehey! *sigh* Thanks for passing that along.

Yeah, sigh. YW. I had no idea he was in his 80s.

I was going to watch F/X, for the same reason, but I haven't found it yet.

What did you think of Ms Maisel? I watched around 1.5 seasons and then found myself no longer giving a shit. Just wanted to shake everyone, like, REALLY hard.

I had the DVD from way back, because it was D&my first date, but yeah, he was such a fun actor, and could then turn on a dime and do intense theater.

I'm only just starting the 2nd season of MMM and I... can see where it might get a bit tiresome? I felt that way about Gilmore Girls, too. When that style is firing right it's a delight, but it's a fine line before it gets grating. Although, Tony Shaloub is glooooorious.

God I miss brunch so much! Good first thing to do.

Which Austen adaptations have you liked the most so far? I rewatched the 1995 Persuasion the other day and it was quietly charming though I'm still waiting for the Persuasion film.

I really just want to sit on a patio and dish with my friends, before the weather gets too hot here, but it's a minor note in the overall disaster around us.

Oh, I love the '95 Persuasion, but I think it's actually nudged out by the 2007? 5? ish? BBC try, with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones. She's just so fragile-looking but refuses to give up and he's very dashing and it's all very lovely. I haven't seen the latest version of >Emma, but that's my least favorite of her heroines, though this iteration looks beautifully shot/costumed. I wish I could combine the Kiera Knightly version of P&P with the miniseries, because I feel like the miniseries leaned a little too far into Jane's mean streak and forgot about her affection for her characters, while the movie went a little too far in the opposite direction, especially with Mr. Bennett. And Emma Thompson did such a lovely job adapting S&S, I can forgive the reworking of Elinor to make her old enough for E to play. Also, Alan Rickman, 'nuff said.

Aaaaand that was probably way more than you wanted to read, but thanks for asking!

Honestly, I love Austen chat (especially Persuasion) and it's rare enough to get! The adaptations are definitely comfort fuel a lot of the time. I agree on the 2007 Persuasion beating out the 1995, and I prefer the casting as well.

Yeah the movie version of P&P kind of softened up everything a little bit? Mr Bennett like you say, and Mrs Bennett as well, and definitely their relationship which became kind of softer old married couple than the edge in the book. I really like some of the choices regardless of accuracy though especially the landscapes and I thought a lot of the casting was lovely.

S&S has to win though! Such a perfect combo. If you haven't seen the ITV Northanger Abbey I'd recommend it for a low-key Sunday afternoon watch. It's written by Andrew Davies so suffers from his usual problem of needing to get someone naked* (I think it's the only Austen adaptation with any degree of nudity) but it's a charming watch regardless mostly because of the actors.

*came back to edit this because it sounded so weirdly prudish! Austen is just one of those canons where it feels weird to try to blatantly sex it up, rather than steamy hand touches and letters.

Edited 2020-04-21 23:08 (UTC)

I'm less annoyed about the P&P movie softening Mrs. Bennett b/c it feels like she was still kind of a nightmare, socially speaking, but you could see the underlying issues. She knew damn well how fine of a line they were walking, with 5 girls and the entail. Plus, I always wonder how much of that nastiness comes from the sort of snobbishness inherent in Jane's class--because she *wasn't* from that class; she married up, so automatically she's a social climber and thus lesser, and I feel like the miniseries didn't really subvert that attitude, just leaned into it with a sort of nasty glee.

Mr. B, though... in the movie, he's sort of absent-minded but still fond, except good grief, he basically just throws up his hands & abandons his flighty daughter to ruin (and really doesn't acknowledge what it means to the other girls either.) No wonder Mrs. B has taken to her bed! They're ruined. All of her girls. And she has some possibly overly dramatic, but probably not by much, fears of how their lives have just been circumscribed.

I mean, yes, Mr. B does go off after Lydia/Wickham, but it's sort of a pathetic attempt, one that he seems to mostly be relying on his b-i-l to deal with. I remember having this conversation with two different AP Brit Lit groups (as the oldest and youngest went through the class, 7 years apart) but neither teacher really got them to understand just what a monumental thing it was that Darcy got Wickham to marry Lydia. (Also, how much money he threw at W to make that happen.)

But yes, S&S was just so well done! I always forget that Hugh Laurie is in it and then he's grumbling behind his paper and I wonder yet again, what on earth he thought he was doing, marrying Charlotte.

I'll have to see if I can find Northanger Abbey--I don't think I've ever seen an adaptation of that one.