World Enough and Time

Today was a day of utterly unexpected activity.

It was weirdly warm - by which I mean, temperatures above the freezing point. fairestcat was walking around out of doors without a coat; I found it chilly because it was damp, but it certainly wasn't your typical January day. The streets were running with water from the melting snowbanks.

Morning: went to see my doctor, then went to the drugstore to get the medicine she prescribed, then went to the gym.

Afternoon: Met fairestcat at the Silver Snail for comics - it was a really prime pile this week - and then we met up with commodorified at Pho Bo Ga 2 for lunch, which was really delicious - as always. I'm addicted to their soup #13.

Then fairestcat and I went back to my place to read comics, and catalogue another box, and while we were working on that, my friend Lyn dropped by, exhausted by walking in the wet, slippery weather and in need of a cup of tea. So we sat and chatted a bit.

We particularly liked Hawkeye vol. 4 #7 by Matt Fraction and guest artist Steve Lieber. Of course we did: for six months now, Hawkeye has been the best comic on the stands and then some. But this was a special issue devoted to the crisis in New Jersey when the megastorm Sandy hit, and the proceeds from the comic go to relief efforts. Highly, highly recommended.



Evening: Supper with Pim and maaseru, while we watched the final episode of Fringe. We all really like the actor who played September, Michael Serverus, who, it seems, has been in a lot of things - but I don't think we'd ever seen him before Fringe. I have a lot of thoughts about Fringe as a series - sometimes or often brilliant, but suffering from the curse that all J.J. Abrams shows seem to have, of changing its mind what it's about. I much preferred the first season, and the situation they set up before we started hopping universes. I also thought Walter was much more interesting (and fun) before he became sane and responsible.

maaseru made Stovetop Ribs for supper, which were utterly delicious. But in the course of eating I managed to drop my plate of ribs upside-down on the carpet... what a waste! Note to self: shampoo the carpet. And make the recipe some time soon.

Watched last week's Fringe this evening, on maaseru's sofa, with delicious soup.

I was losing heart for a while this season because ( it wasn't... )

maaseru found this commentary on Wikipedia:

Though despite the apparent disappearance of his character, Joshua Jackson remains as the show's lead actor and committed to a full fourth season.[8] Jackson stated that Peter will be back on the show, but "will be different than he was before".[13] This fact was played with at the 2011 San Diego Comic Convention where the Fringe cast appeared for a panel; a teaser video showed fake auditions for the open role of Peter, and included cameo appearances by Michael Emerson, Zachary Quinto, Jorge Garcia, and Jeff Probst and concluded with Jackson himself dressed as an Observer.

So I had to try to find it. And I did. Loved the last few seconds - Peter as an Observer. Heh.

Lots of cool trailers:

• Nature doesn't recognize good and evil. Nature only recognizes balance.
  
• I know what it's like to have a hole in my life.
  
• What is reality?
  
• It appears much has changed.
  

I love the way all the promos focus on the non-existent Peter Bishop! I've never had any doubt that he will be back, and soon... That's because reading Marvel comics has taught me not to take character's disappearances and deaths seriously. Dorothy Dunnett helped there, too.

And there are items on YouTube from San Diego Comic Con:

• Entertainment Weekly
  
• Anna Torv interview
  
• Sky TV
  
• Media Junkward interview with Joshua Jackson - which begins: "You don't exist. But you're here!"
  
• The Comic Con Fringe panel, Part 1
  
• The Comic Con Fringe panel, Part 2
  
• The Comic Con Fringe panel, Part 3 - Re Walternate: "For him it's not evil, which is what makes it even more evil."
  

A few good Walter Bishop clips:

• The Many Dimensions Of Dr. Walter Bishop
  
• Top 10 Walter Bishop Moments
  
• Walterisms
  
• More Walter moments
  
• And where would we be without the singing corpses?
  

This is interesting: it shows the four different introductory sequences at once: Fringe intro.

And even better: an ad for Glee - with an Observer in it!

See also: Promo.

What a great episode of Fringe! Finally, finally we get back to some of those dropped plot threads from season one, like Olivia's albilities. (I'm tempted to call them her superpowers.) And Sam Weiss - one of my favourite Fringe characters, so often forgotten. And what's going on with Nina?

And Peter, at his best. I loved Peter in this one. Especially the romantic moment when they held hands before he went into the machine....

And Walter, also at his best, especially with Astrid. Caring about Peter. Encouraging Olivia to exceed her own epectations.

And that spooky typewriter.

Oh, how I love Fringe. It can be wacky and free-flowing and still not break the thread of its own serious suspense.

Tonight's episode "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" had so many gems, most of them the kind that catch you by surprise. Some nice unspoken references to all sorts of movies and TV shows, too - all the usual suspects. ( A few... )

When I sat down this evening to watch tonight's episode of Fringe with maaseru and Pim, I realized I hadn't seen the previous episode, "Os". How I missed a whole episode of my currently favourite show, I can't imagine. So I watched it before this one. maaseru and Pim were both making happy squeaky noises about what happens at the end of the episode, but they wouldn't say anything, since they know I don't like spoilers.

So I saw last week's cliffhanger minutes before seeing tonight's episode, and it was the perfect introduction. Loved both episodes.... What a clever, inventive show this is. And Anna Torv's acting was quite wonderful. Poor Peter - he grumps and glowers so well.

And what fun to see the Lincoln Lee of our world: so Clark Kent, compared to his counterpart. ( Or... )

Watched Fringe tonight. ( It wasn't as... )

Saw Fringe 3x10 today, "The Firefly". That show is so good... and, I think, getting better all the time. ( I particularly liked... )

Watched Fringe episode 3x09: "Marionette". ( A few comments... )

Today felt like a weird day. I'm not sure why, but I was out of sorts or edgy most of the day. Worrying about my arm - and trying not to. Did many exercises, but right now I can't see progress, which is freaking me. And I had no appetite. For me, that's weird.

Had coffee at Bridgehead with maaseru and explodedteabag - well, actually I had tea. I got upset when explodedteabag said redmtl might be angry with me; I talked to redmtl and said everything's copacetic, she isn't/wasn't angry, for which I feel relief.

Worked on cleaning up and decluttering my bedroom, to get rid of the shelving in there. I can't unscrew the supports for the sheves with one hand; hoping to find a friend with two hands who can do it for me.

Managed to cut paper with scissors in my right hand, holding the paper in my left - it was precarious, yes, but it really is progress: I can put my thumb and index finger together. Couldn't do that a few days ago. Somehow this didn't reassure me today as much as it ought to.

An exciting thing: booked my plane to Paris in October.

Watched Fringe 1x14, "Ability". A favourite.

Lisa and David came over, because David found a present for me - a tissue box cover in the design of an Egyptian mummy. Perfect!