This is one of those weeks were I got to the end thinking not much had happened but then realized that, okay, some stuff did. So here we go.

Work

As mentioned last week I figure work will be a bit routine for a while. For the most part that's the case. And then I got a notice about an extra layer of work that's fallen in my lap.

It's related to a database upgrade. I won't go into detail, but it was unexpected while at the same time being one of those things that make you wonder how it wasn't an issue before now.

Movies

  • Venom is a film based on a Marvel comic book character. My review is meh. It was okay, but even a few days later I can't remember most of the film.
  • Yet another entry in the Alamo Drafthouse's Secret Screenings series of AGFA films was Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde a 1976 blaxploitation film. Not a great film, but I did enjoy it a bit more than Venom.

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

I've never read anything by John Scalzi before but familiar with his name. This book, the first in a series, gets very high ratings so I added it to my queue some time ago and just finished it.

Humans have expanded to other planets by way of a wormhole-like network called The Flow. It allowed us to access various far-off places in the galaxy and also provide a roadway for travel and commerce. And then the pathway to Earth collapsed leaving us without access to our ancestral home. That was a long time ago. Since then, The Flow has been reliable for a very long time, until now.

Overall, the characters are very, very good. I love the humor and am starting up on the second book in the series, The Consuming Fire. While I gave the book four-stars, I kind of feel I would have rated it higher if I hadn't just finished reading Corey J. White's awesome Void Witch series that started with Killing Gravity, which I enjoyed more.

Boardgames

Still playing Darkest Night. Not overly optimistic I'm going to win this game although I started out with a few extra advantages. Hopefully I'll finish it up this weekend or next week.

Top photo credit: unsplash-logoAlexander Andrews