Hey

Hey,

So it's not all book reviews around here. Tomorrow night is Opening Night for Hellancholy, one half of the double bill that is Ultimate Things going up at the Boston Playwright's Theatre in Boston (right near BU).

I'm playing God. So if you've ever wanted to see someone struck down by lightning, here's your big chance!

It's running July 1st - 9th and you can find out more/get tickets at the link below.

It's a fun couple of shows and I hope to see a lot of you there!

later
Tom
http://www.unreliable-narrator.com

And somewhere Ray Parker Jr. is going "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

And somewhere Ray Parker Jr. is going "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

Also, I would totally watch this version.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is31GGfhz8o

As you know, Bob, fireworks are pretty much illegal here in MA.

As you know, Bob, fireworks are pretty much illegal here in MA. Today, I received a flyer from a fireworks store in NH.

I have to say, some of the names for the various packages are a bit...amazing:

Core Reactor
Wicked Pissa
Molotov Cocktail
Barely Legal Lock and Load
Crack the Sky
Bombilation
Palm Pyro Pageantry Premier
God of Fire
183 Degrees Fahrenheit
Red White and Boom
Battle of the Coral Sea
DefCon Alert
Walloping Warheads

It's all pretty amazing.

This New Shade Of Blue Was Accidentally Discovered By Chemists

Of interest to all right-thinking people:


http://www.iflscience.com/chemistry/this-new-shade-of-blue-was-accidentally-discovered-by-chemists/

Should I be worried that my subway train has been delayed by a "police action"?

Should I be worried that my subway train has been delayed by a "police action"? If I start seeing Marines I think I'll skip rehearsal tonight.

Hey!

Hey!

I'm going to be in a show next weekend! Maybe I should start going to rehearsals instead of being on vacation.

Of course, I am playing myself, you know, God, so I don't need much prep.

I'm in Hellancholy, one half of the two shows in Ultimate Things playing the first two weekends in July. You can find more information and tickets here:


http://www.unreliable-narrator.com/

Thoughts from my hometown parade:

Thoughts from my hometown parade:

- We don't have a police car, we have a police pickup-truck.

- I really want to sponsor a gay pride float...

- ...or a gamer pride float.

- Apparently there was a tractor company called Cockshutt. A quick search shows that there are Cockshutt trucker hats available for enthusiasts. I may need one...for reasons.

- Well....no kids in blackface this year so...that makes the kids in Native American garb a bit of an improvement?

I've heard rumblings about longer security lines at airports this summer, but I don't know what they're complaining...

I've heard rumblings about longer security lines at airports this summer, but I don't know what they're complaining about. You show up at 6:30am and you just breeze through.

For those of you in ad hoc book club who read Sex with Shakespeare, here's a all-woman production of Taming of the...

For those of you in ad hoc book club who read Sex with Shakespeare, here's a all-woman production of Taming of the Shrew


http://themuse.jezebel.com/the-taming-of-the-shrew-this-time-told-by-shrews-1782034867

Also, flowers from the Bridge of Flowers.

Also, flowers from the Bridge of Flowers. It was roses and lilies but there were lots of other neat/unusual flowers as there often is.

Still apparently photo-blogging...

Still apparently photo-blogging...

A recent trip to the Natural Bridge Park and Mass MOCA in North Adams. Mass MOCA was interesting as always.

Austrailia -- Nature's haunted house that repeatedly tells you "GET OUT NOW!", but you know those dumb kids aren't...

Austrailia -- Nature's haunted house that repeatedly tells you "GET OUT NOW!", but you know those dumb kids aren't gonna listen.


http://motherboard.vice.com/en_uk/read/plague-of-bats-holds-australian-town-hostage-with-aerial-shit-blitz

So, I don't want this to become my photo-blog but....DEER!

So, I don't want this to become my photo-blog but....DEER!

More pictures from my bike ride this morning.

More pictures from my bike ride this morning.

I got a little fascinated by the froth in a an outlet stream today.

I got a little fascinated by the froth in a an outlet stream today.

Lots of turtles on the trails today.

Lots of turtles on the trails today. Aside from this charming young woman laying her eggs right in the middle of the trail (which will probably be moved soon by the ranger who alerted me to it), there were also a bunch of canoes drawn up a little further down the road because they were organizing a mass release of Blanding's Turtles, an endangered species they're working to protect here.

Jason Riek “Let me tell you about this business,” Adam Vega, a thickly muscled, heavily tattooed Mister Softee man...

Jason Riek “Let me tell you about this business,” Adam Vega, a thickly muscled, heavily tattooed Mister Softee man who works the upper reaches of the Upper East Side and East Harlem, said on Wednesday. “Every truck has a bat inside.”


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/31/nyregion/a-king-of-ice-cream-a-renegade-upstart-and-a-simmering-turf-war.html

Hey!

Hey!

May is over and June has started and that means that if you're part of ad hoc book club, it's time to start talking.

So if you read Sex with Shakespeare this month -- start talking about it! I've left my basic thoughts here, but I'm happy to explore more.
http://bluegargantua.livejournal.com/631003.html

Title

I just came up with a better ending for Captain America: Civil War.


Spoilers ahoy!



OK, so in the movie, Zemo shows Stark the footage of Bucky killing his parents and goes ham on Bucky leading to the fight between Iron Man, Cap, and Bucky. The problem is that it's such a weak ploy. Stark knows that Bucky was basically a zombie assassin and not terribly responsible for any of his actions. Further, it's such an obvious ruse to get a rise out of Stark that he, a super-wealthy, super-genius, industrialist should see right through it. In fact, until Cap confirms it, Stark might believe it was faked -- after all, Zemo is good at faking stuff.

So with all of that, the motivation for that end fight seems incredibly weak.

So my better ending is thus: Stark is pissed as hell, but he's pissed at Zemo for going through all this effort to manipulate him. Sure, he can still be mad at Bucky and Cap, but he knows that's what he's being pushed to do and he resents that even more. So he starts burning through the blast shield to get at Zemo. Perhaps he even gets close to killing Zemo. Cap and Bucky have to step in to stop him and then we get that final fight. Hell, if they even just talk him down from killing Zemo that might be a better ending than a three-way fight.

My 2-cents anyway.