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Oct. 25th, 2025 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
got_quietIt's been a while since I posted. Lot's happening IRL, all of it ok to good, and I've been able to fit leisure in too but not the time to write about it, so here's a dump of what's been going on.
I went to see the new Demon Slayers.
During September I was in Boston for a little bit longer than my usual work trips so I've gotten to do a little bit more around town than usual, which was nice. Some quick observations.
I hit a handful of museums during my stay.
I'm a sucker for house museums and managed to get to the Paul Revere House (since it's in the North End) and the Curtis House. The Curtis house is a nice, cool mansion, but my favorites are always the lower or middle class houses that give a more accurate look into the common man's experience. Revere's house could fit in the foyer of the Curtis mansion. The Revere house also went through extensive renovations and then restorations over the years, so not much left is really "original," but it is still accurate.
I also spent an afternoon hitting the Elizabeth Steward Gardiner Museum and the Boston MFA. The Gardiner Museum was fucking insane and blows the MFA out of the water. Here's a youtube introduction to it. A description doesn't do it justice. Multiple people said I should go and I'm glad I listened. Basically, a filthy rich lady bought whatever arts and artifacts she wanted, built a massive 4 story museum just for her stuff, curated it all herself in an eclectic way, and when she died demanded that nothing ever be moved from its place. You walk into a room and there are pristine golden Japanese screens hanging from the wall next to a Rembrandt next to a medieval German carving of a dragon. More museums should fuck off with the regional segregation and just do whatever the fuck they want because the juxtaposition is cool. There was also very little in the way of exposition. Each room had maybe one or two plaques that pointed out an interesting detail and explained WTF was going on generally and then you just had to figure the rest out yourself. I loved it.
The MFA in contrast has excellent collections obviously, but even compared to more conventional museums the displays are not the most inspired, and feel a little meh. There was a nice little (maybe temporary) exhibit about Jewish ritual objects, maybe cause of Rosh Hashanah? which I enjoyed, and to their credit they have one of the most amazing Egyptian coffin I've ever seen in my life.
This motherfucker is a 4000 year old WOODEN coffin with surviving, colorful PAINT and I was screaming internally as I looked at it. My childhood Egypt phase was lit on fire looking at this thing. Here's a video describing the cover. (Aside: So dire that half of the few comments are by ignoramuses and conspiracy peddlers). The presenter says that the painted hieroglyphs are the most beautiful he's seen and I agree. Just a remarkable object in every way.
Look at these 4000 year old birbs. Look at em. I wish my phone weren't ass so you could see them better.
So that alone made visiting worth it. I was disappointed because there is apparently going to be an exhibit on Nubia which I would have loved to see, but it wasn't up yet.
The outings have been great, but outside of those breaks it's been a lot of work, and I'm glad to be back in my own bed now. I also thought I was doing a good job not buying too many books during my free time but then one of my co-workers gifted me the five volume Penguin edition of the Story of the Stone, also known as the Dream of the Red Chamber, so now my to read pile has suddenly increased by almost a foot. So much for moderation.
I also had a chance to read To Clutch a Razer which was the sequel to When Among Crows. As I started reading I realized that I had forgotten about 90% of the first book outside of the final few scenes, but I got caught up fast enough. Like the first book this is a short novella, but even though it still leaves things open in the end it felt more satisfying as a complete thing. I give the author big ups for leaning into the intense woobification of the knight, who suffers both physical and psychic pain very well. I do like softies who can be vicious when they need to be. And his extended family managed to be both evil and compelling. I liked how they turned the idea of tradition on its head by saying that the knights just take from absolutely everything, whether it works or not. The villains were vicious, but made sense. And I was glad that it seems like they're aiming to give the sister a chance to break away, because I liked her in the first book.
I went to see the new Demon Slayers.
I wasn't feeling well (not contagious) and figured since I couldn't really walk around or do anything, if I was sitting in a theater doing nothing but experiencing sensory overload I would forget that I wasn't feeling well. It worked. The movie was hype from beginning to end. I have seen some complaining about how the flashbacks interrupt the flow of action more than in TV format, but it actually felt better to me, because I knew I didn't have to wait to the next episode to jump back into the action. My quick list of fuck yeahs from the movie:
- Zenitsu's final form. Can't go wrong throwing some dragons in there.
- Double electric-type battle. Electric is the best element and 2 is better than 1.
- Shinobu's insect style. I fucking hate centipedes IRL but her techniques were my favorite stylistically. That whole fight was my favorite of the three major ones in the movie actually.
- The two retired Hashira guarding the kiddos. My predictable fondness for old men is predictable, and I did love that Rengoku's dad had sobered up and tried to do his part.
- I had missed the entire Hashira training arc so when I was watching the movie I was like... I have missed an arc lol, but luckily most of it could be intuited. I'm now working through the episodes I missed.
During September I was in Boston for a little bit longer than my usual work trips so I've gotten to do a little bit more around town than usual, which was nice. Some quick observations.
The transit here is pretty good, but it's very good going in and out of the city core and not so good trying to make your way around the spokes. Still, as long as you have a little bit of time it isn't an issue. My friends kept telling me that the metro was ass in Boston but it seems like within the last few years it has all improved dramatically.
The amount of fare dodging on public transit here is immense. I don't know if it's supposed to be this way or not because some of the shortrail to subway lines are a bit confusing, but in some areas it seems no one ever pays to get on the train. Even the commuter rail no one bothered to even ask me if I had a ticket. Sometimes I would try to pay and the drivers would get annoyed about it.
East Coast Architecture is still the best in the US. Being around colonial buildings gives me the same emotional comfort as having a dish of my momma's home cooking. I never realize how much I miss it until I'm back in it.
I have made every excuse possible to swing by the North End for Italian and Taiwanese food. Lots of visits to Bova's, which have great cookies and perfect cannoli. And the Taiwan Bakery has fresh Taiwan style mochi (麻糍) Which is a lot softer than the Japanese style, typically. If I could I'd scarf up a box every day I would.
The amount of fare dodging on public transit here is immense. I don't know if it's supposed to be this way or not because some of the shortrail to subway lines are a bit confusing, but in some areas it seems no one ever pays to get on the train. Even the commuter rail no one bothered to even ask me if I had a ticket. Sometimes I would try to pay and the drivers would get annoyed about it.
East Coast Architecture is still the best in the US. Being around colonial buildings gives me the same emotional comfort as having a dish of my momma's home cooking. I never realize how much I miss it until I'm back in it.
I have made every excuse possible to swing by the North End for Italian and Taiwanese food. Lots of visits to Bova's, which have great cookies and perfect cannoli. And the Taiwan Bakery has fresh Taiwan style mochi (麻糍) Which is a lot softer than the Japanese style, typically. If I could I'd scarf up a box every day I would.
I hit a handful of museums during my stay.
I'm a sucker for house museums and managed to get to the Paul Revere House (since it's in the North End) and the Curtis House. The Curtis house is a nice, cool mansion, but my favorites are always the lower or middle class houses that give a more accurate look into the common man's experience. Revere's house could fit in the foyer of the Curtis mansion. The Revere house also went through extensive renovations and then restorations over the years, so not much left is really "original," but it is still accurate.
I also spent an afternoon hitting the Elizabeth Steward Gardiner Museum and the Boston MFA. The Gardiner Museum was fucking insane and blows the MFA out of the water. Here's a youtube introduction to it. A description doesn't do it justice. Multiple people said I should go and I'm glad I listened. Basically, a filthy rich lady bought whatever arts and artifacts she wanted, built a massive 4 story museum just for her stuff, curated it all herself in an eclectic way, and when she died demanded that nothing ever be moved from its place. You walk into a room and there are pristine golden Japanese screens hanging from the wall next to a Rembrandt next to a medieval German carving of a dragon. More museums should fuck off with the regional segregation and just do whatever the fuck they want because the juxtaposition is cool. There was also very little in the way of exposition. Each room had maybe one or two plaques that pointed out an interesting detail and explained WTF was going on generally and then you just had to figure the rest out yourself. I loved it.
The MFA in contrast has excellent collections obviously, but even compared to more conventional museums the displays are not the most inspired, and feel a little meh. There was a nice little (maybe temporary) exhibit about Jewish ritual objects, maybe cause of Rosh Hashanah? which I enjoyed, and to their credit they have one of the most amazing Egyptian coffin I've ever seen in my life.
This motherfucker is a 4000 year old WOODEN coffin with surviving, colorful PAINT and I was screaming internally as I looked at it. My childhood Egypt phase was lit on fire looking at this thing. Here's a video describing the cover. (Aside: So dire that half of the few comments are by ignoramuses and conspiracy peddlers). The presenter says that the painted hieroglyphs are the most beautiful he's seen and I agree. Just a remarkable object in every way.
Look at these 4000 year old birbs. Look at em. I wish my phone weren't ass so you could see them better.
So that alone made visiting worth it. I was disappointed because there is apparently going to be an exhibit on Nubia which I would have loved to see, but it wasn't up yet.
The outings have been great, but outside of those breaks it's been a lot of work, and I'm glad to be back in my own bed now. I also thought I was doing a good job not buying too many books during my free time but then one of my co-workers gifted me the five volume Penguin edition of the Story of the Stone, also known as the Dream of the Red Chamber, so now my to read pile has suddenly increased by almost a foot. So much for moderation.
I also had a chance to read To Clutch a Razer which was the sequel to When Among Crows. As I started reading I realized that I had forgotten about 90% of the first book outside of the final few scenes, but I got caught up fast enough. Like the first book this is a short novella, but even though it still leaves things open in the end it felt more satisfying as a complete thing. I give the author big ups for leaning into the intense woobification of the knight, who suffers both physical and psychic pain very well. I do like softies who can be vicious when they need to be. And his extended family managed to be both evil and compelling. I liked how they turned the idea of tradition on its head by saying that the knights just take from absolutely everything, whether it works or not. The villains were vicious, but made sense. And I was glad that it seems like they're aiming to give the sister a chance to break away, because I liked her in the first book.
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Date: 2025-11-02 09:03 pm (UTC)