Futurama: Season 1

Way back in 1999, the adult cartoon sitcom Futurama began. From the creator of the Simpsons, Futurama is similar humor in a new setting: the year 3000. One thousand years prior, pizza delivery boy Philip Fry accidentally gets cryogenically frozen, waking up to a very different earth. He finds a living relative, Professor Farnsworth, and goes to work for him at his interplanetary delivery company.  Along the way, we're introduced to the company employees (and other series mainstays):
- Leela, the tough, competent, but compassionate ship captain
- Bender, the lovable 'bad boy' robot
- Hermes, the Jamaican accountant
- Dr. Zoidberg, the clueless alien doctor
- Amy Wong, ditzy daughter of the billionaire Wong family and the Professor's assistant

A host of zany side characters are memorable and hilarious in unique ways: Zapp Brannigan, Kif Kroker, Morbo, "Mom," Robot Devil, Calculon, Elzar, and so many others.
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Season 1 featured just 13 episodes, but it was sufficient to establish the show as one of my all-time favorites. The humor was varied and excellent (I enjoy the surreal humor most), requiring knowledge of pop culture, history, math, science, politics, and more to fully appreciate its depth. Ultimately, Futurama's "primary source of comedy is its satirical depiction of everyday life in the future and its parodical comparisons to the present." (Wikipedia) In addition, the show did a good job of maintaining its light-hearted tone while examining serious topics (and nails the essence of good satire- amusingly displaying the ridiculous elements in our lives and society with the ultimate goal of improvement).

These Futurama DVDs were probably my most-watched media during my post-college bachelor days (2003-5). I'm in the middle of re-watching this season, and am amazed by what I forgot, what I remembered, how picture quality has improved, and how much this show influenced me and my humor: several Futurama lines have worked their way into my commonly-used expressions. This first season had its slow moments, but still has plenty of gold.

Rating: A-

The Reader (Bernhard Schlink)

15-year-old Michael Berg gets sick near Hanna's apartment. She helps him, and later the two begin a secret relationship (she's in her 30s). But an odd one (aside from the inappropriate age); Hanna acts strangely, flying into odd rages or being strangely silent on different topics. One day, she disappears entirely.

Years later, Michael is now a law student. His class attends a court hearing of former concentration camp guards who left imprisoned women locked in a burning church to die; Hanna is one of the defendants. As the trial goes on, Michael comes to realize: Hanna is illiterate, and she'll go to any length- even self-incrimination- to protect her secret. He can help her; should he?
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This award-winning book (made into a movie with Kate Winslet) was on my German reading list. It's a very fast read, easily done in a day or two. The sexual relationship between the adult and child main characters is indecent and revolting- I lower its rating for this alone. That aside, this is an excellent book. There's a lot to think about; I'll share two themes.

One theme is understanding and condemnation. Knowing Hanna, Michael struggles at her trial as he seeks a balance between understanding and condemnation (mercy and justice or grace and truth, as I'd put it). And soon, it becomes clear that Michael's struggle goes beyond Hanna to that of post-war Germany grappling with its Nazi past. Clearly the leaders in charge were monsters, but what of everyday citizens- like Michael's parents? At what point were all Germans complicit in the crimes against humanity? And can you love a criminal without being complicit in their crimes?  Can you both understand and condemn, or is it impossible? And, as Michael thinks through things . . . he realizes that he, too, has failed- he has betrayed Hanna. So to what degree are we all worthy of condemnation, and how do we handle that?

Another theme has to do with weakness. Hanna goes to great lengths to hide her illiteracy. It's likely why she become a concentration camp guard in the first place (spurning better opportunities that may have exposed her), why she betrays those around her in different situations, and why she causes a great deal of pain to Michael. Confessing weakness would have saved Hanna a good deal of prison time and improved her relationships and opportunities in life. But she doesn't. She'd rather sit in jail for 18 years (she does learn to read there, finally).  How far will we go- and who will we hurt- in covering our weaknesses- hiding our failures?

Rating: B+

Lord of Chaos (Robert Jordan)

The Wheel of Time saga continues! Soon after The Fires of Heaven . . .

Rand has saved Cairhein from the rogue Aiel tribe, who has fled but is not a threat at present. He's also helped Andor by defeating its Forsaken ruler. Camped there, he ponders his next move, the goal being tactical (restoring Elayne to her mother's throne) and strategic (preparing for the final battle). For the latter, he starts a school for men who can channel, led by a fallen False Dragon, Mazrim Taim.  In addition, he's planning to strike south, at the Forsaken Sammael ruling in Illian, using Mat and his uncanny command abilities.

Meanwhile, Aes Sedai opposed to Elaida have set up an alternate White Tower, in Salidar. There, powerful events unfold for Nynaeve and Elayne as they enjoy the company of a legendary hero come alive and hold a Forsaken captive, forcing her to reveal ancient secrets. They communicate through dreamwalking with Egwene and the Aiel, providing mutual assistance to planning next steps for both Rand and the Aes Sedai's move against Elaida.  Egwene will join them, and the impossible starts happening . . .

Perrin has saved Two Rivers and established himself, albeit unwillingly, as lord there. He and his wife, Faile, gather an army and march with Loial to assist Rand in Andor. He arrives, but can any truly help the Dragon Reborn?

Elaida's Aes Sedai grow tired of Rand's games, and take matters into their own hands. The Dragon Reborn is about to learn just how far Aes Sedai can be trusted . . . if he survives.  A battle is looming, and not the one al'Thor intends.

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I started this book in June. The first 600 pages were slow, and then a number of surprising twists occur with insufficient development. This uneven pacing irked me, even as I was happy to see the story progress.  The last 100 pages were especially suspenseful. Six books down, eight to go.

Rating: B+

Missing the Movies

This pandemic has shown me what I value through what I miss. My top four:
- visits from friends & family
- fellowship (gatherings with friends from work or church for meals, games, encouragement, etc.)
- travel
- movies

I surprised myself- sports didn't make the list. (I might feel differently come football season.) I just haven't cared that professional sports shut down, and haven't tuned in now that they've resumed. I was mildly disappointed that my Flames (NHL) did poorly in the playoffs and Spurs (NBA) didn't make them at all, but not really. Interesting.

Anyway, this post is about movies. I love catching the superhero movies (as this page can attest), and they were generally the only things that got me to the theater.  I haven't thought much on films recently, but this weekend's "DC FanDome" virtual convention highlighted several upcoming releases that piqued my interest and made me look forward to a time when this mess is over and we can watch movies in safety. Here are teasers or trailers for the four films most on my mind:

The Batman:
I've loved the Dark Knight movies, and enjoy the darker tone DC has taken towards this specific superhero. The trailer looks great.  Excitement level: 9/10



The Suicide Squad:
2016's Suicide Squad wasn't great, but there are higher hopes for this one due to director James Gunn, of Guardians of the Galaxy fame. Excitement level: 6/10



Wonder Woman 1984:
I enjoyed the first Wonder Woman film, and this looks promising as well. Excitement level: 8/10



The Justice League (the Snyder Cut):
The theatrical release of Justice League disappointed many, myself included (though I had low expectations). The film was a mess, in part because of a director change midway due to family tragedy. The first director, Zack Snyder, was outspoken that the finished product did not come close to meeting his original vision. And Justice League is one of those films, like The Avengers, that should have been epic and amazing. Since it wasn't, and the fan outcry was also great, they're going back and re-doing parts to make it into what Snyder originally intended. Fascinating. This one is due out not in theaters, but HBOMax, sometime next year.  Excitement level: 7/10

Burg Hohenstein

Hohenstein as it was in its heyday

Traveling during COVID is hard, especially for those who have anxiety. Thus, we look for day trips where we can easily distance ourselves while still enjoying the sights of Europe. Today's trip, to Burg Hohenstein [in the Taunus moutnains- not the one near Nuremberg], was a perfect option.

Built ~1190, Hohenstein is now a ruin. Its imposing vantage point is partially obscured today by surrounding forest.

A few things jumped out at me about this particular castle:
1) The parking was plentiful and free
2) The visit was free. They even had free bathrooms!!! (this is rare in Europe)
3) The castle had a smaller ring wall, but its two high walls were uniquely situated: orthogonal to each other, with one running down the middle of a castle (so it looked like a "T" from above). Neat.

Normally, you can walk along the top of both high walls. But renovation closed one, so we were limited to the central wall. It had beautiful views and a great vantage point from which to enjoy this castle's unique layout.

Afterwards, we drove to the nearest big town (Bad Schwalbach) for some ice cream, then headed home. It was a nice way to spend a few hours.

Runkel and Bad Camberg

Today we enjoyed a quick day trip to Runkel and Bad Camberg.

Burg Runkel
I had previously toured Burg Runkel; it's a wonderfully-situated castle on the Lahn River.  It's not crowded (that I've seen); this is a sleepy town that's a great day out. They also have an amazing ice cream place at the foot of the castle, near the river.

Bad Camberg
Billed a poor man's Rothenburg, I've been meaning to get to Bad Camberg for years.  It has a number of nice buildings, but is quite small and easily seen inside of an hour.

Nice to get out and about after months being cooped up!