w/e 2023-06-25

Weeknotes already?! I feel I’m not doing enough most weeks to warrant notes, but still, here we are, thanks for coming.

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§ I actually wrote some code this week, which was satisfying. Haven’t done much of that for a while and it’s harder to voluntarily drag myself to a computer when the sun’s out and I could be, well, doing anything else. 🎻

On ooh.directory I want to show blogs that have posted for the first time in ages, which (inevitably) turned out to be more complicated to do efficiently than I expected. I’m also not quite sure what “ages” means in this context but that can be tweaked. Still, nearly there with that.

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§ I’ve spent more time on crosswords this week although it’s possible I’ve been doing that in addition to reading too much internet, which was not my initial plan. I got two clues away from finishing Monday’s Guardian cryptic before giving up, and have now learned (and already forgotten) the name of a new (to me) kind of ship’s deck. I’m seven away from finishing Tuesday’s and don’t think that’s going to change.

It still surprises me how I can come back to a crossword, having banged my head futilely against seemingly impossible clues the previous day, and almost immediately realise how to solve something. Brains is strange.

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§ We finished watching Annika (on iPlayer) this week which was pretty good. Mostly a fairly standard small-team-of-British-detectives-solves-murders drama, the angle here being that the murders are all watery ones in Scotland.

The best thing about the show is that it stars Nicola Walker, whose ability to act like she’s thinking about what to say is consistent, rare, a joy to watch, and something I always mention.

Unusually, this show also features her character frequently talking straight to camera which could be terrible but nearly always works really well, especially as it often involves her giving you a look that undercuts whatever very serious thing she’s just very seriously said to you.

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§ We also watched season one of The Diplomat on Netflix, starring an excellent Keri Russell as the US ambassador to Britain, Kate Wyler. It was very good and a lot of fun, and zips along swiftly enough that you often don’t have a chance to question quite how likely some of the events or behaviours are. There are still moments where the otherwise capable Wyler does something really stupid, like the line was written for an entirely different show in which someone with zero experience of politics, meetings, or even keeping a secret, becomes ambassador.

But apart from those moments it’s good stuff. I enjoyed Alan Sepinwall’s review in which he compares it to the usual “Dad TV” version, which would see Wyler’s charming, bends-the-rules-to-get-results husband Hal (Rufus Sewell, also excellent) as the ambassador.

Hal is lauded for doing whatever he wants, how he wants to, while Kate elicits disbelief or outright scolding when she tries to color outside the lines. He gets to be roguish, while she’s expected to behave. (When she speaks bluntly to [President] Rayburn in one scene, he takes her advice, but also asks, “Do people like you?”) The world automatically bends to Hal’s needs, while any attempts to accommodate hers feel forced and uncomfortable

What with Felicity becoming a high-powered diplomat, and Angela growing up to save the nation as a CIA operative, I can’t help thinking Dawson is slacking a bit.

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§ As every year, I’m very much enjoying dipping in and out of Glastonbury on BBC iPlayer this weekend. A lot of fun, positive, and uplifting acts, which only increases the joy of seeing the footage of all those grinning, dancing, waving, people in the crowd having a wonderful time.

I’ll probably list acts I’ve enjoyed another time, when I’ve caught up on more of them, but Young Fathers and Gabriels have been two of my highlights so far.

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§ Onward, onward, towards Q3.