Wurds 5G: Leftover

While mooching around the interwebz, I spotted a driver-safety rhyme that could've been included in the previous entry: "Don't stick your elbow out too far, it might go home in another car!"

Ranking the live-action "Star Wars" TV series

1. "Ahsoka"

2. "Andor"

3. "The Book Of Boba Fett"

4. "The Mandalorian"

5. "Obi-Wan Kenobi"

"Ahsoka" so far is pure "Star Wars". "Andor" is a better show, but you could remove the "S/W" elements and it wouldn't matter. "Fett" versus "Mandalorian" is probably down to personal taste. "Obi-Wan" the only dud. Doesn't ring true in terms of later events, kid Leia sort of annoying.

Wurds 4X: Rhyme Time

Heard an MTG streamer describe a creature with flying, double strike and vigilance as "flappin', double slappin', never tappin' ". Brilliant! As PG remarked, if it had also had lifelink, she could have added "sappin' ".

In a "Doctor Who" audioplay, Tegan uses the cute phrase, "More than an inch to pinch." Sounds like an oldie to me. Sounds kinda saucy, too. Google suggests it may be a reference to an '80s Special K cereal slogan.

In Danish, peng is money and pung is a purse or wallet. So, amusingly to my brain, you put your peng in your pung. But I need a rhyme... "The boy hid money under the bed" = Drengen gemte penge under sengen.

On an episode of "In Our Time" about mathematician Paul Erdos I was listening to while doing the washing up, they quoted this clever limerick:

A problem both deep and profound 

Is whether a circle is round. 

In a paper by Erdos, 

Written in Kurdish, 

A counterexample is found.

Recent viewing

* "Bird Box - Barcelona" (2023): Unenjoyable sequel betrays own rules, basically sucks.
* "M1ster 0rgan" (2022): Gonzo doco about bizarre and sinister manipulator.
* "Operation Fortune" (2023): Bond-ish, heist-ish. Rival spies, banter, mindless fun.

* "Sorcerer" (1977): Suspense masterpiece. Perplexing -> utterly captivating. Bridge scene.
* "The Scars Of Ali Boulala" (2021): Swedish skate star's fall painful to watch.

[Seen on Netflix, Apple Store rental, Prime, YouTube, Kanopy.]

Recent viewing

* "Black Adam" (2022): Really struggled to give a crap. 3/10.
* "Kandahar" (2023): Complex, exciting, even nuanced ME (counter-)espionage.
* "The Night Eats The World" (2018): Zombie-apocalypse survivor ordeal meets arthouse quirkiness.
* "Untold - Johnny Football" (2023): Gridiron prodigy's spectacular self-destruction, honestly told.
* "Weird - The Al Yankovic Story" (2022): Parody of biopic cliches played straight? Perfect! AND: Self-referential closing song is Al gold.

[Seen on Netflix, Prime, SBS On Demand, Netflix, Kanopy.]

Wurds 3D

I've mentioned previously that I binned all of my youthful poetry in my twenties. From time to time, a couplet will float back into mind. There was a poem that alluded to the signal employed by Judas when betraying Jesus to the Romans. I wrote:

"He was kissed over the shoulder / By a protege grown bolder."

What was that particular poem about? I honestly couldn't tell you. I believe the "over the shoulder" part was to do with Judas not being able to look Jesus in the eye. Dunno that it works. 

I had some oddball ideas when it came to fitting subjects for poetry. Like the fallen angel, trapped here on earth, realising it had had no choice in rebelling - no free will, only a role to play in a cosmic lesson. Controversial! Also: what a little weirdo.

Recent viewing

* "Heart Of Stone" (2023): First-rate unpossible spyjinx (except the hacking).

* "Hypersleep" (2022): Italian vision of nightmarish future incarceration method.
* "Nimona" (2023): Rockin' sci-fantasy acceptance quest. Appealingly psycho antiheroine.
* "The Danish Collector" (2021): Expert tour of Impressionist treasures, related history.
* "The Initiated" (2023): Dystopian criminal/political investigation from Colombia. Intense! AND: Lighting, framing, superlative sets generate powerful atmosphere.

[Seen on Netflix, SBS On Demand, Netflix, Kanopy, Prime.]

Elbmar

I wasn't an early mobile phone adopter. Before I moved to Sydney, I was living at home again, where there was a family mobi used to arrange meeting places/times. Even after I made it to the Big Smoke, however, it was a while before I got my trusty Nokia 3210. This morning, I was hit by a funny memory from the period in between. There was a gal I wanted to ask out on a date, so I *borrowed* an acquaintance's phone to call her. Never thought about him keeping her number (which I had written on a scrap of paper) or her thinking his was mine. I rang and asked if she would like to go to Taronga Zoo on the coming weekend. She wouldn't; she was shifting sharehouses. But she was happy to go for a drink on a different day. Which we did. And on maybe two more dates following that. Mobile phones, eh?

Recent viewing

* "Cold Case Hammarskjold" (2019): Political murder investigation uncovers sinister colonial conspiracy. AND: Narrative techniques unnecessary, but add to strangeness.

* "Legion Of Super Heroes" (2023): Loved it. Arguably peak of DC 'toons.

* "Limbo" (2023): Outback noir boasts alien minescapes, terrific performances.

* "Magnetic Beats" (2021): '80s restless-youth drama with fab soundtrack.

* "Puss In Boots - The Last Wish" (2022): Different animation styles? Nup. Everything else? Yup!

* "Queen Of Spades" (2021): Derivative summoning horror. "B" effects. "C" script.

* "Zom 100" (2023): Goofy, depressing, mostly adequate zombie life metaphor. OR: Smart reset, hilarious hybrid foe, tokusatsu nods.

[Seen on Kanopy, Netflix, ABC iview, SBS On Demand, Netflix, Prime, Netflix.]

Werds ][gs

It was noted in "DMW #593" that fans have dubbed Russell T. Davies' second stint as "Doctor Who" showrunner RTD2. Endorsed!

You might know this'un. I didn't until yesterday... "It is easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission" - computing pioneer Grace Hopper.

"Teardrops" (1988) by Womack & Womack has been stuck in my head for days. I could have sworn it reached No. 1 in Australia, but Wikipedia reckons it only made it to No. 2 on the ARIA chart. I do recall it being on very high rotation. To be honest, I didn't care much for the song at the time. Now, I realise it's a pop-soul masterpiece (about regretted infidelity). Linda W.'s wonderful vocals have just a hint of raw emotion and every muso/backing singer is on point. I've searched for worthy cover versions or remixes and none compare to the original.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8AOAap6_k4

Werds ][c

A podder I like refers to some beer brands as "battle lager". I *suspect* he means they are of the potent variety, potentially causing drinkers to become fighty. You hear claims about certain spirits making peeps unnaturely violent. I have an old school chum who won't touch rum for that reason. Is it true?

In a Skype group this morning, an erstwhile colleague shared a clip of a George Carlin routine about the gradual over-softening of modern language. "Minimally exceptional" was a newie for me. Now, there's nothing wrong with wanting to avoid giving offence. The trouble arises if politely obscuring leads to actively deceiving. Then you're in "weasel words" territory.

But let's keep things light. When I was training to be a museum tour guide, the boss-cocky was an extremely courteous fellow. A patron threw up once, and he reported it to the rest of the staff thusly: "I'm afraid we have some errant stomach contents..."

Recent viewing

Given the quantity of lady soccer I've been armchair spectating, squeezing in these films was no joke.

* "Guardians Of The Galaxy 3" (2023): Flimsy plot, unwelcome developments, yet still tops.
* "Hidden Strike" (2023): Frequently corny, occasionally striking, vehicle-centric teamup actioner.
* "Running With Speed" (2023): Comprehensive and humanising examination of videogame speedrunning.
* "Shin Kamen Rider" (2023): If "Power Rangers" was weirder, bloody, enigmatic.
* "The Last Duel" (2021): Harrowing historical epic's most impressive aspect? Acting.

[Seen on Disney+, Netflix, Kanopy, Prime, Disney+.]

Werds ][e

Was telling BS and RS how tickled I was to hear a podcaster refer to singer Chris De Burgh as a "fare dodger". If you know, you know. And you're ancient like us :-)

An expression I caught for the first time the other day: "Ifs and buts, candy and nuts." Seemed to be functioning in the same way as would, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."

When my two youngest sisters did horse riding as kids, there was a horse at the farm that - post-ride and saddle, etc. removal - used to unlatch its stall (loop of rope) with its mouth, go inside, then latch the stall again.

Werds 2

We all know Helen Of Troy as "The face that launched a thousand ships". According to Isaac Asimov, the amount of beauty required to launch a single ship, then, is a millihelen. (While he may have come up with the gag independently, there's evidence to suggest he wasn't the first.)

Saw a member of the "M:TG" online community tweet that a light-rail system in a city implies the existence of a dark-rail system. Nice. Struck me as a very Neil Gaiman idea, as might be found in "Neverwhere".

I'm a fan of polyglot videos on YouTube. Not the show-offy sort - "Watch me converse in 14 languages in a row" or "Win [cash prize] if I can't speak your language". I prefer the type where the host puts their extra language to use in everyday situations. Asking for directions, ordering food or just having a general chat. My fave polyglot 'Tubers are Xiaomanyc, Oriental Pearl and Chris Lewis. Anyway...

Xiaoma's latest vid sees him practising the Oromo language of Ethiopia and Kenya. After they converse, a young chap tells him, "If you speak to a man in a language he knows, it'll go to his head. If you speak to a man in his mother tongue, it'll go to his heart." A lovely sentiment. Has a familiar ring. Like, "If you give a man a fish..." That doesn't diminish its appeal for me.

Werds

During a UFC behind-the-scenes video, someone uttered the phrase, "Your vibe attracts your tribe." Clever rhyme. I'll pay it.

On a serious note, while editing a document for work, I came across the term "himpathy". It means the unreasonable amount of sympathy that is often shown towards men who abuse women. An awful reality. Yeah - needs its own term.

There was an article about author Bret Easton Ellis in Danish newspaper "Politiken" that I am now unable to find. In it, the writer seized on a quote from BEE - as he's probs not known - that I shall, alas, have to paraphrase. Wanna say it was: "Today's youth are never alone with themselves." The more you think about that, the truer and sadder it is.

Returning to silliness (sorry if it's jarring)... In one of the recently released episodes of Netflix's "The Witcher", a character delivers the insult "knobless dickhead". That's a contradiction, right?