{"id":11939,"date":"2016-12-31T16:53:49","date_gmt":"2016-12-31T21:53:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=11939"},"modified":"2017-01-01T01:02:20","modified_gmt":"2017-01-01T06:02:20","slug":"december-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=11939","title":{"rendered":"December 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/31894385451_c4f7273be1_k.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/31894385451_c4f7273be1_k-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"31894385451_c4f7273be1_k\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-11949\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/31894385451_c4f7273be1_k-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/31894385451_c4f7273be1_k-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/31894385451_c4f7273be1_k.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And there it is, the end of the month, and the end of a year. Just a quick write-up of the month. It was mostly uneventful, a couple of weeks at the office (plus the yearly holiday party), and a couple of weeks on vacation. And there was Christmas, which was very nice. I hope yours was too!<\/p>\n<p>As usual, though, there were some <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=11939#stories\">stories<\/a>, some <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=11939#movies\">movies<\/a>, and some <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=11939#music\">music<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"stories\"><strong>The stories<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I managed to not finish any of the books &#8212; three at last count &#8212; that I&#8217;m currently reading. I did, however, read thirty-two short stories. Favorites included:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;A Menagerie of Grief&#8221; by Kelly Sandoval (<a href=\"http:\/\/flashfictiononline.com\/main\/article\/a-menagerie-of-grief-kelly-sandoval\/\">Flash Fiction Online<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;A Tower for the Coming World&#8221; by Maggie Clark (<a href=\"http:\/\/clarkesworldmagazine.com\/clark_12_16\/\">Clarkesworld<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;The Death of Paul Bunyan&#8221; by Charles Payseur (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lightspeedmagazine.com\/fiction\/death-paul-bunyan\/\">Lightspeed<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Special Collections&#8221; by Kurt Fawver (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfsite.com\/fsf\/\">F&#038;SF<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;The Wreck at Goat&#8217;s End&#8221; by Alexandra Manglis (<a href=\"http:\/\/strangehorizons.com\/fiction\/the-wreck-at-goats-head\/\">Strange Horizons<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;The Empty Empire&#8221; by Mary E. Lowd (<a href=\"http:\/\/dailysciencefiction.com\/science-fiction\/other-worlds-sf\/mary-e-lowd\/the-empty-empire\">Daily Science Fiction<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;People Are Fragile Things You Should Know By Now&#8221; by Danielle Mayabb (<a href=\"http:\/\/smallbeerpress.com\/lcrw\/\">Lady Churchill&#8217;s Rosebud Wristlet<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Uncontainable&#8221; by Helen Stubbs (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.apex-magazine.com\/uncontainable\/\">Apex<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;The Cyborg, the Tinman, the Merchant of Death&#8221; by Rich Larson (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.lightspeedmagazine.com\/fiction\/cyborg-tinman-merchant-death\/\">Lightspeed<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;The Thanatos Mode&#8221; by Tom Hadrava (<a href=\"http:\/\/strangehorizons.com\/fiction\/the-thanatos-mode\/\">Strange Horizons<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Every Day Is the Full Moon&#8221; by Carlie St. George (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.lightspeedmagazine.com\/fiction\/every-day-full-moon\/\">Lightspeed<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;The Rhythm Man&#8221; by James Beamon (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfsite.com\/fsf\/\">F&#038;SF<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Babel&#8221; by Megan Arkenberg (<a href=\"http:\/\/dailysciencefiction.com\/fantasy\/religious\/megan-arkenberg\/babel_tower\">Daily Science Fiction<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;One-Quarter Dreaming, Three-Quarters Want&#8221; by Helen Marshall (<a href=\"http:\/\/liminalstoriesmag.com\/issue2\/one-quarter-dreaming-three-quarters-want\/\">Liminal Stories<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Creature and Servant&#8221; by Saladin Ahmed (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/posts\/creature-and-6536832\">his Patreon<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;The City Born Great&#8221; by N.K. Jemisin (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tor.com\/2016\/09\/28\/the-city-born-great\/\">Tor.com<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a name=\"movies\"><strong>The movies<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I watched ten movies in December. (I had some time off.)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A Streetcar Named Desire:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Well. A Streetcar Named Desire was&#8230;interesting.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/805245608592310272\">December 4, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t Breathe:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Don&#39;t Breathe is effective and all, but it&#39;s maybe a little too well made for its own good.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/807764828341305344\">December 11, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t Think Twice:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Don&#39;t Think Twice is a little rough at the edges, but it has a likable, talented cast and some very sweet, funny moments.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/807799286968840193\">December 11, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>The Jungle Book:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Jungle Book is far from perfect (or necessary), but it&#39;s surprisingly affecting.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/810321600713281538\">December 18, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>For the Love of Spock:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">For the Love of Spock coasts by pretty much just on the real, well-earned fondness for Leonard Nimoy.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/810353481164984321\">December 18, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>And the Band Played On:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">And the Band Played On is in some ways very much of the early &#39;90s, but it&#39;s a compelling movie (about an important subject) all the same.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/811056929061609472\">December 20, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>The Lobster:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I was deeply confused and unsettled by The Lobster, but I think that was maybe its point.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/811410870580506624\">December 21, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>Eyes Without a Face:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Eyes Without a Face is a lot creepier because it&#39;s in black and white, I think.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/812132350524030976\">December 23, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>The Philadelphia Story:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This movie is quite delightful.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/812142843498233856\">December 23, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>Double Wedding:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Myrna Loy and William Powell are wonderful together, even if Double Wedding is maybe not their best work.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/812434170853126144\">December 23, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>The Thin Man:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I&#39;m now watching The Thin Man, though I feel remiss for not also having a cocktail.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/812778935138340865\">December 24, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>The Big Sleep:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">One more Big Sleep until Christmas. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pu5Da9tHy7\">pic.twitter.com\/pu5Da9tHy7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/812848825018748928\">December 25, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>After the Thin Man:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">After the Thin Man has some delightful moments, even if I don&#39;t think it&#39;s quite as sharp as the first movie.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/813251310271209472\">December 26, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>Ben-Hur:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ben-Hur&#39;s chariot race isn&#39;t unexciting. It&#39;s too long, like the rest of the movie, but it&#39;s also easily the most exciting part.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/813514624217780224\">December 26, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>The Tomb of Ligeia:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Tomb of Ligeia isn&#39;t perfect, but it&#39;s appropriately creepy, and Vincent Price is rather good in it.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/813929482532847618\">December 28, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>Postcards from the Edge:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Postcards from the Edge maybe stops just short of great, but it has a terrific cast and a sharp but human edge to its humor.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/813960909492285445\">December 28, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>Arsenic and Old Lace:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Arsenic and Old Lace sure is a goofball of a movie.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/814312327168323584\">December 29, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>The Revenant:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Revenant isn&#39;t at all bad, but I might be a little more impressed with if I thought it was a little less impressed with itself.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/814690994553753604\">December 30, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>Swiss Army Man:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I really do not know what to think about Swiss Army Man. I&#39;m going to go out on a limb, though, and say I did not like it.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/815026017962258432\">December 31, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<li>The Masque of the Red Death:<br \/>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Masque of the Red Death is really quite good, thanks largely to Vincent Price. They don&#39;t make &#39;em like that anymore.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fred Coppersmith (@unrealfred) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unrealfred\/status\/815054444849139713\">December 31, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a name=\"stories\"><strong>The music<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/videoseries?list=PL62qRURJS1HAaoufz9jPlrZFyb6S09Ncw\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>And there it is, the end of the month, and the end of a year. Just a quick write-up of the month. It was mostly uneventful, a couple of weeks at the office (plus the yearly holiday party), and a couple of weeks on vacation. And there was Christmas, which was very nice. I hope &#8230; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=11939\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[241,14,15,28,222],"class_list":["post-11939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-monthly-music-mix","tag-movies","tag-music","tag-personal","tag-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11939"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11939"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11954,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11939\/revisions\/11954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}