What are fans doing to pass the time during this Coronavirus period?
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Don't know if there is already a thread on this subject but since a couple of our trips have been cancelled or postponed, my wife are exercising more (primarily walking since the YMCA is closed) and watching more movies and series. Not surprising that Netfllix Stock is doing so well. Here are some movies/series we have been watching:
The Man Who Invented Christmas - I love this movie that wasn't really commercially successful but it's one of my recent favs. It is basically the biography of Charles Dickens that shows his ups and downs even during his successful years. It goes through his time of writing "Christmas Carol" after he had 3 relative flops in a row. Even geniuses have bad times! Anyway the man who plays Charles Dickens is Dan Stevens (of Downton Abbey fame) and he is terrific. He is so "funny" with his expressions but he also shows his "inner demons" very well. Great movie in my opinion.
About Time - Another more recent movie fav of mine starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy and other great actors. For anyone who likes a family movie coupled with a little time travel, this is a great one.
Homeland - My wife got me into this Showtime Series starring Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Damian Lewis and others. Most episodes are quite good and I have become a big fan of Claire Danes.
Downton Abbey - Again my wife got me into this great Series and I loved it. Some of my favorite actors here are Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Dan Stevens ,Elizabeth McGovern and a whole hosts of great actors.
I guess I have been become a late big fan of British comedy and drama. We are also watching a whole bunch of movies that a set during the World War 2 era. Thank God for Netflix, Prime and other Streaming Services. TV has really gotten us by during this tough time of staying at home.
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If you like Downton Abbey then you will like Belgravia. It's on EPIX and started Sun. Apr. 12th, so there have been 3 episodes so far. EPIX used to be included on DirecTV, but now I pay $5/mo for it. Pennyworth (about the younger adult years of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler) was also on this channel and had its 1st season finale last Sept.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8425532/
If anyone has Showtime, I just watched the first episode (first season) of Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels on Apr. 26th. This is totally different than the 1st Penny Dreadful show. It takes place in 1938 and is about the first Latino Detective on the LAPD and his partner, played by Nathan Lane, who is Jewish. It has supernatural overtones to it, but based on Mexican folklore. (think Day of the Dead/Dio de Los Muertos)
On Netflix, I've watched seasons 1& 2 of The Crown, the movie Marriage Story, the 7th (last) season of Once Upon A Time, How The Beatles Changed The World and the movie The Two Popes (there's a Beatles reference in this movie, too!)
And my absolute favorite show, Outlander, on STARZ, is nearing the end of its 5th season. This is one I have the 1st 4 seasons on DVD and is definitely bingeworthy!
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B J Conlee wrote:
Homeland - My wife got me into this Showtime Series starring Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Damian Lewis and others. Most episodes are quite good and I have become a big fan of Claire Danes.
I seldom if ever watch anything from the US but Homeland is the exception. I think its brilliant and Claire Danes I could watch for hours,and usually do when working my way through my boxset of dvds. Now looking forward to watching series 8 when I can get it on dvd.
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Nancy R wrote:
If you like Downton Abbey then you will like Belgravia. It's on EPIX and started Sun. Apr. 12th, so there have been 3 episodes so far. EPIX used to be included on DirecTV, but now I pay $5/mo for it. Pennyworth (about the younger adult years of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler) was also on this channel and had its 1st season finale last Sept.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8425532/
If anyone has Showtime, I just watched the first episode (first season) of Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels on Apr. 26th. This is totally different than the 1st Penny Dreadful show. It takes place in 1938 and is about the first Latino Detective on the LAPD and his partner, played by Nathan Lane, who is Jewish. It has supernatural overtones to it, but based on Mexican folklore. (think Day of the Dead/Dio de Los Muertos)
On Netflix, I've watched seasons 1& 2 of The Crown, the movie Marriage Story, the 7th (last) season of Once Upon A Time, How The Beatles Changed The World and the movie The Two Popes (there's a Beatles reference in this movie, too!)
And my absolute favorite show, Outlander, on STARZ, is nearing the end of its 5th season. This is one I have the 1st 4 seasons on DVD and is definitely bingeworthy!
Nancy, thanks for the tip on Penny Dreadful. Sounds good. I'll have to see if my wife is familiar with it.
I forgot to list "The Crown" on my first post. Another one my wife got me into and I thought it was very good. She is also a big fan of "The Outlander". I like both shows.
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I am walking a lot when possible * weather permitting... even then I have layered up or put a hat on to keep the rain or snow from soaking my head. I set a "Fitbit" goal. I try to do over 10,000 steps on a bad day and more on a good day.
A lot more reading ... I have read four books, where I may have just read one if I had to go to the workplace.
A lot more yard work than usual ... "get off my lawn!" ... not that way yet ... yet.
More guitar playing - when I know I won't disturb anyone too badly...
I was learning French and Italian for travel last year through a few apps.... now I am doing more for the fun of it ... I can read some, but have zero confidence to speak to someone who knows the language well... and they would have to speak in slow motion or I am left in the dust ...
Television is way down there on my list ... I use it at the end of the day when possible * sometimes i watched it to see what the virus updates were for the states.... I watched more oldie shows than anything current. I have randomly picked a few Netflicks movies ... a few not so good ... a few were okay .... mostly non commercial TV. I Know they mean well. But those virus commecials that are suppose to have a good message are draining ... which is why I try to limit it and pick something at the end of the day...
Ooppps too many words once again ...
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Have been reading up on Corona Virus and the different countries and how they are trying to combat it. So. Korea, New Zealand, Germany, and Iceland have done the right thing. They have shut down early and done massive massive testing, locating contacts and putting them in quarantine. Those countries had very low numbers and moved through a very small bell curve. Unfortunately the US needs way more testing to get us through this faster. It's a mistake with these states opening up way to early. As Neil DeGrass Tyson said Its like trying to designate a peeing section in a community swimming pool.
The countries that have done that like Japan and Hong Kong have had to start all over again. We need to all pull together instead of making this virus a political platform. Governor Cuomo of NY has really come to the forefront as a great leader.Have been cooking and baking and freezing food. Spending a lot time on the phone with friends and family, lightening the load and doing family meetups for toilet paper, masks, alcohol and all the little necessities. Reading books and planning on alphabetizing my music CDs and DVDs. Planning on watching Spanish Princess season 1 and maybe Outlander. Learning a language sounds like a fun project too!
Stay safe everyone. This is not the end of the world, hope lies ahead if we all stay safe. It will be a rough two years. It's so good to see people pulling together and helping each other through. We will make it, hang in there. Put on some good music and phone a friend!
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The_Fool wrote:
I am walking a lot when possible * weather permitting... even then I have layered up or put a hat on to keep the rain or snow from soaking my head. I set a "Fitbit" goal. I try to do over 10,000 steps on a bad day and more on a good day.
A lot more reading ... I have read four books, where I may have just read one if I had to go to the workplace.
A lot more yard work than usual ... "get off my lawn!" ... not that way yet ... yet.
More guitar playing - when I know I won't disturb anyone too badly...
I was learning French and Italian for travel last year through a few apps.... now I am doing more for the fun of it ... I can read some, but have zero confidence to speak to someone who knows the language well... and they would have to speak in slow motion or I am left in the dust ...
Television is way down there on my list ... I use it at the end of the day when possible * sometimes i watched it to see what the virus updates were for the states.... I watched more oldie shows than anything current. I have randomly picked a few Netflicks movies ... a few not so good ... a few were okay .... mostly non commercial TV. I Know they mean well. But those virus commecials that are suppose to have a good message are draining ... which is why I try to limit it and pick something at the end of the day...
Ooppps too many words once again ...
I never watch anything live on TV - watch on DVR so I can skip through all the virus commercials!
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Well, mostly lawn work, extra long dog walks, and listening to Sir Paul. Been focusing on Red Rose Speedway this week; the original and the absolutely amazing double album THAT SHOULD HAD BEEN RELEASED in 1973!! Okay, I'm RAMbling again, sorry. The line from When The Night, "you taught me how to swing and sway" just kills me. Forgot how great Get On The Right Thing was; should had been the next single after My Love. Really believe the double album of RRS could have been Wings Goodbye Yellow Brick Road moment. Oh well.
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wingsoverkc wrote:
Well, mostly lawn work, extra long dog walks, and listening to Sir Paul. Been focusing on Red Rose Speedway this week; the original and the absolutely amazing double album THAT SHOULD HAD BEEN RELEASED in 1973!! Okay, I'm RAMbling again, sorry. The line from When The Night, "you taught me how to swing and sway" just kills me. Forgot how great Get On The Right Thing was; should had been the next single after My Love. Really believe the double album of RRS could have been Wings Goodbye Yellow Brick Road moment. Oh well.
RAMble on as much as you want!
I love that album too!I pay someone to do my yard work (mowing), don't have a dog (3 lazy cats) and I just binge-watched the 1st two seasons of Liar on Sundance TV. Well, there's 2 more episodes coming up on season 2 I believe. It takes place near London and stars Ioan Gruffudd (Horatio Hornblower) and Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey)
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wingsoverkc wrote:
Well, mostly lawn work, extra long dog walks, and listening to Sir Paul. Been focusing on Red Rose Speedway this week; the original and the absolutely amazing double album THAT SHOULD HAD BEEN RELEASED in 1973!! Okay, I'm RAMbling again, sorry. The line from When The Night, "you taught me how to swing and sway" just kills me. Forgot how great Get On The Right Thing was; should had been the next single after My Love. Really believe the double album of RRS could have been Wings Goodbye Yellow Brick Road moment. Oh well.
Wingsoverkc,
Yes another Paul album where Paul had so much material that was left off the album. I agree with you that Red Rose Speedway (RRS) should have been the "double album" it was originally planned. From listening to the "Take It Away" Podcast, the guys talked about the fact that it was the "record company" that forced Paul to only do a 1 album release in 1973. I guess money was the issue and the fact that Wildlife sold so poorly, they were afraid that the "costs" were too high to put RRS out a double album.
I bought the 2018 Archive Release of RRS at Target. It was a special 2 CD Package with the original CD along with a 2nd CD which contained many of the extra songs that would have been on the originally planned Double Album.
I have to thank you because once I relistened to the original album, I started to like a couple of tracks much better that I know you really like. One was "Get On The Right Thing". The other track was the final "Medley" ensemble which I never liked originally. Maybe it was because I had only heard it a couple of time on FM Radio, but once I had the remastered album, I have come to appreciate the 11 minute "Medley" a lot better. And of course I have always loved original album songs like Little Lamb Dragonfly, Single Pigeon, When the Night, One More Kiss and Big Barn Red. Unlike some critics, I also always liked the big hit from RRS "My Love
But it's all the extra songs on the 2nd Target CD that I just couldn't believe were left off the album. I think the reason that RRS should have been a double album is that it would have made RRS (the whole album) much more varied and harder. As a double album, it would have contained many more "rock" tracks like "The Mess", "Best Friend", Live and Let Die, Little Woman Love, HI Hi Hi, Night Out etc. He also had other rock tracks he could have added like Soily and Give Ireland Back to the Irish. While I like the original album, it was a little "soft" as a whole so as I said, the double album would have given RRS much more variety. I believe that some of the other members of the RRS Band said similar things like Denny Laine, Denny Seiwell and the great guitarist Henry McCullough.
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My wife has just got me into the British Series...The Night Manager. I think it was a 6 episode Series that we just finished and I thought it was very good. I really like Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman.
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B J Conlee wrote:
wingsoverkc wrote:
Well, mostly lawn work, extra long dog walks, and listening to Sir Paul. Been focusing on Red Rose Speedway this week; the original and the absolutely amazing double album THAT SHOULD HAD BEEN RELEASED in 1973!! Okay, I'm RAMbling again, sorry. The line from When The Night, "you taught me how to swing and sway" just kills me. Forgot how great Get On The Right Thing was; should had been the next single after My Love. Really believe the double album of RRS could have been Wings Goodbye Yellow Brick Road moment. Oh well.
Wingsoverkc,
Yes another Paul album where Paul had so much material that was left off the album. I agree with you that Red Rose Speedway (RRS) should have been the "double album" it was originally planned. From listening to the "Take It Away" Podcast, the guys talked about the fact that it was the "record company" that forced Paul to only do a 1 album release in 1973. I guess money was the issue and the fact that Wildlife sold so poorly, they were afraid that the "costs" were too high to put RRS out a double album.
I bought the 2018 Archive Release of RRS at Target. It was a special 2 CD Package with the original CD along with a 2nd CD which contained many of the extra songs that would have been on the originally planned Double Album.
I have to thank you because once I relistened to the original album, I started to like a couple of tracks much better that I know you really like. One was "Get On The Right Thing". The other track was the final "Medley" ensemble which I never liked originally. Maybe it was because I had only heard it a couple of time on FM Radio, but once I had the remastered album, I have come to appreciate the 11 minute "Medley" a lot better. And of course I have always loved original album songs like Little Lamb Dragonfly, Single Pigeon, When the Night, One More Kiss and Big Barn Red. Unlike some critics, I also always liked the big hit from RRS "My Love
But it's all the extra songs on the 2nd Target CD that I just couldn't believe were left off the album. I think the reason that RRS should have been a double album is that it would have made RRS (the whole album) much more varied and harder. As a double album, it would have contained many more "rock" tracks like "The Mess", "Best Friend", Live and Let Die, Little Woman Love, HI Hi Hi, Night Out etc. He also had other rock tracks he could have added like Soily and Give Ireland Back to the Irish. While I like the original album, it was a little "soft" as a whole so as I said, the double album would have given RRS much more variety. I believe that some of the other members of the RRS Band said similar things like Denny Laine, Denny Seiwell and the great guitarist Henry McCullough.
Red Rose Speedway was released today in the U.K. in 1973!
(Apr. 30th in the U.S.) -
The James Paul McCartney Special and some kick-ass good singles during that time ....
Red Rose Speedway was so cool ..... as always - something fresh something new something different. At the time the instruments and recording techniques were just being used (which are more common now) ...
I always enjoy that album .... but then which ones of Paul's don't I enjoy ha ha ha....
At home, I have to log into work each day (so far they are paying me .... so it is not a problem to be able to work on a few things or answer a few questions or do some moderate training ) ..... sometimes I am logged in and not much is going on - but I am being available for emails and a skype type of something. In most cases I have to do more hands on type of work, but did catch up with some reports at the start of the stay home thing. I will do some stuff around the house and check the computer at intervals to make sure all is okay.
I am also chipping away at the gizzillion things that need to be done around my house, inside on cruddy days and outside when I can ..... I can work on them or of course put them off for another day. I try to do things that I am able to do without doing a go to the store for parts type of project. I did have some paint before the stay at home thing and painted a few areas inside my house. I had plenty of time to do so and to even do additional paint and touch up.
I got some good wireless headphones as a gift and have used those around the house a few times or more and do they every sound good and I can move around without getting tangled up (*some of you who had the old version of headphones with wires to the stereo will know what I mean .... I think).
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I'm doing a lot of piano practice - I'm self-taught. I don't read music but I just get chord lists for songs - I've got hundreds of songs which I go through at random, particularly Beatles songs, sixties classics and the Great American Songbook. I have a portable keyboard with many different sounds and rhythms. I'm also reading a huge amount - biographies (music mostly), poetry and some Dickens (enjoying Pickwick Papers at present). I think I'll probably have time to get through the Beatles Tune in, a new 10CC biography and Andrew Lloyd Webber's memoir (all massive and very entertaining). I love the Bond films (for me Pierce Brosnan is the best 007 because he combines action and humour very well). My wife and I love the beautiful trees and local wildlife, and this is helping us get through lockdown.
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Jogging around 5 miles a day weather permitting. Tons of spring cleaning including garage and attic above the garage. Cut down tree in backyard that was actually hit by lightning. My wife is into watching British shows like "Father Brown" and "The Great British Baking Show" and I have joined her. Making copies of old pictures with machine I got as a present and putting them on my computer and external drive. These pictures were in old photo albums and pictures would be ripped if you tried to take them out of the album. I have played my guitar more and actually have written a song or two. Have weekly social distant picnic with our daughters once again weather permitting. That is about all I can think of for now.
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Has anyone tried Brit Box? Just wondering, I enjoy so many of the British shows when I've been over to visit. Have been thinking of getting it, although not sure how it gets set up. Not as good with the computers as I'd like to be.
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I had a tree that died... I gave it another season to be sure it wasn't in a recovery type of stage.
That being said... I started cutting all the branches that I could. (It was not a real big tree) ... Not going to a store; I taped a branch saw on a pole that extends to 12 feet (*I don't know that is in grams, kilometers and liters) the saw made it the whole time. (I thought it would fall apart on the first branch). A neighbor saw me cutting the branches and comes over with an official branch saw * what I would have bought in a store. Then he gets on the phone - his son brings a chainsaw ... the next day I am pulling a rope as he cut the tree. It fell the right way safely and he was safe (* number 1 concern).
What I enjoyed most was his personal history story.
The neighbor is older and he talked about his first hand living in the old country, war, end of war, farming, industrial, college/ university training etc... coming to the United States and assimilating as people did then, working and doing what he could to make a living and help his family. He did most of the talking as I asked a few questions and told him how I liked hearing this from him direct. Something that many history books do not cover with such detail.
I would not have done the tree at the this time if I was working a full schedule or it would have been done at a different pace. (A few branches at a time).
With the time - good or bad ... I have lots of time to look around and see the stuff that needs to be done ... but sonetimes I need a day off - believe it or not ... to read a book and go for a casual walk.
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I logged into the work place as I have been doing since the stay home thing...
The company sent out a long long guide of how and what to do when the return happens.
Maybe it is because they have to cover all the possibilities.... right now on a few readings ... it does not seem like something to look forward to as I once did when I first stayed home.
In a nutshell it is just stuff like: wearing a mask all day, cautions to take when having to do something that involves 2 or more people, sometimes googles or face shield, possible lab jacket, wiping anything you touch - before and after- no coffee machines, all breakroom stuff removed - chairs, microwaves, refrigerators, * not that I use some of them, but that other people I work with cannot. There is a limit of how many people can be in meeting rooms, breakrooms, bathrooms, and then the cleaning required before and after in areas ...
Probably sounds worse than what it will be -
Like a product that has all the cautions to cover many possibilities... once you use it, everything is fine. Oh well... it is what it is
And that is today's world....
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Where I used to work (operating room), there would be a mutiny if they took away the coffee machine, microwaves and refrigerators in the break room!
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Nice story Fool....about the elderly neighbor. Some people still want to "lend a hand". My neighbor fixed my pole saw for cutting branches & I was able to cut down a bunch of branches.
