Une de mes blagues préférés dans la série télévisée Au service de la France, c’est l’accent horrible de tout personnage américain qui paraît dans la série. J’aurais aimé trouver sur YouTube la scène où deux agents de la CIA sont incapables de prononcer « communiste » à la française, employant toujours la prononciation américaine d’une manière qui souligne bien l’attitude américaine paranoïaque envers le communisme pendant la guerre froide. Ne la trouvant pas, je présente donc cette autre scène, où un autre agent CIA parle de combien le président Kennedy « aime les femmes » avec un accent vraiment horrible:

This purchase felt like a real gamble. I’m not sure I actually like green tea, and while I have had one yummy hojicha latte, that’s not a lot to base a long-lasting purchase on.

Anyway, I like it! It feels like I shouldn’t, because it’s a very unique taste that reminds me of being in a Japanese restaurant more than the teas I usually like, but it’s good and I’m looking forward to drinking more.

Je ne sais plus comment j’ai découvert cette série, mais je suis bien content de l’avoir regardée (merci M. Le VPN pour m’avoir aidé à convaincre Arte que j’étais en France). Si elle est minimaliste, elle est plus forte pour ça.

J’ai écrit quelque chose il y a deux ans sur comment la chanson « Coup de vieux » de Bigflo & Oli m’a beaucoup marqué, car même si je n’ai jamais eu l’expérience d’être jeune en France, je reconaissais quand-même l’expérience d’être jeune. J’ai eu une expérience semblable avec cette série. Si certains éléments m’étaient étranger (je connais pas du tout Diddl, par exemple), les souvenirs de MSN Messenger me sont fort revenus, et même sans cela, l’expérience de jeunesse a quelques éléments universels.

Sigh. The first paragraph here sums up my own feelings about the show, so I expect I’ll agree with the whole review about the movie:

When The Mandalorian first debuted on Disney Plus, it was a refreshing reminder of how fascinating Star Wars stories can be when they aren’t focused on the same handful of well-established characters. Especially in its first season, the series felt like a sign that Disney was shifting gears after disappointing fans with its last trilogy of big budget features. But as The Mandalorian went on, it became overstuffed with supporting characters and haphazardly-introduced lore that did little to make the show feel like must-see TV.

I’m not ready to give this full marks (maybe because I don’t actually like caramel corn all that much, so who knows why I felt like I had to have this tea). That said, it’s good and interesting, Elmwood Inn somehow managed to make it taste like its description, and I don’t think I’ll get bored of it.

Not the best chai I’ve ever had, but a nice addition to my morning rotation.

“Intentionally bad” is a vibe that really works for me, and this is a masterclass of that vibe. I have some complaints: Some parts are grosser than they need to be, and even though I can forgive most of that as part of the “intentionally bad schtick,” there’s a rape reference in one episode that feels unnecessary even if it’s meant to be a bad call by the characters. Despite even that, I really appreciate this show for the specific thing it’s trying to do, and it made a good break from more serious media this week.

I feel like the common wisdom is that if seasonal changes are going to affect your mental health, it’s going to be the winter, when temperatures get colder and days get shorter. My experience has often been the opposite, though: It’s not that I don’t sometimes struggle during the winter, but it’s spring and summer that really do a number on my mental health. It’s been helpful to recognize that over the last year or two, not because it changes the pattern but rather because being aware of the pattern is a first step toward developing healthier responses to it.

There’s a fun meta-premise to this story (adapt Doctor Who stories never made for TV as radio dramas), and I enjoyed some parts of this, but I can’t say that Peter Davison is engaging enough (for me personally! I’m sure he’s wonderful for other fans!) for me to be a huge fan here.

Ça fera bientôt vingt-cinq ans depuis le début de mes études du français, mais dans une scène de fiction, les nuances du tutoiement et du vouvoiement m’échappent toujours. Je comprends ce qui est dit mais trop souvent sans reconnaître les implications pour la relation entre deux personnages.

Mon français est assez fort, mais pas hyper, hyper fort quand-même. Il y a certaines expériences, comme les appels téléphoniques et les films, qui me rappellent surtout mes lacunes linguistiques. Je suis maintenant en train de regarder la cinquième saison d’Un village français, et comme je la regarde grâce à un service américain de vidéo à la demande, la seule version de cette série qui m’est disponible est celle qui a des sous-titres en anglais imposés sur la vidéo—on n’a même pas la possibilité de regarder sans sous-titres. Même si j’aurais préféré des sous-titres en français, il est vrai que ça m’aide beaucoup, avoir les sous-titres pour surmonter les faiblesses qui restent dans mon français.

Okay, so I just reviewed this, but I already think it’s better than I gave it credit for. I just oversteeped a cup because I got caught in conversation on my way back from the break room and it was still just the right taste, and I think that deserves full marks.

I know it’s a breakfast tea, but this hit the spot yesterday when I was dragging right before an afternoon meeting. Not too strong, just the exact kind of malty flavor I’m trying to experience more of.

Briefly forgot my work password and then tricked myself into remembering it by first typing out my work username and letting muscle memory take over.

This blend felt like a bit of a gamble, but if the flavors are subtle, they are more or less what I would have expected from the branding. A welcome addition to my current lineup.

Même si je trouve que l’application Radio France est assez pourrie (difficile à organiser, de grosses pubs qui paraîssent en début de journée), elle a été utile pour trouver d’autres émissions sur Radio Londres et ses concurrents. Hyper fascinante, cette série !

J’ai enfin repris « Un village français », mais la deuxième épisode que j’ai regardée m’a fait me poser plein de questions sur Radio Londres. Tout ce qui est radio m’intéresse, et je trouve l’idée de Radio Londres particulièrement intéressante. J’ai donc recherché quelque chose qui pourrait m’en apprendre plus, et j’ai découvert ce documentaire, qui m’ai bien plu.

The Incomparable has once again clued me in to a fun series, and I was delighted to listen to this over a couple of days. It’s a fun premise, and if the podcast I listened to was any indication, it will only get more fun with time.

Still good! Interesting themes, great art, fascinating take on a familiar premise, and compelling characters. You can see more of the seams on this volume, but I plan to keep reading, reading, reading.

This series isn’t perfect—the shaman character has enough vague stereotype surrounding him to raise a concerned eyebrow—but it’s good. What’s more, I’m so happy to be returning to it after a month-long semi-accidental break that I’m giving this volume full marks.

It’s very weird, with beautiful art to back it up. It’s fast-paced in a way that could be annoying but is justified by the story in a way that works. The characters aren’t always sympathetic, but that usually works to the advantage of the story being told.

Loved this. I don’t know why I liked it better than Tinker Tailor—is it a better adaptation, or do I actually like the underlying story better?

That got to thinking about how much of Smiley’s People is a clear riff on Tinker Tailor (George tackles a problem from the outside, brings in Guillam, chats with Connie, recruits Toby…). You can’t have Smiley’s People without Tinker Tailor, but I wonder if Smiley’s People is actually the better version of that story.

I like blending the mundane and the fantastical (Jedi should absolutely be sent to negotiate trade disputes), so I ought to like this story about the fae and influencers (especially since it has some pro-co-op vibes), but it just didn’t land as well as I’d have liked.

Eh, it felt like this was a continuation of some of my least favorite parts of Autonomous. I am also struggling to enjoy “robots’ rights” stories in our LLM era, which is dumb, but that’s how it is.

I’ve now reviewed the original (audio)book as well as radio, tv, and film adaptations! Wondering if there are more adaptations worth looking at.

This movie isn’t bad, but I found myself disappointed with it. I don’t know if you can trim the story down to two hours (though now I’m wondering what the radio play comes out to), and while I try not to grump about adaptations, I’ve got a list of decisions I didn’t agree with here.

I enjoyed listening to the “making of” track, and I wish that didn’t sound so dismissive of the actual story as it does. I’m not a huge First Doctor fan, I guess? I also felt like this story had abrupt developments that I either missed or weren’t described well. Dan Starkey was a delight, and there were bits I liked, but overall? Meh.