SlowRain @SlowRain@mastodon.social
A Canadian expat ESL teacher in Taiwan, interested in books, coffee, movies, straight razors, fountain pens, the middle ages, rum...and rain. (Photos by HTC 10)
Hi. I'm new to this instance. My former account was @SlowRain.
I'm a Canadian expat teaching ESL in #Taiwan. My interests are:
#coffee #espresso (I also roast coffee at home)
#books #reading
#movies
#wetshaving
#fountainpen #fountainpens
#rum
#chocolate
#middleages #medieval
@eliasg
I'm thinking of ordering a couple of books from The Book Depository. I've never done it before. Any tips? I have to keep the order under 2000TWD to avoid duty, right?
'“The undermining of the common fields, the declining effectiveness of the village’s internal government, and the development of a distinct group of wealthy tenants [spelled the] triumph of individualism over the interests of the community,” in the words of Christopher Dyer.'
- Frances & Joseph Gies, Life in a #Medieval Village
This picture from Matt Groening's #Disenchantment reminds me of the cover of #TerryBrooks' #TheElfstonesOfShannara (3 fantasy characters in front of a door, getting ready for battle).
Damn it! My school made a last minute change & gave me classes on Monday mornings for the summer. That's just cruel. 😖
https://variety.com/2018/film/news/indiana-jones-5-release-date-spielberg-harrison-ford-1202861005/
#IndianaJones 5 Will Miss 2020 Release Date
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Given the state of #HarrisonFord's career, I'm assuming it's not him who's holding out. But he will be 77 or 78 if they do film it. (I said "if".)
I also wonder if part of the delay is to rewrite it because of the backlash against some of the #StarWars #movies.
When I first moved to #Taiwan 15 years ago, I brought #JohnLeCarre's The Little Drummer Girl with me. Listening to cicadas while reading about them, and reading about flat-roofed houses while living in one, certainly made the experience more vivid.
Publishers are paying writers a pittance, say bestselling authors
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There's a lot of truth to this article, especially regarding evil Amazon (their notoriously high volume with low margins) & publishers switching away to blockbuster authors.
However, it's also a supply & demand thing. There are a lot of #books being published now. When publishers have so much to choose from, they can play hardball with royalties.
Gone are the days when quality was prioritized.
@cybette
Was your instance not working properly or mine? You had a lot of posts go through my timeline right now, but some of them are several days old.
"Why the #Finns don't want to be #happy? - #Finnish people are content more than happy. It’s about #trust and #generosity, and #Finland ranks very high in those. It’s probably more accurate to say that the Finns are the least unhappy people in the world. They always do well at reducing the causes of unhappiness."
Amen.
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180617-why-the-finns-dont-want-to-be-happy
I'm reading "The Remains of the Day", and how did I reach *mumble* years old without anyone telling me I needed to read this book? It's brilliant.
I only picked it up because I saw someone reading it on the subway, and I remembered that I liked the movie a lot of years ago. But what the book has that the movie didn't is an incredible narrative voice. You really get into the head of the main character, more intensely than most books manage to deliver.
Branagh’s ‘Death On The Nile’ Adaptation Will Face Off Against Star Wars Next Year
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Now there's a good idea! Going to watch Hercule Poirot as a protest against Jar Jar Abrams & the direction Lucasfilm is going with sequels.
Two years ago my wife started wearing long-sleeved rayon shirts in the summer if she knew she was going to be outside for a bit. This summer I've started wearing long-sleeved cotton broadcloth or linen shirts, primarily because my scooter is my only transportation. I'm surprised how much I like them.
I love the sound of cicadas in the park.
The ties in Taiwan are absolutely dreadful. Everything is striped.
I like pretending I don't understand Chinese with my younger students & watching them giggle & squirm as they try to muster up their limited English to tell me what they want to tell me.
It would seem the hashtag "#Solo" is being used by the members of Switter.at--and not for discussing the movie. Perhaps I should stick to using "#SoloAStarWarsStory".
http://collider.com/star-wars-spinoffs-on-hold/#images
Future ‘A Star Wars Story’ Spinoffs on Hold at Lucasfilm
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This is disappointing because the anthology #movies were the only bright spot in #StarWars since Return of the Jedi. However, it's OK if the focus will be a shift to better writing, which was a weakness in #Solo & a strength of #RogueOne. Hopefully Star Wars gets sorted out after Episode IX.
My wife is lying in bed watching exercise videos. I may be wrong, but I'm not sure that's the best method to utilize them. 😁
"[A] vicar’s concubine, learning that the bishop was coming to order her lover to give her up, set out with a basket of cakes, chickens, and eggs, and intercepted the bishop, who asked her where she was going. She replied, “I am taking these gifts to the bishop’s mistress who has lately been brought to bed.” The bishop, properly mortified, continued on his way to call on the vicar, but never mentioned mistresses or concubines."
- Frances & Joseph Gies, Life in a Medieval Village
