Exercise, TV, games... but no books

[thistlechaser]

I finished a really good book, but writing a review seems beyond me at the moment, but hopefully soon.

Exercise: I walk almost a half hour almost every day of the week. I know some of you out there hike all weekend long, but that's the most I've ever walked at one time, so I'm pretty happy with myself. My goal is at least a half hour most every day of the week, so I'm close!

Exercise, part two: I bought the VR system just to use the Supernatural exercise system. Basically you bat at colored balls in all sorts of settings, supposedly "the most beautiful places on Earth". The problem is the graphics are video game level, which kinda kills the whole "most beautiful" thing. Seeing how Supernatural costs $19/month (which is nearly the price of a VR game you get to keep), I canceled in my free 30 days.

That Beat Saber game is basically the same idea as Supernatural, but in a video game-ish setting, so the video game-level graphics work much much better in it. I've played the demo level a couple times. I'd like to wait until it goes on sale to get it, but as it's the most popular VR game that has ever been released, it's never been on sale yet and likely never will be. So eventually I'll just splurge and pay the $30 to get it. (Since it's just for exercise, I feel more okay about spending the money.)

voidmagus recommended a VR game called Moss. It's an adventure/puzzle game that is highly cute. It's also, to non-gamer me, quite challenging. Supposedly it takes 3-4 hours to beat, but I'm well beyond that and I think I have a ways to go. I really suck at puzzles and jumping on things, but the game is so darned cute I like that it's taking me longer.

VR still sometimes gives me motion sickness and an upset stomach sometimes, but it's pretty rare. Today it's kind of bad, but I watched a few poor quality VR videos so that's probably why (seems like the worse quality stuff makes the side effects worse, which I guess makes sense).

TV: I re-watched (re-marathoned) The Boys. I loved it as much the second time as I did the first. A dark (realistic) look at superheroes, about how people with power can abuse those who have less power, but it was the smaller character stories I liked even more than the main plot. I'm still, after second viewing and days later, struggling with feeling bad for a character who repeatedly sexually assaulted women; in just eight eps, it's amazing how they turned the tables on him.

I'm sort of watching Snowpiercer, though if I had anything better to watch, I'd drop it. Set in the future, the Earth has gotten so cold that it killed off all life except the people on a train that never stops circling the globe. How does the train keep going? How do the tracks not get destroyed? Train tracks need to be cleared, how does this train function when it must take so long to circle the globe? Especially when the world is in an endless blizzard?

I wish I had something else to watch or marathon. I'm watching some broadcast TV shows (nothing really good), still slowly watching Community (good but I've seen it so many times, none of the eps are a surprise to me).

Oh I did start watching Last Week Tonight, which is like The Daily Show used to be during its best times. I should have been watching that since the beginning!

Edit: Speaking of live TV, an odd channel (H&I) shows a block of Star Trek each night. 8 PM is original, 9 TNG, 10 DS9, 11 Voyager. So I see TNG and usually half of DS9 each day. Man, TNG did not age well (or was it just always not good?). It's so... how to even describe it. Unrealistically innocent? Everyone is too perfect, too kind? It just sets my teeth on edge. DS9 is so much better of a match for me, I just wish it was on an hour earlier.

Comments

[hamsterwoman]

I'm finding it really neat to follow along on your VR adventures! Never tried it myself, but it's cool that this thing I still think of as a sci-fi concept exists and can be played with :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

It is so cool! So very sci fi, and yet something average people can own. You read The Administration fic by Manna Francis, right? It reminds me so much of that.

[hamsterwoman]

I've heard of the fic but haven't read it myself :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I loved it enough that I bought the physical books before it existed as an ebook (the last physical book purchase I ever made!). You can read most of the stories free on her website (http://www.mannazone.org/) if you ever feel like it. :)

[jeane nevarez (from livejournal.com)]

My husband liked Snowpiercer, but honestly I just got bored with it and couldn't watch. I think I had trouble following what was going on at first, even though he told me the premise beforehand. I've only tried VR once. It was fascinating, but I couldn't see myself using it on a regular basis. Too many people in my house, makes me uneasy thinking someone could walk up behind me and I wouldn't know it! Even though it's just my kids and husband, still . . . .

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's a BIG issue with VR. I have to close my sliding glass door because I'm worried someone might just walk into my apartment and I'd have no idea. Plus, when I do standing/moving ones, I have to put the cat into her carrying case so I don't step on her by mistake.

I'm kind of bored with Snowpiercer, too. The characters are so meh, and I don't buy the story as working... I just wish I had something better to watch.