Open Bar: Subpoenaed by Congress, but still refusing to testify

[Doktor Howl]

Against the advice of others, I'm on Book 3 of the Dune series. Yeah, the prose is terrible and the dialogue reads like a mashup of the bible and a philosophy lecture.

But it does stimulate my imagination like few books have -- every 100 pages or so, I have to put the book down, stare at the ceiling, and go WHAT. WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ. WHAT???

and that's kind of amazing -- very few books I've read in the last 5 years have that kind of WTF factor.

Though worth nothing -- Philip K Dick books like Ubik have that effect on me every 25 pages or so

I recommend the "Safehold" series by David Weber.  Despite the fact that it is a bag of used tropes, it is a riveting story that ALSO has those "WTF" moments.

And you get them without Frank Herbert pooping on them.

[Cain]

The Malazan books say "hold my beer".

Toll the Hounds has the greatest final 100 page rollercoaster in any fiction out there. Full stop. Once you hit that final stretch you cannot stop reading. But the entire series is full of very exquisite twists in narrative and direction that would make any sensible person go "wtf".

[Faust]

Against the advice of others, I'm on Book 3 of the Dune series. Yeah, the prose is terrible and the dialogue reads like a mashup of the bible and a philosophy lecture.

But it does stimulate my imagination like few books have -- every 100 pages or so, I have to put the book down, stare at the ceiling, and go WHAT. WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ. WHAT???

and that's kind of amazing -- very few books I've read in the last 5 years have that kind of WTF factor.

Though worth nothing -- Philip K Dick books like Ubik have that effect on me every 25 pages or so

Three is the last one before the narrative gets really weird. God Emperor, the next one was my favorite one.  However I have not read that since I was sixteen so take that with a pinch of salt.

[Doktor Howl]

These are a few of my favorite things. 

http://www.openthefuture.com/2006/12/an_eschatological_taxonomy.html

[altered]

These are a few of my favorite things. 

http://www.openthefuture.com/2006/12/an_eschatological_taxonomy.html

Yeah, definitely something nifty there, no doubt.

[Chelagoras The Boulder]

Hey guys, checking in after a while. Most notable thing that happened was that I broke up with that woman i was dating. Turns out that getting into a relationship 2 months after shed gotten out of her previous and quite traumatizing relationship was way too soon, so we mutually broke up. Rather amicably actually. Were still friends and still talk about Steven Universe together, so that's nice.

whats been more stressful lately is grinding to make bills and in general wondering what i'm doing with my life, as i'm looking down the barrel of turning 30 next year. I've decided that while I haven't given up on trying to get into the entertainment industry, I should try to get into one of the trades so i can work within that industry and still have a decent job to fall back on if that doesn't pan out. Looking at welding or electrician programs atm, and considering going back to school.

[Doktor Howl]

Hey guys, checking in after a while. Most notable thing that happened was that I broke up with that woman i was dating. Turns out that getting into a relationship 2 months after shed gotten out of her previous and quite traumatizing relationship was way too soon, so we mutually broke up. Rather amicably actually. Were still friends and still talk about Steven Universe together, so that's nice.

whats been more stressful lately is grinding to make bills and in general wondering what i'm doing with my life, as i'm looking down the barrel of turning 30 next year. I've decided that while I haven't given up on trying to get into the entertainment industry, I should try to get into one of the trades so i can work within that industry and still have a decent job to fall back on if that doesn't pan out. Looking at welding or electrician programs atm, and considering going back to school.

I was just getting started at 30.  You'll be fine.

[Chelagoras The Boulder]

thanks, Dok.

[altered]

I think this is the first night I've had with no bad news, where I've had the energy and opportunity to enjoy myself?

I started the day by meeting an awesome lady and buying pastries. I dropped 4 of those off with QGP. Then I went to kill some time at a bar and grill, drank DELICIOUS beer and ate DELICIOUS food, aiming for a second meeting today. Fell through, which was fine by me as I had a guilt-free AMAZING dinner.

I walked to the bus in the perfect weather for me (QGP calls it "snail weather") and helped a lady with a dead phone, a deadline, and no hope by giving her a spare lightning cable I had from my concert night.

I'm feeling fucking good. This is going to be one of those nights I sleep like a baby and have good dreams. If my life was all these kind of days, I'd have no frustrations or anxiety.

[altered]

On further reflection this is probably the first time I've been feeling this good with no outside intervention.

No one made today happen. I own this awesome shit. I did this for myself. No one stuck their head in to help. No one stepped out of their way and said "let me help" or "I'm paying." I did this. I did all of this. No one else can lay claim to one moment of it.

I did this.

Which means I can do it again. And again.

Which means I can save it up and do BETTER.

That's a fucking incredibly good feeling. Being able to take full credit for your own awesome day. Goddamn.

[Trivial]

The Malazan books say "hold my beer".

Toll the Hounds has the greatest final 100 page rollercoaster in any fiction out there. Full stop. Once you hit that final stretch you cannot stop reading. But the entire series is full of very exquisite twists in narrative and direction that would make any sensible person go "wtf".

I hated Gardens of the Moons so didn't go further.

But I can still remember scenes of the book very clearly, so it was on to something.

[Cain]

I hated Gardens of the Moons so didn't go further.

But I can still remember scenes of the book very clearly, so it was on to something.

Definitely the worst book in the series. There was a 10 year gap between the first and second one, and it shows in the quality of the writing. Still throws you in at the deep end with nary a frame of reference though. Different continent, different army...some of the same characters, but not many.

But the Chain of Dogs, which makes up a large portion the second book...that's a mini-rollercoaster all on its own. How do you defend a city's worth of refugees when crossing a continent for the only safe port still left standing? Why does Apsalar have memories of the early days of the Malazan command? Why are the rebels so convinced Aren will fall? Why did Korbolo Dom turn traitor and will Kalam succeed in his mission to kill Laseen? Every single one of those things throws a spanner in everything that was previously established and then some. And spanners will inevitably be thrown into those events in subsequent books.

[Cain]

It seems our spambots have learned a new trick. They're using gmail accounts, but breaking up the account name with an implausible number of full stops, so it'd read something like Th.e.goodr.ever.en.drog.er@gmail.com

Presumably this is to make it harder to search them via Google for proof of their spamminess. But when seven all sign up in a few minutes of each other...it does kinda give the game away.

[altered]

Damnit, foiled again!

I'll have to figure out a new solution. Maybe pick the top 20 most common English language names, a list of common adjectives,  and a list of pop culture references, and create gmail accounts with the format:

(adjective)(name/pop culture ref)(optionally 2 random numbers or 4 numbers beginning in 19)@gmail.com

You know, like 80% of the English speaking world does already.

[The Johnny]

Machine-learning bots?