In which I watch tv for "research"

Somehow, during the year of not being able to do anything BUT watch TV, I managed to entirely miss the second season of The Alienist.

I like The Alienist a lot. I like how they portray the excitement of new advances in science and how it clashes with historic tradition. I think the acting is great, the cinematography is beautiful, and...most importantly...the excellent costuming. It is so very helpful to see actual late Victorian dress on actual people who have to actually move around in it.

Although it is hard to lose myself in a mystery when I'm taking furious notes on ribbon, collars, and lace.

In which I finally play Horizon Zero Dawn

“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

― Albert Einstein

With all the hype about the Horizon Forbidden West, I thought I would go ahead and try the original Horizon game. Horizon Zero Dawn takes place in a world where humanity has literally blown itself back into the stone age. I really enjoyed it. The open world is vast, beautiful, and filled with different tribes and robot animals. I loved the future-tribal aesthetic. I spent a lot of shards on outfits.

Look at this fantastic use of plastic and electronic cables as decorations and armor! So well designed.

The story was thoughtful and well-written. The combat was challenging. I liked the ability to use traps and the environment. In one memorable instance, I built an enormous trap zone for a Thunderjaw (robot T-Rex) and instead of chasing me through it like every other Thunderjaw, it launched a projectile that murdered me in my own minefield. I died. But I died gloriously in a ball of flame.

Horizon Zero Dawn was a lot of fun, and I look forward to the sequel, which looks absolutely gorgeous.

In which I move across country and promptly fall ill

It turns out that quitting your job, selling your house, and moving across the country in three weeks is incredibly stressful. It can be done, but my immune system has buckled under the pressure and forced me to take some time off.

Nothing brings out my inner Victorian like being sick. I lounge about on the couch, simply incapable of doing anything more strenuous than pressing buttons on my remote control, lest the consumption takes me.