Sickness and Ocean's 8

[davetheanalyzer]

At the end of the halfway month of the year. Wow, already? I’m still doing the “copy story” writing exercise. I’ve learned I could use pronouns more if there is only one character or a gal and guy in a scene. Have posted two of the three chapters for We Will Hold On Forever, so far. I’m doing last minute revisions to them through each week, making sure there’s more of a reaction to a certain character’s actions and acknowledge the ghost thread more with arc two’s major event. Originally, this was going to be four parts but due to all the editing, I managed to reduce the material to three. I hope to post the last one by next Sunday.

I’m still working through my sickness. Last week, I got prescribed two new medicines and they advised me not to take nightquil. But that only meant I ended up coughing for two hours while trying to sleep before giving up and staying up until the morning before going to bed. From then on, I kept taking the nightquil. I’m using the nose spray, since it helped me last time with a lingering cough. The two medicines seemed to barely have an effect, but when I did a walk-in in this week, the doctor speculated it might have had some effect and this lingering might be due to some allergies. She advised me to take three Zyrtec and if that didn’t work, a medicine that helped me frequently when I was younger. My coughing has calmed but it’s still there, so I’m taking the other medicine. The Zyrtec had a funny effect those three days; my large intestines felt uncomfortable, with some slow pushing going through it. The side effects label didn’t mention that. Ah well, hopefully this old reliable med will help me finally. 

I’ve also saw Ocean’s 8. I have vaguely heard of the Ocean trilogy but never was interested. Fortunately, this one doesn’t require much knowledge to follow what’s going on. It was a pleasant experience. Each character was distinct in some way and apparently there was some background that got cut, which I’m sure fans will demand more of. Debbie Ocean, of course, the lead, and she carries it well. Her relationship with Lou oozes with all sorts of history and queerness. Rose Well is eccentric, yet is able to play her part with some encouragement, the type of character I imagine Helena Bonham Carter often plays. Amita made an impression with her tense relationship with her mother and I liked the tense sequence of her taking the Cartier necklace apart. Constance was entertaining with her fast talking and subtle pickpocketing skills yet falls into the group mechanics well. I did love Nine-ball, with her deadpan moments and realistic bond with her sister. Tammy balancing her thieving activities with being a somewhat harried wife and mother was enjoyable. Daphne Kluger was a bit of a surprise. She was a bit arrogant and high-maintenance, but I did like she was smarter than she looked and got in on the operation to have friends. She isn’t as mean as I thought she would be.

The heist was easy enough to understand and I enjoyed the sleights of hand needed to pull it off. It was entertaining and though I suspected they would get away with it, there were tense moments. I thought Debbie’s revenge against ex-boyfriend Clause Becker might have been a bit much at first, since he got her in jail, but it became clear he framed her for his own crimes instead of her own, so I can see why she’s ticked. It led to some decent drama between Debbie and Lou. I did like the friendship that formed between the eight. The conclusion seemed to really close the book for them, so if there’s a sequel, I’m curious what will cause them to get back together to thievery. For additional members I do like the suggestion of Laverne Cox in one interview. From what I saw of her chemistry in interviews, I would like Gabourey Sidibe to join.

Was scheduled to go to my usual volunteer job this Wednesday, having cancelled the previous one due to my coughing, but they called it off since the job they requested was taken care of. Was surprising but I didn’t mind the break. My older brother’s computer went caput and my mom had been in communication with tech support for over three days to back everything up and get the computer to work again. I’m glad that’s not my job, since that sounds hard. I’ve been on those services before, and if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s to be courteous, as they do help out a lot and it’s the least one could do. Unfortunately, despite the long hours, nothing worked. Either it’s going to be sent to one of Dad’s friends to be looked over or he’s going to get another computer. For now, he’s making due with the family laptop.

That’s all for now. Currently, it’s Saturday and I’m sleeping a bit later and will rewrite more We Will Hold On Forever chapter 12. For now, I’m musing about drawing back from watching some popular films to not go out so much and give more indie films a chance. It depends on what ultimately makes me happy. Until the end of July, see you!