Spot Reviews 10/20/23
Oct 20 2023
Totoro Ramen, San Mateo [+] Family dinner and had DoorDash delivered. I had Miso Ramen (comes with roasted pork as the meat). Pour the soup into the noodles bowl and need to kind of let it soak and break it up for a couple of minutes. Came out delicious but maybe it’s because I like salty food and both the pork and soup were rather salty.
Long Way Up (2020) [+] This is the third documentary series, following Long Way Round (London to New York) and Long Way Down (Scotland to South Africa). A dozen years later Ewan McGregor and best friend Charley Boorman gather the same production crew to do a ride from Patagonia (Argentina) to Los Angeles. This time they're using electric bikes and support vehicles (with I think one gasoline vehicle for backup, which could tow-charge the electric SUVs) and they ran into quite a few difficulties because of that. Still the charm is driving through amazing scenery and cities and interacting with friendly people. Altogether the three series are very chill watching though it doesn't inspire me to do the same.
Take Me Back for Christmas (2023) [/] Hallmark movie. Renée (Vanessa Lengies) and Aaron (Corey Sevier) are a happy couple though perhaps not professionally that successful. After a Christmas wish is granted Renée wakes up in an alternate universe where she is CEO of her own company and her mom alive. Unfortunately she and Aaron broke up years ago so now Renée is determined to win him back while somehow navigating her company through a bit of a crisis… it’s an ok Christmas romance movie.
The Survivalists (2020) [/] This is an Apple Arcade crafting game with a story and quests and can be played cooperatively with three other people. You are shipwrecked on an island. Gather materials, craft gear, survive. Then start exploring and meet the island inhabitants and do quests... Nice concept but I found gathering all these materials so I can craft up then craft up again cycle rather annoying.
Crush Depth (2002) [-] Crush Depth is Joe Buff's third novel in his series about USS Challenger, an advanced SSN (nuclear submarine). Ten years in the future in a world where Germany and South Africa form an Axis pact, conquer Europe and Northern and Southern Africa, and are only opposed by the USA. At least in the last book Challenger battles the top South African SSN... I read the first 40 pages which had little submarine action and dealt mostly with I suppose are the two main protagonists. The writing style is not that great. I prefer techno-thrillers and this one has practically no techno -- the technology might be realistic for 10 years in the future of 2002 but it's not really described or elaborated. Overall boring and maybe some of this is I'm coming in at the third book rather than the first.
Long Way Up (2020) [+] This is the third documentary series, following Long Way Round (London to New York) and Long Way Down (Scotland to South Africa). A dozen years later Ewan McGregor and best friend Charley Boorman gather the same production crew to do a ride from Patagonia (Argentina) to Los Angeles. This time they're using electric bikes and support vehicles (with I think one gasoline vehicle for backup, which could tow-charge the electric SUVs) and they ran into quite a few difficulties because of that. Still the charm is driving through amazing scenery and cities and interacting with friendly people. Altogether the three series are very chill watching though it doesn't inspire me to do the same.
Take Me Back for Christmas (2023) [/] Hallmark movie. Renée (Vanessa Lengies) and Aaron (Corey Sevier) are a happy couple though perhaps not professionally that successful. After a Christmas wish is granted Renée wakes up in an alternate universe where she is CEO of her own company and her mom alive. Unfortunately she and Aaron broke up years ago so now Renée is determined to win him back while somehow navigating her company through a bit of a crisis… it’s an ok Christmas romance movie.
The Survivalists (2020) [/] This is an Apple Arcade crafting game with a story and quests and can be played cooperatively with three other people. You are shipwrecked on an island. Gather materials, craft gear, survive. Then start exploring and meet the island inhabitants and do quests... Nice concept but I found gathering all these materials so I can craft up then craft up again cycle rather annoying.
Crush Depth (2002) [-] Crush Depth is Joe Buff's third novel in his series about USS Challenger, an advanced SSN (nuclear submarine). Ten years in the future in a world where Germany and South Africa form an Axis pact, conquer Europe and Northern and Southern Africa, and are only opposed by the USA. At least in the last book Challenger battles the top South African SSN... I read the first 40 pages which had little submarine action and dealt mostly with I suppose are the two main protagonists. The writing style is not that great. I prefer techno-thrillers and this one has practically no techno -- the technology might be realistic for 10 years in the future of 2002 but it's not really described or elaborated. Overall boring and maybe some of this is I'm coming in at the third book rather than the first.