Midweek Geekiness: Downton Comes Back and Playing with My Precious

Where’s The Hobbit Review?  Currently on a thumb drive in my pocket precioussss.  At least a draft of it while I debate going one more time, at the St. Vital Silver City, to see it in 3D AND 48 frames per second.  The hard part about writing the thing is addressing some of the negative reviews.  It’s not just negative as close to nasty.  As long as I remember my own biases, then the thing can get written.

In the meantime..

Downton’s Back!

It took every ounce of gratification delay to not watch season 3 online.  I already know about two major shake ups, and will watch anyway.  (Let me just say they took a page or two out of Spooks‘ play book without using a chip fryer.)  PBS had a two-hour season première as Matthew and Mary finally say I do, the new foot man was ‘too tall’ according to Carson, and Shirley Maclaine played Cora’s mother.

The last part made me giddy.  Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess has a enough sass to make a young Winston Churchill shut up.  Having an American with new money meet British tradition almost looks like a physics law.  I hope Maclaine comes back as Martha for a few guest spots, and bring Cora’s brother Harold with her.  Downton shows us a world undergoing a monumental amount of change with a few soapy bits thrown in.  If they got Maclaine to play Cora’s mother, who could play the brother?  Could it be Kevin Bacon, McGovern’s co-star in She’s Having a Baby?

Meanwhile Matthew learns he’s the third heir to Reggie Swire’s fortune.  Remember Livina?  That’s her dad.  Her brother also died of Spanish flu, the second heir died in India, and that leaves Matthew in a position he doesn’t want at all.  Yes, the man does not want to money.  He feels he broke Livinia’s heart, Mary wants him to take the money to save a cash-strapped Downton blah, blah, blah.

Anyone else has the sneaking suspicion this second heir didn’t die in India?

The writer’s botched the resurrected heir issue in season 2, as the Downton heir didn’t drown after Titanic sank, just lived and adopted a Canadian accent.  This thread line can right the ship so to speak, and land a really good guest star. (What’s Rupert Penry-Jones up to?)  Then again season 3 only started.  Unless they figure out a way to spring Bates from the big house, nothing new to report.

Yet.

 This Precious is Not An Apple Product

Over my holidays my cell phone went ‘boink’.  I just spoke with a friend of mine on Christmas Eve day at Silver City while waiting for another friend to arrive.  As I pulled out my phone to turn it off, the qwerty keyboard was lit.

The screen went black.

I had nothing.  No tone, no sound, nada.  On Boxing Day I went to the nearest MTS store not crazy with shoppers for some options.  With 19 months left, and the right buy-out price , I broke the contract and went with Samsung.

Not an iPhone. Yes, I got it in white.

I handled a friend’s  iPhone, put in apps on my iPod Touch thinking it’s a warm up to the iPhone.  I liked the freedom an Android offers me.  Android and I just seem to ‘click’.  May be I am not hip enough for an Apple.  I still use my phone as a phone, my plan comes with 1 GB of data monitored religiously to stay within budget.  I know what some people are thinking.  Wow isn’t it pricey to break a contract?  Under old laws-yes.  Under new laws-yes.  The prince was right and I have  the funding.  Notice the word ‘funding’ as in ‘money’ as opposed to ‘credit’, which is basically borrowed money to pay back later…with interest.  (That would make Poor Cate proud.) As my mind cycled through the options, circumstances converged to make it a smart choice for me.  Trust me, I am latecomer to this whole smart phone area as opposed to other people.  The basics-food, shelter, water, clothing-still take first priority.

Did I mention I really like the camera on this phone.

I snapped a few shots noticing the image clarity on the Galaxy.  I downloaded the WordPress app in an effort to do a wee bit more with my posts.  No matter what I choose, in a year or few months something else will come out. Another advantage to owning one of these later in life:

I know when to put it away and talk to people.