I'm still working through Moby Dick (very dense book but I'm enjoying it).
My non-fiction read atm is Plutocrats - The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else by Chrystia Freeland.
Figured I might as well understand what is happening even if I don't like it, lol. It's a pretty intellectual slog but I'm doing all right. Chrystia Freeland is amazing.

I wanted to put a rug under our loveseat and I had to move it. And when it was this angle I took another look and thought, you know, this actually looks kind of good. I sat on it and you can actually see the TV alot better from it in this position and you're closer to the TV (we do alot of TV/movie watching in this room). Also, this makes more space in our dining room. So far, I'm loving it. I've been waiting for possible downsides. Now the only thing would be when we have a group of people over, the angle it's at doesn't really facilitate a communal gathering. But since that doesn't happen very often, and most days we need optimized TV viewing, this works well. We could always put the loveseat back when we have guests over. This angle also works for reading on the loveseat, because if I sit with my back against the arm, I get the light from the sliding doors.
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In this photo I have heavy books flattening the corners of the new rug.

Oh, and by the way, this is my dog Ollie:

*SPOILERS*

I can't believe we got Akasha in this episode! I didn't think we would see her until the end of episode six, or in episode seven.

Okay, favourite parts of this episode were Lestat's song for Claudia (obviously) and the entire Marius, Lestat, Akasha flashback. I thought they did this so well and it captured all of the important aspects of this part of the story in the book. Sheila Atim was incredible. They definitely picked the right actor.

Shoutout to seeing Lestat in all the beautifully bespoke period clothing!
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Love the band so much but I'm sad it looks like we won't be seeing Christine (I was just starting to like her alot), Fareed, Dee, or Larry (sob) anymore. Armand is BACK.

Can't wait to see how Alex, Salamander and especially TC take to vampirism. I'm excited. I hope they thrive.

When is Lestat going to give Gabriella the boot?

Akasha was saying all sorts of things but I distinctly recall her saying "I am the girl" several times. My theory is still that Regina is either Akasha channeling Claudia's ghost, or is actually Akasha manifesting as Claudia through Lestat's and Louis' memories.

So excited to find out what happens next!!!

I took a break from Moby Dick to read God of the Woods by Liz Moore, which is a mystery thriller set at a summer camp in the Adirondack mountains in the seventies. It was very good and a compelling read. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on until the final chapters. Also a good commentary on rich people compared to us regular folk.

Now, back to Moby Dick. I'm still reading White Fragility which is a really informing and necessary read.

We are going to G's brother's place for a barbecue tonight and I'm excited to watch Episode 5 of The Vampire Lestat tomorrow. I saw a teaser clip that made me laugh out loud. I love the humour in this show.

Happy Canada Day!

Let's celebrate our considerable freedoms and the lands we share, and the fact that we are not our neighbours.

Have a great day everyone and stay cool!

I loved every fucking thing about this episode. Every fucking thing. 

*SPOILERS*
*TRIGGER WARNING - incest, mass shooting, blood, showers, trolling, murder, etc. etc.

I think, for readers/fans of the books The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned, this episode gave us SOOOOO much. I won't lie, episode 3 was outstanding and I still think so, but this is my favourite episode so far. I've watched it three times in order to try to get my thoughts straight on everything.

The cop and the police dog. Lestat painting the cop with cocaine as if it were face powder. Almost forgetting to confiscate the bodycam (Christine reminds him). Hilarious. The montage of band hedonism before this. As Lestat would say, perfection.

Regina! Learning more about Regina - love her accent. Her seeing right through Louis and his manipulations. Calling him Posh. 

Lestat trying to pronounce Worcester correctly. Kill me now. Hilarious.

Lestat trying to phone Gabriella and it going nowhere.

Lestat and Gabrielle flashback when he finds her fucking the priest. He delivered those lines with so much sadness and disappointment. Incredible acting.

The blood shower and Armand trying to keep his eyes off the 'generous endowment'. Amazing. 

Lestat's pigtails!!! The song, Big Boss, about Armand and the way he spotlit him in the audience. Lestat's moves - those fucking hips. Called himself the show pony as he pranced about onstage. I was eating it UP.

The shooting took me completely by surprise but was so effective.

Armand and Daniel! Armand basically confessing his love for Daniel at the end of the episode.

And finally, Lestat and Gabriella surrounded by all of his ghosts in the bus. Exquisite. They released the song he was playing on his guitar (Hit the Lights) on Spotify and it's so lovely and heartbreaking.

If you aren't watching this series yet, you should be!

*This episode was written by Jonathan Ceniceroz and directed by Craig Zisk.

I GOT THE ROADIE TOTE BAG!!!

It's my birthday today and my husband, 22, and 19 all pitched in together to get me the Lestat merch I wanted. I'm so happy! Here's the other stuff I got:

The pin looks amazing on my satchel and the necklace is as lovely as it looked online. It's so subtle and well-designed, I love it. And nobody other than fans of the show will recognize that logo.

​I also got a huge Charles Dickens collection from 19:

I've read A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations but not The Adventures of Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities. I'm a huge Dickens fan so I'm looking forward to this! It's a beautiful volume.

I'm actually re-reading this one. Like The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, I read Moby Dick in my Myth and Language Class at university. It's been a long time since then and I want to revisit Captain Ahab, Ishmael, Queequeg, Starbuck, and so many more wonderful and distinct characters, including the white whale. There is a group of people who see a homosexual subtext between Ishmael and Queequeg, and although I think they are reading more into the behaviour of the time period than I would, I'm not averse to keeping my mind open. At the very least these two men are intensely joined in spirit, which is a joy to read. And I'd forgotten about the humour in the story. Parts of it are very funny.

As I mentioned, I like to read a non-fiction book at the same time that I'm reading a fiction book. This one is next in line.

I watched the documentary, Speechless, and felt no sympathy for the white professor who felt attacked by a request to join a peaceful protest that supported black students and faculty at his university. That professor (ex-professor now, I believe) referenced the author of this book as one of the left-leaning people who are promoting the ideology of (what he believes is) a radical and disproportionate examination of racism in white society.

So, of course I looked her up. And now I'm going to read her book, because, as a white woman with a ton of privilege, I feel a responsibility to educate myself about/ and uncover my own inherent racism. 

*SPOILERS*
*TRIGGER WARNING: vampire murder, abduction, sexual assault*

Well, well, well...where to begin? Amazing episode. Outstanding. This was what I was waiting for even though I enjoyed episodes 1 and 2. Sam Reid should win an award for his acting in this episode as it demonstrates an entire range of deft abilities within an hour and ten minutes. 

Beginning with a characteristic critique of the Toronto skyline and the draining of two honeymooners by Lestat and Gabriella, it proceeds through a sit-down interview between Lestat and Daniel, with Gabriella and Jarda getting up to some shenanigans in the next room, then takes a longer look into Lestat's turbulent past. Through Lestat's conversation with Daniel, we are treated to an introduction of Lestat's romance with Nicolas de L'Enfant, and then watch as Nicolas begs for the vampiric gift after Lestat's transformation, Gabriella suggests it's a terrible idea (straight from the book), and Lestat turns Nicki anyway, even though he has started to fall out of love with the young man. We then get to see what a 'disaster' this action was, and how it resulted in Nicki's vampiric demise at the hands of Armand.

I thought this all was expertly portrayed by both Sam Reid and Joseph Potter, with the latter taking his few moments of screen time and turning them into a suitably tragic and heartbreaking turn.

When Daniel presses for the story of Lestat's turning and mentions Lestat's maker Magnus, Lestat regales a romantic vision of what happened the night he was turned in the form of a music video featuring a horrific-looking Magnus against lyrics that portray the old vampire as a super fan and in love with Lestat. Tellingly, in this gilded memory, Lestat smiles as Magnus turns him into a vampire. I thought this was a really cool way to let us know that Lestat is either not recalling the truth or is embellishing/altering it for Daniel's benefit.

The dialogue between Lestat and Daniel was fantastic and the addition of Gabriella's presence effective, as during particular moments she shows concern for her son as Daniel's questions hit sensitive spots. Lestat is both hilarious and vulnerable as he proceeds to tease and torment his interviewer, before relating the powerful tale of Nicki's descent into madness and demise. After the emotional retelling, Lestat starts hyperventilating, claims to be hungry and storms out, but not before telling Daniel: "Unlike your last client, there is no delusion here.".

It is at this point that Daniel tries to watch the footage he captured only to find that there is only footage of Lestat staring at the camera. A brilliant aspect of this episode's script.

Meanwhile, Louis is hunting the Fang Gang, and at first this was an entertaining counterbalance to Lestat's affecting story, as Louis decapitates vampires, interrogates a separated head, and makes himself at home in their lair. It soon becomes a harsher reality when vampire, Killer (formerly Bruce), returns with Baby Jenks and receives payback for his treatment of Claudia (offscreen in season one).

Lestat gets into his car and zooms off as ghostly reminders of Magnus and the corpses appear in his car. He drives erratically as Ghost Magnus taunts him, and the true memories of that night return.

This is where the expertise of the writer, director, and actors truly shines. In what I see as a perfectly executed and genius move, scenes of Lestat's brutal kidnapping, assault, and forced vampiric transformation by his maker, Magnus, are interspersed with Louis' reading from the ripped out pages of the section in Claudia's diary that details what Killer had done to her. Told in a non-graphic but accurately specific way, it becomes clear that Lestat's maker sexually assaulted him prior to turning him, and that this experience was much more horrific and traumatic than he wants to believe himself, or to have others believe. The way Lestat's trauma aligns with Claudia's is heartbreaking to see, and most likely why Lestat was so adamant that he never threatened Claudia with rape on the train.

We then go to Lestat on stage performing his song 'The Loneliness' and seeing images of Nicki and Magnus in the crowd. Ghost Magnus eventually turns and leaves, symbolizing Lestat not being haunted by him anymore having faced the reality of his turning, and ghost Nicki stays whilst enjoying the performance, perhaps showing that Lestat has accepted that Nicki had to die and that it was not his fault. Interestingly, Real Gabriella turns and leaves, echoing Magnus' exit, perhaps indicating that Lestat sees her now as the abuser she is.

Finally, bandmate Alex is baring his soul at an AA meeting in Ohio and the man who decides to share after Alex is...Arun/Armand (!!!), who confesses to being an addict. 

Brilliant, chef's kiss, all the stars. Cannot wait for next week.

*This episode was written by Anusree Roy (an award-winning Canadian playwright) and directed by Claudia Llosa.​
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My kids came through for my husband yesterday on Father's Day.

Although 22 couldn't be here, she brought him a lovely bouquet of flowers on Saturday. 19 gave him a Father's Day/Birthday gift combined which is the LEGO Mersk Container Ship. My husband's birthday is this Wednesday but he will be at a golf tournament, so 19 thought to give him the gift yesterday when he would have time to build it, which he did. I gave him a new bathrobe but I don't have a photo as he wanted to wash it. It's black with grey trim and very soft.

After husband's birthday comes my birthday, on Monday, June 29th. We are having some family over on Saturday for a big June birthday celebration (there are 3 in one month). And then it's Canada's birthday (Canada Day) next Wednesday (July 1st), with another planned family get together.