CRRRRS 554 Black Umbrella Weather

By Roy Mathur, on 2024-09-09, at 23:55:15 to 00:41:35 BST, for Captain Roy's Rusty Rocket Radio Show

Almost One Month Later

I started podcasting again yesterday in 553 after a big gap. What happened? I'll go into more detail later, but after 12 years of podcasting, setbacks are bound to occur occasionally.

Trap

M. Night Shyamalan's 2024 Warner Brothers thriller, featuring another of his unbearable cameos and even nepo'ing in his daughter, Saleka, though, unlike Dad, thank the gods, she is a much better actress playin pop diva Lady Raven. Shyamalan said he could think of no one better than Josh Hartnett as a monster hiding in plain sight, pillar of the community, fire fighter, family man, and he is likeable in that role, but irritating and hammy in his bug-eyed depiction of a serial killer.

Thrilling and clever in it's devious twists, but the main plot is also absurdly improbable. Would the FBI risk thousands of tween girls by setting up a crowded pop concert as a trap to catch the notorious serial killer, the Butcher?

The Rings of Power

Season 2 starts with Sauron's backstory, when his prior Elf-form was destroyed by the Orcs. Then, as he assumes the guise of a human, his evil nature is slightly conflicted after meeting a kindly man. Of course, the conflict does not last long and he reverts to kind. That is a pity, as one dimensional villains are not interesting.

What is interesting is that a few days before watching I was thinking about that exact same subject. Also, whilst gardening recently, I was chatting to Mum about one of our favourite characters, Tom Bombadil, only to hear that he is about to feature on the show. Double weird.

I am enjoying the series, but most of all, I'm enjoying the stunningly beautiful art design, especially the landscapes.

The Aliens

E4's Channel 4 2016 SF drama about blue collar alien refugees, starred Michaela Cole, was a budget, grungy satirical black comedy on UK migration xenophobia.

Collectormania Milton Keynes

After many years absence Collectomania returned to Milton Keynes the weekend just gone. They have moved the event from Milton Keynes Dons Stadium, where I attended years ago (see my YouTube channel for sweaty selfie video), to the Centre: MK, the shopping centre in central Milton Keynes.

Stewing in my own personal hell, I missed it, so let me know if you went.

The Jetty

2024 iPlayer TV series The Jetty stars Jenna Coleman as a copper married into dodgy yokel family, investigating the death of an awful local teen.

I abandoned it after only a few episodes because I hated all the characters.

Sherwood

Another iPlayer series is Sherwood. Started in 2022 and now in it's second 2024 season, it stars David Morrissey as yet another copper and is about corruption and the criminal fallout following economic collapse after Nottinghamshire's coal mining industry shut down.

It isn't bad, but one season was enough.

One Foot in the Grave

The cult UK sitcom about hapless, well-meaning, grump Victor Meldrew (Richard Wilson) has departed iPlayer and is now only available free with ads on U.

A hefty licence paid each year, yet somehow I still don't have the right to watch all of the Beeb's backcatalogue, ad-free, whenever I like. Like all forms of streaming, this is why I keep harping on about owning physical media. So I bought it for 11.99.

Roy's Post-Punk, Goth, Etc. Mixtape

I have updated and spruced up my YouTube Playists. Most updated is my Roy's Post-Punk, Goth Etc. Mixtape, which I have described as: "Post-Punk, Proto-Goth, Goth, Horror Punk, New Wave, New Romantic, Futurist, and miscellaneous 80s-ish songs for weirdos. Find me in my sarcophagus, wrapped in a fluffy black blanket at..."

Why bother? Mixtapes were a thing for people of my age, I was once literally a museum curator, and at one stage I wanted to be a radio presenter.

Of note, given my childhood obsession with Annabel Geddes', ex- of Madame Tussauds's, horror exhibition, London Dungeon on Tooley Street, I find it oddly coincidental that horror punks, Misfits, had a song of the same name, newly added to my playlist, purportedly about a police cell they were locked in after being nicked in London.

I have other mixtapes on YouTube---Disco, Bollywood, Rave, Rock, Ska, etc.---that you should enjoy before they are taken down.

Journal

The migraine I said I didn't have in 552, arrived two days later. Or perhaps that was a reaction to some hideous pupil-dilating chemical my annoyed optician squirted into my eyes earlier that day. The migraine continued throughout the last month and then I had an IBS attack.

There were also some relationships that choose to implode. If you know me in real life, you'll know what I'm talking about. Some ended very badly and others just mildly annoyingly. Let's just say that I am an appalling judge of character. Whatever the case, it resulted in psychological pain that turned into gut-wrenching physical pain. My responses follow. Entity 1. I didn't deserve that, so **** you. 2. Sorry, I tried my best, so **** you. 3. 50% thanks (sort of) and 50% **** you. 4--N. **** all of you who are Sherlocking my content, format, and even my schedule because, while we all learn from each other, there's a limit, chaps.

Recently, Mum had one of those days dealing with people at Barclays who might as well be automatons. Though it irks me that Barclays have been trying desperately to close our local branch for ages, if this is the mindless, drone-like level of service we can expect from staff (telling customers to people to go online instead of solving the issues in person), they should stop whining about AI taking over their useless jobs.

Oh yes, my first motorcycle accident! Here goes. While putting on my motorcycle boots, I cut my finger on one of the velcro tabs. I also haven't been riding much lately because of irritation down below. I don't think it's from the motorbike or bicycle, but it was interfering with activity, including podcasting. With Mum's help, on Sunday (2024-09-01 12ish) I tried installing a rack using YouTube for guidance. Typical motorcycle YouTuber: "It's so easy, all you need is these simple tools... blah, blah, blah." Most beginners like me don't have those simple tools, you incredible simpletons.

My AliExpress RTL-SDR parcel arrived via Evri... to the wrong house. It's bad enough for buyers like me, but your reputation as a seller will be in tatters if you rely on these imbeciles. Avoid this company like the plague.

Follow Up

552, in which I predicted season two of the Acolyte was a fait accompli, was recorded a day before momentous news arrived from Disney. After announcing a raft of changes at D23 and their lawyers trying to gag a wrongful death claimant (quickly retracted after the PR nightmare that followed), Disney cancelled the series. Step forward, CEO Bob Iger, "Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth..." Iger.

Also, in 552, I said what I thought about Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, but I did not say anything about the story. It is Furiosa's origin story and is one long, violent chase. Now I have.

Green Explosion

Despite an awful start to the weekend, when I took Sir Clankly for a second canter around the manor only a day later (Saturday), the pathways were suddenly difficult to negotiate because the greenery had experienced a growth spurt. Then early on Sunday morning the skies exploded with a Summer storm.

Nature is fighting back and maybe it's telling puny little me to carry on as well.

Enjoy the refreshing black umbrella weather while it lasts, my friends.