Farewell Ncuti Gatwa

Well, I have to admit that I didn't see that coming.

Only 2 seasons for Ncuti Gatwa? Was he given the Colin Baker treatment or did he depart on his own terms? Hopefully the latter.

While I've been keen on the return of the Rani for a while now, I was disappointed that she was largely portrayed as another moustache-twirling villain like the Master as opposed to the amoral scientist of the classic series. But her outfit - the new new Rani's outfit - was suitably Rani-like and her osseous HQ had some Faction Paradox vibes for me.

When it was revealed that Rani was trying to release Omega, I was intrigued. But the co-inventor of time travel and co-founder of Time Lord society was just a big monster who eats Rani. Timothy Dalton as Omega's partner in crime, Rassilon, got to chew scenery till the cows came home in the new series but Omega just takes a snack before he is sent back from whence he came. Not only that, he eats the Rani not far into the series finale.

That is, he eats the latest incarnation of Rani but, because she bi-generated earlier, her previous incarnation lives on.

It all felt very anti-climactic.

And the whole bi-generation thing has got to go. It appears to be an on-demand talent. Too gimmicky for my taste. It seems like the Doctor bi-generated for no good reason at all. David Tennant already had 3 stories to gives his imprimatur to the struggling ratings-wise(?) show. Here the Rani bi-generates for no discernible reason. Well, I suppose it allows future story writers the option of continuing to use the character yet allowing Omega to have his Rani cake and eat it too.

Speaking of gimmicks, having the Doctor regenerate into Rose was ridiculous. We'll see what the next season brings, I guess. But this new reversion back to the David Tennant era is unneeded, in my opinion. Gatwa began his tenure in the shadow of Tennant and now he has been consumed by it. It'd be one thing for the 15th or 16th Doctor to run into Rose but to regenerate into her? Silly.

One thing that occurred to me after the finale ended was that Ncuti Gatwa has a wonderful smile.

Hopefully it will become iconic for Nu Who in the way that Tom Baker's is for the classic series.

Before the tariffs: Keogh's Atlantic Sea Salt & Irish Cider Vinegar crisps

A friend of mine, aware of my salt & vinegar potato chip addiction, snagged a bag of the Keogh's Atlantic Sea Salt & Irish Cider Vinegar variety while in Chicago not too long ago. I was pleased to discover that they were imported from Hibernia and don't think they were unduly expensive so they must have reached these shores before the tariffs kicked in. At first I thought that these would be my first foreign salt & vinegar chips but then realized that I have sampled some from our friends up north in Canada. And so these would be the first to traverse the Atlantic Ocean.

How does one pronounce "Keogh's"? (Apologies to any Irish folks out there.) The name refers to the family that owns and runs the company that grows potatoes somewhere in the vicinity of Dublin, it looks like, and has been turning them into chips/crisps since 2011.

Going in, I was curious as to what kind of potatoes Keogh's uses for their crisps. Presumably a different variety or varieties than American chip makers use. Keogh's doesn't say but, then again, neither do most American purveyors of this tasty snack. But it would be interesting to taste if there was something unique about the potato flavor here. 

These crisps looked mighty fine. They generally had a medium yellow hue, although there were some that veered towards tan, and, with the skin on, had brown edges. I spied an occasional bubble. Putting my nose in the bag, I smelled a nice earthy potato aroma followed by oil and a hint of vinegar.

"Thick cut" said the bag and so the crisps had a good, solid crunch to them. Perhaps not quite as stentorian a chomping clamor as kettle chips but darn close. The Atlantic Ocean's salinity does not suffer from these chips as the salt level seemed average to my taste. Vinegar was on the mild side. My tongue tasted the tang but didn't feel threatened by it.

The potato flavor was excellent - earthy with a bit of sweetness. I couldn't really distinguish these Hibernian spuds from their North American cousins. Perhaps the vinegar got in the way of being able to taste fine distinctions. But I'd guess not. And about the vinegar: what makes it sweet? Is it actually sweetened or is apple cider vinegar, which the website says is used here, considered "sweet"?

These were tasty chips. Despite needing a bit more vinegar they had a nice crunch and I'd eat them if they were to come my way again or if I found myself on The Emerald Isle.

The owls were what they seemed

At 4 o'clock this morning I got up to use the bathroom. Scratching my side I noticed a small bump. Instantly I recognized it as a tick. My best guess is that it somehow survived my searches after my trip up north last weekend. Where had it lay hidden? Or was this a local vermin?

There were a lot of ticks up in Jackson County and the trip made me realize that I need to practice applying Deet. On the plus side, the mosquitos were held at bay and I enjoyed fine company and great scenery.

Arriving before our campsites were available, I took a stroll in the Black River Forest. I had unknowingly chosen a trail that had recently had controlled burns.

These stretches had a Dante vibe and I felt like I would run into a group of unbaptized pagans at any second. 

However, the areas spared the purifying flames were gorgeous.

Once at the campground, we pitched our tents and started a fire. 

Despite a chance of rain in the forecast, the evening was lovely and dry. We chatted the night away as the beer flowed freely.

The next morning was gorgeous despite a slight haze in the air from those Canadian wildfires. 

 

 

I was up early and so, while everyone else slept, I went for a walk. The forest was quiet and still outside of a deer just off the road that quickly scampered away at the sight of the human. When I got back into camp, folks were rising and coffee was needed.

 

 

A few of us walked down the short nature trail whose trailhead was at the east end of the campground. It was lovely as most of it followed the Black River.

This day's hike would be out at Wazee Lake. We ran into a snake enjoying the sun.

After traipsing the trails, the ladies went for a swim while we men went to the scenic lookouts.

 

It was another beer-soaked night around the campfire. Lying in my tent in the wee hours, I heard two owls having a hooting match. What a wonderful serenade to deliver me into the arms of Morpheus. The next morning was again just gorgeous. The trip came to an end all-too soon.

 

Spring Fever

I saw this at Mad City Music last month. Maybe April.

It's just a little pamphlet with vernal/nature artwork. 

It's incredibly neat that someone would print up some of their artwork into a small pamphlet and leave copies for anyone to take. That someone appears to be Tim Brenner so thanks Tim. Made my spring day.

Mother and Kit

Madison has a new Director of Transportation

 

When I read that Christof Spieler was appointed as our Director of Transportation, I did a double take. The Christof Spieler?

While I am not sure if there is anyone who can rightly be called a superstar in the realm of public transit and urban planning but, if there is, Spieler is one of a very small group. I know him for various articles/interviews on the interwebs and his book, Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US Transit. As a denizen of Houston, I believe he was involved with various land use projects and their bus network redesign several years back.

I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes. To the best of my knowledge, Houston isn't hated by the Texas state government the way Madison is by the Republicans of this state. While I don't know anything about Houston's budgetary matters, Madison doesn't seem to have a lot of money or, at least, not an increasing amount, to turn master plans into reality.

Well, we shall see how it goes starting in July.

Critters, 29 May 2025

A couple opossums wandered in this morning. I think they left after finding that the space under the deck was already occupied by either lumber or rabbits.

A well-groomed rabbit. 

Every squirrel in the neighborhood broke their fasts underneath our bird feeder.

Mr. Cardinal stuck around long enough for me to get a decent photo. 

One white duck on your roof

Mallards continue to perch on my roof's peak.

A distant performance

As a boy, I was entranced by György Ligeti's music that was featured in the films of Stanley Kubrick. I got the itch to hear any and all of these pieces performed live. Back in 2004 I jumped at the chance to hear the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra perform Atmospheres which was featured in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was glorious!

It took nearly 21 years but I finally saw that another of Ligeti's pieces, Lontano, was going to be performed by the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. Again, I jumped at the chance and bought a ticket.

I swung into town a little before showtime and took the opportunity to wander the Fox River shore. The performance was to take place at the Hemmens Cultural Center so I strolled around a bit north of where I did the same last year.

There is an island that has been all gussied up for some lovely scenery on your stroll.

You can get right up to the water and there were several people, including a couple families, taking advantage of the opportunity to take in the scenery or do some fishing.

Canada geese were everywhere. This family were not impressed by the human and I ended up with a photo of all of their butts.

Showtime neared and so I headed to the hall where the great and the good of Kane County and beyond were filing in.

The performance was the ESO's season finale and was sold out.

The Music Director, Chad Goodman, is a young fellow and he introduced the pieces with exuberance and humor.

Lontano was sublime. It's eerie shimmering entranced me and would have been perfect for the soundtrack of Annihilation. I closed my eyes and let the music wash over me and take me somewhere else.

Mozart's "Paris" symphony, which followed, was a total 180 with its allegro movements standing in stark contrast to the ethereal moodiness of Lontano. Holst's The Planets closed out the program. I'd never heard it performed live so it was a real treat. "Mars, the Bringer of War" was just spectacular! The way it builds with such force was just fantastic to behold in-person.

Now onto finding performances of Lux Aeterna, Aventures, and Requiem for Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Two Mixed Choirs and Orchestra.

Coming soon - 17 May 2025

Seen before Blade Runner: The Final Cut at Flix. They were mercifully few.

Drinking Tiger Mountain by Zymurgy

Somebody help me out here with a more clever Brian Eno pun.

What is the fate of the Weimar Replublic?

Last month my Frau and I went down to Chicago to see the play Berlin. It was at the Court Theatre in Hyde Park on the University of Chicago campus. I don't know that I had ever been on the U. of C. campus before. It was a lovely day and the campus was in bloom.

The play was a world premiere and is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Jason Lutes that was published between 2000 and 2018. It takes place in the German capital in the late 1920s through the early 1930s as the Weimar Republic unravels while Hitler and the Nazis are ascending to power.

I read the novel in the weeks before attending the play and was eager to see how it had been adapted for the stage.

The set was dark and foreboding with tables sitting before a row of imposing arches. On the tables were microphones that characters used for introductory remarks, exposition, and interior monologues.

The novel features a big ensemble of characters and, while it's been trimmed down a bit here, the play still has several protagonists with various cast members assuming multiple roles. Hitler is seen only very briefly in the novel but here Elizabeth Laidlaw, who portrays him, is given a much greater presence. She dons the infamous mustache and black leather uniform leaving a trail of fear behind her wherever she wanders onstage. Menace hung thick in the air even when Laidlaw simply stood silently behind the arches.

A journalist named Kurt Severing stands in for the masses. Throughout most of play he brushes off the notion that Hitler and his brown-shirted followers could amount to anything more than a nuisance. By the end, however, he has become our conscience with a monologue declaring, essentially, that evil triumphs if good men do nothing.

With Donald Trump turning this country upside down by executive fiat, Berlin is a play for our times.

Critters, May '25

With the hawks having moved on - to the north side, according to a friend - our critter quotient has greatly increased. The other day a trio of rabbits were relaxing out on the terrace.

A curious squirrel joined them at one point.

One morning I walked into the dining room and saw that every critter in the neighborhood was at our smorgasbord having breakfast.

After gorging themselves, they dispersed and a grackle popped its head up from the long grass, seed in beak.

Eventually everyone went their own way.

How to recognise different types of plants from quite close up

Last week I took a couple of short walks. The first was at that retaining pond across the street from Orlando Bell Park.

On the east end of the pond there was a turtle about 10' from shore that seemed to be having fun. It would allow the top of its shell to breach the surface and then it would sink a bit. Repeat. At one point, I would swear it was spinning in place just below the surface as the ripples went from circles emanating outwards to swirls. Sadly, I did not have my camera with me, only my phone, so I wasn't able to capture this.

Next I went over to Heritage Sanctuary to see the trillia.

The birds are always nice and plentiful here and a blue jay decided to stick around and check out the human near the entrance.

Not long after this, a chipmunk ran into the center of the path. It must have been hungry because it was in no hurry to retreat from the human.

The trillia were in full bloom.

I recognized these as mayapples having learned about them on my recent trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden.

I shall have to make a return trip soon as I think they have bloomed by now or shall anon.