- "The Art of Video Games" exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Category: Sort-of travel): This exhibit at the Smithsonian was a lot of fun. It was very interesting to get a glimpse at games that have defined and redefined video gaming and art. The exhibit isn't very big; there are only 3 rooms, one of them is specifically set aside for game play (only 5 games are available to play, in no particular order: PacMan, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst and Flower.) There are plenty of interesting videos with interviews from designers and creators, and there are plenty of soundbites about individual games themselves. I'm not sure they form the most cohesive exhibit I've ever seen, but if it's a topic you're interested in there is probably enough information to satiate you. Is it worth a trip all on its own? Maybe not. It just isn't big enough to be its own day trip. If you're game (aha ha!) though, and headed to the city, or looking for an excuse to get out to a museum, it will certainly do. It leaves DC and heads on the road in September. For more info, click here: http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2012/games/
- Sherlock (Category: Television Show): Dear Lord in Heaven. There is no end to the good things I could say about this show. If you haven't seen it and enjoy fantastic writing, great acting or a wonderful mystery, then you are missing out. Set in modern times, this Sherlock Holmes retelling is practically perfect in every way. It has just enough inventiveness to stand out and allow its actors and creators plenty of room to play, while still pulling enough material from its source to please even the most voracious Conan Doyle fans. Steven Moffat (of Doctor Who fame) and Mark Gatiss (author of the Lucifer Box series) write and co-create like a dream, somehow managing to make every episode harrowing and heartfelt. I could gush all night about this show, and if it becomes clear to me that no one reads this blog, one day I may do an episode by episode review of it to satiate my own need to watch and rewatch this show. You can watch the first season on Netflix Instant Watch. The second season has already aired in the UK, and begins airing on your local PBS station in May in Masterpiece Mystery.
- Johannes Cabal: The Fear Institute (Category: Novel): This novel is third in what will hopefully be an extensive series by author Jonathan L. Howard. If you haven't read the first two, you should (Johannes Cabal The Necromancer, and Johannes Cabal The Detective, respectively); however, you'll be able to manage this one just fine if you haven't. You do need a sense of humor and an appreciation for the macabre; once you have that, you'll be ready to go. This third foray into fiction with our eponymous antihero is steeped in the lore of H.P. Lovecraft, and it comes out all the more delightful because of it. Having not read much (hardly any, though it is on my list) Lovecraft I still felt perfectly at ease in the world Howard creates/borrows. While the plot twists and turns, it's easily graspable and by far one of the most fun I've had reading in quite awhile. Though surly and sarcastic Herr Cabal is, it doesn't take long to realize that there is no better guide to the Dreamlands, and no one you'd rather have take you. You'll have to order this one from the UK though because (as of this writing) there hasn't been a US publish date set yet. It is entirely worth the extra $3.00 shipping.
With all my love. XOX
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