J is for Jurassic Park

I was talking with my sons the other day, and they couldn't believe I hadn't read Jurassic Park or seen any of its movies. I hadn't because the idea of cloned dinosaurs terrorizing the earth was not at all appealing to me. Wally said I needed to read the book for cultural literacy's sake. I use the cultural literacy argument on my sons all the time, so I decided that I should put up or shut up.  So, I recently read Jurassic Park by Michael Critchen. 

I chose to read the book instead of watching the movie because I have enjoyed other Michael Crichton books. And what did I think of this one? It was a compelling read. I enjoyed the science and philosophical discussions but got tired of the dinosaur slashing. 

I don't plan to watch the movie based on the book (or any other movie in the franchise), but I looked up how the book and the movie differed. Basically, the book is more violent with more bad guys. So there. Now, I'm not the last person on earth to read or see movies about Jurassic Park. (BTW, the fact that it's in the news that an extinct wolf has been brought back to life scares me!!)

I've been trying to catch up on my cultural literacy with a couple of other things, also. We don't have any streaming channels except Amazon Prime, so I'm often out of the loop for current shows. However, I have been able to see two of them through library DVDs.

The first was Ted Lasso. The series came out 5 years ago and had three seasons, with talks about a fourth. I had heard the name mentioned frequently, but I had no idea what it was about other than soccer. In case you're living under a bush like I was, Ted Lasso is about a football coach from the US who goes to coach a soccer team in England. He knows nothing about soccer but is the eternal optimist and makes other characters see things in different ways. Ward and I thoroughly enjoyed the series and were sad when we finished it. I understand why the show has won so many awards. 

The other show that we tried recently was White Lotus. I hear people talking about it all the time, discussing plots, etc., but I didn't know much about it. The show takes place at a fancy resort where rich people bring all their problems and stay for a week. The staff have their own set of problems. 

The show is described as a dark satire about human behavior. At first, we were intrigued with the show. The characters were odd, but we wanted to know more about them. But by the end of the third show, we were done. Behaviors and events got worse to the point we were uncomfortable watching. And with promises that things would only get worse until the end of the show, we didn't want to spend any more time on it. 

Each season is filmed in a different resort with different guests. However, we won't be watching anymore, but I think we're in the minority when I hear the buzz around the show. To each their own.

Until next time...