Junk Calls

 

My phone has been ringing every 15 minutes all morning long.

I usually screen calls and don't answer if I don't recognize the caller.

No messages were left so eventually I decided to give in and answer - three times - a recorded phishing message about a charge on my Amazon account - the second time I pressed 1 and told the person who answered that I knew they weren't Amazon and they hung up.  The third time I said they had been calling my number all morning and the response was "so what" before the hang up.

I guess if it continues I'll unplug the phone for the rest of the day.

This is so annoying.  I'm on the "No Calls" list.  I still get junk calls regularly but I just accept that as "modern life" but every 15 minutes is just a bit much.  

So yes, I can unplug the line, but that is depriving me of the use of my phone line for real incoming calls.

What we need is a system where we can list the numbers that we will accept calls from and ALL other numbers are blocked.  I wonder if such a thing already exists?

TV: Dark Winds

 

I liked this.  It was well done and intriguing.

But I have some concerns with the ending.

First, it was rather convoluted and I somewhat lost track of who was betraying who, when, and exactly what was supposed to have happened.

Second, I have some concern about the morality of covering up a crime : is it justified if it's for a "good" reason, and who decides what comprises a "good" or "bad" reason.  If this thing can be lied about then where is the line drawn between what can be lied about and what can't?

Movie: Orphan, First Kill

Well, this was just a lot of horror fun.

Julia Styles is great, and Isabelle Fuhrman is just as good.

My only quibble is with the small figure they used for back and side shots, since Fuhrman is now an adult, is too small and is jarring.

 

Netflix: Cabinet of Curiosities

This was a real disappointment.

Trite plots. Overlong.

Except the last episode (#8).  Essie Davis shines.

 

Fish Chowder

 

I made a fish chowder from scratch.

It was adequate.

Made for TV: For the Use of the Hall (1975)

 Written by Oliver Hailey.

Directed by Lee Grant

Starring: Barbara Barrie, David Hedison, Joyce Van Patten, Susan Anspach, George Furth, Aline MacMahon.

I watched this when it first appeared and have watched it many times since.

In it I have found so much comfort and understanding.  A way of looking at and accepting and finding joy in life.

Netflix: Black Butterflies

 

Just about everything about this was excellent.

It was well written - clever with lots of twists - interesting filming, well-acted.

And suitable for grownups.

I found I had sympathy, sometimes surprising myself, for all the characters.

Except Nora.  That character was a total bitch.  I was really disappointed when they didn't kill her off.