Demonic Genius.

Perhaps my play on words for the title wasn't per se quite accurate, but it popped into my head and I couldn't really think of anything else. So yes it has been approximately 15 days since my last entry, but I have to tell you that January...well...it hasn't quite been like the month from Hell (September 2013) but it is coming quite close. Several extraordinary events have happened at work making life oh so much more stressful and ridiculous, I turned 28 a little over a week ago (not that it was traumatic, but it is a life event that adds an amount of stress), and of course I resumed classes for graduate school (lots and lots of stress) and essentially the stress that came with all of this was something that I was not anticipating. I was just stating to my sister the other day that I hadn't gotten sick, and low and behold what happened.......my words caught up with me. Despite being sick though (my head felt like I was carrying around a cannon ball and my sinuses felt like straw had been stuffed down them) I was able to do a bit of homework, and then towards the end of the evening I flipped on the television and watched this show called Da Vinci's Demons starring Tom Riley as the namesake character, but it is filled mostly with an unknown cast, albeit quite excellent cast. Da Vinci is a young man of about 25 years of age and he is finding out who he is and what he is capable of doing. Living in the free thinking city of Florence he flourishes, but with Rome ever trying to increase its stranglehold on civilization, its agents seek to eradicate those who threaten that reach. There it is in a nutshell; Da Vinci versus the Pope and his chief underlings. I do not know much about the man, which I should change considering his impact on the world, but Tom Riley's interpretation of the character is well done. He makes him eccentric, humorous, serious yet light and comical, passionate and intense, but also very likable as a character. The chief villain so far is quite impressive, which of course he would have to be due to Da Vinci's remarkable intellect. It is relatively fantastical more than realistic, but it is very, very intriguing with some very fascinating theories and questions about time and spirituality. Granted it is just entertainment, but some measure of truth may always be found in such things. Even though The Newsroom turned out to be a great disappointment, which I attribute to poor writing and bad character development, which is surprising for Aaron Sorkin, but perhaps it had more to do with who directed the shows more than writing it, but he was also a producer, so he would have gotten some say in the matter so I don't think one of the finest writers in Hollywood has an excuse. This show may not have per se the same level of writing, but the intricate plot and covert characters and agendas does have me hooked, and I like the era and the whole technology exaggeration as well. I just need to survive January and get on top of my life; writing, social life, and religious matters have all slipped away leaving graduate school and work remaining and in between I am merely trying to survive it all; not a truly great form of existence. Balance is the key, and now I am beginning to sound like a philosopher rather than a writer. There it is. Have a goodnight everyone and may the Force be with you.
Da Vinci's Demons trailer
Game of Thrones season 4 trailer (A couple more months!!)