Ahhh stuff & writer spoilers for new ATS episodes

[shadowkat]

A bit of a ramble on stuff I just need to get out of my head, I may friends lock or privatize this, not sure yet. Also not sure how much I'll hide with live-journal cut, an interesting html technique I've grown quite fond of.



There's a new Angel next Wed and while I know a few general things about it? I'm not really spoiled. I've deliberately stayed away from spoilers as much as possible on this episode. Just know the gist, ie what it's about, who the writers are, the title, and how it fits within the season. (Which to some people is probably too much right there.)

I know lots of people online watch Ats and BTVS in groups. They pull together a bunch of friends, bring snacks, watch the episode, then discuss afterwards.

A new friend, who lives two train stations away in Brooklyn, invited me to a party to see the new Angel episode, and I begged off. She's invited me twice now - for Conviction and now for the 1/14 one. (Granted the only person I'd know at this party is her, no one else, and it would be a great opportunity to network and meet new people but...) In 2002 and 2003, cjl invited me for a group viewing of the BTVS finale (same situation as above)- I said no to the group viewing. My friend Wales for a while wanted to watch BTVS episodes with me, we watched two together and I said no after that (one too many interuptions of - so what's going on? why is she doing that? why is he doing that? So what do you think about this? Arrgh!) It's not that I don't like group activities. Nor do I necessarily dislike viewing television with others - in college, I did not own a tv and had to watch it in the lounge with everyone else. But - certain shows, specifically my favorites, I just like to watch a certain way...with the lights off, in my little nest, undisturbed. I don't want to be worried about what others think or their desires, I don't want to hear their thoughts during the commercials, or deal with conversations interrupting the action or munching on snacks for that matter - I just want to escape for those 43 minutes in my own home. And I feel this way even though I religiously tape ATS, it's the only series I tape while watching and keep the tapes of. I know it sounds crazy to people - but I can't help it. Wed night during Angel is off limits. People ask me out? I say no. I will deliberately not schedule anything that night. Why?
It's my guilty pleasure. It's the one night of the week that I really want to push everything out and focus on this world. Am I crazy for wanting this? Sometimes I wonder. I keep thinking I should say yes to S, particularly since the up-coming episode I know for a fact is not anything major -- but but..I want to hate or love it in private, before I find out what the world thinks. It's why I don't read wildfeeds or go into chat afterwards. Things like this make me feel like such an introvert! I'm hoping S understands - I told her I prefer to watch ATS and bTVS by myself and asked for a raincheck.



Oh for anyone interested? Here's the writers for Angel episodes up to 15, according to spoilerslayer and the spoilerboards, so should be accurate.



5.9 Craft and Fain
5.10 Brent Flatcher, directed by David Boreanze
5.11 Drew Goddard and Stephen Deknight
5.12 David Fury, directed by David Fury
5.13 Drew Goddard and Stephen Deknight
5.14 Ben Edlund
5.15 Joss Whedon and directed by Joss Whedon

I'm betting Jeff Bell does 5.16, but could be wrong.



Frustrated today...applied to several HR jobs, none of which my qualifications fit perfectly - I tried to convince them they did through a cover letter. A little worried - it's been a year since... I worked on Excel or Access and no, don't have either program on home computer and each job asks for proficiency in computer programs including HRIS, PeopleSoft, etc and I don't have it. Trying not to get discouraged or depressed again. Chest cold also will not disappear, coughed a great deal today. Damn. Probably just the air being dried out by the radiators. Frigid here in NYC - wind-chill making it 0 tonight, and negative numbers tomorrow. Much fun. But I did get serious work done - several letters/resumes sent, finished writing new ones yesterday.

Also saw pumpkinpuss yesterday night where she kindly gave me some rum and pecan ball cookies she'd made (yummy!!) and loaned me her Firefly DVDs - apparently I can view DVD's on my computer console - which came with a DVD player/viewer. Pumpkinpuss asked if I could - I checked it out and yep. So she loaned me Firefly and I made a little nest for myself in front of the computer and watched the Serenity episode as it was meant to be watched and the commentary. Wonderful! Miss Firefly. Now really looking forward to watching the rest of the DVD's Sat and possibly Friday (if I find the time). It's supposed to be far too cold outside to go out - so I'll stay in and veg on Firefly. Yay! Pumpkinpuss! Very happy. Can distract myself for a few hours from my worries, which bubble up at night inside me. Also, I find the characters and themes of Firefly oddly comforting and reassuring. Weird I know. But there you go.

Been thinking about how the online experience has affected me - overall? I think it's been a wonderful experience and don't regret doing it for a moment. While it is true that being online can get a tad addictive/distracting at times - let's face it posting boards, livejournal, fanfic, email? Crack for writers. Particularly unpublished frustrated writers who ache for someone to read and in a way validate by responding to - their work. All writers ache for readers, after all. But that's not the only thing online gave me - it introduced me to a community I didn't know existed. Prior to coming online, I assumed I was in a minority regarding my interests. None of my friends liked comics or sci-fantasy shows and novels. And if they did like them? They did not understand my interest in breaking down the stories and analyzing them. Online? Whoa - lots of people who loved sci-fi and fantasy tv shows, books, movies and comics. For the first time since I was in under-grad, I found a group of people who adored the some of the same things I did - but not just anything - the things that I considered my guilty little secrets, what I hid from people or refrained from discussing for fear of embarrassing myself or being rejected.
Comics, Fantasy novels, Fantasy movies, and BTVS/ATS.
Finding an outlet or a means of expressing this love was sort of like being able to open a window after a long cold winter and breath. I also met some wonderful people because of it and managed to stop feeling guilty or embarrassed for my tastes. On top of this - I've realized how small the world is and how alike we are in so many ways regardless of the country, language or culture we live in. There are differences, true, but so many similarities. It's sort of cool to realize that you're communicating with people who live thousands of miles away, in different time zones, just with a press of a button and a few keystrokes. To find out so much about someone you've never seen face to face and feel so close to them, even if you may never come in physical contact? Incredibly cool and in a way, comforting. Makes me feel less alone. Also odd to think that a tv show or novel or comic book can bring such a wide group of people together, even if we don't watch it together - we seem to oddly enough experience it together. So maybe that answers my questions in the first few paragraphs of this long rambling entry - that even though I prefer to watch my favorite shows alone, I choose to discuss them afterwards with a group. I want in a way the best of two worlds - the solitary experience of escaping into another world and the group experience of discussing that escape and seeing how others experienced that escape, what they obtained from it.

Comments

Balls, rum balls....;)

[hankat.livejournal.com]

*I'm not really spoiled.*

You know that's kinda like saying "I'm not really pregnant."...

I agree with you about prefering to watch the show alone. I like to get the kitties a treat or two and settle down to the show. Mr. Rufus knows not to bother me or let anyone talk to me. Now that my office is in the bedroom I can go right on over to the computer and meet with selected friends in a chat. Mr. Rufus is down the hall and all we have to do is turn our heads to see each other. He's on his "Firewall weenies" message boards and I'm on what he calls the "Horror Weenies" boards.

Oh and rum balls....my mom made a batch some years back that she kept in the freezer, she used so much white rum that the bloody things had fumes rising from them and I swear I got a buzz from the things. They were very good.

Rufus

On crack

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

let's face it posting boards, livejournal, fanfic, email? Crack for writers. Particularly unpublished frustrated writers who ache for someone to read and in a way validate by responding to - their work.

Are you and I twins? Hmmm... perhaps not, but in this one way we definitely are. While I procrastinate my novel--going through that on-again, off-again "hate it" phase--I spend all my free time yapping on LJ and email and the board.

In fact, if I can name my number one distraction from getting my novel done in the past few years, it's doing my ATPo site. Because people read that. And respond to me about it. And tell me they enjoy it. I'm getting a lot more attention from ATPo than my novel, which only two other human beings have read.

So, point is... "Yessss!" to this!