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Aug. 28th, 2022 02:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Mom's in the hospital again - this time with kidney stones or so she thinks. Has all the symptoms. I read up on them, while painful, they aren't life-threatening.
Crazy workplace is either trying to kill me or drive me insane. It's becoming increasingly toxic due to chronic mismanagement.
Mother has advised that I hang tough. Wales kind of echoed that advice.
Right now, I feel numb. I used the Headspace app to calm down and it eventually worked. Mind is clear finally. Just in time to head back into the workplace tomorrow.
2. I didn't really get obsessed with Elvis, so much as the Baz Lurham film entitled Elvis. I went hunting for something about the actual historic figure that explained my reaction to the film. I got mixed results.
Although I did figure out why the film haunted and moved me. The scene that really got to me...was the Trouble Clip from the Film. I couldn't find it anywhere else. I don't know if Elvis ever truly did that performance on stage - allegedly he did at various touring appearances from 1954-1956 prior to being drafted, which weren't filmed.
What haunts me - is this was a person who pushed against the wall of public opinion and mockery, with mixed, and for the most part, tragic results.
I'm not sure the world is kind to artists, or those who are sensitive, creative, and a bit off-beat or walking off the beaten track. It tends to mock them, and ruthlessly judge them for not measuring up to its hypocritical standards. The closer one looks at Elvis, the harder it is not to see how toxic our society truly is - to all of us.
He did try to conform to the world a bit, with mixed results and I'd say toxic ones. It was never comfortable, and he fought against it, often the victim of his own self-destructive behavior (aren't we all?) and that of others. He was forced to contain his movement, because a lot of men couldn't handle it. And that's just one example.
Most of the dark shit about him - was in reality Colonel Parker's manipulations of his image, and him. The Colonel who saw him as a sideshow carnival act and cash cow - was constantly undercutting him. Elvis wanted a dramatic movie career without any singing or dancing in it, the Colonel wanted the musical rom-coms. (He ended up being forced to do about 31 films, so many that they kind of created their own sub-genre of film - "Elvis movies" and I saw most of them at the age of ten on my friend's 25 inch box color television set in 1977.) Elvis bonded with Anne Margaret and finally met his soul mate and equal, the Colonel felt threatened by Anne Margaret in the film and found weaker partners instead. Elvis wanted to stop making movies - the Colonel contractually committed him to over 20 some films, so he ended up making 25 more films, of the sort he despised, than he wanted to. And was quoted as stating - the only thing worse than watching a bad film, is being forced to do one.
He wanted to do better songs, had no interest in a song-writing credit. The Colonel - only wanted songs that provided him with a song-writing credit, and they could publish as their own - so the Colonel could collect a royalty off of any remastering of the song, and they wouldn't have to pay much for it. The Colonel hunted cheap often mediocre music. They went to lower tier song-writers. There's only a handful of songs that weren't, a good percentage were gospel.
He did win a couple of times. He won on the content of the 1968 special (the Colonel wanted a Christmas special). He went back to Nashville and Memphis and recorded better material with Chips Taylor and Sunrise Records in the late 60s and early 70s, against the Colonel's wishes. He also released gospel albums against the Colonel's wishes. And he constructed his shows. He had the most freedom from the Colonel and those who were manipulating him for their own gains - while performing on stage. He came alive on it and owned it. But it also exhausted him and most likely drove him into an early grave.
There's a lesson for us all in there somewhere...not to kill yourself over your art, or for money? Or perhaps much darker? Beware the shysters who promised fame and fortune at Carnivals? Or beware taking up too much of the spotlight...
3. I watched Echoes on Netflix yesterday. It's about seven episodes long. And ...okay. No where near the level of Sandman in either production value or story. Has a lot of plot-holes in it, and you kind of have to apply a little suspension of disbelief in there. It's about identical twin sisters who switch places each year, to live each other's lives. One twin decides she can't do it any more and puts a plan in action to stop the practice, which causes their lives to unravel.
Most of the mystery is trying to figure out what happened, why the one twin didn't want to do it any longer, and which twin has done all the dirty deeds or if both have.
The twist is a result of an unreliable narrator point of view - which I figured out early on.
I wouldn't recommend, although it is nice if you can't quite focus on anything at the moment and want something breezy to watch.
4. Speaking of breezy shows...I've also watched part of the new Partner Track series on Netflix, which is based on a best-selling chick-lit book. It's not really a contemporary romance, nor would I call it women's contemporary lit either. More indie chick-lit, similar to Crazy Rich Asians.
I read the book, it's okay. (Actually read isn't quite the right term, listened to it on audible. I am finding it difficult to really read books at the moment. Although I am currently making my way through the YA Fantasy Romance Novel "Spin the Dawn" - which utilizes Asian mythology, a nice change of pace that. I don't know much about Asian mythology. ) The Partner Track is about a twenty-something/thirty-something Asian Female Law Associate struggling to become a partner in a huge top tier mergers and acquisitions law firm, struggling to juggle family, romance, and ambition along the way.
The television series feels somewhat cheap. A bit too polished in production value, and the casting (particularly the white male portion of the cast) all look alike. The only stand outs are the main characters: a smart savy female best friend, the Asian lead (she's Chinese-American), the Black Gay Associate who is into fashion law, and the London Transfer Murphy who is pretty, blond, and has money issues. Everyone else kind of looks alike or stock.
Also the dialogue needs to be brushed up a bit. How do so many bad dialogue writers get hired? It's bewildering. It's not horrendous, but it's not stellar either, just mediocre. I don't see this getting picked up for a second season - although I could be wrong - it's rated four in the US.
Anyhow it is breezy and you can do something else during it. Lean in television, it's not.
Crazy workplace is either trying to kill me or drive me insane. It's becoming increasingly toxic due to chronic mismanagement.
Mother has advised that I hang tough. Wales kind of echoed that advice.
Right now, I feel numb. I used the Headspace app to calm down and it eventually worked. Mind is clear finally. Just in time to head back into the workplace tomorrow.
2. I didn't really get obsessed with Elvis, so much as the Baz Lurham film entitled Elvis. I went hunting for something about the actual historic figure that explained my reaction to the film. I got mixed results.
Although I did figure out why the film haunted and moved me. The scene that really got to me...was the Trouble Clip from the Film. I couldn't find it anywhere else. I don't know if Elvis ever truly did that performance on stage - allegedly he did at various touring appearances from 1954-1956 prior to being drafted, which weren't filmed.
What haunts me - is this was a person who pushed against the wall of public opinion and mockery, with mixed, and for the most part, tragic results.
I'm not sure the world is kind to artists, or those who are sensitive, creative, and a bit off-beat or walking off the beaten track. It tends to mock them, and ruthlessly judge them for not measuring up to its hypocritical standards. The closer one looks at Elvis, the harder it is not to see how toxic our society truly is - to all of us.
He did try to conform to the world a bit, with mixed results and I'd say toxic ones. It was never comfortable, and he fought against it, often the victim of his own self-destructive behavior (aren't we all?) and that of others. He was forced to contain his movement, because a lot of men couldn't handle it. And that's just one example.
Most of the dark shit about him - was in reality Colonel Parker's manipulations of his image, and him. The Colonel who saw him as a sideshow carnival act and cash cow - was constantly undercutting him. Elvis wanted a dramatic movie career without any singing or dancing in it, the Colonel wanted the musical rom-coms. (He ended up being forced to do about 31 films, so many that they kind of created their own sub-genre of film - "Elvis movies" and I saw most of them at the age of ten on my friend's 25 inch box color television set in 1977.) Elvis bonded with Anne Margaret and finally met his soul mate and equal, the Colonel felt threatened by Anne Margaret in the film and found weaker partners instead. Elvis wanted to stop making movies - the Colonel contractually committed him to over 20 some films, so he ended up making 25 more films, of the sort he despised, than he wanted to. And was quoted as stating - the only thing worse than watching a bad film, is being forced to do one.
He wanted to do better songs, had no interest in a song-writing credit. The Colonel - only wanted songs that provided him with a song-writing credit, and they could publish as their own - so the Colonel could collect a royalty off of any remastering of the song, and they wouldn't have to pay much for it. The Colonel hunted cheap often mediocre music. They went to lower tier song-writers. There's only a handful of songs that weren't, a good percentage were gospel.
He did win a couple of times. He won on the content of the 1968 special (the Colonel wanted a Christmas special). He went back to Nashville and Memphis and recorded better material with Chips Taylor and Sunrise Records in the late 60s and early 70s, against the Colonel's wishes. He also released gospel albums against the Colonel's wishes. And he constructed his shows. He had the most freedom from the Colonel and those who were manipulating him for their own gains - while performing on stage. He came alive on it and owned it. But it also exhausted him and most likely drove him into an early grave.
There's a lesson for us all in there somewhere...not to kill yourself over your art, or for money? Or perhaps much darker? Beware the shysters who promised fame and fortune at Carnivals? Or beware taking up too much of the spotlight...
3. I watched Echoes on Netflix yesterday. It's about seven episodes long. And ...okay. No where near the level of Sandman in either production value or story. Has a lot of plot-holes in it, and you kind of have to apply a little suspension of disbelief in there. It's about identical twin sisters who switch places each year, to live each other's lives. One twin decides she can't do it any more and puts a plan in action to stop the practice, which causes their lives to unravel.
Most of the mystery is trying to figure out what happened, why the one twin didn't want to do it any longer, and which twin has done all the dirty deeds or if both have.
The twist is a result of an unreliable narrator point of view - which I figured out early on.
I wouldn't recommend, although it is nice if you can't quite focus on anything at the moment and want something breezy to watch.
4. Speaking of breezy shows...I've also watched part of the new Partner Track series on Netflix, which is based on a best-selling chick-lit book. It's not really a contemporary romance, nor would I call it women's contemporary lit either. More indie chick-lit, similar to Crazy Rich Asians.
I read the book, it's okay. (Actually read isn't quite the right term, listened to it on audible. I am finding it difficult to really read books at the moment. Although I am currently making my way through the YA Fantasy Romance Novel "Spin the Dawn" - which utilizes Asian mythology, a nice change of pace that. I don't know much about Asian mythology. ) The Partner Track is about a twenty-something/thirty-something Asian Female Law Associate struggling to become a partner in a huge top tier mergers and acquisitions law firm, struggling to juggle family, romance, and ambition along the way.
The television series feels somewhat cheap. A bit too polished in production value, and the casting (particularly the white male portion of the cast) all look alike. The only stand outs are the main characters: a smart savy female best friend, the Asian lead (she's Chinese-American), the Black Gay Associate who is into fashion law, and the London Transfer Murphy who is pretty, blond, and has money issues. Everyone else kind of looks alike or stock.
Also the dialogue needs to be brushed up a bit. How do so many bad dialogue writers get hired? It's bewildering. It's not horrendous, but it's not stellar either, just mediocre. I don't see this getting picked up for a second season - although I could be wrong - it's rated four in the US.
Anyhow it is breezy and you can do something else during it. Lean in television, it's not.
no subject
Date: 2022-08-28 09:41 pm (UTC)I can only offer sympathy and the following - after my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer, and through her illness and chemo and finally losing her - I wasn't in a great place at work. And after she died, things didn't get a lot better - but I told myself I wasn't allowed to make ANY major life changing decisions of ANY type - for at least a year after she died. Because I wasn't trusting myself to be perfectly rational after losing her.
As it turned out - work *was* toxic during that time - but it got better (we got rid of the guy that made my life miserable) and my own situation changed. Obviously your work situation is different - but I think for me it was the right call to not make any big changes until I was through the worst of the grief and in a better place.
{{{hugs}}}
no subject
Date: 2022-08-29 02:16 am (UTC)Anyhow, a co-worker gave me the same advice a few weeks back. She told me not to make any decisions while I was grieving and in emotional distress. To wait. And before making any decisions to talk to her first. I've known her for fifteen years, and she is the one who trained me in my current position and the closest I've come to a mentor of sorts. We're a little bit alike in personality and have the same issues with managers - in that we're both over-thinkers, and see multiple sides of an issue. And management likes to over-simplify. We're also both introverts, hate being the center of attention, and don't want parties thrown for us and would just like to be left alone to do our work.
But she said the same thing you did. And making another big change right now - is not a good idea. There's been too many changes already. Work keeps changing daily, and I feel as if the floor is moving out from under me. But, it is better to have too much work than too little. I've been in the opposite situation - and it is kind of worse.
Thanks for sharing your story with me, much appreciated.