![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Allergies, COVID, X-Men, Books...basically this that and the other thing..
1. My allergies are driving me crazy. Itchy watery eyes, sneezing, and a bit of asthma. The eyes are the worst. Got so bad that I wisely brought contact solution, a contacts case, and glasses with me to work - in case I had to take my contacts out. (I didn't do it yesterday and suffered.) Today, sure enough, ended up removing the contacts and using the bi-focals.
Eyes were itching up a storm.
Came home. Took an allergy pill - earlier than usual and some flonase, also used clear eyes. It's cleared up a bit now and I'm feeling better.
But I did take a COVID test - came back negative. I'm tempted to do another one outside my work place, or on the way home. They are kind of everywhere now.
2. In other news? Crazy Org now offers the Biavelent Booster via Pfizer/Biomed. We can take up to four hours of work leave to get it - since it's only offered between 9-4pm and at the Brooklyn Site. If I do it on my own time - not working hours, I can get up to 2 hours of paid time. But, it's only being offered Wednesday and Thursday.
I can't do it this week or next, but I may do it the week after that.
And I'm hoping I can take a four day break for Indigenous People's Day. (New York finally changed it - as soon as Cumo got booted out of office).
I need a break - time to veg, maybe hang with Wales, go upstate.
3. Bro was sick for a few days and self-isolated. He had some sort of stomach bug. But I think his bottled up emotions caught up with him.
Me: He always gets sick when he gets emotionally stressed or upset. Has since he was a little kid.
Mother: True...
Me: Also he doesn't express emotion well or like to. He was kind of raised not to.
Mother: Not by me.
Me: More society. Also Dad had issues with it too. Our society doesn't like to have men cry - it's horrible.
And you need to cry, sometimes.
I told mother that a day doesn't pass in which I don't think about my Dad or he doesn't come up. She feels the same. And at her bereavement counseling, the counselor said - we should be able to talk to people about our grief, and the loved one that we lost. We should be able to cry. To let it out. It's not good to keep it bottled up inside. However, she totally understands how that may be difficult not to do at work - since I'm not going to want to discuss it there. I do, each day, without intending on it.
Twice today. Mainly because people can't stop asking "how are you?" Or worse asking how my vacation was. It's my own fault - I should have put bereavement on the out of office emails, but I wanted to stay private.
Losing a father or anyone dear to me, is akin to losing a body part. I told this to mother - and she agreed, wholeheartedly. That's exactly what it is like, she told me. "I feel as if I lost a part of myself and I can't get it back again."
4. In other news, Chidi asked for the title of the book that I published, so he can share it with a friend of his, look it up, and possibly buy it himself. It's free on Kindle Unlimited, and about $2.99 regular Kindle, and $12.99 in paperback (printing costs and all that). I refuse to charge more than $2.99 for a Kindle book. It costs me nothing. And I want folks to be able to read it. I'm not going to make that much off of it.
Chidi also told me that we need to be there for each other during this trying time - and be an ear. I hope I'm doing that for others. Not certain.
5. I'm still reading "Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim" - it is book two of her "Blood of the Stars" series. Book one was "Spin the Dawn". There's only two books in the series. She's Japanese-American and her stories feature Japanese and Asian mythology.
Maia Tamarin's journey to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon, and the stars has taken a grievous toll. She returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. Edan, the boy she loves, is gone--perhaps forever--and no sooner does she set foot in the Autumn Palace than she is forced to don the dress of the sun and assume the place of the emperor's bride-to-be to keep the peace. When the emperor's rivals learn of her deception, there is hell to pay, but the war raging around Maia is nothing compared to the battle within.
Ever since she was touched by the demon Bandur, she has been changing . . . glancing in the mirror to see her own eyes glowing red; losing control of her magic, her body, her mind. It's only a matter of time before Maia loses herself completely, and in the meantime she will stop at nothing to find Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.
Unfortunately it's poorly paced, and slow going. Either that - or it's just me, and I am having troubles focusing on it? Hard to know. I like the mythology and the world-building more than the characters - which is a problem. Also the fairy-tale nature of the story. But it's told in first person and the voice is kind of weak? Or whiny? I can't quite decide which, which makes it slow going at times. I'm 60% of the way through and wondering if it will ever end. But want to know what happens.
I'm in a horrible reading slump. Someone needs to recommend a page turner to me, right quick. I did get Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary for about $2.99 on Amazon, along with the audiobook for $4.99. It's not like I don't have a lot of books to read.
Just not a lot of attention span.
6. Twitter had an article about how Marvel Studios Reboot of the X-Men is rumored to be based on Joss Whedon and John Cassadays Astonishing X-men
Which might actually work. With the exception of Wolverine, it gives the focus to various characters who have not yet had the chance to shine. Also it puts Wolverine in supporting role - which is where he belongs. He's not leader material - he's more lone wolf vigilante, who occasionally pops in to help the team. Similar to Dead Poole, actually.
Also it jumps the franchise away from the Phoenix arc - which they attempted to pull off with decidedly mixed results, and away from Xavier/Magneto frenemy romance (which was kind of done to death already in both comics and on-screen). It also pulls away from the Scott/Jean/Wolverine love triangle - which was horrible and kind of ruined the films for me. Wolverine/Jean Grey pairing did not work. And it's horribly cliche, trite, and kind of paternalistic to put Wolverine in any romantic pairing.
Less is more with Wolverine, who has suffered from over-exposure. Whedon kind of figured that out - and pushed him to the background more in Astonishing. The romances in that series, to the degree they were emphasized, were between Scott/Emma, Kitty/Colossus (which worked better than Wolverine/Jean, but also not a fan of...), Beast/Abigail Brand. That worked.
The other fun thing about that series is Scott gets to take center stage. All the characters have major issues, and there's a kind of fractious distrust between them.
If they do it - I really hope they cast Jensen Ackles as Scott. He's kind of perfect for the role. Although they may want someone a bit bigger? I'm drawing a blank. And Emma Stone or Ana Taylor Joy as Emma Frost, the White Queen. Actually Ana Taylor Joy is kind of perfect for the role.
Nicolas Holt kind of owns Beast, but they could find someone else. I'd go with Tom Hardy for Wolverine, or someone short, and tough as nails, and much older. Not sure who to get for Colossus, or for that matter Kitty Pride. Abigail Brand? Also no clue.
I would almost prefer the reboot be done as a television series first, with movies jumping off from it? Like they did with the Falcon and the Winter Solider or Ms. Marvel. There's far too much to set up. That's the problem with the X-men movies - it's not a comic that lends itself well to movies, it's very ...serialized.
My cousin J asked if I'd seen all the Marvel films and what I made out of the controversy over the female Captain America. I had to think about it for a minute - because I got confused and thought he was talking about Captain Marvel. But no, he was talking about AU version - Angela Carter becoming Captain America in another universe (she's in the Doctor Strange film as Captain America).
Then his wife asked why I loved superhero films and comics so much, what drew me to them. It was hard to put into words - particularly on the spot like that. But I told her that it was the characters mainly, the mythology, the world-building, the idea of having powers to fix things and the struggle that went along with it (I always had a weakness for that sort of thing), and I loved how art and words could combine in the comics. I'm a writer and artist - so the idea that you could combine them - was something I fell in love with. But mainly I loved the complex characters and all the ways of looking at them.
My cousin J looked at me - and said, "I feel exactly the same way. All of that."
Re-connecting with family last week - particularly my extended family helped me reorient myself a bit in the world and realize that my parents had given me many gifts, and I'm not as alone as I might think.
***
Okay enough of that. Off to bed. I'm tired. And have to do a site tour tomorrow near Fire Island of all places - it's about two-three hours from where I live, by train. So I travel one hour and fifteen minutes to the office. Get everything together, leave for another train, take it an hour and fifteen minutes to the station, facilitate site tour (basically take attendance and babysit), then hop on another train and go home. It's supposed to rain tomorrow - I'm praying it holds off until the afternoon. Because I really don't want to wait in the rain for a train. I also don't want to do a site tour in the rain. I may beg the project manager for a ride to a closer station if it is raining. (With the threat that I can't work on her addendum if I'm stuck in Sayville.)
Eyes were itching up a storm.
Came home. Took an allergy pill - earlier than usual and some flonase, also used clear eyes. It's cleared up a bit now and I'm feeling better.
But I did take a COVID test - came back negative. I'm tempted to do another one outside my work place, or on the way home. They are kind of everywhere now.
2. In other news? Crazy Org now offers the Biavelent Booster via Pfizer/Biomed. We can take up to four hours of work leave to get it - since it's only offered between 9-4pm and at the Brooklyn Site. If I do it on my own time - not working hours, I can get up to 2 hours of paid time. But, it's only being offered Wednesday and Thursday.
I can't do it this week or next, but I may do it the week after that.
And I'm hoping I can take a four day break for Indigenous People's Day. (New York finally changed it - as soon as Cumo got booted out of office).
I need a break - time to veg, maybe hang with Wales, go upstate.
3. Bro was sick for a few days and self-isolated. He had some sort of stomach bug. But I think his bottled up emotions caught up with him.
Me: He always gets sick when he gets emotionally stressed or upset. Has since he was a little kid.
Mother: True...
Me: Also he doesn't express emotion well or like to. He was kind of raised not to.
Mother: Not by me.
Me: More society. Also Dad had issues with it too. Our society doesn't like to have men cry - it's horrible.
And you need to cry, sometimes.
I told mother that a day doesn't pass in which I don't think about my Dad or he doesn't come up. She feels the same. And at her bereavement counseling, the counselor said - we should be able to talk to people about our grief, and the loved one that we lost. We should be able to cry. To let it out. It's not good to keep it bottled up inside. However, she totally understands how that may be difficult not to do at work - since I'm not going to want to discuss it there. I do, each day, without intending on it.
Twice today. Mainly because people can't stop asking "how are you?" Or worse asking how my vacation was. It's my own fault - I should have put bereavement on the out of office emails, but I wanted to stay private.
Losing a father or anyone dear to me, is akin to losing a body part. I told this to mother - and she agreed, wholeheartedly. That's exactly what it is like, she told me. "I feel as if I lost a part of myself and I can't get it back again."
4. In other news, Chidi asked for the title of the book that I published, so he can share it with a friend of his, look it up, and possibly buy it himself. It's free on Kindle Unlimited, and about $2.99 regular Kindle, and $12.99 in paperback (printing costs and all that). I refuse to charge more than $2.99 for a Kindle book. It costs me nothing. And I want folks to be able to read it. I'm not going to make that much off of it.
Chidi also told me that we need to be there for each other during this trying time - and be an ear. I hope I'm doing that for others. Not certain.
5. I'm still reading "Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim" - it is book two of her "Blood of the Stars" series. Book one was "Spin the Dawn". There's only two books in the series. She's Japanese-American and her stories feature Japanese and Asian mythology.
Maia Tamarin's journey to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon, and the stars has taken a grievous toll. She returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. Edan, the boy she loves, is gone--perhaps forever--and no sooner does she set foot in the Autumn Palace than she is forced to don the dress of the sun and assume the place of the emperor's bride-to-be to keep the peace. When the emperor's rivals learn of her deception, there is hell to pay, but the war raging around Maia is nothing compared to the battle within.
Ever since she was touched by the demon Bandur, she has been changing . . . glancing in the mirror to see her own eyes glowing red; losing control of her magic, her body, her mind. It's only a matter of time before Maia loses herself completely, and in the meantime she will stop at nothing to find Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.
Unfortunately it's poorly paced, and slow going. Either that - or it's just me, and I am having troubles focusing on it? Hard to know. I like the mythology and the world-building more than the characters - which is a problem. Also the fairy-tale nature of the story. But it's told in first person and the voice is kind of weak? Or whiny? I can't quite decide which, which makes it slow going at times. I'm 60% of the way through and wondering if it will ever end. But want to know what happens.
I'm in a horrible reading slump. Someone needs to recommend a page turner to me, right quick. I did get Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary for about $2.99 on Amazon, along with the audiobook for $4.99. It's not like I don't have a lot of books to read.
Just not a lot of attention span.
6. Twitter had an article about how Marvel Studios Reboot of the X-Men is rumored to be based on Joss Whedon and John Cassadays Astonishing X-men
Which might actually work. With the exception of Wolverine, it gives the focus to various characters who have not yet had the chance to shine. Also it puts Wolverine in supporting role - which is where he belongs. He's not leader material - he's more lone wolf vigilante, who occasionally pops in to help the team. Similar to Dead Poole, actually.
Also it jumps the franchise away from the Phoenix arc - which they attempted to pull off with decidedly mixed results, and away from Xavier/Magneto frenemy romance (which was kind of done to death already in both comics and on-screen). It also pulls away from the Scott/Jean/Wolverine love triangle - which was horrible and kind of ruined the films for me. Wolverine/Jean Grey pairing did not work. And it's horribly cliche, trite, and kind of paternalistic to put Wolverine in any romantic pairing.
Less is more with Wolverine, who has suffered from over-exposure. Whedon kind of figured that out - and pushed him to the background more in Astonishing. The romances in that series, to the degree they were emphasized, were between Scott/Emma, Kitty/Colossus (which worked better than Wolverine/Jean, but also not a fan of...), Beast/Abigail Brand. That worked.
The other fun thing about that series is Scott gets to take center stage. All the characters have major issues, and there's a kind of fractious distrust between them.
If they do it - I really hope they cast Jensen Ackles as Scott. He's kind of perfect for the role. Although they may want someone a bit bigger? I'm drawing a blank. And Emma Stone or Ana Taylor Joy as Emma Frost, the White Queen. Actually Ana Taylor Joy is kind of perfect for the role.
Nicolas Holt kind of owns Beast, but they could find someone else. I'd go with Tom Hardy for Wolverine, or someone short, and tough as nails, and much older. Not sure who to get for Colossus, or for that matter Kitty Pride. Abigail Brand? Also no clue.
I would almost prefer the reboot be done as a television series first, with movies jumping off from it? Like they did with the Falcon and the Winter Solider or Ms. Marvel. There's far too much to set up. That's the problem with the X-men movies - it's not a comic that lends itself well to movies, it's very ...serialized.
My cousin J asked if I'd seen all the Marvel films and what I made out of the controversy over the female Captain America. I had to think about it for a minute - because I got confused and thought he was talking about Captain Marvel. But no, he was talking about AU version - Angela Carter becoming Captain America in another universe (she's in the Doctor Strange film as Captain America).
Then his wife asked why I loved superhero films and comics so much, what drew me to them. It was hard to put into words - particularly on the spot like that. But I told her that it was the characters mainly, the mythology, the world-building, the idea of having powers to fix things and the struggle that went along with it (I always had a weakness for that sort of thing), and I loved how art and words could combine in the comics. I'm a writer and artist - so the idea that you could combine them - was something I fell in love with. But mainly I loved the complex characters and all the ways of looking at them.
My cousin J looked at me - and said, "I feel exactly the same way. All of that."
Re-connecting with family last week - particularly my extended family helped me reorient myself a bit in the world and realize that my parents had given me many gifts, and I'm not as alone as I might think.
***
Okay enough of that. Off to bed. I'm tired. And have to do a site tour tomorrow near Fire Island of all places - it's about two-three hours from where I live, by train. So I travel one hour and fifteen minutes to the office. Get everything together, leave for another train, take it an hour and fifteen minutes to the station, facilitate site tour (basically take attendance and babysit), then hop on another train and go home. It's supposed to rain tomorrow - I'm praying it holds off until the afternoon. Because I really don't want to wait in the rain for a train. I also don't want to do a site tour in the rain. I may beg the project manager for a ride to a closer station if it is raining. (With the threat that I can't work on her addendum if I'm stuck in Sayville.)