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World Beard Day: Beards -- yay or nay?

Depends? Some people look really good with beards, others really don't. It's kind of similar to shaved heads. And mustachios. Also for that matter short and long hair. It depends.

For example? Ian McKellan looks good with a beard, but Patrick Stewart doesn't. Pierce Bronsan can carry off a beard, but not Harrison Ford.
Mark Hamil can, but not Harrison Ford. So too can Ben Afleck but not Ryan Goslin or Matt Damon.

So see? Depends.


Mouthguard Day: Have you ever had to wear a mouthguard, either because you practised a certain sport, or as protection because you tend to grind your teeth at night, or for some other reason?

Yes, I had one for grinding teeth for a while, but gave up on wearing it - on account of it making me feel like I was chocking. Also I couldn't sleep.
Too much saliva. Also it doesn't really help anyhow.

***

Killers of the Flower Moon star criticizes the Yellowstone Depiction of the American West as Delusional

This article is interesting to me for this reason, only:


Gladstone told New York that she was nervous about accepting the part as Leonardo DiCaprio's wife in Killers of the Flower Moon since the story documents a dark, gruesome page in Osage history, but a script rewrite turned the narrative from a white-savior story into one that centers on the experiences of the Indigenous characters. In addition, Scorsese sought out input from the Osage community, which cemented Gladstone's decision to take on the role.

"It was clear that I wasn't just going to be given space to collaborate," said Gladstone, whose father is Blackfeet and Nez Perce and whose mother is white. "I was expected to bring a lot to the table."

Based on the 2017 book by David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon is expected to be a shoo-in the upcoming awards season. The film opens in theaters Oct. 20, with a streaming debut on Apple TV+ to follow at an undetermined date. The change from its earlier limited theatrical release and streaming premiere on Oct. 6 may be because its high-profile cast — which also includes Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons — is prohibited from doing press and red carpet events during the actors' strike.

So that's actually good news, that they rewrote the script to make it less of a White Savior story. The book isn't that - it comes thisclose, but it really was the Osage who fought for Justice and paid a lot of money to the Feds for it. I do, however think the writer in the book spent far too much time celebrating Tom White, and himself and their investigations, over Molly Burkhart's quest for justice.

I agree with her about Yellowstone. I'm not sure Taylor Sheridan understands the Native American perspective, and he's not very collaborative - that's part of the reason the current cast wants out to pursue other things.

***

Met three new people at work. Or three new people joined my department.
It's workable, I think. Managers appear to have learned from their previous mistakes. They actually hired people who want to work in Jamaica and not in Manhattan, and live on Long Island. I kind of checked them out - to get a lay of the land.

It's devilishly hot today - yet overall it's been a relatively mild summer considering. Today, it reach 94 degrees, but considering it was in the 70s on Saturday and most of last week - it's kind of hard to complain too much about it.

I finally arranged a dermatologist appointment via Zoo Doc, but they did require way too much information to be uploaded online. Including insurance card and id, both made me nervous. (although it says it is protected). Got one for a Saturday, believe it or not.

Next up is Dentist and Mammogram.

Also started Kingfisher's "The Hollow Places". Reading her books reminds me of a complain my father made once about most novelists - they tend to write what they know, and they don't know that much. These people always have the same occupations: graphic artist, editor, writer, novelist, journalist, artist, actor, singer...but nothing business related. You don't run into accountant's, consultant's, legal professionals (well sometimes - a lot of lawyers write books), project managers, engineers, etc. My father wrote books about consultants and business men as the protagonists - because he couldn't find them. He wrote like I do - about things I can't find in books.

Kingfisher's characters appear to be in the art or literary world. And always in small rural towns. (Which is a nice change of pace actually.)
She also appears to like to write in first person close. And does a good job of it. I like her writing style - it's quirky and slyly funny, with a kind of dry absurdist wit or snark.

For my own book/novel - I'm wondering if the reader will buy a heroine who starts out as a surgeon, flunks her residency, ends up enlisting as a trauma surgeon, but is really spending all of her time defusing bombs. And is a crack auto mechanic. That's not a Mary Sue, is it? Doesn't feel like one.

"X-men" comics is also delving into horror and speculative science fiction, along with body horror that would give Croenenberg a run for his money.
It's decidedly adult. I wouldn't let a kid read this stuff.

**

Date: 2023-09-07 03:26 pm (UTC)
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From: [personal profile] mtbc
For what it's worth, I knew a guy from rural Tennessee who couldn't sleep and loved documentaries. He was good enough at auto repair to have run his own shop for a while, he knew everything from welding to gunsmithing to solar power systems, had certifications in everything from air conditioning and radiography to home inspection and asbestos removal from radioactive zones. I can certainly imagine someone technically minded who just can't sleep and is endlessly curious getting into all kinds of things. On talking to him enough, it became clear that the variety was because, once he'd done enough of something, he got bored of it. (Radiography was a particular difficulty there, too much standing around waiting.)

(Incidentally, after WWII, my grandfather used to defuse bombs for the Royal Navy.)

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