Full Year Question Meme

Okay as a place holder for myself and anyone else who hasn't seen it and is remotely interested - here's the full year question meme that I snagged from bruttimabuoni on DW who in turn snagged it from emaciatedwords on LJ. (I'll go back and do January and February in separate posts, then just do the rest post March, daily. Or that's my plan, whether I stick with it is another issue.)

"If anyone wants a 2021 full-year questions meme, it's under the cut. From emaciatedwords on LJ"

( Full Year Question Meme )

Day #352 - Kind of Lazy

Finished watching WandaVision - which I enjoyed. And the lauded and critically acclaimed, highly rec'd Netflix flick I Care a Lot - which I did not.

I'll post about both in a separate post.

Not a lot going on today. I dozed off again during the Zoom Church Service - which, well I have no idea what it was about because I fell asleep during. They really need to stop doing the meditation bit - I always go to sleep during the meditation bit. Also I had almond flour banana pancakes which is guaranteed to put me to sleep. I don't know why - it just does.

The Kensington-Windsor Terrace Mutual Aid Community Fund (aka KWTM) - has set up a food refrigerator in the neighborhood - for neighbors in need. They can come and get food from the fridge as needed without having to tell anyone. This takes away the shame many feel in regards to asking for help. The neighbors and the KWTM put food in the fridge and get help from NYC Food bank to keep it filled.

Wish I could help - but I don't have a car, and its not close by. But I may go by it to and from the store and put something in if empty. Or maybe leave cloth grocery bags near it - for people to tote stuff away, if needed.

Things like this give me hope that not all humans have given in to their baser impulses.

I've finished Barack Obama's memoir "The Promised Land" about his run for Senate, President and his first four years in the White House. I read the audio book - which was great, because Barack read his own memoir, and he's excellent. I highly recommend the audio version. Now I'm listening Michelle Obama's Becoming - and surprisingly enough? I like it better - she's a better writer than he is. She used the word fastidious and I've found myself using it a lot lately as a result. It's the perfect word.

Besides building empathy, reading also build vocabulary and writing skills.
Audio books work fine for both. I've changed my mind about them.

Spoke to mother, today. We had a brief discussion about writing and books. I told her how the publishers turned down the book that I independently published. She didn't understand that at all. It was different, didn't fit the mold. The problem with the traditional publishing field is - that they want books they know are sure thing, they don't like risks. ( Read more... )

***

I took my trash out. And while I was attempting to lug two big broken down boxes out. I found two packages outside my door. One was the milk delivery, which I'd forgotten about and wished I'd cancelled. (I get almond/coconut creamer milk jugs delivered via Amazon each month.) And the other was a brown paper bag stapled at the top with no note on it. I opened it and it had a food delivery inside that I'd not ordered - nor did I want it - nor could I eat it. It looked like burritos and turned my stomach. I put it back in the bag and took the bag back downstairs and left it in the mail room.

Still no binoculars, but I'm giving them until 10PM on Monday. If they don't arrive - I'm contacting them again.

Anyhow the deliveries this week have been odd.

***

I haven't made the French Silk Pie or Quiche, mother talked me out of it. I have a doctor's appointment on Wed with blood work. That would kick up my sugar and cholesterol counts.

Also the French Silk is frigging hard to make. So maybe not. On the fence.

The pandemic drags onwards. And I find television and movies jarring. I know how they are pulling it off - because I read about it. It's costing them between $250,000 to over $1 Million to do it. They basically put people in bubbles, and cordon off areas.

A lot of actors are just doing voice work though. If you go on IMBD, you realize how much work actors, directors, writers do that you never see. I knew about this ages ago - because I've had friends who worked in the industry, along with family - and they told me why I never saw anything they were in - even though they did the work. It's all about the distributor.
The film industry has the same issues as the publishing industry - whether you are popular or seen, has a lot to do with whether you got a really good marketing launch, and who decides to promote your work. And it has very little to do with whether it is any good.

Depressing. But there it is.

***

I feel I shouldn't end this post there...but my mind is blank and there's not much else to add. It's Sunday. Tomorrow I can sleep in, take long walks, and write my story...without dealing with work. I'm happy about that.

WandaVision & I Care a Lot reviews

1. I Care A Lot - this is the Netflix film that selenak and various others have recommended. It stars Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, and Dianne Wiest. The plot? ( eh spoilers )

So, the movie didn't work for me. It's not very good. I'm not sure why people loved it?

Granted I have a morbid sense of humor, I admit that. But I didn't find the characters had a lot of depth, the dialogue wasn't memorable, and the only good performances were Diane Weist - who can give a devil of look when she wants to, and Peter Dinklage. (The appeal of Rosamund Pike is lost on me, she reminds me of Sharon Stone, except I thought Sharon Stone was a lot more interesting and entertaining. Pike I find impossible to like in her roles, and uninteresting.) I didn't really find it funny outside of two absurd scenes. The first half is slow and aggravating, the second half - when Dinklage pops up is more interesting and compelling, but doesn't quite save it. I don't know why so many people like this? Proof you can't trust most reviewers right there.

2. WandaVision

I enjoyed this a great deal. It's tight, only nine episodes. And works very well as an origin story for Wanda Maximov aka The Scarlett Witch.

I found it unpredictable, with some satisfying twists and turns, and just the right amount of superhero camp at the end. The camp was saved for the very end.

It does borrow heavily from Rod Sterling's Twilight Zone, but in a clever way. Also there's a decent amount of character development, and humor.
They nail the sitcoms, and explain why Wanda recreates a situation comedy universe for herself - thinking it is comforting for everyone involved.

The show at the same time kind of comments on the sitcom, such as what are the neighbors and everyone else involved doing - while they aren't involved directly with Wanda? Are they stuck in their houses. Or merely frozen until she needs them to perform in her show?

There's an underlying meta-narrative to the piece, that is kind of biting in its satire of the American Media Dream vs the Reality.( spoilers )

If you watch it - they bury bits in the credits of episodes 8 and 9. I didn't see anything buried prior to that. The credits much like they are in Marvel's films are insanely long and repetitive. I don't know why Marvel likes insanely long and repetitive credit sequences? But if you can fast-forward - you might possibly catch the snippets. I did. The first involved Monica Rambeau and is a lead in to the Captain Marvel 2 film, and the second involves Wanda and may be a lead in to the Doctor Strange 2 film.

Overall? Worth watching and a lot of fun.