Year #2 - Day #88 - Pandemic

Kind of paralyzed with not caring all that much about anything at the moment. I think the week rolled over me and left me tired? It's gloomy and cool outside. I'm debating a walk but feeling highly unmotivated at the moment. I've accomplished next to nothing today. Sometimes the weekends just slip through my fingers like sand in a hour glass, but so do the days.

1. Sci-Fi writer, John Scalzi's daughter - is co-writing his blog, and wrote a post regarding her frustration with the whole return to normalcy/the pandemic is over - that kind of resonated with me. Or spoke to my own fury and frustration over it.

Getting Back to Normalcy

( excerpt of the portion that resonated )

Then in the comments, I read these posts...which resonated as well...
( Read more... )

I used to wonder why no one wrote or filmed much about the aftermath of WWI, or the period between 1917-1925. We get a lot on the roaring twenties, the Depression, the Second World War, and the first World War. But not much on that time period. Now, I know. I really wish I didn't. I could have been quite happy never knowing.

2. My "male" friend tripped me on purpose and shattered my leg

Well, it was a prank - he didn't mean to shatter his female friend's leg.
They liked to play "games" with each other. [There's his and her versions.]

Confused? What Happened? One day they sprinted into a race down a residential street, and he stuck out his leg playfully and tripped her as a joke. Unfortunately she landed badly and shattered her leg. [That's all we really know, they didn't exactly go into detail. In her version - she was beating him, and he tripped her to outrun her, in his he did it as a joke. I'm guessing it was a bit of both - since I've seen these situations first hand and have more experience with them than most. Also there wasn't anything to be gained. Plus she chose to forgive him and stay friends, and was telling the story to ponder that. I'd not have stayed friends, but I also wasn't there and have no clue what happened. I know people well enough to know not to believe their accounts - people have a tendency to embellish and twist things to make themselves look good, and forget the bits that don't, or vice versa. People are not reliable witnesses or narrators to their own experiences or anyone's for that matter. ]

Note - runners do that. Not all runners, but they do it - in college and high school and junior high. I know because I used to run track and cross country, and I've watched races. In the Olympics - a woman got disqualified for "accidentally" tripping and seriously injuring another player. (Over in another post they've all decided it's criminal or a crime - I don't know, I don't think it is in the US. There's no intent, and neither party saw it as a crime. And neither did the witnesses. Also, I don't trust journalists and written accounts in newspapers - and would question that.]

Why would anyone think it is funny? Situation comedies? Slapstick? The pratfall is a big source of amusement in our society. Slipping on a banana peel. People are trained to laugh when folks fall. And often it is a prank in school and on television where a guy trips a girl or girl trips a boy in the cafeteria, food flies everywhere and everyone laughs. Famous physical comedians such as Steve Martin, Dick Van Dyke, John Ritter, Carol Burnett, etc. were known for the pratfall. But, what must folks don't know is Dick Van Dyke and John Ritter know how to fall. It's choreographed. They are professional physical comics. As were others. Physical comedy is very hard to do well and difficult on the body, and you have to be limber and agile. Also often they will hire a stunt double.

Anyhow the woman writing the article poses the following question:

I did wonder, though, would a female friend kick me over ‘for a laugh’?

Yes. Absolutely.

The writer didn't think so, nor did her family members - possibly because they have an odd romanticized view of the female gender?

How do I know it isn't gender specific?
( Read more... )

3. The networks appear to be clearing house in 2021, to make way for a whole new fall slate. Also weirdly most pilots got picked up this season.
Which Shows Are Canceled, Which are Renewed

The Cancellations that might interest folks:

Prodigal Son, All Rise, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, For Life, Rebel, Mix-edish, Away, Jupiter's Legacy, The Haunting of Hill House and House of Bly Manor (no further seasons planned at this point), The Irregulars, Kim's Convenience, The Order (cancelled). [The cancellations didn't surprise me.]

The renewals:

Grey's Anatomy was renewed for an 18th Season - that show may well be the longest running prime time medical drama on television. [It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is also renewed for an 18th Season.]

Huh...Killing Eve got a fourth and final Season. And Doctor Who was renewed for Season 13. Amazon renewed Lord of the Rings - I didn't know it aired. I'm going to have to find it. And apparently they are considering giving WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Solider a second season? I thought there was only going to be one for both.

Bridgerton has been renewed through S4, which is interesting - since the biggest draw - the Duke is gone. My mother got her home health care aids enthralled by it - everyone was into the Duke.

Cobra Kai is renewed through S4, and the Crown is to its sixth and final season. Fate: The Winx Saga was renewed to S2. Lock & Key renewed through S3, Lucifer is renewed for 6th and final season (considering I've yet to make through S5...it's very uneven.) Russian Doll renewed for S2 (??), Lost in Space renewed for 3rd and Final Season, Shadow and Bone renewed for S2, Umbrella Academy renewed for S3, Virgin River renewed for S3, Warrior Nun renewed for S2, The Witcher renewed for S2...The Expanse renewed for the 6th and final season. Marvelous Mrs. Maisel renewed for S4.

4. Took another walk - a brief one. Was going to get an milkshake, but chose to buy the ingredients for a smoothie instead - chobain non-fact plain greek yogurt, banana, peach, ginger tumeric immunity booster - came home and added maca powder, plant protein, water, almond/coconut milk, and berries. It's tasted better than you'd expect - with a peppery kick from the immunity booster. I also feel better - although kind of tired of the hot flashes.

5.Well this is interesting.. How to Survive Encounters with Dangerous Animals - although they include things in there that I would not count as animal. Bed bugs, Alligators, and Rattlenakes.

However - agreed on Mountain Lions. And apparently they've invaded cities now - which is actually kind of cool. We had one wandering about Brooklyn this winter - or so I've been told. I didn't see it. I've only seen them in zoos or at a distance - as in very far away.

6. Mother said her visit with father wasn't the best, but it was better than yesterday - apparently he was upset with her yesterday because she'd interrupted his meeting. Tonight she's going over to a kind of party at the clubhouse - with her wheelchair to socialize.

7. Here's another picture from yesterday's walk..