![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Eye Doctor. I got up early, made it to the eye doctor's office at 7:55 am, with my appointment scheduled at 8:15 am, only to discover that the doctor was no longer working at NYU Langone. They'd left.
And NYU Langone was calling me to reschedule with yet another brand new opthamologist literally twenty minutes before my appointment.
Me: I'm already here. Not only that I paid via your porthole.
NYU: We sent you a notification by mail.
Me: Yet you have a portal and access to messaging through it - and can see I had an appointment at 8:15 for that doctor. I didn't get your mail notification.
NYU: We're sorry.
Me: Don't tell me that - I want to know what to do now? I'm here. I took off work for this. My leg hurts. And I paid already.
NYU: We can reschedule you for 9 AM, that's when the doctor starts taking appointments.
I could have slept another hour. Although they did do the vision test, and the dilation around 8:30, with the Doctor seeing me around 9:30. All in all it was two hours. I knew it would be - that's why I didn't try to schedule the knee doctor on the same day.
After a five minute vision test done at the speed of light.
Assistant: Good news, you have 20/20 vision.
Me: What about the sizing machine, and Contact checking/prescription?
Assistant: We don't do that any longer - you'll need the Optometrist and that's a $75 co-payment.
Me: Can I do that today?
Assistant: No, the optometrist comes every Tuesday and Wednesday (when the Opthamologist isn't here.) Go sit outside, and the doctor will see you shortly.
Doctors? Its basically hurry, wait, hurry, wait. It's why Breaking Bad refuses to see them, and my Aunt did. My mother has persuaded me to see them - because she's convinced her sister, my Aunt, died because she refused to.
I'm going to have to find an opthamologist/optometrist duo, because NYU can't keep an opthamologist to save its life, and the optometrist - I noticed that office was temporarily closed and people were being redirected to the horrible Tisch Center for Men's Health.
The Good News? My eyes are fine. I mean I still need bifocals, and contacts. But there's no other issues. This morning, while putting in one of the contacts I got a piece of hair caught between my eye and the contact - which was excruciatingly painful until I got the contact out, and the offending hair out - but apparently it didn't result in any damage to the eye.
One down, four to go. (X-rays tomorrow, knee doctor tomorrow, then two weeks from now, on Saturday - the Optometrist, then in December, the PT.)
I feel like I've spent a lot of money on copayments to doctor's this year.
I did however accomplish two things at least? Eye doctor and laundry, also set up optometrist appointment in two weeks.
2. Still rewatching Buffy and Angel, and noticing things I didn't notice before? Not being obsessed with the stories or worried about where they are going - makes certain bits clearer? Also knowing what will happen - makes other things clearer? It helps when you aren't overly emotionally invested in what happens to the characters - or worse writing or reading fanfic about them. Makes the story as whole and the big picture much clearer?
What a lot of folks forget about Buffy and Angel is they aren't really ensemble series? (OR romances for that matter.) Both series are lead plus supporting, and we're for the most part in the lead's point of view, with few exceptions? That said, occasionally the writers forget or get bored of being in Buffy or Angel's pov, and we will be in someone else's. Also, it's a way of exploring all the characters from another angle?
In re-watching Angel S2 The Prodigal - I discovered a few things I'd forgotten. Angel died at 26 in Ireland in 1753. He's several centuries older than the folks around him. The only characters who get, truly get, where he's coming from are probably Darla, Drusilla, and Spike. Also the problem with living that long is after a bit, you don't care that much about certain things. What Angel cares most about is "to matter", "to have made something of himself", he wants recognition, to be admired, honored, and acknowledged. To have someone, preferably someone in power and authority - be proud of him. He's trying to prove something. That's his guiding focus. He cared more about PTB being proud of him, than Buffy loving him. Love is not his focus. His biggest mistake was killing his father - whose approval or lack thereof kind of defines Angelus and Angel. Why Darla chose him - I'm not sure? Maybe because she identified with that urge, and the urge to defy it?
I think what attracted him to Buffy - was Buffy's need for her father's approval, or at the very least Giles. And he does kind of become obsessed with Giles - when he loses his soul and focuses on Giles as a means of harming Buffy. It's also why he identifies with and helps Faith, Wes, and Cordelia - they all had serious Daddy issues.
There's a lot of foreshadowing in the early episodes. Over and over, people ask Angel if he has ever had kids, or has them? And tell him that he'll understand when he becomes a father. Also, the supernatural pregnancy with Cordelia. In both cases - the kids are often monsters, or the father's are betraying them. I honestly think that the writers always intended to go in the direction they did? Or they were subconsciously going in that direction? The show is at the end of the day more of a horror series than...well an action or detective series? So it won't end well.
I wondered how many episode Elizabeth Roem who played Kate Lockley did, and discovered it was roughly speaking - 15 episodes - S1 through mid-way through S2. Angel S2 had the same issue Buffy S4 did - it lost some key players to other projects. At any rate - I honestly think the writers had intended to bring Kate back as Holtz's apprentice, but the actress was unavailable and they had to go another route, much like they did in Buffy.
With Buffy S4 Doomed - Spike's redemptive arc is taking off despite what the writers may have intended at the time? I honestly think it was unintentional. They didn't know how to keep the character in the story, without either having Buffy stake him, or having him kill Buffy. So they put a chip in his head, and made it so he could only kill demons. Now, there's all sorts of directions you can go with that? Spike could have forced other demons to do his dirty work, and manipulated Buffy and her friends - but eventually the audience would wonder why Buffy didn't just kill him? I honestly thought that was the direction they were going in - when I first watched S4 way back in 1999-2000. They surprised me. Now, it seems a bit obvious - that they were planning on redeeming him and there really wasn't any other way to go without killing off the character. Also it's less interesting to keep him evil - you can kind of see where that leads. And after S5, why would he have stuck around? It didn't work with the rest of their plot.
What's interesting about Buffy S4 - is the writers add three unconventional and difficult characters to the story - who don't fit into classic character tropes like Cordelia (mean girl/popular girl), Angel (hot mysterious love interest who can turn evil on a dime) and OZ (basically Fonzi as a guitarist or cool dude) did. Anya (is quirky, socially awkward, and basically more hormonal than Xander - she's Cordy but not entitled, or rich), Spike (is not mysterious nor can he turn evil on a dime - they more or less assume he is evil, when in reality he's more ambiguous and opportunistic (which isn't exactly "evil", it's not good either), he's a grey character and complicated), and Tara is kind of the exact opposite of OZ? She's not cool. She's not secure or confident. And she's not the one with the power or the dark wolf inside, no that is Willow. These characters are more challenging for both audience and writers, also more realistic and less...cliche. They resonate with a broader audience, and are more outsiders than the Buffy, Xander and Willow. While Oz, Angel and Cordy weren't outsiders, and accepted - even sought after. Tara, Spike and Anya aren't.
These are those rare series that I see something new every time I watch them. And I'm guessing from the fandom, I'm not alone in that.
3. I am not used to it getting dark by 4:50pm. It's throwing me off my game? I keep thinking it's 7pm when it's actually just 5:45pm. Yes, I know it being dark at 7:30 am in the morning was an issue. But I honestly wish we would just stick with one time adjustment, and not keep doing this flipping back and forth.
Clearly I'm in the minority, or it would have changed by now. But I wish.
****
November Memage:
1. In the UK, the 5th of November is Guy Fawkes night, which is celebrated with fireworks. The firework displays and parties usually start this weekend and may continue for several days of November. When was the last time you attended a firework display?
Hm. I think sometime in 2010? It was the 4th of July display in NYC.
I have watched them out my window at home - but not sure that counts.
2. Do you have anything you love so much on TV that you record all the episodes?
I don't need to any longer with streaming. Also the DVR doesn't always work?
But, when I had a VHS recorder - yes. I recorded all the episodes of Buffy, and Angel. Also Farscape. Those are three shows I loved enough to record all the episodes and own the DVDs (for a bit).
3. What’s the weather like today?
Partly Cloudy, Cool, potential for rain (but mostly sunny). In the upper fifties, high was 60 degrees.
And NYU Langone was calling me to reschedule with yet another brand new opthamologist literally twenty minutes before my appointment.
Me: I'm already here. Not only that I paid via your porthole.
NYU: We sent you a notification by mail.
Me: Yet you have a portal and access to messaging through it - and can see I had an appointment at 8:15 for that doctor. I didn't get your mail notification.
NYU: We're sorry.
Me: Don't tell me that - I want to know what to do now? I'm here. I took off work for this. My leg hurts. And I paid already.
NYU: We can reschedule you for 9 AM, that's when the doctor starts taking appointments.
I could have slept another hour. Although they did do the vision test, and the dilation around 8:30, with the Doctor seeing me around 9:30. All in all it was two hours. I knew it would be - that's why I didn't try to schedule the knee doctor on the same day.
After a five minute vision test done at the speed of light.
Assistant: Good news, you have 20/20 vision.
Me: What about the sizing machine, and Contact checking/prescription?
Assistant: We don't do that any longer - you'll need the Optometrist and that's a $75 co-payment.
Me: Can I do that today?
Assistant: No, the optometrist comes every Tuesday and Wednesday (when the Opthamologist isn't here.) Go sit outside, and the doctor will see you shortly.
Doctors? Its basically hurry, wait, hurry, wait. It's why Breaking Bad refuses to see them, and my Aunt did. My mother has persuaded me to see them - because she's convinced her sister, my Aunt, died because she refused to.
I'm going to have to find an opthamologist/optometrist duo, because NYU can't keep an opthamologist to save its life, and the optometrist - I noticed that office was temporarily closed and people were being redirected to the horrible Tisch Center for Men's Health.
The Good News? My eyes are fine. I mean I still need bifocals, and contacts. But there's no other issues. This morning, while putting in one of the contacts I got a piece of hair caught between my eye and the contact - which was excruciatingly painful until I got the contact out, and the offending hair out - but apparently it didn't result in any damage to the eye.
One down, four to go. (X-rays tomorrow, knee doctor tomorrow, then two weeks from now, on Saturday - the Optometrist, then in December, the PT.)
I feel like I've spent a lot of money on copayments to doctor's this year.
I did however accomplish two things at least? Eye doctor and laundry, also set up optometrist appointment in two weeks.
2. Still rewatching Buffy and Angel, and noticing things I didn't notice before? Not being obsessed with the stories or worried about where they are going - makes certain bits clearer? Also knowing what will happen - makes other things clearer? It helps when you aren't overly emotionally invested in what happens to the characters - or worse writing or reading fanfic about them. Makes the story as whole and the big picture much clearer?
What a lot of folks forget about Buffy and Angel is they aren't really ensemble series? (OR romances for that matter.) Both series are lead plus supporting, and we're for the most part in the lead's point of view, with few exceptions? That said, occasionally the writers forget or get bored of being in Buffy or Angel's pov, and we will be in someone else's. Also, it's a way of exploring all the characters from another angle?
In re-watching Angel S2 The Prodigal - I discovered a few things I'd forgotten. Angel died at 26 in Ireland in 1753. He's several centuries older than the folks around him. The only characters who get, truly get, where he's coming from are probably Darla, Drusilla, and Spike. Also the problem with living that long is after a bit, you don't care that much about certain things. What Angel cares most about is "to matter", "to have made something of himself", he wants recognition, to be admired, honored, and acknowledged. To have someone, preferably someone in power and authority - be proud of him. He's trying to prove something. That's his guiding focus. He cared more about PTB being proud of him, than Buffy loving him. Love is not his focus. His biggest mistake was killing his father - whose approval or lack thereof kind of defines Angelus and Angel. Why Darla chose him - I'm not sure? Maybe because she identified with that urge, and the urge to defy it?
I think what attracted him to Buffy - was Buffy's need for her father's approval, or at the very least Giles. And he does kind of become obsessed with Giles - when he loses his soul and focuses on Giles as a means of harming Buffy. It's also why he identifies with and helps Faith, Wes, and Cordelia - they all had serious Daddy issues.
There's a lot of foreshadowing in the early episodes. Over and over, people ask Angel if he has ever had kids, or has them? And tell him that he'll understand when he becomes a father. Also, the supernatural pregnancy with Cordelia. In both cases - the kids are often monsters, or the father's are betraying them. I honestly think that the writers always intended to go in the direction they did? Or they were subconsciously going in that direction? The show is at the end of the day more of a horror series than...well an action or detective series? So it won't end well.
I wondered how many episode Elizabeth Roem who played Kate Lockley did, and discovered it was roughly speaking - 15 episodes - S1 through mid-way through S2. Angel S2 had the same issue Buffy S4 did - it lost some key players to other projects. At any rate - I honestly think the writers had intended to bring Kate back as Holtz's apprentice, but the actress was unavailable and they had to go another route, much like they did in Buffy.
With Buffy S4 Doomed - Spike's redemptive arc is taking off despite what the writers may have intended at the time? I honestly think it was unintentional. They didn't know how to keep the character in the story, without either having Buffy stake him, or having him kill Buffy. So they put a chip in his head, and made it so he could only kill demons. Now, there's all sorts of directions you can go with that? Spike could have forced other demons to do his dirty work, and manipulated Buffy and her friends - but eventually the audience would wonder why Buffy didn't just kill him? I honestly thought that was the direction they were going in - when I first watched S4 way back in 1999-2000. They surprised me. Now, it seems a bit obvious - that they were planning on redeeming him and there really wasn't any other way to go without killing off the character. Also it's less interesting to keep him evil - you can kind of see where that leads. And after S5, why would he have stuck around? It didn't work with the rest of their plot.
What's interesting about Buffy S4 - is the writers add three unconventional and difficult characters to the story - who don't fit into classic character tropes like Cordelia (mean girl/popular girl), Angel (hot mysterious love interest who can turn evil on a dime) and OZ (basically Fonzi as a guitarist or cool dude) did. Anya (is quirky, socially awkward, and basically more hormonal than Xander - she's Cordy but not entitled, or rich), Spike (is not mysterious nor can he turn evil on a dime - they more or less assume he is evil, when in reality he's more ambiguous and opportunistic (which isn't exactly "evil", it's not good either), he's a grey character and complicated), and Tara is kind of the exact opposite of OZ? She's not cool. She's not secure or confident. And she's not the one with the power or the dark wolf inside, no that is Willow. These characters are more challenging for both audience and writers, also more realistic and less...cliche. They resonate with a broader audience, and are more outsiders than the Buffy, Xander and Willow. While Oz, Angel and Cordy weren't outsiders, and accepted - even sought after. Tara, Spike and Anya aren't.
These are those rare series that I see something new every time I watch them. And I'm guessing from the fandom, I'm not alone in that.
3. I am not used to it getting dark by 4:50pm. It's throwing me off my game? I keep thinking it's 7pm when it's actually just 5:45pm. Yes, I know it being dark at 7:30 am in the morning was an issue. But I honestly wish we would just stick with one time adjustment, and not keep doing this flipping back and forth.
Clearly I'm in the minority, or it would have changed by now. But I wish.
****
November Memage:
1. In the UK, the 5th of November is Guy Fawkes night, which is celebrated with fireworks. The firework displays and parties usually start this weekend and may continue for several days of November. When was the last time you attended a firework display?
Hm. I think sometime in 2010? It was the 4th of July display in NYC.
I have watched them out my window at home - but not sure that counts.
2. Do you have anything you love so much on TV that you record all the episodes?
I don't need to any longer with streaming. Also the DVR doesn't always work?
But, when I had a VHS recorder - yes. I recorded all the episodes of Buffy, and Angel. Also Farscape. Those are three shows I loved enough to record all the episodes and own the DVDs (for a bit).
3. What’s the weather like today?
Partly Cloudy, Cool, potential for rain (but mostly sunny). In the upper fifties, high was 60 degrees.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-04 12:50 am (UTC)2. Recording shows? Not since Buffy, I have DVDs now for the shows I recorded back in the day: Babylon 5, Angel and Buffy.
3. Weather in Tucson: Clear high 50s to mid 80s.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-04 01:44 am (UTC)Bab 5 is a good one. I recorded that one too - but didn't have the DVD's. Otherwise we have two out of three in common, the third being sci-fi.
Here - 40s-60s.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-04 09:08 am (UTC)The eye doctor shenanigans sound really annoying!
no subject
Date: 2025-11-04 08:17 pm (UTC)