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shadowkatWork and my commute are attempting to take bites out of my good mood, along with a potential rainy weather pattern coming into NYC for tomorrow. But I persevere and the cheeriness continues for the most part.
So too are various areas of the internet at work and at home, but not DW (so no worries).
1. MSN's browser at work throws stories at me - one was the headline: Woman's Hike Through Texas' Big Bend National Park Turns into a Nightmare. Thinking for a quick getaway from people and in nature, in the rarely visited park, a woman suddenly finds herself surrounded by hundreds of tiny animals and stumbles into a nightmare.
Trying to figure out what "tiny animals" would surround you and terrify you, I of course took a peek?
Sigh. I really wish I hadn't.
Apparently the writer of the article or the woman or both think tarantulas are animals. They aren't. They are arachnids which are in the insect family not the mammal or animal family. They eat tiny animals, they aren't tiny animals. A factual headline would have been: Woman takes hike in Big Bend National Park and is suddenly surrounded by lots of large spiders. I wouldn't have clicked on the article if it had said that.
Where do they find these internet journalists? And how hard is it to fact check? Isn't that a requirement of journalism? Did AI write the article?
I'm arachnophobic - so no, I didn't read any more of the article (not because I can't read about spiders) - it had pictures. I can't look at pictures of spiders. They couldn't have written the article without the pictures? No, of course not. It's the internet.
2. I apparently liked a few Buffy posts on FB, so FB keeps throwing all things Buffy related at me. Today it threw an Instagram Post by the guy who played Parker Abrhams on Buffy in S4, and who was also on Dawson's Creek shortly thereafter - he was posting a tribute to the lead of Dawson's who died recently from cancer. The gist? "I was coming off of this horrible experience on another WB show, so bad, I considered never acting again, and my agent talked me into trying out for Dawson's Creek - and I got a bit part on it, and James was so kind to me that first day. All I wanted to do was get a job where I could make friends, hang and have a good time connecting with folks."
Acting is a tough biz. It has a 99% unemployment rate. Over 1000 people audition for television roles. Guest spots have a going rate of $1K-5K per episode. You don't get health care or union benefits unless you have a certain number of jobs each year. This isn't fun. Professional actors don't audition so that they can hang out and make friends.
Buffy was 13-20 hour days. Most shows are 8-12 hour days. Buffy worked weekends, that's not done. Whedon was a perfectionist and often did over 20 takes per scene. There was one bathroom on the set. They were doing a supernatural/special effects series on a very low budget on a network that was new and under the wire.
Dawson's Creek was a boiler plate coming of age story, without special effects, and by Kevin Smith who had already done the Scream flicks, and wasn't a perfectionist. It was 10-12 hour shoots if that. Also, at the time, men had more sway than women. The lead of Dawson's was a twenty-something white male. The lead of Buffy was an 20 year old white female.
Buffy from all reports was a prime gig at the time - a lot of actors wanted to land it. Why? The writing. It had great scripts. Dawson's Creek was not a prime gig - the writing was not critically applauded on that show. I gave up on Dawson's after three seasons, and drifted back for the finale, which was horrible.
Sigh. This guy who posted his tribute comes across as whiny, and
entitled. There's ways he could have done it. I was thinking about that after I read it. He could have said..."after having a bad experience on another television show at the time, I was about to give up acting, but ..." or "after having had a bad experience elsewhere in the industry, I was about to give up when..." That would have placed the emphasis on the person he was writing the tribute for and not on himself or his bad experiences. He didn't need to mention the WB at all.
3. And MSN keeps throwing the following at me at work:
* how to prepare for retirement with $1M in 401 K or IRA and $2,465 Social Security. (Sigh, if I had $1M in 401K - I'd have retired already.)
* The best small towns or places to retire in every state. (They all have one thing in common? You need a car. I don't drive.)
* If you travel you shouldn't use a hard suitcase with wheels since it is banned in certain European countries, (Apparently for noise pollution and wear and tear on cobblestone streets? Too many tourists wandering about with baggage at all times at night.)
* No, it is better to have one since a back pack or duffel is hard on your back and you can't pack as much. (I wish people would make up their minds.)
* If you travel to these 20 countries - you will need an electronic visa or electronic authorization ahead of time - and provide before you get on the plane. (So what happens if your phone dies en route? Oh, brings up a story mother told me the other day - a man was denied passage on a cruise because he brought the wrong passport. He accidentally packed the expired passport as opposed to the new one. This is after traveling by bus all the way down to Miami, with people from the retirement center. Mother didn't seem to know what happened next, except that he turned down the offer to catch up with the cruise in New Orleans. He needed it for Mexico.)
* TSA has changed its rules and you need to ensure you do these 12 things, and not bring these things...
Sigh. Now I'm afraid to retire and travel. The stupid internet is stressful. I miss the days in which I didn't know all this crap.
***
It's also throwing television shows at me. Netflix has apparently added more shows. And the internet wants me to watch Sharp Objects on HBO, which it has decided is the best and most twisty thriller ever. I just know it's by Gillian Flynn who used to write for Entertainment Weekly, and I dislike intensely. She also did Gone Girl. So have been avoiding it. I didn't like Gone Girl. I'm not a fan of that trope. You'd think I would be - since I like noire - but I like subversive noir not traditional noir.
I want fantasy, with mystery and romance. I don't want romantasy - that tends to annoy me, and is geared towards a much younger demographic (people my niece's age, and just no.) Also medical procedural like The Pitt. And romantic political satire like The Diplomat and The Good Wife. Historical Romantic Satire like Bridgerton. British Costume Drama.
I don't really want horror or thrillers or sex-comedies. I don't find sex all that funny or interesting. But alas, that's what it is throwing at me.
That and the Mellow Pillow and Mellow Comforter Set. Also a lot of videos with folks torturing their cats - often with the same Alaska Husky, which may be AI generated. The other videos I see - are bizarre cake decorating videos, and videos where people are making insane sugar concoctions. (I keep thinking, okay, this is a diabetic coma waiting to happen, how are these people still alive?)
Me and the Internet are at cross-purposes at the moment? I think AI has made the internet worse?
***
What else should I complain about?
I don't know what to read next. That's not a complaint. Right now I'm reading or trying out Illona Andrews latest novel - Inheritance, which they'd initially wrote as a lark or a serialized novella, no more than 12,000 words for their blog. But alas, it's become a two-book series. And they had to add a lot of world building. It reads a bit like a post-apocalyptic survival video game, actually, with banter. I can tell the writers played a lot of video games during the pandemic. Survival video games have become a thing - now. The internet was flinging those at me as well. And I'm admittedly tempted but afraid to put that on my phone or computer. Maybe the ipad? (No, Inheritance is not a video game - I switched tracks in mid-paragraph.)
The book, Inheritance, is about an earth that suddenly found itself fighting for its very survival - when a bunch of gates or portholes to other worlds began to open and monsters came thundering out of them. Some people were gifted with talents, either combatant or non-combatant, and called to fight the monsters - they get paid. The protagonist, Adaline, decides to join up in return for the great health care plan (500,000 medical deductible, full dental, and full vision). While writing this - the authors were having issues with health insurance, apparently.
I like the authors mainly because they are crazily detail oriented about weird things. For example - they found out that you never throw alcohol on a wound - so that's in their books. I like the attention to medical details, weapon details (one was in the military), Eastern European folklore/legends/myths and monsters (one is a Russian folklorist), and food preparation. Also, they write great banter. And have a snarky and offbeat sense of humor. But they are annoyingly into video games.
I'm hoping I don't regret grabbing Ministry of Time - I didn't know it was about the same thing the Terror television series is about when I purchased it. It doesn't tell you that. Hmm. Oh well, maybe it won't be an issue?
***
Took some long walks yesterday and today - first in a long time - at work location. First was up to the cherry blossoms on Pier 15, turns out they are fake cherry blossoms - so not worth the trip or tickets. (Why fake? I don't know, it's NY? It is odd though - I mean it's not like we don't have actual cherry blossoms in several botanical gardens, parks, and a cemetery in late March/early April? Maybe they got desperate and wanted to do it now?) The green houses are tiny, and claustrophobic, and you couldn't pay me to sit in one of them for dinner.
I have a picture of it - see below and assuming you can see it - let me know what you think?
The other walk will have to wait until tomorrow. Since long past bedtime for me. Good night all.
So too are various areas of the internet at work and at home, but not DW (so no worries).
1. MSN's browser at work throws stories at me - one was the headline: Woman's Hike Through Texas' Big Bend National Park Turns into a Nightmare. Thinking for a quick getaway from people and in nature, in the rarely visited park, a woman suddenly finds herself surrounded by hundreds of tiny animals and stumbles into a nightmare.
Trying to figure out what "tiny animals" would surround you and terrify you, I of course took a peek?
Sigh. I really wish I hadn't.
Apparently the writer of the article or the woman or both think tarantulas are animals. They aren't. They are arachnids which are in the insect family not the mammal or animal family. They eat tiny animals, they aren't tiny animals. A factual headline would have been: Woman takes hike in Big Bend National Park and is suddenly surrounded by lots of large spiders. I wouldn't have clicked on the article if it had said that.
Where do they find these internet journalists? And how hard is it to fact check? Isn't that a requirement of journalism? Did AI write the article?
I'm arachnophobic - so no, I didn't read any more of the article (not because I can't read about spiders) - it had pictures. I can't look at pictures of spiders. They couldn't have written the article without the pictures? No, of course not. It's the internet.
2. I apparently liked a few Buffy posts on FB, so FB keeps throwing all things Buffy related at me. Today it threw an Instagram Post by the guy who played Parker Abrhams on Buffy in S4, and who was also on Dawson's Creek shortly thereafter - he was posting a tribute to the lead of Dawson's who died recently from cancer. The gist? "I was coming off of this horrible experience on another WB show, so bad, I considered never acting again, and my agent talked me into trying out for Dawson's Creek - and I got a bit part on it, and James was so kind to me that first day. All I wanted to do was get a job where I could make friends, hang and have a good time connecting with folks."
Acting is a tough biz. It has a 99% unemployment rate. Over 1000 people audition for television roles. Guest spots have a going rate of $1K-5K per episode. You don't get health care or union benefits unless you have a certain number of jobs each year. This isn't fun. Professional actors don't audition so that they can hang out and make friends.
Buffy was 13-20 hour days. Most shows are 8-12 hour days. Buffy worked weekends, that's not done. Whedon was a perfectionist and often did over 20 takes per scene. There was one bathroom on the set. They were doing a supernatural/special effects series on a very low budget on a network that was new and under the wire.
Dawson's Creek was a boiler plate coming of age story, without special effects, and by Kevin Smith who had already done the Scream flicks, and wasn't a perfectionist. It was 10-12 hour shoots if that. Also, at the time, men had more sway than women. The lead of Dawson's was a twenty-something white male. The lead of Buffy was an 20 year old white female.
Buffy from all reports was a prime gig at the time - a lot of actors wanted to land it. Why? The writing. It had great scripts. Dawson's Creek was not a prime gig - the writing was not critically applauded on that show. I gave up on Dawson's after three seasons, and drifted back for the finale, which was horrible.
Sigh. This guy who posted his tribute comes across as whiny, and
entitled. There's ways he could have done it. I was thinking about that after I read it. He could have said..."after having a bad experience on another television show at the time, I was about to give up acting, but ..." or "after having had a bad experience elsewhere in the industry, I was about to give up when..." That would have placed the emphasis on the person he was writing the tribute for and not on himself or his bad experiences. He didn't need to mention the WB at all.
3. And MSN keeps throwing the following at me at work:
* how to prepare for retirement with $1M in 401 K or IRA and $2,465 Social Security. (Sigh, if I had $1M in 401K - I'd have retired already.)
* The best small towns or places to retire in every state. (They all have one thing in common? You need a car. I don't drive.)
* If you travel you shouldn't use a hard suitcase with wheels since it is banned in certain European countries, (Apparently for noise pollution and wear and tear on cobblestone streets? Too many tourists wandering about with baggage at all times at night.)
* No, it is better to have one since a back pack or duffel is hard on your back and you can't pack as much. (I wish people would make up their minds.)
* If you travel to these 20 countries - you will need an electronic visa or electronic authorization ahead of time - and provide before you get on the plane. (So what happens if your phone dies en route? Oh, brings up a story mother told me the other day - a man was denied passage on a cruise because he brought the wrong passport. He accidentally packed the expired passport as opposed to the new one. This is after traveling by bus all the way down to Miami, with people from the retirement center. Mother didn't seem to know what happened next, except that he turned down the offer to catch up with the cruise in New Orleans. He needed it for Mexico.)
* TSA has changed its rules and you need to ensure you do these 12 things, and not bring these things...
Sigh. Now I'm afraid to retire and travel. The stupid internet is stressful. I miss the days in which I didn't know all this crap.
***
It's also throwing television shows at me. Netflix has apparently added more shows. And the internet wants me to watch Sharp Objects on HBO, which it has decided is the best and most twisty thriller ever. I just know it's by Gillian Flynn who used to write for Entertainment Weekly, and I dislike intensely. She also did Gone Girl. So have been avoiding it. I didn't like Gone Girl. I'm not a fan of that trope. You'd think I would be - since I like noire - but I like subversive noir not traditional noir.
I want fantasy, with mystery and romance. I don't want romantasy - that tends to annoy me, and is geared towards a much younger demographic (people my niece's age, and just no.) Also medical procedural like The Pitt. And romantic political satire like The Diplomat and The Good Wife. Historical Romantic Satire like Bridgerton. British Costume Drama.
I don't really want horror or thrillers or sex-comedies. I don't find sex all that funny or interesting. But alas, that's what it is throwing at me.
That and the Mellow Pillow and Mellow Comforter Set. Also a lot of videos with folks torturing their cats - often with the same Alaska Husky, which may be AI generated. The other videos I see - are bizarre cake decorating videos, and videos where people are making insane sugar concoctions. (I keep thinking, okay, this is a diabetic coma waiting to happen, how are these people still alive?)
Me and the Internet are at cross-purposes at the moment? I think AI has made the internet worse?
***
What else should I complain about?
I don't know what to read next. That's not a complaint. Right now I'm reading or trying out Illona Andrews latest novel - Inheritance, which they'd initially wrote as a lark or a serialized novella, no more than 12,000 words for their blog. But alas, it's become a two-book series. And they had to add a lot of world building. It reads a bit like a post-apocalyptic survival video game, actually, with banter. I can tell the writers played a lot of video games during the pandemic. Survival video games have become a thing - now. The internet was flinging those at me as well. And I'm admittedly tempted but afraid to put that on my phone or computer. Maybe the ipad? (No, Inheritance is not a video game - I switched tracks in mid-paragraph.)
The book, Inheritance, is about an earth that suddenly found itself fighting for its very survival - when a bunch of gates or portholes to other worlds began to open and monsters came thundering out of them. Some people were gifted with talents, either combatant or non-combatant, and called to fight the monsters - they get paid. The protagonist, Adaline, decides to join up in return for the great health care plan (500,000 medical deductible, full dental, and full vision). While writing this - the authors were having issues with health insurance, apparently.
I like the authors mainly because they are crazily detail oriented about weird things. For example - they found out that you never throw alcohol on a wound - so that's in their books. I like the attention to medical details, weapon details (one was in the military), Eastern European folklore/legends/myths and monsters (one is a Russian folklorist), and food preparation. Also, they write great banter. And have a snarky and offbeat sense of humor. But they are annoyingly into video games.
I'm hoping I don't regret grabbing Ministry of Time - I didn't know it was about the same thing the Terror television series is about when I purchased it. It doesn't tell you that. Hmm. Oh well, maybe it won't be an issue?
***
Took some long walks yesterday and today - first in a long time - at work location. First was up to the cherry blossoms on Pier 15, turns out they are fake cherry blossoms - so not worth the trip or tickets. (Why fake? I don't know, it's NY? It is odd though - I mean it's not like we don't have actual cherry blossoms in several botanical gardens, parks, and a cemetery in late March/early April? Maybe they got desperate and wanted to do it now?) The green houses are tiny, and claustrophobic, and you couldn't pay me to sit in one of them for dinner.
I have a picture of it - see below and assuming you can see it - let me know what you think?
The other walk will have to wait until tomorrow. Since long past bedtime for me. Good night all.