Friday pretends to be Saturday (I took it off), it's hot, and I'm watching telly

[shadowkat]

Took the day off - since practically everyone in my building and in the Financial District has today off. Breaking Bad did too - for the same reason, he didn't want to come into an empty building. We both get Monday off for the holiday - because my agency or union is crazy? And thinks it works better to have a standard rule that if a holiday falls on a relief day, everyone gets the following business day off, except if you work on the relief day, then you get the relief day off. Actually, that makes sense - so never mind. But literally everyone else in the organization gets today off, including transit and headquarters, it's just the railroad employees that don't.

It's noon and already hot - at 97 degrees F/ 36 C, with a heat index of 100 F/ 38 C. I looked it up this go around. It's supposed to get up to 99 F/37 C today, with a heat index of around 110 F/ 43 C.

We got Europe's heat wave - and then some. We also got the Midwest and West Coast's heat wave. And it is hot around the US today. A lot of July 4th celebrations and activities have been cancelled. NyC still gets its Sail4th and Macy's Fireworks - but both on the water, so not an issue. DC is still doing, and this boggles my mind (and apparently I'm not alone)? The Great American State Fair?? Apparently the alt-right hasn't gotten out of the 1890s yet. While the rest of us have moved on to the 21st Century, they are still mentally and emotionally caught up in the 19th. Of course it's hellishly hot during it. The temperatures are supposed to get in the 100s F/ upper 30s/low 40s C over today and over the weekend.There's no air conditioning, it's all outdoors, and they provided hand mist machines and water bottles.

NYC's celebrations are better - they have a lit up Statue of Liberty, a huge fireworks display over the water, and a parade of Tall Ships. Also the NYPL will be lit up with the Declaration of Independence written across it, and the Empire State Building. It also has bigger crowds attending. And is slightly cooler - due to being near the water.

I'm not attending any of the above. I don't care? I just want to stay cool and comfortable, and not overtax my knee. I may watch on TV, but that's it.

***

I've finished watching VOX Machina and am moving on to The Mighty Nein, which is getting a 2nd Season. They are very different?
Vox is a bit lighter in tone. Considering it has character deaths and strong themes, that's saying a lot. Both are epic fantasy adventures. Which are hard to find? Most are either romances (with central focus - the romance), war (with the central focus on the battles, as opposed to the battles and potential war being secondary focus see Game of Thrones, House of Dragon - I get bored watching large battles?), for kids (see Dragon Prince, Avatar, Sailor Moon, etc) or supernatural/sci-fi horror (see Castlevania and League of Legends).

So kudos to Critical Role for bringing back some epic fantasy to the mix.
It's popular - so we'll get more of it. YAY! Good adult animation is having a moment - and trending, finally. We have X-Men 97 on Disney Plus, Vox Machina and Mighty Nein on Amazon, Castlevania and League of Legends on Netflix...

Meanwhile in other news? John Oliver (yes that one) has offered (more like begged) the remaining daytime soap operas (there are five at the moment, not counting web soaps, and two are long-running) to give him a juicy part on their show. He found out that ESPN sports caster and friend Stephen A Smith had gotten a juicy action role on GH - where he takes down a bad guy with a gun and everything. Oliver got jealous - and wanted to do it too. If they do, he promises them that he will be there so fast, their heads will spin. And he'll bring his A game. But with two caveats: 1) it can't be a cameo, it has to be an actual character and can't be as himself. 2) He must be vital to the story and have a juicy role in it. Well, both General Hospital and Days of Our Lives - reached out and said, okay we'll bite. Come aboard. (Both have notoriously used famous folks in key roles in the past. GH had Elizabeth Taylor, Colonel Saunders (George Hamilton), Richard Simmons, James Franco...and Days had Dick Van Dyke among others. Soaps love to do that - it upticks ratings.

He's playing Z on GH, the head of the WSB (a fictional international spy organization - basically MI5 meets Interpol), who arrives to save the day and screw up various characters lives. He arrives in a helicopter, gets out with his men in Swat Gear, and shoots the first bad guy he sees. So yes, GH delivered. (General Hospital ak GH is available on Hulu and ABC, and he appeared at the end of Thursday's, July 2, 2026 episode.) So far, he's better than James Franco and Col. Saunders who were annoying.

I don't know what he's playing on Days (which is only available per streaming on Peacock).

Notable? GH is celebrating it's 16,000th episode on July 13. Marking it the longest running scripted series in US history. (Actually I'm wondering if it may be in history period? Or at least the one with the most episodes? While Doctor Who also started in 1963, it does not have 10,000 episodes. And no, I've not been watching it that long. I've watched off and on since 1998.)


Off to get lunch. So far, I've made the bed (I always do that), made breakfast (which didn't spike blood sugar at all, yay! Especially considering it was coconut yogurt, gf granola (mainly almonds, oats, and seeds), pumpkin seeds, and a blueberries. Also a bit later a vegan gf blueberry muffin with tea), did exercises, and well wrote in this.

Comments

[tellshannon815]

Well, I just looked up the UK's longest running soap, and that currently stands at 11892 (that's fluctuated over the years in terms of how many episodes per week), so General Hospital still wins there.

[shadowkat]

Yeah, GH has been on since 1963, and is on 5 days a week, 12 months a year, with a few holidays off and pre-emptions. I don't think anyone has more episodes. There are soaps that pre-dated it - but those ended about ten-fifteen years ago. Now it's GH, then Days, then Y&R, then B&B. Beyond the Gates is a new soap - notable for a mostly Black cast.

[kazzy_cee]

I think it's a good habit to make your bed. I like coming back to neat sheets :D

Enjoy the holiday!

[shadowkat]

My mother convinced me as a child that if I didn't - I'd have spiders in my bed. Which was a possibility. It's why I do not put any clothing or linens on the floor unless sealed in plastic.

[iddewes]

I saw John Oliver’s show where he talked about getting on the soaps! 😂
A YouTuber I like visited the fair and he was diplomatic but clearly disappointed. I guess the displays representing the states that took part (as not all did - and it wasn’t only blue states that didn’t) are inside but they have a rodeo etc outside.

[shadowkat]

From what I understand - it didn't quite go the way that the organizers expected? For one thing the majority of the States ignored it. A lot of conservative media publications and broadcasters were bewildered by it. And it became a big joke on social media.

It got sparse attendance - in part due to the head wave - it's the hottest place in the US if not most of the globe at the moment. 100 degrees with a heat index of 110-120 (humidity), and severe thunderstorms expected tonight.

They also got protesters. And I think there were more protesters than tourists. CBS covered it - I jumped on and watched Queen Latifa sing the Star Spangled Banner for about five minutes to a half filled stadium of maybe 1,000 in the Nation's Capital, before jumping back to the Macy's Fireworks on NBC. ABC briefly went there, talked to a few folks, and showed how few people were actually there.

No, all the tourists came to NYC.

[shadowkat]

I'll give Oliver credit? He took it seriously when he arrived and was very professional and didn't make fun of them or the writing at all, and was a pleasure to work with according to the soap actors who worked with him.

It's a crazy ass medium. They film at the speed of light. He arrived and had scenes with 20 some pages or more, that he had to memorize in a day. And he did.