A Three Chocolate Bar Day

[shadowkat]

1) Been having a difficult and somewhat depressing week.

Work and personal issues that I can't quite go into. Anyhow...anyone have any good jokes?

I went to the newstand guy in our lobby and bought three candy bars. Decided it was a three candy bar day. Butterfinger, 3 Musketeers, and Hershey with Almonds - not the greatest, but gluten-free and did the job.

2) After much thought on the topic, probably more than it deserves, I've decided that Mark Watches/Reads is a great way for people new to a tv or book fandom to get their feet wet without getting spoiled. Sure, the man doesn't have an analytical bone in his body and his reviews are hardly "academic" but seriously, does it matter? He's writing about himself, his life, and how he views the show or book, how he is relating to it, and allowing others to respond and say some of the same things. And making some money off of it in the process. Not really all that different than
someone blogging about cooking or buttons or cats and doing the same thing. Although a lot more interesting to me, I personally find cooking and button and craft blogs (which my sisinlaw has been known to do) deathly boring. Nor is it all that different than an academic blog or academic journal or teaching a course on Buffy for that matter. I guess you could say more value is provided via the academic journal or course - but is it really? Buffy was mostly about emotions. And all of this is subjective in any event. At any rate - confession? Yes, I read Mark Watches Buffy, and probably will continue - mainly out of an odd sense of curiousity...will he or his commentators react to the show in the same manner I did or differently? I find how people react to media and books interesting - obviously, or I wouldn't be here discussing these things.

3) Reading Master and The Margritta, but very slowly...it's not a really a page-turner, it's sort of philosophical satire. Has an interesting take on Jesus and Pontias Pilot - sort of reminds me of The Story of Jeusus according to his best friend Biff. (I can't remember the title - but it was by Christopher Moore). Except this is a whole a lot darker, and a lot more complicated. Bulgrave is a better writer than Moore - but he also has a lot more to say...and didn't have as easy a life.
Probably unfair to compare the two. It just reminded me of it, is all.

4) Five Positive Things?

*A bus didn't hit me on the way to or from work, although they certainly tried
* It was sunny and not too cold, so lovely walk around the park - plus a big lovely park to walk around in that is within easy walking distance to the office (which is not as easy to find in a big dirty city as one would think)
* Chocolate and the ability to afford it
* My ipod music playlist and the ability to distract myself by telling stories with the playlist. (Yes, I create stories to music. And have been known to create playlists for stories.)
* A new Justified episode recorded and waiting for my watching pleasure.

Comments

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

But Passion is in lots of ways an episode that's all about the emotion and the way it hits the viewer.

One commentator points out in tonight's review that Buffy isn't a show you can watch logically, it's about emotion. Which is very true - it's very similar to soaps in that respect - in which it really is about "emotion" and the plot is driven by emotion not logic. If you try to figure it out logically, you'll get lost.

I presume the Bulgakov misspelling was a typo. ;)

Well that and I can't remember how to spell his name. Couldn't remember the title of Moore's book either. And too frigging lazy to pull either out and look. ;-)

I think it's a mood thing. I'm mentally and emotionally tired from work. And the philosophy has been putting me to sleep in the mornings...but keep in mind, I'm reading the thing at 7am in the morning on the train, or right after work...with not a lot of sleep. (allergies, ugh).

[boot-the-grime.livejournal.com]

I write analytical reviews now, when I'm rewatching the show. But the first time I watched it, it was all about emotion. This is why it's good to rewatch shows like BtVS: they appeal to emotions so much, but there's also a lot of analyze, and you see the story in a very different way when you're able step away and look at it more rationally and analytically. Especially when you know where the story is going and how the characters develop, and you can judge them differently.

For instance, the first time I watched seasons 1 and 2, I was like "Buffy and Angel are so sweet and romantic <3 (although they kind of don't really fit together? Not the way some other couples I ship from other shows do. Hm. Never mind)" Now I'm like "the Buffy/Angel relationship is portrayed as an OTT epic romance, but it can be seen as both romantic and subversive. It was never an ideal romance, they didn't even know each other that well, but makes sense as a teenage romance, because this is the time when people believe in such things as One True Love Forever."

When Angel lost his soul, I was like: "He is so horrible. How can he be so different now from the Angel we knew?" and "UGH I HATE THE BASTARD". Now i analyze the motivations of "Angelus" and why he hates the love he used to feel for Buffy, his rivalry with Spike, his issues that go from Liam to Angelus to Angel, etc.

Or, the first time I used to find Xander incredibly annoying and it was all "SHUT UP XANDER, YOU IMMATURE JERK!" but now I watch and think: Xander has grown in a dysfunctional family and is very insecure about his masculine identity, and he is trying to fit into gender roles he's been taught to follow.

Or, the first time I was like "aw, Spike and Drusilla are so romantic in that Sid and Nancy/Bonnie and Clyde way <3" until I went into the "UGH DRUSILLA HOW CAN YOU ACT LIKE THAT WHILE SPIKE'S IN THE WHEELCHAIR, AND HE WAS SO DEVOTED TO YOU WHEN YOU WERE WEAK - I HATE YOU NOW AND I WANT SPIKE TO FIND HIMSELF SOME OTHER VAMPIRE GIRLFRIEND". Now I'm like "Spike/Dru has this surface romanticism that hides the deep dysfunction underneath. Drusilla is such a fascinating character; she's like a self-centered child, living in a world of her own, and her ideas about love and fidelity are different than the ones we're used to. Spike is very devoted to Drusilla but he also doesn't treat her as an adult, doesn't seem to hold her responsible for her behavior or talk his issues with her, instead he'd focused on removing his rival and getting back Drusilla and dragging her to his cave, err car, whether she likes it or not."

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I have to admit I originally watched it emotionally, the intellectual bit came later. Although - I got very analytical when Angel turned into Angelus - that excited me as did Spike in the wheel-chair.