Spontaneous Musings

Doing the dance of the robot vacuums - or rather, the robot vacuums are dancing - while I'm sitting here with my feet up - listening, and typing along on my laptop. Tech - sometimes? I love it. Not often, but sometimes.

I do have to watch the vacuums and make sure all the chords are safely off the floor or they will attempt to eat them, which never ends well.

Catching up on the Question a Day Meme for March:

16. How often do you eat out?

I can't remember if I answered this one or not, and too lazy to go back and check.

Not often. If at all. I do occasionally pick up something for lunch while at work - but I only get it at Pret Manager - and it's either a white bean salad, a falfala Mediterranean Salad or Morrocan Lentil Soup. Everywhere else is either too expensive or doesn't cater to folks with highly restrictive diets and/or are coeliac. ( Read more... )

17. It’s Kurt Russell’s birthday – a child actor who grew up. Have you seen any of the Disney films in which he acted (he played the college student Dexter Riley)?

Yes, pretty much all of them - ( Read more... )

18. Which flowers or trees are blooming where you live now?

Well, very little is at the moment? It's still winter and cold, the warmest we've gotten it up to a high of maybe 60. Right now, it's cloudy and 51 F, feels like 48 F. So the trees and flowers are being a touch hesitant? I see some crocuses here and there, and some buds on the trees, and bushes, but that's it.

19. If you had the space (and the time), would you like to keep chickens?

No. I do see them though. There's someone about two blocks up and one across that keeps them. They keep brown chickens, and a rooster.
But no - I don't want to raise birds.

20. Was learning a new language part of your education when you were at school? Can you still remember any of it?

Yes. And ...very little of it. I wasn't very good at it, and unfortunately all my attempts to immerse myself in it - in order to learn it - were dashed. ( Read more... )

21. It’s National California Strawberry Day. What is your favourite way to eat strawberries?

With whipped cream or dipped in chocolate.

22. Do you still buy physical books, or do you tend to buy e-books these days? Does it depend on the type of book (i.e. fiction or non-fiction)?

I buy both. But I swing more towards e-books because it's become increasingly difficult to read physical books without glasses. And, I'm tough on books - I get things on them, tear the pages, they get rumpled as I read them. The last paperback I read, is kind of a rumpled mess. People don't like to loan me - books, once they figure out how tough I am on them? I kind of love them to death?
( Read more... )

**

Almost done with my Angel S5 rewatch - stretching it out. Damn. It's better than I remembered. That series holds up well. Particularly the last season, which is even more relevant now than when it first aired over twenty years ago.

There's some good lines:

"We're apparently in the midst of the apocalypse and have been for some time. Evil just neglected to let us know about it. And, as it turns out, we're fighting on the wrong side - although the winning side, since evil is winning, so I guess it depends on how you look at it?"

"Trying to cure Cancer, Mr. Wyndom-Price?"
"No. It wouldn't be profitable. I'm thinking we're probably making a major profit off of it as it is. With all the hospital visits, etc."
"True. Our client holds the patent on it."

"The worst part wasn't going into the basement and getting my heart ripped out over and over - don't get me wrong that's bad. No, it's the promise of the nice life, the kid, the family, the lawn, the sunny sky, the home, and the realization that it is all just a lie - none of it is real."

The satire in this show is on topic and well done. I miss it.

Did Virtual Urgent Care - who proscribed antibiotics for the sinus infection that I appear to have - congestion that won't go away, made worse by the storm - resulting in the sick sinus headache from hell (which has a sort of vertigo as a symptom). I got a doctor's note for returning to work by Thursday, 2/26/26.

Ventured out around 4pm to pick up antibiotics from the pharmacy - wasn't bad considering the pharmacy is about six short blocks from my apartment.
They've plowed the roads, and cleared for the most part the sidewalks. There's puddles in places, and some areas are narrower than others - depends on whether it was a professional building maintenance person, or a home owner. Home owners suck at shoveling city sidewalks for the most part.
Although they did a better job with this storm than the last one - most likely because the city threatened them with sizable fines if they didn't do it.

I wanted to go back to work today - but I only slept three hours last night, even though I went to bed early. Was up all night with the nauseous headache, which made the room spin and came in waves. I went to lie down - it started. I couldn't even sleep sitting up. Standing I was fine. Or sitting on the edge of the bed. Finally, after a sneezing fit, lots of nose blowing, two more mezcline, and decogestants - it cleared a bit for sleep. But I felt horrible the next morning and gave up. Was going to use vacation time - decided sick time made more sense - I'm sick. And I've got more sick time than vacation time.

***

I finished watching All Creatures Great and Small S6 on PBS Passport, and might start up on Miss Scarlet or Maigret again. It didn't require much focus. I couldn't concentrate on anything until now - due to the headache. Last night, if I thought about anything at all - I got nauseous. It was frustrating and weird. It's a cozy series - All Creatures Great and Small - reminds me a little of Call the Midwife. I think the original might have been slightly better and more realistic, but I don't really remember the original that well? I read the books in the third and fourth grades.

Also working my way through Angel S5 - the Spike and Wes episodes so far are the better ones. ( Read more... )

Damage and Soul Purpose are the better episodes in this grouping. ( Read more... )

Off to get something to eat.

Spent thirty dollars, and over two hours in City MD urgent care - only to discover what I pretty much already knew? It's a head/chest cold, not the flu nor COVID. (Whew) Means I can work the rest of the week - without having to take sick time. YAY!

Side-effect? I find myself paralyzed with not caring all that much about anything. Apathy has kind of sunk in to stay. Head colds can do that. Well head colds, gray days, fluctuating weather/temperatures, and bad knees.

Ah, the February Uglies, appear to be here to stay.

Question a Day Memage

17. Chinese New Year begins today, and festivities continue until March 3rd – the year of the Fire Horse. What animal are you born under in Chinese astrology?

Happy Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year? It's the Year of the Horse, which I guess is slightly better than the year of the snake? Oh, and apparently not just any old Horse, but the Year of the Fire Horse for the first time in 60 years.

( Article Links )


I'm the year of the Fire Goat - Here's an article explaning it: the Year of the Fire Goat.

***

Got to work, and found out a key member of our team is leaving for another job, her last day is Friday. It's not good news for any of us. She was a consultant - so it is Crazy Org's fault she is leaving. Stupid Crazy Org.
Although honestly, I'm finding it hard to care at the moment?

Got home, discovered the apartment was 80-81 degrees F, it's 41 degrees F outside. I decided the radiator heat was making me ill - that and having to open the windows. Had to turn on the A/C and a window fan to get the apartment to cool down. But the super did close the valve on the radiator in the bedroom again (finally). So this should help tremendously. Since I could find an air purifying fan - this was my best bet. PT - I had to cancel, because of the head and chest cold. I may call them tomorrow to see if they allow people to show up with a cold? I doubt it. But it doesn't hurt to ask.

Wore a mask on the subway and at work - in the common or public areas. The doctor said I could go to work - just to mask up. I envy folks who can work remotely. I only could during the pandemic. Although I probably need the human interaction.

***

On Angel Rewatch S5 Lineage (Wes centric episode) - Greenwalt stated at the Angel Reunion in 2018 - that they didn't know what to do with Wes's character - and as a result he had one of the best arcs. This is a pattern with both series? The characters that weren't planned or they had no idea what to do with initially - have the best arcs. Spike, Fred, Wes, Anya, Lilah, Lindsey, Darla. While the characters they'd planned out - not as great an arc. I think the writers were more intuitive and not great planners. Which actually? Explains a lot?

Also, apparently Charisma had a crush on Denisof who played Wes. But as she puts it - "Aly wanted him." Actually even if Aly hadn't, Charisma didn't have a chance in hell - Denisof didn't date cast mates. He turned down Aly until he left Buffy and they were on separate shows. (As Marsters put it in a podcast - never ever date a member of the cast.)

Amber states that she accidentally gave Aly some tongue in one of their kissing scenes - and Aly was shocked, and per Amber, probably sweated the most in her life. (Amber does not say it in a complimentary manner.) Per Emma (Anya) - James (Spike) was the most adept at kissing, Tony was okay, and Brendan...well, he had a habit of eating disgusting onion and fish sandwiches prior. (There were practical jokers on the set - Brendan, Charisma, Sarah, and David.)

After watching the 2018 reunion, and various Q&A's including the one I watched on Monday? I am beginning to believe the rumor that Amber and Hannigan didn't get along nor liked each other. ( Read more... )

No matter what I do? Every ten years - I get sucked back into the Buffy fandom. I don't know why. I blame the internet. Bad internet.

1. So scanning the kindle library, and comixcology, resulted in an impulse purchase - Bloody Fool for Love - A Spike Prequel by William Ritter - I got the kindle e-book, not the audiobook - mainly because I can't listen to anyone but James Marsters read it.

Also found an absurd AU "published" Buffy fanfic - where Buffy is the villain that all the bad guys have to get rid of to save themselves. Big Bad by Lily Anderson

( synopsis )
LOL. No, I didn't get it. But the writing from the audiobook is actually not bad.

I blame my Buffy Rewatch for this. Sometimes fictional characters jump off the screen or page, and refuse to leave my head. Not always. Sometimes.
I never quite know why?

Also, I don't have a type. Because, another character that jumped off the page for me was Cyclops from the X-men, who is the exact opposite of Spike.
You'd think I would love Wolverine? But nooo. I loved Cyclops.

2. Angel rewatch S4 - the Lilah/Wesley romance, Wes's entire arc, and Faith's return are the best things in the season and worth watching just for that alone. Actually it's why I love Angel S4 - I love Wes's arc (helps that Denisof is insanely attractive). Wes and his women. Faith, Lilah, and Fred. Also his interactions with Angel and Angelus are a lot of fun.
( Angel S4 Rewatch Soulless through Salvage )

**

Off to bed again. It's that time. Time gets away from me as I ramble.

Started watching Bridgerton S4 - and was reminded of why I dislike the Cinderella Trope. Cinderella is way too nice. She should have looked into poisoning her evil stepmother. Deathly Nightshade. Hemlock. Arsenic. Mold. Maybe valium or opium? ( Read more... )

Took a shower to relax the muscles last night, and my tub mat got crooked and loose and when I tried to fix it - the mat slipped under my feet, and I tumbled out of the shower/tub and sprawled somewhat painfully onto the bathroom floor. ( Read more... )

I didn't get in nearly as much knee exercises or other activities, as I'd planned. I also fell asleep watching the James Bond flick Spectra - which isn't nearly as good as the prior films. The actress playing his love interest has almost no chemistry with him, and doesn't "spark". [I think I'm as tired of the James Bond trope as Daniel Craig appears to be - he was kind of walking through the film.]

Watched Angel S4 - Soulless - which is an interesting episode to watch while watching Buffy S7. ( Read more... )

An unfortunate side effect of the Buffy/Angel rewatch - is every time I watch these series - I get obsessed with the character of Spike and crave more of him. And more of the actor's performance. I don't know why. There was just something about his performance as Spike that sparked a response in me?

**

I've decided to subscribe to the Calm App - to deal with insomina, feelings of anger, anxiety, and depression - which are kind of wrapped up together in one nice neat bundle. Calm is actually helping. The problem I had with Headspace - was it was geared more towards millenials with small children or Yuppies. And kept triggering me. Also, it had embraced AI and was going the text psychology route with AI. While Calm was using sound technology to help with rebalancing the nervous system, and calming it.

Calm's also cheaper than Headspace.

***

End of January Memage

30. In 1873, Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne was published in France. Have you read the book or seen any of the films?

I think I read it once? Can't remember. I've seen multiple film and television versions. The best is the most recent version with David Tennet that was done a few years back. The worst was probably the one with David Niven. I don't really remember the David Niven one that well, but it does NOT date well - Shirly McLaine plays an Asian woman in it (yes, Shirly McLaine). The Pierce Bronsan version is okay - I vaguely remember that one.

31. Do you like hot chocolate with or without marshmallows?

I used to? But now? Not so much. It makes the hot chocolate too sweet. I guess if you can get a home-made marshmallow - which I've done. Those home made gourmet ones - are a treat. But it also doesn't work well. The marshallows don't quite melt the way they should and get kind of slimy and again too sweet.

I prefer whipped cream. And peppermint. Also I prefer unsweetened hot chocolate with almond milk, and zero sugar whipped cream. It's insanely difficult to get unsweetened hot chocolate though - because people put sugar in everything.

***

Weather - very cold. But not as bad as yesterday, believe it or not. We didn't have the wind chills. So the apartment was actually 70-73 degrees as opposed to 65-69 degrees. And outside, it made it up to 22 F/ -18 C.
Low was 10 degrees F.

Not been sleeping well - last night was a combination of digestive issues and a weird vibrating noise. The apartment complex next door - from as well as I can figure - had turned on some sort of ice melt machine or generator that was generating a high pitched vibrating hum. At first I thought it was my window air conditioning unit - it wasn't. Took me a while to figure it out - the Super's wife coming outside into the courtyard in her winter coat, cloves and boots - shouting at the folks in the complex next door went a long ways towards explaining it. (This was at midnight. And they had the light on for a bit.) It didn't stop. So, I put on my noise cancelling headphones and some music, and that helped for a while. Finally around 6 or 7 am, I think, it stopped. It had been going on since 8pm last night. Was making me crazy and from the Super's response, not to mention the lit windows across the way - I'm guessing I wasn't the only one? The noise cancelling headphones were the only thing that helped. Earplugs weren't enough. The multitude of things people do on a daily or hourly basis to benefit themselves that unwittingly injure or hurt others is mind blowing.
Anyhow, I'm grateful for the noise cancelling headphones - they aren't cheap but worth every penny. I have to update every three or four years.

Took a personal day or snow day - today. And since I slept abysmally due to the above, I'm grateful for it. Accomplished a few items - I did laundry, including a comforter sitting at the foot of my bed (and no one was down there until I'd finished my last load - the comforter). Also got the blood sugar doctor's visit out of the way. Wants to see me again in May - via video chat. We spend five to six minutes chatting - so it really makes no sense not to do it virtually.

Came home - watched more Buffy S7 and Angel S4, and even with lowered expectations, Buffy S7 is so much better than Angel S4. (It's the Cordelia arc - the actress isn't selling it. ( Read more... )

Buffy S7 works better when the potential slayers aren't on screen. I think it suffered from the same issues that S6, and to a degree S3 did. Too many characters, and group scenes. S4 also had that problem. Some television writers/directors can do group scenes well - the Mutant Enemy writers weren't among them. And S7 had the same problem with extraneous characters that S6 does, which is they aren't well developed, with a few possible exceptions. The potential slayers - I don't care about, with the exception of Kennedy. They are more annoying than interesting. S7 has one too many annoying characters for its own good. And at this point? I'm about ready to send Dawn, Andrew, and Anya off together with the potentials.

I did notice something this time around that I hadn't previously - which is that Giles actually does touch things. ( Read more... )

With lowered expectations and anticipation - the series is more enjoyable. (Also helps if you are no longer invested in any of the romantic entanglements and just enjoying them while they last and how they further the story-thread. This is not a good show to become invested in romantic relationships - the writers are kind of brutal to them?) The difficulty with becoming overly obsessed with a television series - to the extent of writing essays, meta, or fanfic about it - is wanting it to play out the way it is in your head? Or have high expectations regarding it. Or getting to caught up in minor details. And forgetting at the end of the day, it's a television serial with a limited budget, produced/acted/and written in an abbreviated amount of time, and writers who may have a different story in mind. After all, it's their story not ours? They are just sharing it with us.

That said? The Killer in Me, Buffy S7 - is a really interesting and good episode. Much better than I remembered. And I actually really like the Kennedy/Willow pairing (better actually than her previous pairings, just because it feels like the characters are on equal footing, and Kennedy isn't judging Willow) and I like Kennedy, who is the only potential who has a personality and has been rounded out as a character. (I think the fandom hated the character because they were too invested in the Oz/Willow and Willow/Tara pairings - again this is not a good show to get invested in romantic pairings.) ( thoughts on Killer in Me )

Another takeaway from this episode and the season? The writers go out of their way to make it clear that Willow is "Gay" not "bisexual". ( Read more... )

***

Also watched Supersymmetry through Awakening. There's some good episodes in Angel S4. ( Read more... )


****

Question a Day Meme

24. Have you ever knitted a garment or had one knitted for you?

Yes. My mother knitted me a vest once - it was ugly. But I wore it for a while anyhow. I've also knitted hats (poorly), scarves (okay) and two blankets (expensive).

25. It’s Burn’s Night – a night to celebrate Robert Burns and all things Scottish. Do you like Scotch whisky or do you prefer Irish Whiskey?

No. I don't drink or like Whiskey. It plays havoc with my body. I'm gluten intolerant/ceiliac - and can't drink anything made with wheat, rye, or barely, apparently the glutens are still a problem - even if they are fermented.

26. It’s Australia Day! What do you think of when you think of Australia?

I love Australia. I visited Australia for about a month around Christmas and New Years in 1990. ( Read more... )

1. Sleep

I might actually get more than 6 hours sleep tonight. ( general state of my health such as it is )

2. The Weather outside is frightful...actually it's just really windy and as a result, really cold. ( it's cold and everyone is cancelling activities this weekend except for insane Prospect Park hikers )

3. The Unasked for, but you will get it anyway...Daily Buffy Rewatch Post - for those who are remotely interested.

On the Buffy Re-Watch - about to enter one of my favorite stretches in the Spike redemption arc - Conversations with Dead People through Never Leave Me. These episodes, along with Lies My Parents Told Me - explain the Spike/Buffy relationship rather well or what drew the characters together.
And what they needed to learn from each other. ( Where I feel the need to explain my thoughts on it for the millioneth time )

(This is probably the only television show that I've felt the need to endlessly write about. I've written about others just not to this degree. I don't what it is about Buffy that makes me feel the need to do this...)

4. Social media has found a way to convince me to check out Star Fleet Academy (which I was previously ambivalent about) and breaking my boycott of Paramount +. How? ( Read more... )

5. Not that any one cares any longer...(time was I'd see a lot of posts on this, now, John Scalzi didn't even post on it) - the Oscar nominations came out.
( Read more... )
Actually most of the nominees this year were kind of amazing. 20 Cool, Shocking, and Downright Wild Facts about the 2026 Oscars( Read more... )

*********

January Question a Day Memage

19. What colour scheme is your bedroom?

I don't know - shades of blue, with some red in there? (The bed spread, throw pillows - blue, coverlet, white, rug - it's a turkish red and blue rug, photo on wall of niece and big fluffy white (streaked with red) cats.

20. Have you read any of the Winnie the Pooh books?

Yes. To say I was an avid reader as a child would be a gross understatement. I couldn't read until the second-third grade, but once I figured out how? I read whatever I could find. I also had them read to me at one stage. I've read most of the children's classics. Plus the Winnie the Pooh books had pictures and illustrations.

21. Do you like wearing colourful socks? What do the brightest socks you own look like?

I tend to only wear them at home - and they usually are fluffy stay at home socks. The brightest ones had a raccoon on them - but I lost them, now they are the purple fluffy ones. I also have a pair of fluffy socks with penguins on them. My difficulty with socks is I lose them doing laundry.

22. In January 1496, Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tested a flying machine. Do you like flying?

Not really? I mean it's okay. I don't mind being in the plane. But I'm six foot, and planes are built for midgets. Also, I hate the logistics of flying? Which has only gotten worse over the years? Too many odds and bits to worry about. Personally, I prefer trains - easier to get on and off, not as many things to worry about, more comfortable seats, bigger windows, better views, and more leg room.

23. The pirate William Kidd was born this month in 1645. Have you read Treasure Island?

No. Seen it performed a lot on screen, but never felt the need to read it.

Had today off - since it's MLK's Birthday. (It's also a day of service, but alas, I'm being insanely lazy and resting my knees.)

Found out last night that my niece passed her EMT training and is a now a certified EMT. Also she may end up in Georgia at some point in May, with a course on how to prevent fires by setting them (burning off brush). My lovely niece is well on the way towards her goal of becoming a forest ranger. It's actually easier to protect trees than people. People are difficult. So, I'm glad she shifted from human rights to environmental protection and forestry.

I'm really enjoying my re-watch of Buffy and Angel. The later seasons hold up better than the earlier ones do - partly because the later seasons were done in the early 00s and not the late 1990s. So while there's still the errant - "I ran like a girl" - the other characters snort at it.

Season 7 and Season 4 Angel actually have some well-written episodes in there. Deep Down - S4 Angel, where Wes searches the ocean for Angel and rescues him, and Angel, Gunn and Fred confront Connor is a good episode. And Wes has become very interesting.

Also, the first episodes of S7 are really good. I find the series more entertaining now than I did when I initially watched it. Maybe because while I don't remember most of the details, I remember the final result, so don't have quite the same anticipation or worry that I had when I first watched it - when it aired for the first time in 1997-2003. Also, I'm not as invested in the romantic "ships"? I know they are all doomed. So, it's comforting in a way it wasn't back then. And, I'm not trying to figure out where it is going, or pulling it apart like a puzzle to figure out what will happen next. There's something to be said for not over-analyzing the plots of television shows?

Buffy S7 Takeaways?
( Lessons through Beneath ME )

And Angel S4 is more enjoyable than I remembered. It's kind of obvious though that the writers are writing out Cordelia.( Read more... )

Wes's arc is more enjoyable than Cordelia's. ( Read more... )

They brought in Gwen to chemistry test her against Angel and Gunn, as a potential replacement for Cordelia - I can tell. She got a back story and everything.

I don't remember most of this - or enjoying it nearly this much.

**

Outside of television watching - I did another watercolor. Not perfect. This is of a confrontation between a little old woman with a walker and big truck that I saw ages ago in Jamaica, but can still visualize.

Time got away from me last night - as it often does whenever I ramble on - and I wasn't able to finish writing down my thoughts on my rewatch of Buffy S6 (up to Villians) and Angel S2 (up to Forgiving).

It's snowing again, but not as heavy, and the floakes are much smaller. They almost look like sleep or rain, but they are definitely snow. I love it when it snows in New York City - it quiets the world just a nudge, blankets it in white, and it's pretty. All I hear on this quiet Sunday morning is the hissing and creaking of radiators. And since I woke up to a cool bedroom (64 degrees - I'd put on my window fan last night since it was too warm in the bedroom to start), I'm grateful for the heat now. It's 76 degrees F in the living room. Much colder outside of course - in the low thirties. But alas, it stopped, leaving but a trace.

Rewatching Angel and Buffy, I've picked up on various things that seem rather obvious now, but for some reason or other I didn't pick up on the first go around? I think it was because I was watching it embroiled in the fandom, and other fans can influence what I see on screen.

( Spike getting a soul instead of removing his chip )

There's a lot of foreshadowing in Angel S3 about Cordelia, Gunn and Fred's arcs. Also, it's made clear in S3 that Angel cares about his son, and possibly the people who help him. He literally would throw everyone under the bus to save Connor and himself. This is sharply contrasted with Buffy who only sacrifices herself for Dawn, and doesn't put Dawn above all else.
She cares about Dawn and protects Dawn, but she is also invested in saving Willow - who has gone dark, and even fought her, and betrayed her.

There's two episodes in S3 that foreshadow Fred's death in S5. ( Read more... )
Cordy's demise is also foreshadowed - she's made part demon, and rarely gets visions now - and no one questions it. Including Cordelia. ( Read more... )

Angel who refuses to forgive Wesley for taking his son (in an ill-advised attempt to save him), is now faced with a son who can't forgive him for all his misdeeds, and refuses to hear his side of the story. ( Read more... )

The best part of this arc is Dark Wesley. The episodes Loyalty through Forgiving are better than the ones that come after, and the difference is the first three focus more on Wesley and the later focus on Cordelia and Connor - who are weak links. ( Read more... )

I finished all of S6 Buffy today - and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the last three episodes. ( Read more... )

What surprised me about the end of S6 - is the writers felt the need to show us Spike hunting his soul and undergoing the trials to get it. ( Read more... ) Equally interesting - is Willow is saved by the love of her best friend who has known her entire life, wants nothing from her, and just loves her because of who she is. Platonic love. Same with Buffy - Buffy falls in love with her sister, and wants to show her sister the world - they bond and climb out of the ground together. Willow sends them into it, and together they climb out. Anya stays with Giles, she doesn't go after Xander, instead she stays by Giles side, and shows her platonic love for her mentor and co-owner.

Giles saves Willow - by dosing her with good magic or the magic that connects her to humanity, to those around her - her soul.

Both shows poke at the addictive nature of sex, romantic love, and power. Often using the metaphors of blood and vampirism. ( Read more... )

I'm enjoying my re-watch far more than expected. I find both shows oddly comforting in a way, and it's fun to watch them without the greek chorus of a fan board in the background, with it's own demands and views on what is happening on screen - often clouding what I see myself. Truth of the matter is - people see different things, and relate to different things? Some people related most to Connor, some Cordelia, some Wes...or on Buffy? Some Buffy, some Spike, etc. No one sees the same show or performance, no one perceives it the same way, or thinks about it the same way. And that's the way it should be, I think?

At any rate, my takeaway from Buffy S6 - is while it is an uneven season, overall an enjoyable one. I like it a lot better than S1, 3, and 4. I tend to prefer the later seasons - I find them more relatable than the early ones?

Television

Started watching Pluribus on Apple + finally. This is the latest television series written and created by Vince Gillian (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Terriers, and writer on the X-Files). And it is a satirical and subversively funny take on a viral zombie apocalypse. Imagine if an alien virus were to wipe out a third of the global population and turn the rest into a happy peace-loving hive mind that's sole purpose is to make everybody and everything happy? No pollution, no violence, no crime, no fighting, no killing, etc. Except for about eleven to twelve people who were immune around the globe - that the rest are trying to figure out how to save and incorporate into the happy and connected hive mind that shares everything. It's hilarious in places. Say what you will about Vince Gillian - but he's great at dialogue.

Example?

Carol (who is immune to the virus): Why would you give me a frigging grenade? (Frigging is my word not Carol's.)
Guy at hospital and part of the Hive Mind: Because you wanted one.
Carol: Why not make it fake grenade?
Guy: Did you want a fake grenade?
Carol: Would you give me a bazooka and the rocket it fires if I asked for it?
Guy: Yes.
Carol: Would you give me a ...tank?
Guy: Yes, if you wanted a tank...

I have seen every iteration on the zombie and alien invasion theme - but I gotta to say this is innovative and a new one. It's not clear that the hive mind is bad or good idea? We're in Carol's point of view - and Carol was unhappy to begin with.

Also? As an aside? Vince Gillian apparently has issues with Rick Stevens, the vacation/travel guru. Carol keeps making fun of him.

Will give Gillian credit - I like his satire. Satire is hard to do well. And Gillian pulls it off without hammering me too hard over the head with it.

***

Angel S3 Rewatch. Yup, I prefer Buffy S6. Angel S3 is unfortunately weighed down by the irritating love triangles and the Grooslaug. ( Read more... )

********

Question a Day Mememage - January

8. Do you look back on your school days with fondness? What was your favourite subject to learn?

Not really? Most of it has blurred together and I can't say I liked school that much? Favorite subject was Social Studies or History. I was usually in Honors Social Studies. I found it to be the most challenging, and least disruptive. Also the most interesting. I was fascinated by world history, politics, and culture.

In college? Favorites were Folklore/Myth courses, Ancient Religions, trip to Britain to study theater, Creative Writing Course, and a Poetry Course, also I rather liked extracurricular pottery courses.

9. What time do you usually get up and go to bed each day?

Get up at 6 AM during the weekdays and between 9:45-10PM at night, if possible. To average between 6-8 hours a sleep. Weekends or days off, between 10-11:30pm, and get up between 8-8:30 AM. I usually can't sleep past 8-8:30 no matter what I do. I am a night owl - and tend to get a burst of energy at night. But alas, my work hours are 8-4pm. With a 30-45 minute commute.

10. Are you impulsive, or do you take time to make decisions?

It depends? I'm impulsive about some things. Not others. Trips - no. Anything logistic related - definitely not. When it comes to buying books, television shows, movies, theater, music, writing posts in my journal or what to have for dinner - I'm impulsive. Also clothing and shoes apparently - due to online shopping. So, it depends? I do a lot of things innately or with my gut - or intuitively.

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Oh and below is my finished water color - cartoon of the nasty woman yelling at me when I was stumbling across a street on Christmas Eve. (While I don't own a purple coat or a cane, the woman did look EXACTLY like that.)

I like how the car and the woman calling me "bitch" came out - but not myself. It was harder to draw and paint a woman walking across the street, carrying bags, than it was a woman driving a black van for some reasons.
But I was going for a cartoon - so I think that worked.

( Woman flipping me off for stumbling across the street on Christmas Eve )