Spontaneous Musings

April Question a Day memage:

11. Have you ever flown a kite?

Yes. When I was a kid - which was sometime in the 1970s?

12. What’s your favourite breed of dog?

I am partial to spaniels, but also adore collies.

13. Have you ever volunteered to do something long-term?

Yes. I worked with the Legal Aid Association of Western Missouri and the Domestic Violence Coalition as a volunteer for about a year or well over in the 1990s. And, volunteered with a social justice organization in my church for about two-three years.

14. It’s International Laverbread Day. Have you ever tried it?

No. (Per the youtube link, it is essentially seaweed turned into a kind of a paste. Richard Burton called it the Welsh Cavier.) The Wiki link wouldn't come up for some reason, instead I got an AI description and well the youtube link on what it is. They call it laverbread - because they knead the seaweed, and to eat it - mix it with oatmeal and use bacon grease to make it into cakes.

The youtube link is kind of fun and informative - it's an Asian woman trying Welsh Laverbread and showing how to make it. I enjoyed it more than reading a Wiki entry.

15. Leonardo Da Vinci was born today in 1452. What comes to mind when you think of Leonardo? Have you ever seen one of his works?

Mona Lisa, also The Anatomical Jesus and the Last Supper. Or the Da Vinci Code - which my parents thrust on me when I visited them in the early 00s.

16. In 1922, Annie Oakley set a women's record by breaking 100 clay targets in a row. Have you ever been clay pigeon shooting?

No.

17. Have you ever seen bats flying in your area? Have you ever seen a bat up close or seen a bat house attached to a tree?

Yes. Fruit Bats are rather common on the East Coast. And when I was a kid in West Chester, Pa - I saw them all the time.

***

Having quite a bit of down-time at work (albeit not nearly as much as many television actors and retail employees do, or flagmen for that matter), I listened to actor podcasts while playing with a spreadsheet.

It's a trend now. Actor podcasts. Not everyone has them. Just the struggling actors who require side-hustles. And considering there's a 99% unemployment rate in professional acting? There's a lot of actors hunting side-hustles.

The podcasts range from:

1. actors re-watching the television shows they were in over 20 years ago, and somehow never got around to watching until now. ( Read more... )

Charisma's Bitch is Back much like Landau's Revamped and Sackoff's podcasts, have interviews with lots of old cast mates and friends. Charisma did one with Seth Green - and they discuss trying out varieties of psychedelic drugs. ( Read more... )

Seth does explain why he had issues with Buffy. Even though, generally speaking, he enjoyed the experience and appreciated working with Joss - and had known Joss, Sarah and Hannigan for a long time. He grew up with Sarah and Aly. Also Green was in the original Buffy film - his scene was cut. He played a vampire with bad teeth. ( Green and Charisma's difficulties on Buffy )

2. Actors interviewing other actors (usually their friends and fellow cast mates - ie. other struggling actors)

* Michael Rosenbloom does "Inside of You" - he's a good interviewer but the ad breaks are annoying. He knows a lot of people - so he has a good range of guests on his series, and he gets a lot of information from them. He also talks a lot about mental illness and therapy on his series. And how difficult it is to work in the business and get work.

I listened to one with Jensen Ackles (Supernatural, The Boys, etc) - which was interesting. ( Read more... )

Others are:

Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner - Dropping Names (a fun one is where they invite Alan Tyduke and Nathan Fillon over, who in turn pimp their podcast Once We Were Spacemen).

Alan Tyduke and Nathan Fillon - Once We Were Spacemen (which is mostly them riffing)

Maurice Bernard - State of Mind (has a lot of soap actors, along with other celebrities of sports, music and acting) - discusses mental illness (take away? An alarming number of soap opera actors have bi-polar disease.)

Katee Sack-Off - she interviews a lot of folks prior to doing the rewatch

James Marsters and Mark Devine - Schmactors, and VidIdiots

There are more, obviously, I just don't feel like rambling all of them off?
When I say it's the latest trend - I'm not exaggerating. Actors have a lot of side hustles. They kind of have to? Acting is a difficult profession to make a living in.

The doctor wants to insert a gell into my knee which will act as lubricant or an oil job for the knee - or a cushion. Evaluation is in two weeks.
Then three weeks of injections, if insurance goes for it. Mother informs me this is standard practice - apparently she's had it done multiple times.
Also the stiff leg is normal. Plus, I appear to be walking more than most people do. (I average anywhere between 4,000- 10,000 steps a day depending on the day of the week.) They said walking and being mobile was a good thing, and to make sure I stand periodically.

This spiel motivated me to walk from the Doctor's office on Atlantic and Henry Street to the subway station on Smith and 2nd street. Which is approximately a 15-20 block hike or a little over a mile. I stopped along the way - in the B&N book store to pick up a few books (mainly the latest book by Illona Andrews - which is the first I've actually found in hardcover in a book store along with B&N's tote - bag of books). I spent way too much at B&N, they talked me into their premium membership card.
(Which I will most likely live to regret - already regretting it.) Note to self - stop going to book stores after doctor's appointments.

The books, I grabbed were for the most part across genres.

1. This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Illona Andrews

It's a portal fantasy, and a kind of satire of portal fantasy novels. The protagonist, Maggie, finds herself naked and muddy and alone in the world of the fantasy novels she knows by heart. But these aren't princess riding unicorns style fantasy novels, they are more along the lines of Game of Thrones fantasy novels. She has no powers, no friends, just her knowledge of the novels and the world depicted to an extent within them, and the fact that for some reason or other she can't die.

Sample?
( Read more... )

Pets book. Book and I are going to get along famously. Only one problem - I read it better with contacts and reading glasses. Bi-focals not so much.
But it does mean I can read it on subways - if I desire - even if it is a hard back book that takes up space in the backpack. Also has a very pretty cover. It's love at first sight. (I fall in love with books all the time. Books, music, movie and television shows. People - I've increasingly become leery of.)

2. Also picked up "A Walk in the Park - the true story of a spectacular misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarku" - per the back cover:

" Shortly after quitting his job to pursue the ill-advised ambition of becoming a white-water guide on the Colorado River, Kevin Fedarko was approached by his best friend, National Geographic photographer Pete McBride, with a vision as bold as it was harebrained. Together, they would embark on an end-to-end traverse of the Grand Canyon, a journey that McBride promised would be a walk in the park. Against his better judgement, Fedarko agreed - despite being dimly aware that there is no trail spanning the entire canyon and that the tiny cluster of experts who had actually completed the crossing billed it as the " toughest hike in the world"." [ It has pictures. And was Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award and Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Non-Fiction...] It's in large paperback.

3. The others are also large paperbacks, with bigger print than average paperback novels. "The Lies of Locke LaMora by Scott Lynch" a fantasy novel about a con gone famously wrong, with lots of twists. "The God of the Woods by Liz Moore" - in Large Print paperback - it's a mystery novel. When a teenager goes missing from her Adirondack summer camp - two worlds collide.

And some tea - Honey Lavender Black Tea from the Republic of Tea.

After that - I went grocery shopping at Union, picked up various gluten free items, and to Planted for a gluten free jelly donut (it was okay) and a chocolate chip cookie (gluten-free) - also okay. Not really worth the price of admission, so to speak.

**

4. Today was pretty. But I spent it inside sorting through clothing and yanking out spring clothes for 50s-80s weather. It's supposed to warm up next week.

Been in a grumpy irritable mood of late (hence the book buying) - so I'm glad the doctor's appointment on Friday went quickly and well. Part of it is due to physical issues. ( Read more... )

* Insominac Cookies Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies are by far - the best gluten-free chocolate chip cookies I've had from any establishment in my life.

* The only other good gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are from Bakery Island Foods - Chocolate Chunk Gluten Free Cookie Dough. It's excellent - I got it from Union. (I couldn't remember where I got it - so was happy to see it at Union again and grabbed two packages of it.)

I spend more on groceries - because of my diet restrictions. Gluten Free + Carb Free + Sugar Free + Fresh vegetables/Fruits and Fish and Eggs. Cheap groceries = pain and suffering.

***

5. Fandom Entertainment News

* The International Buffy Fandom is plotting a major protest and various activities in connection with it on April 14, Buffy's Birthday - aka International Buffy Day - with the first celebration happening on April 14.

"International Buffy Day is both a celebration and a protest, a global show of solidarity from Scoobies everywhere.

How to get involved:
( Read more... )

***

* "X-men Film Reboot News" - X-men reboot director has hired the show-runners of BEEF and The Bear to write the script
( Read more... )

* Spiderman: Brand New Day

* Super Girl - Woman of Tomorrow - about Super Girl saving her dog and getting revenge in space. Actually this flick looks really good. I think they finally found someone who understands the DC Universe to show run these flicks?

* Avengers: Doomsday - all the official trailers so far

* Star Wars Films currently in the works

***

6. Television

Watched this week's The Pitt, and Robby really resonated with me. ( spoilers )

I realized recently when people say - I just want to go home (my father and grandmother said it all the time prior to their deaths, almost on an hourly basis) - they aren't talking about a place on earth, a house, or even family - but home, the source, where their "energy" originated from. To go back home to their source. Because being energy beings in degenerating meat sacks on a swiftly turning planet in the vast vacuum of space with oh such creatures on it - can be wondrous at times, but also deeply painful and often at the same time.

I've been struggling not to lash out. Suppressing the impulse to verbally smack folks upside the head for being idiots - has grown wearisome. Off to watch Daredevil kick some asses.

They've leaked the portions of the Buffy Pilot to the fandom now..

Detailed Synopsis of Act One

( per Reddit )

And...

( the last page of the pilot script )

Speculation from the poster: "From Deadline: "There had been talk about reworking the pilot as recently as earlier this week. In the end, Hulu opted not to proceed with it but remains high on the Buffy IP and plans to regroup and mull a possible new incarnation of the beloved franchise."
Someone online posted a page from the supposed pilot script. Their theory was maybe Hulu didn't go forward with the pilot is because SMG only appears at the end, and maybe they want Buffy to be a more central character rather than the new slayer."

I think Hulu wanted Buffy to be more central to the series, and bring in more of the original cast, and Gellar didn't want that - nor did the creators, and they had creative differences?

They are probably trying to inspire the fandom to get the pilot aired and convince Hulu to change its mind by leaking it? Except the fandom is kind of fractious - and wants different things. It's not like the Firefly fandom which just wanted more of the show.

Difficult, long, and tedious work week requiring a touch more patience than I wished to give it - not helped by the cold snap. Although my knees did appreciate it, since I need to ice them anyhow. Nor helped by issues with subways earlier in the week, resulting in more walking and more steps.

But it's Friday, finally! Thank god. And I've got a three day weekend - since we get Martin Luther King Day off - most people do in NYC.

I can sleep in. Rest my knee. And get some chores done. Also maybe a few watercolors.

Been entertaining myself with Buffy podcasts - which require little to no attention, and I find entertaining. Did learn a few things? ( Read more... )

It's really hard to know what is true and what isn't in this day and age. Information Age, my foot - more like Mis-Information Age.

***

Finally finished re-watching Hells Bells - I've mixed feelings about this episode. It's alas a Xander episode - which well pretty much tells you everything right there. That said - it's a mixed bag? When the story is focusing on the Scooby Gange or main leads, it's actually pretty good? But when it shifts to the twenty or so never-seen, rarely seen, and never to be seen again - ancillary characters - it loses focus. ( Read more... )

I realized today why I find this show so comforting and feel the need to write about it. It's central theme is "don't give up, life is painful and hard, but don't give up, the people you meet throughout it - make it worth it". I think that's why I love the later seasons - I find them oddly to be the most relatable.

**

PT went okay. He said that it's the muscles around the knee that are sore and hurting, because they are weak or strained, so to ice them and do the exercises.

**

I'm not enjoying the Angelica Huston Memoir as much as the others, partly because...I don't much like Angelica Huston? ( Read more... )

When Fandom's Collide

Well this is interesting and pushing me towards getting tickets for CHESS?

Sarah Michelle Gellar's post on FB:
( Read more... )

Ironically, I started watching Buffy because I'd fallen in love with Anthony Stewart Head in Chess. My Buffy and Chess fandoms have collided?
I was obsessed with CHESS in the 1980s. I'm not now though? But it is intriguing that it's Gellar's favorite musical and she was flying all over the country to support Danny Strong (aka Jonathan from Buffy).

Another case of fandoms that have collided? Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine, just stated in a recent interview that she comfort watches Buffy, specifically Season 6, and even came close to calling her most recent album - "Season 6". Someone in the comments to the video where she announces this - wondered how you can comfort watch S6. Folks, we all have things that comfort us? Some people like Hallmark Movies, some baseball games, some Buffy the Vampire Slayer...

I found Season 6 Buffy very relatable and comforting - and it's what brought me into the fandom. Don't judge. It's okay if you don't get it.
The fact that one of my favorite musicians does...is more than enough for me.

Oh from the Calvin and Hobbes Fandom - Bill Waterstone who drew and wrote Calvin and Hobbes, states that the two versions of Hobbes aren't meant to convey Calvin's imagination vs. Reality, but rather Calvin's perception of Hobbes and other's perceptions of Hobbes. Waterstone wanted to get across that we all see the world or perceive the world and reality differently, and literally drew those differences into his comic strip. [I've only really been a huge fan of Calvin and Hobbs when it comes to comic strips.]

********

Optometrist appointment was obscenely expensive - it was the contact fittings and new contacts. My insurance refused to pay more than $51 for it. And the FSA wouldn't cover it. [I need contacts, because glasses give me a headache and I have no depth perception with them.]

But I rewarded myself with a trip to Planted to pick up a blueberry muffin, apple tart (about the same as the fruit tart, but better crust and a touch sweeter), corn bread, and a chocolate chip cookie. I ignored the Matcha glazed donut and the brownie (didn't much like either last round). Then took a long walk to the Seventh Avenue Subway Station (as opposed to the Carrol Gardens station) through Gowanus and Park Slope. It was a lovely afternoon - in the low sixties with clear blue skies, and the trees aflame with color, so why not?

****

4. Have you ever received a birthday present that was just perfect for you? What was it?

Probably? But no real memory of it at the moment. My brain is blank.

5. Monopoly went on sale for the first time on this day in 1935. Have you ever played it?

Many, many, many times while growing up. Multiple versions. Not really a fan.

6. Have you ever listened to a play on the radio?

Yes, Star Wars radio play, along with a few others here and there.

7. How long can you stand on one leg – is it easier on your left leg, or your right leg?


Been doing a lot lately due to sciatic nerve - so about twenty-thirty minutes, maybe longer or as long as is necessary? Lately it is easier to stand on the left - because the right has sciatic nerve.

8. Have you ever collected pinecones to display in your home?

Not since I was a child. I have a small home now, so no space, also no pine cones that are readily available.


Photo from Today's Walk. Six to ten blocks down from my old brownstone apartment - they've really built a bunch of luxury apartments along the Gowanus (which smells like rotten eggs), and have a walk way along it (even though it still smells like rotten eggs). I'm so glad I moved to Kensington, better apartment, more trees, and it doesn't smell like rotten eggs.

Now that we've all done the MCU, let's do the DCEU, or DC comics films and television shows (live action only, the list is long enough as it is). DC has been at it longer - so, they more films, and they are versatile - they have non-superhero adaptations in there. Neil Gaiman's and Alan Moore's comics were DC.

DC for the folks who don't know is behind the Arrowverse, Superman, Batman, and sigh The Watchmen, and Sandman.

Bold = Watched Entirety
Italic = Watched Part
* Watched more than once.
† Watched in the first few weeks of release (at least initially, for TV shows).

( insanely long DCU or DC comics movie list )

It was well over 90 degrees today, got up to 96 with a heat index of 106. So, I think that translates as ...40 C, and 50 C? We weren't taught the conversions well when I was in school? They started to teach us - in or around the fifth or sixth grade, then decided it was too hard and gave up. (Basically the adults didn't understand it well enough to pass it down to the kids. When I state that the American Educational System is lacking, I'm not exaggerating.)

As a result of the heat, I went out in brief snippets. Luckily it wasn't that bad when I set off to work at or around 6:50 am. I got a matcha latte at Gregory's around 10 am, still not too bad. At noon - when I got a salad at Pret, it was around 90, and I was only out for about twenty minutes - ten were in Pret, and by the time I got back it was 92. It rained while I was on the train going home (it's air conditioned) and by the time I got off the train cooled down a tad due to the rain. So overall? Not too bad. I work near the harbor and the east river and South Brooklyn doesn't get that hot. (I live and work on islands. NYC is basically a series of islands. Manhattan, Staten Island, Long Island (encompasses Queens and Brooklyn), the Bronx, Governor's Island, Roosevelt Island, Liberty Island, Ellis Island. So the air smells like it does near water, and the weather acts the way it would near and around water. Having lived landlocked (with no water nearby), and near mountains but not water (Colorado Springs) - I can tell you I prefer living near water. It comforts me. I need trees, flowers, and water. Also grass. I do not need to grow it. I just need to be near it. )



The Ferris Wheel
Journaling Prompt: Life in fandom goes through ups and downs. Reminisce about the "wild ride" of your time in fandom or in other online communities.

Sigh, yes. I have a complicated love/hate relationship with fandom. Also, mixed feelings about being a fan myself. As a result of this? I tend for the most part to lurk on the outskirts of it, or jump in and jump out again. It's rare that I participate.

I've participated in a few here and there. Buffy/Angel and to a lesser degree Whedon fandom. ( Read more... )

1. Feeling much better - the sickness is gone, finally. No cough, no runny nose. Still feel a bit wiped, but for the first time in a week - I ate something other than chicken vegetable soup or chicken broth.
( photo of chicken soup )
As you can see it was homemade. The store bought variety has things like yeast, corn starch, etc in it.

Although I did buy the broth - I've never the energy or time to make my own broth.

Had eggs this morning and a gluten free english muffin. It should sustain me until noon. I'm hoping to vote in the primary this mayoral primary this weekend.

2. Wales apologized. I explained my issues regarding what she said about COVID, by laying out my experience with it and how it had affected my life, and she apologized and thanked me for taking the time to explain.

I think people forget that everyone's body is different, and illnesses affect all of us differently.

3. Even though our mass media is attempting to downplay the number of people who protested during No Kings Day to roughly 5-6 million as opposed to 12-13 million as Alt National Parks (the coalition of 5051) stated, I'm going with Alt National Parks number for the following reasons:
( Read more... )

4. Buffy Rewatch...S3 so far has no duds, I've not skipped or groaned through an episode.

And damn, by episode 7, I really wish someone would kill off Xander. ( ugh Xander )

Oh, I've been paying attention to the credits here and there, and discovered something interesting? There are about five to six producers who are not writers. Also various people involved who don't write for the show and are editors. The credits are lengthy. Sandy Gallin and Gail Berman produced, along with the Kuzuies, Gareth, and David Solomon, and then Whedon and Greenwalt as show-runners. This was in S3. David Solomon was a director - not really a writer. And did a lot of the second unit directing for the series. Gallin was with Sand Dollar - which is Dolly Parton's production outfit. Gail Berman was with Fox and the WB.

If you think Buffy was just a Whedon show? You aren't paying attention to the credits. It really wasn't just Whedon's or Mutant Enemy's. Also ME and Whedon didn't own the rights to it. Fox, the Kazuis and Dolly Parton did.
Whedon had to ask their permission to continue with it. Fox's rights are now Disney's, Disney bought all of Fox's entertainment properties.

Also, here's the writing process as of 2003, per Jane Espenson, who was in the writer's room at the time:
( the Writing Process by Jane Espenson )

Note that was in 2003. In 1997-1999, the head writers were David Greenwalt and Joss Whedon, and the studio and network had more of a say and Berman was more involved. When the show jumped over to UPN, Fox still had a say (that's the studio), but the network didn't care. So, what Espenson is leaving out - is the network and studio notes, which may or may not have existed on Whedon shows. The writing team was continuously changing, with various writers jumping from one Whedon Show to another one.

Carpenter made it clear during a con - that there's no reason to feel guilty loving Buffy, because of Whedon, since the show was a collaboration and Whedon's involvement, while heavy at times was by far not the main ingredient or the main oversight. It's not a novel, and it's not a series like Andor that is written and directed by one auteur. It's also not like Doctor Who, where the vast majority of episodes are written by one person and to a large part even directed by them.

This is an American Broadcast Television Series - they have about 400 people involved, we have editors, directors, guest directors, stunt coordinators, etc. To say Whedon had limited control over the proceedings, is a gross understatement. No one was purely in control over it.

Actually in my re-watch, I can now tell when they are using stunt doubles.

1. Everything We Learned at the Star Wars Celebration 2025

Takeaways?

I really want to see Andor S2.

( excerpt )

Also, apparently the new Star Wars movie starring Ryan Gosling, and directed by Shawn Levy, entitled Star Wars: Star Fighter - takes place post Rise of Skywalker, and with all new characters. (Smart move. The better films pull away from the Skywalker story arcs.)

Also, I may try Ashoska again.

2. Not a fandom bit - but R.I.P Pope Francis. I'm saddened by this news.
Also he accomplished a lot in short period of time - shifting the course of the Catholic Church, promoting kindness and humility. (I also hope he talked some sense into devout Catholic and wannabee Fascist, Vance, who saw Francis before he died.)

3. Buffy Redux

So, I've been rewatching Buffy episodes intermittently. Picked up on a few things that I hadn't previously picked up on? ( Read more... )

4. Daredevil Born Again

I liked the season finale, and for the most part the series. It's similar yet different than Netflix's Daredevil, which had defter writing. However both are fairly uneven.

Fisk is clearly Marvel's commentary on the Fascist asshole in the White House or the Hitler Wannabee. Fisk even kind of looks like him, without hair. And that makes watching this - an odd experience.

The message at the end is Daredevil can't take on Fisk alone, which sets up S2 to be more of a group effort. People are speculating already on who will be joining the cast. Already slotted are Karen and Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) aka The Punisher. Also Lily Taylor, and Mathew Lillard in a recurring role.

1. Your main fandom this year?

Books: Illona Andrews novels - been reading all of them on audio or e-books or graphic audio dramatization. (I get her blog). Television: General Hospital (soap) and the X-men. Also, to a lesser degree Bridgerton, Doctor Who, and Lord of the Rings.

2. Your favorite film watched this year?

Thelma. Thelma would be my favorite, considering it's the only one I really remember. Thelma is streaming on Hulu and is about an old woman who takes out the people who scammed her - not at all what you'd think.
( Read more... )