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Monday is a day of laundry, doctor's appointments and rest...
Jan. 26th, 2026 03:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatNot 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... )
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... )
The Weather outside is frightful...
Jan. 25th, 2026 08:57 pmshadowkatI've been hibernating this weekend - nesting and watching television. It's either snowing or sleeting at the moment, per my phone sleeting. Did make brownies - probably shouldn't have made brownies (gluten-free obviously), and Skinny Popcorn. Which caused my blood sugar to sky rocket. Lovely. It does appear to have stablized and is coming down. So there's that.
Didn't sleep well at all last night. Due mainly to stomach/digestive issue, and muscle cramping. I'm thinking of taking a hot shower before bed tonight, in the hopes that it will calm down the muscles.
It got cold in my bedroom last night - around 65. So I took out the window fan and put another cover on the window A/C and put window coverings on both. Now, it's about 70 in there, and 74 degrees in the living room, so not as cold as last night - no wind. It's always the wind. This week is going to be brutal though - with record low temperatures and bad wind chills. I prefer the snow, personally, to the bitter cold.
Been side-eyeing the news via social media all weekend. Minnesota for folks who don't live in North America and Canada - is about the same distance from New York City as Spain is from London. ( Read more... )
The Nation lists corporations that you can boycott - to defund ICE (Some are easier than others?)
How US Citzens Can Protect the Immigrant Community from the Deportation Force
***
Buffy S7 and Angel S4 Rewatch.
I feel a little sorry for Angel? ( Read more... )
The Lilah/Wes romance has some of the same dialogue as the Spike/Buffy romance, which is interesting. ( Read more... )
Over on Buffy, it's becoming abundantly clear to me that Buffy fell for Spike at the end of S5, but didn't want to. And didn't want him to love her. Nor did she want to be loved in S6. Her difficulty was she couldn't completely trust him or for that matter, herself at that point. She was overwhelmed with guilt. ( Read more... )
The writers do make it confusing though.
Didn't sleep well at all last night. Due mainly to stomach/digestive issue, and muscle cramping. I'm thinking of taking a hot shower before bed tonight, in the hopes that it will calm down the muscles.
It got cold in my bedroom last night - around 65. So I took out the window fan and put another cover on the window A/C and put window coverings on both. Now, it's about 70 in there, and 74 degrees in the living room, so not as cold as last night - no wind. It's always the wind. This week is going to be brutal though - with record low temperatures and bad wind chills. I prefer the snow, personally, to the bitter cold.
Been side-eyeing the news via social media all weekend. Minnesota for folks who don't live in North America and Canada - is about the same distance from New York City as Spain is from London. ( Read more... )
The Nation lists corporations that you can boycott - to defund ICE (Some are easier than others?)
How US Citzens Can Protect the Immigrant Community from the Deportation Force
***
Buffy S7 and Angel S4 Rewatch.
I feel a little sorry for Angel? ( Read more... )
The Lilah/Wes romance has some of the same dialogue as the Spike/Buffy romance, which is interesting. ( Read more... )
Over on Buffy, it's becoming abundantly clear to me that Buffy fell for Spike at the end of S5, but didn't want to. And didn't want him to love her. Nor did she want to be loved in S6. Her difficulty was she couldn't completely trust him or for that matter, herself at that point. She was overwhelmed with guilt. ( Read more... )
The writers do make it confusing though.
Lazy Saturday - too cold to do anything but layabout and watch television
Jan. 24th, 2026 05:30 pmshadowkatThe high today was 18°F (degree Fahrenheit)/ -7.778°C (degree Celsius), most of the day it was 10 F/-12.2222 C, so I spent most it napping, snacking, and watching television, also did knee exercises. [Next week will be fun - since I'll have to venture out at 8-10 F/ -15-12 C, and get home at 22 F. But maybe it will be warmer? At least most of the time is spent inside the trains and stations. No outdoor stations any longer.]
Train Dreams - available exclusively on Netflix at the moment, and nominated for Best Picture, Cinematography, and song (by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) for the Oscars. Nothing against Nick Cave (who I actually love) but I don't remember the song. I think they rolled it over the end credits - and being on Netflix, I didn't watch the end credits.
Train Dreams by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner (the video is a nice trailer for the film).
It's a beautiful film - kind of dreamy, and weirdly comforting. Felt a bit like a hug on a cold winter night, which I sort of needed today as the radiators hiss to life in the background. The cinematography and the score by Nick Cave is dreamy and lovely all on its own.
The film is about the life and experiences of a logger in the Pacific Northwest, around the turn of the last century (19th to the 20th). It has strong themes about being interconnected, and the ebb and flow of life. Also grief.
Watching it felt a bit like curling up with a good book in front of a fire place, drinking hot coco on a cold winter's day.
Prior to that, I fell asleep watching Grey's Anatomy, which yes, has been on too long. It is on it's 23rd season, it is the longest running prime time medical serial on television. It beat both ER and MASH.
***
"I caught the [60s Batman] TV show in reruns after school every weekday. There’d be a great block of shows that I’d run home for: Star Trek, The Monkees, Twilight Zone, etc. There was a lot of cool stuff that hit stores from Batman-mania that Dad and Mom would get for us, so it was always I source of excitement and great joy. When I was asked to do an issue of DC Solo I immediately got together with my big brother, Lee to do our Batman love letter, BATMAN A Go-Go." - Mike Allred"
Apparently I had the same childhood viewing habits as comic book writer Mike Allred in the 1970s? Just add The Brady Bunch to the docket, and a lot of Godzilla movies. Also, quite a few Elvis Presley films - he died in the 70s, so the Afternoon Movie decided to show every single film he'd ever done. And Presley did a lot of films. None of which were any good.
We used to have The After-School Special (basically a made for television flick with a moral message or lesson), the Afternoon Movie (an afternoon film - usually from the 1950s or 60s that was rated G, they tended to steer clear of the 1970s films which kind of sneered at G ratings, unless they were done by Disney), the Western Film on Saturdays, and Wonderful World of Disney, Masterpiece Theater or Masterpiece Mystery on Sundays. We also watched Star Trek and Space:1999 and Battlestar Galatica, and any other sci-fi show that my parents could find. They liked science fiction, mysteries, noir, and Westerns.
[This was in the 1970s and early 80s. Everything changed somewhere in the 1990s.]
***
Apparently She-Rah is leaving Netflix in a month. Which means if you are like me and probably still need to finish watching the series or watching it at all - you might want to get on that nowhish? I'm guessing they are getting rid of it to make room for the new Star Search? I don't know if anyone else remembers Star Search? It was basically American Idol or Everybody's Got Talent for the kiddie set (or anyone under the age of 18). Brittany Spears and Beyonce were discovered on it. Sarah Michelle Gellar auditioned for it - but didn't make the cut. (I can see why - Gellar can't dance or sing to save her life (note it was Spike who saved Buffy's life singing not Buffy). And juggling ...unless it's death defying, isn't that interesting. This isn't really geared towards actors, it's a talent show for everyone else.) I watched it off and on when I was a kid in the 1970s-80s, but not often.
Tried it today - and lasted all of five minutes before I jumped away to something else. ( Read more... )
Train Dreams - available exclusively on Netflix at the moment, and nominated for Best Picture, Cinematography, and song (by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) for the Oscars. Nothing against Nick Cave (who I actually love) but I don't remember the song. I think they rolled it over the end credits - and being on Netflix, I didn't watch the end credits.
Train Dreams by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner (the video is a nice trailer for the film).
It's a beautiful film - kind of dreamy, and weirdly comforting. Felt a bit like a hug on a cold winter night, which I sort of needed today as the radiators hiss to life in the background. The cinematography and the score by Nick Cave is dreamy and lovely all on its own.
The film is about the life and experiences of a logger in the Pacific Northwest, around the turn of the last century (19th to the 20th). It has strong themes about being interconnected, and the ebb and flow of life. Also grief.
Watching it felt a bit like curling up with a good book in front of a fire place, drinking hot coco on a cold winter's day.
Prior to that, I fell asleep watching Grey's Anatomy, which yes, has been on too long. It is on it's 23rd season, it is the longest running prime time medical serial on television. It beat both ER and MASH.
***
"I caught the [60s Batman] TV show in reruns after school every weekday. There’d be a great block of shows that I’d run home for: Star Trek, The Monkees, Twilight Zone, etc. There was a lot of cool stuff that hit stores from Batman-mania that Dad and Mom would get for us, so it was always I source of excitement and great joy. When I was asked to do an issue of DC Solo I immediately got together with my big brother, Lee to do our Batman love letter, BATMAN A Go-Go." - Mike Allred"
Apparently I had the same childhood viewing habits as comic book writer Mike Allred in the 1970s? Just add The Brady Bunch to the docket, and a lot of Godzilla movies. Also, quite a few Elvis Presley films - he died in the 70s, so the Afternoon Movie decided to show every single film he'd ever done. And Presley did a lot of films. None of which were any good.
We used to have The After-School Special (basically a made for television flick with a moral message or lesson), the Afternoon Movie (an afternoon film - usually from the 1950s or 60s that was rated G, they tended to steer clear of the 1970s films which kind of sneered at G ratings, unless they were done by Disney), the Western Film on Saturdays, and Wonderful World of Disney, Masterpiece Theater or Masterpiece Mystery on Sundays. We also watched Star Trek and Space:1999 and Battlestar Galatica, and any other sci-fi show that my parents could find. They liked science fiction, mysteries, noir, and Westerns.
[This was in the 1970s and early 80s. Everything changed somewhere in the 1990s.]
***
Apparently She-Rah is leaving Netflix in a month. Which means if you are like me and probably still need to finish watching the series or watching it at all - you might want to get on that nowhish? I'm guessing they are getting rid of it to make room for the new Star Search? I don't know if anyone else remembers Star Search? It was basically American Idol or Everybody's Got Talent for the kiddie set (or anyone under the age of 18). Brittany Spears and Beyonce were discovered on it. Sarah Michelle Gellar auditioned for it - but didn't make the cut. (I can see why - Gellar can't dance or sing to save her life (note it was Spike who saved Buffy's life singing not Buffy). And juggling ...unless it's death defying, isn't that interesting. This isn't really geared towards actors, it's a talent show for everyone else.) I watched it off and on when I was a kid in the 1970s-80s, but not often.
Tried it today - and lasted all of five minutes before I jumped away to something else. ( Read more... )
So glad it's Friday finally...
Jan. 23rd, 2026 09:22 pmshadowkat1. 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.
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.
(no subject)
Jan. 22nd, 2026 06:41 pmshadowkatI've decided the world went nuts long ago and I just happen to reside within it. It does make want to stay in my apartment and hibernate at times, like the human version of a bear. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all make like a bear and just hibernate through the winter months?
Speaking of winter - it's decided to thrust itself up the United States proverbial ass with a nasty vengeance this weekend. If you have weekend plans to travel anywhere within the US, with the possible except of the Pacific Northwest? I'd cancel them. This is a good weekend to make like a bear and hibernate. For myself? I decided to take Monday off, and canceled my Physical Therapy appointment scheduled for Monday. ( Read more... )
Overall - I think my knees are getting better? But I foresee more doctors in my future.
***
Found an article in Elephant Journal via FB - the best advice I ever saw in Ask Amy Column (kind of the modern version of Dear Abby or the print version of Am I an Asshole (spoiler? They usually are).
( gist in case you can't read it )
***
Rewatched "Him" - Buffy S7 Episode - I think 7? I can't remember the number?
It's a favorite - because I think it's hilarious, and it does a good job of satirizing/lampooning the romantic relationships/entanglements on Buffy to date. And the whole love at first sight or lust trope.
But I picked up on something that I hadn't previously - a little annoyance.
Buffy tells Dawn in Him - that her feelings for RJ aren't real. And she's rather cruel and condescending about it.
Dawn: What I feel for him is real. You don't understand -
Buffy: I think it's real for you.
It's an echo of what she said to Spike in Entropy, before he ended up sleeping with Anya.
"I think it's real for you."
Ugh. Buffy. I want to smack her. I'm not surprised both Spike and Dawn yelled at her.
Speaking of winter - it's decided to thrust itself up the United States proverbial ass with a nasty vengeance this weekend. If you have weekend plans to travel anywhere within the US, with the possible except of the Pacific Northwest? I'd cancel them. This is a good weekend to make like a bear and hibernate. For myself? I decided to take Monday off, and canceled my Physical Therapy appointment scheduled for Monday. ( Read more... )
Overall - I think my knees are getting better? But I foresee more doctors in my future.
***
Found an article in Elephant Journal via FB - the best advice I ever saw in Ask Amy Column (kind of the modern version of Dear Abby or the print version of Am I an Asshole (spoiler? They usually are).
( gist in case you can't read it )
***
Rewatched "Him" - Buffy S7 Episode - I think 7? I can't remember the number?
It's a favorite - because I think it's hilarious, and it does a good job of satirizing/lampooning the romantic relationships/entanglements on Buffy to date. And the whole love at first sight or lust trope.
But I picked up on something that I hadn't previously - a little annoyance.
Buffy tells Dawn in Him - that her feelings for RJ aren't real. And she's rather cruel and condescending about it.
Dawn: What I feel for him is real. You don't understand -
Buffy: I think it's real for you.
It's an echo of what she said to Spike in Entropy, before he ended up sleeping with Anya.
"I think it's real for you."
Ugh. Buffy. I want to smack her. I'm not surprised both Spike and Dawn yelled at her.
Interesting Tid-Bits from my DW Correspondence List
Jan. 21st, 2026 05:51 pmshadowkatSo, I'm scrolling through my Dreamwidth Correspondence List, and finding all sorts of interesting things!
* Disney attempts to create a fun marketing meme only to delete it when it goes unexpectedly wrong..except you can't easily delete things on the internet
"Social media changed the marketing game forever. Nowadays, brands gain popularity and "street cred" by engaging with folks in comment sections and through relatable posts. It's estimated that when brands reply to comments on Threads, it boosts their engagement by 42%.
However, some posts on social media can turn against big brands, and that's exactly what recently happened to Disney. "Share a Disney quote that sums up how you're feeling right now!" they prompted their fans. But they got a little more than they anticipated: people really let them know how they were feeling, especially about the social and political state of the country. [Americans aren't happy campers, needless to say.]
And, in a moment of poor judgment, they deleted the thread, resulting in a "Streisand effect": instead of going away, the screenshots from the thread went viral."
* Donate what you can - Cross Stitch Patterns to Support Minnesota Non-Profits and Mutual Aid
"As a crafter, I believe in 'craftivism' - a form of activism that uses craft to convey political or social messages. Not only that, but during times of hardship, trauma, and chaos, craft, art, and joy is a form of resistance.
Patterns are created using Floss Cross and manual adjustments - NO AI ART HERE.
The idea is this - FREE cross stitch (alpha) patterns. They can be used for cross stitch, needlepoint, and more. My only ask is that you read about and check out the links I have posted to various Minneapolis/Twin Cities/Minnesota nonprofits and mutual aids and donate if and where you can, whether it be monetarily or by sharing and amplifying these organizations."
[I'm not really a crafter - I am more of a fine artist - so I'm just sharing it with you. Well unless you can poorly knitted scarves, blankets and hats (some unfinished) - crafting, in which case yes.]
* Lore Olympus Will Be Amazon Prime Video's next Animated Show
Webtoon's hit Greek myth romance is getting animated courtesy of Prime Video and the Jim Henson Company.
[Jim Henson Company? Interesting.]
I'd rather they made the Buffy Comics into an animated series, particularly the Last Slayer (which I adored) about a 50 something Buffy and Spike hooking up, and training Willow/Tara's daughter after both died, in an AU version of the verse. But that's just me.
* Disney attempts to create a fun marketing meme only to delete it when it goes unexpectedly wrong..except you can't easily delete things on the internet
"Social media changed the marketing game forever. Nowadays, brands gain popularity and "street cred" by engaging with folks in comment sections and through relatable posts. It's estimated that when brands reply to comments on Threads, it boosts their engagement by 42%.
However, some posts on social media can turn against big brands, and that's exactly what recently happened to Disney. "Share a Disney quote that sums up how you're feeling right now!" they prompted their fans. But they got a little more than they anticipated: people really let them know how they were feeling, especially about the social and political state of the country. [Americans aren't happy campers, needless to say.]
And, in a moment of poor judgment, they deleted the thread, resulting in a "Streisand effect": instead of going away, the screenshots from the thread went viral."
* Donate what you can - Cross Stitch Patterns to Support Minnesota Non-Profits and Mutual Aid
"As a crafter, I believe in 'craftivism' - a form of activism that uses craft to convey political or social messages. Not only that, but during times of hardship, trauma, and chaos, craft, art, and joy is a form of resistance.
Patterns are created using Floss Cross and manual adjustments - NO AI ART HERE.
The idea is this - FREE cross stitch (alpha) patterns. They can be used for cross stitch, needlepoint, and more. My only ask is that you read about and check out the links I have posted to various Minneapolis/Twin Cities/Minnesota nonprofits and mutual aids and donate if and where you can, whether it be monetarily or by sharing and amplifying these organizations."
[I'm not really a crafter - I am more of a fine artist - so I'm just sharing it with you. Well unless you can poorly knitted scarves, blankets and hats (some unfinished) - crafting, in which case yes.]
* Lore Olympus Will Be Amazon Prime Video's next Animated Show
Webtoon's hit Greek myth romance is getting animated courtesy of Prime Video and the Jim Henson Company.
[Jim Henson Company? Interesting.]
I'd rather they made the Buffy Comics into an animated series, particularly the Last Slayer (which I adored) about a 50 something Buffy and Spike hooking up, and training Willow/Tara's daughter after both died, in an AU version of the verse. But that's just me.
sigh
Jan. 21st, 2026 04:56 pmthe_shoshannaWell, there's flu in my mother's residence and she's recovering from a cold (though says she tested negative for flu and COVID), so the weekend visit with friends is canceled because they can't risk me bringing anything into their space, and the weekdays visit with other friends was already severely cut down because of recent stresses in their lives but now is further reduced to just meeting up for a short walk because they can't risk it either. I do not like this timeline.
(To be clear, I absolutely understand all my friends' reasons and I'm glad they made the calls that are right for them! And we've all planned to see each other when I hope to come down again in April. I'm just sad not to see them 1. at all 2. much now. also I was hoping 1 would want to watch HR with me)
On the other hand, this means I'll be going home before a big storm hits this weekend, which if I'd kept my original schedule might otherwise have ended up delaying me for an extra day, which would then make things tight at home because we're planning to go to Montreal right after I get back. Everything happens for the tolerable in this not yet the shittiest of all possible worlds.
(To be clear, I absolutely understand all my friends' reasons and I'm glad they made the calls that are right for them! And we've all planned to see each other when I hope to come down again in April. I'm just sad not to see them 1. at all 2. much now. also I was hoping 1 would want to watch HR with me)
On the other hand, this means I'll be going home before a big storm hits this weekend, which if I'd kept my original schedule might otherwise have ended up delaying me for an extra day, which would then make things tight at home because we're planning to go to Montreal right after I get back. Everything happens for the tolerable in this not yet the shittiest of all possible worlds.
Tuesday is cold but...watching Buffy and Angel to comfort itself
Jan. 20th, 2026 09:08 pmshadowkatIt was bitterly cold today. In the teens (F) with windchills factoring in the single digits (F) this morning, and got up to the twenties by midday.
Tomorrow it may make it to 30 F degrees - which as I told Breaking Bad this morning is relatively balmy. If we make to the 40s, so New Yorkers may start wearing shorts.
My living room overhead (ceiling) light has gone out. So I'm using the lights in my window (the tree and the snowflake lights), along with the little planet light (my niece gave me for Xmas one year), and two small desk lamps. The Super's wife popped by just as I was departing the shower to attempt to change the light bulb in the living room - but alas she needs tools - so her husband (whose not feeling well or under the weather) may have to do it after all.
Knees hurt today - it's the commute. The steps, and the walking through the bitter cold. And work was a mixed bag. I ran into folks from Jamaica (aka the head honchos behind all my project managers) and the negative energy emanating from them - made me physically ill. It took me two hours to recover. Thank god, I'm in Manhattan now and not in Jamaica, Queens, and far away from them. The folks I'm sitting near including Breaking Bad don't have that type of energy.
***
I'm following the news but out of the corner of my eye? I'm kind of giving it the side-eye? Or through my fingers, like I'm watching a horror film? Told mother that I wanted to be in galaxy far far away, albeit not the Star Wars galaxy. I might be willing to tough it out in the Star Trek verse, but not the Star Wars one. Nor would I want to be in BSG, Farscape, or Doctor Who's verses. Definitely not Tolkien's. No, I think the only one I could survive in would be Star Trek's. (Which is ironic, considering I was afraid of Star Trek at the age of 9.)
Also conversations on Lord of the Rings popped up.
Would I go on an adventure with Gandalf? No way in hell. I would run in the opposite direction if I saw Gandalf coming my way, and possibly try to hide (assuming one can hide from a Wizard). Gandalf has a tendency to send you off on a journey, abandon you to your own devices half way through, and forget about you.
***
Buffy and Angel Rewatch.
I'm enjoying Buffy S7 at the moment more than Angel S4, although Angel S4 is a mixed bag? Everyone works but Cordelia and Connor - who clearly are miserable. Writing those two characters out at the end of S4, and replacing them with Spike was a stroke of genius. I know folks liked them? But I'm finding both to be annoying. (And apparently the actors weren't overly thrilled portraying them at that point either.)
Buffy S7 - I'm really enjoying. It's spending more time on the supporting characters. Also "Selfless" (Episode 5) - the Anya centric episode is fantastic and among the best of the series. ( Read more... )
God, I love this show. It is by far my favorite television series.
Tomorrow it may make it to 30 F degrees - which as I told Breaking Bad this morning is relatively balmy. If we make to the 40s, so New Yorkers may start wearing shorts.
My living room overhead (ceiling) light has gone out. So I'm using the lights in my window (the tree and the snowflake lights), along with the little planet light (my niece gave me for Xmas one year), and two small desk lamps. The Super's wife popped by just as I was departing the shower to attempt to change the light bulb in the living room - but alas she needs tools - so her husband (whose not feeling well or under the weather) may have to do it after all.
Knees hurt today - it's the commute. The steps, and the walking through the bitter cold. And work was a mixed bag. I ran into folks from Jamaica (aka the head honchos behind all my project managers) and the negative energy emanating from them - made me physically ill. It took me two hours to recover. Thank god, I'm in Manhattan now and not in Jamaica, Queens, and far away from them. The folks I'm sitting near including Breaking Bad don't have that type of energy.
***
I'm following the news but out of the corner of my eye? I'm kind of giving it the side-eye? Or through my fingers, like I'm watching a horror film? Told mother that I wanted to be in galaxy far far away, albeit not the Star Wars galaxy. I might be willing to tough it out in the Star Trek verse, but not the Star Wars one. Nor would I want to be in BSG, Farscape, or Doctor Who's verses. Definitely not Tolkien's. No, I think the only one I could survive in would be Star Trek's. (Which is ironic, considering I was afraid of Star Trek at the age of 9.)
Also conversations on Lord of the Rings popped up.
Would I go on an adventure with Gandalf? No way in hell. I would run in the opposite direction if I saw Gandalf coming my way, and possibly try to hide (assuming one can hide from a Wizard). Gandalf has a tendency to send you off on a journey, abandon you to your own devices half way through, and forget about you.
***
Buffy and Angel Rewatch.
I'm enjoying Buffy S7 at the moment more than Angel S4, although Angel S4 is a mixed bag? Everyone works but Cordelia and Connor - who clearly are miserable. Writing those two characters out at the end of S4, and replacing them with Spike was a stroke of genius. I know folks liked them? But I'm finding both to be annoying. (And apparently the actors weren't overly thrilled portraying them at that point either.)
Buffy S7 - I'm really enjoying. It's spending more time on the supporting characters. Also "Selfless" (Episode 5) - the Anya centric episode is fantastic and among the best of the series. ( Read more... )
God, I love this show. It is by far my favorite television series.
on the road
Jan. 20th, 2026 03:00 pmthe_shoshannaI'm in Massachusetts visiting friends and family, and the US border guard was even brusquer and more unfriendly than the one the last time I crossed the border. They used to be reliably genial-while-professional, and now they're barking grumpy questions at me -- and I'm a white English-speaking US citizen with a NEXUS card (pre-screened, "trusted traveler"). A Canadian friend who drove across the border last year said that guards were going down the line of cars waiting to approach the booth and pulling people out to interrogate them on the side of the road, and who'd a thunk it, everyone they pulled out was brown. (When I crossed yesterday, I was the only car in sight, which I'd love to think was because Canadian travel to the US is way down, but probably had more to do with the extremely bad weather forecast that day. I managed to get south of the storm band before it hit, though.)
My obsession with Heated Rivalry continues, though I'm trying hard not to be That Fan at people. I have successfully recommended it to two board members at my church 😈 A friend I'll spend a week with this summer wants to watch it with me then, so I have that to look forward to, and there's a chance I'll get to watch it with other friends this weekend, if they're interested. Meanwhile I'm reading a lot of fic, but also freely DNFing anything that isn't working for me, whether for characterization or bad grammar or spelling it "Rosanov."
["Why, oh why, do people keep incorrectly capitalizing dialog-tag fragments like this?" She wailed. -- I mean, I know why they do it: because autocorrect sees the punctuation ending the quotation and thinks the dialog tag is a new sentence, and the writer is foolishly trusting autocorrect over the evidence of every published text they've ever read. But it drives me nuts; my sense of the flow and pacing of a sentence is very much guided by its punctuation, and this is like hitting a pothole every time.]
Geoff and I have started the new season of The Pitt, and certainly I'm liking it so far! It's interesting how much less chaotic the ER seems than it was in the first couple episodes of the first season. I'm very curious about all the characters they've introduced (and about where Mateo, the World's Hottest Nurse™️, is), and I love seeing Whitaker now a fully qualified MD with his own little ducklings following him around. (Is he still living with Santos?) I don't see an overarching plot yetother than "just how suicidal is Dr. Robby?" but/and I'm looking forward to seeing where it's going.
My obsession with Heated Rivalry continues, though I'm trying hard not to be That Fan at people. I have successfully recommended it to two board members at my church 😈 A friend I'll spend a week with this summer wants to watch it with me then, so I have that to look forward to, and there's a chance I'll get to watch it with other friends this weekend, if they're interested. Meanwhile I'm reading a lot of fic, but also freely DNFing anything that isn't working for me, whether for characterization or bad grammar or spelling it "Rosanov."
["Why, oh why, do people keep incorrectly capitalizing dialog-tag fragments like this?" She wailed. -- I mean, I know why they do it: because autocorrect sees the punctuation ending the quotation and thinks the dialog tag is a new sentence, and the writer is foolishly trusting autocorrect over the evidence of every published text they've ever read. But it drives me nuts; my sense of the flow and pacing of a sentence is very much guided by its punctuation, and this is like hitting a pothole every time.]
Geoff and I have started the new season of The Pitt, and certainly I'm liking it so far! It's interesting how much less chaotic the ER seems than it was in the first couple episodes of the first season. I'm very curious about all the characters they've introduced (and about where Mateo, the World's Hottest Nurse™️, is), and I love seeing Whitaker now a fully qualified MD with his own little ducklings following him around. (Is he still living with Santos?) I don't see an overarching plot yet
