Confessions of a Liberal Puritan

It was raining most of today - as it turns out, and cold. With a chill in the air. When it wasn't raining, it was misting.

1. I'm glad I'm not flying anywhere at the moment. Newark has had several plane collisions in the last few months, and on Sunday, Laguardia (LGA) in NY had a fatal plane collision with a Fire Truck. Air Canada and a Fire Truck collided.

LGA Air Canada and Fire Truck Collision.

I woke up this morning - turned on the news - and there it was as the lead story. It happened late Sunday night, they shut down the airport and evacuated the terminal - the news broadcasters told us that nothing was flying in or out of LGA until 2pm.

And if you were catching a flight before then - to contact your airline because it was probably cancelled and the airport was closed. This was at 6:30 am this morning.

( what happened as far as we know... )

( how many flights were canceled )

Art History Major aka Busy Bee - is off to Florida on Wed. ( TSA and ICE not the best mix for travel )

God, how did we get here? We all agreed that we wanted the thing in the White House gone. And when it happens? We'll flood the streets, hold impromptu celebrations, dance in the street, kiss each other on the cheeks, and hold a big street party. We'll be united in glee. Another rendition of ...the classic 1941 ditty, When that Man is Dead and Gone - which is both tragically and ironically valid today

Mother, I, AHM's boss, and Breaking Bad have all decided we're not flying anywhere any time soon. I'm hoping this sorts itself out by at least May or June. But not holding my breath.

2. I'm frustrated with My Doctor's Office/Health Care Provider. So the PT wanted me to schedule an appointment with his buddy - the vestibular therapist on Tuesday, but alas my primary care gave me a referral to a therapist who can't see me until May and isn't the vestibular therapist the PT introduced me to and wanted me to see this week.

I went online, and after a lot of maneuvering in their site - managed to find the PT that I wanted.

So I asked if I could choose my own or switch to the other one. Primary Care agreed - and if they don't allow it, let her know and she'll send a new referral.

So I call the physical therapy scheduling office and after an hour on hold and, it doesn't exactly go well?

( talking to healthcare provider schedulers requires far too much patience... )
[I'll got talk to the schedulers tomorrow in person. Maybe I'll get somewhere. Unlikely, I'm going in with low expectations? With Healthcare Providers - it's best to go in with low expectations - that way you don't get disappointed.]

See? This is the reason that I've done nothing about the vestibular/vertigo issue. By the time, I actually see the guy, the problem will be gone.

3. There's been a lot of "problematic" famous people dying lately? James Vander Beek, the guy who shall not be named - he was a political guy, and Nick Brendan. Of the three JVB was probably the least controversial and easiest to deal with - and considering he was against vaccines, and a Trump supporter, that's kind of saying something?

Nick Brendan portrayed a problematic character on Buffy (who I consider complicated and was actually quite likable towards the end of S3 and through S7 for the most part. Being a well-rounded and 3 dimensional character - he had plenty of flaws, but that made the character memorable. Also, beloved and relatable to many. Perfect characters or goody two shoe characters are not relatable or beloved. We tend to forget about them. Yes, he was a bit of a jerk in S1-3, but also an adorable goof-ball, and he saved Buffy's life three times). He was troubled and problematic man in life, far more so, actually than most of the characters he portrayed or at least the most familiar of them.

I stumbled upon Nick Brendan's last post on FB - where he takes questions from his devoted fans, and ....I felt for him, while at the same time, was horrified at what he'd become and what his fans, unwittingly enabled. There's a lesson for us all in there somewhere? ( discussing a dead man feels so morbid but here we go... )

The internet scared me today - because I looked up what ailed him. It's "Cauda equina syndrome (CES)" which according to the Orthopedic Centers of Colorado is a rare, medical emergency involving severe compression of nerve roots at the base of the spine, requiring immediate decompression surgery—ideally within 24 hours—to prevent permanent paralysis, incontinence, and sexual dysfunction. Key symptoms include severe low back pain, saddle anesthesia (numbness in groin/buttocks), and sudden bowel/bladder dysfunction.

The internet loves to throw symptoms at you that you think you have and don't. Technology is turning me into a hypochondriac.

( back to discussing Brendan's demons )

4. Stumbled upon this disturbing article about being a young professional screen actor and dealing with the toxicity of social media.

Barry Keoghan Says Online Abuse Means He
Doesn't Want to Go Outside Any More

"Oscar-nominated actor Barry Keoghan has said online abuse about his appearance is affecting his life, to the point that he now does “not want to go outside”.

The Irish actor, who is playing Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles tetralogy, told SiriusXM host Ben Harlum that though he left social media in 2024 due to online abuse, it was still so bad that he was “shying away” from the public eye – and it was making him want to retreat from acting.

Asked about his fans, Keoghan acknowledged that some “people are so lovely out there”, but added: “There’s also a nasty side of it. And I’ve removed myself from online, but I’m still a curious human being that wants to go on. And if I attend an event or if I go somewhere, you want to see how it was received. And it’s not nice, you know?”
( my two cents )

1. Been watching mostly Grantchester on Netflix this weekend. Season 1 - which is a cozy little murder mystery series - about a jazz loving vicar and a semi-alcoholic homicide detective who solve crimes in the 1950s - in a quaint English village just outside of Cambridge. The village is going through a bit of a crime spree?

[ Apologies for typos or mistakes? My reading glasses aren't working well tonight for some reason - the distant vision appears to be fine, but my reading vision is kind of blurry - it's very odd. It was fine earlier.]

It has a kind of Call the Midwife/All Creatures Great and Small vibe to it - except murder mysteries. And it develops its characters rather well. I like the characters and find oddly comforting.

2. Also finished watching Song Sung Blue on Peacock - the film starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, in which Kate was nominated for best supporting actress? They play two singers that impersonate famous singers, who meet and decide to create a Neil Diamond Tribute Experience. It's based on the true and somewhat tragic love story of Lightening and Thunder. It's based on the 2008 documentary.

It's tragic, but surprisingly doesn't milk the melodrama or sentimentality like most of these things do. And kind of earns the tears. I credit it - for being based and adapted from the 2008 documentary, I think Clair (Thunder) pushed them to downplay the melodrama. I was surprised by it - it is rather good, particularly if you like Niel Diamond, who specialized in easy listening, hummable ditties, that could and often did fall into ear worm territory - but are fun to thing. Kind of like ABBA. I'd put ABBA and Diamond in the same category.

And damn, Hugh Jackman and Hudson are good performers. Both can sing, move and have chemistry to spare.

3. Illona Andrews - the sci-fi novel, The Inheritance, follows a trend I've been seeing of late in science fiction - which is making arachnids not villains or evil monsters. The Inheritance kind of turns them into something akin to silk worms or domesticated animals like I don't know sheep, aka dangerous sheep.

I get the metaphor though? That often the thing we've demonized in our heads isn't so scary or evil if viewed through another angle. And can in fact be a friend or ally.

It's an interesting book - the writers do a good job of navigating difficult themes without preaching, sermonizing or providing easy answers, and I can't help but applaud them for that.

In other news? Someone did a theme of "what books" the Buffy characters would be reading, and listed Illona Andrew upcoming book - "This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me" as the book that Xander was reading. I found that interesting - in a - my two fandoms collide - in a way I wasn't expecting sort of way? Continuing along those lines - I saw an interview with Sarah Michelle Gellar stating her two favorite books were Donna Tartt's The Secret History (which she struggles to explain why she loves it so much to folks) - and Shadow of the Wind. (I may have to pick up Shadow of the Wind - it's about the hunt for different pages of a book.) I am a fan of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, which much like Gellar - I hope is never made into a film, and just is great as is. So again, fandoms indirectly collide.
This rarely happens.

I've watched and been fannish about a lot of television series in my life time? But Buffy will always hold a special place in my heart, that nothing else can quite touch - and that's something people either get or don't?

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.

1. For those interested? Nick Brendan was apparently working on and had completed a film, Yesterday is Almost Here prior to his death.

Sad time to be a Buffy fan.

2. The Dental visit went well - for the most part nothing has changed. I do have bleeding gums/sensitive gums - but that's a result of medication and diabetes, and possibly coeliac disease. Hence the reason, I'm seeing a dentist every six months now, as opposed to one every two or three years, like I had previously. (I don't get cavities. But alas, there are other things.) The dental hygienist's head came to my waist. I met her and thought okay, Latin America or Southeast Asia, they grow them tiny south of the equator. I don't know why some people are very tall and some are very short. I am not a biologist or geneticist. I think she had to be four foot?
I'm almost 6 foot. She also either had a frontal lisp, it was the mask, or a heavy accent with the mask - muffled her speech. I had to listen closely to what she was saying and ask at various intervals. (I'm used to doing this - I've done it my entire life - since I naturally mishear things. Also, having grown up with a speech issue which took me about twenty-five years to overcome, and sucking at languages - I'm patient with folks, more so than most. You won't survive in NYC if you aren't?)

Afterwards - I over taxed my knees by wandering to and from grocery stores and stores along Court Street. Managed to pick up various GF pre-prepared foods and items, such as Feel Goods: Vegetable Egg Rolls, Soup Dumplings, and Mozzarella Sticks, GF Deli SourDough Seeded Bread, Gluten Free Pizza,
GF Ravioli, GF Biscuits, GF Clam Chowder, GF Chicken Vegetable Soup (Hale and Hearty)...among other things. It was a haul - so heavier than intended.
I didn't get sweets - or baked goods at least, outside of some chocolate sandwich cookies. Icing my knee now.

It's slightly warmer today - made it up to 58 degrees and 60 in some locals. As a result, small children have been playing noisily in the backyards behind me, screaming as only small children cas. Brings back memories of my own childhood - when I had a sprawling backyard, no fences, and woods that seemed to stretch for acres behind us (it didn't - I was small).

3. Still enjoying my book - I actually look forward to reading it - and consider doing it instead of other things. And think, no let's draw this out. Why I love it and haven't been able to get into other books (some admittedly better written) is beyond me? I think it's that this one has a writing style and trope that I'm craving at the moment?

What's going on in the book at the moment? ( Read more... )

Whoa. RIP Nicholas Brendan (Best known as Xander Harris on Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

"Nicholas Brendon, best remembered as series regular Xander Harris from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has died at the age of 54. His family revealed the news in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, which read:

“We are heartbroken to share the passing of our brother and son, Nicholas Brendon. He passed in his sleep of natural causes. Most people know Nicky for his work as an actor and for the characters he brought to life over the years. In recent years Nicky has found his passion in painting and art. Nicky loved to share his enthusiastic talent with his family, friends and fans. He was passionate, sensitive, and endlessly driven to create. Those who truly knew him understood that his art was one of the purest reflections of who he was. While it’s no secret that Nicholas had struggles in the past, he was on medications and treatment to manage his diagnosis and he was optimistic about the future at the time of his passing. Our family asks for privacy during this time as we grieve his loss and celebrate the life of a man who lived with intensity, imagination, and heart. Thank you to everyone who has shown love and support.”

Brendon’s film credits include Demon Island, Unholy, Psycho Beach Party, and Coherence. Beyond Buffy, he was a series regular on the short-lived Fox adaptation of Anthony Bourdain’s memoir Kitchen Confidential alongside Bradley Cooper, and had a recurring role on the series Criminal Minds."

SMG wrote on Instragram:

"They'll never know how tough it is to be the one who isn't chosen. To live so near to the spotlight, and never step in it. But I know. I see more than anybody realizes, because nobody's watching me. I saw you Nicky. I know you are at peace, in that big rocking chair in the sky."

Still cold though. Just not as cold? It got up to 58 today, and is 48 F now, and tomorrow - we may get a balmy 57 and Sunday, woo-hoo, 60? Also it keeps raining and it's not even April yet. So we're getting a kind of slant towards Spring, while most places in the US are getting a slant towards summer.

***

I need to stop reading articles about the Buffy vs. Hulu/Disney fiasco - it's pissing me off. Disney is not looking good at the moment? They keep leaking things that are pissing everyone off? Bad Disney. (Actually Disney has been disappointing me for a while. They better not screw up Avengers: Doomsday.)

I texted my brother, who is also a Buffy fan (except he preferred Angel and I preferred Spike - we don't discuss that.)

Me: Hulu cancelled the Buffy Revival because its not "mainstream enough" for Hulu. Ugh. Bastards.
Brother: Nooo!!! But hey, at least we get the Peaky Blinders Movie finally!
Me: Yup. Netflix for the Win.

[Television viewing this weekend is Peaky Blinders Movie and The Pitt, I don't what else.]

Me: While I'm admittedly not surprised Hulu passed on the Buffy revival..I'm furious it did it partly because it wasn't "mainstream enough" for Hulu!
Mother: How's that possible? Hulu has a lot of non-mainstream content on it? How is Hulu mainstream? I don't think of Hulu as mainstream?
Me: Well..except for the Bachelor/Bachelorette which is mainstream, along with the Secret Lives of Mormon Lives..and god Disney and Hulu have a lot of horrible content.
Mother: Speaking of ..The Bachelorette got cancelled - not sure why.
ME: That's because the Bachelorette was charged with domestic violence - by her ex, and a video went viral of her attacking him with a chair. (I'm serious - it is real. It was on Instagram, and it was with a chair, while kicking him and hitting him and putting him in a headlock while her daughter was in the room...it's bizarre considering he's bigger than she is? If it was staged? It back fired? I feel kind of validated? After fighting with idiots on social media about how, yes, men can be the victims of domestic violence too and no, it's not a gender specific crime. I know because I have male cousins who are victims of domestic violence.) Honestly, they need to cancel that entire franchise. It brings out the worst in people. Reality shows do - they depict the worst in people and bring out the worst. Find something less toxic to entertain folks with - like, I don't know, Buffy?

Life at times, feels like a series of disappointments. Although, the struggle makes us stronger and appreciate the cool stuff more.

Why are they setting off fireworks? What holiday is it? Oh, Spring Equinox - I looked it up. Seeing nothing - just noise. (NYC which isn't supposed to set them off (it's illegal) - certainly does a lot of it.)

**

Happy it's Friday. Happy I have a good book to read - finally. Not happy I have a dental appointment tomorrow. But decided not to put it off any longer. Also the PT has decided I need to see a vestibular therapist prior to continuing with PT or asap, since my vertigo/dizzy/balance issues keep interfering with PT.

Off to take a shower and go to bed.

Doing laundry finally. No one was down there - so it's easy. Always easier when no one is downstairs.

The internet was annoying me again today. Probably best not to vent about it? Venting about the internet on the internet never ends well?

A weird side-effect of both the Buffy Revival being cancelled and my Buffy re-watch - is the oddest desire to write fanfic? Except fanfic that takes place 25 years after the series ended. Not sure there's anywhere to really share it? The Buffy fandom is pretty much dead on DW and Ao3. But that's okay, I can just write it in my head.

I've finally broken the reading slump - and found a book I want to sink into and devour whole. It's taken...quite a few books? I think it's more of a mood thing than a book thing? I'm in the mood for a certain story trope and writing style - specifically one that sparks my own creative/story telling juices. The book that's currently engrossing me is Inheritance by Illona Andrews - the writers wrote it as a serial on their blog during the pandemic, and have now self-published it.
It's engrossing. Does remind of a video game at various points.

Here's the synopsis - it's convoluted, but I like convoluted world building and plots that are close to impossible to summarize.
( Read more... )

Illona Andrews is possibly among the very few writers in which I've gobbled up everything they've written. There's a handful of others. Jane Austen, I did for the most part. James Joyce. William Gibson. Anne McCaffrey - I read just about everything she wrote. Courtney Milan - up to a point. I usually just read one series of the writers and nothing else. Neil Gaiman - I read way too much of - mainly because people kept rec'ing him to me, and I kept thinking - I should like this. Why don't I like this more than I do? I finally realized: It's because his characters lack emotional resonance and feel a bit like ciphers, and all the work is put into the world-building.

Illona Andrews does a good job with four or five story tropes that I love:
* Enemies to Partners to Lovers trope
* Problem solving and working collaboratively to do it, figuring things out logically
* Blending myth and science
* Questioning authority and social systems
* Survival in the midst of impossible circumstances

It's hard to articulate what I like sometimes. I'm not sure I did it well there.

This may come as shock to folks - considering I spend all my time reading and writing - for a living and for pleasure or so it seems? But neither come easily. Never have. Never will. ( Read more... )

Off to bed. Friday finally. I don't know about anyone else? But it's been a long and cold week. I'm ready for spring. Good think it allegedly starts tomorrow - at least per the calendar. Weather wise? It's up in the air at the moment.

So...two groups are fighting at the moment in the media.

My insane Union vs. Crazy Org and well the Feds in the middle of it. The Feds took the unions side, which is interesting although doesn't mean all that much, since the Feds on the Board of Review were pre-existing the current administration (of which we shall not name - spits).

That's just anxiety inducing.
( Read more... )

The other group is far more entertaining and much less anxiety inducing, mainly because I don't have a stake in any of it, and am mostly ambivalent.

Buffy vs. Hulu, (with well, a Zen Like Chloe Zhao somewhere in the middle?)

SMG (Buffy) announces Hulu axed the Buffy reboot with no warning, and it was because of one exec who hates Buffy and never liked the original show.

(So of course the journalists do some digging to find out who the executive in question is, because really, who in their right mind hates Buffy? - Some random executive isn't exactly helpful?)

Deadline outted the Executive...because of course... (honestly the journalists in our media have way too much time on their hands? There's either too many of them or...they just can't figure out what to do with the abundance of news already out there? Granted this is less anxiety inducing than the rest of it.)

Here's Deadline Article. [ Which is a must read for anyone interested in why it is so hard to get a television show produced and aired. And why this is a difficult business. Writing is easy - television is hard.]

"Here is how Buffy: New Sunnydale went from a dream reboot two decades in the making, with Gellar starring and Oscar winner Chloé Zhao directing, to a discarded pilot. There were issues — as Deadline reported on Saturday, the original pilot was “not perfect”; some called it “not great.” Yet, after a well-received rewrite with a lot more Buffy Summers in it, no one expected the pass. Written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, whose previous credits include Poker Face and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the pilot would have turned the attention to a new young slayer, commonly referred to as Nova. She was played by Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and The Lowdown star Ryan Kiera Armstrong. It's said that the premise, initially seen as promising, gradually fell apart.
( Rest of the article )

And Here's Hollywood Reporter's Article on it via People Magazine -

( article below the cut regarding Gellar's take in an interview with People and Hollywood Reporter )

"A statement obtained by People noted that because Disney owns the Buffy IP, the project cannot be shopped elsewhere."

***

What did Craig Erwich green light - or what programs did he champion?

Erwich Interview with Hollywood Reporter on Future shows

Erwich shows

"Craig Erwich will now oversee 20th Television and 20th Television Animation, with Karey Burke and Marci Proietto reporting to him. Craig will continue to lead ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals."

https://deadline.com/2026/03/debra-oconnell-disney-craig-erwich-20th-television-1236757197/

In retribution? Someone leaked the alleged draft of the filmed pilot (I removed the link because I decided I agree with SMG not whomever leaked it.) (ETA: SMG has since requested folks not read it or share it, since it's just a draft and very rough, and pilots aren't the television show - pointing to the original pilot episode of the original Buffy series as evidence of this. In that - there was a different Willow, and Gellar had dark hair.)

Note - the leaked script was written in 2024, and has since been rewritten and tweaked. Also, I know Marsters (per interviews) was contacted in late 2025 - they'd shown interest in his return. And rumor has it that - they made the new script more adult, it was a 90 minute pilot, and more like a streaming show with a bigger budget, and everyone had liked it per the above.

So? We don't know what they would have come up with. Only the people involved know for certain.

***

I've not read the leaked script. There's no evidence it's actual? And we all know by now how much scripts change from paper to screen while shooting, often to the point in which very little on the draft makes it to screen.

I can't say I'm surprised it got axed. ( Read more... )

The online fandom, being contentious and fractious as ever - is fighting over it on various social media platforms - FB, Reddit, and X. I've seen the Reddit and FB fights, also one on X. There's several factions?
( Buffy fans are fighting over the Hulu/Buffy war )
This all rather entertaining, but not all that surprising? Fandom. Sigh. Fandom.

It is a nice distraction though from other...less entertaining and more worrisome problems, of which we shall not speak.

The leaked script sparks fanfiction ideas in my head. I'm tempted to write fanfic based on that synopsis. It's interesting. I can see all sorts of interesting things they could have done with the show and the general concept.

Stupid network/studio/streaming service executives with no imagination.

This is why I'm glad I'm not a television writer or television actor or working in television. As nutty and frustrating as my work in transportation and construction is? It's relatively sane and stable in comparison. The frustration alone would kill me - if I worked in television. Damn, that's a hard business.

So, just in case someone out there wants to get a book, novel, idea, what have you - produced and developed as a television series? Read the Buffy vs. Hulu fight, and find another career to invest yourself in. Trust me, the pain and suffering isn't worth it.

For every show, Whedon got produced - he had twenty others that never made it, and then he got cancelled - by the actors from his first successful (and possibly only really successful) television series.

1. Came home, did the exercises. ( general state of health )

2. Oh as an aside on PT and knee/hip/leg issues? The ballerina in the Sinner's number at the Oscars - who did a split with one leg up in the air and other bent beneath her? She had hip replacement surgery about three months prior.

"Just weeks before the Oscars, Copeland had undergone hip replacement surgery to address various injuries from her decorated ballet career, including bone spurs and cartilage loss. Despite this, she was determined to be a part of the Sinners performance, which allowed her to step back on pointe and join the celebration of the film's success, including Michael B. Jordan's Oscar win for Best Actor."

In December 2025, Copeland underwent hip replacement surgery.
On March 16, 2026, Copeland appeared on stage during the Oscars performance of "I Lied To You" from Sinners."

https://nationaltoday.com/us/ca/los-angeles/news/2026/03/17/misty-copeland-joins-sinners-oscars-performance-after-hip-surgery/

3. Commute is irritating me - ( Read more... )

4. Work is also irritating me. ( Read more... )

5. Is this journaling or venting, I can't tell? Well at least it's mostly under a cut?

6. Stumbled upon the Florence + The Machine Song that references Buffy S6, finally. [Take that Christopher Golden (who told Charisma Carpenter in her podcast that he disliked S6 and thought the characters were Out of Character or OTT (?) - which probably explains why I found his Buffy novels unreadable and never bothered with them (I tried them in the book stores and gave up)) and all the other naysayers. (What can I say? Except that the Buffy fandom is a contentious and fractious one. Most are, actually. People rarely agree on anything - even the things they love - so this is hardly surprising? ) ]

The song is entitled "This Old Religion" - and I'd not really listened to it before today. I actually love it - it's a good song.
( This Old Religion )

Here's the lyric:
( Read more... )

6. Regarding Buffy - apparently they not only filmed the pilot, they even reworked the script when Hulu wasn't satisfied with it, and made the show more adult and more centered on the character of Buffy.

I'm fascinated with this - because it shows how impossible it is to get good television shows on the air. Crap is easy. But a good television show is really hard to put out there - you have to get around the network. And sci-fantasy is really hard because it is so expensive to produce. Why? They are looking for a sure-thing, so go by market analysis and logarithms and statistical data. Demographics. They used to do focus groups - and select a group to view something.

The way Hulu handled the Buffy revival and dealt with the creators involved - reminds me of my own experiences with the publishing industry ( Read more... )

And Gellar's comment about the executive at Hulu who disliked Buffy and bragged about never watching it - makes me want to drop my Hulu subscription. (I won't - I watch too much on it at the moment.)( Read more... ) The problem with our society is too many of the wrong people have all the power. That said? I like the New Mayor of NYC so far - he's coming across as a genuinely kind human being and proactive in his efforts to help all New Yorkers.

Chloe Zhao is less angry than Gellar - but Zhao has had different experiences having her hopes dashed and struggling with the corporate animal. (Zhao has had more luck than Gellar overall.) ( Read more... )

I know most of the folks who stumble across this - couldn't care less about the Buffy revival or Buffy. Depressing that. I miss the Buffy fandom. But alas, it scampered elsewhere. Mostly on Tumblr, Ticktock, Bluesky, Twitter, and Facebook. And that's not the fandom that I miss. I miss the one that analyzed the show, discussed things to death, and on occasion, not often, wrote fanfic.

7. I've joined then left a private group site on FB. "What to Do in NY" - I finally jumped out of. I decided its a tourist group site that exists solely to annoy the heck out of New Yorker's. (It's painful at times living in a highly frequented Tourist destination.) People would post, and all of the NY Residents on the site, myself included, would be compelled to state - no, no, you idiot, don't do that. Or yes, that's fine, stop worrying. Or for heaven's sake - if you are that concerned, just stay home, NY will eat you alive.

( examples of what not to ask - well if you don't want to annoy New Yorkers )
So, I finally gave up and left.

Gellar speaks out about the cancellation, citing it came as a complete surprise

""Let me tell you, nobody saw this coming," the actress, who was set to reprise her role as Buffy Summers in the new iteration, tells People, adding that there's one specific person she blames for the "Buffy: New Sunnydale" pilot not being ordered to series.

"We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn't for him," Gellar explains, not revealing the name of the executive in question. "That's very hard when you're taking a property that is as beloved as 'Buffy,' not just to the world, but to me and [pilot director Chloé Zhao]. So that tells you the uphill battle that we had been fighting since day one, when your executive is literally proud to tell you that he didn't watch it."

Read More: https://www.tvline.com/2125094/buffy-reboot-canceled-reason-explained-sarah-michelle-gellar/

Sigh.

And.. Chloe Zhao:

Zhao spoke with Variety on the Oscars red carpet Sunday night, saying she was “not surprised” by Hulu’s decision.

"I had an incredible, incredible time with Sarah [Michelle Gellar], with all the cast and crew doing this. And we, first and foremost, see ourselves as the guardians of the original show,” Zhao told the outlet. “Our priority for Sarah and for us has always been to be truthful to the show, to be truthful to our fans. So, things happen for a reason, and we keep our hearts open and we welcome the mystery. And what this might lead us to.”

Many fans are hoping the revival series will get picked up at another streamer, with a source telling Variety there is a “lot of love” for the character and “Basically, the door is still open.”

https://thenationaldesk.com/news/entertainment/the-buffy-reboot-has-been-canceled-what-happened

**

I confess? I'm disappointed. There's only a handful of old television series that I'd like to see more of or reboots of, and none of them except for Firefly is actually getting it. Meanwhile we have shows that have been rebooted one too many times. I'd provide a list? But you all would probably kill me..;-) Let's just say I don't watch those shows, and leave it at that?

The shows - I'd like to see rebooted or more of?

* Buffy
* Angel
* Firefly
* WonderFalls
* Veronica Mars
* Now and Again
* Remington Steel
* Farscape
* BattleStar Galatica or Caprica
* Merlin
* Pushing Daisies
* SMASH
* Gilmore Girls
* Fame (if they did it right)
* Bunheads
* L'Etoile
* The Avengers

I am alive and well, no worries, my grave is metaphorical so far, and yet, for years, having heard this expression for the first time ever I felt it.

It was this musical video that made it happen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJcG1JXidvU


It is a bit hard to explain. The video has bits and pieces of private lives of various judges in Russia, pulled from their social accounts and their professional ones. Was any privacy laws broken here? Probably.

The judges in question (I didn’t check everyone, but that’s not the point here) were involved in recent political cases in Russian courts, and let’s say it, their judgments were not that just. More like overwhelmingly unjust and cruel, even when technically made according to law. But more often according to political demand.

The song that accompanies the video talks about threads of fate and no guarantees for them when the time comes for another turn of the political wheel. It is set on a melody of a well-known and really old song and has both ear-worming and chilling effect.

AI is heaving used for making the video, but this is exactly the use I find creative.

So why did I feel that way? I’ve been here a long time, and maybe somebody of the old friends remember that I used to be a lawyer. And when I got my law degree, more than 25 years ago, in another century, in another world, I dreamed of being a judge. I wanted to serve my county. I believed in justice and fairness and that the system will work for the people if we have better laws and follow those laws honestly.

I interned at the Moscow city court, and I loved it.

The path from law school to becoming a judge in Russia was a pretty straightforward. I dropped from the shortest path almost immediately for a combination of reasons. I found another job and was quite happy with it, then I found myself living abroad and the dream slowly died. For years I, with some sadness, wondered what if I did fulfilled that dream, what my life would look like. Same as I wondered about my parallel universe life as a historian.

In 2022 all the parallels crossed and all the universes collapsed into one present reality and I was happy that my dreams stayed dreams. Well. Not HAPPY. But I very much not wanted to be a judge in Moscow right now.

And this little video and this catchy song brought afresh the terror – would I be if my dreams came true? Would that young optimistic, justice-minded me become state-minded automaton with rotten soul or a money-driven carefree corrupt sell-out? What case would have become too much?

1) I am mildly sad about canceling the Buffy reboot. I am fine with the seven seasons of BtVS and don’t really need more of it. I read some comics, the Spuffy part of it, mostly, and picked some of it for my personal headcanons, but overall I didn’t care about comics as canon continuation.

But I was curious when I learned that SMG was on board, and will appear as older Buffy. Because I love Buffy and I wanted to know how she is doing, and I trust SMG.

Oh, well. I hope SMG gets a project that doesn’t get cancelled.

2) I don’t care about Firefly animated reboot. For one main reason – it is supposed to fit in the canon timeline between the original series and the movie. So it is only going to be a few of missing scenes, basically that will bring us to the story already told, and I am not interested in it. Ditch the movie and go wild! The movie had a very specific purpose, to give a bit of closure and to tell the story to a bigger audience. Now they could concentrate on telling another story. Go to the parallel universe, go after the movie. Bring Wash back (or don’t), kill Jayne instead. Or don’t. Bring Christina Hendricks’ character of many names and many wiles.

As it is announces, it is just not something I want.

3) on the other hand, I am looking forward for the Last Airbender, Adult Aang movie. It seems we are finally getting some information about it, the release was postponed several times, and then they decided to skip the theaters entirely, but I want to see it. And the posters with character designs are in.

4) re-watched Lockwood & Co with my son, and I am still upset about cancellation of it. Could have been an awesome cultural event, if it got a bit more care and attention from the Netflix. Alas. Maybe the story was too anti-capitalist for it?

5) I am also still upset about canceling The Wheel of Time, just as it got really good. I didn’t expect it to run for 12 seasons, but I hoped for more than three. The production was lovely, and casting was amazing, and everyone had just settled in the world and the characters. Amazon had to put its money to better uses, I guess…

6) in things that were not yet canceled I watched half the season of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, from the Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee. It is same brand of derange fun, but darker and thirty-something friends. Will finish, of course, I loved it, but realized I can’t binge it. Too much. (on a separate note, why won’t they release Derry Girls on Dvd? I would buy some expensive fancy edition gladly!)

Accomplished next to nothing this weekend. Slept horribly last night - so ended up falling asleep while attempting to watch the Oscar nominated Brazilian film "the Secret Agent" but it's mostly people talking to each other and investigating things...and in Portuguese with subtitles. I kept falling to sleep, then jarring awake and thinking this movie hasn't advanced at all - it looks the same. But I did kind of sleep off and on for about two hours today. Also been wrestling with hot flashes today. Menopause is fun, and strange, and confusing.

Tried "Sung Song Blue" - on Peacock - and will definitely go back to it.
It's good, but I wanted to watch the Oscars tonight...god knows why? I don't know why? Tradition? Curiosity? I am admittedly curious about the musical performances. Conan's comedy routine however is making me cringe? And I wish there was less of it. But the audience seems to be enjoying it.
( Watching the Oscars )

Say what you will about the Oscars - they do have the best commercials.

***

Mememage

10. It’s International Wig Day – have you ever worn a wig or a hairpiece?

No. Or not that I recall. My mother had one once - they were in fashion in the early 70s and late 60s.

11. How organised are you with household paperwork (or is everything just in one big pile)?

Mixed bag? I throw it in binders, in a file cabinet, and in bags. If it's junk - bag, if bills - shredding bag, if have to keep filing pouch or cabinet.

12. When was the last time you vacuumed the floor?

Last weekend? It's just me. I don't have any mud, and leave shoes at the door or foot of living room. And don't really have any rugs.

13. It’s International School Meals Day. Did you ever have school meals, and what dish still sticks in your memory if you did?

Not really? I usually brought my lunch, and in college - I remember the ice cream bar and hot chocolate machine, and mocha shakes.

14. International ‘Ask Me A Question Day’. Go ahead – ask me a question!

(Assuming I've not already answered everything you could possibly want to know...)

15. What’s the weather like today?

Gloomy. Overcast. And in the 30s and 40s F. I didn't see the point in venturing out in it.

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.

Well, I've got news on Firefly - they weren't rumors after all. Nathan Fillon is attempting to bring Firefly back as an animated series.

Fillion posts on social media that Firefly is happening, they just need a home

Firefly Cast is Reuniting to Bring Firefly Back as an Animated Series

"The animated series stems from Fillion's production banner Collision33, in partnership with 20th Television Animation. Marc Guggenheim (DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow) and Tara Butters (Agent Carter, Reaper) are attached as showrunners, and a script has been completed. Joss Whedon will not be involved in the animated project. The animated series is expected to be set between the original 2002 television run and the 2005 feature film, Serenity. Early concept art from animation studio ShadowMachine was also shown."

https://deadline.com/2026/03/nathan-fillion-firefly-animated-series-development-1236754122/
( Read more... )

So, Fillion is doing what I thought Gellar should have done. Which is bring back the show as an animated series with the original cast voicing the characters. Fillion wisely realizes that the audience was invested in the original cast and characters not the world. We'll see if he finds a home for it - being animated, there's a better chance, animation is cheaper.

Meanwhile the Buffy fandom is attempting to change Hulu's mind about the Buffy reboot with an Online Petition. (It's possible the Hulu was fine about the Buffy revival but wanted to change a bunch of things including the showrunners and Zhao. So, having not seen the pilot that Hulu passed on? Or knowing why they passed? I'm reluctant to sign a petition to get them to show it to us and continue with it? Also, I get the feeling everyone has moved on?)

Personally? I think Firefly has the best chance of the two? Firefly is planning on providing animated episodes of the series between the abrupt ending and the film Serenity, with the entire original cast (except for the deceased Ron Glass who will most likely be recast). And has show-runners who are familiar with the world, familiar with Whedon's writing style and the genre. If you are going to revive an old television series with the original cast? Animation is the best way to go, in my opinion. YMMV.

Hello, it's been a nice and quiet Saturday. Temperatures in the mid to high forties and low fifties. Jacket and sweatshirt weather. Wore sweats for most of the day. Niece sent me a University of Montana sweatshirt for my birthday. I had bought myself the HOKA training/walking shoes (although not from the link provided) rec'd by the PT. Which I wore yesterday and took a twenty minute walk around the block and to MetFresh today. (I know I should probably order groceries? But I find I buy less and I'm more frugal if I go to the grocery store - plus exercise, since I don't own or drive a car and walk everywhere, well outside of using the subway.)

Also clear blue sky with a scant trace of cloud cover. But alas no flowers or greenery anywhere, unlike I'd found, albeit briefly, in Battery Park earlier in the week. (Green grass, and one bush. Spring! I thought. But alas, no, still winter.) So, aching for flowers and greenery - I purchased more cut flowers from the grocery store. Red Roses, and a bunch of purple and reddish purple flowers that I do not know the names of - one's a purple globe, the others look like various versions of purple and red baby's breath. I'd buy an actual plant - but I have a dreadful black thumb and kill them. The green thumb skipped me and landed on my brother. I have a black thumb. I can kill a cactus. And fake plants - I associate with dust.

**

I did a few walks earlier in the week - when it was still warm outside, before we slid kicking and screaming back into winter. The first was up the pier to check out the cherry blossom festival (or the fake cherry blossom festival) on Pier 15. (It only it actually looked like that? It doesn't. Ah, the wonders of photo-shop and AI.) The second was around Battery City Park - the grass was actually green with flowers, purple flowers sprouting from a patch in the middle of it - helped no doubt by the fact that it was sealed off from people and dogs - and only geese, birds, insects and squirrels could frolic in the enclosure. People and dogs can do a lot of damage. Want to grow grass? Keep dogs and people away from it.



I also saw a green bush. And I thought - ah spring. Then it was in the thirties and forties the next day, and felt like 29 degrees, and I thought, no, still winter. Dang it.



The bush has green buds on it - but you have to enlarge the picture to see it. Also we now have an open pier that you can walk along to see the Statue of Liberty. When the Tall Boats Conference happens in July - that entire walkway should be open - so people can walk along and look at boats in the New York harbor.

The second walk was admittedly more productive than the first. I got stopped along the way by a Statue of Liberty Ticket Ferry scammer who was attempting to tell me that I was going the wrong way to the Statue of Liberty Ferry. I ignored him.

**

Mother interrupted this entry with a phone call - to regale me with news from my brother. I rarely talk to him myself - and honestly, don't need to, she tells me everything he's doing, his daughter is doing, and his wife doing - his friends are doing - and various and sundry family members whether I want this information or not. (Well in snatches, she doesn't remember half of it - and it's the stuff that I'm usually curious about that she doesn't remember, while the stuff I was happier not knowing - she does).
( discussions with mother )

***

Television

* Scarpetta This is the series starring Nicole Kidman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Simon Baker, and Bobbie Carnvale (along with his son) adapted from the Patricia Cornwall - Kay Scarpetta mysteries - which I read in the 1990s and early 00s, and now have only vague memories of. I honestly don't remember them at all, just the characters names, and vaguely their relationships with each other? I don't remember the FBI agent, or the sister, just the cop Marino and Kay. That means, I can be fairly open-minded about the series, and won't be comparing it to the books at all. And I didn't. I honestly can't remember much if anything at all about the books - and I read most of them.

Patricia Cornwall served as a consultant on the series, and it has a woman showrunner and director.

I want to like it? But there's something off about it? It's really kind of busy and noisy? I think I want to calm it down a little or cut some of it out? ( Read more... )

It's gotten mixed reviews? The professional critics seem to like it, but the audience really doesn't.

* Grantchester - this is on Netflix and PBS Passport. I like it better than Scarpetta. It's a historical mystery series featuring a young jazz loving Vicar who solves murder mysteries in his parish with a local homicide detective during the 1950s. The Vicar is a former solider who served in the WWII and is struggling to get past it.

* The Pitt - still enjoying this, although it seems a bit subdued from last year, not sure why. I think the characters are a little less on edge - or the characters that are on edge, aren't the principal characters so it's less apparent? Not sure. It's not a bad thing, just a tonal shift.

* Count of Monte Cristo - almost done. It's subdued as well, and very understated. I'm hesistant to rec too heavily? I'm enjoying it - because I kind of want understated and restrained and subdued at the moment. I'm appreciating it. I don't why. Maybe I'm tired of the noise that seems to surround me constantly? All the ads, all the marketing, all the noise...I want subdued?

This may explain why Scarpetta isn't working for me, but the Pitt, Grantchester, and Monte Cristo are? I'm apparently in the mood for a more realistic touch and a less frenetic high gloss one?

Off to bed.

Happy Saturday!

I'm going to be doing a little maintenance today. It will likely cause a tiny interruption of service (specifically for www.dreamwidth.org) on the order of 2-3 minutes while some settings propagate. If you're on a journal page, that should still work throughout!

If it doesn't work, the rollback plan is pretty quick, I'm just toggling a setting on how traffic gets to the site. I'll update this post if something goes wrong, but don't anticipate any interruption to be longer than 10 minutes even in a rollback situation.

Sarah Michelle Gellar just reported on her Instagram site about four minutes ago that Hulu has unfortunately chosen not to move forward with Buffy: New Sunnydale but "if the apocalypse comes, you can still beep me".

"Announcement: Sarah Michelle Gellar shared in a recent video that the project was not proceeding on Instagram.

The Project: The revival was to be titled Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale, with Gellar returning alongside new cast members.

Development Issues: Prior to this, reports suggested that differences over the number of episodes (18 vs. 8) and a need to focus on a new cast were causing delay."

ETA for links, which weren't available until now - clearly people were waiting for Gellar to announce it before doing it themselves?

https://pagesix.com/2026/03/14/entertainment/buffy-series-revival-new-sunnydale-not-moving-forward-at-hulu-sarah-michelle-gellar-reveals/

https://deadline.com/2026/03/buffy-reboot-dead-sarah-michelle-gellar-hulu-chloe-zhao-1236753736/

( my two cents for what it's worth... )

In other news? There's rumors they may be reviving Firefly - with the entire cast on board - or it's just a reunion at a convention. That's actually more likely - since Firefly got cancelled too soon, and the cast and crew and writers wanted to continue with it, and were all on board and happy with each other.

Sigh. I had a story, the first paragraph, and now it's gone. It was in my head walking to the subway. And I thought I could grab it again...when I got on my computer tonight. But alas, it's gone. It'll come back again if need be. I may have to purchase the Tiles Survival Video Game to reprise it.

I learned a valuable lesson this week? When correcting someone or editing, be careful of tone. This is easier said than done? I am doing a lot of editing now - and it requires a lot of patience. Often I am correcting the same mistakes over and over and over again. And the mistakes from my perspective appear to be obvious? Like how can they not know this? And I often have to re-write my comments, and rewrite my emails multiple times, to ensure that my tone is okay.

On the internet it's remarkably easy to screw up with tone, resulting in miscommunications and fights and hurt feelings.

I've been corrected this week - by people who were careful with their tone, and by people who either don't understand tone or aren't careful. Precision in words doesn't always matter as much as how you choose to phrase them. After all, if your phrasing and tone is off - then your reader isn't understanding your words and they fall on death ears. Your intentions will be misunderstood.

I define tone by how I write the sentence. Not just the words that I chose, but the actual phrasing. I think of writing as a means of communicating thoughts, expression, emotion, facts, and information among other things (that I can't think of at the moment), and tone conveys the writers intent to the reader. Also emotion can affect tone - if you are writing from a place of frustration, irritation, impatience, or rage - it will be reflected in your tone. Because you aren't speaking orally - the emotion or intent often has to be conveyed through phrasing.

I've learned that tone in writing matters. So many miscommunications happen because of tone. I've lost count of the number of posts and comments that I've either walked away from or deleted because of the tone. Or the number of correspondents that I've parted ways with because of tone. When my tone is condescending or patronizing - I shut down the listener or reader - they stop hearing me. They stop reading. Instead of engaging their mind, I've engaged their emotions.

Writing carefully takes practice. It's an art. And it is hard to do on social media. I struggle with it. Some are better at it than others. It of course helps if you don't write in anger or frustration.

So many on the internet write carelessly, with little to no regard to the reader. You should care about the reader. We aren't posting our words to the abyss. And as a reader, you should care about the writer.

We should ask ourselves prior to responding directly to any post on the internet - whether it wise? Is it useful? Is it kind? Can we write our response in a way that the reader will respond favorably, and not get upset? Would we respond favorably to that response or comment or would we respond in anger? Do not post anything that makes you think you are clever or smarter or better than another. Or makes you feel superior to the person who posted? Leave your ego at the curb.

This is also hard to do in internet correspondence. I think sometimes it is really hard for people to hear each other? They are so caught up in their own heads they can't hear the other person?

I saw this great little bit on FB recently, where the commentator stated that "when someone is sharing their story with you - listen to it, without thinking about your own. Our tendency is to want to share our own similar story with the other person, as opposed to just hearing and responding to theirs. An example is - if I were to show you around my home or office, and your immediate response is - let me show you mine now."

I'm trying to get better at all of these things. But alas I am a work in progress as are we all. I'm also trying to forgive and be patient with those at work, on DW, in personal life, facebook, fandom, social media platforms, what have you - whose tone is often condescending and hurtful - and try to remember I don't know what their day was like? I don't know what they are feeling right now? Maybe a loved one died? Maybe work pissed them off? Maybe they want to lash out at the world?

It is hard sometimes, I think, to remember this? That in the end, we are all just doing time on planet earth the best that we are able. And sometimes we need to vent into the void without anyone kicking us for it?

[All comments have been disabled.]

Work and my commute are attempting to take bites out of my good mood, along with a potential rainy weather pattern coming into NYC for tomorrow. But I persevere and the cheeriness continues for the most part.

So too are various areas of the internet at work and at home, but not DW (so no worries).

1. MSN's browser at work throws stories at me - one was the headline: Woman's Hike Through Texas' Big Bend National Park Turns into a Nightmare. Thinking for a quick getaway from people and in nature, in the rarely visited park, a woman suddenly finds herself surrounded by hundreds of tiny animals and stumbles into a nightmare.

Trying to figure out what "tiny animals" would surround you and terrify you, I of course took a peek?

Sigh. I really wish I hadn't.

I'm arachnophobic - so no, I didn't read any more of the article (not because I can't read about spiders) - it had pictures. I can't look at pictures of spiders. They couldn't have written the article without the pictures? No, of course not. It's the internet. I hate the internet. It is doing a really good job of biting into my good mood. Fuck you, internet.

2. I apparently liked a few Buffy posts on FB, so FB keeps throwing all things Buffy related at me. Today it threw an Instagram Post by the guy who played Parker Abrhams on Buffy in S4, and who was also on Dawson's Creek shortly thereafter - he was posting a tribute to the lead of Dawson's who died recently from cancer. The gist? ( Read more... )

3. And MSN keeps throwing the following at me at work:

* how to prepare for retirement with $1M in 401 K or IRA and $2,465 Social Security. (Sigh, if I had $1M in 401K - I'd have retired already.)

* The best small towns or places to retire in every state. (They all have one thing in common? You need a car. I don't drive.)

* If you travel you shouldn't use a hard suitcase with wheels since it is banned in certain European countries, (Apparently for noise pollution and wear and tear on cobblestone streets? Too many tourists wandering about with baggage at all times at night.)

* No, it is better to have one since a back pack or duffel is hard on your back and you can't pack as much. (I wish people would make up their minds.)

* If you travel to these 20 countries - you will need an electronic visa or electronic authorization ahead of time - and provide before you get on the plane. (So what happens if your phone dies en route? Oh, brings up a story mother told me the other day - a man was denied passage on a cruise because he brought the wrong passport. He accidentally packed the expired passport as opposed to the new one. This is after traveling by bus all the way down to Miami, with people from the retirement center. Mother didn't seem to know what happened next, except that he turned down the offer to catch up with the cruise in New Orleans. He needed it for Mexico.)

* TSA has changed its rules and you need to ensure you do these 12 things, and not bring these things...

Sigh. Now I'm afraid to retire and travel. The stupid internet is stressful. I miss the days in which I didn't know all this crap.

***

It's also throwing television shows at me. Netflix has apparently added more shows. And the internet wants me to watch Sharp Objects on HBO, which it has decided is the best and most twisty thriller ever. ( Read more... )

Me and the Internet are at cross-purposes at the moment? I think AI has made the internet worse?

***

What else should I complain about?

I don't know what to read next. That's not a complaint. Right now I'm reading or trying out Illona Andrews latest novel - Inheritance, which they'd initially wrote as a lark or a serialized novella, no more than 12,000 words for their blog. But alas, it's become a two-book series. And they had to add a lot of world building. It reads a bit like a post-apocalyptic survival video game, actually, with banter. I can tell the writers played a lot of video games during the pandemic. Survival video games have become a thing - now. The internet was flinging those at me as well. And I'm admittedly tempted but afraid to put that on my phone or computer. Maybe the ipad? (No, Inheritance is not a video game - I switched tracks in mid-paragraph.)

The book, Inheritance, is about ( Read more... )

I'm hoping I don't regret grabbing Ministry of Time - I didn't know it was about the same thing the Terror television series is about when I purchased it. It doesn't tell you that. Hmm. Oh well, maybe it won't be an issue?

***

Took some long walks yesterday and today - first in a long time - at work location. First was up to the cherry blossoms on Pier 15, turns out they are fake cherry blossoms - so not worth the trip or tickets. (Why fake? I don't know, it's NY? It is odd though - I mean it's not like we don't have actual cherry blossoms in several botanical gardens, parks, and a cemetery in late March/early April? Maybe they got desperate and wanted to do it now?) The green houses are tiny, and claustrophobic, and you couldn't pay me to sit in one of them for dinner.

I have a picture of it - see below and assuming you can see it - let me know what you think?



The other walk will have to wait until tomorrow. Since long past bedtime for me. Good night all.