Why? Why?

How come people in TV/movies always brush their teeth from side to side, when everyone knows you're supposed to stroke downwards? ...All those actors must have receding gums by now.

I can't find my driving moccassins! Anywhere!

I try to write le funny. So sometimes I'm watching le funny and trying to think: Why is it so?

Been rewatching New Girl, which I love. It's about a geeky girl who moves in with three guys. Some have called her a "manic pixie dream girl"* but she's not. Her weirdness isn't "ooh I'm a bird flying free listening to emo music." It's...

I brake for birds, I rock a lot of polka dots, I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours, ...and I find it fundamentally strange that you’re not a dessert person. That’s just weird, and it freaks me out. And I’m sorry I don’t talk like Murphy Brown, and I hate your pantsuit. I wish it had ribbons on it, or something to make it just slightly cuter. I’m about to go pay this $800 fine, and my checks have baby farm animals on them, bitch!

Some of my fave things...


1. There's no straight man. In the first couple episodes the only really weird characters are Jess and roommate Schmidt (he's the fan fave.)



But eventually everyone has a chance to be fucked up. I like stories full of weird people. Cause I think most people are weird. Even when I meet someone really straight, their straightness is just weird.

Cliff: So how did you get that far into law school and then drop out?  

Nick: Well, I got my heart broken, and then everything got weird. I started playing guitar in an alt-country ska band, gambling a lot. There was a really weird week where I wore a long, blond wig and made everybody call me “Sandy Ferguson.” 

Cliff: I have never loved anyone that much.

2. A lot of the humor comes from the real-life-a-tude. They don't have amazing jobs, their apartment's half broken down, they drive crap cars--they're all struggling with what life is often like in your 30s. (In other words, not Sex in the City.)

Yes. This happens. Seen it many times. 


My best friend Gilby is actually... I have to admit... a bit Schmidt. It's what I lurv about him. I lurv dandies.


Guys do think about you while "self completing." ...But you can still be friends with them.



3. They avoid stereotypes well. Though the African-American character is a basketball player, it was for Latvia. And now he's back in the US with no job. Ends up nannying.

And Schmidt is Jewish, and Jess's best friend is of Indian descent, but they don't play this out in stereotypes the way they do in The Big Bang Theory. And when there is ethnic humor, it's still attached to the real world. That is to say, to racism, or violence. Like Schmidt telling a kissing couple, who's black:

“You know what, if this was my grandmother’s building, she’d be outside on the patio and she’d be yelling down on you and she’d be saying, ‘You look BEAUTY-FUL! The two of you are a BEAUTY-FUL couple! I’m glad you found one another!’ But she wouldn’t invite you up because she’s a horrible racist.”

4. These are good friendships. They take care of each other. Like in episode 2 when Jess is fighting with her ex-boyfriend and the boys put on her weird hats to back her up.




I may have to write another post about why I find Big Bang Theory funny in some parts, and blehhh in others.

_______
* I should go on record as saying I don't mind this term when used in a limited sense. When applied too broadly, like to Annie Hall, Bringing Up Baby, and What's Up Doc, then I think it's sexist. I've never seen a cutesie term made up for a male character who's chaotic.
     

Ballerina bodies

I like to have one book that I'm e-reading, cause I don't have a bedside lamp here. And I want to lie in bed in the dark and read a bit til I feel sleepy. So I'm not laying awake thinking of my problems. I sped-finished A Princess Bride. I didn't find it as hilarious as when I was 17. I needed another book, and decided to start the newer Malcolm X biography. Fascinating dude.

In other book news... so many great looking books I'll never have time for. Like this new one on ballerinas. Here are some quotes from an article on it:

"A great lover of dance, Kelly admires ballerinas for their immense talent and artistry, but sees behind the scenes a world plagued by anorexia, sexual abuse, low pay and poor working conditions." 

“I think you need first a new aesthetic. You need to get [the ballerina] back to her own shape. I think you have to allow her to be a woman. I am heartened by the presence of the likes of Misty Copeland in American Ballet Theatre. She’s black, she’s busty…that is her natural body.” 

Kelly dates the huge rise in anorexia among ballerinas to the influence of George Balanchine. ... “1963, George Balanchine the great Russian-born choreographer got the all-important Ford Foundation grant,” Kelly said. “He’s able finally to create ballet in his own vision. His vision included a ballerina who was long of limb, lean of frame, tall, narrow hips and a small head – the proverbial pinheads is what the critics used to call them.”

    (CBC)

Recommends: Old movies on youtube

On Sunday I was "lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did" (Barenaked Ladies.) That is to say, pretty much spent the whole day in bed being depressed. So I watched some old movies that people have snuck onto the youtube. (For the record I felt better by Monday.) I've provided the links, but they might be dead soon.

This movie doesn't really have a plot... just a string of comedic set pieces. Mostly of Grant and Sheridan fighting, and then him having to sleep somewhere uncomfortable. The war bride bit doesn't come til the last 1/4 of the film. It was watchable cause it was witty, but... weird movie. Sheridan's pretty mean to Grant throughout. (Watch here.)

Another weird one. Dietrich is a performer, who one day comes across an abandoned baby and decides to keep it. She needs a husband in order to legally adopt the baby, and so takes on MacMurray. Then there's the Misunderstanding--the kind that could be solved by conversation--and then the bebby brings them back together. Weird. Not much chemistry, but Dietrich was quite adorable. No idea what the title means. (Watch here.)

This was much more standard screwball stuff--a semi Cinderella story. Colbert and Ameche are both poor and fall in love at first meet. But she wants to marry rich, and gets whisked away by a rich dude who wants her to seduce his wife's lover away from the wife. Meanwhile Ameche is trying to find her everywhere, and when he shows up -- silliness ensues. I would recommend this one of the three. And John Barrymore was really funny in it. (Watch here.)

     

Photo Essay: Tidy tidy tidy...

When I got back to Nanaimo, from my mum's, I had a cold. I was a tired-ee. And then I became a bit of a depressedy. So my room was a total mess! I try to keep things tidy, even more so to respect my parents' Extremely Tidy Home than for myself. But I... just... couldn't...

I finally tidied up today. 

 Here's my little Home Away from Home.

My closet--hard to hang up clothes cause the dresser's in there. I keep miscellaneous things in the top drawer, and then clothes in the rest.

Here's my team. Gunnee, Crabby, Wonder Woman in battle gear, Oscar Wilde, and the Elephant Raja.

My organization system, based on the Getting Things Done system. It might be too complicated, but I'll just adjust as I go.

Tickler = things I'll need in coming months. Eg. A wedding invite tucked under the month when the wedding takes place, so that it's there waiting for me in that month. Real tickler files go day-by-day but my life isn't that busy yet.

Reference = my reference files in here

Someday/Maybe = ideas, homes, thinks

Projects = folders that don't need to be checked every day, but are the projects I'm working on. For example, the binder with my novel notes.

My folders. Money, taxes, health, paperwork (incl stamps, envelopes)... 

The next part of the organization system is that you take the things that need doing soon, and you put them into Contexts. I only have two context folders in my room.

One is this little colorful box of things that need to go downstairs. Right now overflowing.

The other is for things I need to do on the computer... or sitting in bed, these days...

My computer desktop has the same sorts of folders...

And on my ipad too. This is where most of my "contexts" are kept. Calls to make, emails to send, waiting for, errands...

Here is where I work when I don't sit at my little desk. Trucker Fernando is modeling.

This is my "side table." All the cables I need, all the books I'm reading, my pills etc. Then if there's a house sale visit I just have to zip up my bag and my room's all clean.

And finally my little table... 

...my little view. This week it's been full of fog in the mornings! Looks like I'm flying! 

Oh, it's dissipating a bit...

And finally, here is moi.

      

Better Than a Hollywood Rom Com

Everyone makes better romance movies than Hollywood. The independents, Canadian, Brits, Australians, French... they all come out with wonderful, creative, touching little romantic comedies. But it's the Hollywood ones that get all the press, and then everyone concludes that there are no good romantic comedies being made anymore.

Not true! There are just no good ones being made by the big studios.

I just watched a cute, funny little movie that's on Netflix with English subtitles, from France/Belgium. It's called Romantics Anonymous, though that's a translation of the word "émotif" which really means emotional. Émotifs Anonymes is a real group in France for people with emotional problems. The film apparently came about because the two stars are shy, have both been to the Émotifs group, and thought up a romance movie about shy people.

I'm now going to spoiler the end, but it's a love story so... come on... you know they end up together.

Some people on Jennifer Crusie's blog once talked about how they don't like movie love declarations made in public. Personally I don't mind them, cause I like comedy and public declarations can be really funny--like in Crocodile Dundee. In this movie there's a cute compromise. The declaration happens in front of their two support groups--her Émotifs group and his employees. Just before they kiss she asks him: Are they watching us? He says no. They kiss, and he motions for everyone to turn around. See? Comedy.

At their wedding, he finds her hiding in a closet (he's hiding too.)

And they run away together.

The other thing about non-Hollywood films is the actors aren't always drop dead gorgeous. At least, there's more variety.

 

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Song that was there for me this past week

In Yoruba mythology Oya is the goddess of storms and destruction and "Beyond destruction, Oya is the spirit of change, transition, and the chaos that often brings it about." Her name means "she tore." (wiki)

It all rests on this
How do I see things now
In my average day
Am I an average Joe
Or do I seize the moment
And call on Oya
The goddess of change

"The Goddess of Change" by Joan Armatrading

What gets me through a bad day

Shawn & Gus

Gus: [grabbing his cell phone] I'm out of here. I'm calling a cab.

Sheriff Mendel: Well, those things don't work out here. We got no TVs, no radio, no refrigerators.

Gus: Sounds like prison. Except they have all those things.

Shawn: Gus, don't be the American adaptation of the British Gus.

Shawn: Gus, don't be Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Marzipan.

Gus: It's Azkaban.

Shawn: I've heard it both ways.

Shawn: Gus, don't be the only black lead on a major cable network.

Shawn: Gus, don't be exactly half of an eleven-pound Black Forest ham!

Shawn: Gus, don't be both Ashlee Simpson albums.

Gus: There were three Ashlee Simpson albums.

Shawn: That can't possibly be true.

Gus: Autobiography, Bittersweet—

Shawn: I will not do this with you right now!

Shawn: How can you tell that someone's a compulsive liar? I mean, assuming their pants aren't on fire.

Bad Guy: But know this: one stupid move, and I've got more than enough plastic bags for your body parts.

Shawn: Note to self: call Hefty with commercial idea.

Shawn: I have an idea, but we'll need cool names.

Juliet: Shawn, just so you know, if you go to prison I will not wait for you!

Shawn: Of course you won't. I'll escape; we both know that.

Gus: Shawn? What the heck are you doing here?

Shawn: I should ask you the same question.

Gus: I work here!

Shawn: I should ask you a different question.

And the one that expresses how I've felt all this year:

Juliet: You're acting like a child, Shawn.

Shawn: I am not acting!

      

Pratchett, Primeval & the List!

“There was this about vampires : they could never look scruffy. Instead, they were... what was the word... deshabille. It meant untidy, but with bags and bags of style.” 

I think I've said before that I read in all genres, at least a little. I'm reading my first Lord Peter Wimsey right now, but I hadn't dug into Fantasy or Sci Fi in a long time, til recently.

This week I read my first Terry Pratchett. I heard 1 & 2 of Discworld are just spoofs on the high Fantasy genre, whereas he comes into his own in book 3; so I decided to skip the book I have (#2). I went to the library and picked out a stand-alone title called Monstrous Regiment. It begins with the trope of the girl who dresses as a boy to join the army, but what Pratchett does with that trope is hilarious. One reviewer compared it to Sharpe, and I think that's a good comparison (and to the Hornblower TV series). A small squad of anti-heroes, funny and quirky, but in a serious setting.

Anyway, it was fantastic, I highly recommend it. Especially if you like to read books with women protagonists. You'll find it fulfilling in a way I can't describe without spoilering the book.

On the other side, I've been watching Connie Willis' favorite show, Primeval. (Well something had to replace Psych, of which I watched every single episode.)

Watched all 5 seasons. It's about a group of London scientists who discover these anomalies through which prehistoric creatures are able to come through time. They have to contain them, so there's a dino-of-the-week element; but the real strength of the series is in its long stories. I enjoyed every one of them, through each season. Now: There are plot holes you could fly a spaceship through. There are so many absurdities I'm tempted to create a drinking game! You have to be able to disregard the logic of the thing, and just enjoy the sort of political-thriller-tude of it.

The series also does romances well. There are several, plus the one Grand Romance between Connor the geek and Abby the animal lover. Willis is right--Connor is adorkable.

"So, eight years she's been living in the past. My God! How are we going to explain Celebrity Love Island to her?"

The show gets a ZERO in terms of casting people of color (or, needless to say, people of non-heterotude). There are a lot of cast changes, so it's really inexcusable. Especially since it takes place in London! Really, really bad. But the ladies are done up well. It's always a man, plus Connor, who *stars*, so this is no Alien. But the women basically dress appropriately, shoot accurately, and are active.

Oh and then there's Lester, the bureaucrat running the operation. He gets all the good lines, I lurv him.

"You know I could have been ambassador to Moscow by now. Maybe even Cabinet Secretary. Instead I'm watching a dinosaur trash my office. Still, no regrets."

"We may stand on the brink of Armageddon, but at least we have an irritating student on our side. How reassuring!"

Not sure whether to continue in this vein or not. Maybe get back into Dr Who. Or read the SFF books I brought with me--the Nanaimo 50 List! I've got Rothfuss, Sawyer, Shinn, Wicked and that underwater book. I've only read 3 books from the list so far (I'm counting Pratchett), though Step-mommy the French horror novel, and my dad read Living Biblically. Does that count?

I've read (not counting kids' books) 24 books since moving out here, just not the "right ones" ! Meh heh heh. Ahhh books. Having a library card isn't helping (graphic novels!)
   
   

Another wee gentle soul has passed through our lives

My mother had to put another Companion Animal down. :-(

When my mother could afford it, she used to foster cats and dogs; so besides her own two cats and three dogs, there was always a gang trooping in and out. She's good at taking a nervous or traumatized dog and calming them down and getting them ready for a new Forever Home.

Of course when you foster you sometimes end up with new little fellas in your life, little dudes who they couldn't find a home for, or just suited the household well. And they're often oldy animals. So all my mums furbabies are around the same age, which means they're getting sick and dying at the same time!

My mum had 8 animals:

Mystery & Purdy: her two original cats
Sassy, Eddy & Rocky: her dogs
Oasis & Chino: two "foster" cats
Thor: a "foster" dog

Oasis died last winter or spring--my mum spent a lot of money trying to save him, but he passed away anyway. Thor then died of a heart attack. Then when I was visiting last spring we realized Purdy would have to be put down, she had advanced kidney disease. And now Chino. He's slowed down a lot in the last few months, and on my second to last day he was throwing up and not eating.

I was really sad when I left my mum's last Thursday cause I didn't think I'd ever see Chino again. He was such a funny little guy, I adored him.

When I wasn't there, no one was allowed in the upstairs room (the garret!) cause the cats treat it like a big ole litter box. !! But when I'm there I open it up for business and they behave. We started to call it the Kit Kat Club, cause all three cats loved to hang out there. Especially Chino.

Chino on the bed, Mystery on the chair

Sometimes if I was watching TV downstairs with my mum, Chino would come and nag me to come upstairs. Here's the guilt inducing look. Sometimes with a scratchy meow.

Here he's resigned to hang with us for awhile. (That's Rocky in the background.)

He rarely cuddled on my lap like this. He preferred to be slung over my shoulder.

This cat had the funniest expressions. Often I'd talk to him and he wouldn't look at me or react at all, as though he couldn't hear me. He wasn't playing it cool--I think he enjoyed messing with me.

And when he would look, he often had an alarmed look on his face, as though life were a continual surprise. (This is the look!)

Trying out a new spot.

Chino's bad legs were weak so he had to pull himself up on things; so mum wouldn't cut his nails. If he were a Bond villain his name would have been Mista Nails. That's what I called him sometimes. But usually Chino Beano. And my mum called him Chino-baby. "Heyyy Chino-baby!" He liked that.

I can intellectually understand that some people don't want to have an animal to care for. ...I canNOT understand how some people don't like animals at all. ...But in my heart, I don't understand why the whole world doesn't FLIP for animals. They're all unique, and interesting, and most of the time sweeties--each in their own way. Chino wasn't demonstrative, but when I'd pick him up I'd put my head against his body and close my eyes and listen to him PURR PURR PURR. It felt like I was filling up my batteries.

Well, at least he had Purdy waiting in kitty heaven to boss him around. And Oasis for him to boss around. We'll miss you lots Chino Beano!