So this is just a big hodgepodge of stuff I enjoyed this year. Once you get past episodes, things get broad. Media has changed a lot so that also makes this a stranger list. For instance, when I was younger, I could have probably always told you a favorite album of the year. That's less likely these days, though I did I have a favorite album a few years ago. Two of them, in fact.
Favorite Thing I did with Music: I finally started making playlists on Youtube. At first, I just did some short ones. Then I did a fairly long one for my roommate's Halloween party. Sometime after that, I started one I called Obsessions and started throwing songs that I have adored from time to time on there. Whenever I remember another one, I add it to the list. It's long and meanders all over the place and I really enjoy having it in my life.
Favorite Comic: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. This was recommended by my roommate and he was quite right to do so. Archie comics don't have a frequent publishing timeline, but when they do, man can they put out some good stuff. This isn't your Melissa Joan Hart Sabrina. These witches are cannibals and into dark magic and pacts with demons. It's glorious.
Favorite movie: The Martian. This actually surprises me because I wasn't that into the idea of this move when it first came out. I loved it though. Even though it focuses mostly on one man stranded by himself, it says a lot about humanity, our ability to unite, and how amazing we can be when we all try. It was very uplifting without being cheesy. I like it when movies can do that.
I think that's enough for now. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I'll reflect more on the year itself then.
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Friday, December 29, 2017
2017 Favs: Episodic Addition
It seems like I spent most of the year complaining about things. I'll be honest; 2017 has not been a good year for me. I lost two cats. I've been in a lot of pain. I was really scared a couple of times. I cried a lot.
However, there have been a lot of good things too! I thought I would list some of my favorite things of the year, as a way to document them, but also as a way to remind everyone that I wasn't just a sour sassy all year long.
I'm starting with things that come in episodes. I said episodic stuff because I guess some of it can't be called television anymore because I don't watch it on television. This has been a mixed bag for the things I watch. Some shows really sucked and I didn't finish them, like Project Runway, Supergirl, and, worst of all, American Horror Story. Other shows I watched all the way through, but I wasn't that happy with them, like Game of Thrones and FaceOff. I'm hoping with most of these it's just a matter of them having an offseason. Anyway, on to the good things.
BEST OF 2017
Favorite Continuing TV show: RuPaul's Drag Race. I love RPDR so much. People talk about it being the best show on TV and it really is. Rupaul takes all the best elements of reality competitions and adds a kind of variety show element to it. It just makes me so happy. This season had drama and fan songs and one amazing finale. I adore this show.
Favorite New Show: Legion. Legion branched off in a different direction from the comics and became this astoundingly surreal masterpiece. I loved the first season so much. There are scenes from it that I watch over and over again because they're just SO well done.
Favorite Youtube show: Movie Bitches. When you get a sarcastic gay man and a sarcastic straight woman together, get them drunk off wine, and let them talk about movies, drag queens, and various other topics, how could it not be just grand?
Favorite season of a show: Bojack Horseman. I think this is always the case since this show started. Bojack is probably the best show out there where ideas about Depression, failure, making mistakes, figuring out how to live with yourself, and finding reasons to live are concerned. This season also tackled miscarriage and dementia and handled both is very realistic and insightful ways.
Favorite Netflix show: Again, this is Bojack, for all the reasons I listed above. And also for the music.
Biggest Pleasant Surprise Show: Riverdale. I guess this one could be on my guilty pleasure list too, but it's honestly too good for that. Riverdale, which is what happens when you take the Archie Gang and CandyWarp them, is really a great show. The mystery sustains well. The drama is dire. The town is full of secrets and darkness. And, best of all, Betty and Jughead. Betty and Jughead are really, really the best.
Favorite Guilty Pleasure: Hey Qween's sideshow called Hot T. I could technically say all of Hey Qween, but I think the main two shows, Hey Qween and Look at Huh, are actually pretty damned good shows. Hot T, however, is MEANT to be nothing more than tons of gossip. I don't even care about the people they gossip about, I just love the way they do it. After the cats died, I would watch episode after episode of Hot T and laugh my ass off. It helped me to cope and what better use is there for a guilty pleasure?
Anyway, those are my fav shows for the year. I'll talk more about other favs tomorrow.
However, there have been a lot of good things too! I thought I would list some of my favorite things of the year, as a way to document them, but also as a way to remind everyone that I wasn't just a sour sassy all year long.
I'm starting with things that come in episodes. I said episodic stuff because I guess some of it can't be called television anymore because I don't watch it on television. This has been a mixed bag for the things I watch. Some shows really sucked and I didn't finish them, like Project Runway, Supergirl, and, worst of all, American Horror Story. Other shows I watched all the way through, but I wasn't that happy with them, like Game of Thrones and FaceOff. I'm hoping with most of these it's just a matter of them having an offseason. Anyway, on to the good things.
BEST OF 2017
Favorite Continuing TV show: RuPaul's Drag Race. I love RPDR so much. People talk about it being the best show on TV and it really is. Rupaul takes all the best elements of reality competitions and adds a kind of variety show element to it. It just makes me so happy. This season had drama and fan songs and one amazing finale. I adore this show.
Favorite New Show: Legion. Legion branched off in a different direction from the comics and became this astoundingly surreal masterpiece. I loved the first season so much. There are scenes from it that I watch over and over again because they're just SO well done.
Favorite Youtube show: Movie Bitches. When you get a sarcastic gay man and a sarcastic straight woman together, get them drunk off wine, and let them talk about movies, drag queens, and various other topics, how could it not be just grand?
Favorite season of a show: Bojack Horseman. I think this is always the case since this show started. Bojack is probably the best show out there where ideas about Depression, failure, making mistakes, figuring out how to live with yourself, and finding reasons to live are concerned. This season also tackled miscarriage and dementia and handled both is very realistic and insightful ways.
Favorite Netflix show: Again, this is Bojack, for all the reasons I listed above. And also for the music.
Biggest Pleasant Surprise Show: Riverdale. I guess this one could be on my guilty pleasure list too, but it's honestly too good for that. Riverdale, which is what happens when you take the Archie Gang and CandyWarp them, is really a great show. The mystery sustains well. The drama is dire. The town is full of secrets and darkness. And, best of all, Betty and Jughead. Betty and Jughead are really, really the best.
Favorite Guilty Pleasure: Hey Qween's sideshow called Hot T. I could technically say all of Hey Qween, but I think the main two shows, Hey Qween and Look at Huh, are actually pretty damned good shows. Hot T, however, is MEANT to be nothing more than tons of gossip. I don't even care about the people they gossip about, I just love the way they do it. After the cats died, I would watch episode after episode of Hot T and laugh my ass off. It helped me to cope and what better use is there for a guilty pleasure?
Anyway, those are my fav shows for the year. I'll talk more about other favs tomorrow.
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Thank You for Participating
I am so sick of hearing people bitch about participation trophies. Nothing makes you sound like an old codger more than complaining about all of society's ills can be traced back to the decision to give children trophies for participating in things. Mind you, I used to be one of those people. I've stopped though, because I've started to realize the issue was never, and is not now, so black and white.
The game I play has contests about every two weeks. I've entered a couple of time and won minor things. The last two, I didn't enter because I didn't have time and/or wasn't in the mindset to even try and come up with something. A guildmate of mine did enter both of them. He got prizes from one because they decided to reward everyone the same. He got prizes from the second one for participating. He didn't win the major stuff on that one, but he did get a little bit of stuff thrown his way, just for the effort.
And, okay, so the game runners did not do this to help anyone self-esteem. They didn't do it to make anyone feel good. They did it because this is their way of keeping people interested in the game. They also did it to encourage more people to enter their contests. I'm sure this has something to do with being able to so said numbers to backers as proof of the game's popularity.
The truth of the matter is this: participation IS its own form of currency. In certain cases, hell, in a lot of cases, just the fact that you put in the effort to show up makes all the difference.
So I have to wonder, how many of these little t-ball games where kids got participation trophies wouldn't have happened at all if those kids had chosen to stay home? The great ball players may feel unhappy about the other kids getting something too, but how would they feel if there were so few kids interested in the sport that no teams existed at all?
End of the day, it always comes down to supply and demand. If you have 200 people trying out for your team of 10, then yes, you have the advantage. Be selective. Choose the best. Shout out in all glorious self-righteousness that you will not coddle anyone and that you will not lower your standards.
But remember, that only only ONLY works so long as you have the numbers advantage. The minute your team that requires ten only has three people show up, well.....that changes things. Now you're the beggar and the other side can make the demands. You might be surprised what you'll be willing to compromise under those circumstances.
The game I play has contests about every two weeks. I've entered a couple of time and won minor things. The last two, I didn't enter because I didn't have time and/or wasn't in the mindset to even try and come up with something. A guildmate of mine did enter both of them. He got prizes from one because they decided to reward everyone the same. He got prizes from the second one for participating. He didn't win the major stuff on that one, but he did get a little bit of stuff thrown his way, just for the effort.
And, okay, so the game runners did not do this to help anyone self-esteem. They didn't do it to make anyone feel good. They did it because this is their way of keeping people interested in the game. They also did it to encourage more people to enter their contests. I'm sure this has something to do with being able to so said numbers to backers as proof of the game's popularity.
The truth of the matter is this: participation IS its own form of currency. In certain cases, hell, in a lot of cases, just the fact that you put in the effort to show up makes all the difference.
So I have to wonder, how many of these little t-ball games where kids got participation trophies wouldn't have happened at all if those kids had chosen to stay home? The great ball players may feel unhappy about the other kids getting something too, but how would they feel if there were so few kids interested in the sport that no teams existed at all?
End of the day, it always comes down to supply and demand. If you have 200 people trying out for your team of 10, then yes, you have the advantage. Be selective. Choose the best. Shout out in all glorious self-righteousness that you will not coddle anyone and that you will not lower your standards.
But remember, that only only ONLY works so long as you have the numbers advantage. The minute your team that requires ten only has three people show up, well.....that changes things. Now you're the beggar and the other side can make the demands. You might be surprised what you'll be willing to compromise under those circumstances.
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Watching Ghosts
I watched the documentary over Party Monster. It was on Youtube and only about an hour. I'd always wanted to see it because I'm fascinated by the club kids scene, for all its color and glitter and creativity.....and for its desperation. Michael Alig is a rather charming sociopath, but a sociopath nonetheless.
It was sad to watch it. A lot of the people they talked to are dead now. It was strange to look at these sad, tortured people and know things never got better for them. Thankfully, it did for some. James St James has done well for himself and is now basically a gay culture curator.
Michael never really showed remorse. He was upset he got caught and upset he was in prison, but I don't think he's ever been upset that he ended a life.
It was sad to watch it. A lot of the people they talked to are dead now. It was strange to look at these sad, tortured people and know things never got better for them. Thankfully, it did for some. James St James has done well for himself and is now basically a gay culture curator.
Michael never really showed remorse. He was upset he got caught and upset he was in prison, but I don't think he's ever been upset that he ended a life.
The End of Christmas
Today started the Recover from Holidays process. We ate our leftover holiday food and were pretty quiet. The roommate is trying to get some business stuff sorted, but couldn't due to companies still taking off for the holidays. That can be very frustrating.
It was pretty fun to see everyone's post-holiday pictures. I oddly like the ones of people asleep on couches wearing whatever festive stuff they received as gifts. It's just nice to see people relaxed and happy after the holiday has ended.
For me, the best part of the holiday was that my roommate and I made up a new, ridiculous Christmas spirit and told jokes about him the whole time. We even made up some songs. My guess is that he'll be part of our holiday tradition from now on.
It was pretty fun to see everyone's post-holiday pictures. I oddly like the ones of people asleep on couches wearing whatever festive stuff they received as gifts. It's just nice to see people relaxed and happy after the holiday has ended.
For me, the best part of the holiday was that my roommate and I made up a new, ridiculous Christmas spirit and told jokes about him the whole time. We even made up some songs. My guess is that he'll be part of our holiday tradition from now on.
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Christmas Day
As per tradition, the roommate and I went to see a movie for Christmas. We didn't find anywhere to eat, so we got stuff at a convenience store. I wasn't upset about that. Finding places to eat out on Christmas Day is always an adventure. Often the adventure is the best part.
It may be the meds talking, but now that the holiday is completed. I feel more cheerful and festive about it than I did before. I tried to talk to people and make the best of things. I got some really great gifts and had some really good meals. Overall, I would call this birthday/Christmas holiday a success.
It may be the meds talking, but now that the holiday is completed. I feel more cheerful and festive about it than I did before. I tried to talk to people and make the best of things. I got some really great gifts and had some really good meals. Overall, I would call this birthday/Christmas holiday a success.
Saturday, December 23, 2017
Blood and Fire Continued
It's easy to get frustrated when you lose GB two nights in a row, especially when you're used to a switch off every day. If you let it, a lowgrade panic can set in. What if they keep winning? What if their buff just goes up and up? In moments like this, the best thing to do is remember you're playing a game.
I like games because its low-stakes challenges. I can solve problems, but if I don't solve them, no one is going to kill me or turn off my electricity. It isn't important, but at the same time, you can still solve the problems. Right now our problem was that Biggest Jerk in the Basket could stand back up after we killed him.
But not always......
I needed to rally people. They were down. I reminded them that any victory had by the Basket would always be pyrrhic. They'd spent so much money on this game that even winning a battle every day still meant they were losing the greater war. Most of us had only invested time. As for the others, they'd invested no more than a night out at Red Lobster. In any battle, we had far less at stake.
With that in mind, we needed to sort out their new advantage. When someone is on a winning streak, it will be announced in the game's Newsfeed. It's also announced when someone ends that streak. In this case, the person who ended it was me. After we all calmed down from the loss, we started talking about why I was able to kill him when no one else could. Trust me, it isn't because I'm the best player in this game. In the rankings, I'm usually sitting at about #10. My guild sits at #1 though, and that is more important.
The thing is, I had a skill activated that no one else did. Most of them HAD the skill, but they didn't have it turned on. The skill causes sustained bleeding after each round up to three rounds. The thing is, it kicks in AFTER the round starts, so even if he stood back up after being killed, the bleed would kill him again and there was nothing he could do about it.
We had a way around him.
When reset kicked in, everyone used their scrolls to boost their Bleed skill. Even one level higher would help us. That night, as we waited for the battle to start, I reminded everyone to activate the skill. It's so silly because yes this is a game, but I couldn't help but smile as I typed.
"Let's make them bleed tonight."
And did this work? Did we win? Of course we did. It helped that their debuff was really high by now, but even with that, our ability to suss out a way around their advantages made all the difference. This city was ours again.
I like games because its low-stakes challenges. I can solve problems, but if I don't solve them, no one is going to kill me or turn off my electricity. It isn't important, but at the same time, you can still solve the problems. Right now our problem was that Biggest Jerk in the Basket could stand back up after we killed him.
But not always......
I needed to rally people. They were down. I reminded them that any victory had by the Basket would always be pyrrhic. They'd spent so much money on this game that even winning a battle every day still meant they were losing the greater war. Most of us had only invested time. As for the others, they'd invested no more than a night out at Red Lobster. In any battle, we had far less at stake.
With that in mind, we needed to sort out their new advantage. When someone is on a winning streak, it will be announced in the game's Newsfeed. It's also announced when someone ends that streak. In this case, the person who ended it was me. After we all calmed down from the loss, we started talking about why I was able to kill him when no one else could. Trust me, it isn't because I'm the best player in this game. In the rankings, I'm usually sitting at about #10. My guild sits at #1 though, and that is more important.
The thing is, I had a skill activated that no one else did. Most of them HAD the skill, but they didn't have it turned on. The skill causes sustained bleeding after each round up to three rounds. The thing is, it kicks in AFTER the round starts, so even if he stood back up after being killed, the bleed would kill him again and there was nothing he could do about it.
We had a way around him.
When reset kicked in, everyone used their scrolls to boost their Bleed skill. Even one level higher would help us. That night, as we waited for the battle to start, I reminded everyone to activate the skill. It's so silly because yes this is a game, but I couldn't help but smile as I typed.
"Let's make them bleed tonight."
And did this work? Did we win? Of course we did. It helped that their debuff was really high by now, but even with that, our ability to suss out a way around their advantages made all the difference. This city was ours again.
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