Updates
Okay, I have nearly posted this entry like four different times, then held back for some reason, then needed to update it again, and it's finally turned into this mulch pile of an entry that I keep turning over every couple of days. IT NEEDS TO BE POSTED.
So. Doing somewhat better. Blood pressure is still a little high but nearly normal, after an initial week of self-imposed semi-bed-rest. (I gave up on trying to answer the comments on the previous entry, but thanks for your good thoughts, guys.) The day after that med check that I mentioned, when hypertension came up as a possible cause of my constant headaches, I stayed in bed and the headaches vanished. I've only them on the few rainy days since (which is normal for me). It took a while, and I'm still having to keep a pretty sharp eye on it, but I don't think I'm going to have to go on medication for it. Honestly, I spent the whole week until the GP visit being really anxious, but rationally anxious, like, how bad off am I, exactly? So, scared and a little sad, even.
And now, I think I've gone into a manic upswing, which means that I'm calm and rational, sure, but I can't focus. I'm having a really hard time maintaining a coherent train of thought; my thoughts actively wander, if that makes any sense. Like, to the point where it's difficult to read, the way it's difficult to get through a really dry text at 11 pm when you're supposed to have read it for class the next day, you know? It's like a mental dizziness, not a physical one. I had good ideas on Saturday, then was super productive on Sunday, and then it just all fell apart on Monday. (I had such a good idea for the book on Sunday, almost something of a game-changer, that I'm concerned it's just the mania talking and I'm going to do all this work on it and then sit here next Monday and wonder what the hell I was thinking.) I know, too, that I'm more liable to be cranky or lose my temper when I'm manic, and... that's not good for my blood pressure. Like, maybe I just need to not talk to people, any of them, at all, until this passes. But I digress. Mostly I'm managing it with, like, lavender and lemongrass-based BPAL blends, chamomile tea, and a glass of wine at night. The combination of my actual antidepressants was so difficult--painful, even--to get to a comfortable balance that, if adding on simple things like tea and aromatherapy are enough to settle me down for the week or two I need it--well, screwing with that is not something I would do lightly.
Here. Have a corgi being vacuumed.
Podcasts and TV shows I did (and, uh, did not) catch up on:
I did catch up with Night Vale through "The Traveler," with the two "Sandstorm" episodes next. I want to watch the new Sleepy Hollow episodes, and I have those first two recorded.
@JoseMolinaTV: My apologies, interwebs. I shan't call #SleepyHollow fans #Sleepyheads, nor shall I call Abbie/Crane shippers #Crabbies. You pick the names!
I really, really want to have watched, but do not know when I will watch, Elementary. Should I just start the second season cold and catch up on the first simultaneously? (Why do I always do this, wanting to watch a show but never actually doing it?) I am, however, still committed to watching, AS IT AIRS, NBC's Dracula late next month. And recapping at least the first episode and hopefully seeing the whole season through, but seasonal depression/energy levels/promises I can't keep/blah blah blah. We take it as it comes. Also, showrunner Cole Haddon popped up in the middle of a Twitter conversation the other day, so apparently he's going to be pretty socially hands-on as well.
@Ceilidhann: Apparently NBC's Dracula is going to be like the vampire Steve Jobs. Well, there's that. @cleolinda
@Ceilidhann: I'm fine with them going all trippy and fantastical. Still thinking of it as vampire Nikola Tesla.
@LJmysticowl: You know what, I like what he's saying. I just hope that they really commit to the fantasy Victoriana/AU idea.
@colehaddon: He's the vampire Nikola Tesla with Thomas Edison's showmanship! Unfortunately... (more)
@colehaddon: ...not enough folks know Tesla or what Edison was really about. Jobs and Musk are modern equivalents.
@colehaddon: If you're a Tesla fan, don't worry. You'll catch a lot of references to him!
(I hope that there will also be an NBC Dracula Tumblr). (GUYS, THERE ALREADY IS.)
Meanwhile! Podcasts!
Made of Fail: Shut Up and Take My Money, in which they discuss DC Comics' recent shenanigans. I will be on next month to talk about Hannibal and different approaches to fandom, assuming Dayna sacrifices an avocado to the vengeful Podcast Gods.
Anglo-Filles: Potpourri-tangent-palooza, about lots of things but including the new Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts movie. I will be on next month to talk about Hannibal, assuming the Filles sacrifice another avocado to the vengeful Podcast Gods.
A Matter of Taste: Stop! In the Name of Lovecraft, in which Fio and guest Turner also discuss a lot of movies influenced by Lovecraft (including Pacific Rim, which I know is relevant to many of y'all's interests), which I enjoyed. Ian's on a break for the month; Fio's doing horror comics next month.
Speaking of Hannibal: FLOWER CROWNS.
Also, the flower-crowned Investigators Three/Team Sassy Science and a corpse. Has anyone actually been asking what happened to this guy and how he fits into the show? Or why Gillian Anderson isn't looking at us Hannibal and Bedelia have dueling suit patterns going on up there? Am I the only person who has questions? Should I, as a recapper, actually keep an eye on spoilers as they come out or do I want to try to protect my innocence as I tried to last season? Nobody knows. Also-also, another short clip from the gag reel. Basically I am sitting out on the doorstep all *chin hands* today waiting for the DVDs to arrive in the mail. Or I would be, if I could focus long enough to remember to go out there and sit down.
Bryan Fuller Reflects on 'Hannibal' S1 & Teases S2:
ETonline: What’s the deal with the flower crowns though?
Bryan Fuller: [laughs] The fannibals really adopted that, and I’m not 100 percent sure of what the derivation is, but the flower crown thing is so fun. I think it’s solidarity with Will Graham as a martyr figure. I think it’s so adorable that this show, which is so dark and twisted, has such a happy fanbase.
ETonline: Your shows tend to attract a very devoted following. What’s the fan experience been like for you with Hannibal?
Fuller: It’s been wonderful and unexpected. I was surprised at the demographic that the show was reaching. A significant portion was young, smart, well-read women; they really responded to this show and I typically relate to young, bright ladies [laughs]. It was nice to see how enthusiastic and passionate they were. And, also, happy in the face of the dark material. They found joy and hope in something that is arguably quite bleak. I found that really rewarding and as somebody who is a fan of many things myself, I appreciate and relate to being enthusiastic about a show you love. I think it’s wonderful.
MEANWHILE, FROM LAST WEEK:
@BryanFuller: IN HONOR OF #KAISEKI, #HANNIBAL GETS A BONSAI TREE FOR HIS OFFICE pic.twitter.com/5NAkS6tASP
I can't wait to see who he kills with it.
(Dire bonsai tree?)
@BryanFuller: Super excited about what we're filming today! An EPIC FIGHT!
@BryanFuller: WHO IS HANGING OUT IN #HANNIBAL's MEAT PANTRY? pic.twitter.com/pK1hDgDLX3
@manatee73: me and P.K. the dolly grip?
(#I see what you did there #I'm not happy about it #I'm a little happy about it #[loudly implied cannibalism])
And then, NBC's new show The Blacklist happened. If a flower-crown beatdown posse shows up, I had nothing to do with it.
So. Doing somewhat better. Blood pressure is still a little high but nearly normal, after an initial week of self-imposed semi-bed-rest. (I gave up on trying to answer the comments on the previous entry, but thanks for your good thoughts, guys.) The day after that med check that I mentioned, when hypertension came up as a possible cause of my constant headaches, I stayed in bed and the headaches vanished. I've only them on the few rainy days since (which is normal for me). It took a while, and I'm still having to keep a pretty sharp eye on it, but I don't think I'm going to have to go on medication for it. Honestly, I spent the whole week until the GP visit being really anxious, but rationally anxious, like, how bad off am I, exactly? So, scared and a little sad, even.
And now, I think I've gone into a manic upswing, which means that I'm calm and rational, sure, but I can't focus. I'm having a really hard time maintaining a coherent train of thought; my thoughts actively wander, if that makes any sense. Like, to the point where it's difficult to read, the way it's difficult to get through a really dry text at 11 pm when you're supposed to have read it for class the next day, you know? It's like a mental dizziness, not a physical one. I had good ideas on Saturday, then was super productive on Sunday, and then it just all fell apart on Monday. (I had such a good idea for the book on Sunday, almost something of a game-changer, that I'm concerned it's just the mania talking and I'm going to do all this work on it and then sit here next Monday and wonder what the hell I was thinking.) I know, too, that I'm more liable to be cranky or lose my temper when I'm manic, and... that's not good for my blood pressure. Like, maybe I just need to not talk to people, any of them, at all, until this passes. But I digress. Mostly I'm managing it with, like, lavender and lemongrass-based BPAL blends, chamomile tea, and a glass of wine at night. The combination of my actual antidepressants was so difficult--painful, even--to get to a comfortable balance that, if adding on simple things like tea and aromatherapy are enough to settle me down for the week or two I need it--well, screwing with that is not something I would do lightly.
Here. Have a corgi being vacuumed.
Podcasts and TV shows I did (and, uh, did not) catch up on:
I did catch up with Night Vale through "The Traveler," with the two "Sandstorm" episodes next. I want to watch the new Sleepy Hollow episodes, and I have those first two recorded.
@JoseMolinaTV: My apologies, interwebs. I shan't call #SleepyHollow fans #Sleepyheads, nor shall I call Abbie/Crane shippers #Crabbies. You pick the names!
I really, really want to have watched, but do not know when I will watch, Elementary. Should I just start the second season cold and catch up on the first simultaneously? (Why do I always do this, wanting to watch a show but never actually doing it?) I am, however, still committed to watching, AS IT AIRS, NBC's Dracula late next month. And recapping at least the first episode and hopefully seeing the whole season through, but seasonal depression/energy levels/promises I can't keep/blah blah blah. We take it as it comes. Also, showrunner Cole Haddon popped up in the middle of a Twitter conversation the other day, so apparently he's going to be pretty socially hands-on as well.
@Ceilidhann: Apparently NBC's Dracula is going to be like the vampire Steve Jobs. Well, there's that. @cleolinda
@Ceilidhann: I'm fine with them going all trippy and fantastical. Still thinking of it as vampire Nikola Tesla.
@LJmysticowl: You know what, I like what he's saying. I just hope that they really commit to the fantasy Victoriana/AU idea.
@colehaddon: He's the vampire Nikola Tesla with Thomas Edison's showmanship! Unfortunately... (more)
@colehaddon: ...not enough folks know Tesla or what Edison was really about. Jobs and Musk are modern equivalents.
@colehaddon: If you're a Tesla fan, don't worry. You'll catch a lot of references to him!
(I hope that there will also be an NBC Dracula Tumblr). (GUYS, THERE ALREADY IS.)
Meanwhile! Podcasts!
Made of Fail: Shut Up and Take My Money, in which they discuss DC Comics' recent shenanigans. I will be on next month to talk about Hannibal and different approaches to fandom, assuming Dayna sacrifices an avocado to the vengeful Podcast Gods.
Anglo-Filles: Potpourri-tangent-palooza, about lots of things but including the new Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts movie. I will be on next month to talk about Hannibal, assuming the Filles sacrifice another avocado to the vengeful Podcast Gods.
A Matter of Taste: Stop! In the Name of Lovecraft, in which Fio and guest Turner also discuss a lot of movies influenced by Lovecraft (including Pacific Rim, which I know is relevant to many of y'all's interests), which I enjoyed. Ian's on a break for the month; Fio's doing horror comics next month.
Speaking of Hannibal: FLOWER CROWNS.
Also, the flower-crowned Investigators Three/Team Sassy Science and a corpse. Has anyone actually been asking what happened to this guy and how he fits into the show? Or why Gillian Anderson isn't looking at us Hannibal and Bedelia have dueling suit patterns going on up there? Am I the only person who has questions? Should I, as a recapper, actually keep an eye on spoilers as they come out or do I want to try to protect my innocence as I tried to last season? Nobody knows. Also-also, another short clip from the gag reel. Basically I am sitting out on the doorstep all *chin hands* today waiting for the DVDs to arrive in the mail. Or I would be, if I could focus long enough to remember to go out there and sit down.
Bryan Fuller Reflects on 'Hannibal' S1 & Teases S2:
ETonline: What’s the deal with the flower crowns though?
Bryan Fuller: [laughs] The fannibals really adopted that, and I’m not 100 percent sure of what the derivation is, but the flower crown thing is so fun. I think it’s solidarity with Will Graham as a martyr figure. I think it’s so adorable that this show, which is so dark and twisted, has such a happy fanbase.
ETonline: Your shows tend to attract a very devoted following. What’s the fan experience been like for you with Hannibal?
Fuller: It’s been wonderful and unexpected. I was surprised at the demographic that the show was reaching. A significant portion was young, smart, well-read women; they really responded to this show and I typically relate to young, bright ladies [laughs]. It was nice to see how enthusiastic and passionate they were. And, also, happy in the face of the dark material. They found joy and hope in something that is arguably quite bleak. I found that really rewarding and as somebody who is a fan of many things myself, I appreciate and relate to being enthusiastic about a show you love. I think it’s wonderful.
MEANWHILE, FROM LAST WEEK:
@BryanFuller: IN HONOR OF #KAISEKI, #HANNIBAL GETS A BONSAI TREE FOR HIS OFFICE pic.twitter.com/5NAkS6tASP
I can't wait to see who he kills with it.
(Dire bonsai tree?)
@BryanFuller: Super excited about what we're filming today! An EPIC FIGHT!
@BryanFuller: WHO IS HANGING OUT IN #HANNIBAL's MEAT PANTRY? pic.twitter.com/pK1hDgDLX3
@manatee73: me and P.K. the dolly grip?
(#I see what you did there #I'm not happy about it #I'm a little happy about it #[loudly implied cannibalism])
And then, NBC's new show The Blacklist happened. If a flower-crown beatdown posse shows up, I had nothing to do with it.