And Now, Some Random Thoughts
First: High heels. WTF. I mean really. And more to the point, why do women put up with them?
Next: Meme time! Kyyanno posted:
7 Things
Comment to this post, and I will list seven things I want you to talk about. They might make sense or they might be totally random. Then post that list, with your commentary, to your journal. Other people can get lists from you, and the meme merrily perpetuates itself.
So here are the things he asked me to talk about:
Hats
My affinity for hats started with Raiders of the Lost Ark, which probably isn't a surprise to anyone. My first hat was a rather lackluster porkpie given to me by my grandfather, but it was kinda-sorta like a fedora so I took it and wore it. My first actually-bought-it-myself hat was a deluxe Indy in grey with a silk lining... it cost something like $40 at the time and was a huge investment of allowance money. (Now a hat of comparable quality is at least $65, if you can even find it.) I also periodically dabble in black kangols (i.e., the hat that Arthur wears in NeverNever) and have been known to wear Greek fisherman's caps (a la Ringo Starr).
Dungeons
Cast Mordenkainan's faithful watchdog before going down into these. Also, where are the Cheetohs?
Lions
My affinity for lions started with Kimba the White Lion, which was my first animation obsession. But they fit surprisingly well with my personality. All of the introverty reserve of cats, combined with a desire for an extremely tight small family unit? Eeyup. And dayum, but they're pretty. ^.^ I'm not so pretty myself, but I can wish I was.
Comics
Hmm. Not sure what to say about comics. I love comics but hate superheroes. The manga revolution in the U.S. was a great thing for me (for a while at least) because there were finally comics about something else for a change. Unfortunately, in the time since, even all manga has started feeling exactly the same as all other manga to me.
If you're talking comic strips I have more to say, but it's a big topic. I will say that they don't hold the appeal for me that they once did; I don't know if it's just the collapse of the industry, or having OD'ed during the webcomics boom, or just my tastes have changed over time.
Home
My childhood home (known affectionately as "Ogdenland" because it was on Ogden Street) doesn't exist any more; the entire 3.5 acres were bulldozed to make McMansions. I'm surprisingly un-upset by this development except for one aspect: the trees. There were some huge, beautiful, ancient trees there, and I resent that they were murdered in order for some developer to get another bajillion dollars.
Things that make you happy
Friends. :) Unexpected notes from people I like. Knowing that someone cares. Silly jokes. Dancing. Cool stories. Putting a smile on somebody's face.
60's British TV shows
Hmm. Space: 1999 was the '60s, right? Or was it early '70s? Hmm.
So here's the deal: I grew up on PBS ("Public Broadcasting System" for those not familiar, essentially government-subsidized TV with a mandate to educate, uplift, and improve). And one of the things PBS was known for in its day was running a lot of British TV, mainly because it was almost always smarter than American TV. So I spent a lot of afternoons/early evenings watching things like "The Saint," "The Avengers," and of course, "Doctor Who" (although I didn't see the '60s "Doctor Who" until much later, I only saw Tom Baker for years). I always used to wonder why the world was so different on these shows than it was from the world I saw around me. I knew they were from another country, of course, but there was more to it than that-- they were from a whole different mindset.
The British national culture, especially as portrayed by the BBC in the '60s and '70s, had a respect for intelligence and education (and an affinity for wit) that the U.S. culture hasn't really had since the 1950s or earlier. There is a revolting anti-rational, anti-education, just plain anti-thought strain in the U.S. culture that was always there but has been gaining visibly more prominence over the course of my lifetime. I won't say such a thing doesn't exist in British culture (not as long as Murdoch has his goddamn way), but it doesn't seem to be celebrated and held up as some sort of beautiful thing there the way it is here.
Or at least, not in '60s British TV shows. ;)
...So, that's it for now. Have a good day, all!
-The Gneech
Next: Meme time! Kyyanno posted:
7 Things
Comment to this post, and I will list seven things I want you to talk about. They might make sense or they might be totally random. Then post that list, with your commentary, to your journal. Other people can get lists from you, and the meme merrily perpetuates itself.
So here are the things he asked me to talk about:
Hats
My affinity for hats started with Raiders of the Lost Ark, which probably isn't a surprise to anyone. My first hat was a rather lackluster porkpie given to me by my grandfather, but it was kinda-sorta like a fedora so I took it and wore it. My first actually-bought-it-myself hat was a deluxe Indy in grey with a silk lining... it cost something like $40 at the time and was a huge investment of allowance money. (Now a hat of comparable quality is at least $65, if you can even find it.) I also periodically dabble in black kangols (i.e., the hat that Arthur wears in NeverNever) and have been known to wear Greek fisherman's caps (a la Ringo Starr).
Dungeons
Cast Mordenkainan's faithful watchdog before going down into these. Also, where are the Cheetohs?
Lions
My affinity for lions started with Kimba the White Lion, which was my first animation obsession. But they fit surprisingly well with my personality. All of the introverty reserve of cats, combined with a desire for an extremely tight small family unit? Eeyup. And dayum, but they're pretty. ^.^ I'm not so pretty myself, but I can wish I was.
Comics
Hmm. Not sure what to say about comics. I love comics but hate superheroes. The manga revolution in the U.S. was a great thing for me (for a while at least) because there were finally comics about something else for a change. Unfortunately, in the time since, even all manga has started feeling exactly the same as all other manga to me.
If you're talking comic strips I have more to say, but it's a big topic. I will say that they don't hold the appeal for me that they once did; I don't know if it's just the collapse of the industry, or having OD'ed during the webcomics boom, or just my tastes have changed over time.
Home
My childhood home (known affectionately as "Ogdenland" because it was on Ogden Street) doesn't exist any more; the entire 3.5 acres were bulldozed to make McMansions. I'm surprisingly un-upset by this development except for one aspect: the trees. There were some huge, beautiful, ancient trees there, and I resent that they were murdered in order for some developer to get another bajillion dollars.
Things that make you happy
Friends. :) Unexpected notes from people I like. Knowing that someone cares. Silly jokes. Dancing. Cool stories. Putting a smile on somebody's face.
60's British TV shows
Hmm. Space: 1999 was the '60s, right? Or was it early '70s? Hmm.
So here's the deal: I grew up on PBS ("Public Broadcasting System" for those not familiar, essentially government-subsidized TV with a mandate to educate, uplift, and improve). And one of the things PBS was known for in its day was running a lot of British TV, mainly because it was almost always smarter than American TV. So I spent a lot of afternoons/early evenings watching things like "The Saint," "The Avengers," and of course, "Doctor Who" (although I didn't see the '60s "Doctor Who" until much later, I only saw Tom Baker for years). I always used to wonder why the world was so different on these shows than it was from the world I saw around me. I knew they were from another country, of course, but there was more to it than that-- they were from a whole different mindset.
The British national culture, especially as portrayed by the BBC in the '60s and '70s, had a respect for intelligence and education (and an affinity for wit) that the U.S. culture hasn't really had since the 1950s or earlier. There is a revolting anti-rational, anti-education, just plain anti-thought strain in the U.S. culture that was always there but has been gaining visibly more prominence over the course of my lifetime. I won't say such a thing doesn't exist in British culture (not as long as Murdoch has his goddamn way), but it doesn't seem to be celebrated and held up as some sort of beautiful thing there the way it is here.
Or at least, not in '60s British TV shows. ;)
...So, that's it for now. Have a good day, all!
-The Gneech