Today is the anniversary of the day the Bay Area was shut down. This is my personal OH SHIT THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING day in my mind. It's been a year of this now.
I don't feel like talking about work today. Mostly my team was grumbly about things, but it wasn't a wretched day, so there's that.

Tonight I watched Dream, a motion capture/fancy computer visuals representation of the fairies from Midsummer Night's Dream going through a forest at night. There's not a whole lot of plot to it per se that I could figure out, but it LOOKS VERY COOL. And while the show itself is about a half hour, they do a Q&A afterwards and some videos and other things so that you can see how the motion capture bits work. Like in midshow they actually pull the camera back so you see the computer visuals at the back, but can see the actors working on the stage.

Puck is a ... rock person, more or less, but Moth is the one that really impressed me, being a moth made out of many moths. EXTREMELY COOL TO SEE, like a bunch of butterflies making up one giant one. And Cobweb is a giant eye with giant cobweb eye lashes, hiding in a cave. Someone else was a....tree person, not sure if that was Peaseblossom or Mustardseed, exactly, but that also looked cool.

Anyway, it's light on plot but spectacular visuals, so I really enjoyed seeing that. I am very impressed that they are performing it live on different time zones, so I saw it at 7 p.m. California time but 2 a.m. on their time in England! Amazing stamina those folks have, to do that. I love how they had a time zone converter on the website and everything.

The Crown, season 2, episode 3, "Lisbon." In which the Parkers are gonna divorce, and Philip wants some R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Elizabeth suggests putting Philip's photo by the kids' beds so they don't forget what he looks like.
OH GOD, FUCKING TOMMY AGAIN.
Matt Smith HAD TO HAVE HAD A GREAT TIME GETTING TO LEGIT PLAY WITH PENGUINS. I doubt they actually went to Antarctica to film (maybe, I dunno, at some animal park?), but it's really cool that Philip legit got to go to Antarctica. That said, I didn't know England owned Antarctica?
Ah, Elizabeth's face watching film of Philip (at least he sends home video even if he never writes) reminds me of me.
OH GOD, FUCKING TOMMY AGAIN. "Oh dear," says Elizabeth, smelling a rat immediately. "This is the first time I endeavor to save someone else's marriage to save the Crown." We don't give a fig! "Still their round the clock lackey even in retirement." Eileen nails Tommy, then huffs off. Elizabeth tactfully calls Eden out for lying, but says she's sympathetic to him.
"To do nothing is often the best course of action, but I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be. History was not made by those who did nothing."
Michael has to break the news about the Parker divorce to Elizabeth. Sure you want the job now?
I love Elizabeth tactfully calling out the next Prime Minister (MacMillan) about warmongering as well. "
You know the rules. No letters to anyone." "I told Baron to be discreet." DUDE, NEITHER OF YOU WERE EVEN REMOTELY DISCREET. THAT WAS FUCKING PENIS BRAGGING RIGHTS. Seriously, this show has gotten so much better since the first three episodes. We gots the drama!
How fun for Eileen when the Queen drops by for tea and offers assistance. Eileen passes the Queen the letter. The papers have a field day.
Mike has to resign. Now. "There is no room for humanity." Also he's being thrown off the ship at Gibraltar.
"For god's sake, it has HEARTS on it." Philip is being dressed by someone else, with a heart tie. "Darling?" Looooooooooooooooooong pause. "We'll talk later. Shall we."
And now we're back to where we started the season. Philip's terms: he wants to be respected by "the mustaches." She says he has to earn it, he says he's outranked by his son. I guess he wants some Grand Gesture to get their respect? So he gets OFFICIALLY PRINCED OF GREAT BRITAIN. (I guess I didn't get that he wasn't before? Y'all are confusing.) He looks very weirded out with that crown and cape on.
OH YEAH AND SHE LITERALLY MADE MICHAEL THE SECRETARY SHAVE HIS MOUSTACHE LOLOLOLOOL. PLEASE DO THAT TO TOMMY PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I DON'T CARE IF HE'S RETIRED.
"I burned some sausages, what do you think you are, royalty?" Philip goes to visit Mike Parker in his new bachelor digs. "To our wives and sweethearts." "May they never meet." Mike is going to go to Australia. Philip is all, "Can I come?" and also says that Elizabeth wants more kids. "She's a little cold with him," Mike says of Charles and his mum.

Episode 4: Beryl: Twisted seduction games and contempt, ahoy!
Princess Margaret's friend Billy randomly proposes to her. "I'm your Old Faithful, after all." They can't even manage to kiss and yet uh, I guess this happened? "Oh, Christ," says Philip.
"So it would be a yes from you?" "Yes, of course." UH-HUH SHOULD WE EVEN BUY THIS? "No one wants reality and complexity in their life. People have enough of that in their own lives." They want escape in their royalty. I agree. Cecil Beaton(?) brags that Princess Margaret gives fantasies to the "dreams of the everyday housewife" in her birthday portrait. Margaret DGAF about this, rightly so.
"He can't be indisposed, we're announcing our engagement." "Rather a serious injury." "I believe the word duel was mentioned?" "Fucker shot me in the leg? Bloody awful thing."
I realize that Billy's drunk and injured, but also apparently quite stupid to say that he's banging other girls now just because he can.
"I never even wanted to marry you. You were an act of charity." TELL HIM OFF, MARGARET! "Her Royal Highness said she'll explain everything later." LOL. Margaret has a rage drunk in her bedroom that night, well deservedly.
So uh, Harold MacMillan's wife LITERALLY JUST CAN'T FUCKING STAND HIM AND HE OVERHEARDS IT ON THE PHONE? Ouuuuuuuch.
Just what Margaret needed, someone to storm in and interrupt her hangover and insist on matchmaking.
Meet the show's new catty gay relative, Tony, Margaret's future ex-husband. "I despite posturing and pretentiousness and humbug." UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH......
"What are the five most important things I need to know about him?" sounds sensible to ask about anyone.
DON'T MARRY A GUY WHO HAS CONTEMPT FOR YOU, MARGARET!!!!! not that that does any good. THAT SHOULD NOT BE A TURN ON!!!!!!!!!! "As we dance to the masochism tango" comes into my head as Tony stomps off to another floor to smoke and make noise and otherwise ignore Margaret's presence. SERIOUSLY DON'T MARRY THIS GUY, THE FUCK THESE CREEPY GAMES.
So MacMillan's wife has been having an affair for THIRTY YEARS?! Damn. At least they explained the "Beryl." Still not sure what "Lisbon" was all about. "It appears she's naked." "Yes."

On a related note after watching The Crown, today's therapy: after brief segues into magical signs from England and booking a psychic, how to not lose your shit on the telephone and jacking oneself up....

I got a few compliments. I sent her a few Baby Yodas and she'd like another one since she has to gift one of them away soon. "You make me happy a lot of the time. Right now I'm looking at the two Yodas," and she sent a pic, of course.

Anyway, after that, I said I haven't the faintest idea how to deal with having conflicts with people since I expect them to throw shit fits and scream at me. This perked her up mightily, y'all. She said when there appears to be only 2 options, that's where things get fucked up, and the reasons why she and I can politely disagree or I somewhat get on her nerves or whatever is that we have love, trust and respect. (As opposed to my mother, who has the love but not the respect and has well, blown my trust.) We have the experience of knowing how it'll go. She said I do stand up to my mother more, but screaming back at her doesn't work because I want to cave in and stop the fighting, and that isn't something she wants to do. She said to come from a place of respect, even if the other person isn't.

"I'm proud of you, Jen," she said at the end of that.

previous entry - next entry
archives - current entry