Fiddler, please
Apr. 15th, 2011 03:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rachg82For those of you who wanted to know the answers to the book meme, :
#1 was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (guessed by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sumpta)
#2 was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (guessed bycareyleah)
#3 was Sometimes a Great Notion. (I read it before the BSG ep, interestingly enough. I knew some people in high school who drove to Ken Kesey's house--he lived in Oregon--and met him. He still had the Merry Pranksters' school bus on his property! They said he was super nice & invited them in, took pictures, the whole nine yards. *edited to change to past-tense. I didn't realize he'd died! How sad.)
#4 was Frankenstein. I was actually surprised no one got this. Probably because the ending of that novel stayed with me really strongly. It was the mental image more than anything else.
Moving on:
- Community tonight was outstanding as usual. I can't remember the exact line, but the bit about "pain over not having enough pain still being pain"? Hee. Also: Abed, ILU. Way to make the teacher cry. That's how we Montell Jordan, mothafuckas. (I wish I could've watched his lecture. No lie, if they did some webisode shit of that, I'd so be down) OH, AND: ~It's hard being Jewish in Russia, yo!~ Hahaha. God damn't, I love that show so hard. I wish I had the first season on DVD (or a job so I could buy it free of guilt). YouTube clips just aren't enough.
- Parks & Rec was also wonderful. "Were you raised in the woods? Are you Nell?" That made me laugh so hard, I cried. Seriously. (On a random note, I've loved Retta since she did a stand up routine on Premium Blend probably more than a decade ago. I have a VERY long memory. I wish I could find a clip of it online. But my point here is that she is capable of *great* delivery, and I'm glad to see they're beginning to use her more) It also made me miss tink (willothewisps). You guys remember her? She and I used to joke about living in a tree & speaking in our own Nell language. Ha. Miss Chicapay tray in da winn!
Re: April & Andy, I think you guys know how I feel about them. HEARTS FOREVER. That was fantabulous. I'm trying to jump onboard this whole Leslie/new guy thing--it's sweet, sure, but ehh; however, I have to admit I still ship her most with Ann. WHAT. Also with Ron & that cop from the first season. But the new guy will do.
-BSG rewatch update: watched Dirty Hands & Maelstrom today. In other words, I BAWLED MY EYES OUT TODAY. I mean that in a good way though. And, to be fair, the last time I watched Maelstrom, I didn't cry at all. But it's been a long time since I've seen it, and I think the manner in which things affect me largely depends on when I see them. The most interesting part about doing a rewatch like this is noticing the similarities/differences in how you feel about various scenes & episodes. I first watched BSG two years ago, starting it right around the same time (If I recall, I checked the first season out in May & finished the series in September). I cried HARD at the ending to this ep then. This time? I fought back tears at the Lee/Kara scenes too. Suddenly I had all these ~feelings~ about them, ha. I mean, I've liked them as a pairing for quite a while, but during this rewatch, I've *really* begun to appreciate them, and in this episode I became a blubbery mess over it. Like, "HE'S JUST SO THERE FOR HER, AND SHE'S HIS HOT SHOT PROBLEM PILOT, AND HE'LL FLY HER WING, AND GAH I CAN'T EVEN. THEY MOOOOOVE MEEEEEE." I just really like how supportive he is of her in this ep. Like, it's not even *about* the romance anymore, in terms of importance. What matters is that they're friends, and they always will be, no matter what. That's what gets me.
The real tears came at the end though, not surprisingly. They felt different this time though--cathartic somehow. I think it's because it's been over a year now since I talked to my mom, face to face. Seeing this episode now, seeing the flashbacks & hearing the screams (they do such a good job btw, making it real, & giving it the punch that it requires. That's what it's like. The screams just sort of COME AT YOU, & your memories of them are not far off), having it lead up to her cutting ties with her mother--running away--and being told by Leoben/the angel/whatever-he-was that she died while waiting for her to return…just that alone makes me almost start crying again now, writing about it. But on top of that, the idea that the visions--and by default, some kind of theoretical higher power(s)--would want to give her this chance, not just to say goodbye to her mother before she herself died, but also to have one happy moment with her where she was finally *nice*, & showed that she was proud of her daughter & loved her? That "there's nothing terrible about death; when you finally face it, it's beautiful," as he says, and she's "free now"? (The "free" means so much there. It's not just free in terms of "free to no longer fear death", it's free of her mother's burden. As if whatever happened in that vision had the power to do that for her) Just that, and the way Kara holds her mother's hand to her face before that last shot of her as a child, no longer beaten up & bloody, but peaceful & innocent & OKAY, as she tells Lee to just let her go? GOD, ALL OF IT. It's fucking beautiful. I can't even say how deeply it moved me this time. I was covering my mouth, I was crying so damn hard. (Plus: "Aurora", goddess of the dawn. SNIFF. Resurrection, yo. Taken as a metaphor, the entire thing is so lovely. Like, let go of your pain, stop fearing that "death" of saying goodbye to that part of your life, and you can be reborn & have a new beginning. You know?)
As far as Dirty Hands goes, it's another one of those quiet little eps that I appreciate more & more every time I watch. This is just such a smart show. The push & pull between right & wrong is so complex, it's ridiculous. The issues it addresses in just this ep alone about things like class divisions, racial strife, child labor, unions, how to balance a military's need to assert absolute control over its soldiers with a society's need to protect civil rights AND continue functioning under imperfect/wartime conditions (and what to do when the line between military/civil matters is almost impossibly blurred & the balance of power between rich & poor isn't & hasn't been fair for a long time, with almost zero recourse on behalf of the most powerless), and the fact that it's all done intelligently & without being preachy? So difficult & they do it so, so well. Plus, Tyrol's totes my homie, hee to "He pissed off the president"/"You can be arrested for that now?", and HELLO: Roslin/Adama flirting at the beginning. Heh. "You're always welcome in one of my beds." HEY-O.
Anyway, I'd better end this now so I can go to bed. This was a fairly positive entry considering my life is full of pure suckshit at the moment. Did I mention I haven't done my taxes yet & realized I don't have one of my W2 forms? Yeah. I'm gonna have to call the temp agency that would have it & ask if I can pick it up in person tomorrow. Fortunately this year's returns aren't due until Monday, but STILL. Talk about procrastination & unneeded, self-induced stress. So stupid. Taxes remind me of my stepdad, too, because he used to help me with them, and that bothers me. WHATEVER. Ugh. Asshole creep. Sometimes I'd like a punching bag; I think it'd help me. Then I could also hit it when I look at the scale & see I haven't lost weight or have gained a pound or crap like that. And before anyone suggests it, nay to kickboxing. I don't have good balance. I'd totally fall over. Though maybe I could get help with that. Hmm. Yoga? Perhaps.
For my Vid of the Day, I'm gonna recycle one I've posted before by MadnessoftheDivine. This is my favorite Kara-centric vid I've seen yet--it's just gorgeous--and it focuses primarily on Maelstrom, along with the events/patterns leading up to it.
#1 was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (guessed by
sumpta)#2 was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (guessed by
careyleah)#3 was Sometimes a Great Notion. (I read it before the BSG ep, interestingly enough. I knew some people in high school who drove to Ken Kesey's house--he lived in Oregon--and met him. He still had the Merry Pranksters' school bus on his property! They said he was super nice & invited them in, took pictures, the whole nine yards. *edited to change to past-tense. I didn't realize he'd died! How sad.)
#4 was Frankenstein. I was actually surprised no one got this. Probably because the ending of that novel stayed with me really strongly. It was the mental image more than anything else.
Moving on:
- Community tonight was outstanding as usual. I can't remember the exact line, but the bit about "pain over not having enough pain still being pain"? Hee. Also: Abed, ILU. Way to make the teacher cry. That's how we Montell Jordan, mothafuckas. (I wish I could've watched his lecture. No lie, if they did some webisode shit of that, I'd so be down) OH, AND: ~It's hard being Jewish in Russia, yo!~ Hahaha. God damn't, I love that show so hard. I wish I had the first season on DVD (or a job so I could buy it free of guilt). YouTube clips just aren't enough.
- Parks & Rec was also wonderful. "Were you raised in the woods? Are you Nell?" That made me laugh so hard, I cried. Seriously. (On a random note, I've loved Retta since she did a stand up routine on Premium Blend probably more than a decade ago. I have a VERY long memory. I wish I could find a clip of it online. But my point here is that she is capable of *great* delivery, and I'm glad to see they're beginning to use her more) It also made me miss tink (
willothewisps). You guys remember her? She and I used to joke about living in a tree & speaking in our own Nell language. Ha. Miss Chicapay tray in da winn! Re: April & Andy, I think you guys know how I feel about them. HEARTS FOREVER. That was fantabulous. I'm trying to jump onboard this whole Leslie/new guy thing--it's sweet, sure, but ehh; however, I have to admit I still ship her most with Ann. WHAT. Also with Ron & that cop from the first season. But the new guy will do.
-BSG rewatch update: watched Dirty Hands & Maelstrom today. In other words, I BAWLED MY EYES OUT TODAY. I mean that in a good way though. And, to be fair, the last time I watched Maelstrom, I didn't cry at all. But it's been a long time since I've seen it, and I think the manner in which things affect me largely depends on when I see them. The most interesting part about doing a rewatch like this is noticing the similarities/differences in how you feel about various scenes & episodes. I first watched BSG two years ago, starting it right around the same time (If I recall, I checked the first season out in May & finished the series in September). I cried HARD at the ending to this ep then. This time? I fought back tears at the Lee/Kara scenes too. Suddenly I had all these ~feelings~ about them, ha. I mean, I've liked them as a pairing for quite a while, but during this rewatch, I've *really* begun to appreciate them, and in this episode I became a blubbery mess over it. Like, "HE'S JUST SO THERE FOR HER, AND SHE'S HIS HOT SHOT PROBLEM PILOT, AND HE'LL FLY HER WING, AND GAH I CAN'T EVEN. THEY MOOOOOVE MEEEEEE." I just really like how supportive he is of her in this ep. Like, it's not even *about* the romance anymore, in terms of importance. What matters is that they're friends, and they always will be, no matter what. That's what gets me.
The real tears came at the end though, not surprisingly. They felt different this time though--cathartic somehow. I think it's because it's been over a year now since I talked to my mom, face to face. Seeing this episode now, seeing the flashbacks & hearing the screams (they do such a good job btw, making it real, & giving it the punch that it requires. That's what it's like. The screams just sort of COME AT YOU, & your memories of them are not far off), having it lead up to her cutting ties with her mother--running away--and being told by Leoben/the angel/whatever-he-was that she died while waiting for her to return…just that alone makes me almost start crying again now, writing about it. But on top of that, the idea that the visions--and by default, some kind of theoretical higher power(s)--would want to give her this chance, not just to say goodbye to her mother before she herself died, but also to have one happy moment with her where she was finally *nice*, & showed that she was proud of her daughter & loved her? That "there's nothing terrible about death; when you finally face it, it's beautiful," as he says, and she's "free now"? (The "free" means so much there. It's not just free in terms of "free to no longer fear death", it's free of her mother's burden. As if whatever happened in that vision had the power to do that for her) Just that, and the way Kara holds her mother's hand to her face before that last shot of her as a child, no longer beaten up & bloody, but peaceful & innocent & OKAY, as she tells Lee to just let her go? GOD, ALL OF IT. It's fucking beautiful. I can't even say how deeply it moved me this time. I was covering my mouth, I was crying so damn hard. (Plus: "Aurora", goddess of the dawn. SNIFF. Resurrection, yo. Taken as a metaphor, the entire thing is so lovely. Like, let go of your pain, stop fearing that "death" of saying goodbye to that part of your life, and you can be reborn & have a new beginning. You know?)
As far as Dirty Hands goes, it's another one of those quiet little eps that I appreciate more & more every time I watch. This is just such a smart show. The push & pull between right & wrong is so complex, it's ridiculous. The issues it addresses in just this ep alone about things like class divisions, racial strife, child labor, unions, how to balance a military's need to assert absolute control over its soldiers with a society's need to protect civil rights AND continue functioning under imperfect/wartime conditions (and what to do when the line between military/civil matters is almost impossibly blurred & the balance of power between rich & poor isn't & hasn't been fair for a long time, with almost zero recourse on behalf of the most powerless), and the fact that it's all done intelligently & without being preachy? So difficult & they do it so, so well. Plus, Tyrol's totes my homie, hee to "He pissed off the president"/"You can be arrested for that now?", and HELLO: Roslin/Adama flirting at the beginning. Heh. "You're always welcome in one of my beds." HEY-O.
Anyway, I'd better end this now so I can go to bed. This was a fairly positive entry considering my life is full of pure suckshit at the moment. Did I mention I haven't done my taxes yet & realized I don't have one of my W2 forms? Yeah. I'm gonna have to call the temp agency that would have it & ask if I can pick it up in person tomorrow. Fortunately this year's returns aren't due until Monday, but STILL. Talk about procrastination & unneeded, self-induced stress. So stupid. Taxes remind me of my stepdad, too, because he used to help me with them, and that bothers me. WHATEVER. Ugh. Asshole creep. Sometimes I'd like a punching bag; I think it'd help me. Then I could also hit it when I look at the scale & see I haven't lost weight or have gained a pound or crap like that. And before anyone suggests it, nay to kickboxing. I don't have good balance. I'd totally fall over. Though maybe I could get help with that. Hmm. Yoga? Perhaps.
For my Vid of the Day, I'm gonna recycle one I've posted before by MadnessoftheDivine. This is my favorite Kara-centric vid I've seen yet--it's just gorgeous--and it focuses primarily on Maelstrom, along with the events/patterns leading up to it.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-15 10:24 pm (UTC)That being said, my dad had a punching bag (one of the little ones that hang, too), and I used to beat the crap out of it. Heh.