I'm thankful I finally caught up on blog reading, and can devote today to job searching and ComicMix posting and last-minute local shopping for the holiday tomorrow (which we'll be celebrating at my brother's house). I'm also thankful that so many Pen-Elayne readers have stuck with me through my period of light posting during this life transition -- which, come to think of it, has been pretty much all year, between the losses I've had and the travails of the day job. Although I say as much in this week's ComicMix column, I also wanted to say it here: You are wonderful and I cherish you and I don't take you for granted for one moment. Here's some of what I've seen on the blogs this past couple weeks:
• Le sigh. Due to all the weirdness this month, I missed noting Neil Gaiman's birthday, Heidi MacDonald's birthday, Mustang Bobby's and Echidne's blogiversaries, even Jill Thompson's birthday which was yesterday. Happy belateds to all. November's sure been a busy month for marking milestones!
• I'm hopeful things move forward again as the AMPTP and WGA meet next Monday to reopen negotiations. As always, Mark Evanier brings some great perspective to the proceedings, and I'm not just saying that because I was so happy to talk with him again this past Saturday. If you haven't seen them yet, here are the Daily Show and Colbert Report writers' strike-related videos:
Liss has the transcript of the Not The Daily Show one. Also, good strike-related posts on HuffPo as well from Laraine Newman (here and here) and Barbara Ehrenreich. Also, naturally, what Digby said.
• During the strike I've been content to catch up on real-life things but, for my TV watching, I've stuck to Olbermann and food shows (even started watching a food "reality" show, Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, which I'm quite liking). I've bitched about The Next Iron Chef America before, but overall as a TV experience it was pretty good, particularly the final episode which was the actual finalist battle in Kitchen Stadium. Judge Michael Ruhlman has a final comment on that episode, as well as an amusing book tour anecdote about meeting up with one of the NICA contestant chefs. Meanwhile, the NICA winner, Michael Symon, has started a blog as well, talking about his victory in the show, the subsequent media whirlwind, and his first challenge as an Iron Chef proper.
• If you're a moviegoer looking for new and interesting stuff during the strike, Morgan Spurlock suggests checking out his What Would Jesus Buy? just in time for the crass holiday commercialism. But if you've succumbed to the hype and gone to see Bee Movie, have you wondered about the dearth of female protagonists in most non-fairy-tale animation, particularly in a film purported to be about a species where most of the characters ought to be female? Both Amanda Marcotte and Lance Mannion share their thoughts on this.
• And then there's stuff to do on the internets. Perhaps too much stuff, if you're a fan of Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Ken Jennings tries to make sense of what he calls "a Beach Boys-like situation, with three separate factions of the same band crisscrossing the country doing thin-gruel versions of all the old hits."
• Over in the UK, Budgie reports on a pretty cool media campaign called Creature Discomforts, designed to educate able-bodied folks about discrimination against the disabled.
• And here in the US, but from the UK, Stephen Fry talks about the differences he's noted in the way Brits and Americans approach informal dinner-table debating. This actually explains much about home life here in the Riggs Residence.
• When she finds herself in times of trouble, Susie Madrak turns to her God box. This is actually quite a nice idea; even an atheist could make use of this by calling it a "note to future self" box.
• Paul Krassner remembers Norman Mailer. I'm grateful that Martha Thomases told me some wonderful Mailer stories last Saturday. If upon your passing you're remembered so positively by those who knew you personally, Mailer was indeed blessed.
• Melissa at Shakespeare's Sister again tackles one of my favorite subjects, women and humor; in yet another brilliant and related post, she invites you to enter, if you dare, into the sick world of gag gifts featuring disembodied boobs.
Well, we've been up for long enough thanks to Datsa; time to get some more sleep before actually starting our day.
• Le sigh. Due to all the weirdness this month, I missed noting Neil Gaiman's birthday, Heidi MacDonald's birthday, Mustang Bobby's and Echidne's blogiversaries, even Jill Thompson's birthday which was yesterday. Happy belateds to all. November's sure been a busy month for marking milestones!
• I'm hopeful things move forward again as the AMPTP and WGA meet next Monday to reopen negotiations. As always, Mark Evanier brings some great perspective to the proceedings, and I'm not just saying that because I was so happy to talk with him again this past Saturday. If you haven't seen them yet, here are the Daily Show and Colbert Report writers' strike-related videos:
Liss has the transcript of the Not The Daily Show one. Also, good strike-related posts on HuffPo as well from Laraine Newman (here and here) and Barbara Ehrenreich. Also, naturally, what Digby said.
• During the strike I've been content to catch up on real-life things but, for my TV watching, I've stuck to Olbermann and food shows (even started watching a food "reality" show, Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, which I'm quite liking). I've bitched about The Next Iron Chef America before, but overall as a TV experience it was pretty good, particularly the final episode which was the actual finalist battle in Kitchen Stadium. Judge Michael Ruhlman has a final comment on that episode, as well as an amusing book tour anecdote about meeting up with one of the NICA contestant chefs. Meanwhile, the NICA winner, Michael Symon, has started a blog as well, talking about his victory in the show, the subsequent media whirlwind, and his first challenge as an Iron Chef proper.
• If you're a moviegoer looking for new and interesting stuff during the strike, Morgan Spurlock suggests checking out his What Would Jesus Buy? just in time for the crass holiday commercialism. But if you've succumbed to the hype and gone to see Bee Movie, have you wondered about the dearth of female protagonists in most non-fairy-tale animation, particularly in a film purported to be about a species where most of the characters ought to be female? Both Amanda Marcotte and Lance Mannion share their thoughts on this.
• And then there's stuff to do on the internets. Perhaps too much stuff, if you're a fan of Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Ken Jennings tries to make sense of what he calls "a Beach Boys-like situation, with three separate factions of the same band crisscrossing the country doing thin-gruel versions of all the old hits."
• Over in the UK, Budgie reports on a pretty cool media campaign called Creature Discomforts, designed to educate able-bodied folks about discrimination against the disabled.
• And here in the US, but from the UK, Stephen Fry talks about the differences he's noted in the way Brits and Americans approach informal dinner-table debating. This actually explains much about home life here in the Riggs Residence.
• When she finds herself in times of trouble, Susie Madrak turns to her God box. This is actually quite a nice idea; even an atheist could make use of this by calling it a "note to future self" box.
• Paul Krassner remembers Norman Mailer. I'm grateful that Martha Thomases told me some wonderful Mailer stories last Saturday. If upon your passing you're remembered so positively by those who knew you personally, Mailer was indeed blessed.
• Melissa at Shakespeare's Sister again tackles one of my favorite subjects, women and humor; in yet another brilliant and related post, she invites you to enter, if you dare, into the sick world of gag gifts featuring disembodied boobs.
Well, we've been up for long enough thanks to Datsa; time to get some more sleep before actually starting our day.
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