I'm BORED and the weather is so dreary and miserable and why can't summer be here already?!

[rusty_halo]

Veronica Mars: Did Rob Thomas have a lobotomy sometime between season one and now? I'm just wondering, because that would explain a lot.

I'm not really watching anymore, but there is some part of me that, once it begins caring about a show, really doesn't want to let go. Someone needs to distract me on Tuesday nights so that I don't get tempted to turn on Channel 11 at 9pm. It never turns out well.

The Dick character kind of reminds me of Andrew on BtVS. Andrew covered up Katrina's death and murdered Jonathan, but the actor is funny, so let's forget all that and use him as comic relief. Dick roofied his girlfriend's drink and encouraged his brother to rape Veronica, but he's funny, so let's pretend that wasn't a big deal. It just seems really cheap, and disrespectful to the audience, to ignore your own canon that way. How are we supposed to take anything seriously when the writers are so selective about what matters? (The same way we were supposed to be all horrified at Buffy sleeping with Spike because he had KILLED PEOPLE, but were supposed to be amused at Xander sleeping with Anya, who had actually killed WAY MORE people and was equally unrepentant.)

I don't mind characters being blind/clueless/irrational/hypocritical when it's actually part of their storylines, but when it's just a result of the writers taking shortcuts, it's LAME. I mean... we're really supposed to be that offended about Logan sleeping with someone else when he and Veronica are broken up? Really?

I went to my friend Anne's birthday party on Friday night. It was fun, and good to see everyone, but I kind of felt like an alien. Everyone was either talking about work or relationships. I had nothing to say. I suck at being a girl. (I was reading this article about mothers and daughters bonding over pedicures in the NY Times and just... what are these creatures? Surely they're not from the same planet as me?)

So I was like... hey, who wants to talk about sci-fi fandom? But even then, I don't really have much to say, because I'm not watching any of the current shows. I hear Lost and Heroes and Battlestar Galactica are all entertaining, but I don't really care about watching them. I'll see them on DVD eventually if they last a while and word of mouth remains positive. I did discover that one of Anne's friends was into Highlander back in the day, so we talked about that for a while. But in general the whole thing reminds of me when I was in third grade, and I'd ask people if they were into "Star Wars" (no one was), and when they weren't I'd be incapable of conversing with them. I suck at small talk.

I wish I had a fandom now. I can't make myself be interested in something; I suppose I just have to follow the obsessive nature of my personality wherever it takes me. PIG, Sharpe, Sean Bean marathons, the fact that I spent the past few days reading and comparing multiple versions of the original Terminator script.... (some fascinating changes in there, and a bunch of cuts that were all for the better). Hopefully I'll eventually end up getting into something that other people are into at the same time, and then I can do that whole participatory social "fandom" thing again... On the plus side, I have awesome friends, and as long as I listen to their three hour exegesis on their favorite soap opera, they'll usually indulge me rambling about whatever random thing I'm obsessed with at the moment. ;)

Valentine's Day is coming up, which has me feeling vaguely depressed that there exists a holiday for pretty much the sole purpose of making single people feel inadequate. Happily it's also Lucifer's birthday, so I can just focus on the fact that this otherwise crappy day brought me the coolest, sweetest, greatest cat ever in the history of the universe, so it can't possibly be all bad.

This is too cute for words.

Also, I hate Apple, but yay Steve Jobs for saying this.

Can you tell I'm writing this post while reading through the links on my friends' list?

The Colbert Report has been making me so happy lately. The other day I caught a re-run of the one where Stephen laments that "some people don't want to see Harriet Tubman in a space train" and then just sits there grinning and trying not to crack up. I get bored by re-runs of the Daily Show--the main thing I get out of that is the relief of hearing rational commentary on the world's insanity. Watching it twice is like watching a re-run of the news. Whereas The Colbert Report is such brilliant satire that I could watch it forever. It's like... I was watching The Princess Bride recently, for the hundred gazillionth time, and I'll never get sick of that movie.

Oh yeah, so that's the other reason that I'm not getting too depressed over Single-People-Suck Day. Colbert Report tickets!!! I'm taking a half-day off work just so I can freeze my ass off outside in line all day to make sure I get in.

There are so many reasons that I wish summer would just hurry up and get here. Why is it that time always goes by too fast, except when I have stuff to look forward to, and then it moves like a glacier? (And speaking of glaciers, this weather is KILLING ME. It's great that I can walk to work, except when I'm walking against the wind in 10 degree [feels like -5] weather for 15 minutes, and then I arrive and my damp hair is frozen. It makes the subway commute that'll result from moving to Brooklyn sound like a good thing; at least those cars are underground and warm. I was so bundled up heading to work today that Lucifer actually got scared and made his tail all big when he saw me! This is NOT characteristic behavior--he's the world's most easy-going cat, so I can only assume he thought I got possessed by a monster or something.)

I really wish I could go into hibernation right now and just wake up for the good stuff. Colbert Report, NY Comic Con, Cruxshadows, Common Rotation in Boston, visiting my friend in the midwest, possible Chemlab tour, new Harry Potter movie, new Harry Potter book (just think of all the fodder it will provide for Fandom Wank!), new Pirates movie, moving to Brooklyn (*fingers crossed that this will work out!*), DragonCon... I can't believe that DragonCon is still seven months away! I'm ready for it now. :P

I kind of miss Buffy fandom. It was fun having that kind of all-consuming obsession with something, and being able to share it with so many people. It was also so neat getting into the culture, learning all the acronyms and terms and references.... I don't know if I will ever get into a fandom the way I did with Buffy, and it makes me really sad to think that. I was so naive and clueless at the time, and now that I know so much about how TV shows and fandoms work, how could I ever work up that same level of investment and idealism about the story and characters? (On the plus side, I'm way less wanky now that I know not to care so much!)

Maybe I am just in one of my periodic "OMG life is so dull without a fandom" phases. Something come along and seize my attention, dammit!

Comments

[soundingsea.livejournal.com]

What I can't believe is that Rob seemingly wants a "we were ON A BREAK" storyline. That was boring and annoying on Friends, and I have no need to see it again.

As for Dick, while I am entertained by the character, I can't understand how Veronica can tolerate him. That makes the kind of sense that's not.

*shakes head*

Ooh, when are you coming in the direction of the midwest? Anywhere near Minneapolis? :)

[10zlaine.livejournal.com]

What I can't believe is that Rob seemingly wants a "we were ON A BREAK" storyline. That was boring and annoying on Friends, and I have no need to see it again.

lol. that's exactly what i was thinking. well, that and how i couldn't switch my channel fast enough.

[soundingsea.livejournal.com]

And see, despite the various things that annoy me, I'm sure I will watch the show to the end. I've given up on a show or two in my time, but Alias got even more annoying than I think VM can (given the time I think it has left).

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

The only show I ever gave up on was X-Files, around season six, and I'm so glad I did. I have basically good memories of being an X-Files fan, compared to all those people I see who stuck it out until the bitter end and are still wishing violent death upon Chris Carter.

[soundingsea.livejournal.com]

I was never a huge watch-every-ep fan, but the people I watched with quit in early season 6.

When I went back to watch the entire show last year, imagine my horror when I fell head-over-heels for Mulder/Krycek and then watched the show destroy them both.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

It's kind of like... how can they expect us to share the characters' outrage about *little* things (it's not cheating when you're broken up!) when the characters don't get outraged about *big* things (putting roofies into your girlfriend's drink = rape!)?

I'm totally entertained by Dick, just like I liked Andrew, but that doesn't mean that their pasts should be forgotten. Make them into three-dimensional characters, or acknowledge their darkness, or have a main character hate them, whatever, I don't care. You can still feature them and they can still be funny, but don't pretend that their pasts don't exist.

My friend is in Cedar Rapids; that'll just be a weekend trip. I had no idea that flights are so expensive, and all my points are with JetBlue which skips over the whole center of the country. I've been hesitant about booking a flight because I'm hoping a sale will pop up, but so far the price has been static at $300, so I'll probably have to just go with that.

Hmmm, so when would be a good time to visit you in Minneapolis? ;) There's a convention, right? Or would that be a bad time because you'll be so busy?

[soundingsea.livejournal.com]

I greatly dislike when shows ignore their own past. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be that hard to hire a continuity expert; the internets are full of them...

Check farecast.com to see if prices are going to change...

If you're willing to transfer, jetblue flies to Chicago and Sun Country usually has really cheap flights from Chicago to Minneapolis (not sure about Iowa).

CONvergence (Jul 6-8) is a lot of fun, but I would have less individual hang-out time than I would have available at another time. I would love to show you my town, though, if you'd like to come sometime this year.

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

Everyone was either talking about work or relationships. I had nothing to say. I suck at being a girl.

Me too!
I have never in my life had a manicure or a pedicure, and I went to the hairdresser today for the first time in seven years.
Still, at least my hairdresser is cool - we had a chat about Star Trek, Angel etc.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

I have never in my life had a manicure or a pedicure

Me neither! I can't stand the thought of someone else touching me like that. And especially of having to pay for it! What a waste. I'll paint my own nails very occasionally because sometimes I think it looks cool, but I won't even buy the expensive nail polish. Why spend money on superficial stuff that's just related to the way you look, when you *could* be spending it on books and movies and something that actually engages your brain?

I cut my own hair sometimes, but it's true that I generally look better having it cut professionally. It's just so annoying, though, having some stranger touching you, and having to pay for it... which is why my hair's all long now...

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

It's just so annoying, though, having some stranger touching you, and having to pay for it...

Yeah, I agree - for years I've only been to hairdressers who I knew already from my social life (when I had one!)
The worst is the dentist - I hate having the dentist put his fingers in my mouth, I just want to bite them right off.
I think that's worse than a cervical smear!

[10zlaine.livejournal.com]

ha ha. i didn't know you'd been fandom wanked.

i'm totally pdf'ing that mani/pedi article and putting on my women's studies class group.

shauny's ex sis-in-law is totally like that. i think it was last summer when she took kensie and her own daughter claudia in for theirs.

::retches::

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Hee, yes, that's why I used to hate Fandom Wank! I'll give you that I took it way too seriously and that I was projecting a whole bunch of my personal issues onto a fictional character, but I still think I was basically right. And I actually think the experience was good for me--Spike fandom helped me work out a lot of those issues--but I was definitely overly invested and therefore wanky!

I hate that "femininity" is so associated with superficiality and excessive consumerism. SURELY there must be a better way to bond with your daughter than teaching her to spend nauseating amounts of money on irrelevant bullshit. Read her a book or take her to the park or something.

But then I'm sure there are plenty of people who'd be horrified at how much I spent on what they'd regard as superficial stuff... (DVDs and CDs and concerts are ARTISTIC EXPERIENCES, dammit! Where is the corresponding redemptive value of getting your nails painted!?)

Of course, I also have this voice in my head (it takes the form of my mother and/or my former best friend, you know who) that tells me that I'm just as shallow and superficial as anyone. It points out that I have two full pages of MySpace photos posted, and that therefore I may as well just go drown myself now. I argue that nearly half of those photos are cats, and anyways they're interesting because they document different stages of my life and friends and fun travel experiences, but the voice just scoffs and tells me I'm a shallow brat. So um yeah ISSUES. (Sorry, that's probably TMI.)

[elz.livejournal.com]

I'm not really watching anymore, but there is some part of me that, once it begins caring about a show, really doesn't want to let go.

I'm actually surprised that I haven't had this problem with VM - I don't think I've ever fallen so completely out of love with a show so quickly. I am a little irked at the level of wasted potential, though, just on principle.

On the fandom front, I feel obligated to ask: have you watched Supernatural at all? Not that the show is guaranteed to appeal to everyone, but aspects of it are very Spike-fan-friendly and from my admittedly-biased perspective, Season 2's been pretty awesome. Plus: more obsessed fans than you can shake a stick at! And surprisingly little wank, all things considered.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

You know, I keep hearing all this wonderful stuff about Supernatural, so I'll probably give it a chance again one day.

All I saw was the premiere, and I came out of it feeling like it was a mediocre show with an unpleasant misogynist undercurrent. All the women were wives and mothers, and were there to be victims or monsters, and none had a real personality or existed outside of her relationship to the men.

I'm assuming I got the wrong impression, since so many people I respect love it....

[elz.livejournal.com]

I wasn't really taken with the pilot either (the ridiculously clunky exposition dump still makes me laugh), but I went back and watched S1 during the summer and was pleasantly surprised. As a horror anthology series, it's decent but not amazing; as a twisted family drama, it's kind of insanely compelling.

The show's gender politics are... interesting. *g* There certainly are a lot of dead women in nightgowns, but on the flip side, I've been pretty happy with the way female characters are written where they do appear, especially this season. SPN is always going to be a bit limited by the "two guys on the road" concept, but I give them points for trying. There are shows where the subtext makes me twitch and run away, and this isn't one of them.

[sailormidori.livejournal.com]

colbert was giggly all last week. i love it when he breaks character like that.

also, speaking of kitty birthdays making crappy days better, my new kitten was born on the day my dad died. cats make the world so much better.

so yay for colbert and lucifer cheering up your emotional blackmail day! [hell, i call it that, and i've been with my boyfriend for over three years. what a pointless holiday.]

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Colbert getting giggly is one the greatest things ever.

And cats... cats are even greater than Colbert. :)

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

It's funny, I consider myself somewhat of a girly girl, yet appearance-wise I find you much more girly than me. You can usually find me in jeans and a t-shirt and very little make-up. But I do love a good pedicure. :-)

And there must be some movie buffs among that group - I remember we talked movies for a long time. Speaking of which, I have Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang sitting here, just waiting to be watched. :-)

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Heh, sorry, I didn't mean to sound snooty. It's just so totally outside of the realm of my experience.

I'm not really girly. I just like to "play dress up" for, like, concerts and conventions and stuff. On a daily basis I don't spend more than 5 minutes on makeup/hair/clothes/etc.

I suppose this comes from being a tomboy as a kid, and because my mom was always ridiculing women who spent money on their appearance. My mom didn't even know what hair conditioner was (and I had very thick hair), thus making me "the kid with the horrible tangled hair." And then I was all into grunge when I was a pre-teenager, where wasting time on fashion was considered frivolous.

So I eventually got fed up with being the ugly loser all the time and decided to get all goth and overly dressed up, but it's not real, just a game I'm playing to entertain myself.

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

but it's not real, just a game I'm playing to entertain myself.

Well, all fashion is essentially that to a certain extent, no? :-)

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, and that's cool, but it freaks me out when people spend tons of money on it. $700 handbags and $120 facials... just seems like a waste.

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

Hey, darling, did you get my e-mail? I'm not sure whether the e-mail listed on your LJ info page is the right one.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Yes! Sorry, I take forever to reply to emails. I totally want to do the Sean Bean thing.

I'm sorry about the stress you've been dealing with. There's no rush on the movie night, but when you feel up to it and have some free time, just let me know and hopefully we can work out a date and time. :)

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

Awww, thanks hon! My husband's tests are next week, so hopefully things will be a little bit less stressful after that, and I'll feel more sociable!

[jerrymcl89.livejournal.com]

I guess you already know this, but Colbert is doing a signing at the NY Comicon.

I'm frustrated by "Veronica Mars", although there are abundant reasons why I really should expect it to suck at this point. It's first season was a self-contained murder mystery, and such shows ("Twin Peaks", "Murder One") tend to struggle in later seasons. And it's a high school show that has moved to college, and those almost always struggle. Plus, you can actually see the budget cuts on screen, when characters like Mac and Wallace can't appear unless the plot revolves around them.

Even given all of that, though, the show is worse than it should be. The season really suggests that Rob Thomas has no idea what it is that his audience originally liked about the show.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Oh my god! I didn't know about that! You just totally made my day.

Argh, why is he signing on FRIDAY? Now I'm going to have to take that day off work. :P

Wow, they added a bunch of Buffy guests, too. Nick Brendan, Juliet Landau, Jonathan Woodward. Plus George R. R. Martin! And Kevin Smith. And Stephen King talking about The Dark Tower. And Stan Lee and Wes Craven should be interesting, too. You know, if I can actually manage to get in to some of these (*knock on wood*) it might be a pretty good convention.

Yes, I think you're right about Rob Thomas. I mean, maybe I'm wrong and we're just a minute subgroup who enjoyed the subtlety and complexity and darkness of the first season... maybe he's right to pursue ratings by turning it into a perky little Nancy Drew teen show... except, well, he's losing both the critical acclaim *and* the ratings, so maybe not....

[jerrymcl89.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think you're right about Rob Thomas. I mean, maybe I'm wrong and we're just a minute subgroup who enjoyed the subtlety and complexity and darkness of the first season... maybe he's right to pursue ratings by turning it into a perky little Nancy Drew teen show... except, well, he's losing both the critical acclaim *and* the ratings, so maybe not....


I'm a realist. I don't ever fault a creator for successfully chasing ratings. But not only do I not think what RT is doing is producing ratings, I don't even see an unsuccessful rationale for why he would think it would.