Category: Uncategorized

WandaVision: When One Realizes How Important All The Other Movies Are.

I’ve watched WandaVision already. However, I did rewatch it briefly with someone who has never seen it. They’ve also not watched any of the Marvel movies or such a scant few that they don’t recall watching the movies. I guess they had something better to do.

Unlike me. Though I didn’t watch all of them with the same level of excitement that I did for the first few. After awhile, it kind of started to seem like a chore.

Though an equally large chore is having to explain WandaVision and all of it’s subtle references and all the needed context. I mean, what is anyone supposed to do with the phrase, “But wasn’t he killed by Ultron?”

That would make anyone ask questions. Each time that I thought I’d explained it, there was some other bit from some other sliver of movie that needed to be known. While WandaVision can be watched without watching the movies, it sure does help. A lot!

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Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Is A Bummer.

[Includes spoilers for the first two episodes]

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a bummer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying watching it. Is enjoying the right word? It’s difficult to admit enjoyment in the torment and near rock bottom depression of Obi-Wan the person. A man living with that fact that he killed his friend, utterly failed his padawan, and broke his promise to his previous master. Also, he’s in hiding because he’s a Jedi. 

Yet somehow, I’m deriving some sort of dopamine from it. Most of that started in episode two. Which I believe they released at the same time. At least, they were both out when I started watching. I’m really glad they were because the first episode was such a downer. If the second episode hadn’t been there right away and headed toward adventure and hi-jinks, I may not have continued watching.

I hung in there though as a young Princess Leia shows up and proceeds to get kidnapped by the rogue bass player of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. That’s when Obi-Wan quit being a bummer an turned into an adventure show. 

Well, until Kenobi stumbles across a begger clone trooper. A scene that played our masterfully. Selling the fear that Obi-Wan of be recognized and attacked. With the anger of being betrayed being stayed by pity and empathy. Kenobi drops some form of currency in front of the trooper and walks away. 

Okay, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a bummer.

Wordle 321: Badge Was The Answer

Wordle 321 was just the kind of Wordle I needed on a day that I woke up an hour later than usual. The kind of Wordle that practically solves itself and gets out hair immediately. Leaving me to write this and get on with work life quickly.

Adieu, little buddy I can’t believe I almost gave up on you a couple of weeks back. We’re strong together. Especially today! Yellow A, D, and E.

Grade was my next choice. Which turned the E green and revealed a yellow G.

There was less than a minute where I arranged in my head and did two trypes. Then Badge came to fruition. I gut checked the cheekiness factor and since B isn’t used often, Badge got the all clear and so did I.

Seriously, add a timed mode.

A List of Reasonable Length Declaring Why Being Pen Pals Is Great!

Pen pals, having one and having been one, is something I’ve be reminiscing about recently. I’ve also been proposing that people start writing to other people. Either me, a friend, or – in true pen pal tradition – some rando. Being pen pals is a great way to connect again or for the first time. Here are some reasons why.

  • It is and always has been, socially distanced.
  • Smooths out the awkward re-entry to socializing. Face it, it’s been awhile. Things are going to be weird. Hide the weirdness in a piece of long form writing.
  • You get to talk about yourself in large chunky monologues. Just let it flow! Let it all out. 
  • Your pen pals also gets to talk about themselves in large chunky monologues. Which is great because people are like TV shows. Imagine trying to watch a show again after missing a couple of seasons. Because – *SPOILER ALERT* – that’s what has happened!
  • Connecting via video and phone are great, but they are a bottle neck.  The conversation is real time. People will accidentally talk over one another. Smaller, but just as important details and threads of thought will be lost. The minutia is easier to track in written from.
  • You don’t have worry about being muted or if the camera is on. 
  • There are so many ways to write! By hand, phone, or computer are obvious. Go pull that typewriter or wordprocessor out of some closet. Send it by email or blow the dust off that printer and classic mail it! Who doesn’t love mail that isn’t bills?
  • Perhaps best of all, writing can be done on your own schedule. No need to set up a coinciding time with your pal. Write and read at your convenience.

Off Topic: Races for 2021

I’ve entered four of five races I now plan to do in 2021. At the beginning of last week, I wasn’t planning on doing any at all. Then an email hit my inbox with a great deal. I couldn’t help myself, as I do love a good bargain. Without any hesitation I bought the three race pack. Let me tell you, I definitely feel like I’m getting my money’s worth at this point. With two fives, a ten, and a half-marathon locked in I’m gonna be a running machine before I lock myself in for the second ten.

As you’ve probably noticed the numbers four and five are greater than the three in three race pack. That’s because The Scotiabank Half-Marathon + 5K offers a threepeat package where you can do a half, a ten, and a five.  Best of all that package counted as one race from my three race package!  Worst of all one of those races is a half-marathon. Which is the half-elf of the running world. They have trouble fitting in as they’re too short for some people, too long for others, and can definitely be a bit on the ugly side.  Years ago I ran a half-marathon on my own freewill. By the end I was bleeding and unfit for public consumption.

As I mentioned, I wasn’t planning on doing any races. Typically, I prefer running when and where I want. There’s no start time, there’s no restrictive route, and best of all, no entry fee. I lace up and Ollie leashes up and we hit the road. Most of the time I have a vague notion of the direction and distance for that day’s run. Though I’ve been known to head off in the opposite direction and tack on kilometers as we go.

For these reasons I’ve only ever done one other race. Which was years ago when this pandemic seemed like a cool sci-fi story. These races are different as they will be virtual. That means I run when and where I want. While virtually racing against others. Ollie can even come along for some of them. Though he does use runs as a way to further expand his territory and doesn’t care about his finish time. 

I’m also running for two different charities, if anyone feels like donating.

Vancouver Food Runners 

Alzheimer Society of B.C.

Hello World… Again.

I’m a writer in my spare time and a digital artist by trade. Mostly for video games. Over the years I discovered that I thoroughly enjoy the written word. Reading had been a hobby of mine for a long while. Then writing came along and became the way I’d spend a good amount, if not a majority of my spare time. It was a diversion from what I do for a living. In addition, it was more personal. A great way to express and reflect on my own thoughts while connecting with others. 

It’s been more than a few years since I started my first blog over on blogger.com. I quickly outgrew it and found a great community on WordPress.com. It’s a more robust platform with a supportive community. For the years that I was really active, I had a great time. Connecting with other bloggers, engaging with their posts, and having others engage with mine was so rewarding. I read a lot and learned even more.  

My original blog’s content was varied. Though it was usually humorous and fun to read. At least that’s what some devoted readers said. Eventually, I started a few additional blogs trying to hone in on topics. Most didn’t last too long. Multiple blogs just seemed like a lot to manage without it being a full-time job. 

After a few years and reading way to much marketing propaganda, I started a self-hosted WordPress site.  As far as customization went, it was a huge leap beyond what WordPress.com offered. I could install whatever I wanted and edit CSS to my hearts content. However, maintaining all the tech components was a huge upkeep. Which began taking away from writing. An even bigger drawback was that my blog wasn’t integrated with the community. Which had been a huge reason why I loved blogging. 

Blogging missteps aside, life coincidentally got pretty hectic for a couple of years. Time became more difficult to manage. With all the challenges I stopped blogging. I’d had a great time, but I needed a reformative break. The desire to blog was still there. Always. However, I felt like I needed to have a good think about blogging before fully starting again. Figure out what I wanted to write about and how I wanted to write it. 

While I did that, I focused on writing books and short stories. Like my blog before, there were several different genres. They were also done to various levels of completion. More importantly there were varying degrees of happiness from writing them. Focusing on the ones that made me happy became a priority. Every now and then I would write a blog post, but I was still outside of the community and it still didn’t feel right. 

Now, I’m ready to start again. I’ve moved back to wordpress.com. It’s the same blog name, but now it has a clear topic, writing life. I’m on the eve of doing another NanoWriMo. I already have enough words. So this will be the first time I’ve done the editing track. I’ve never been this close to putting a book on my written pile. I’m really excited to be starting over and finishing up all at the same time.