"And she pricks you, and she sticks you..."

[greygirlbeast]

A rather remarkable 1,885 words yesterday on "The Bone's Prayer," for Sirenia Digest #39. Though, I will admit, a bit of that was me discovering that the "sea's daughter" fragment I posted here a couple of days back fit into a dream sequence. I'll finish the story today. Also, I have to reformat The Red Tree ms.——something about the copyeditor——and send the newly formatted ms. to my editor tomorrow.

We have snow again here in Providence.

I am letting it be known that I'm taking most of March off. I'm overworked, and I've hardly slept the last two or three weeks. There were two severe seizures in February, one on the third and another on the eighteenth, and I know that, in part, this is due to my work habits. I've not taken a day off in the last eight, and won't be able to stop until the digest goes out. In March, I'll attend to Sirenia Digest and whatever I can't avoid regarding The Red Tree. But that's all. I have to try to rest, get better, clear my head, and spend as much time Outside as possible, and see people. Real, actual people, not the virtual sort. I have to try to reassemble myself. If I could afford more than one month, I'd be taking it, but that's all the breathing room I have, and I don't really have that. I'm just taking it. If I reach a point where the exhaustion makes work impossible, I've defeated the purpose of working. So, I might be scarce in March. Or, I might make lots of posts with photos of interesting places. We'll see.

Some decent Hulu last night (I can't really say "television"). First, the new episode (new for me, anyway) of Battlestar Galactica. "Deadlock" wasn't nearly as good as "No Exit," but still, not bad. The new episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was actually quiet good. One of the best. Smarter than the show is usually willing to allow itself to be, in terms of narrative structure. We didn't suffer another episode of Dollhouse, though. It's just too disheartening. If, at some future date, someone can show me that the series somehow overcame the dullness that marks the first two episodes, I'll give it another try. Knowing that Joss Whedon is capable of storytelling on the order of Firefly, I cannot bear to watch the dull morass of Dollhouse.

Time to make the doughnuts.

Comments

[suzie-n-sophie.livejournal.com]

Big deal! We have snow too here in Leeds! Wheeeeeee!

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Big deal! We have snow too here in Leeds! Wheeeeeee!

So I have heard.

[readingthedark.livejournal.com]

At this point, I have trouble reading the word "dollhouse" without yawning.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

At this point, I have trouble reading the word "dollhouse" without yawning.

Yep. I'm reserving it for The Sandman: Dolls House at this point.

[sovay]

It's snowing here. We're supposed to get ten inches to a foot. New England spring laughs at you and steals your car.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

New England spring laughs at you and steals your car.

I'm going to get the hair dryer...

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

Nice Aguirre icon. Long arrows are coming back in fashion.

Yeah, if you'd told me a few years ago there'd be a new Joss Whedon show starring Eliza Dushku (not much of an actress, but not unpleasant to regard) and I'd be consistently forgetting it's on out of sheer apathy, I would've asked what you were smoking and where I could get some. But Dollhouse is just so...average.

I sorta blame some of it on Dushku — apparently they came up with the idea jointly; she wanted to do a series where she got to play all sorts of different characters, without realizing that she actually can't play anything but Surly, Troubled Eliza Dushku. I guess she really wanted lots of wardrobe changes? I dunno.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Nice Aguirre icon.

I had a sudden need of it yesterday.

I sorta blame some of it on Dushku — apparently they came up with the idea jointly; she wanted to do a series where she got to play all sorts of different characters, without realizing that she actually can't play anything but Surly, Troubled Eliza Dushku.

Bingo.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

I have to say, the third episode of Doll really did it for me. There were three clear moments of depth and actual connecting story, there, over and above the wheel spinning of the previous two episodes.

I would give it at least that episode, and if it doesn't work for you, let it go. But that's simply my recommendation.

The episode of Terminator made me Really Very Happy.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I have to say, the third episode of Dollhouse really did it for me. There were three clear moments of depth and actual connecting story, there, over and above the wheel spinning of the previous two episodes.

At this point, I'm afraid I need a lot more than three clear moments. Characters, for example.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Amy Acker's "Dr. Claire Saunders" is really shining, in this one, as is Tahmoh Penikett's "Special Agent Paul Ballard." It also seems that they're doing the smart thing of putting the "Actives" in more situations with each other, rather than simply focusing on the previously hinted pseudo-mystery of "Echo's" past.

This seems to be the episode where they start letting Whedon be Whedon, rather than trying to corral the story into some crappy, clichéd box.

[shaula82.livejournal.com]

Also, Sierra is promising. Even though her Aussie accent was a bit...odd, I already think Dichen Lachman is a better actor than Dushku.

I found the plot in Ep 3 a bit heavy-handed, to be honest. But I will continue to watch the show for a while to see where it's going.

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

So, I might be scarce in March. Or, I might make lots of posts with photos of interesting places. We'll see.

Makes my idea of a sensory deprivation tank seem an even worse idea...

Whatever gets you un-exhausted, I'm behind.

Get out and breathe different air*, ma'am...
______
* That's me trying to be poetic. (I know it's always different air, 'cause of the moving-around factor.) Good thing no one can revoke a poetic license...

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Makes my idea of a sensory deprivation tank seem an even worse idea...

I suspect that would be very bad.

[jtglover.livejournal.com]

I am letting it be known that I'm taking most of March off.

Very glad to hear it. Hope you come out feeling more rested and centered on the other side.

[mellawyrden.livejournal.com]

lots of pictures, yay!

[tinkbell.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to ask you and Spooky over for dinner sometime, but have been very busy and a little unsocial too. I think I have some time off in the weekend after next, though, and will send a message if that's really the case.

[michael-b-lee.livejournal.com]

"Deadlock" wasn't nearly as good as "No Exit," but still, not bad..

I thought "Deadlock" was a complete mess; it almost felt like they spliced together scenes and characters from late season 2 and early season 3 into a weird, poorly-glued-together episode. There were some interesting bits, but overall I was really disappointed.

Fortunately the subsequent episode gets things back on track in an interesting and satisfying way.

[kongjie.livejournal.com]

You were wise to skip Dollhouse. "Stage Fright" brought us the "protect the pop star" plot, where our intrepid heroine gets to pretend she is a backup singer. Oh right, she's not pretending, she really thinks she is a backup singer.

As if real pop music isn't bad enough, we have to listen to some faux pop music. Contrast it with almost any tune from the Buffy musical and it's a letdown. Was Whedon so beaten down from his experience with Firefly that he now feels he has to anticipate what the network wants? This was it for me--no more Dollhouse.