valancy

Unfortunately, most days go like this:

- Baby wakes. Breastfast for her. It's 5amish.
- Get to work by 6.
- Work until 5, 530.
- Make dinner until 6, sometimes 630. (Takes full hour or more as many baby interruptions. Fussy time starts around 5.)
- Eat dinner until 6:45.
- Get baby ready for bed/nurse to sleep 6:45-7:30/8.
- Clean up house, dinner 730-830.
- 30 minutes to self, then bed.

In this 30 minutes, sometimes hour if I'm wild and stay up late, I try to writeeditreadcleanorganizeplan. Then I brush my teeth and wash my face and go to bed and start over.

Sometimes I get stuff done by simply staying up until midnight and working on virtually no sleep. But that's rare. I like sleep. Mostly I just wait for the weekend, where I might get 2 hours a day to myself when she naps.

I'd like to write interesting things, but as you can see, pretty much every spare bit of time and talent I have is spent elsewhere at the moment.

I'll be back when I can be. In the meantime, keep writing, everyone. I sneak in a glance at LJ once in a while. Ya'll are amazing.

I had to go back to the start after watching the season 6 finale - almost like I had to see if I was making up how good it used to be. The differences jumped out instantly, though they weren't entirely what I was expecting.

One of my most common complaints about Bones is how they've changed how the way they write Bones herself. I truly love Emily Deschanel's performance, and I like whatever she does, but it's always felt disingenuous to me how they write her in more recent years, stripping her of the humor and warmth she had in the early years, trying to compress her down to a single dimension. I suppose it's pretty much par for the course in what you see in so many movies and TV, the ridiculous dumbing down of geniuses - as if somehow by being more intelligent, they are less human. Only the fact that Deschanel's taken it in an Asperger's direction, as opposed to "I have no social skills because I'm smart," has made it work. (One of the many reasons I loved this year's "The Doctor in the Photo" was that I felt they finally recognized what she'd been working so hard to do with the character. One of oly what, two good eps this year? I digress.)

At any rate, while I respect Emily's work regardless of what the writers hand her, she didn't have to use to fight so much to fold humanity into her character. In old episodes, I remember a warmth and energy that I haven't seen for years. (I also miss her wonderful ethnic jewelry and safariesque clothing, which always felt so much more appropriate to me.) Come to think of it, when was the last time we saw her mention Tae Kwan Do, or sit on the floor of her office, pouring through bones, gluing them together? Before the formula became cemented into immovable parts, this show actually let you into the character's lives and stepped outside its formulaic structure.

So I dove into the pilot. One of the few episodes that I'm aware of that is based in the actual books, the plot is a memorable one, that of a young intern killed, it appears, by a senator when he discovers she's carrying his child. (The truth turns out to be even nastier when it's the aid, played by Sam Trammel in his pre-True Blood days, who did the killing: because he wanted to keep his job, and couldn't afford to let the senator go down in flames.) Most of my memories of the differences proved accurate - but a few surprised me. I'd almost forgotten about the forensics of the show, back when it was really part of it, more than just a brief glance at the bones and a "ta-dah, it's a [mumbo jumbo] break that means [incredibly specific scenario]." There's a willingness to be less than exact in these early episodes; there's an awareness that characters are still struggling to accomplish things, and have to work to achieve things. They have bad hair days and simple wardrobes, and the passion in the air is tremble-worthy.

Of course, there are parts I'm happy to have left behind as well; the "Angelator," that absurd impossible magic holograph, as well as the tremendously lousy soundtrack that sounds like it was pulled from a junior high school kid's iPod, are both things I'd been happy to forget. The uneasy use of "squint" by extras and the awkward camera transitions aren't exactly thrilling, either.

But back to the impressive moments. Boreanaz nails Booth from the first scene; I could as easily believe this was his hundredth episode as his first, as comfortable as he seems in the role. It's also amazing to see the villain or hero of the week actually be given some time to act; I'm so sick to death of quick interviews with characters who should be too grief-stricken to speak, yet are somehow able to give cogent answers minutes after finding out their loved ones are dead. Deschanel's acting also catches my eye from the first episode; I love how she's given the opportunity to actually care about the victim, even while she doesn't understand the emotion. ("I don't get it. It wasn't jealousy, it wasn't passion. Cleo wouldn't get rid of her boss's baby, so you got rid of her. What kind of psychology is that? What kind of person are you?") And the team! They are more connected and properly geeky moments in the first episode than exist in the entire sixth season, a feeling of trust, connection, and a long history of late nights. There are depths and currents here in the first episode (terrible sound track be damned) that I haven't seen it in years. I wish I could corral all the writers and have them rewatch it.

But on to episode two: The Man in the SUV.

Emotional gore! And Safari outfits! The opening scene alone led me to (verbal) explosions. Here we face the uncomfortable subject of terrorists, specifically what appears to be a suicide bombing by the leader of the Arab-American friendship league. Bones is called in to identify the body, and quickly, in the hopes they can disprove this embarrassing incident. Written in 2005, this incident was just far enough away from 9/11 to have an episode treading on those unsettling waters, and just close enough to be filled with confusion about how to treat the subject matter. But truth is, I'm not interested in dissecting the muddy, ugly grounds of racism, terrorism, and fear; I'm interested in the performances and the writing, so here we go.

In episode one, Bones notes she's recently back from Guatemala, having assisted in identifying bodies resulting from genocide. Unsurprisingly, she handles the bodies in this second episode with calm competence. It's a delicate difference, but I love the way she's handling this scene; in future episodes, she'd be stiff, unaffected in general, and the cameras would be focusing on the nastiness of the gore, as opposed to the disturbingly human aspect of the gore. Season six Bones, maggots and slipping rotten skin; season one Bones, weeping, wounded people, all-too-human bones, and emotional responses all around her while she has to hold it together, because damnit, she's a professional. I also love the scientists' frustration with interlopers; there's a calm rationale in these early episodes that I love, when science is not some miraculous magic that, pulled out of a magic hat, renders answers, but an actual process that can be understood, followed, that is worked for. Maybe that's what bugs me most; everything is too damn easy in season 6, and the answers are always so bizarrely concrete.

Oddly, Zach - whom I thoroughly disliked for some time - I find far more enjoyable this time through. His character works for me; I feel like I finally get what he was aiming for, a kind of callous humor that everyone takes to be shallow and is actually sincere, and it makes the utterly insane yet tragic season 3 make so much more sense. I don't know which is the chicken or the egg, but I have to give him his props. Actually, I'm liking everyone more - I can even tolerate Angela here; she actually has her own goals and interests, as opposed to whining about being an artist or simply having no real purpose. (For the record, I find the actress charming in every little interview I've ever seen of her. I find the character, on the other hand, abysmally boring and self-centered.) The lab is also busy; sure, it's absurdly gorgeous, large, and technical, but it also looks like a working lab. Booth, self-confident apparent God of FBI in season six, faces actual consequences and accountability in this early year, as well. It's often the limitations that build a show, and I wonder if they've just abolished one too many challenges in the current Bones.

This episode is also willing to do what we haven't seen in a while: put Bones in the field. Don't get me wrong; I think it's ridiculous to have Bones constantly in trouble as season two and three liked to do (though damn, those were good episodes). But the airport scene has a tension I haven't felt in any episode in ages, as they desperately search for the villain. It's a telling moment when Bones identifies the villain by his walk and assures Booth it's okay to shoot him; he, uncertain, refuses to shoot until she calls his name and he turns around. A little too on the nose, perhaps, as she insists that this is what she does, he must trust her...but the scene works neverthless.

Perhaps even better: this was a time when Bones was aware of sex. Not just openly aggressive in her pursuit of sexual gratification, as later episodes portray her, but aware of, let's say, options. How's this for some undercurrents as they drink together at the bar:


Bones: I thought you FBI guys liked your medals.
Booth: I take no pleasure in taking someone's life.
Nothing to celebrate.
Bones: You've saved so many people, Booth. Don't forget that.
[Bones' hand covers Booth's.]
Booth: Another drink?
[Bones removes her hand.]
Bones: Shouldn't you be heading home?
[beat]
Tessa will be worried about you.
[beat]
Booth: Yeah.
[Booth leans back to leave, pulls back in, and finally moves away again.]
I guess I should.


The loneliness and very subtle resentment Bones has towards Booth's beautiful blonde is beautifully done, as is the follow-up in this scene as she goes to sort bones in the lab while Booth heads home to a home-cooked meal. The jewelry that peeks out of her lab coat serves as yet another identifier of their differences; his conservative nature (before the "Cocky" belt buckle), her more variable dress. They were real opposites back then, and a wide and lonely gulf stood between them. No wonder the tension was so great.

I really do look forward to season six; I want to see if they can pull it together in time for the finale. I have no doubt Boreanaz and Deschanel will bring their game. I just hope the writers do.

Pipes burst all over our brand new wood floors. Fourth serious and expensive emergency in a year not yet half done. Guess I won't be going to the wedding and seeing family this weekend after all.

I am very tired.

I've already been given some excellent pointers, but I need more! I've been horribly out of touch with music for years due to not being able to afford any, but lately people have been giving me fancy iTunes giftcards. Hooray!

What do you like? Tell me!

And my tastes?( Read more...Collapse )

You may have noticed that Reflection's Edge has put up a final issue - a very final issue, after six years. After one too many exhausting problems, after one too many staff quit unexpectedly, after one too many months of putting in dozens of hours on my second job, it was time to quit. The decision to quit was, to say the least, difficult, but since then it's actually been pretty peaceful, and I'm proud of what we put up in our final articles.

I know many of you ended up reading RE because you knew me. Some of you even chose to publish with me. Your support and compliments have been infinitely appreciated. I truly can't find the words to tell you how much.

I really do hope you'll read some of our final articles and retrospectives. Maybe they'll give you a little insight into the strangeness of small press experiences. If nothing else, they might help you find a few cool articles by authors you know and love.

Regardless, thanks for everything. It's been a wonderful experience.

Crunch: Total Resculpt Rating: ***
This program focuses on toning arms and legs.
Required equipment includes free weights (preferably 2 lb or 5 lb), though a yoga mat might be helpful in the last 5 minutes.

Led by a man I can only describe as Sergeant Cheerleader and with warm-ups that felt torn from the pages of jazzercise and Dance, Dance, Revolution, this was another program I thought I'd hate, but instead enjoyed. He cracked me up with his ridiculous cheer and kept me going; his fine attention to detail, and the fact that each exercise was carefully designed to be progressive, made the program manageable. Honestly, he's the closest I've felt to a personal trainer in all of these videos.

That isn't to say it's easy, though: there were several times I just had to stop as my arms were literally shaking too much to continue. (Legs I held in there - but barely, and I mean barely.) He also moves fast, and particularly in the dancersize warm-up sections, you may get confused. Hang in there, though. This workout is well-balanced and worth the time.

Crunch: Boot Camp Training
Rating: **, possibly *** with practice.
This programs focuses on all-over toning at a fast pace, keeping your heart rate up while you're strength training.
Required equipment is free weights (preferably 2 lb or alb), though a yoga mat might be helpful for some of the floor work (minimal).

With a name like "Boot Camp Training," I wasn't exactly expecting a cake walk, but this completely killed me. Already hurting from Total Resculpt (despite a day off), I had to take rest breaks on even the starter exercises, by the end only doing every other repetition of these intense workout moves. It was frankly far above my skill level, which I could have more easily forgiven if the instructor hadn't moved so fast it was virtually impossible to keep up the first half. I barely got my weights up before we were three reps in; I wondered how I could possibly get anything out of moves so fast it felt like I was flinging the free weights rather than moving them. No wonder all the demonstrators in this video had muscles that made Angela Bassett look like a lightweight. (A couple of them looked like professional weight lifters.)

Admittedly, my frustration with this video could be because we got off on the wrong foot together - pretty much literally. Dance-like warm-ups make their appearance here, too, and are even more confusing than in Total Resculpt, and along with the fast speed, I rapidly devolved into what can only be described as a crazed Charlie Brown-on-meth dance.

What can be said for this video is that the exercises are well balanced, well ordered, and well chosen. I suspect that if I did this workout frequently I might improve my view of it, as familiarity would help a great deal. It's frankly a pity they tried to race the routine along, as this one had real potential. If you do hazard this one, consider just watching it first prior to actually exercising along with it. Charlie Brown meth dances are good for no one.

For the first set of excise video reviews, click here.

(Feel free to skip if you have no interest in random exercise videos. :)

So after years of mostly pilates and running, I'm trying to branch out, especially since I'm feeling less than motivated and things that aren't new are boring. (Also, I haven't installed a shelf yet so that I can easily watch episodes while running, and I'm tired of laboriously copying, reformatting, and transferring them to my iPod.)

So then there was Netflix. To my surprise, I've discovered they have tons of instant play exercise videos, and while most of them are the older, less popular titles, many of them are quite good. So in case you're interested, I'll be occasionally posting my reviews. Keep in mind that I have a strong core and decent legs but terrible arms and no flexibility, so my reviews are clearly biased in that direction.

Onward!

Crunch: Candlelight Yoga: As a workout, it's very mild, but it does exactly what I hoped it did: stretched me out and got me ready for bed with a guilt-free conscience (hey, I did my workout for the day!). It's a pity the screen isn't a little darker - the screen seemed glaring in the dark - but otherwise, a pleasant, relaxing stretchout.

10-Minute Solution: Yoga This was a huge surprise. Everything about it lead me to think I'd hate it: cramming yoga into 10 minute-sections? And this lady moves fast, no doubt about it, and her voice isn't exactly soothing. But to my surprise, I loved it. The sections gently flow from one to the next, so it's easy to treat it as a 50-minute workout, and it worked me out at that perfect level where I was pushing myself, but not in physical pain. I liked the flow of one exercise to another. And her voice and fast pace felt motivating rather than irritating. I'll warn you, though - if your arms are as weak as mine, expect serious soreness the next day.

Crunch: Pick Your Spot Pilates: I hate to say it, but this was a massive disappointment. I love Pilates, but the choice of exercises here bewildered me. One movement would be so easy I would be bored, the next so bad I'd be shaking. I even got a terrible cramp at one point, which has never, ever happened to me before. I didn't feel fully warmed up, and I admit I think I've gotten used to the cautions and gentle exhortations in the previous yoga videos not to overdo it. The lack of flow and warm-up made this 30-minute workout far more painful than many hour-long ones. Whether I'm becoming a yoga girl or this was just a lousy video is unclear, but I certainly can't recommend it.

My dog was violently ill for hours yesterday and had to be taken to the vet, terrifying both C and me, where he was pumped full of fluids and antibiotics and given a special diet to recover on. He's doing much better, but I keep having to check on him and give him little teaspoons of water and medicine and as of this morning a little food, plus overnight I was called two times by work (between 4am and 6am) and once by UPS (at 7 AM!), and I had to be up by 8. Also, takes me on average an hour to fall back asleep once I'm woken up.

Somebody, please, get me some coffee.

I just realized today that in the past six months I have moved, gone to two out-of-town weddings, took two 10-day business trips, took a trip back home just to visit family, got a dog (and put him in therapy), and entertained 14 (as of tomorrow, 18) guests. Plus day job, plus writing, plus running online magazine.

I think I'm taking the fall off. I'm turning into a megalocrankodon.

There are any number of productive things I could be doing right now, stuck in Utah, having arrived at the airport after my departing connecting flight, but I am terribly tired and my mind is all mush, so I am mostly looking at clothes online as I wait for another connecting flight. This is a little masochistic, but I am enjoying it nevertheless. (You see, having ruined the last beautiful piece of clothing I owned in a washing accident earlier this week, yesterday I went and spent all my spending money this month at Ross, a US discount clothing store, ending up with a surprisingly lovely collection of new things. All of which is packed in the bag which is also in transit...somewhere. Hence the browsing of clothes.)

I will be meditating on the power of beautiful things, and balancing my checkbook and writing up a proper important LJ entry as soon as the caffeine kicks in. (I splurged.)