Bearshorty's musings

A week or so ago this meme was going around and it got me thinking about my fandom loves. I figure that instead of posting this and responding individually, I will just write up my answers for 6 fandoms in one post. I picked these six fandoms because I'm much more deeply entrenched in them due to fanfic - I either read a lot (and bookmarked lots if anyone wants recs) or I wrote fic myself. So while I love many other things like Supernatural or Doctor Who or Dresden Files, or other Star Trek or Dollhouse or Agents of SHIELD or Battlestar Galactica or Farscape etc, fanfic in these 6 fandoms in particular lets me to think about the show/book and understand did a bit deeper. If anyone wants to ask me about other show/TV, I will do this meme in comments but here are my main ones.

These fandoms are, in order of my involvement: Harry Potter, Star Trek: Voyager, Buffy, Torchwood, Highlander: TV Series, and Glee.

Here are the questions.

* How I entered that fandom
* Favorite character
* Least favorite character
* OTP(s)
* Pairing that everyone likes but I don’t get
* Favorite thing about the fandom
* The thing I most dislike about the fandom
* If there is something I would change from said game/show/movie/etc., what would it be?

( Harry Potter )

( Star Trek: Voyager )

( Buffy )

( Torchwood )

( Highlander: TV Series )

( Glee )

Recap of my books/movies/music and cooking for the week:

Books

I'm still on Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd , maybe 40% in. I don't have much time to read and while I do like the book, it's not the kind I want to devour.It is interesting that when I tried reading the book several years ago I didn't like Bathsheba too much but I find her much more interesting now. I do have to reread some sentences due to Hardy's prose. I am determined to finish the book this time and I'm holding the next two books up as motivation.

I bought Neil Gaiman's Trigger Warning and Sharon Kay Penman's The King's Ransom just a few weeks ago. I buy all Penman's books in paperback since that is how I bought the first few ones and I want my selves to match. And both Gaiman and Penman paperback just came out. I want to read both so much, so they are my incentive to finish Hardy. I generally love Gaiman's short stories. I picked Fragile Things when I attended his talk at the New Yorker festival a few years ago so he could sign it. Can't wait.

Music

To get free Amazon shipping for my books I also got Carole King's Tapestry CD. As usual when I get new music I listen to it on a loop. It really is a fantastic album.

TV

Not a too much regular TV this week as both Supernatural and Grimm are on hiatus.

Downton Abbey. I'm really enjoying the season. Just one episode left. I really like the Dowager and Isabel friendship and that Edith finally got just a bit of happiness. Rose also grew on me this season. Don't care about the Bates plot. Anna deserve some happiness too at some point.

Glee. I managed to watch this week by staying with Tanya until almost 9 in the room and only then sneaking out. She's been having separation anxiety I think. Bedtime was a bit of struggle all week. Well, she is 7 months. It will pass one day. Anyway, I enjoyed watching the episode despite in being so newbie focused. It is not an episode I'd rewatch or care too much in the long run, but it was entertaining. Spencer's crush was cute. Alistair is 18 in real life, though? He looks much older. Songs were fun. I hope Klaine had an awesome honeymoon.

Spartacus I just finished Episode 9 in the first season. The show is rather graphic. Especially the violence in the last few episodes. But I'm enjoying it overall. And as is often the case, I don't care that much for the main character but others I find interesting. I love Lucy Lawless. Not a show I will rewatch or obsess about but I'm glad I gave it another chance.

Cooking
I mainly made two more complex dishes this week. I cooked more, obviously, since takeout is a rare, rare thing. I also made fish, eggplant stir fry and potatoes but that's pretty easy. I did fry the left over boiled potatoes yesterday, a very tasty treat I haven't done in a while. I love potatoes in any form.

Today I made chicken tetrazzine (spaghetti, chicken, and mushrooms baked in creamy sauce). I used the Betty Crocker recipe but I used fresh mushrooms (which I fried), water instead of chicken broth and sherry and 2% organic milk instead of heavy cream. Good call on the milk since the sauce was heavy enough with the butter. It came out really well and my pasta loving husband was very happy. Definitely a keeper.

I also made Chickpeas Rice Soup with Cabbage on Friday. My mother-in-law found this recipe and made her version on Valentine's day when we visited and she printed the recipe for me. She found it online. I had actual chickpeas that had to be used, not a can, and I had some leftover cabbage so this was a perfect use. The soup was a bit too thick for me but definitely filling. I'm not a giant fan of cabbage soups but I would probably make it again.

I officially went back to work last Thursday. It is part-time, 2 classes, two days a week. I'm definitely over the commute - I want to find something closer. I have to get up at 5:30 to pump before I even start getting ready to leave - I don't need much to actually leave the house: get dressed, brush teeth and hair, put tea in thermos and go. I get a bagel with cream cheese on the way and I do very limited make-up. Still 5:30 is a bit early. And two plus hours one way gets tedious despite the fact that I can do work on the train. Especially when I get up several times a night to change a diaper and feed a baby, waking up early is not fun. And the next day after I went back to work, Tanya started waking up at night a little more again - she was getting better at sleep but I guess she wants to check that I'm still there.

She also refused the bottle and would only eat from a spoon. I think we solved that problem a bit today - I replaced the bottle nipple with a larger size. Hopefully, tomorrow she will eat better. She fills up at night so she can afford to go on strike during the day. My Mom is already here, staying overnight. She is staying until Thursday actually because of the expected snowstorm. Joy.

New thing this weekend - Bear and I started feeding Tanya veggies from a jar. Menu yesterday and today was organic squash. Tanya loves it. She is an adventurous one, just ate it up and didn't spit it out or anything. So now she gets solids twice a day. Cereal of some kind: oatmeal, rice, buckwheat or quinoa at 11am and veggie or fruit at 3pm. We'll see how it goes.

Now for more fun stuff: TV and books.

TV (I watched this week)

1. Supernatural S10E10: I actually watched this week's episode live for a change. I like the whole dark Dean. I can't stand Metatron and I was hoping Dean would kill him but no such luck. He is just so swarmy. Rowena is a fun manipulator and I'm curious where that storyline is going. I like the season so far.

2. Glee S6E4 It's funny that the reaction to this episode is so different depending on the audience and if you get the joke. The comments on mainstream reviews on EW or TVline hate the episode because they think the writers are coming up with ridiculous plots. The fandom on Tumblr was just loving it. I was giggling like a silly person throughout the episode trying to keep it down so as not to wake up the baby. I thought it was hysterical. There was a lot of meta and I don't think we are supposed to take this show seriously at all anyway. Definitely an episode of joy. Who can't love a bear cub? And there was a nice Klaine scene - and that shrine of Sue was just awesome. Love the season so far.

3. Grimm S4E10 This season is on the roll too. Nice and suspenseful episode where everyone got to be a badass and kill some evil dudes. While I knew the Monroe would survive, there was still tension and really nice scenes. Both Rosalee and Juliette got to be in the power walk and neither sat on the sidelines. I like Juliette's storyline so far of turning into a Hexenbeast - at least she is not pregnant - but I hope she doesn't hide it from Nick. And isn't the solution here is too simple - Nick can get rid of her powers like he did with Adeline. I am glad that Wu was finally brought in - I like it when characters on the show actually communicate with each other and work together.

Books

Well, one book really. I barely have time to read as it is. I'm reading Tim Wu's The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires . One of the chapters is included in our textbook for the writing program and I loved reading it. I'm going to teach it later in the semester. But the chapter intrigued me enough that I wanted to read the whole book. I went online, and in a few minutes borrowed the book on my Kindle from the library. Technology is awesome.

Tim Wu is a proponent of the net neutrality and of the open communication system (decentralized, cooperative) as opposed to the closed system (monopoly, centralized control of information). In this book he traces the communication technologies of the twentieth century and sees a Cycle that starts with an open system which closes on monopolies and then get opened again. While he acknowledges that monopolies that strive for public good can bring in some good in research, etc, he believes that ultimately closed systems stifle research and progress because monopolies refuse to develop, and actually repress, new technologies that can potentially topple them (like radio did with FM radio and the television). He also traces the role of government because information empires at its height have to be supported by the state. For him, information should never be in a closed system because while corporations are about profit, what's at stake is free speech. He traces the telephone, radio, movie, television, cable and internet from their inventions to present day. It is certainly an interesting read. He is writing for general audience and his explanations of how each technology works is very clear and awesome. Part history book, part theory, part advocacy for net neutrality it is enjoyable.

Thursday is one day where I don't have to go in to work. Usually it means that I have a lot of grading to do at home but most Thursdays I just take a day off to decompress and grade on the weekends. I need to grade five papers at some point today but right now I'm just relaxing. I had a doctor's check-up appointment today and while I took a bus there, I walked home (It's about 30 minutes walk). That was very nice; I miss walking just because.

So I wanted to cover the TV shows of this Fall season. I am looking forward to January with "Downton Abbey" "Sherlock" "Teen Wolf" and "Community" but for now there are my shows this fall.

( TV Shows Fall 2013 )

After last week’s break, went back to tutoring today. Valerie just wants someone to chat with. She does need to read more in English but she is the client, so it is really up to her. And it’s not like I mind sitting there and chatting for two hours for almost $50.

I made the appointment for a doctor check up next week, now that I finally have the insurance card. When I had insurance through University, I didn’t really feel comfortable going there for a check up – just for any problems. So it has been a while since I had a blood test. Plus this office is for internal medicine/cardiology, which is good since they would know how to handle my palpitations. Which were acting up today and making me super tired. I really don’t like it when that happens.

The couch magically appeared today. :) Yay. The delivery guys were so fast and efficient with the set-up. They had the drill to attach legs and worked so quickly. My parents got up a sofa-bed, in black fake leather so it is very light and pretty nice. I think I will need to get some little pillows to sit on it but lying down on it is very comfortable. It will definitely make a great guest bed, not that Bear wants to advertise that fact.

( Glee )

Glee Season 3 finale was today.( Glee )

For the first time in maybe half a year I actually watched Monday’s TV live. First “How I met Your Mother (HIMYM)” and then “House.”

I have been keeping up with “HIMYM” online but I was mostly bored with it and in the first half of this evening’s episode I switched to HBO and Harry Potter during the commercial and didn’t care to go back. The show seems to mostly stay in place and it is just not interesting anymore. I don’t think I’m coming back for it next season.

I need to catch up to about 4 episodes of ‘House’ and I don’t really care. I do like House and Wilson interaction in the latest storyline but that is about it – the rest, the patients just leave me indifferent. I will watch the finale, of course, and I will probably catch up to the episodes I missed by having them run in the background while I’m doing something else but I’m glad the show is ending. It used to be a must watch for me but I really stopped caring.

In fact, this TV season has the lowest number of shows that I follow or that I watch live. There are only three that I watch as they actually air and that I get excited about: Glee, Community and Grimm. I’m still surprised by how much I got into Glee this year after two years of indifference and occasional watching. Community is the funniest comedy around and Grimm is my favorite new show and I adore it to pieces and it just keeps getting better and better.

Modern Family and Grey’s Anatomy are shows I like that I usually watch online after they air. HIMYM is the show I do watch online but reluctantly. And House I kind of watch online now, but not really. I gave up on Bones in April when I realized that I just didn’t care anymore and I don’t miss it at all. But that’s it.

At least summer is coming up with the crack that is True Blood, SYTYCD and Burn Notice. I’m done with Leverage and I don’t even remember other shows. I haven’t even finished last four episodes of Dexter Season 6. (And I will watch Borgias all at once on Demand probably).

First time ever I didn’t finish on time for folder review. I just got one class done. The director was very accommodating but I know I can’t let this happen again. Basically, I went in for the Folder Review of only one section and the other section is rescheduled for Thursday. I don’t know why I do this to myself – I just put off grading sometimes. At least I’m pretty certain of the grades.

Academic honesty committee came to the decision about those midterms. The girl was fine and the two guys who copied her got a F for the class. It would have been easier for them to just not argue with me in the first place and admit what they have done.

Finally, I got the label from Macy’s! Yay. About time. I can send those rings back! Next step, actually getting my money back for them.

( Glee )

Today was such a ridiculously warm summery day that I decided to just hold class outside. That was a really good decision. While the students might not have done as much work as they should have, they enjoyed it and I was able to talk to everyone individually. And it was warm and sunny and I got to spend three hours outside for once.

I do love magic excuses to miss class disappearing once you ask for proof. One guy asked to leave 30 minutes early because he had a “doctor’s appointment” that was very hard to get and I told him he could leave but he had to bring a note from the doctor. When 2:30 came around and he still didn’t leave, I asked him why and “his mother texted him about the cancelled appointment.” Why do students bother? We are not stupid.

( Glee )

Santorum ended his campaign today. Thank god. I just hope he will be nowhere near the VP spot.

We discussed Armstrong essay in class again – students didn’t know what fundamentalism is. Argh.

Finally a new Glee – a fun episode, I thought.