Modern Monster Marathon

 

Next week is Hal-Con, so that means I've only got this last weekend for horror movies.

I did my slasher-fest last weekend, so this time I'm going old-school but with a twist.

Rather than re-watch all the classic black and white movies from Universal, I thought I'd take those monsters and try and watch their updated versions. It took a bit of thinking, but I've got the following flicks ready to go:

• Bram Stoker's Dracula
• Mary Shelley's Frankenstein 
• The Mummy (with Brendan Fraser)
• The Wolfman (Benicio Del Tor remake)
• I MIGHT try and watch Shape of Water for some gillman representation if I have time

Starting in a few and continuing tomorrow night. Fun, fun, fun!

Cheers

P.S. Just found out the parents/sister are bringing chicken tenders and cinnamon buns home from a day at the cabin, so I guess snacks are covered

Embracing the Mouse

 

Okay Disney, you win.

I just recently finished Ahsoka on Disney+ and have started watching Rebels and, nearly a decade since they bought out Lucasfilm, I must admit that I'm now a full-fledged fan of Disney Star Wars.

I've been a life-long fan of the old Expanded Universe (now Legends), still owning a vast majority of the novels, comic books, and Essential Guides. 

In the last eight years, I've watched the sequel trilogy and other films, as well as shows like The Mandalorian. I've liked them, but none of them have given me those same, deep, fanboy vibes like the older stuff did.

Even when Ahsoka debuted, I kind of rolled my eyes at what I thought was just another Disney cartoon turned live-action, but it was seriously great! Good story, good acting, and clear set-up for some kind of future story. What finally won me over was that some of the finale's action scenes brought back memories of the old Dark Forces and Jedi Knight computer games.

Like I said, I'm already several episodes into Rebels (Ahsoka acts as a sequel to the cartoon) and enjoying it. I might even be tempted to follow that up with a dive into the new wealth of novels, which I've so far avoided.

Cheers!

Perspective

 

Fitting Joubert syndrome Awareness Month, here's a short, interesting story from the 2017 JS conference in Phoenix.

After representing the Board and conference's adult attendees at a scientific event one evening, I attended the Dad's Night.

Amidst all the fun, I overheard a conversation between two guys I've known for many years. One has three daughters with JS, the other has one who's affected and three who are not. For anonymity-sake, let's say Dad 1 and Dad 2 respectively.

Dad 2 asks Dad 1 how he does it, day to day with three girls with Joubert syndrome. Dad 1 says that they just do it, explaining that all three are close enough in age and similar enough that the family can usually just all go in one direction. He then asks Dad 2 how HE does it, with a family going in multiple directions. Roughly the same reply (they just do it), adding that everyone does their best to include his affected daughter. 

 I've kept the memory of that discussion in the back of my mind ever since that night. It serves as a good lesson in perspective, and how we tend to see each other.

What I take from it is that everyone has their own set of challenges and, for the most part, seem to deal with them the best way they can. Also, when you think you have it rough and are admiring someone in a "better" state, that same person could be admiring you for a similar reason.

Cheers

Six Random Things

 

Stealing from a writing prompt about random dreams, I decided to think of half a dozen random things I've thought would be fun to do. These range from realistic and probably achievable at some point, to just a little bit out there and weird.

1. Try flint knapping

Flint knapping is how ancient humans and human ancestors made stone axes and other tools. Being a fan of prehistoric stuff, I've always been curious about it and just think it would be cool to learn

2. Run the length of a pro football field

I'm not a football fan, but the disabled part of me would be curious to see if I could do it.

3. Learn an old, ancient, or archaic language

Something like Gaelic (not so old, I know), Latin, or Old English, just for kicks.

4. Take a university course

I don't think I'd want to enroll in a full program, but it would be fun to be able to audit some classes. I should see if that's even a thing...

5. Stay at a safari hotel in Africa

Dream vacation!

6. Try out for Jeopardy

Using the buzzer would be a nightmare if I ever actually got on the show, but it would still be neat to try to apply.

Cheers!

Blogtober 2023

 

New accessible hiking trail at Bonnechere Provincial Park

Blogtober is here for another year.

I've already got a lot of writing ideas, a good mix of nice disability-related stuff, some geekiness (including a Hal-con post to cap off the month!), and maybe even a couple of posts I've been a little nervous to write until now.

It's looking like a busy month outside of the blog, so it might be a fun, efficient idea to combine some writing nights with anticipated Fearfest movie marathons on the weekends.

Cheers!