ELSEWHERE

I am making chili!

Or attempting to, rather; I realized I was out of chili powder, a notably key ingredient, and on my next touch grass break will go and grab some from Aldi's. Chili, thankfully, can kinda be seasoned whenever (in my very lazy chili-making opinion) since it all tastes better the next day anyways, so I went ahead and got things simmering and I'll just toss in the chili powder later. My idea of chili is heavier on the beans than meat because it is based off my childhood chili recipe, which was put together and then passed down by very poor people, and now I think if I had a meat-heavy chili it would seem too decadent or like a stew. In proper Appalachian fashion, we're all about the toppings, anyways.

Aside from that it's my Sunday equivalent and I feel like I am weekending properly, more or less! My workweek slaughtered me from a mixture of heavy caseload + starting my period at an inconvenient time, so yesterday I mostly rested. Today I have a few grown-up tasks to complete, but otherwise intend to make art and play video games because both of those things sound lovely to do! Sophie's coming down for a visit next weekend so at some point next week I want to clean the bedroom really well (I noticed the floor underneath my bed needs a good vacuum) and probably grab a few extra groceries. I don't think we have any plans except to hang out and maybe walk to the fancy tea store. I do wanna try to watch the George Hearn Sweeney Todd with her, since I own it on DVD and she hasn't seen it yet.

Okay, I guess that's most of my updates for now! I'm gonna sit and play bungame for a bit before breaking to do afternoon walkies and get aforementioned chili powder. After that I'll work on my art, I think.

ok bye

Chili was successfully powdered earlier, btw! I had a bowl and then promptly put the rest in the fridge to sit and do what chili do (i.e., become tastier the next day). I also in general got my chores done, exercised, etc., so I'm calling it a successful day. I'm about to work on some art and then will probably cap off my evening w/ some solo video game time to recoup social spell slots before my work week starts.

Tomorrow I'll talk about projects I'm working on, maybe!

WIP of my girlfriend's BG3 Tav

erikavonkaiser wrote: ↑Tue Nov 14, 2023 1:47 am

Tomorrow I'll talk about projects I'm working on, maybe!

It's several tomorrows and I haven't done this yet and still won't, woops! Work has been busy; I have to go in early today, actually, and need to get up in a minute to hurry and finish my pre-Sophie-visit chores before I have to leave my apartment for the day. Sophie's coming in tomorrow and is gonna hang out at home while I work my final shift of the week, then we're gonna spend my Saturday and Sunday equivalents together. It'll be nice but I feel rushed and slightly anxious, just because .............work, busy. lots

Anyways, let me go ahead and get up to finish said chores!

Sophie visit went well!

We did a D&D thing together then we honestly mostly hung out and watched musicals! I inflicted the George Hearn/Angela Lansbury Sweeney on her, because she hadn't seen it and a) she enjoyed it b) it definitely holds up! It's just all around a solid production, and Angela Lansbury is a treasure. I did forget how utterly manic that interpretation of Johanna is; usually I think she's played a little more classically ingenue, but in that production she's openly nuts and I kinda dig it, even if it makes her a little painful on the ears. I think my ideal Johanna is probably a middleground between Cosette-style innocent babe and Mags-level unhinged. I'm not sure what my ideal Antony is, because his extremes are "earnest himbo idiot" and "fucking creeper" and while I prefer the former, it's hard to deny he has some of the latter because of his actions within the show itself. (And also the vibe of the show, honestly -- I think Antony's intentions are pure, or at least without violence, but I also think he wants to own Johanna in much the same way other men did, his take is just romantic instead of paternal and/or outright sexual.)

Also in "it's a small world especially to niche creatives" news, Sophie (whose degree is in theatrical costuming) worked briefly with the woman who did the costumes for that production! Apparently Sophie got to hold the very Tony awarded for said costuming, which is neat!

(also apparently the lady in question was extremely unpleasant, Sophie did not have fond thoughts of her, RIP)

After that we watched Little Shop of Horrors, which I had not seen in many years (probably over a decade?) and it, too, holds up. Honestly, I think part of the reason is that it's incredibly aware that it is a musical, and is staged as such, whereas a lot of modern movie musicals want to seem realistic (or, in the case of the very painful Les Miserables movie, outright gritty). It's not realistic! The characters are singing and emoting and dancing as they go about their business! This is because it is a show, for entertainment! The magic comes in suspending disbelief after the audience accepts the storytelling format, not trying to trick them into not realizing that is the storytelling format in the first place.

imho &tc but also, I'm right and I know it

Anyways, it was a good visit! Probably our last in-person visit of the year, but we have some stuff planned for early next year that I think will be nice.

erikavonkaiser wrote: ↑Wed Nov 22, 2023 5:37 pm

I think my ideal Johanna is probably a middleground between Cosette-style innocent babe and Mags-level unhinged.

Sophie did mention she likes the idea of a scheming Johanna, as in one who is deliberately clinging to Antony in order to escape her circumstances (which is incredibly fair, to be clear), and I think that would be a fun interpretation. Definitely adds some additional substance to when she takes the gun from Antony and shoots the psych ward guy, like boy gimme that if you're gonna be a little baby about it

oh I guess his name is fully "Anthony" (according to the uh, Sweeney Todd fandom wiki, it's Anthony Hope??? that seems silly), I default to calling him "Antony" because I feel it gets pronounced that way a lot probably because singers do not like the letter "h"

I also made her watch HMS Pinafore/Trial by Jury (@mek is familiar with the specific one I mean) and that, also, still absolutely fucking slaps

tick-a-tang, tick-a-tang, tick-a-tang!