the body misbehaves, the mind shuts down
Jan. 6th, 2006 08:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
minxyI don't mind illness in a general sense. Something goes wrong, you have to give your body time to fix it and all the help you can getting there. I was sick a lot as a kid and I have a morbid fascination with when things go wrong in a body. It's cool. And, despite my sometimes workaholic ways, if at all possible I do try to stay away from work when I'm contagious; I don't understand the notion that says it's noble to go infect your coworkers and anyone else you come in contact with. Or that it's a good idea to get behind the wheel of a car.
That said? I hate weakness. I hate that coming out of a fever my body hurts like I've run ten miles. I hate the limitations of knowing that taking a shower will probably use up my energy even if I'm feeling pretty good and that I might end up stumbling back to my bed (again) without drying off to stave off passing out.
I hate not exercising. I hate not being able to predict what I can and cannot do. I hate that even after a fever breaks it still shows up now and then, like a wacky Aunt that shows up every day around tea time, demands your full attention then stays well into the evening drinking all your best liquor.
I am really tired of my whole body hurting. I am really tired. This was a hell of a cold.
And it's. still. not. over. *whimper*
I blame the fever for any really dip-shit things I've done over the past week. Please accept this blanket apology. The fever came and went, and I tried really hard to not type unless I was lucid, but then I also tried to remember to eat, and that was not so successful, so...
Anyway, during this last week's forced vacation that was, in fact, no fun at all, I did the following things:
Read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Loved it. Loved the strength of the characters and the wisdom of everyday people. Loved the North African vistas and the respect for the desert. Loved the redemption of following your dreams and the respect for how frightening it is. Loved the complexity of love and how sometimes it holds you back, but that the best love supports. Short novel for my short attention span. Beautiful.
Read The Foretelling by Alice Hoffman. Loved that too. The language was gorgeous and the mysteries complex. The heroine is marvelous in her questioning and choices, the relationships are deep and born of happiness and sadness. But, OMG, the language! Listen: That is the center of the year, when it is dark nearly all of the time and what little light that does come is blue. Man, I pick out great books.
Watched absolutely everything on the Serenity DVD. Love Joss Whedon, love commentaries, but I'm learning that relationships in which people can't talk to each other leave me cold. Mal and Inara had some nice moments in the deleted scenes, but it seems like almost all of them are just illustrating that omg they can't talk to each other! I'm just not willing to assume that there is some deep attraction that is somehow soulful if they can't have a single meaningful conversation.
Yes, this is a trend in my thinking.
Other deep thoughts about Serenity? Simon strikes me as an intellectually interesting character--here you have this paragon of all the alliance is trying to create, and paradoxically you also have the man who has made the decision to leave everything he's known and wanted and run like hell. But you don't see that played. You see a man who will seek safety above all else (and sometimes in spite of the bigger picture) and spends far too much time oversimplifying things to a really troubled but brilliant girl. This is just, omg boring unless you take it somewhere. Acknowledge that he's still hanging on to the ideals of the alliance even though he's seen proof that their means are deplorable and their ends destructive and then have him adjust his thinking.
A rock in and of itself is quite dull, you know, Joss. I'm just saying.
Though obviously, given Sean Maher's willingness to take his shirt off on Serenity, I'm willing to forgive a lot. But I do wish it were easier to be interested in Simon.
Watched another episode of Rome, in which we meet Voranus's wife and Pullo goes all softie. Psssst, Voranus, no one is holding themselves to quite the standard you think they are. Pullo has a heck a lot more loyalty for you than the woman who would manipulate your daughter to avoid what's coming to her. Seriously. Open your eyes, man! You're only human! And you're surrounded by manipulative, cold (sometimes) people who are not what they seem... except Pullo, who needs you, defends you and takes care of you in his turn. Dude. That man has never claimed to be more than he is, and it's time you realized that he's perfect for you. *head/desk* You're killing me with your idealism, but I'm so glad you boys exist because somebody has to be likable in this series. Which is not to say that it isn't peopled with really interesting characters, but just that not a lot of them are tremendously likable at this point.
Right. It's now time for me to venture into the next room and wrastle for rights to the Tivo so I can watch Stargate. I know, I'll lose, but I'm hoping for the pity vote.
ETA: well, I got to watch SG-1, at least, and the wonderful banter between MS and BB, but I have to admit to seeing Gerak's change of heart coming. Not that I want to belittle Teal'c, because, you know, da MAN! And it's so rare that he gets to talk! But the Gerak character is almost as annoying as the Landry character. I actually found Gerak's stomach to be really distracting in his podium talk, but yay! He got the spectacular hero death and I don't have to watch him anymore! Woot!
That said? I hate weakness. I hate that coming out of a fever my body hurts like I've run ten miles. I hate the limitations of knowing that taking a shower will probably use up my energy even if I'm feeling pretty good and that I might end up stumbling back to my bed (again) without drying off to stave off passing out.
I hate not exercising. I hate not being able to predict what I can and cannot do. I hate that even after a fever breaks it still shows up now and then, like a wacky Aunt that shows up every day around tea time, demands your full attention then stays well into the evening drinking all your best liquor.
I am really tired of my whole body hurting. I am really tired. This was a hell of a cold.
And it's. still. not. over. *whimper*
I blame the fever for any really dip-shit things I've done over the past week. Please accept this blanket apology. The fever came and went, and I tried really hard to not type unless I was lucid, but then I also tried to remember to eat, and that was not so successful, so...
Anyway, during this last week's forced vacation that was, in fact, no fun at all, I did the following things:
Read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Loved it. Loved the strength of the characters and the wisdom of everyday people. Loved the North African vistas and the respect for the desert. Loved the redemption of following your dreams and the respect for how frightening it is. Loved the complexity of love and how sometimes it holds you back, but that the best love supports. Short novel for my short attention span. Beautiful.
Read The Foretelling by Alice Hoffman. Loved that too. The language was gorgeous and the mysteries complex. The heroine is marvelous in her questioning and choices, the relationships are deep and born of happiness and sadness. But, OMG, the language! Listen: That is the center of the year, when it is dark nearly all of the time and what little light that does come is blue. Man, I pick out great books.
Watched absolutely everything on the Serenity DVD. Love Joss Whedon, love commentaries, but I'm learning that relationships in which people can't talk to each other leave me cold. Mal and Inara had some nice moments in the deleted scenes, but it seems like almost all of them are just illustrating that omg they can't talk to each other! I'm just not willing to assume that there is some deep attraction that is somehow soulful if they can't have a single meaningful conversation.
Yes, this is a trend in my thinking.
Other deep thoughts about Serenity? Simon strikes me as an intellectually interesting character--here you have this paragon of all the alliance is trying to create, and paradoxically you also have the man who has made the decision to leave everything he's known and wanted and run like hell. But you don't see that played. You see a man who will seek safety above all else (and sometimes in spite of the bigger picture) and spends far too much time oversimplifying things to a really troubled but brilliant girl. This is just, omg boring unless you take it somewhere. Acknowledge that he's still hanging on to the ideals of the alliance even though he's seen proof that their means are deplorable and their ends destructive and then have him adjust his thinking.
A rock in and of itself is quite dull, you know, Joss. I'm just saying.
Though obviously, given Sean Maher's willingness to take his shirt off on Serenity, I'm willing to forgive a lot. But I do wish it were easier to be interested in Simon.
Watched another episode of Rome, in which we meet Voranus's wife and Pullo goes all softie. Psssst, Voranus, no one is holding themselves to quite the standard you think they are. Pullo has a heck a lot more loyalty for you than the woman who would manipulate your daughter to avoid what's coming to her. Seriously. Open your eyes, man! You're only human! And you're surrounded by manipulative, cold (sometimes) people who are not what they seem... except Pullo, who needs you, defends you and takes care of you in his turn. Dude. That man has never claimed to be more than he is, and it's time you realized that he's perfect for you. *head/desk* You're killing me with your idealism, but I'm so glad you boys exist because somebody has to be likable in this series. Which is not to say that it isn't peopled with really interesting characters, but just that not a lot of them are tremendously likable at this point.
Right. It's now time for me to venture into the next room and wrastle for rights to the Tivo so I can watch Stargate. I know, I'll lose, but I'm hoping for the pity vote.
ETA: well, I got to watch SG-1, at least, and the wonderful banter between MS and BB, but I have to admit to seeing Gerak's change of heart coming. Not that I want to belittle Teal'c, because, you know, da MAN! And it's so rare that he gets to talk! But the Gerak character is almost as annoying as the Landry character. I actually found Gerak's stomach to be really distracting in his podium talk, but yay! He got the spectacular hero death and I don't have to watch him anymore! Woot!
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no subject
Date: 2006-01-07 05:04 pm (UTC)And then Pullo is so fascinating, as you say, because of his loyalty and particular brand of honesty. He's not simple. He just is what he is. He has a particular kind of pragmatism in the face of metaphysics and politics and human relations that makes him a perfect foil for Vorenus.
I don't remember ever seeing two characters more intelligently drawn and more carefully drawn to work together dramatically.
As for Simon: I agree with you 100%. I find him to be one of the disappointing characters in a show that otherwise I love like crazy. More could have been done with him, and maybe Joss would have if he'd only had time.
As for Mal and Inara: totally with you on that, too.
*nods like a bobblehead*
So glad you're on the mend.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-07 06:53 pm (UTC)Works better in written work though, because stones are really rather stagnant and watching them on T.V.? Not even on the discovery channel, man. Though I've heard you expound on Voranus looking like a stone before, though I'm not sure I really made the connection yet.
However, now you've got me very VERY curious about comparing Voranus's particular brand of dependability to other Simons that I've seen (commentaries and interviews help me maintain my faith that Joss had a character arc for Simon in mind.) My only latin is medical, do we know what Vorenus's name means? Titus Pullo actually has some connotations for me, in 'titan' and 'to pull' implying that he goes with the flow, though the bluntness of the name was probably the more telling bit. Pullo is a wonderful character. All kinds of wonderful. I'm glad they're deliberately written together. Sometimes I think, with say, Jack and Daniel, that they understood in the back of their heads that these two people are friends, but that it really wasn't a high priority after a while, and it wasn't viewed as an organic, changing character of it's own.
And, if Rome is going to spark conversations like this, then I'm already hooked.
And, thanks for the well wishes. Woke feeling genuinely GOOD (and hungry) this morning, and though the energy didn't last, I'm hopeful!