Let's Go Steal a Podcast: The Hot Potato Job

I'm back on "Let's Go Steal a Podcast", discussing "The Hot Potato Job", a big farming related heist. 

Three Interesting Things

1. Febraury is Hawaiian Language Month - or mahina 'olelo Hawai'i*. This story about the challenges of trying to keep a language relevant to modern needs was fascinating.  

2. This article is incorrect about what Fair Isle means in knitting terms, but a generally lovely recounting of how this small Scottish island became internationally know for this thing. 

3. A recent deployment of an Emergency Backup Goalie in hockey, led me to this recounting of some of the stories.  It's an odd thing in hockey, especially since I know of no other sport that allows random dude to step in.  

*Apologies for insufficient diacritical marks there.  Still learning.  

"Fresh Off the Boat" - The End of an Era

"Fresh Off the Boat" was a show that was both extremely relevant and not at all relevant to me.  Eddie Huang, on whom the original concept is based, even though the family depicted is much more TV sitcom happy than Huang's, is about the same age as my brother.  I had not done the math on this previously, but watching this depiction of a teenager in the 1990's I had a sudden realization that my brother own that exact shirt in one of the episodes.  (Kudos to the costume designer for that level of specificity.)  Similarly my brother was a kid who at times grew quickly out, and up, who showed an interest in food, and who looked a little different from some of his classmates.

Of course, my parents are not immigrants, we are third generation Chinese, and more generations than you can count Hawaiian, along with some other European stuff thrown in.  My brother did not become a chef, and my brother was the youngest and not the oldest, and we didn't move out of DC, in fact, unlike my sister and I, my brother didn't even go to Maryland for middle school. 

But as someone old enough to remember "All American Girl" it was exciting to see Asian Americans on TV as Asian Americans.  I remember during the "All Things Considered" interview with Margaret Cho, they put "Fresh Off the Boat", "Crazy Rich Asians", and "Always Be My Maybe" up on screen and asked Cho about this Asian American comedy moment.  And I thought to myself, yay, but like, you could still fit the full size posters on the screen.  You didn't even need a second row.  (Yes, we could add "To All the Boys" and "PS I Love You". I want to run out of fingers.) 

All of this is to say, I am thrilled this show existed.  I hope we get more iterations.  I hope that nor just the folks in this show get more jobs, but also it just becomes normal to see various iterations of Asian Americans. 

But back to the show.  I loved the show so much, but felt the changeover in the years started to show.  It became clear that it was turning into the kind of sitcom that barely remembered things they had set up for the characters.  (Remember Marvin's older daughter?  It's okay, the show clearly doesn't.)  Jessica held approximately seventeen different jobs throughout the show.  And it took a while for them to figure out a personality for Emery that wasn't neither Evan nor Eddie. 

But, those last two episodes, where we flashed forward and saw each kid having gotten a dream and the parents and grandma still happy and healthy, it was great. 

So, I wish all the folks involved in the show the best in their future endeavors.  

Writing Community Hashtag or No

I talked to a friend who is also a writer's coach a while ago and when I listed some of my volunteer and paid roles, she laughed and said of course you are.  So, this may not be normal.  Having been a person who existed in reader communities and then also writer communities for some time, I find myself working in, well, more than one.  Partly existing in both the kidlit and the romance spheres (although they overlap) is that you find that while there are differences, of course, most of it is the same.  Good writing is good writing.  The more people's writing journey stories and processes you hear, the more you learn that there are many.  Just as there are many ways to find and connect with writers, even if you don't or can't leave you house.  

For the new NaNoWriMo folks I always recommend trying a lot of things, because writing next to someone can seem silly, but you may not have realized how the social pressure works for you, much like getting a friend to go to a class with you.  But learning and connecting doesn't have to cost much money, and there are ways to do it if you're life doesn't allow for travel or weekends away, or whatever your constraints.  

I find I love it.  Even when people tell me stuff I already know, sometimes the reminder hits exactly when you need it.  

WriteOnCon

I had the grand pleasure of working behind the scenes at WriteOnCon this year.  As a result I have been sort of a failure at talking about it here but now it's started so yay!

The conference is online and runs through Sunday.  

There are forums and podcasts and live events and blog posts.  It all remains online for a bit (depending on your admission level.) And a few events are visible even if you don't register.  So even if you must dayjob you can catch up when your schedule allows.  

The conference is kidlit focused.  

But writing is writing.  So useful to all writers at all levels.  

Three Interesting Things

1. I enjoyed this conversation between authors Alyssa Cole and C.L. Polk about sci-fi, romance, and the occasional merging of the two.  

2. This interview talked to two actors about playing sisters, first in "Hamilton", then in "Gun & Powder", and the unexpected delight of playing a character that shares something with you. 

3. I have been looking forward to Brandon Taylor's book, seeing it reviewed by Jeremy O. Harris was an unpexpected pleasure.  (Jeremy O. Harris also did an interview on "It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders, that demonstrated his incredible depth of theater knowledge and understanding of audiences.) 

"Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" Needs Rules

We all know I love a singing show.  I do.  But, it turns out there are things you need to know to do a singing show.  One of them is what are the rules of the singing.  It seems silly right?  Like musicals make no sense, why would you need rules?  I hear you.  But they do.  And not because I am secretly bossy.  

See, in most musicals, songs are like monologues.  They provide emotional exposition, but also the scene is set up to provide audience cues as to the following:  Is this song between the singer and the audience?  (Ie, no one else knows what we now know.)  Is this song a duet perhaps, where two characters are sharing feelings too amazing to be expressed with mere words?  Is this ensemble number essentially scene setting?  Some sort of let's all have a picnic song?  

This is why, for example, the "High School Musical 2" song "I Don't Dance" is a little jarring.  Because yes, just as we the audience understand that singing stands in for talking, and dancing only happens when you sing, Chad has been dancing for a movie and a half.  

It's also why yes, on the one hand it can be amusing that in 'real life', Rebecca Bunch in "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" is actually a terrible singer, it's also why the trope of the person who is ill or disabled being able to express themselves physically because now it's a dance number, is kind of icky.  

"Zoey" and titular character Zoey, are trying to have it both ways.  Zoey can hear people's inner thoughts, but apparently so can everyone else?  Or apparently in her visions of their song, they sometimes but not always require ensemble assistance?  Or sometimes have the same inner song? Rebecca Bunch was, well, you may have heard crazy.  It made sense that people just got used to her zoning out for a dance number.  When the whole cast uses song to express their feelings, you can assume that time moves differently or something.  But in "Zoey" the whole cast sings (yay for Skylar Astin singing again!) but only Zoey knows and hears this.  But in her vision of this, random strangers on the street participate in other's songs that are apparently the deepest thoughts of that one person. 

Also, Zoey is a control freak.  And sure, you could argue dramatic irony in her revelation of a super power that does nothing but interrupt.  But the balance is off.  Zoey hates this power and dislikes it's disruptiveness.

The show is careless in other ways too.  In the pilot, Zoey is up for promotion, which she has been told she can likely get if she solves a coding bug, so she goes and visits her family.  Also, apparently none of them know what an office where everyone's pitching in before a big launch when there's a huge problem looks like.  (Hint, not clean.  Covered in food containers.) The show is afraid you won't notice Claire is a control freak, so has her do a thing in the second episode with a poster that has a CTRL button on it, in case you weren't sure.  

Also, I would like to say that honestly the song being deepest desires is going to haunt them in about three episodes, because characters have a limited number of deepest desires, and there are also a limited number of completely straighforward songs they can steal from pop culture.  Sure, you can say "Glee" went multiple seasons.  And I will tell you that yes, "Glee" did.  Their characters were wildly inconsistent from episode to episode, and they also had the show choir excuse so that some of these songs were ones that Mr. Schue picked for them, that just ended up having some relevance.  

So, it sounds like I hate it, and I don't.  I have concerns.  I have concerns that they have painted themselves very quickly into a corner. I have concerns they think the audience doesn't understand anything they haven't told you six times.  It's a great cast, I want Lauren Graham and Skylar Astin and these other people to get the chance to sing all the time.  

But there need to be rules.  How can a show ostensibly about a control freak lack rules? 

RWA Change is Something

I hadn't been doing a lot of RWA updates, because a lot of the things that are - or are not - happening involve policies and procedures.  Yes, policies and procedures are theoretically what got us into this, or at least got us to a place the mess was more obvious.  As someone who is treasurer for my own chapter, who has sat there going, so okay, if we spend that money, where are we getting new money from? Well, I gotta tell you.  I have concerns.  I agreed that RWA should cancel the RITAs, but that is still income loss.  More money is being spent on all the folks being hired to review and fix things.  

And so, while I wasn't impressed with most of the decisions made as they existed by the Board of Directors for the last month, I think resigning en masse, resigning so that the organization is functionally leaderless right as conference opens, well it's a little like that awful co-worker you had, who then leaves without giving notice.  Like you're glad they're gone, but they had to leave in the messiest way possible.  (Sidenote: I am well aware that notice when leaving at will employment is a courtesy and not a requirement.  Let me have my faulty analogy here.)  

So, I don't know what this means.  I still have commitments I've made to two chapters, both of which have been materially jeaopardized by the actions of the national organization.  More people know what RWA is than even, but that is not to our favor.  And as with all large system failures, it's not just the failure to make racists, homophobes, and other bigots uncomfortable.  It's also a look at the amount of the organization that was in the hands of volunteers.  As anyone who has overseen or worked with a volunteer team knows, it can be harder to get great volunteers.  It can be harder to overlook that one person who is never as helpful as they think they are, when everything is run by volunteers.  And there are a lot of people who show up for the cool positions, and nothing else.  

But yesterday I got an email that didn't just contain platitudes.  And well, that was something. It's still not enough that I would tell people who had left to come back.  It's not enough that I would even tell people to stay.  But it was something.  

Three Interesting Things

1. RWA type stuff has taken up a lot of my time, but I have been following the discussion surrounding Jeanine Cummins choice to write about Mexicans, when she had previously positioned herself as just white.  I am well aware, that disconnection and reconnection to your heritage is often an ongoing process, but it seemed that if she really wanted to tell a story that was personal to her, the Puerto Rican experience provided a rich tapestry.  So, I enjoyed prolific author Aya De Leon's take on the discussion.

2. Of course, we know I love flower peeps, so I enjoyed this story about the new flower truck in DC.  I'm sure Adriana would be thrilled. 

3. I was fascinated to discover that there are folks pursuing their own form of Jediism, although I likely should not have been surprised.  Going to be looking into lightsaber fencing, that sounds fun. 

To All the Boys: PS I Still Love You

My book club had a chance to attend a free screening of this movie.

I confess, I adored the first book in the series. As an old hand at trilogies (I read all the Caitlin trilogies folks) I knew that the second book often takes our couple who is happy, produces tension, and then fixes it. Or fixes it in book 3. Now I read all the Caitlin trilogies, plus many since, so I'm not saying it's not a worthwhile story. Teen me would have discussed this endlessly. Adult me is like, so actually you are sixteen. (I know, I swear I am more empathetic with actual people.)

But I was interested. And I adore Jordan Fisher even though they did not come up with an excuse for him to sing. (He does play piano though.)

Let's actually discuss the movie . Laura Jean and Peter are now dating for real. But she's still unsure about his relationship with his ex Jen. And she volunteers at an old folk's home only to discover that the recipient of the fateful fifth letter is also there. So Lara Jean is struggling, trying to figure out how much of her uncertainty is Jen, how much is being a girlfriend for the first time and not knowing the rules, and how much is that John Ambrose (our final letter recipient) is very nice and easy to talk to.  

There is lots of both aw and awkward moments, befitting a teen movie.

The audience we saw this with was delightfully reactive so when suddenly all the exes and folks are gathered together there was a lot of sympathy noises.

I think the condensing of the plot, and some timing rearrangement served the movie well. Very enjoyable.

What is a Legacy?

CW: discussion of sexual assault

I think we have come to a place where we accept that discussing the founding fathers, as an example, the fact that they had deep thoughts about freedom while most of them owned slaves is important. I always refer back to Daveed Diggs saying that if someone's job is to carry you around for the first years of your life, is that the kind of privelege it takes to be able to have deep thoughts about how to reinvent government, perhaps it is.

Similarly multiple male celebrities passed on in the last few weeks and there was some discussion of whether it was too soon or too mean to discuss the sexual assault in their past.

So first, I think it's important to note that celebrity obituaries operate differently than those of others. If some reporter insisted on adding things about my dad to his obituary, I get it, I'd be like, look, this is the text. Just print it. 

But public figures operate differently. I know all these folks have children, grandchildren so on. And we can talk about the fairness of celebrity some other time. If I or anyone else showed up at a family funeral and insisted on shouting out any and all crimes committed by the deceased, the family would be well within their rights to kick me out.

But I think the thing we need to grapple with, is that much like slavery, sexual assault is all over our history. So the very least we can do, is to continue to acknowledge that. The idea that there is a lot of entertainment currently available to you that is unable to be un-entwined from sexual assault (see also government, academia, and so on) is something we need to grapple with. In general people seem to dislike those who talk about it when it happens, because what if that person has a future. And they dislike talking about it after because that's in his past. So we can't listen to those people, because they have eliminated all possible times. 

Similarly, we should work towards a society that allows for folks who make mistakes to make amends. But is not up to us, as the not directly harmed, to decide when someone has made enough amends. And again, acknowledging assault as part of an assaulter's history, is the very least we can to.

RAINN's CW: discussion of sexual assault

I think we have come to a place where we accept that discussing the founding fathers, as an example, the fact tbat they had deep thoughts about freedom while most of them owned slaves is important. I always refer back to Daveed Diggs saying that if someone's job is to carry you around for the first years of your life, is that the kind of privelege it takes to be able to have deep thoughts about how to reinvent government, perhaps it is.

Similarly multiple male celebrities passed on in the last few weeks and there was some discussion of whether it was too soon or too mean to discuss the sexual assault in their past.

So first, I think it's important to note that celebrity obituaries operate differently than those of others. If some reporterbinsisted on adding things about my dad to his obituary, I get it, I'd be like, look, this is the text. Just print it. 

But public figures operate differently. I know all these folks have children, grandchildren so on. And we can talk aboit the fairness of celebrity some other time. Sure if I or anyone else showed up at a family funeral amd insisted on shouting out any and all crimes committed by the deceased, the family would be well within their rights to kick me out.

But I think the thing we need to grapple with, is that much like slavery, sexual assault is all over our history. So the very least we can do, is to continue to acknowledge that. The idea that there is a lot of entertainment currently available to you that is unable to be unentwined from sexual assault (see also government, academia, and so on) is something we need to grapple with. In general people seem to dislike those who talk about it when it happens, because what if that person has a future. And they dislike talking about it after because that's in his past. So we can't listen to those people, because they have eliminated all possible times. 

Similarly, we should work towards a society that allows for folks who make mistakes to make amends. But is not up to us, as the not directly harmed, to decide when someone has made enough amends. And again, acknowledging assault as part of an assualter's history, is the very least we can to.

Link to RAINNCW: discussion of sexual assault

I think we have come to a place where we accept that discussing the founding fathers, as an example, the fact tbat they had deep thoughts about freedom while most of them owned slaves is important. I always refer back to Daveed Diggs saying that if someone's job is to carry you around for the first years of your life, is that the kind of privelege it takes to be able to have deep thoughts about how to reinvent government, perhaps it is.

Similarly multiple male celebrities passed on in the last few weeks and there was some discussion of whether it was too soon or too mean to discuss the sexual assault in their past.

So first, I think it's important to note that celebrity obituaries operate differently than those of others. If some reporterbinsisted on adding things about my dad to his obituary, I get it, I'd be like, look, this is the text. Just print it. 

But public figures operate differently. I know all these folks have children, grandchildren so on. And we can talk aboit the fairness of celebrity some other time. Sure if I or anyone else showed up at a family funeral amd insisted on shouting out any and all crimes committed by the deceased, the family would be well within their rights to kick me out.

But I think the thing we need to grapple with, is that much like slavery, sexual assault is all over our history. So the very least we can do, is to continue to acknowledge that. The idea that there is a lot of entertainment currently available to you that is unable to be unentwined from sexual assault (see also government, academia, and so on) is something we need to grapple with. In general people seem to dislike those who talk about it when it happens, because what if that person has a future. And they dislike talking about it after because that's in his past. So we can't listen to those people, because they have eliminated all possible times. 

Similarly, we should work towards a society that allows for folks who make mistakes to make amends. But is not up to us, as the not directly harmed, to decide when someone has made enough amends. And again, acknowledging assault as part of an assualter's history, is the very least we can to.

RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline is available by phone or through online chat - (800.656.HOPE and online.rainn.org).  More info and other resources available at their website: https://www.rainn.org. 

Three Interesting Things

1. I think it's a fascinating expression of our multitasking culture, that video games where you do nothing, or more correctly very little, are popular.  (Says me who loves a good cat collection game.)  

2. I found this four part series of interviews by Smart Bitches quite interesting.  This is the first of the four. 

3. This McSweeneys piece is the delightful satire you might expect about a writer writing outside his experience. 

"Next to Normal" at the Kennedy Center

Content warning: use and abuse of both prescription and non prescription drugs, suicidal ideation, depictions of mental illness

So I had never seen "Next to Normal" live but was familiar with both the cast album and the storyline.

This was part of the Kennedy Center's Broadway Stage series. As such the set was minimalist. They made full use of the space, using three levels, such that I felt an activity tracker might rack up a lot of steps for the performers. Also the props included real food, real candles and a real bong. I never know if actors prefer real fire on the stage candles, but I appreciated it.

The cast was amazing, although one of the performers needed to cough during the first song and just sang through it. (It happens, but it was noticeable.)

The show is about a family matriarch struggling with mental illness, and how that affects both her and her family, and the sturggles associated with finding the right treatment balance.

As I said, I was aware of the plot, and given the lack of visible surprise at the reveal late in the first act, it seemed most of the audience was too. But seeing it performed, especially with a fabulous cast was great. 

"Gun & Powder" at Signature Theater

Content warning: historically accurate racism (terms starting with d and m), sexual harassment, onstage pistol usage for armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, threatened murder, and suicidal ideation.

Gun and Powder is inspired by the story of two of one of the playwright's relatives. Family lore about them shifted.

The show uses the ensemble in a Greek chorus narration fashion and as they tell you at the start, you know how family stories are.

It's late 1800's Texas. Twin sisters Mary and Martha Clarke were born free, although their white dad scampered off before they were even born. They work with their Black mom picking cotton and it sucks, especially when a drought means they run short of their quota. Struck with inspiration they go off finding towns where their parentage and therefore biracial status are unknown and they can get into places where they can rob folks with decent amounts if money. At one point one character calls them Robin Hood, but the only folks they seem to be helping are their mom and themselves.

They arrive in an outpost for one last score and encounter Jesse and Elijah. Jesse is white, and the richest man in town. Elijah is one of his servants. Here the sister's goals diverge. Mary is enjoying the good life, being showered with trinkets, and getting the love of Jesse. Martha discovers that Elijah sees her softness, her caring, and also has noticed she is Black, as is he.

So, I'm going to try not to spoil too much, but it was in the second act I wanted the show to delve a smidge further. A clear case of loving the show enough that I wanted it to be a little better.  I am using the term biracial here, but at the time being biracial meant being Black or passing as white. There were no other choices. So Mary realizes the challenge is that marriage to a white man means a life of denial, a life of possible discovery.

And Martha realizes that loving a Black man doesn't quite solve everything either.

The cast, especially the two sisters and Elijah are amazing. The songs are both memorable and tricky, such that I wondered if another cast could do them so well. The costuming flirted with being period appropriate but there was a hoodie and a handkerchief hem. It worked, and fit the theme that this was more of a story about a time than a straight up historical.

My romance and closure loving heart wanted a little more from the ending, but it was a show and performance worth seeing. This cast and these playwrights are all amazing talents.