No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on February 14, 2018

It’s two! Two Holidays in one!

But first I have to share something that I read back when they first announced the casting for Black Panther.

<i>There are only two white actors with named roles in Black Panther (and on the poster). Martin Freedman who was Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit films and Andy Serkis who is best know as Gollum in Lord of the Rings. Does that mean they are the Tolkien white guys?</i>

Again not mine but had me laughing when I read it.

Today is Valentine’s Day, which is a boon to chocolate manufactures, card companies, florists, and restaurants.

It is also Ash Wednesday, which is a day of fasting and reflection about the upcoming Lenten season. Or as I use to call it, “what are you give up?” day.

It is a meatless day so picking a restaurant is a little more of a challenge if you are Catholic and going out to eat tonight. Chocolate is given up by many or rather sweets are put away for a while. Me, I am giving up beer and going to re-set my gym schedule to something more akin to normal after I get the all clear on my knee.

I got some lovely pieces of salmon and plan to make Peter and me a nice dinner before he goes bowling this evening. Caroline will be fed at Robotics and they are having pizza tonight.

We have no heat in the house. We are hoping it is just an oil delivery away but they couldn’t deliver until today so last night was about bundling up and keeping warm. We are lucky that it didn’t go that much below freezing last night and going up into the mid to high 40s during the day.

Happy Valentine’s Day to those who celebrate that.

May you have a good Lenten journey if that is part of your belief system.

I am grateful for my husband who I love and adore.

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Posted By Kathleen David on February 13, 2018

<i>The King is dead. Long live the King</i>

When we last left T’Challa, his father had been murdered by a bomb that was blamed on the Winter Soldier in <i>Captain America: Civil War</i>. We had our first look at the Black Panther and Everett Ross. When we last left Ulysse Klaue in <i> Avengers: Age of Ultron</i>, he was missing an arm because Ultron still hadn’t quite figured out his own strength or the weaknesses of humanity or both. Klaue had the world’s only supply of Vibranium that he was selling for quite a bit of money.

All three are back in Black Panther that picks up after the events in Winter Soldier. T’Challa is on his way home to claim the throne and we are introduced to the world of Wakanda which is a lovely place indeed.

This film is different from all the other Marvel Studio films but fits so perfectly into the world they have crafted over the past 10 years. Some how they have managed to continue to give us the entertainment that we need sometimes without us knowing why this character at this time.

I loved this film. The cast was strong across the board. The script was brilliant. Shakespeare would have been proud of this script. The direction was top notch. The visuals were stunning. I want to see this film again just so I can look at things I missed the first time I viewed it.

The world building of both the city and culture of Wakanda really needs to be a blue print for how to do this right. There were no info dumps in here. The whole film assumed that their audience is made up of smart people who can keep up with what they are being shown. They make it feel real even in its unreality.

Wakanda is a country that has kept itself off the radar of the rest of the world for reasons that are explained within the first five minutes of the film. T’Challa knows what is happening in the world having fought side by side with other superheroes to try to bring his father’s killer to justice. He knows what his country is and could be and has to make a decision of what he thinks is best for his people or what might be best for the world given what has been happening.

There is conflict. There is pathos. There are tears. (No seriously pack some tissues because by the end you are going to need them.)

It is film making on an epic scale done right. Or as a friend put it, “Worth its weight in Vibranium”.

It still has that odd sense of humor that has become a signature of Marvel Studio. There are fun lines that will probably be quoted and some visual humor as well.

I laughed. I cried. I gasped. It took me for a ride and I am still buzzing from the exhilarating experience.

It does need to be seen in the theater on a big screen if for nothing else for the visual feast that has been laid out for the eyes when we see Wakanda.

I am grateful I was able to take some friends with me to see this epic so I have someone I can discuss it with because dámņ I want to talk about this flm.

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Posted By Kathleen David on February 12, 2018

Looking at my calendar to see what was next in things I need to be thinking about, I noticed that Lent starts on Wednesday February 14^th and Easter is on April 1^st. I find this very amusing for so many reasons.

Our drive home was mostly uneventful. There was rain and lousy road conditions all the way back but that can be compensated for by driving like a sane person who is aware of the condition of the road in front of them. The car crash on the Belt was our only real slow down and we managed to find a lane that was not being cut off. Of course that means that everyone else is trying to get into that lane but eventually we were on the other side of it. There was some construction on the Southern State but we got through before that back up really started.

Today Peter has to go into the city for some business stuff. Caroline and I will be joining him after Caroline gets out of school. Family activity in the city and then we will be driving home. More on that adventure tomorrow.

I am sorting out the rest of my month, which is very short since we are almost halfway through it. I have plans I want to execute. I am waiting to find out what is going to get in my way this time.

Knee is much better but I can’t pivot on that leg without a lot of pain. Appointments have been made to make sure this is nothing more than what I pretty much know it is. Don’t think I am going to be cleared by Thursday to bowl but I can hope.

Apparently someone is saying that they came down with the flu after attending Farpoint. That seems fast to me so they may have been exposed before the convention and was asymptomatic until Monday. I was very careful about washing of hands and the like but still hyper aware of how I am feeling with that bit of news. The flu this year is nothing to dismiss lightly. It has not only taken a toll on the very young and the very old but decided to be an all comers kind of virus that will take anyone out given a chance.

Mewlan vanished on me this morning. I looked all over for her. The other cats were in their usual napping spots but not Mew. I finally found her after overlooking her probably about half a dozen times. She had fallen asleep on my large black duffle bag and blended into the bag so well I didn’t see her until she picked her head up and I saw her yellow eyes. Sneaky cat is sneaky.

I am very grateful that the ride home was mostly uneventful.

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Posted By Kathleen David on February 11, 2018

Dear conventions. Do yourself a favor and book Matt Frewer. Great guest. Really good with fans. Q&As are interactive in the good way. Goes the extra mile and boy does he have stories to tell and tells them very well.

I want to say Thank You to all who work on and at Farpoint. The Davids appreciate all that you do.

Caroline’s height caught some by surprise. Others hadn’t seen my hair cut so it took them a bit to recognize me.

The only down side was my knee and what I could and couldn’t do. This included turning into a pumpkin by 10 pm. I was ok most of the day but by the evening it really started to hurt so I would go take care of it.

Right now we are driving home. I am hoping that the rest of the trip will be smooth. Weather is slowing us down.

I am grateful for easy travel.

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Posted By Kathleen David on February 10, 2018

It has been a fun convention so far. I got to talk to Matt Frewer about his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes which he based on his father-in-law. I did some panels and saw some panels as well.

Caroline and her friend Pixie have been having fun being at that age where they get a room key and the meal schedule and are allowed to go off and do what they want to do at the convention.

Peter signed books for people and did some panels. We had a chance to actually sit down and have dinner together which is a rare thing at a convention.

I showed Caroline my secret stage blood receipt which I learn from my theatrical big brother John Purcell oh so many years ago.

I ran into friends and caught up on things and families and the like.

Tomorrow is packing up and heading back home after we are done with our panels.

I have had fun even with a bum knee.

I am grateful for friends new and old and the occasional blast from the past showing up.

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