How to Deal

I'm having some trouble with it today. Simple tasks have been overthought into oblivion, to the point where even other over-thinkers in my family are laughing at me.

There is housecleaning to do, and a date with my father and younger daughter after she's out of school today; both of these seem currently insurmountable. I'm hoping that writing my feelings and my list out here will help some; it usually does. Because, well, I'm intelligent, I can adapt, and I've certainly done a lot here lately!

Finding that I'm bothered more by Stephen Hawking's death than I have been about other public figures I admire; I think that reaction probably has to do with the fact that my late husband was a huge admirer, so it makes me more sensitive. Also, the fact that some of my more religious friends are all saying things like, "Gosh, I hope Hawking is happy in heaven," in online voices that come off as smug really bothers me. The man was an atheist; don't try to slot him into your worldview now that he's dead. That's just rude and disrespectful.

And the walkout.

I have a high school child living in my home. She did not know if she would walk out today or not; I think it's important that she had the opportunity to do so without getting punished by the school. She's old enough for it to be her choice. But I've heard horror stories about other kids in our district being more or less publicly shamed if they chose not to. I don't know how prevalent it is; the horror stories I'm hearing are mostly from other concerned parents and they may be in Mama Bear or Papa Wolf mode and not unbiased.

But this is not okay. The whole concept of free speech is undermined if the folks who choose not to walk out for whatever reason - religious, academic, political, just can't be bothered - are pressured into thinking their choice is a Bad Thing. Neither of my daughters better be in the groups shaming these kids (and neither are likely to). They're both more of the make-friends-so-others-don't-feel-alone sort by nature in any case, but there's no reason they can't be both.

So yes, I do feel a bit better, having written it out. Now I can deal.

I think I'll go have some Pi(e). Spanakopita from Trader Joe's counts, yes?

March Marches On

In many ways.

March is super busy for us, although at least this time there is only one play to worry about.

You see, this is Cookie Month (that is, the store sales, with little girls in green or brown or tan or blue out there selling cookies in front of your local supermarket or hardware store or what have you; the pre-sales were mostly in February). And although our cookie site sales have been fun, it is now evident that Lizzy is pretty much done with her Customer Service Face for the rest of the weekend after one of these. She becomes, well, a bit of a jerk, even to people (like her grandmother) she loves and trusts. Some of this is Aspergers/Autism/Whatever-it's-called-this-month, some is her personality, and some of it is Just Plain Ten Years Old and Grumpy With It.

Especially as there is also Spring Ahead Jet-Lag for everyone involved.

So although we had big plans to deliver the last of our cookies (we have six boxes left of the pre-sold cookies), and to distribute flyers to all 151 houses in our neighborhood (we started a Facebook Group; more on that below), Lizzy was rude to Grandma and not-exactly-rude-but-certainly-not-her-usual-cheery-self to assorted neighbors. So we managed about a dozen households (plus the half-dozen who are already part of that Facebook Group) before not only was Lizzy being insufferable, I was getting there myself.

We'll do the rest over the course of the week; may as well take advantage of the Spring-Ahead-Light.

Oh, the Facebook Group? Yeah, I have no authority to speak for the landlord (we all rent the land and own the buildings), or to speak on behalf of the neighbors to the landlord. But there is no means of communication between neighbors (aside from shouting or a phone tree, I guess), so when there was a water outage a couple months ago, my mom and I started this group to disseminate that kind of information to the whole neighborhood.

It's the neighborly thing to do.

And last week, some of the very few of us in the group (didn't know other's email addresses/weren't Facebook friends with them) actually used it to return a lost pet to a neighbor. So we printed out flyers to share out to the neighbors, inviting them to join the group.

That, my friends, is what the Internet is for, along with reconnecting me with not one, but two people I haven't seen in person for thirty years this last week.

Then there's The Play.

We are (you may have noticed) going Into the Woods this weekend.

It's always been one of my favorites. I am so excited to see Abby in it, even though I've heard her (and the boy playing her son, and the girl in our carpool) doing practically the entire play in the car, in the hair salon, in the parking lot... you name it.

And thank goodness for that carpool; it means that I take the girls to rehearsal (or my mom does when Miz Liz and I have her piano lesson), and the carpool friend brings them back of an evening. Even today, when they're doing tech rehearsal (lighting and all that) from noon to eight.

Because you know what that means?

That means Lizzy McCranky gets to bed on time tonight.

And that will help March go out like a lamb.

Shades of Gray

Not these shades of Grey. I don't want to even see them, much less with my mother. I write better fanfic than that.

I'm talking about the shades of gray that art (especially the visual arts of film, TV, and comic books) makes us think about (i.e. "was Killmonger right?").

Here there be spoilers for Black Panther.

Which is why I didn't title the post Who Let the Rhinos Out?

There are also multiple links to wikipedia and TV Tropes.

You have been warned.

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Was Killmonger right? Yes, in that people who look like him have been terrorized, kidnapped, raped, enslaved, murdered, etc., all over the planet, for hundreds of years. He was even right in that the fictional Kingdom of Wakanda should do something about it; they have the social equality, technology, and resources to do so. But his methods (kill 'em all and take over) is not the way to get things done.

Same goes for other comic book folk; it looks to them like sensible ways to fix things, but the methods do no good and often quite a lot of harm (*cough*Young Justice*cough*). There is certainly something to be said for direct action, or not telling your whole team the plan, or whatever; these are often necessary. But killing one's cousin and staging a coup because other people have done horrible things to your people isn't, well, rational.

Now keep in mind that I have not read the comics at all recently, and I have not seen Captain America: Civil War, so to me, this film exists in somewhat of a vacuum. I know the basics as I've heard spoilers, but this is the first Superhero Movie I have seen that was released since Laston got sick a year and a half ago, so I'm a bit behind.

That said, I really really enjoyed the movie. The casting alone, and the sheer acting skill of everyone involved. Okoye (the warrior) and Shuri (the gadgeteer) and Nakia (the spy) and Ramonda (the queen mother) being incredibly tough badass women, all in different ways, while still being women and not just the distaff counterparts of their menfolk. The costuming and sets and effects and Stan Freaking Lee's Cameo and all of it. The hilarity of having my favorite Befuddled Everyman as the "broken white boy" of the piece (and who knew how well he could do an American accent?).

The line "But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers." Would that others would listen. But they won't, because the people that need to are seriously intimidated by this movie. 

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In lighter (or at least orange-er. Orangier? Ah, ginger!) news, Miss Abby will be Dyeing for her Art this weekend. You see, she is playing Jack's Mother in Into the Woods at Studio East (cast B; there's a link) starting on the 17th (yes, St. Patrick's Day). One of her lines is describing Jack as, "a carrot-top boy with a sunny - yet vague - disposition," and so she (and the boy playing Jack) are both going ginger. Just a wash, no bleach needed, but we wanted it done before tech so they know how to light it properly. Hmm... I wonder if they cast her in this role because her skin tone casts its own shadows; she makes a believable redhead.