Class, Writing, Vacuuming, iPhones, and two movies

[davetheanalyzer]

Near the end of the shortest month, and schoolwork kind of swelled. Instead of the usual three stories a week, last week I read and reviewed five, since the teacher suggested to just in case the author’s style caught me enough I could imitate it for a later assignment. I don’t think that’ll be the case but reading 112 pages in five days was a challenge and so was writing the reviews and composing the responses to others’ reviews. In addition, I had to write a four page paper on how to write shorty story endings and there was the usual read and review work for Writing Portfolio I had to do.

With all of that and having fallen behind a bit on my reading and watching schedule, I decided to drop my one-shot writings from “one page a weekday” to “whenever I can find time to write.” It was so challenging to squeeze my schoolwork into my usual routines this week, I decided I should make this change. This does hurt a bit, as I like having two fanfic projects to work on, but it wasn’t worth the stress. I would revert when the school semester is over and there will still be plenty of time for me to pencil it in during said semester, so it isn’t a total loss. I just hope I can get around to posting a few one-shots this year. Granted, it might help if they weren’t so long, but it might take me a few years to see what a regular posting schedule would be like.

Speaking of fanfic, I finished writing chapter 14 of We Will Hold On Forever last week and got to chapter 15 this week. There are more than a few segments I’m unsatisfied with, so much that needs to be rewritten, and two scenes I’m considering moving to the next chapter, but I needed to get it down. I did have some fun moments where I came up with scenes and moments on the spot and they seem to fit so far. From how things look, though, it would be lucky if I can post things by April like I promised. Chapter 15 might be as long as 14 and with the edits involved, going back to sync chapters 10 to 13 might take awhile. On the bright side, there will be four to chapters in a row that I will post during a month.

I am also picking up vacuuming. Near the end of January, I started vacuuming the part of the house I hang out in most often. After Dad’s grumblings several months back, I felt compelled to do it. It was a bit exhausting but I did feel like I accomplished something. He normally did it every two weeks but I initially decided to do it once a month on the last Sunday, since I was lazy. When that time came, I found a different vacuum head and asked him how to switch it up. He ended up instructing and helping me with vacuuming the rest of that house section and the adjacent rooms. There was a lot of trying to stand up straight and vacuum smaller parts of the floor without moving much. The small vacuum head was for the wall and other narrow parts, to pick up where hair somehow gathers up. It was challenging to follow those instructions but Dad seemed patient. I’m considering switching back to vacuuming every two weeks so I could build up those instincts. I’ll see within two weeks.

I have an iPhone. I stuck with an ancient Sprint cell for nearly a decade since I rarely call people and most of the Internet access now possible on a phone I have on my laptop, which I take wherever I go. But with how texting has become such an important part of communication and with Mom often fielding texts from my helper, I decided to get a new phone. I have explored it on and off for the past month, and it can have its uses. I could listen to audio programs while doing activities or read fanfics on the go. I haven’t set up my voicemail yet but I’m getting the hang of texting. There is an issue with that, though. The texts don’t always seem to get to their sender. I thought I fixed the problem but for example, Mom texted me on Sunday and I texted her back except she didn’t get the message. I had to send it two more times for her to get it once. I don’t know what the problem is but it meant my helper didn’t get the text about seeing Early Man and she got tied up in personal matters, so she wasn’t available.

But we did get to see Black Panther. My younger brothers decided to join my helper and I in going last Tuesday, not realizing the neighboring towns having a day off means they would be going to our theater. It was crowded. The line was long but fortunately ten minutes before the 12:30 showing we got to the ticket booth. Unfortunately, 12:30 was all sold out but we ordered tickets for the 1 showing. I suggested we go in early and good thing, since many of the seats were filling up. There was still plenty available but we had to go to the front half of the theater to find three available seats that were next to each other. It was a long half hour wait that made me wish I brought my new phone along. I could use it to read fanfiction. Fortunately, things settled down once the movie started and what a movie it was.

This was well plotted, with each character in the ensemble being given development and a moment. The action is well coordinated, and tells something about the characters. Others have already talked about the research the crew did on African cultures to build up the Afrofuturist environment of Wakanda and it was very interesting to see the different perspective there, because you rarely if ever hear or see individual African cultures, never mind have them depicted on the big screen. The political conflict of this movie, of whether Wakanda should remain isolated or open up to help the struggling in the world, is fitting. Wakanda’s advances and culture are respected yet it isn’t without flaws. All of the characters play into and are informed by that conflict, from T’Challa’s struggle with the sins of his father, Nakia’s spy missions making her compassionate to the outside world, and Okoye being a traditionalist reluctant to take Ross back after he takes a literal bullet for Nakia.

But Killmonger embodies that conflict well. His father is accidentally killed by his princely brother T’Chaka and he had to grow up an orphan in the racism of America. He is directly hurt by Wakanda’s isolationist policy and sees the struggle of the diaspora who aren’t being helped. No wonder he seeks vengeance and a worldwide armed insurrection. The death and destruction he leaves behind isn’t excusable but it’s understandable. It does well with making T’Challa take a hard look at his country’s policies, and reexamine his father T’Chaka and advisor Zuri. He still loves them but when he meets his father and other ancestors again, his refusal to the claim what happened to Killmonger was the right thing to do and turning his back on them was powerful. Killmonger’s actions had to be stopped but when all the fighting was over, it felt like a natural conclusion for Wakanda to open up and help those in need around the world.

As for characters: T’Challa’s intelligence and compassion could have made him boring, but I thought Chadwick Boseman did well in making the struggle between being good and a king interesting. Nakia was also interesting, with how her international missions influenced her compassion for others. I liked she and T’Challa were mostly amicable exes and she remained loyal to him. Okoye was the kind of traditional, stern character that I can find fun and relatable but she does have a good sense of humor. Her struggle between her duty to the throne and what is right was good. Her actions seems were a highlight. Shuri was very endearing, teasing and funny, yet there is a clear affection present for those she loves. Ramonda was nice and wise. I like important mother figures. My one quibble is that I heard in the comics she was T’Challa’s stepmother rather than biological mother and with how stepmothers get a bad rep, it would have been great to have a positive one with her.

W’Kabi was a little underdeveloped, with his relationship to Okoye and turning on T’Challa so quickly but what was glimpsed on those matters was interesting. Zuri is wise but made mistakes he is regretful of. So did T’Chaka. Even in death his bond with his son stays warm but his regrets are clear even if he feels they were the right thing to do. M’Baku’s tough exterior and conservatism on technology and foreign affairs was contrasted nicely with his honor code and sense of humor. From what I heard of him in the comics, this adaptation made appropriate changes while keeping the spirit of the character. Klaue was a hammy villain, entertaining, but I couldn’t see much depth. I can understand people’s reticence about Ross as the intrusive white guy but he did serve the movie’s themes well. Killmonger, well…I already said my piece and others have come up with better meta than I. All I will say is his actions aren’t condonable but they come from an understandable pain and he’s one of those characters you’d wish had better circumstances.

So yeah, that film with a great story that I was glad to see.

Fortunately, I was able to see Early Man today after discovering it was going to leave theaters tomorrow. It was a small movie, stereotypical in some ways, but charming in its own way. Of course the stone age and bronze age aren’t the least bit accurate but that isn’t the point. It’s more of a fantasy setting ala the Medieval Fantasy Europe that is so popular in literature. The cavepeople being displaced from their home for bronze mining and the penalty of losing the football/soccer match being working in the mines is reminiscent of colonialist practices where peoples are displaced from their homes for resource extraction. Using football as the way to settle the matter is silly and there are a lot of sports puns I caught but it was fun. The tribe ran the gamet from being ignorant to mentally-challenged but them winning did show they did have value and their ways should be respected, so that was nice.

Dug was the archetypical forward thinking main character but he was sweet and was cute. He did have a nice little arc where he worried about unrealistically getting his tribe’s hopes up. Hognob was the classic “animal who acts like a dog” character but the wild boar had enough friendliness and eagerness to join the soccer match he was endearing. Chief Bobnar was the usual elder who doubts moving from the status quo but his growing confidence was nice. Goona is kind of a love interest for Dug but she turns out to be essential to the plot with her football passion helping turn the tribe’s training around. I liked her. The rest of the tribe received more bit characterization but it was fine and I did appreciate there were two women who joined the game.

Lord Nooth is a greedy selfish man whose French accent and other antics do veer him into uncomfortable “queer coding” villain territory but he was enjoyable. His antics with the messenger bird were my favorite. I loved that bird. The queen seems like the typical stern monarch but I was both gladdened and slightly disappointed she wasn’t enough of an imperialist that she wouldn’t come to like the tribe. I did like that the opposing team, though haughty and vain, are able to be won over by good sportsmanship and are shown winning and losing aren’t the be and end all of the game.

So overall, not a big movie by any means but I don’t regret watching it.

That’s all for now. I’m getting up around 7 am instead of 9:30 am this week because I have classes on Saturday and I’m thinking of sticking with it. I helped Mom get grosses two times and that’s the kind of exercise I need in this cold weather. Staying up a bit late tonight typing this up might throw a wrench there, so cross my fingers. Until the end of March, see you!