I'm excited about Netflix's latest super hero project. Netflix's Newest Superhero Drama Is About a Single Mother and Her Super-Powered Son. That looks so good! 

​Did you know that pink used to signify male? I didn't understand that using pink to signify the gender of girl babies is less than a century old. I have noticed that worrying about whether or not strangers get the gender of babies correct is more of a thing than it used to be. (Hell, my own sister is making a big deal out of gender marking her puppy.) I get why it's important to not miss-gender adults, but babies? And it kills me that the same exact adult will blithely ignore the gender preference of adults and then get really exacting in addressing baby genders. (We can't have that boy mistaken for a girl, can we? That might de-masculinate him. Masculinity is fragile, after all. [eyeroll]) 

Today's video:

Why do I have a feeling that we've just been given absolutely every scene that features Wonder Woman in the entire film? Probably because this movie was shot before WW grossed all the money and everything has focused on Batman up to this point. (And still does.) [sigh] That said...is it bad that I still want to see this version of Aquaman?

It's October. My favorite month of the year. And every year I try to do something to celebrate. I'm in the midst of a novel deadline this year. So, I can't go too enthusiastic. Therefore, I'm going to talk about some my favorite Halloween/Spooky/Dark films on Fridays--films I'd be watching if it weren't for work, family stuff (my Dad is very ill)[1]... you know, the usual life things. So, let's get to it. Shall we?

My first favorite for this time of year: Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Something Wicked This Way Comes (both the novel and the film) has some problems, of course. Published in 1962, it holds deeply problematic ideas regarding disability.[2] But, as you can see above, it has some amazing moments. The cast is fabulous. Alas, Disney screwed up the ending. Read the novel first then watch the film.

I found Tom Petty as a young teen because of his duet with Stevie Nicks. ("Stop Dragging My Heart Around.") He was one of my crushes. The Postman remains one of my favorite films (in spite of Costner making one of the only post-apocalyptic novels with women doing useful things in it into a he-man, manly fest of manly) because Tom appeared in it. When I first came into the goth scene, the man I wanted so much to impress sorted through my music collection and placed all of my Tom Petty with the fluffy pop stuff in the To Be Sold pile. Mouse that I was, I quietly moved Tom Petty off that stack and back onto my shelves. (I did the same with a few others.) A year later, I convinced my goth circles of Petty's amazingness.[1] And I did it with American Girl and Silence of the Lambs. Of course, the video for Mary Jane's Last Dance backed me up shortly thereafter.

Tom Petty was with me through so many transitions in my life--my first breakup, my first apartment, moving to Austin entirely on my own--I found myself over and over through breakups and low times. Tom was always there in the background like the steady, reassuring whir of highway on a long drive. I'm going to miss knowing he's out there. At least I've his music. Thank you, Tom, for that. Seriously, Thank you.

Too many of my music heroes are dead now. David Bowie, Prince, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Chris Cornell, Layne Staley, Kurt Cobain, Andrew Wood, Scott Weiland, Doug Hopkins, and Stefanie Sargent. Someone please place a protective bubble around Stevie Nicks, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Patti Smith, Joan Jett, Chrissie Hynde, Peter Murphy, Gary Numan, Aimee Mann, Toni Halliday, and Elizabeth Fraser. At least don't let 2017 touch them. Please.

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[1] He looked askance at me for my Alice in Chains, Stevie Nicks, and Fleetwood Mac, but I turned him around on those too.

Happy October, y'all! Welcome to my favorite month of the year. I've a lot of writing to do. So, let's just jump in, shall we? Today's video has been around for seven years...but is still applicable. There's also a great (older) video on "ironic sexism" which drives home my objection to it. I had several conversations about it in 2009 and 2010. Whenever I discussed it with male colleagues in writing circles, I was met with the "get a sense of humor" response. [sigh]