Well, I've finally caught up with the rest of the world. I've seen all the episodes (although, i skipped the zombie season, season 7--shhhhh.) and have watched the new final season on Netflix. I gotta say...I loved it. I'll be honest, what made me fall in love with the show was the writing. I love quippy, fast dialog. It's a thing with me and always has been. I blame this upon my early exposure to old movies. It's why I love Nora Ephron when she's at her best in spite of problematic rom-com plots. I love being made to give a shit about people I wouldn't normally give a shit about. (Seriously? A young woman who got everything I wanted at her age handed to her on a silver platter and then quit said Ivy League lit studies school--even for a little while? My normal reaction would be stabby-ness.) So, good on you show. You struck a good balance between relationship drama and over the top Fox Teen Soap Opera Melodrama™. (I can only take so much romantic tension before I want to throw things. Romantic tension isn't forever, y'all. If that's all you've got to bring to the table, you're a one-trick pony. There's more to life than romance. Hell, there's more to relationships than romance--even romantic relationships have layers.) The show, in spite of being so heavily white cast, was pretty damned Feminist.

Side note: it drives me ape-shit when men complain about screwball comedy dialog written by women and/or Joss Whedon.[1] Would you like to know why? Because that shit is not easy to write. It's fucking hard. It requires talent, and you have to have an ear for it. Because not a single one of those same men would have the same complaint of Dashiell Hammett. Guess who was famous for his quippy, fast dialog? Dashiell Fucking Hammett, that's who. (Have you actually read The Thin Man?) Yeah. That guy. Gritty Noir guy. So, fuck off asshole. Check your shit. It's okay to not want everything written in that style. Hell, no one should say that every painting should be created in Expressionist Style either. But quit with the "that's girly and thus bad" bullshit. M-Kay?

I gotta say, I love how the show ended. I love where Emily landed and that she seems to have finally found herself after shedding the 'Mrs. Richard Gilmore' persona. (She'd been restricted to it for so long she had no idea what her real interests and dreams were. She was a walking-talking primary example of what The Feminine Mystique warned us about.) I love that Lorelai finally found the stability she craved without the entrapment she feared. And I love that Rory--in spite of her making a world of stupid mistakes as a young adult--is finding her way in spite of repeating certain patterns.[2] That last line was, in my opinion, the perfect ending, because--like real life--it was the ending of a cylce rather than a happily ever after THE END. I love that. 

I hope to see so much more from writer, Amy Sherman-Palladino. I'm officially a fan.
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[1] I assume he gets dinged because women like him, and he's heavily associated with Feminism.
[2] Spoiler Alert (mouse over to reveal text): context is everything, babies. Pregnant and unmarried at 16 is far different than pregnant and unmarried at 32. 

"But you can help me!" he said. "There may be a way to destroy the dragon, d'you see, or at least we can help people, channel things to mitigate the worst of it, somehow find a meeting point--"
Vimes's blow cught Wonse on the cheek and spun him around.
"The dragon's here," he snapped. "You can't channel it or persuade it or negotiate with it. There's no truce with dragons. You brought it here and we're stuck with it, you bastard." -- Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

I'm always amazed at how topical Pratchett is. I shouldn't be by now, but I am. Anyway, I came upon that passage the other day and can't help but feel it fits perfectly. Let's carry on, then, shall we?

Call for Action: Today's is from my friend Will Alexander. 
"Hope and despair are not locked in a zero-sum game. Tolkien tried to sort out a way of moving through the world with hopelessness but without despair. Denethor despaired. He glimpsed the future, accepted fate as fixed, & set himself on fire like a gentleman. Aragorn marched--not because the scruffy king of splendid perma-stubble had hope, but because he avoided despair. Despair is certainty. Despair is the illusion that the future is already set. 
The future is not set. We know this, because physics. Heisenberg poured uncertainty all over that deterministic nonsense. The cat in the ballot box is still alive and dead, both at once. So do everything you can to tip the balance into a better timeline. Example: Support the recount. #AudittheVote Drumpf is fighting it. Hard. He fears the recount. So defend it. Michigan's Attorney General is trying to block the recount in every way he can. Here is his phone number: 517-373-1110 Here is another one: 313-456-0240 Here is his twitter handle: @SchuetteOnDuty Take a moment to express your displeasure. Inquire of Jason Chaffetz, Chairman of the Congressional Oversight Committee, why he won't investigate Drumpf's obvious conflicts of interest:
DC office: (202) 225-7751 UT office: (801) 851-2500 Twitter: @jasoninthehouse
If you know any electors, please play them some Hamilton. Do this regardless of whether or not you allow yourself to hope that any of it will work. Do it to avoid despair. Don't go peering into any palantirs. 
March.

Today's video:

Sorry about posting so late today, but I'm in the midst of the research phase on a Space Opera novel project I'm excited about and I lost track of time. Today, I interviewed a space doctor to get some background information. I'm amazed at the number of incredible people I know these days, and their access to even more incredible people. (Did I mention I love being a writer?) At first, I was a little overwhelmed, but now I'm inspired. I've always secretly wanted to do this and I can't wait to give it a whirl.

For grins, do you have any recommendations? Non-fiction, SF Fiction[1], movies, inspiring music and/or visuals? Military SF is cool. Preferably nothing rape-y and nothing that throws Libertarian ideals in the reader's face.[2] My favorite SF movies are Bladerunner, Alien, Aliens, a number of Star Trek films, and the new film, Arrival. I like smart stuff. Action isn't necessarily a requirement.
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[1] The newer stuff, please--unless it's written by minority writers. I've read Heinlein, for example, and I don't need to go back to it. But Octavia Butler is on my list, and so is Samuel Delany.
[2] I tried Honor Harrington, and I just can't.