What’s new, pussycat?
So, what’s new in your neck of the woods? I ask mostly because I wouldn’t know–somehow the release of the magazine each month absorbs my entire brain. In one big slurp.
Not necessarily in a bad way, mind you. I liked working on the DTH then, and I like working on the magazine now. I’m a terrible judge of the quality of my own work–the shit that’s shit I think is roses, and vice versa–but it seems to come easily and pleasantly. Maybe that’s just smoke leaking out of my butt. But I don’t know that I care, it’s that much fun.
This month I’ve got an article in, the result of the interview I did a couple of weeks ago with Cory Doctorow. It’s the first of a two part piece, and next month we’ll probably publish the entire interview–all 50+ pages of it. Is it really wrong to be somewhat of a fangirl for your subject? Seriously, he was a totally nice guy and gave a great interview. I hope the article reflects that.
The rest of this month’s issue focuses on Linux and open source in India, China, and Malaysia. There’s some video, and a webcast, and a handful of technical articles, one about setting up a a Linux desktop. One of the videos is of our summer interns. It’s particularly neat because the interns (with some help from our awesome video and design folks) put together the short film themselves. Pretty cool peeps.
During the hours spent getting this stuff online, I’ve also discovered the joy that is–get this–late night re-runs of soap operas. I’ve always had a basic grasp of what’s going down in Salem (on Days of our Lives), as my grandmother (and, later, one of my college roommates) was a devoted fan. A newer addition to the suds, Passions, is one of my personal favorites. Obviously (if you have any idea of the basic plots), I like soaps that are a bit… outrageous. My mom’s down with Another World and Guiding Light, both of which I’ve watched sporadically… but they’re not weird enough to really pique my interest.
Days, now… that’s the classic. That’s the soap that Passions is following behind (albeit, sometimes veering totally off course and through the woods over a cliff and into a ravine, but still… behind). Days has had more back-from-the-deads, demonic possessions, mysterious miraculous events, and nonsensical messages from the beyond/God/dead people than any one show should be alotted. It’s hilarious. At this very moment, three actors who have all played the same character are on the show simultaneously. The original Roman Brady is now playing Dr. Alex Something-or-other. However, his new character, Alex, has been revealed to be the early husband of Marlena. The husband who in fact would have been her husband when she married him as Roman Brady. Except he was supposed to be dead. Or was dead. Whatever. The guy playing Roman Brady now was the second Roman, then the John Black guy, who turned out to not be Roman at all, and now the second Roman’s back to being Roman, but he’s not with Marlena anymore, he was most recently with Kate. And now Roman isn’t with Marlena anymore because Marlena is with Alex (the first Roman), and Roman is also kind of with Kate. Whee!
Yeah, that’s soap for you.
In any case, soaps are fun and it’s somewhat amusing to try and piece together the wacky histories. Passions, though the youngest, bills itself as one of the strangest. It’s angled at a younger audience, with the prominent storylines featuring characters in their teens and early 20s. It’s very much geared for comedy, working in skits and, occasionally, dramatic or musical numbers from popular culture–television, movies, broadway. I’ve seen Deliverance scenes, and The Wizard of Oz, and Chicago and Buffy. There are witches and angels and The Boys in the Basement. My favorite character is the witch, Tabitha. It was better when she had Timmy, but unfortunately Timmy died. Poor Timmy.
Passions I occasionally watch on the TiVo, but not more than once or twice a week, since I’m usually actually paying attention, and seeing more than an episode a week is overkill. It’s a soap. It’s repetitious.
But Days comes on, most conveniently, at the hour of midnight, on the soap channel. A time when nothing (worth TiVoing) comes on. A time when, usually, I’m close to bed or in bed or finishing up just a few last things. A time when I want nothing taxing for my noodle. How lovely. A frosting treat.
Do you think Belle and Shawn will really get back together? God, I hope not!
Everybody’s got their vices.
You know, a “what’s new” post about soap operas and a technical magazine. Geesh. My life–it is exciting, no?
P.S. There is this commercial that runs all through the soaps, and I think it’s totally convinced me to give this year’s guilt / compassion donation to the ASPCA. Eh?