Let’s Get Dangerous

And for some reason I was there too, and it was like “wait, you guys are companions, but why am I here????”

And this is how I realized how wild it would be to get caught up in shenanigans and meet the other companions before you’ve even met the Doctor in your timeline

Because they’re like “oh yeah we’ve all traveling with this alien in a blue box that’s a Time Machine, so if you’re here, then you are, too”

Over fifty years of data show a peak in PFAS (also known as "forever chemicals") content in seabird eggs in the 90s, followed by a decrease as regulations went into effect. The most recent findings show a 70% decrease of most common PFAS.

We are making genuine progress! Producers are dramatically altering how much they use PFAS and how much gets released in effluent, but also there's a lot better understanding of how to remove PFAS from the environment!

Man dressed as Gru: "Minions! Tonight we meet Tom Cruise!"

People dressed as minions: (mingled cheering)

Gru: "Alright, alright."

The Minions quiet down.

Gru: "Here we go. We are here to meet Tom Cruise! May we come inside?"

Security guard: "No."

Gru: "Curse you, Shannon!"

Minions: (Overlapping displeased shouting)

Gru: "Okay. Maybe this will change your mind."(After a cut) "Viola!"

Minions:(Overlapping cheering)

Gru: "Feast your eyes upon push-ups! Go, go, go!"

Minions: (overlapping voices chanting)"Banana!"

Gru: "If you let us meet Tom Cruise, you can do whatever you want with this one."

Minions: (Screaming)

Gru: "Everybody, BEG!"

Minions: (distressed shouts overlapping) Banana!

Gru: "We commence; Dance recital, go!"

Minions:(discordant singing) Gru: "Yes!"

Gru: "They are still unimpressed." (After a cut) "Why don't we go to Santa Monica Pier!"

(The chorus of the song Fun, Fun, Fun by Pharrell Williams from the Despicable Me soundtrack plays.)

junicorn

day 05

Academy Award winner Marcia Lucas has died. While winning major awards for her work as an editor for Star Wars (alongside a team of editors, including Paul Hirsch and Richard Chew; some of her contributions outside of her work with George Lucas include Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Taxi Driver, and New York, New York), she mostly disappeared from the public eye following her divorce and essentially retired.

While Marcia dispelled the belief that she singlehandedly saved Star Wars in the edit (and very passionately defended George's craftmanship and ideas, which she felt were undercredited, as well as the work of their team in general), there was a lot of work she specifically did and I thought it would be good to highlight just how much she did and give her credit where it is due. There is a lot that came from her that most don't know about. Most of those examples are from Howard Kazanjian's biography, A Producer's Life, published in 2021.

On some of the uncredited dialogue and story revisions for Star Wars:

On some of her work in Star Wars:

On having the iconic trench run on the Death Star as her biggest work while working on Star Wars:

On her uncredited work in The Empire Strikes Back:

On how her input changed the ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark:

On her joining the Return of the Jedi crew, an emphasis in finding the right cut for actors, cutting together footage of Luke in ROTJ after she and George disagreed with the characterization the director had given to Mark Hamill and unable to reshoot footage:

On editing the climactic ending in the Throne Room in ROTJ:

CLAUDIA SKINNER: You know, there’s this story my father used to tell his clients. He’d go… once upon a time there was a young scorpion, who wanted to cross a river. Unfortunately, he couldn’t swim. So he asked a passing turtle to carry him on his back. The turtle hesitated, but eventually agreed after the scorpion promised not to sting him. But, when they were halfway through the river, a terrible impulse fell upon the scorpion. He brought his stinger down and - ADAM BLACKWELL: - and as they both start drowning, the scorpion says, “Don’t look at me, it’s in my nature, and you knew I was a scorpion when you agreed to take me across the river.” Yeah, I know that one. (A pause.) CLAUDIA SKINNER: Actually... as the scorpion’s stinger bounced harmlessly off the turtle’s hard shell, he found the other animal looking back at him over his shoulder. And the turtle just said, “Tell me: do you want to fuck around some more, or do you want me to get you across this fucking river?” That was a story about how sometimes you can just let people help you. (A pause.) ADAM BLACKWELL: A frog. It’s usually... a frog when I’ve heard that story.

Have I mentioned I'm in love with The Harbingers? @gabrielurbinatm and @euripidesredux at their best, among other incredible talents.

1. Hating the two MCs in the first couple episodes was totally deserved because they were awful and annoying

2. - however, they do become more compelling later on for their bad choices and their failings, and also for the times they rise above both and try to act for the good of others, which was very humanizing, though sometimes those actions end up causing harm

3. The pacing is actually very good. The worldbuilding is dripped in slowly and the questions it brings up, are answered only sparingly and over time. That’s kind of refreshing.

4. It doesn’t shy away from being set in modern times with the modern political climate

5. The side characters are very strong and a delight to hear from

Yeah this show is good

There has been so much character growth and I regret hating the characters in the first couple episodes. Admittedly they WERE incredibly annoying, but I’m sure now that was on purpose. The series does an amazing job of humanizing them.

There's a walking path that runs parallel to a road I take to get to my dad's house. There are sculptures set up alongside the path. Some of them are kind of neat, some of them are abstract... and then there's This Fucker.

The Long Horse.

This thing is TALL. Like, I am 5'7" and I sincerely think it might be twice my height. Have a 9 year old for scale:

This thing is way more terrifying up close than it is from the car. The metal bands wrapping around like ligaments, the rust that hints at decaying flesh, the EYES. Imagine you're driving down a semi-secluded stretch of road at night and you see THIS looming at you from out of the darkness:

I have been passing by The Long Horse (actual title of the piece is Uplifted) for years, and every time I see it I think "I need to show this to someone," and every time I forget to stop to take pictures. BUT I DID TODAY. Truly, I feel like it's the spiritual cousin to that super muscular chonkster horse statue, related but opposite.

The rest of the sculptures are kind of neat. I like the motorcycle and the shark and the maple seeds.