Checking in on a Saturday morning
Feb. 15th, 2025 10:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
callistotoni - The news about Everything is getting to me. I won't inflict it all on you, but I will be destitute in ~5 years if everything happens that looks like it is going to happen.
- The good news is that Jeff's treatment is going very well. Jeff had his--hopefully--last Chemo session on Thursday. But the hard part is that every session has been harder for him, making him almost bedridden. He looks bad. He's looks bloated and has lost most of his facial hair. His radiation treatment goes through March, but it won't be every week day like it has been. It's lucky that when the cancer metastasized it didn't go into his organs. I'm guessing that if the lesions on his spine were indeed cancerous, and that cancer has been killed, his spine will still be compromised. We've talked about his road back to health, going to the gym and gaining strength, he'll need to be careful not to put too much stress on his spine and pelvic bones. But we are hopeful. Thinking that if we can make it to An Tir/West War that can be a Welcome Back-sort of celebration. But we need to see how his recovery progresses.
- Work is work. Things look like they will get busier for a awhile. However, big contract I've been on for several years is ending in April. It might get renewed/extended, and it might not. Trying not to stress and hoping for the best.
- Bean is the most affectionate kitty I've ever had the privilege to live with. She stays with me for much of my work day, until the sun come around the house and her sunbeam shows up on the bed. And she is Loving the new comforter; for a while I thought she'd never leave it. Right now she's curled up in a blanket here on the couch next to me looking super cute.
- We've gone through most of the cord of wood we bought this fall. All of the wood that our helpers stacked up in the garage is gone now and we're now onto the small pile that was outside. I think we'll get through the rest of winter with what we have; Jeff spends most of the time at home in bed and I'll just wear sweaters. ;-)
- We have matinee tickets to see Captain America Brave New World for tomorrow, but I'm not sure is Jeff will be up for it. I hope so because getting out of the house for a while will be good for our mental health. Need to balance protecting Jeff because he's immunocompromised and mental health. You know your excitement bar is at a new low when you dream of getting pancakes at IHOP when you see an ad for them.
- Speaking of entertainment, I want to share an a "channel" (for lack of a better term) that I'm enjoying. I suspect I'm the only one of you that would enjoy it, but I'm going to talk about it anyway. It's been around for a few years, goring out of things going online because of covid. Now the vibe is like an old local UHF channel run by a bunch of friends with little to no budget.
It's called Dumb Industries. It started because a young stand up comic in New York met up with Frank Coniff (one of the Mads in MST3K) and they started working together. Frank Connif and Trace Bealue (sp?), the other Mad, had been touring with a show called the Mads are Back, riffing bad movies in front of live audiences. When Covid hit Frank and Trace couldn't tour, so Chris suggested doing an online show. Now these shows have been going on for 5 years (tickets are $10).
Then Chris hooked up with another MSK alumni, Mary Joe Pehl, and they started doing 2 shows a month. These are kinda free, but you can join the Clubhouse and have access to all her Dumb Industries content, including movie watch-alongs and live chats.
If you know MST3K at all, you know Manos the Hands of Fate. The little girl in that movie is Jackie Nayman Jones and she became a professional artist. After MST3K brought Manos into public knowledge Jackie wrote book about the experience and started selling some Mano merch. Now, through Dumb Industries, she teaches art classes, both paint-alongs like a paint party only online. The subject matter is MSK3K-related. These were so popular that she now teaches a general subject class (basic still lifes). Students post their creations to show on the site and interact online.
Next person to join was Emmy Marsh. She loves obscure but good movies, so she has Weird and Wonderful Wednesdays, where she shows a movie and people interact in chat. Then she ends the show with cartoons (old and new) that fit with the theme of the movie. An once a month on a Tuesday, Emmy shows and riffs on a Dark Shadows episode.
Finally Chis and another guy, Matt, who became a Dumb Industries producer--do a show on Thursdays talking about what's going on in Dumb Industries and then have watchers chose a weird short to watch together (often old corporate training videos). They also have a show on Mondays where they play very old (8 bit?) video games.
On Friday evenings they play old Mads shows on Twitch.
Dumb industries stays afloat by memberships for content (very minimal monthly), and selling merch. Content shows on their website/clubhouses and on Twitch. The Mads shows are available on Vimeo if you want to purchase a copy of the live show. For the first 4 years, the Mads shows were available for download with the cost of the show ticket, but financial realities mean that if you buy a ticket you have to still buy the download, but a a significant discount ($6).
Anyway, I really enjoy the "group of friends putting on a show" vibe. If you are a big fan of MST3K the content may be appealing to you. If that's not your thing, then Dumb Industries is probably not going to be your cup of tea. But I find it encouraging that a bunch of people got together to do Silly Things, and people enjoyed it all enough to continue supporting it.
Me, I catch all the Mads and Mary Jo Pehl shows, and Weird & Wonderful Wednesdays if the movie sounds interesting to me. Plus the Dark Shadows episodes, because why not?
- The good news is that Jeff's treatment is going very well. Jeff had his--hopefully--last Chemo session on Thursday. But the hard part is that every session has been harder for him, making him almost bedridden. He looks bad. He's looks bloated and has lost most of his facial hair. His radiation treatment goes through March, but it won't be every week day like it has been. It's lucky that when the cancer metastasized it didn't go into his organs. I'm guessing that if the lesions on his spine were indeed cancerous, and that cancer has been killed, his spine will still be compromised. We've talked about his road back to health, going to the gym and gaining strength, he'll need to be careful not to put too much stress on his spine and pelvic bones. But we are hopeful. Thinking that if we can make it to An Tir/West War that can be a Welcome Back-sort of celebration. But we need to see how his recovery progresses.
- Work is work. Things look like they will get busier for a awhile. However, big contract I've been on for several years is ending in April. It might get renewed/extended, and it might not. Trying not to stress and hoping for the best.
- Bean is the most affectionate kitty I've ever had the privilege to live with. She stays with me for much of my work day, until the sun come around the house and her sunbeam shows up on the bed. And she is Loving the new comforter; for a while I thought she'd never leave it. Right now she's curled up in a blanket here on the couch next to me looking super cute.
- We've gone through most of the cord of wood we bought this fall. All of the wood that our helpers stacked up in the garage is gone now and we're now onto the small pile that was outside. I think we'll get through the rest of winter with what we have; Jeff spends most of the time at home in bed and I'll just wear sweaters. ;-)
- We have matinee tickets to see Captain America Brave New World for tomorrow, but I'm not sure is Jeff will be up for it. I hope so because getting out of the house for a while will be good for our mental health. Need to balance protecting Jeff because he's immunocompromised and mental health. You know your excitement bar is at a new low when you dream of getting pancakes at IHOP when you see an ad for them.
- Speaking of entertainment, I want to share an a "channel" (for lack of a better term) that I'm enjoying. I suspect I'm the only one of you that would enjoy it, but I'm going to talk about it anyway. It's been around for a few years, goring out of things going online because of covid. Now the vibe is like an old local UHF channel run by a bunch of friends with little to no budget.
It's called Dumb Industries. It started because a young stand up comic in New York met up with Frank Coniff (one of the Mads in MST3K) and they started working together. Frank Connif and Trace Bealue (sp?), the other Mad, had been touring with a show called the Mads are Back, riffing bad movies in front of live audiences. When Covid hit Frank and Trace couldn't tour, so Chris suggested doing an online show. Now these shows have been going on for 5 years (tickets are $10).
Then Chris hooked up with another MSK alumni, Mary Joe Pehl, and they started doing 2 shows a month. These are kinda free, but you can join the Clubhouse and have access to all her Dumb Industries content, including movie watch-alongs and live chats.
If you know MST3K at all, you know Manos the Hands of Fate. The little girl in that movie is Jackie Nayman Jones and she became a professional artist. After MST3K brought Manos into public knowledge Jackie wrote book about the experience and started selling some Mano merch. Now, through Dumb Industries, she teaches art classes, both paint-alongs like a paint party only online. The subject matter is MSK3K-related. These were so popular that she now teaches a general subject class (basic still lifes). Students post their creations to show on the site and interact online.
Next person to join was Emmy Marsh. She loves obscure but good movies, so she has Weird and Wonderful Wednesdays, where she shows a movie and people interact in chat. Then she ends the show with cartoons (old and new) that fit with the theme of the movie. An once a month on a Tuesday, Emmy shows and riffs on a Dark Shadows episode.
Finally Chis and another guy, Matt, who became a Dumb Industries producer--do a show on Thursdays talking about what's going on in Dumb Industries and then have watchers chose a weird short to watch together (often old corporate training videos). They also have a show on Mondays where they play very old (8 bit?) video games.
On Friday evenings they play old Mads shows on Twitch.
Dumb industries stays afloat by memberships for content (very minimal monthly), and selling merch. Content shows on their website/clubhouses and on Twitch. The Mads shows are available on Vimeo if you want to purchase a copy of the live show. For the first 4 years, the Mads shows were available for download with the cost of the show ticket, but financial realities mean that if you buy a ticket you have to still buy the download, but a a significant discount ($6).
Anyway, I really enjoy the "group of friends putting on a show" vibe. If you are a big fan of MST3K the content may be appealing to you. If that's not your thing, then Dumb Industries is probably not going to be your cup of tea. But I find it encouraging that a bunch of people got together to do Silly Things, and people enjoyed it all enough to continue supporting it.
Me, I catch all the Mads and Mary Jo Pehl shows, and Weird & Wonderful Wednesdays if the movie sounds interesting to me. Plus the Dark Shadows episodes, because why not?
no subject
Date: 2025-02-16 04:43 am (UTC)Hugs!
Date: 2025-02-16 07:07 am (UTC)I really hope that ending the Chemo will mean that Jeff's health starts to get better right away, and that you are both able to attend and enjoy An Tir-West War.
no subject
Date: 2025-02-25 09:03 pm (UTC)It's a mad, mad, mad world. I am crossing my fingers for all of us.