Bill Bodden's Blog, page 4

Earworms

I was thinking the other day about songs and jingles that crawl into your head and usually don't leave until forced out. There are so many it's overwhelming. It doesn't matter if the song is good or not - what matters is how catchy it is for your brain to remember. I've included a few links to video/sound clips - click them if you dare!

I was a big fan of the original Muppet Show; when I was a kid, I'd lunge for the TV at 6:30 on Saturday nights to tune it. Usually, in my excitement I'd be a little early, and catch...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2020/07/20/earw...

Killing Time

With the likelihood of a nationwide quarantine being reinstated, a lot of people will be looking for things to do to pass the time. I've been thinking about this a lot lately: there are now so many options for interesting things to do online that don't require leaving the house that it's embarrassing! That being the case, I'm only going to cover a few of them, because, well, I hope to have something to eat later, and getting some sleep is also on the agenda - neither of which I'll have time for if I try for a complete list.

First, there's Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/). Those of you who are gamers have probably already heard about this platform, but in a nutshell: Twitch is a streaming service that allows people to (among other things) play games while others watch the stream remotely. It works as well for video/computer games as it does for role-playing game sessions, and I've spent a fair bit of time watching several different styles of Twitch streams. Animal Crossing for example, a hugely popular online game where people populate their own island with plants, animals, buildings, and stuff, is one that a number of people play on Twitch with regularity. I wrote last year about several of those RPG streams I'd been enjoying at that time; here's a link to that post for more details: http://billbodden.com/2019/10/21/crossing-the-streams/

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2020/07/13/kill...

Paper to Screen

In their search for new ideas to plunder, Hollywood has adapted numerous books into film treatments. Some of them work well, while others fell with a rather loud thud.

Perhaps one of my favorite adaptations is the recent Good Omens, based on the novel of the same title by Neil Gaiman and Sir Terry Pratchett. It tells the story of an angel and a demon - Aziraphale and Crowley, respectively - who find themselves performing directly competing tasks, usually canceling out each others' work. Over the centuries, they become friends, and when the apocalypse arrives, they decide they're rather fond of the world and fight against the legions of both Heaven and Hell to save it. It's a very faithful adaptation - though I must admit, it's been more than a decade since I read the book, so my memory may be a bit dodgy. It was made into a six-episode mini-series by Amazon, and I've watched it several times through since it first landed on Amazon's Prime streaming service. Watching the relationship between Crowley and Aziraphale is a delight, thanks in no small part to the brilliant performances by Michael Sheen (Aziraphale) and David Tennant (Crowley).


To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2020/07/06/pape...

Cards Against Humanity: Punching Down

The Cards Against Humanity party game has been in the news recently, both for an allegedly toxic work environment and a co-founder who was a bit of a loose cannon. The articles are beginning to appear now, decrying this game that we are all embarrassed to love, but in fact, I hated the game the first time I played it.

See, this was a game that was, at it's heart, all about punching down. It made sport of people who were different from classic WASPs, typically minorities and at-risk populations, and I found it annoying at best, and, well, there was worse. But it was considered "edgy" and "challenged stereotypes." To me, it was an excuse to say things you normally couldn't get away with - an adult way to act naughty. And honestly, the only thing it really challenged...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2020/06/30/card...

A Great Escape

We all need an escape from real life- especially now - from time to time. Something to recharge the batteries, revitalize the spirit: something fun. With that in mind, here's my list of a few films/TV series to lift the spirits and bring a few laughs.

What We Do in the Shadows film cast


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http://billbodden.com/2020/06/22/a-gr...

A Little Glam

Going through boxes of stuff, trying to cull the crapton of paper I've saved over the years. I've found some amazing things - receipts from my trip to the UK and Germany by myself in the 1980s, fanzines from the 1990s, and assorted oddball collectibles I somehow acquired and, more bafflingly, kept for years. I came across this photo some time ago, and it brought back a flood of memories:

Yes, I once owned a red suit-jacket...

As body modifications go, I've not been too adventurous. I have no tattoos and exactly this one piercing - in my left earlobe. I got the piercing done around 1989-1990 - that's at the tag end of the period of time when it was popular. Peter and I and our friend Spike went on a road trip to the Twin Cities, and our local friend Simba recommended a place to us for the deed to get done.

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2020/06/15/a-li...

Turning Down Work

As a freelancer, there are times when one has to make choices: choices about which companies to work for, which products lines to apply for work on, and which creators to work with to name but a few. There are even times when, if one is blessed, one has to make choices about which jobs to work on and which to turn down.

I've rarely been in a position in my writing work to have to choose which jobs to turn down. For whatever reason - most of them personally unflattering to consider - I have not had publishers beating down my door to get me to work with them. However, there are still times when a project just doesn't feel right so I turn it down -- in the most polite way possible. Case in point: at GenCon a number of years ago...

To read the rest of this post, please visit:
http://billbodden.com/2020/06/08/turn...

Silence

Nothing I can write about here will be better or more eloquent than what has already been said. In fact, I've been wondering these last few weeks why adding my two cent's worth would possible matter to anyone. Here's what I've learned: when people of privilege (such as me) don't speak up, change rarely happens. Maybe my voice isn't very loud, but combined with other voices, it's enough to cause an avalanche.

Like the numerous white people looting and pillaging and creating chaos -- and make no mistake, the footage I've seen is almost exclusively white people causing the damage -- white supremacist shit-heels are taking advantage of the situation to be agents provocateurs, hoping that the damage they do will kick-off the long hoped-for race war that will allow them (in their dreams) to kill people of color indiscriminately. So far, the police -- with very few exceptions -- seem eager to...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2020/06/01/sile...

How We Get Through This

Something like 30% of the population here in the United States is out of work. Those that still have jobs are mostly in the service industries - jobs that pay poorly, offer little or nothing by way of benefits, and force those so employed to risk their lives on a daily - perhaps even hourly - basis. It's mind-boggling that we are so cruel to clap for their forced sacrifice, and yet do nothing to actually help make their lives better.

One segment of our population that's been hit very hard is artists of all kinds. Working artists no longer have much by way of paying audiences to support them. Even those few who make a living at their art formerly are finding it next to impossible to do so now. Some survive using the Patreon model, where people who enjoy the artists' work pay a stipend each month to help support them. Patreon is a website developed specifically to facilitate this, and I encourage readers to browse through Patreon to see just what kind of amazing things people are producing to make us think, lift our spirits, and show us beauty in unexpected places. You can support artists on Patron for as little as $1 per month. I have to believe that...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2020/05/25/how-...

Overcome By Greed

Protests have been in the news - protests by people demanding that the Stay-At-Home orders be lifted. Interestingly, these protests seem sponsored by big money; many of the protesters have been traveling the protest circuit, railing against state governments that don't ally themselves with our Cheetoh Dictator in Washington. Most of these protests have also featured...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2020/05/18/over...