Bryce Moore's Blog, page 204

Obscure Netflix Movie Recommendation: The Quartet

Downton Abbey is done with for the year, but that doesn’t mean you have to be done with Downton. Especially not Maggie Smith, because who would want to be done with her? Denisa and I had a chance to catch The Quartet on streaming the other day, and I was happy to see Netflix’s recommendation engine came through for me once again. It said I would give this film 5/5, and it was pretty spot on–it’s a 9/10 for me.

The film focuses on a retirement home for musicians (because they have a lot of those in England, maybe?) Four once-famous singers end up there together, and old age drama and hi-jinx ensue. It’s not really a drama, and not a straight up comedy either. It falls somewhere in the middle. Will it be perfect for everyone? Probably not. The pacing isn’t perfect, and it’s a tad predictable. (Also, note that it has two f-bombs in it, though both are very easy to mute through. (Hint: each time a character says, “I’m about to say something very rude,” hit mute for two seconds. Problem solved!))

So if it had some issues, why did I like it so much? For a variety of reasons. First off, I really enjoyed the acting and the soundtrack. Some great classical music, and it was  fun to see all these retired musicians getting to live it up a bit. (Outside the stars, the rest of the cast is made up of actual real musicians–very nice!) As for the stars, in movie like this, you can typically either pick great musicians and try to get them to act well, or great actors and try to get them to play or sing somewhat passably. This film went the third route: great actors and have them not try to sing or play at all. It makes for a bit of a different climax, but I think the movie pulled it off.

So if you’re looking for something that’s a shade quirky, music-focused, with great acting and some beautiful scenery, then look no further. (And beside the two swears, it’s pretty squeaky clean to boot.)

Anyone else out there seen it? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Going Sugar-Free: One Week In

As promised, I’m here to report on how the whole “no sugar” thing is working out for me. Mood, health, weight–all that jazz. Not a ton of time today, so I’m just going to launch right in.

It’s been a frustrating week, for a variety of reasons–not all sugar related. I’ve particularly noticed the “no sugar” thing at three general times. First off, every evening–when I’m used to having something sweet while I watch something to wind down. Second, Sunday: I love baking, and that’s usually when I do that. Third, shopping: can we say Easter candy? I went into the store yesterday and was assaulted by Peeps. There was some gnashing of teeth and cursing of goals, but I got over it.

Weight-wise, I’m down 1.8 pounds. Not sure how accurate that is, though. I’m not willing to pay any attention to weight numbers after just one week. It doesn’t help that I found a milkshake substitute that I’ve been munching down on. Seriously. I can’t believe it doesn’t have any sugar in it. Blend together 1/2 C of milk, 1 banana, 1 C of ice, 1/2 T cocoa, 1 and 1/2 T peanut butter. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 T of honey in addition to that, but I’ve been keeping that out. It tastes way too good. Then again, while it doesn’t technically violate my goal rules (it’s getting its sweetness from the banana and the peanut butter), I’m beginning to think it’s going against the spirit of the rule. It feels like cheating. Not sure what I think about it yet.

Mood has been one of perpetual grumpiness. When you have an “I eat sugar when I’m grumpy” habit, and then you cut out the sugar, it’s hard to cut out the grumpy. I’ve been much more short tempered, and that’s a bad thing. I’m hoping it subsides as I get more used to it. So far, that isn’t the case. I think my family’s bearing the brunt of this at the moment. We’ll see what the next week brings.

Health-wise, I’m not sure what sort of an impact it’s been having. Have I been less sleepy in the morning? Perhaps. Do I feel more energetic during the day? Again, perhaps. Nothing so stark that I can tell the difference easily. My boss suggested that once this is done, I should really go to town for one day–go from no sugar to lots of sugar. Maybe I’d see a difference then. It’s a thought. I’ll continue to keep an eye on things and see what it’s looking like.

So . . . not really too much to report. The goal surely must be making me healthier, but it’s definitely affecting my mood. Is the no-sugar Bryce a better Bryce? No idea at the moment. Give me another week, and we’ll check in again.

Downton Abbey 5.9 Review: The Christmasing

It’s been an up and down season for Downton this time around. What started as pretty weak (for Downton standards) really came into its own over the last few episodes. So the question then becomes, how will it finish? With a bang or a whimper? Often the Christmas specials are the best ones (for values of Christmas specials that don’t involve bloody car wrecks at the end of them), so I had high hopes going into this finale.

They were easily met. This was by far the strongest episode of the season, and one of the best of the series. I would love for a fan to make some sort of “director’s cut” of Downton that trims out all the idiocy, leaving us with just the best stuff. (It wouldn’t be that hard for this season. Take out anything having to do with Gillypants, Art Critic, and the Anna/Bates murder trial, and then most of the Mommy Edith subplot, and you’re good to go.)

For this episode, the list of things I didn’t like is much shorter than what I did. In a nutshell, the Anna/Bates storyline is still lame. Even more lame? The fact that it was resolved so lamely. After all this wasted time and effort spent on it, all it took to solve the problem was to have Bates admit he did it, disappear for a few weeks, and then pop back up? Just plain silliness. Waste of time completely.

But other than that, we were good to go from the beginning to the end of this supersized episode:

Thomas got to be evil, and the others were able to show they recognized him for the conniving weasel he is. Of course, when you unleash the Thomas (thinking you can control him) you quickly realize what sort of a demon you’ve let run free. “That escalated quickly . . . “
But it let Rose actually have a moment to shine. Way to step up to the plate, Rose. Better yet, she had support right away from Lord Grantham and Mary. It’s almost like they’re a functional family.
Mrs. Hughes and Carson–Now here’s a couple I can get behind. Lovely finish to that plot, and fantastic to see them both get to be so happy. Is that so hard, Downton? Why can you let them be happy, but you create outlandish excuses for things to keep coming up between Bates and Anna?
Edith even got a chance to be happy, with a nice scene between her and her father. It made some of the Marigold plot worth it. Just some–not all.
Violet and Isobel continue to have some very nice scenes together. Fun to watch their relationship evolve and change. Makes me want to go back and see some season 1 Downton.
Branson is one of the best characters now, hands down. Really don’t want to see him go to America, though word on the street is that next season will be the last of Downton. Might not be a bad idea, really–they can just make it a great season from start to finish instead of trying to hold some things back for later seasons. (Especially since more word on the street is that Violet’s done after next season. Maggie Smith said something to the effect of, “How is my character even alive any more? Isn’t she something like 120 years old at this point?”)
Scummy butler is another example of a character type I don’t really understand on Downton: uppity butlers. I think this is more a case of me not understanding the time period, though. From what I gather, butlers were the upper crust of the lower caste, and so many of them believed they were entitled to being treated specially by the others. (See Carson wondering why Daisy could sit with him at dinner.)
Mary actually met a new man, and she didn’t feel the need to jump into bed with him to take him for a test drive. Better yet, he wasn’t jammed down our throats as a “NEW SUITOR” role. How refreshing.

Really too much great stuff to cover it all. I loved the episode. Thought it was one of Downton’s best. I know many have given up on the show, but the last two episodes this season really exemplify why it’s still worth our time. Fantastic.

Though I’m ready for a Downton break now. We’ll return and revisit Downton when it’s back in January. Thanks for reading!

Police Brutality Against Roma in Slovakia

Some days you hear stories about things in the world, and you’re filled with hope for humanity. Maybe we’re finally getting it. Learning to get along and accept one another.

This isn’t one of those days.

I asked my brother in law yesterday about what would happen if a Roma teen in Slovakia were accused of a crime. How people would treat him. (You can read into the question what you will, as long as it isn’t “book deal for Vodnik sequel.” Because it’s definitely not that, or anything like unto it.) He got back to me fairly quickly after he asked around with some of his connections. (I was wondering specifically if the kid would get arrested right away, or go to trial, etc.)

He sent me a link to this story. Judging by my web analytics, hardly any of you will click through to read that. Let me sum it up for you.

Around five years ago, an elderly woman in Eastern Slovakia was mugged and injured. Police picked up a group of 6 Roma teens (age 10-16) and were convinced they were the perpetrators. In Slovak law, children younger than 14 can’t be prosecuted for a crime. (Note–I’m not a Slovak lawyer. I could be wrong on this, but it’s my understanding at the moment.) So the police knew at least three of these teens weren’t going to be punished, even if they could prove they did the mugging.

So the police decided to get creative and inventive, all on their own. They also decided it would be fun to film their creativity. I don’t believe many stories that start out with this premise end well, and it didn’t end well here, either.

They brought the teens to the police station, sent a police dog at them, intimidated them into beating each other up, forced them to strip naked, and then beat some of them up personally for good measure. Among other things. 9 Slovak police officers (8 men, 1 woman) participated in this. All of them lost their jobs. (That’s something.) This week, all of them were also acquitted of any legal wrongdoing. Why? Because the video the police had shot of the act was the main piece of evidence, and it was thrown out. Deemed inadmissible because of how it had been obtained.

(Another note: comments in Slovak are just as bad–if not worse–than comments in English.)

I suppose this shouldn’t surprise me–not when in America, you still have cases like Ferguson or Eric Garner’s choking going on. But here’s an example where there’s extensive video coverage of the crimes. Faces are visible. The acts are despicable–and still nothing happens. I’d really hoped Vodnik could make more a ripple in Slovakia itself. Every now and then a Slovak blogger will come across it, and it’s been well received when that happens. (Here’s a review that was published a month ago online. It’s a good one, though Google translate doesn’t work too well for it.) But good luck getting a Slovak or Czech publisher to commit to it.

I know people sometimes roll their eyes at me a bit when I start speaking up for Roma rights, but the vast majority of Americans don’t realize Roma even exist. Would the problem be solved if Americans did? I’m not sure what the immediate impact would be, but I know bringing attention to it could help, and America could certainly do that.

Then again, when we can’t even figure out our own problems, what hope do we have of helping to solve other nations’ difficulties?

Sorry. Just a bit down and depressed about this today . . .

Quick Sugar Update

I’m off to Bangor for a library meeting today, so I don’t have much in the way of time. I did want to stop by briefly to give you all a quick update on my new goal to cut sugar out of my diet. I’ve got a couple days down now, and I was really surprised by how difficult it’s been. Even during my dieting days, I still would put sugar on things, and ice cream at the end of the day was always my reward to myself. I’d eat sparingly so that I’d be able to indulge in ice cream.

With this approach, I eat as much as I want–just nothing with sugar in it or on it. And when I was thinking the goal through ahead of time, I thought it would be difficult, but it’s proved more than I anticipated.

Right off the bat, there was a cupcake at work. An innocent, friendly little cupcake. The last one, even. So it was the ugliest one. It had been upside down and gotten smushed, and there it sat, right in front of me at the reference desk for over an hour. Wanting to be eaten. It was giving me the puppy dog look. Eat me, Bryce.

And I didn’t.

Then at home, there they were on top of the fridge: the peanut butter cookies I made earlier this week. My favorite. Waiting to be taken out and eaten, each time I went to get something out of the fridge.

And I didn’t eat them.

Television in the evening wasn’t the same without my ice cream. Some of this is no doubt because I’m focusing on it consciously. But then again, I’ve done the diet routine plenty of times. I know dieting, and this feels different. I read some things online about sugar addiction and sugar withdrawal. I’m not willing to go saying this is on that level, but it does feel unique.

As a Mormon, we have a monthly fast–a day once per month when we’re supposed to go without food or drink. I do it pretty regularly, but this no sugar thing has made me realize something. Going without food is something I do all the time, whether it’s for a diet or because I just forget to eat now and then. Fasting, then, isn’t all that different from what I normally do. Going without sugar? A whole different level.

Today at the library meeting? There’s going to be cookies. Maybe even donuts. Sitting there. Waiting. Through the whole meeting.

Wish me luck.

Hunger Games Catching Fire is Flat Out Bad

Netflix has had Catching Fire available for quite some time, and I dutifully added it to my queue back in the day when it first popped up. But each time I had a choice of what to watch, I found myself skipping over this one to go find something else. Anything else.

But finally I decided the time had come. Time to see the movie and find out if it had anything redeeming in it. Anything that would make me glad I watched it.

Why was I so skeptical? I mean, it’s got a 7.7 on imdb. A 75 on metacritic. It couldn’t be that bad, could it?

Yes. Yes, it could.

My biggest fear was lodged in the way the first movie was adapted. They took the book, and made it into a movie in as literal of an adaptation as they could do. For me, this is a textbook example of why this doesn’t always work out the way you think it will. I watched the movie, and I was just bored. It was the book, and the book was great, so why bother with a movie? I knew everything that was going to happen before it happened. I just ended up getting bored–and I love adaptations.

I loved the original book. The sequels? Not as much. The first book was a fun action packed fight to the death between teens. The second book got away from that a great deal, politicizing it far more than was helpful. The third book went even further down that road. (Spoilers ahead!) To make matters worse, I knew Catching Fire ended with a big cliffhanger. Did I really want to watch an entire movie, knowing all along I would be frustrated by the end?

I should have known better.

Hunger Games does best when it’s in the arena. Kids killing kids. Catching Fire still has some of that, and those are the high points of the movie, but even they aren’t that high. And don’t get me started on Pita Bread and Whatshisbucket. To make matters worse, the adaptation highlights some of the flaws of the books. For instance, there’s this huge capital city population, and they apparently run on coal for energy. And yet they have one itty bitty district in charge of coal. It doesn’t add up. Even worse, the film falls back on the horrid motivation for the bad guys: be evil because evil is awesome. Simply put, I don’t believe so many people in the capital would really be so dense to the suffering of other people. Not because I don’t think humans can do that, but because there’s no reason given for it. There’s no ideology underlying all of their beliefs. Hitler and the Nazis were able to prey upon prejudice and hatred to get an entire people to hate another people. There’s none of that here.

It doesn’t add up.

Sad. The film has some great actors. The content just isn’t up to it. At least now I know for sure I don’t have to bother watching either installment of the adaptation of Mockingjay.

4/10 stars. Blarg.

Giving Up Sugar

Pssst! Do you want to know a secret? Like a secret-secret. One I haven’t even told Denisa yet? Sure you do. But you better read this fast, because I guess it won’t be secret for long.

I’ve decided to give up sugar.

I know what you’re thinking: “Who are you, and what have you done with Bryce?” And I don’t blame you. I’m a sugar addict. As a Mormon, there aren’t a whole lot of socially acceptable vices I can have. Coffee and alcohol–the two most widely spread ones–are right out. So sugary awesomeness is the drug we often turn to. It’s certainly been my go to choice for decades.

And I’m giving it up.

Well, I should qualify that statement a bit. First, some background: I’ve seen several of my friends on Facebook go without sugar for a while. It’s gotten to the point where enough of them have done it that I’ve considered doing the same thing from time to time. My brother in law has gone completely unprocessed, meaning he doesn’t eat anything that’s been processed (baked, smoked, cooked, fried, etc.) at all. All raw. I don’t think I could do that.

But no sugar? That seems like an experiment that’s in the realm of possibility. This morning, I woke up feeling dead tired again. Just exhausted. Fighting to roll out of bed, and wishing my alarm would go away. I’ve been trying to get more sleep, and more often than not I’m successful (somewhat). Many days I get to bed by 10pm these days, and I hate it. Mornings and I don’t get along. But you do what you have to. I was just frustrated because I was getting more sleep, and yet I was still always sleepy.

And this morning, while I was struggling to get out of bed, the thought popped into my head, very clearly: “You should give up sugar.” Really, I haven’t had a thought like that pop into my head since I felt the need to start exercising regularly. I’m a believer in revelation, and trust me–when I get thoughts like “give up sugar” or “start exercising,” you better believe they aren’t coming from me. Exercising regularly has helped me be much less sick. It’s a pain, and I don’t necessarily enjoy it, but I’m converted to the idea that it works, and it’s something I’ve done daily for more than a year now.

So back to this morning. “Give up sugar.” I thought about it as I was getting ready for work, and I was really reluctant to pull the trigger. No ice cream? Brownies? Cake? What about sugar on my oatmeal? What about carbs? Did I have to give up those too? Did honey count? Maple syrup?

Honestly, the very fact that it was so difficult for me to persuade myself I could do this was one of the biggest arguments in favor of me doing it. I don’t like being dependent on anything. Dependent on Butterfingers?

I’m better than that.

So I’m giving up sugar on a trial basis, but I’m doing it my way. That means I’m not doing any of this sugar detox stuff. I’m not giving up anything with sugar in it at all. Fruits are still groovy, as is bread. Juice in moderation. Smoothies would be fine. In other words, just because something has a bit of sugar in it doesn’t mean it’s verboten. No–what I’m shooting for is no added sugar. No desserts. No sugar on my oatmeal (I put raisins on this morning, instead). No baked goodies if they’re primarily a sugar delivery mechanism. No jams or jellies. That kind of no sugar diet.

And yes, it’s a trial basis. Denisa’s birthday is in three weeks. My current plan is to follow this regimen every day until then. Get used to avoiding sugar. At that point, I hope to be able to reintroduce it into my life on a much more limited basis. Ultimately. I think I’d be good with one to two desserts a week, and that’s about it. And just a single serving of those desserts. Nothing American portionized.

In the end, I’d like to be at a place where sugar is an occasional treat. These days, it’s not. I’ll have ice cream every night. Sugar on my oatmeal. Candy during the day. Cookies or brownies in the evening. That’s the stuff I’m trying to get rid of. I’m not going paleo or carb-free. I’m not going on any strange diet plan, though by my guess, this single act will likely trim 500 calories or more each day from my intake, and I’m sure that will be good for me. Still, I’m just trying to put sugar in its place. My hope is that by avoiding this constant stream of extra sugar, my energy levels will be more normalized, and I’ll feel healthier and be healthier.

I have no idea how this will go. I know it will go better if I involve you lovely people. So I’ll be checking in each Wednesday to give you an update. For maintenance, my plan is to include a brief “sugary stuff I ate” update at the end of my Wednesday blogs after the experiment is over. I’ve found that if I have friends checking in on me, I’m much more motivated to make good choices. Accountability is key.

Anyway. There you have it. Wish me luck.

Downton 5.8: The Season Finally Got Good

Well, it took an entire season, but the show finally had a really solid episode. Almost fantastic, really. (I’ll get to you in a minute, Anna and Bates.) I know many people have given up on the show a long time ago, and there have certainly been a few times this season when I’ve envied them. But then something like episode 8 rolls along, with (almost) everything running just as it should, and it makes me glad I muddle through the bad episodes, just so I can see the good ones. When the show is good, it’s as solid as it gets.

Now to work on that thing called “consistency” . . .

So what was so good about this episode? Why did it work when all the others didn’t? Simple. It was Downton without all the padding. It stuck to the basics, and did them well.

Rose’s wedding and the events leading up to it managed to make for an interesting core storyline. You have the conflict coming from characters who aren’t really being caricatures–they’re just being who they are. Rose’s mom has always been horrendous. The bit about her trying to make the fiance look like a louse is a bit far fetched, but whatever. The interactions between Rose’s parents were interesting, the outlook on divorce back then gave some nice historical perspective to the plot. Good stuff. Also, no one died. Yay.
Mary has settled into her role of resident she-devil who we wish could be happy. It’s a much better fit for her than resident floozy. Now to have pig man show back up and get her life back on track. I loved the scene with her and Carson–very nicely done by both actors, and great to see them interact again.
How insane is it that one of my favorite characters now is Branson? Kudos to the actor, for taking a guy I wanted to throttle back in the day and making him sympathetic.
Loved the part at the wedding where the woman came to bash on Rose’s in-laws, only to have Cora remind her that her father was Jewish. Ha!
Thomas vs. Denker was well done. Thomas is a weasel, but we know he’s got a soft spot for men. To have him ride in to save New Guy is consistent, and villains are always more fun when we can root for their shenanigans now and then. Nice to see Denker get taken down a few notches. Even more fun to see Denker and Spratt/Spock/Whatever His Name Is duke it out.
The bit about the memorial was well executed, and tied up that plot line nicely.
Violet and Isobel were great, as always. They’re half the reason the show’s still around, I think.

What didn’t work as well? A few things:

Daisy’s plot felt forced to me, mainly because when you get right down to it, Daisy’s an idiot. She’s a nice idiot, but she’s got all the brain capacity of a sea sponge. So to have her suddenly wake up and realize she’s been living a life full of slave labor . . . I had hard time buying it. A good education will do wonders for a person, but Daisy is . . . special. The plot line was saved by Mrs. Patmore being herself.
A bigger issue is (obviously) the hellacious train wreck of a plot we’ve seen coming since the beginning of the season. Anna and Bates are separated (again) by (another) murder accusation. It’s a good thing they were nowhere near the grassy knoll (physically or temporally), or else guess who would’ve been pinned for the murder. Seriously. This plot is atrocious, and I wish we could take it out back and shoot it to put it out of its misery. Sigh.

What it boils down to is that the creators should realize Downton is a period drama, and it works best when it sticks to that. No need for murder plots or Nazi riots or disfigured heirs or WWII heroics. It’s just characters being characters, interacting with each other in realistic ways that are appropriate for the times they live in. The drama (and comedy) comes about naturally as a result of who they are and the everyday trials they need to overcome.

Now for the Christmas special, where they can have it all fall to pieces again . . .

Oscar 2015 Reactions

Another year, another Oscar pool party. (Note: no actual pools were involved.) I must say, the way I watch the Oscars has evolved over the years. I remember back in the day when I was growing up, when I finally got to be old enough to be allowed to stay up to watch the Oscars. (Of course, I had to take a nap the day of–not a bad idea, in retrospect. I need to go back to doing that . . .) Then there was a golden age of Oscar viewing. I was young, single, and could do just about anything I wanted. Denisa joined the picture, and that didn’t change.

Then, children.

Oscar viewing changes when children are involved, especially if you go over some place to watch it as part of a party. My poor kids were pretty beat by the end of the evening. But this is the Oscars, people. Sacrifices must be made.

And as usual, last night was kind of a mixes bag. The Oscar Pool challenge really went down to the wire, which is probably a testament to how predictable most of the awards were. I tweaked the rules this year, giving more points to the big categories to make them count more. 5 points to best picture, 3 to director, actor, and actress, and 2 to supporting and animated feature. The tweaks worked as intended: it was a real nail biter right up to the very end. (But more on that in a minute, when I announce the grand prize winner of the Oscar hat.)

The show had some real highlights. For once, many of the speeches were actually worth listening to. The Glory number was pretty awesome, and the Everything is Awesome number was gloriously chaotic. Neil Patrick Harris was . . . more of a mixed bag this time. He came across to me like a bit of a jerk in spots, making silly jokes where silly jokes weren’t called for. Time and place for everything, and this year’s Oscars was working best during the stretches that were actually serious, I felt.

Then again, who in the world thought devoting 30 minutes to that stupid briefcase schtick was anywhere in the zip code of a good idea? By the time the “payoff” finally came, you could tell even NPH was trying to rush it along as quickly as he could.

The Sound of Music segment was nice–though because the rest of the show was dragging in spots (and I had kids that needed sleep), I was feeling a bit too anxious to really enjoy it. (Well, that and the fact that I wasn’t sure if I was going to defend the Oscar hat or not. The suspense!) I was horrified to hear Lady Gaga was going to do the tribute to SoM, but then was pleasantly surprised she managed to play it straight. Go figure.

Another highlight of the show for me is tuning in to my agent’s liveblog of the event (scroll to the bottom and read from the bottom to the top, for the full effect). Where else are you going to get great lines like “Never knew you could win an Oscar for boring movies where a good chunk of the run-time is taken up with pictures of nuns eating soup.” (Though this year’s liveblog had very little in the way of vicarious dessert eating experiences, something which was somewhat disappointing.) Not only that, but Joshua typically has seen most of the movies in the running each year, whereas I’ve been able to do nothing more than read about most of them. (That whole “having kids” thing again. Though I’m not too far from the halcyon day when TRC will be able to babysit. Excellent!)

But one way or another 3.5 hours of time was filled, and I was generally entertained. There have certainly been much, much worse Oscars, even if there have been better. I disliked how little they showed us of the actual films–even when they were announcing nominations, they just had pictures or stylized representations of the movies in question–as opposed to small snippets running. Bring back the snippets. They give at least a vague representation of the movie.

And then there’s the pool. It had been a nail biter of an evening. I’d managed to carve out a slim one point lead with the big awards still to come. If Boyhood and Michael Keaton won their categories, I was home free. And then . . . Keaton loses to the guy playing Stephen Hawking, and Birdman crushes Boyhood’s hopes.

My chance for a threepeat disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Still, many hearty congratulations to the winner, Betsey Hyde, who should be commended not only on her Oscar picking skills, but her willingness to let her picture in the Oscar hat be posted on my blog. I’ll win it back next year–just you wait!!!

Want to Be My Patron?

Yesterday in my wanderings across the internets, I came across this site called Patreon. The concept is simple. Remember back in the good old Renaissance days, when artists had patrons who would support them, allowing the artists to do cool things like paint church ceilings or be William Shakespeare? Yeah. Those were some pretty good days, from an artist’s perspective. Well, minus the constant threat of death to disease, and the criminal lack of video games.

But yay for patrons!

Patreon wants to bring that back. The patrons, not the constant threat of death to disease. So people can sign up to support artists on a monthly basis. I’ll admit to being intrigued by the concept. Here’s a video that sums it up:

I’ve been writing this blog for free since 2007. I’m not going to stop writing it for free, but at the same time, I thought there might be some of you out there who’d be interested in being a patron of mine. If not, no harm, no foul. We can still be friends. But there’s some other cool things I’ve thought about doing online that I’ve never really explored, and this seemed like an opportunity to see if they might pan out.

Specifically, I’d love love love to start a sort of blogging writing group. I’ve been wanting to publish ICHABOD on my lonesome for quite some time, and I’d really like to get some feedback from my fans before I do that. So I set up the patreon page with that in mind. Join at $1/month, and you get a big fat virtual kiss from me. On the cheek though. Because cooties. More importantly, you get access to all the ICHABOD posts as they go up there, week by week. Read them over, offer comments and suggestions. My hope is that I could get a real conversation going about the book.

If you’d like to be a bit bigger of a patron, I’ve set up a $3/month option too. You can read about it over there.

I honestly have no idea if this is of interest to anyone, but I thought it was worth a shot. Denisa helpfully reminded me to start small, and then expand if the interest proves to be there. So that’s what I’m doing. If I get to the point where I have $20/month coming in from this or more, then I’ll start expanding the program some.

Anyway. That’s what I’ve got for you today. I’d love to hear some feedback. Let me know what you think.