I’ve had no energy the last few days. I’ve not left the apartment, though I should try to do so today, if for no other reason than I need some pita bread for the lettuce and hummus that I have. Thrilling, isn’t it?
While indoors, I’ve read quite a bit more of “Magic’s Promise”. This was my least favorite installment of The Last Herald-Mage Trilogy when I was a kid, but it’s grown on me a bit more as I’ve aged. I had been re-reading these books so I’d be ready for the new volume that is set between “Magic’s Promise” & “Magic’s Price”, but the new book, “Vanyel and Vixen”, has been pushed back from November 2026 to August 2027. Ugh. Something similar happened a year or two ago when I started rereading the Wicked Years – as the author released 2 more books (“Elphie” & “Galinda”) in the series, leaving me far less excited to continue on. Oh well. I’ll likely finish this one at least.
Yesterday I watched a queer film I’d never seen before, which I posted a short review for. I also wrote a poem about a dream, right after I woke from it. I don’t even remember writing it, but there it is. Perhaps I’m losing my memory altogether? Perhaps.
I might watch another queer film today. I don’t know. The finale for “VisionQuest” will be released tonight at 9pm. Looking forward to it.
Today’s journal entry song quote is from “Genghis Khan” by Swedish indie pop band Miike Snow from their 2016 third studio album, “iii”. Musically, “Genghis Khan” is an electropop song with funk and R&B influences and lyrics which see the protagonist likening his jealousy to the behavior of the Mongolian emperor.
On Thursday, July 9, I got out for another walk. I ended up at Starbucks again, with another unsweetened black iced tea. I think this will be my new drink for awhile. It has zero sugar, an improvement on my signature drink order, which is nice, but also reminds me of my mom. Oh. And I got a chocolate chip cookie, which was delicious.
I stayed up late. I got some work done. And I finally watched Scream 7, which wasn’t horrible, but also wasn’t one of the better entries, IMO. It successfully brings Neve Campbell’s Sydney back into the mix with a creative way to bring back deceased characters with lots of fun callbacks to previous entries, but it also felt a bit empty. Also, one of the issues I tend to have with these movies are the motives of the assorted Ghostface killers, which vary from inventive and creepy, to ridiculous and pointless, with the new entry leaning more into the latter camp. My ranking of the films is as follows, best to worst:
I mostly like Scream 3 more than 4, but it features a plot hole that annoys me to this day. I also think of Scream 5 & 6 as being basically equal, but again, I like the killers in Scream 5 more than 6 – and 5 feels like the most balanced of the films IMO. I wouldn’t say that any of them are horrible, but the bottom 3 are markedly less enjoyable for me than the top 4.
Additionally, Scream 4 filmed in Ann Arbor, Michigan when I lived there. And Scream 5 moves events to New York, after I moved there. So, it kinda feels like the movies are stalking me. lol
Today I watched another episode of TNG with Aaron: S03E09 “The Vengeance Factor”, which features Lisa Wilcox in a guest role. She played the main protagonist, Alice, in Nightmare on Elm Street 4 & 5; I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in anything else. Of course Wes Craven was the creative force behind original Nightmare on Elm Street, and he also directed Scream 1-4. Wacky.
I also got out for another short walk. I got some more Starbucks. And I’ve eaten well today too. I had my now usual pita with lettuce and hummus and Italian salad dressing, plus the unsweetened black iced tea, and also had 2 cherry smoothies. It feels like I’m kicking ass with the getting outside more and the improved eating habits.
And I had sex. 🙂
I gave up on the dark romantic fiction for now. I wanted a change. A few years ago I was re-reading the Wicked Years, with the goal of reading the follow-up trilogy, which I’d never read before, but as I was re-reading “Out of Oz”, it was announced that the author would be releasing 2 more tie-in books, set during “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West”, which sort of took the wind out of my sails. The first of these volumes is mine now, and the latter will be out in september. But I started reading “Elphie: A Wicked Childhood” last night, and so far I’m enjoying it.
Today’s journal entry title song quote is from “I’m Not That Girl” from the Wicked Soundtrack. I prefer the film soundtrack to the stage musical. Oddly, I was barely able to tolerate the stage musical and its soundtrack, but I loved the film and its soundtrack, which was as much a surprise to me as it was to anyone else who knows me. I didn’t love the second film, but I also felt it was a huge improvement on the second act of the stage musical.
