My predictions on SPN S6, unspoiled

This will be somewhat incoherent because I doubt I'll edit it. Spoilers up to episode 7.

Crowley: I think he has some angelic assistance. I don't believe he could, even as king of Hell, pull Samuel's soul from Heaven. I question whether he can get into Lucifer's cage. My thought is he knew the plan to box up Lucifer, he told Bobby he saw Sam's swan (hee) dive into the cage, and he had a plan ready for the occasion. He was able to pull Sam out at the last minute and still have Lucifer (and Michael?) fall in. But I hope he pulled all of Sam out and just stashed the soul part somewhere because I'm not sure I believe he could get into the cage once it was locked, so if Sam's soul is in there, I'm not sure Crowley can retrieve it for him.

Mothers: I think it's all about the girls this time and all the alpha male, our father, etc., par for the SPN course stuff is, this year, a red herring. The alpha vamp said: We all have our mothers. The only reason I can think for Samuel to make a deal with Crowley would be for his wife or daughter, and Deanna has never been a big part of the show. I think Mary is supposedly in Purgatory. Crowley is clever. He could threaten Samuel's descendants with something, he could find some other leverage (hee), but how much better to make Samuel want to find what Crowley wants him to find. If he's convinced his daughter is stuck in Purgatory with the freak souls, he would agree to find Purgatory for Crowley.

Why Mary would be there, if she is, is a mystery to me. Obviously Crowley couldn't put her there if he doesn't know how to get to it, so somebody else did. Maybe Zachariah when he was messing with the boys, but why he wouldn't mention it. And do the angels know where it is? Doubtful.

However...My earlier crackpot theory had to do with Kali, who was pissed about the Western Judeo-Christian apocalypse and getting beat down by Lucifer, coming back in the confusion that happened when the apocalypse fizzled out to gain some power on the continent and bring the pagans back into ascendancy. She could be bringing in the monsters from Greece and Japan that aren't usually in the states. She could have a plan or just be stirring up trouble.

But also, with the whole Mother idea, the feminine powers coming back into play after the male Christian/Jewish/Muslim god and his male archangels and mostly male (vessel-wise anyway) angels, Kali might fit in. What if the mother of the alphas is Gaia? The new showrunner is a woman, so meta-wise it would even fit if the mother goddess came back into play this year.

Anyway, like I said, incoherent, but I think it would be awesome for the pagans, for the feminine, to have a shot at ruling the SPN verse this year. You do not want to piss off the mother goddess!

ETA: Also, if in this 'verse Purgatory is for the so-called freak souls, could it also be for the pagan souls? That might keep Kali or Gaia in the game as far as that arc of Crowley trying to take it over.

Connie Willis at Powell's on 10/27 - A Brief Description

Connie Willis was an awesome speaker, very charismatic, humorous, and charming. She didn't read from the books Blackout and All Clear so as not to spoil them for those who haven't finished them yet. I'm about a third of the way thru All Clear and hoping for some of the strings to start being pulled together so I can see what it's really about.

She did talk a bit about what it was about thematically, which was the importance/heroism of ordinary people and small acts, which is a common theme for her work, so I'm excited to see how it all pulls together.

She gushed about Primeval for a bit, specifically one of the actors, Andrew Lee Potts, calling him the most adorable thing ever, which was fun. She also talked generally in her introduction about spoilers, Brett Favre and what not to do online, etc.

Then she told us some stories from her research that she didn't get to put in the book. Signs from department stores, a burlesque theater with an all-nude review (who, because of laws of the time, could only stand perfectly still on stage; it was illegal to be naked on stage and move around) that stayed open all thru the Blitz. She talked about how theatres closed but then reopened and people would stay thru the raids for the performance. Also, they couldn't leave the theatre until the raid was over, so the actors ended up performing after the show thru the night, doing skits and old vaudeville to keep the audience entertained.

She talked about chaos theory and told a story about Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, who was sent to school by his father's employer after his father, a ground's keeper, saved the life of the man's son who might have drowned. Penicillin saved thousands in the war, including a man responsible for a sabotage mission against the Nazis who was captured when his mission failed. He was shown on tv by Nazi propagandists, being taken away and giving the V for victory sign.

A woman he knew from Holland sent him a Red Cross package when he was in the prison camp. He returned the favor after the war, sending her a care package when she was starving in Holland, providing cigarettes she sold on the black market to buy penicillin that saved her daughter, Audrey Hepburn.

Penicillin also ended up saving the son of the man who sent its inventor to school to become a doctor, Winston Churchill. So very cool story about little acts having big effects.

That's something she talks about a lot and I have a feeling it will be at the heart of these last two books too, so really looking forward to it.

She talked a little more about that and the Blitz and 9-11 and stories of ordinary people's heroism, which made me think of the psychologist in Passage who often reflected on that in light of great disasters like the sinking of the Titanic and the Circus Fire, etc. I think there might be a lot of Willis in that character in regards to her thoughts on that and her obsessions with people's last words, etc.

Whatever

Mind is restless lately. Not sure if it's for external or internal reasons. Feel fine, just like I want to be doing something interesting and I'm not sure what it is. I prefer this feeling to the alternative down, low energy, can't seem to even want to try anything feeling I occasionally get, but would like to find a direction in which to aim it.

Probably means I should be trying to write something, create something, and that too often goes nowhere beyond the thought of it. But never say never, right?

I think most of my thoughts are probably too personal to put down here where anyone can see them. Why I think that, when no one much is paying attention, is mildly amusing. I do think about trying to write a blog sometime that has focus, direction, and possibly might interest others to read, but have yet to come up with something I will actually commit to because it combines interest with ideas with resolve. Apparently that combination is difficult for me. Along with things like follow-through, willpower...

Now I am getting depressed. Stupid Dark Observer and its stupid, negative commentary. Begone, Foul Beastie!

Okay, now just going into weird stream of consciousness that is unappealing when uncrafted. Blah blah blahcakes blah.

My most sincere apologies...

Inside Joss' Dollhouse

The Smart Pop anthology on Dollhouse is coming out October 12th. I'm very excited to have an essay in it. I also have an advance copy I've been devouring, and it contains a lot of really interesting, well-written ideas. I'd buy it even if I weren't in it. :)

http://www.smartpopbooks.com/book/inside-joss-dollhouse

Check it out.

Bus ride - rare moment of contentment

Almost in writing mood. Not useful for being soon on the clock. And not having paper. On bus, having a closing shift to look forward to. Summer flying by but feeling decent. Have made some conclusions that can't really lead to anything concrete in reality but seem important. Still no good ideas on career stuff, but circling. Eventually will spiral in to an answer. See? Feeling good, not stressing. Retail summer good for me. Out of rut, more active, less conflicted. All leads to happier if less introspective me. I suspect those things are connected. But sometimes you have to stop recycling the same thoughts for a while, leave room for something new to show up. I appreciate the break. Also feel healthier with more energy which has to help. Increased work interaction also making me more socially inclined. Just a good time. Maybe that's why I need to write it down, for something to look back at and remember when down times return. Usually my journaling so depressing. Good to remember I can be content.

Good News!

I entered the Smart Pop Dollhouse fan essay contest and I won one of the spots in the anthology!!

Now I feel less pathetic about not following through on my efforts to recap the series. At least I wrote my essay, turned it in, and won a prize. And it was read by Jane Espenson! How cool is that?

I still can't believe it's happening, that I'm actually getting something published and in such an awesome venue. And I can't wait to read the other entries. It's going to be so fun!

http://tiny.cc/9vhst

Eudaimonia.