Ted Lasso

It was February. Nothing much was on TV. And I was kind of feeling miserable (female troubles). This is when I stumbled across Ted Lasso. 

I found a couple Twitter threads praising it. And I needed something to watch. So, I tried it...

There are many TV shows that I enjoy. I watch them, I talk about them, and I recommend them. But I wouldn't rewatch them. I will rewatch Ted Lasso. 

It's a simple premise. (If you remember the movie Major League, you've already gotten the idea.) Divorcee gets sports team in divorce. To hurt the ex, she decides to tank the team. 

But, she makes one major mistake. While Ted Lasso knows nothing about soccer, he is an excellent coach. 

The thing about the show, though, is it's very, very nice. Ted Lasso is just a nice guy. Kind. Caring. Basically the antithesis of what you'd expect a pro coach to be. And he plays to the nice even while those around him aren't so nice. 

It's a great show. Now, I know no one has Apple +. This is the show you subscribe for. (Wait until July, though. Season 2 comes out near the end of July.)

Here's the trailer for season 1: 

And I can barely contain myself waiting for season 2: 

A Warning

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements. 😉

I had the strangest thought in the shower the other day, and I thought it would make a good "what if?", so here goes...

What if you could talk to your younger self (and your younger self would believe it was you)? Would you warn them about 2020?

(I decided, while thinking about this, that my answer is no. But I have no idea if I'm in the majority or minority here.)

To Review or Not to Review

For my niece's birthday, I gave her a choice: she could have me make her something, or she could get a gift card, like I did for her brothers. But, of course, she was good with either.

She found a pattern, and I found yarn. 

It didn't take me that long to complete it: 

And it should be on its way to her when you read this. 

The thing is, I really had an issue with the pattern. It... I mean, clearly I made the thing. I could follow it. But, I felt like it had some omissions that made me have to guess a few times as to what the pattern writer intended. 

I might just be being overly critical. I had enough information. And others have made this with no problem, as far as I can tell. 

So, I wonder whether or not I should write a review on Etsy, where I purchased the pattern.

It won't be a glowing review. And as a creative, I don't want to do that to another creator. But, should I warn others about the issues here? 

I don't have to write a review. It's not required. But since I have the headspace (with it being summer and me not working at the moment), I've been tossing this around for a few days. Should I? Or should I just skip it? 

And now I am yet again between projects. Although, I have a couple ideas. We'll see if I get any of them started by next week.

Two Quizzes

It's summer, so that means that Fridays are all about the random quizzes. Although, they're not so random anymore, as I've found a couple of websites that specialize in these sorts of things. (I am looking for more go-to quiz sites, so if you know any, feel free to drop them in the comments.) 

Today I'm giving you two, because some of you have expressed a dislike of one or the other. First up: 

Rhymes with "Ox"

In five minutes, you need to find as many one-syllable words that rhyme with "ox" as you can. There are 42 possible. I only found 29. (Type the words in the box at the top. The quiz will take it immediately if it's a match. If it's not, it'll just sit there. Homonyms count.)

Then, another: 

Kennection #470

For this one, type in the answer to the five questions. (I frequently cheat on these.) If it's right, it'll take it immediately. Then, you have to figure out what the five things have in common. I'll give you a hint for this one: geography.

Good luck. And happy Friday.

How to Make a Bad Impression

Since it's summer, I have no new subbing stories. So, time for the wayback files for #ThrowbackThursday. This one was originally posted on November 21, 2012. I have no memory of this kid or this class, just in case you were wondering how much these incidents bother me.

We had been in class for maybe 10 minutes and I was done with Kenneth. Already, he had been out of his seat and roaming the room three times. He interrupted other students who were answering my questions. And he was twisted around in his seat so he could bother the student behind him.

When Kenneth let it be known (loudly) that I was boring him ("Can I just start now?") I knew it was time for him to go.

(To be fair here, we were reviewing literary terms such as plot, climax, resolution, character, and point of view. They'd gone over these terms before. They made flash cards. But the lesson plan said to review the terms again so they'd be ready for a test on Friday, and they were 8th graders which means that they won't really study on their own.)

"Take your work. Go next door." I even pointed in the direction I wanted him to go.

"Outside?"

"Next door."

45 minutes later, I got a phone call from another sub. Kenneth had just arrived. Also, he slammed into a desk, laughed, and disrupted that class.

Two thoughts occurred:

1. Why was I directed to send students out to a class with a sub?
2. Where had Kenneth been for 45 minutes?  

Not five minutes later Kenneth returned to retrieve his stuff. I asked him where he had been all period.  

"Outside. There is no next door."  

The room we were in was at the end of a building. There was no next door on one side. But on the other, the way I pointed...  

(By the way, I later figured out that the room I sent Kenneth to and the one he went to were not the same. He disrupted the class at the other end of the hall.)  

At this point I tried to collect his assignment (the thing he was supposed to be doing in the other classroom), but he wouldn't give it to me. Because, of course, he had not done it.  

Kenneth was pleased with himself. I could tell. He had put one over on the sub.  

Of course, Kenneth doesn't know me very well. Because as he was playing this game, I was mentally composing my note. (I debated whether or not a referral would have been better, but I figured he would just toss it and go to lunch as lunch was five minutes away.)  

I spent half of the next class period writing all of this down. I got the impression that this teacher is of the strict variety. Yeah, I wouldn't want to be in Kenneth's shoes that next day.  

Mythic Quest

With the end of the school year, the main source of my blog topics has evaporated. So, I'm left with the things that are going on with me, like what I've been watching on TV.

'Round about this time last year, I stumbled into a little show on Apple + called Mythic Quest. Currently, Apple + is dropping new episodes weekly with just a couple episodes left in season 2. 

With a title like Mythic Quest, you might be expecting fantasy characters, swordplay, and a medieval setting. What it actually is is a workplace comedy. Mythic Quest is the name of the MMORPG (video game) that the studio produces. 

There are conflicts between the creative team and the money people. The game's creator seems to think he's a genius, while those around him deal with his crazy. And the various employees interact in the ways you'd expect in this sort of situation.

Apple + is one of those streaming networks that is trying to attract subscribers. While I wouldn't subscribe for this show (I got a free subscription when I upgraded my iPhone), there are a couple other shows (along with this one) that make the subscription worthwhile.

Here's the trailer for season 1: 

And for season 2 (which is way funnier if you're familiar with season 1): 

Have you seen Mythic Quest? Do you subscribe to Apple +? 

The Price

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements. 😉

What if someone had a way to take all your pain away (physically, mentally, and/or spiritually), but it would only work if you lost all of your empathy (caring, feelings, etc.)?