I need a vacation.

Oh, that's right, I'll be on vacation on Wednesday!

But, no worries, I'm sure I'll need a vacation from my vacation when it's over. I always do because I don't know how to relax while on vacation. I'm too busy doing stuff.

Which is fine, because there's nothing I'd rather do in my off-time than doing something I'm not normally doing.

Surprisingly, I'm totally ready for my impending vacation. My suitcase is packed, everything is reserved, and all my various stuff I need is in order. My gas tank is even filled.

What I haven't done is purged my refrigerator and cleaned my home. Two tasks which are kinda important if you don't want to come home to a mess. Not that I have much of a choice, because I have two cats that will be doing their best to trash the place. They always do.

I guess the least I could do is vacuum.

My worry about flying this time of year should be that there will be snow on the mountain passes making travel difficult and potentially causing me to miss my flight.

What actually worries me is that I'm going to catch COVID, the bubonic plague, or some other infectious disease when crammed in a metal tube flying across the country. Because wayyyyy too many people do not give a fuck about preventing diseases or caring for others in society.

I wonder how many people on this flight are going to be infectious with measles, since that's what's going on here now, thanks to the anti-vax movement?

"Surviving vacation" is something which has an entirely new meaning in 2025.

Thanks to the politics of our 27th state, traveling to Florida is something that gives me pause. The bigotry that's been pressed into policy is pretty disgusting, and has resulted in hate crimes exploding. It's so bad that actual travel advisories have been issued.

Though I'm in Walt Disney World, which is kind of a bubble unto its own, and makes any politics feel a world away.

Hey, weren't you in Disney World just a year ago? you might be asking?

Yes. Which you might remember from the two weeks of blog posts I dumped on Blogography (starting here).

Except I'm not here for Disney World, that's just something to do before the reason I'm here.

Tonight was spent at Magic Kingdom because it's time once again for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. An overtly shameless cash-grab by Disney. It's an after-hours event which has special food, merch, parades, characters, and other stuff... along with free hot cocoa and cookies. And magical projections on the castle as a Christmas stage show plays below...

Plus fireworks, of course...

Disney also advertises that you get to enjoy the attractions with shorter lines, but they oversell the event so badly that it's hardly the case. Lines were actually shorter during the day.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is a separately-ticketed event which doesn't require a regular park ticket. If you pay to do it, then you get to enter the park at 4:00 and everybody who doesn't pay to do it has to leave by 6:00. As you might imagine, those two hours of overlap is crowded and crazy. Once the park can be reasonably sure that all the regular ticket riff-raff is gone, they start unleashing all the Christmas specialty stuff around 7:00 and keep it going until midnight.

I've never really found any of the after-hours events to be worth it. But I end up going to many of them anyway for something to do when I was working in Orlando. Plus the specialty foods are interesting. And my mom loved it, so I brought her along when I was there while the Christmas party was going...

If nothing else, you get to see Space Mountain lit up in Christmas colors...

And now I'm cold and dead tired and need to get to bed.

I've attempted to "drink around the world" on two occasions.

For those not in the know as to what that means, it's a Disney challenge where you have an alcoholic beverage from every pavillion in Epcot's World Showcase. There's 11 countries represented, which means 11 drinks. This wouldn't be a terrible challenge for me if I started drinking when they start serving alcohol around 11:00am, but I didn't get off work until 3:30 or 4:00 at the earliest, which means I only get around 5-6 hours to do it. Fortunately, the drinks are mostly weak because Disney doesn't want people getting plowed in their park, but it's still a chunk of alcohol in a relatively short time.

The first time I tried I started in Mexico and went clockwise. I stopped at United Kingdom because I couldn't stomach one more drink. The second time I went counter-clockwise thinking it would be easier to finish on a margarita in Mexico, but was again one drink short.

This time I didn't want to fail, so I started early and split some of my drinks. Which I think still counts, doesn't it? Here's how it went...

• Canada - Ottawa Apple, a delicious blend of Crown Royal, Apple Liqueur, and Cranberry Juice. My first drink which was the best drink of the day.
• United Kingdom - Cider and Fireball with Strongbow Cider, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, and Ginger Ale. Wisely, I split this one because double whiskey so early would have got me off to a poor start. Would have been better with an additional shot of Fireball.
• France - Dom Pérignon. I found Dom to be overrated and absurdly expensive after trying it decades ago. Wanting to know if it was just my tastebuds being immature, I decided to try it again. Nope. I was right. Still tasty for a champagne though.
• BONUS DRINK: The Garden Grill - Citrus Freeze a tasty blend of Orlando Orange Vodka, Peach Schnapps, and Mango Purée. This restaurant for lunch was how to get tickets for the Candlelight Processional.
• BONUS DRINK: Space 220 - Space Age Mule with Wheatley Vodka, Key Lime Pie Liqueur, Lime Juice, and Ginger Beer.
• Norway - Viking Coffee which has Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur and Kamora Coffee Liqueur mixed with Coffee. Since I hate coffee I split this one.
• China - Kung Fu Punch with Vodka, Triple Sec, Mango and Orange Juice. Thanks to the extra drinks I had, it was time to split this one too.
• Italy - Limoncello Mule includes Wild Sardinia vodka, Limoncello, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Peach Purée, Lime Juice and Ginger Beer. I split it... might not have if it didn't have ginger beer in the mix.
• Morocco - Blood Orange Mimosa made with Sparkling Wine and Blood Orange Juice. If I wasn't so full from all the drinking, I would have dove into the pastries which were offered to go with it.
• Mexico - Avocado Margarita which has Avocado, Tequila, Melon Liqueur, Grand Marnier, Lime Juice, and Agave. This was drank with dinner, so I had a whole one.
• Japan - Japanese Punch with Shōchū, Plum Wine, White Cranberry Juice, and Lemon Juice. Split because it was getting late.
• Germany - Beer. I split it, but not really. I only had a few swallows because the last thing I wanted was beer mixed with all the cocktails I've been drinking... but the Jäegermeister machine wasn't working so it was the only thing available in all of Germany.
• USA - Bud Light. After the Candlelight Processional with guest narrator Ashley Eckstein (the voice of Asohka in the cartoons!), it was time to tackle the most American drink in existence... Bud Light. Again, I didn't want to have beer, so I only had a few swallows, but it was enough to finish the challenge at long last.

As I mentioned, the first drink of the day, The Ottawa Apple, was a clear winner. Refreshingly delicious...

And here's Ashley at the CandleLight Processional...

The last thing of the evening was to use a Lightning Lane for the Living with the Land holiday overlay called "Glimmering Greenhouses" (there was no way I was standing in line for 90 minutes to do this)...

So... yeah... best to begin the minute they start serving alcohol, get mixed drinks so you're not flooded with beer bloat, pace yourself with food, and drink some water along the way. Probably also best to drink around the world in the winter when you're not having to get toasted while in the middle of heat stroke and humidity.

Another Disney night, another Disney party.

This time the extra hours event called "Jollywood Nights" at Disney Hollywood Studios park. It's the more mature alternative to "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party" that I was at on Thursday. It's more show-oriented than anything else, but there's things for everybody to do. At least I hope so given that the event lasts until 1:30am...

It was cold, rainy, and I left before it shut down at 1:30am, as did most people. But not before wandering around the parking lot near-empty conditions to look around without crowds, especially Star Wars Land...

And thus ends another night at The Most Magical Place on Earth.

Today was built around going to Magic Kingdom so I could visit the brand new Beak & Barrell Tavern, Disney's newest way to print money.

It's near The Pirates of The Caribbean attraction, and beautifully pirate-themed and jam-packed with cool stuff from top to bottom, and there's hidden surprises throughout...

Before I even made the reservation (which is very difficult for West Coasters since they start taking them at 4am Pacific Time and are gone immediately), I knew I wanted to try the Cook’s Corn Griddle Cakes with Roasted Corn and Poblano Peppers. I had heard they were excellent (and they live up to the hype).

But here's the thing... though there is seating available, there's also standing tables. Which makes eating more of a challenge than it should be. Especially when they stand you half-way between the accessible dip in the table and the tall table top, meaning you have to eat on a small corner away from your plate...

Now, I get it... they have to pack in as many people as possible, so they can't have sit-down tables for everybody (and I am very glad that they have an accessible spot for somebody in a wheelchair), but they should really prioritize seating for people who are there to eat. Otherwise, they shouldn't bother serving food at all.

I did get a very cool souvenir mug with my $46 Plunderer’s Punch though (a tempting blend of The Kraken Black Spiced Rum, Blackberry, Lime, and Vanilla)...

Unfortunately, this was another day of rain. But this time it was a torrential flood, as faithfully indicated by Carrot Weather...

Hopping over to Epcot resulted in canceled Lightning Lanes all over the place due to ride closures, so calling it an early day only made sense.

And there you go. A cool experience with fantastic drinks and very, very good corn cakes. The Beak and Barrel is worth a visit, assuming you can manage to get a reservation.

Today's the day! The real reason I'm here in Florida!

But not so fast, because it was essential to start the day with Tonga Toast at Disney's Polynesian Resort.

It's sublimely delicious... made with a thick piece of Sourdough French Toast which has been filled with sliced bananas then covered in sugar and cinnamon...

Then it was time for a Very Merrytime Cruise aboard the Disney Wish!

Some background...

I have cruised with Disney three times before... twice with my mom because she loved cruises. But they were their original two ships, The Magic and The Wonder, which are much smaller than The Wish. And less crowded. This is my second Christmas cruise, which Disney does very well...

Fast-forwarding to the most exciting thing on this first day, I happened across some paintings which I thought were by one of my favorite contemporary artists, Kehinde Wiley (probably most famous to many as the artist behind President Obama's portrait)...

But they were not. The biggest clue being that they were relatively small, and Wiley paintings are mostly quite large. And the cool patterns that Wiley adds to his works were absent. But even so, it was thrilling for a second to think that I got to see Kehinde Wiley's works by accident instead of flying to an exhibition somewhere!

More excitement was to be had at my first night of rotational dining at the Worlds of Marvel restaurant, featuring Ant-Man and The Wasp...

Like most of the Disney restaurants, there's cool stuff going on while you eat. In this case there's a "demonstration" of the technology playing on the screens which goes very, very wrong... and requires some help of other Marvel heroes to resolve.

Interesting that the "towel sculpture" on Disney cruises is not with towels any more, it's with the cover that goes along the foot of the bed. Tonight it was a turtle...

And tommorrow it's land-ho.

Welcome to landfall!

This morning the ship docked at Disney's Castaway Cay, their private island which has all kinds of activities scattered about.

It's well-themed with Disney touches, which is the entire reason for going, I suppose...

Looking back at the ship, you can see that it was overcast the entire day, but never rained...

Before dinner it was time for a visit to Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge for drinks. Honestly, I thought it was going to be very tough to get in, but it actually wasn't. No wait at all. And only a short wait other times I popped in to see what's going on...

The interior feels very Star Wars, and that gives it a leg-up on the very similar Epcot lounge/restaurant, Space 220, which was nice enough but a bit of a letdown. The bar has a large "window" behind it which alternates between various planets, ships, and the like...

The big deal about the place is their bubble gun, which is used on some of the drinks they offer...

The rotational dining restaurant tonight was "Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure" which features a live show built around the engagement of Anna and Kristof, but Elsa was there too...

As was Olaf, who is hilariously dragged around the restaurant on a serving cart along with shopkeeper Oaken. The robot snowman is slyly controlled by the cart-pusher who twists various knobs concealed as a pepper grinder and such...

And tonight's bed sculpture is a penguin...

At least I think that's what it is? Maybe a penguin in a blanket?

Today's port adventure was Disney's second private playground, Lighthouse Cay. I'm guessing they had to build a second one because they are adding a bunch of new ships to their fleet, and didn't have enough days available at Castaway Cay to service them all. Our cruise director told us that this Very Merrytime Christmas Cruise was rare because it stops at both places. Since I'd only ever been to Castaway, I was interested in seeing what Disney had going on at the new port adventure.

What's different about Lighthouse Cay is that there's a long, long walk from the ship to the shore...

They did this to protect the coral and wildlife in the area.

Then once you get to shore, you're immediately greeted by luxury cabanas available to people who want to pay hundreds of dollars to have their own private retreat and beach. For everybody else, you take a tram to the other side of the island.

The design of Lighthouse Cay is very much Caribbean-inspired with bright colors and festive art everywhere...

The weather was very much improved from previous days, which made for a nice time to have drinks on the adults-only beach...

After lunch I realized I had forgot my sunscreen and was getting pretty red. So it was time to head back to the ship...

One thing I had never done at sea was a waterslide, and The Wish has an "AquaMouse" that went around the ship's upper decks. Not as cleverly named as the "AquaDuck" that's on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, but it was still pretty clever, with a story you watch as you climb up the tube for the slide down...

Unfortunately they don't allow cameras in the tube, so I wasn't able to video the experience. Instead I went to the adults-only upper deck and grabbed a drink from the Cove Bar so I could air-dry...

Dinner was at Arendelle again, but there wasn't any performances because it was Pirate Night. There also wasn't a show in the theater for some reason (the first day was some kind of Goofy stage show, the second was a weird re-telling of The Little Mermaid stage show which made no sense, and tomorrow is an adaptation of Aladdin). Instead it was movie-time, where everybody could watch Zootopia 2 which is just as entertaining as the first one. I'm fairly certain that this will be another billion-dollar blockbuster for Disney.

After the movie, the ship was eerily lacking in people. I guess most people have kids and are off to bed with them...

Tonights towel sculpture is an octopus? I think?

It's gotta be some kind of sea creature. Or maybe it's the head of one of the cursed pirates from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Anyway... tomorrow is a day at sea as we head back to Florida.

When I was going on cruises all the time with my mom, I always picked the itineraries with the least amount of "sea days" because I much preferred to be doing cool stuff at the ports around the world instead of hanging around on a big boat all day with =shudder= loads of people.

But sea days are unavoidable, mostly, because port landings are an expensive ordeal for the cruise line. And Disney is no different (even though they owned the two ports this Very Merrytime Christmas cruise landed at). Ideally, you wouldn't have a sea day the last day of the cruise, but here we are.

My plan for the day was to relax and eat, since that was all that's really available that I wanted to do. I must say, I did a pretty good job of meeting my goals. Except I did have one moment of stress when I noticed that the garbage hole and the tea caddy didn't line up. Why wouldn't they split the difference and line them up?

It very nearly made me want to jump overboard, but it wouldn't have worked because the worst that would happen if I leapt from my cabin's veranda was that I'd break a leg...

I did do two things today, however. First of all, I packed my suitcase so it could be picked up and delivered to the cruise terminal (so I wouldn't be dragging it around at breakfast). And second of all, I watched the final live theater show, and adaptation of Aladdin (which was the best show of the cruise, in my humble opinion).

Other than that? Eat and drink mostly...

Disney has my favorite food than any other cruise line because it's geared for families with kids... and I eat like a kid. The Disney Wish has a "Mickey & Friends Festival of Foods" with various staple food stalls like Goofy's Grill for hamburgers and hotdogs, Donald's Cantina for tacos and burritos, Mickey’s Smokestack Barbecue for barbecue, Daisy’s Pizza Pies for pizza, and Sweet Minnie’s Ice Cream for soft serve bowls and cones. All of it great and all of it offering vegetarian options (the grill has vegetarian hamburgers and hotdogs, which was a pleasant surprise!).

The worst part of an all-inclusive cruise like this with unlimited food is that there's an insane amount of food waste. Because it's all included, people will order massive amounts of food, then just pick around all of it and leave the remainder to be cleaned off and thrown away. Incredibly wasteful. Happens at dinner too. People will order multiple entrees to "try them" but not actually eat them all. Drives me crazy.

Dinner in tonight's rotational dining was at 1923, which is the fanciest of the onboard restaurants on The Wish. I asked if I could have a kid's menu so I can frame it because it features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, one of my most favorite Disney characters...

I had a great meal and even greater dessert...

The towel sculpture creature on my bed tonight was... a crab?? I'm guessing...

And there you have it, my final night onboard. It all blew by way too quickly. Now I'd better get what little sleep I can manage.

Breakfast on the ship for my group was 6:45. Fortunately I didn't stay up late, so it wasn't a big deal. My suitcase was packed yesterday, so I pretty much just had my small backpack and a bag of souvenir mugs I bought.

And then there was disembarking the ship.

In all the many years of cruising with my mom, I have never experiences a total cluster-fuck like I did this morning on the Disney Wish. It was mind-boggling how there was no organization... no direction... and no crew members knowing what the heck to do. Somebody mentioned that they usually don't experience such a large number of people getting off the ship at the same time and didn't anticipate the mess we were in. And I'm like "shouldn't you though?"

Eventually disembarkation was acheived and I was ready to... GO BACK TO WALT DISNEY WORLD!

Just for a day. Because I never want to risk flying in or out on the same day I'm embarking or disembarking a cruise.

And here's where I am going to rant on Disney a bit.

As I mentioned, I bought some souvenir mugs at some of the Disney restaurants I ate at (including that very cool mug for my $46 drink at Beak and Barrel!). I thought it would be no big deal to go to the gift shop of my hotel, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, and have them mail the mugs home.

I was told "no."

But why?

Because the mugs were in a food environment.

But no food was ever in them! No drink was ever in them! They give you a freshly-boxed mug that's never been anywhere near food!

Doesn't matter. Open food was in the vicinity, and we can't insure products that come from a place that serves food.

Good Lord what a stupid fucking rule.

This meant I had to take an Über to a UPS Pack-and-Ship in order to send my mugs home (which is cheaper than purchasing an extra suitcase and checking one of my bags). And so... I cushioned the mug boxes the best I could with dirty clothes, handed it over to the UPS employee, and hoped for the best. Guess I'll know if my pricey souvenirs arrive in one piece in a week.

From there I Übered back to my hotel in order to ride the Skyliner to Epcot.

And here's where I am going to praise Disney a bit.

I mentioned to a cast member at guest services how we were rained out the last time it was an Epcot day, and all our Lightning Lanes were canceled. The cast member said "No problem!" then looked up the tickets and gave all three of them back! This was completely unexpected. And a nice surprise.

The only ride where I was standing in a long line was Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, but it's worth it because it's the best ride that Disney has. Something Epcot desperately needs, because the number of great rides there is pretty small. I'll save my attraction thoughts for Bullet Sunday.

But anyway... in-between rides it was mostly time to wander through the shops of World showcase where, oddly enough, I didn't actually end up buying anything. I was sorely tempted by the Sanrio potato chips at the Japan Pavillion...

They had Guedetama chips, which are salted egg yolk flavor (Gudetama being a very popular Sanrio character because he's just a tired egg yolk who is apathetic about the world around him)...

There was also Aggretsuko chips, which are pink salt flavor (Aggretsuko is a combination of "Aggressive Retsuko," another popular Sanrio character which is a red panda that has a normal life... except she can explode with rage when stressed out about the world around her, which is often)...

I swear that I was totally wanting to go all Aggretsuko when Disney wouldn't ship the mugs that they sold me!

Dinner was at the Nine Dragons restaurant in the China Pavillion. It was good food, as expected. What was not expected was the horrific mess that a table near ours left. These photos were taken as the table was being cleaned and don't even show the disaster it was before they started trying to clean up...

Yes, they had some kids at the table... but my God... I would have been mortified to leave such a mess! If this is how your kids eat, maybe feed them directly instead of giving them access to food? Or, at the very least, attempt to clean up the mess you made so that the workers don't have to deal with all this. I hope they tipped an extra $100.

And then it was time to ride the Skyliner back to the hotel. At which time fireworks were going off out the window...

What a lucky break! Quite a nice end to the night, actually.

And now it's time to say good bye to all things Disney, as I have to be up at 4:30am so I can get to the airport in time for my 7:00am flight back home.

PLEASE TO EXPLAIN CAT!

Jake and Jenny always know when I'm leaving on a trip. They sense it somehow, I guess.

My travel plans for my recent trip were delayed, so I decided to clean the Litter-Robots before I left to Florida instead of having everything be frozen outside when I got back. I finished hosing out the downstairs robot first, then tackled the upstairs robot. AND WHILE I WAS SCRUBBING IT OUT ON THE FRONT LAWN, Jenny decided to USE THE KITTY LITTER BUCKET as the toilet...

NO idea how she fit into it. No clue. But litter was pitched out from her trying to cover it, so she took the job seriously.

Then I left for my trip.

And while I was gone, I was checking in on Jake and Jenny the whole time via my security cameras. It was wild. But the most wild was this... before I left I put a protective blanket over the dining room table. I've started doing this more and more even when I am home because it's the one thing I can't seem to keep my cats off of. I think it's because it's so close to their food bowls. And the kitchen and the stairs and the living room. It's a central space where they can see the entire first floor when they're on top of it. I got tired of scrubbing it with vinegar constantly, but when I put a covering on it I only have to scrub it when people will be eating on it.

ANYWAY... I kept watching as the blanket was falling further and further off the table. I think they were chasing or fighting each other on it, and once it started falling off the table it just kept going little by little as they climbed up there again.

Then one day I noticed that it was almost all the way off the table AND a chair was rocked back. So I scrolled back to find out what happened. And it was exactly what I thought it would be.

Jenny was on the table while her brother was on the part of the blanket which was on the floor. She looked down and saw him there and decided to pull some Jenny shit. She goes to jump on him, snags the chair, and it falls over... until it locks under the table...

And how did the blanket get all the way off the table? Jake decided he wanted to sleep on the chair that was locked under the table, of course! Never mind that he's at an angle, he was apparently comfortable enough to sleep there multiple times until I got home. Here he is in the chair getting up and turning around so he can go to sleep...

So... yeah. Cats are weird. There's no denying it.

Your Disney adventure with me is not over just yet... because a very special, all new, all Disney Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Remy 2D! One of the attractions I was sure to ride was Remy's Ratatouille Adventure at the France Pavilion in Epcot. I've always liked it as a clever and fun ride that finally gave World Showcase an E-Ticket ride. Recently they took out the need for 3D glasses, and I wanted to see if it's as good. It isn't. The 3D immersion was very well done. It wasn't a gimmick, it really added to the attraction's experience. Now it's just looking at a flatter, less interesting visual on screens. Not only that, but it's more blurry... especially at the beginning. I wish they hadn't downgraded it, but I can see how it would be better for people who are missing an eye or have very poor eyesight since they won't need to wear 3D glasses over their regular glasses. I just wish that the ride was in 3D most of the time, but had a few 2D showings for people who need that.

   
• Track 3! Another attraction which got downgraded? Test Track. They tore out a lot of the ride to "update" them, but it's just not as fun and doesn't really make much sense now. On top of that, the very end has been completely redone where you drive through a very large domed screen showing the future of automobiles, which feels like an abrupt end to a ride that's been gutted. It's a bizarre choice, and kinda undercuts what made the attraction such a classic.

   
• Together! Not really an upgrade or a downgrade, the new Zootopia: Better Together ride which replaced A Bug's Life: It's Tough to Be a Bug in Animal Kingdom feels like a sidegrade. It seems like they just re-skinned the bugs into Zootopia characters and called it a day. Even though I really like both Zootopia movies, I'd probably give the edge to It's Tough to Be a Bug because it was an original instead of a re-theme and wasn't aging poorly at all. I suppose Disney probably did it do to the popularity of the newer films more than anything else.

   
• RoboLincoln! I haven't been to Disneyland since they installed the Walt Disney animatronic. Which is to say that I haven't seen it in person, only in photos. And every time I'm thinking two things... 1) This does not look like Walt Disney... and 2) I wonder what he looks like with all his skin removed? Because I've seen photos of other animatronics, and they always look so clunky. I was reminded of this when I saw Abe Lincoln while at Disney World...

And it's like... does a modern animatronic look like this underneath? I sure hope not. This is totally giving FemBot vibes...

Remember in The Bionic Woman where they suspected Oscar Goldman was a fembot so they dropped that pencil and Oscar stepped on it and crushed it and you were like "ZOMFG! OSCAR GOLDMAN IS A FEMBOT!!!" and your mind was blown because you thought fembots could only be lady robots and here we are with a man robot?? Yeah. Good times. I don't know why they can't successfully reboot The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. Such a great concept.

   
• Immersive! There's a lot of tossing around of the word "immersive" when it comes to theme parks. Disney used to be the absolute master of this. But that hasn't been true in a minute. Probably since Animal Kingdom opened. That was the last time that there was a coherent vision behind a project that wasn't just shitting out IP everywhere, even when it makes no sense. For example... just look at this sign for bathrooms that Animal Kingdom has...

It's brilliant. Everything from how they say it to how they write it (you can still see the guides they drew before painting the words!) looks like it belongs in an authentic setting. They could have just put up a regular "bathrooms" sign, but they wanted to maintain an illusion, so they did something to make that happen. Now-a-days Disney just slaps one of their characters on a sign and calls it good. No effort to build a narrative or show any imagination... just put Mickey on it and you're done. It's really sad.

   
• Hamm! To end this post, I want to point out that the Toy Story section of Disney Hollywood Studios puts out a giant Hamm frosted sugar cookie for decoration for the holidays...

This is so cute that they really should have many, many more characters as sugar-cookies for the holidays!

   
And, just like that, your Disney adventure is over just like mine!

I got back home Saturday and immediately knew I was in trouble.

I was so exhausted from the preceding ten days that I knew there was no way I could recover in the half day I had before jumping back into work on Sunday. So I didn't. Instead I jumped back into work Saturday afternoon... spent Sunday morning doing nothing... then finished up with the work I had due today on Sunday evening.

What a stupid plan that was.

I felt completely wiped all day today and wish that I had given myself a bit of a break last night. But there's nothing I can do about it now.

Except head to bed early and see if I can make it up to myself.

Not sure if it's in the news where you live, but my home state of Washington is in a bit of a serious pickle. Instead of precipitation taking the form of fluffy snow like we used to always get this time of year, it's instead coming down as rain. Way too much rain.

We've got serious flooding going on, and it's been so bad that sections of a vital East/West roadway via Highway 2 over the mountains has washed away. It's pretty bad, and I don't know if they will be able to reopen it for months. Which is to say that it may not reopen until Spring, at the earliest.

And now we have one route left that's feasible... assuming you don't want to add 5+ hours to your journey by traveling South through the Columbia Basin, then West over to Portland, then North again to Puget Sound. And since I am assuming that's not time you have to waste, it's just the I-90 corridor that's viable. And heaven only knows what happens if that gets shut down.

I guess those of us East of the Cascade Mountains have to do what they did in pioneer times, and just hunker down for Winter and accept that Seattle is not accessible.

Or, you know, hop on a plane.

Something I haven't done in years and years because I was usually only doing that if I was connecting to a flight out of Seattle. But the connections have gone from bad... to worse... to abysmal, and so there's no real incentive given the additional cost.

Somebody really, really needs to invent transporters like they have on Star Trek so I'm not having to come up with worst-case scenarios so close to bedtime.

I finally got around to watching the third installment of the Knives Out trilogy: Wake Up Dead Man, and really enjoyed it. I know many people are saying that it eclipsed the second film but isn't as good as the first. Probably true. Though, upon rewatching it, I've grown more and more fond of Glass Onion. I think it did a very good job of adding some depth to Benoit Blanc, and the cast was sublime. Especially Janelle Monáe, who I don't know as an actor but a musician. She was phenomenal playing a character playing a character. You wouldn't think that somebody with such little acting experience could have pulled that off so beautifully, but she did.

As with the past movies, Wake Up Dead Man has a stacked cast, all of whom are flawlessly cast and give a great performance. You already know that Daniel Craig, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Jeffrey Wright, Jeremy Renner, and GLENN CLOSE are going to kill it... but Mila Kunis holds her own as a police chief and Josh O'Connor in the lead role as Father Jud does not falter scene after scene...

Basically... assistant priest Father Jud is suspected of murdering the charismatic head priest at an upstate New York parish. The local police chief calls in master detective Benoit Blanc to solve the mystery and an interesting case unfolds.

If you liked previous installments of Knives Out then you will probably like this one, which is a bit darker in tone. Writer/director Rian Johnson knows how to craft a good mystery (which makes the cancelation of Poker Face all the harder to take), so I hope Netflix isn't finished with the franchise just yet. This film could have used more backstory for Benoit Blanc, and I am looking forward to that possibility in future installments.

If we're lucky enough to get any.

LOL.

Yesterday I mentioned that I had watched the latest installment of the Knives Out franchise of films. This morning I forgot who played Father Jud (Josh O'Connor) I got an interesting result returned.

Sit back and enjoy...

What's even better? They got Daniel Craig to watch it...

BEIGNET BLANC! BWAH HA HA HA HAAAAA!

And I'm dead.

As I've mentioned an insufferable number of times, I watch more YouTube than any other media source. It's playing 90% of the time on my television while I'm working, and it runs the gamut when it comes to topics.

Here's the previous five videos which are in my watch history for you to enjoy when you can't find anything good on TV.

First is this trailer for an upcoming movie about... SHEEP DETECTIVES?!?...

A 30 second video where The Good Liars ask a very good question...

Sigourney Weaver breaks down some of her most famous roles...

Thomas Flight picked his favorite films of 2025...

And, lastly, this glorious two hour video takedown of a notorious scammer and fraudster...

You're welcome!

There is no "worst day" for me after my mom died. That was it. That was the one I get.

Which is why one of the books I'm working on is currently titled Travels with My Mother (and the five worst days of my life). It's a collection of travel stories from when I was visiting places around the world with her interspersed with me recounting the five worst days of my life. It's been fun to write... but difficult too, because it just makes me realize all over again how much I've lost with each new page.

But anyway...

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. She would have been 81 years old.

It's also the day my car tabs are due. Which is one of those unhappy coincidences that I never thought about when I had to buy a new car last December.

So I went to the bookkeeping office where I pay for the tabs, then drove home.

The road to which goes right by the cemetery where my mom is buried. Which is another one of those unhappy coincidences that I never thought about when I picked the easiest route to my home.

But anyway...

Today is Caturday, which only exists because of the two cats I got to keep my mom company and help distract her from being confused all the time. A job Jake and Jenny did exceptionally well...

Yes. I just shared this three Caturdays ago, but I didn't know it would be needed again so soon.

   
And so... happy birthday mom, one day late.

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat. Pleased do put a penny in the old man's hat. And an entry in his web browser... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Joining! I am utterly ensnared by PLUR1BUS. It's slow... but deliberate... you just know that Vince Gilligan is building things up for a payoff, because otherwise there wouldn't be a point to the show? But what form that takes for the first season when we have more seasons to go? No idea...

There's one episode left until the long wait for Season 02.

   
• Full Disclosure! I can't remember the last time I was even remotely excited for a Steven Spielberg film. I am a bit excited for this...

The film looks suitably disturbing, which is about the only way the subject like this could be interesting.

   
• Ignorance! “I don’t even know how to pronounce it, so it must be bad... and I’m too big of a dumbshit to do a Google search before cluttering social media with my ignorant bullshit, so here you go...”

We are so fucked. All the vanquished diseases are coming back, and these idiots are intent on keeping it that way.

   
• Blunder Woman! The first Wonder Woman movie was a revelation. It's one of my favorite super-hero films ever made, and definitely one of the best DC movies they've ever made. The scene where she steps out of the trench brought tears to my eyes, because it was that moment Diana is Wonder Woman. In a way we haven't seen since Lynda Carter's flawless take on the character decades ago. But the sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, was a steaming pile of crap. I was mortified by it. There was no single area where it didn't fail. I couldn't believe that Patty Jenkins would release this. And this video explains why...

I am still furious that the franchise was destroyed by this one film. I can only hope and pray that James Gunn will be sure we get a Wonder Woman film that's deserving of the character's legacy.

   
• B- B- B- Buck! I was sad to learn that Gil Gerard died this past week. Though, to be honest, I don't remember much about his work. The only show I can even think of him appearing is Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, which I only watched because Erin Gray's "Col. Wilma Deering" and Pamela Hensley's "Princess Ardala"...

The writing on the show was pretty bad, something I was able to recognize despite the fact that I was watching it at 13 years old. Though to be fair, the writers were likely under massive constraints to reign in the budget. But I do remember that Gerard dug into the corny, campy scripts with gusto, which meant that it was at least entertaining. And for that he'll be remembered.

   
• We're All Paying for AI! There it is.

I have found shockingly little use for AI, which is surprising, because I thought it would be changing everything for me. And maybe one day it will. But right now it's just so... bad.

   
• UnShock! Shocking. — I lie. This may be the least shocking story I've read in recent days...

Turns out there didn't need to ever be some kind of "deep state" conspiracy. It's all being done right out in the open.

   
And now I'm decorating the Christmas tree! Just kidding. My cats would murder it.

I believe in supporting the artists whose media I consume, so I buy the media I want to own.

For the longest time this meant VHS Tape, then LaserDisc, then DVD, then Blu-Ray, then Digital. I liked digital because I didn't have to make space for physical media in my home, and it seemed the ideal solution for being able to access the stuff I buy from wherever I'm at. Except it didn't end up working that way. Unlike when you buy a movie on DVD, when you purchase via Digital, you aren't purchasing the media. Instead you are purchasing a license to view that media... and it's a license which the studio or licensee can terminate at any time. And when a TV show I bought was removed by the studio, I swore I would never buy digital again and went back to physical media.

Physical media that I ultimately rip into a digital format as a personal backup (because physical media can deteriorate and become unusable). But all that digital media has to be stored somewhere, and that's where Network Attached Storage (NAS) comes in. This is a box of hard drives that hooks up to your network and can serve your files to wherever you allow it. Meaning that I can access my purchased media wherever I want.

When I went shopping for a NAS years ago, all I wanted was Synology hardware. But I couldn't afford it, so I went with QNAP which was supposed to be the next best thing. It was not. Multiple problems culminated with a ransomware attack that would have lost all my files if not for the fact that I maintain a backup. Between this horrific bullshit and the fact that QNAP apps are always numerous versions behind in their app store and I was done with QNAP, but still stuck with it because I couldn't afford to replace the thing. Instead I turned off all outside access, which was a bummer because I could no longer access my media away from home.

Fast-forward to May 2025 and Synology made a move towards requiring proprietary drives, something to which I said "Oh fuck no!" and scratched them off my list of NAS manufacturers I wanted to deal with. After the fiasco with WD, I buy Seagate IronWolf Pro drives. Period.

Fast-forward again to Black Friday 2025, and I ended up buying a replacement NAS from UGREEN because my QNAP NAS has gotten old with its Celeron J1900 processor, and the 8.5× to 10.5× speed jump of the Pentium Gold 8505 processor in the 4-Bay UGREEN 4800+ was too good to pass up. Even if I had to put it on a credit card to pay the $550.00 price tag.

UGREEN, which is a highly reviewed relatively new player in the NAS market, wasn't originally on my list of options. I don't have anything against a device made in China (because isn't everything?), but knowing that their government might have built a back-door into the system which may compromise my cat photos, and that was a deal-breaker.

But then I found out you can replace the OS with TrueNAS Open Source, if needed, and was like... alrighty then. Not that it much matters, because I was going to firewall it off completely, remove UGREENlink, and go with VPN-only access.

But Anyway...

I've been slowly transferring all my media to the new NAS and have been quite happy with it. The UGREEN model is freakishly faster compared to the old QNAP model I had. Usually, NAS manufacturers put old, slow CPUs in their boxes because you don't need really fast chips to perform file serving tasks. Except serving files is not all that a NAS does. In my case, the NAS also has to run apps to serve media for my laptop and my television (which I do with an app called Plex)... along with a bunch of other apps which do various tasks with my data. And having a fast CPU for those tasks is important.

One of those apps is TailScale, a secure connectivity app which allows me access to my data without having to go through QNAP or UGREEN. Kinda like a private VPN. Thus eliminating my distrust of major companies... no matter where they're located.

Overall I'm very happy with the UGREEN 4800+ NAS. If I have a gripe it's that they don't have many app packages available. For example Plex can't simply be downloaded, installed, and set-up from within the UGREEN app repository. It don't exist. Instead you have to download an abstraction layer called Docker which has all kinds of apps (including Plex and TailScale) to be run and set up as containers that are interpreted for UGREEN. It's nowhere near as easy to go this route than to have a native app, but it does work if you're willing to put in a little research, time, and effort. It took me a couple days to get Plex working correctly because the various "instruction" videos were contradictory and often glazed past critical information, but it's running just fine now.

The quality of the hardware is also very good. The housing is an aluminum alloy instead of the janky plastic housing on my QNAP, for example. I also like the trays for the hard drives, which are tool-free fr 3.5" drives. There are a variety of ports... including SD card slot, USB-C, and USB-A on the front... and HDMI, 3 USB-A, plus 2.5Gb and 10Gb ethernet ports. As if that wasn't enough, the unit arrives with upgrade tools to install an SSD cache and more memory, two CAT-7 ethernet cables, and a power adapter. Maximum capacity is a whopping 136TB over four drives (I have four 16TB drives in a RAID 6 configuration which gives me 29TB of usable space, because I like redundancy for safety).

If I have an outright complaint to offer, it has nothing to do with UGREEN. Instead it's with Plex. This is by far my favorite media serving platform (I bought a lifetime pass within a month of installing it), but it's not without its faults. For one thing, it wants to build movie "collections" even if you tell it not to by setting it to "disabled." And most all of these collections are fucking useless and stupid, so I end up deleting them all. Which takes a crazy amount of time because there are so many. But even worse is the fact that I have found no easy way of transferring all my title adjustments and poster art from my old install for all the titles I have. Which means I'm going to have to start all over again from scratch. That's hours and hours of work. Why there isn't just a folder I can copy over I have no idea. There's a "config" folder, but what I'm looking for isn't there. I guess. Because if there is, I'm not finding it. You'd think that this would be a no-brainer.

I just wish I had the free time to get my latest media purchases ripped so I could add them to my new NAS. I've been wanting to re-watch Superman, and this would be a great excuse to do that.

Christmas is not my holiday, but I live in the USA so it might as well be.

And, hey, I'm not complaining. The country pretty much shuts down from December 24th through January 2nd, which means I can catch up with my work without distraction! There's so much needed to be done to close out the year that I'm always grateful to have the extra time to get ahead of it.

And this year, since I had a vacation earlier in the month, I'll also appreciate having some time to CLEAN MY FILTHY HOUSE. Seriously, I never realize how much of a mess my cats make on a daily basis until I'm not here to keep on top of it. They are so messy. Cat fur... everywhere. Kitty litter... everywhere. Cat toys... everywhere. And an occasional hairball or scarf-and-barf deposit. It ain't at all pretty after more than 3 or 4 days.

I'm coming up on 21 days, and I've barely had time to touch the place.

And now snow is supposed to be coming in the next few days, which means I'll be cleaning up outside my home as well.

'Tis the season.

Yesterday I headed over the mountains which, depressingly, was an easy drive. This time of year, the road should have an unfathomably deep layer of snow off the side.

Six feet. Eight feet. Maybe even more. But it was just covering the barriers, even at the very top of the pass...

Here I am coming down the other side of the mountain, and you can see that the barrier is still visible...

So right now we're having major flooding and rain in the valley, which is a bad enough sign because it means that it's too warm to snow. And now seeing this in the mountains has me seriously worried we're in for drought this coming Summer.

I mean, I guess I'm grateful that it was an easy drive.

But not really.

And so it's Christmas.

Which, to me, is pretty much a day off with friends... which is perfect.

Despite the fact that it's not my holiday, I do very much enjoy this time of year. I like the memories of it and the festivity of it all. And here's the three things outside my bubble that I saw and liked best of all...

First of all, there's these amazing Krispy Kreme donuts that are Peanuts-themed and beautifully presented. I wish so badly I had a shop near me, because I would buy a box in a hot second...

ZOMG! JUST LOOK AT SNOOPY HERE!!! HE'S PERFECT!

Krispy Kreme really knows how to do these promos. Their Dolly Parton box was flawless too.

Next up is this promo piece that was for the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce...

Now, if you don't follow their podcast, here you go...

Genius. I'm betting they'd sell thousands of those sweaters if they'd release them!

And lastly, here's a holiday advert for grocery store chain Intermarché created by Romance Agency. It's in French, but you don't have to understand French to understand the message...

A Happy Christmas to all who celebrate.

When I was a kid, it felt that the entire year was a build-up to Christmas and, once it was over, there was a depression that crept in because it was all downhill from there.

Until the next Christmas.

In a lot of ways, it's still like that. Not because Christmas means the same thing to me as it did way, way back then, but because that's life in these United States. The entire country is on a collision course with Christmas, and you're in for the ride whether you want to be or not. It's everywhere.

And then, just like that, it's gone.

Remnants remain, of course. The Christmas trees are still up everywhere. Stores have all their Christmas junk on sale. Christmas decorations won't be coming down until the New Year. Some people are saying things like "I hope you had a Merry Christmas!" And people are posting their Christmas photos. Etc. Etc. Etc.

But it's nothing like it was just two days prior.

Two weeks prior.

Even nearly two months prior, when the madness begins the day after Halloween. If you're lucky. I saw a Christmas section going up in a store the week before Christmas.

It's all a little sad.

Something I am definitely not sad about is that I have the day off work. Turns out Christmas has benefits even for the heathens amongst us.

Today I was driving back home from my holiday across the mountains when I got a phone call that was a punch in the gut so unexpected that I had to pull off the road because driving a car became a foreign concept in my head.

And then, after ten minutes to mostly get my head on straight, I was off again...

Because this is the only major East-West route left across the state (flooding destroyed the other one) and it snowed last night, there was major congestion in places... which meant that a 2-1/2 hour trip took 3-1/2 hours to complete.

But at the end when I finally walked through the door to my home, the trip was worth it because it wasn't just Jake waiting for me... both Jake AND Jenny were waiting for me. Which is strange, because Jenny usually prefers to make sure it's safe before venturing downstairs when anybody walks in the house. Including me.

It was a repeat of when I got back from Florida...

...except this time I really needed it.

I'm steeped in sadness with a broken heart today, but writing my way through it... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

Except it can't just yet.

This blog has been a blessing in so many ways, but the long-term friendships I've gotten from it have been a part of the bedrock upon which my life has been built. Bricks carved from stones that never falter, carrying the load from those which cracked and crumbled to dust. — Regardless of time. Regardless or distance. Regardless of consequence.

One of the biggest rocks in my life was Aaron, whom I first met as Jester from his JesterTunes blog. He was a key member of the "West Coast Blog Mafia" of which I was lucky enough to be a part back in the day.

We became good friends from the start.

And now he's gone.

Of all the people I know, he was the most unapologetically himself at all times, and it was something I couldn't help but admire. I was drawn to him... as most people were who met him. He was a magnet with a big musical talent and an even bigger heart. If you were lucky enough to know him, he made your life better just by being there.

Which is why I'm crushed that he isn't any more.

Except he is.

Because I have so many memories of him which will live on as long as I do. Here is a small sampling of some of my favorites, complete with a link.

At least those I can post publicly!

   
• Tattoo Me! I had wanted a tattoo for 26 years by the time I finally got my first one. Aaron was there to document it...

He was also consulted on my other tattoos. He saved me from a goof in the art I drew up for one of my favorites. This was also the tattoo where I told him that I was hesitant to get it inked because of what other people might think about my cartoony choices. He immediately shot back with "If you're going to care about what other people think, maybe you shouldn't get it then. But you should work on not giving a fuck about what other people think." A life lesson to live by. Then I got the tattoo. Mostly because I wanted it. But also to remind me that life is too short to give a fuck about what other people think.

   
• Thank You For The Music! Aaron lived and breathed music. He was a great singer, and I was lucky to see him perform from time to time...

Jester as Ace Fontana as Ace Frehley — ©2016 by Tananarive Aubert Photography

His greatest gift to me will always be the music he shared which he thought I might like. And I always liked it. He was forever sending me a new artist or song to listen to. And most of it has found its way into my playlists. Yesterday, after I was able to drive again after getting the news, the next song to play was Hey Jane by Low Millions. A group I never would have found if not for Aaron...

I couldn't possibly put into words what a musical influence Aaron was on me. For better or worse. Once he sent me a video by Scissor Sisters, a band I didn't really know. I think I had probably heard a few of their songs, but hadn't really took a dive into the band. Aaron was appalled... "You don't know who Scissor Sisters are?!? You need to fix that." And so I did. And after I made my way through Magic Hour, I texted him that I couldn't wait to hear what they do next. He shot back with "Oh. The band broke up." And I was all "WHY WOULD YOU GET ME HOOKED ON A BAND THAT BROKE UP?!? Last Winter he let me know that I could stop hating him because the band was going on tour, and it might lead to new music.

   
• 1975 Live! Despite the fact that he was living in San Francisco and I was in Central Washington, we managed to get together for a number of concerts. He'd text or call that an act was playing and I'd Venmo the cash for my ticket and fly down to see it. From Walk the Moon to Wrabel to Betty Who, it was a guaranteed fun time seeing a show with Jester. And then there's that time we saw The 1975 live on December 17th, 2015... one of my all-tie favorite bands which, naturally, Aaron discovered for me...

It ended up being one of the best concerts I've ever been to and one of the best experiences I've ever had. And it never would have happened without him.

   
• JesterRolling! Back in the heydey of the blogging trend, one of the things that bloggers did was have a radio show on BlogTalkRadio. Given his phenomenally entertaining personality, Jester's was that one show you could not miss. You tuned in because you had no idea what the heck was going to happen. And one of the best things to happen was "JesterRolling" where Aaron would find some show with no listeners, give everybody the address, then we would all jump over to participate in the show. It was absolute madness. Sometimes it would be heartwarming, where a host would be genuinely touched that all of a sudden 30 people were listening to what they had to say. Sometimes it would be bedlam, where the host was a monumental asshole spouting hate or otherwise being awful. Something Jester never tolerated in real life... and was not afraid to confront on the internet. It was glorious.

I was a guest or caller on the show several times. I had taken one of those stupid internet quizzes where you answer questions and it tells you how gay you are. Turns out I'm 20% gay. Which means I could promote my appearance on the show in interesting ways. Like saying "When you combine my 20% gay fierceness with Jester's 100% gay fierceness, that's 120% gay fierceness all in one radio show, which just might exceed the BlogTalk Radio standards for overall gay fierceness!"

A part of me is sad that BlogTalkRadio shut down in January. It would be fun to listen to some of those old shows again. And yet... a part of me is probably glad that it has shut down, because oh boy.

   
• "Most guys would be pretty upset if another guy grabbed their ass. I'm just glad to know I have options!" Even though I was only 20% gay and probably not qualified to intrude on those spaces... having gay friends means I end up in a lot of gay places. But only with Aaron did it end up being educational. There's few things Jester loved more than regaling me with the more, ahem, "interesting" aspects of gay life and gay culture. Probably to get my reaction, which was usually a mixture of shock and awe. Even though the absolute last thing anybody should be when hanging out with him is shocked. Once we went to a good bye party for a mutual blogging friend at a gay bar in The Castro called "Hi Tops" (home of cold pitchers and hot catchers!). We were talking at the bar while waiting on our drinks when I suddenly said "Oh!" mid-sentence because one of the waiters grabbed my ass as he rounded the end of the bar. Jester thought this was hilarious, and reminded me of it. Often. Once he took me to a gay bar down the street from a restaurant where we were early for our reservation. After we ordered, he told the waiter "Feel free to grab his ass when you come back. He's straight, but he likes it." He was forever doing things like that. One of the times we met up in Vegas, we were in a shopping plaza on an escalator where he started rubbing my back and saying loudly all the things he wanted to do to me when we got back to the hotel room. I don't know if he was trying to embarrass me or shock the people around us. It could have been both. It was probably both. Oh come on, this is Jester we're talking about... it was definitely both.

   
• If you come to San Francisco! I couldn't count the number of times I ended up hanging with Aaron in The City By The Bay. I often had work there, and Aaron lived in nearby Oakland. Most times, it was dinner or drinks (more likely, both) but we also did a lot of other things there too. Like visit The Walt Disney Family Museum...

Or driving north to Marin so we could visit Point Reyes and pick out a pumpkin for his Halloween decorating...

Most of the time, we would meet up in San Francisco. But we actually met in a lot of places. We met in Las Vegas for Certified Princess Cher & her husband Nis's second wedding...

We met in San Diego for the DaveDiego meet-up...

Then in San Diego again for his 40th birthday party...

And we even met in Seattle for a concert once.

   
• i/o! The last time I saw Jester in person was when he flew to Seattle with his partner Henry and his brother Seth to take me to the Peter Gabriel i/o tour two years ago...

I would chat with Aaron after that night, of course. But I didn't know it would be the last time I'd see him. If I did, I would have done more than just hug him goodbye. I would have told him how much he has meant to me all these many years. I would have thanked him for the multitude of memories he's responsible for which have brought such joy to my life. I would have told him that I loved him and my life would be poorer if he weren't in it. I would have said so many things that you can only say to somebody who really means something to you.

Instead I just have to hope that he knew what he meant to me.

Aaron was loved by so many people. And being his friend put you in a far from an exclusive club because he has so many of them. But he had a way of making you feel like you were his only friend on this earth. I will miss that about him. I will miss my friend more than I can say.

I put this post in a Bullet Sunday entry because I met Aaron through blogging and it seemed the most Blogography way to talk about him. The problem being that there's just so much I could say that these bullets could have gone on for pages and pages. But eventually the bullet points have to end, just like they always do.

Eventually, you have to say goodbye, even though you really don't want to.

And it's time once again for my annual wrap-up of my favorite TV shows that came out this year. Or, more accurately, a "wrap-up of TV shows that I saw which came out this year." As always, there's a bunch of shows I never got around to watching that might have ended up on my list... and (more likely) shows I loved but have forgotten about. And here we go...

   
THE TWELVE BEST

#1 Andor - S02 (Netflix)
The second season brilliant divided up its twelve episodes into four three-episode-chunks which were slices of the four years leading up to Rogue One. The first "chunk" ended with an episode so haunting that I decided right then and there that this season was my favorite thing to ever come out of Star Wars. Or television in general. Things only got better from there. Every episode right up to the end was a master class in storytelling, and the finale was so deftly handled that Lucasfilm/Disney should just fill a truck with cash, back it up to Tony Gilroy's house, then let him do whatever he wants with Star Wars. Everything from the story to the dialogue to the music to the special effects to the cast to the acting created some of the best television to ever exist, and I cannot imagine how many times I will re-watch this show. There is not a single major cast member here that doesn't fully deserve all the awards. Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, Elizabeth Dulau, Ben Mendelsohn, Elizabeth Dulau, Adria Arjona... even Alan frickin' Tudyk as droid K-2SO... just given them everything. They deserve it.

#2 Shoresy - S04 (Hulu)
Last year I inexplicably forgot to put Shoresy on my best-of list. Not this year. This time around was a different take on the characters, showing Shoresy, Goody, Dolo, and Hitch in the off-season as Shoresy has to find a life after hockey. I loved all of it, and I didn't know that I would. Not only did we get some of the sweetest moments of the entire series, but the music was amazing from beginning to end. And of course it was hilarious as always. The minute I finished the last episode it made me want to start all over again from the beginning. I don't know that I can offer more of a ringing endorsement than that. It's never going to be Ted Lasso, but there are moments it gets very close. The only thing I don't like is that it's only six episodes per season. But if that's how they make each episode be this good then I'll take it. As a bonus, the fifth season started on December 26th (if you live in Canada).

#3 The Residence - S01 (Netflix)
Is there anything better than coming across a show so unexpectedly great which you had no clue was even made? I loved every minute of this series. From the phenomenal performances of Uzo Aduba and Giancarlo Esposito to the entertaining story and deft direction, this show had it all. And what put it over the top for me were the fantastic visuals they created to show you how The White House is constructed so you can put the mystery together in your head. I wanted so very badly to get a second season with more Cordelia Cupp but, alas, Netflix unceremoniously canceled it instead. What a damn shame.

#4 Adolescence - S01 (Netflix)
I'm just going to say this to get it out of the way... for the most part I do not like child actors. I don't find them realistic or compelling. So when you have a show with a young actor that actually is realistic and compelling, you have my attention. And when that performance is so multi-faceted, complex, and brilliant that you could literally put it up against the finest actors of any age? Well, there's the ballgame. This series hinges on a brilliant script having a brilliant cast implement it flawlessly. But even that wasn't enough, because each episode is a single cut shot. How in the hell they managed to make this all come together so breathtaking perfect will remain a mystery, even if everybody involved laid it out. It just shouldn't work. It couldn't work. But it does. Oh but it really does.

#5 Reacher - S03 (Amazon)
The first season of Reacher completely blew me away because it felt like the books had come to life in a way that the Tom Cruise movies never did. And while the second season was nowhere near the highs of those first episodes, I enjoyed it just the same. With the third season, it's as if the writers remembered what made the initial concept work so well, and just went back to doing that. Which I loved. All the action and how-will-he-get-out-of-this-one beats are just as fun as they always have been.

#6 PLUR1BUS - S01 (AppleTV+)
It's nice to know that I can still be won over by television which is not your normal fare. Apple rolled the dice on Vince Gilligan putting together a show that people want to watch, and boy did he. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul were no fluke. Each episode is slow and methodical, but never ends up being plodding or boring (at least not to me). Most of this is due to the fantastic performance of Rhea Seehorn being riveting to watch, but it also falls on the way the scenes are constructed. Everything is just so smart, with enough holes to fill to keep you guessing. I'd argue the season finale didn't really land as hard as it should have, which was a bit of a let-down. If they managed to stick that, I'd likely have the show higher on my list, because it's a compelling watch to be sure.

#7 The Pitt - S01 (HBO)
Just when you thought that there couldn't possibly be more to be said in the genre of medical drama television, along comes ER on steroids. Compelling (and occasionally gory to a fault) this near-real-time series covers just one day over the course of its 13 episodes, and what a day it is.

#8 Dept. Q - S01 (Netflix)
If I had a nickel for all the deeply-flawed protagonist detectives I've seen over the decades... I'd have loads of nickels. But this time it's used as more than just an accessory to main character which explains why they are a drug addict or alcoholic or explosive or unhinged or abusive... it's woven into the show almost as another character with a secondary mystery to be solved. The result is one of the better mystery series to come along, anchored by the excellent

#9 Ludwig - S01 (BritBox)
They wound up David Mitchell then handed him some decent scripts and let him run. And it was a fun sight to behold. Sure, he seemed to come out of his recluse nature far too quickly and easily... and, sure, they brought it back when it made little sense... but Mitchell is just so perfect a character that you can't be mad about the shortcomings and just have to appreciate the gift you've been given. Which is David Mitchell. As a celebrated puzzle-creator turned detective in the most unexpected way. Thankfully, a second season has been greenlit, because I like this character enough to watch whatever they put him through next.

#10 Slow Horses - S05 (AppleTV+)
I keep waiting for this show to lose me, but it never does. Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas are fully present and in their element, and the writing and extended cast are just icing on the cake. The previous season is probably my favorite, so the show really had nowhere to go but down... and yet... it would be hard to classify anything about this season as a downgrade.

#11 Deli Boys - S01 (Hulu)
I was steeling myself for a cancellation, thinking that this show would go the way of The Brothers Sun, but Hulu mercifully renewed it. Smart, funny, and having a premise which allows for some fantastic story beats, I'm really glad that I happened upon this... sheerly by accident... because I never saw a single promo for the show.

#12 Murderbot - S01 (AppleTV+)
This show lacks... something... that I just can't put my finger on. All I can say is that it felt adrift at times, and if I hadn't read the books, I am not sure I would have liked it as much. What the show doesn't lack is a great cast which is lead by the amazing Alexander Skarsgård, who makes you care about a character which you could very easily not. The books became progressively darker as time went on, and it will be interesting to see if the show follows suit... or tries to keep the tone lighter in order to match where the first story ended up. I'll definitely be watching to find out.

   
ANIMATION WORTH YOUR TIME

#1 Common Side Effects - S01 (Hulu)
The utterly bizarre animation style and humorous beginnings belies the compelling, thrilling, disturbing, and deadly serious story. I went into this cold with no warning as to what I was going to get, thanks to the recommendation of friends who were raving about it.

#2 Invincible S03 (Amazon)
Having read the comic books, you'd think that nothing in this show could surprise me. But it does. It's just so epically paced and relentless. It's wonderfully bonkers, and I loved

#3 South Park - S28 (Paramount+)
In a day and age where our news agencies are increasingly sucking up to the government, it's refreshing that there's still a show out there saying whatever the fuck they want about current events. And doing it in a hilarious way which is actually presenting news topics as the absurd, which is just what they are.

#4 DAN DA DAN - S02 (Netflix)
Strange and satisfying, I honestly didn't hold out much hope for a second season... but here we are. Bizarre, challenging television doesn't have much of a chance with modern audiences, but DAN DA DAN apparently found a niche.

#5 The Summer Hikaru Died - S01 (Netflix)
Animated horror has to work overtime to provide the necessary chills when you're watching a cartoon. This is exactly that. Brilliantly crafted and exploring interesting themes makes for great television.

#6 Long Story Short - S01 (Netflix)
I almost gave up because there's an annoying slant here that works against the show... but I'm ever so glad I pushed through. Told non-linearly, the show carefully crafts the story of the characters' lives in a way that's interesting to watch, and the way the past defines the future makes for a show that's a rewarding watch.

   
HONORABLE MENTION

• The Sandman - S02 (Netflix)
  In all honesty, this show should have ranked around #6 for me. But here's what left a bad taste in my mouth: the adaptation of Death: The High Cost of Living which we got as a bonus episode. If you've read this blog for a while, you know that I was clamoring for this from the minute the first season debuted. It's one of my all-time favorite pieces of The Sandman lore, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste was so brilliantly perfect as Death, so how could I not? But they didn't adapt it faithfully. They screwed the pooch... badly... and I don't understand why. Maybe they felt the need to deviate in awful ways because they needed more time to do it justice, but I don't feel that's the issue. They just wanted to do their own thing, and they shouldn't have done that. As for the second season as a whole though? Very good. They tied everything up beautifully, and spent the money to make it look and feel like you'd hope it would look and feel like.
• Last Samurai Standing - S01 (Netflix)
  Just when I thought the "battle to the last" trope was getting stale, along comes a very different kind of show built around a structure we've seen many times. I understand that this was adapted from a manga which I've never read. Not sure if it follows the books faithfully, but there is money on the screen to bring it to life in a way that feels worth your valuable time. Apparently a second season has been greenlit, which was a nice surprise.
• Peacemaker - S02 (HBO)
  Did I guess the big twist before it was revealed? Yes. Did it in any way diminish my enjoyment of the second season? It did not.
• High Potential S02 (ABC/Hulu)
  This might have made my Top Twelve... if they didn't split the fucking season in half. Why are studios doing this? It just fucking kills the momentum of the show, and makes me forget why I even care. I will say that I'm glad they didn't prolong the first season cliffhanger, but they didn't.
• A Man on the Inside - S02 (Netflix)
  This series, surprisingly, sabotages itself when it deviates from the mystery attempts to delve into the lives of its characters. Not that they do it badly or anything, it's just that it feels like a distraction which never quite hits as hard as the investigation does. It's too much. This show would fare far better if it would be more like Murder She Wrote and not divide focus... instead concentrate on the whodunnit and have the personal drama be a far smaller, slow reveal. Still, can't help but enjoy this series and hope we get more. Ted Danson has a real bead on his character and is fun to watch.
• Severance - S02 (AppleTV+)
  I liked the slow burn of the first season, but didn't love it. My problem is that the entire show is built around secrets, mysteries, and weirdness, and I was more focused on the idea that it would be canceled before anything was ever answered or that the answers would be awful (the cautionary tale of Lost's shitty ending has burned me forever). Plus it ended on a massive cliffhanger, which I loathe because it's often so pathetic and lazy. Wrap up your show in case of cancelation, then find an interesting new angle or direction if you're lucky enough to get another season. I ignored the brilliant acting and writing because I couldn't see it. Then everybody kept saying how it's one of the best shows on television and how much they love it, so I decided to tune in to Season 02 with an open mind and focus on the actual show instead of the unanswered questions. And... I still like it more than I love it, even though I can appreciate it more than I originally did. There's no serious cliffhanger this time, but there's still a ridiculous number of unanswered questions that are lingering. It's mysteries and secrets on top of mysteries and secrets and that can't go on forever without us getting Lost 2.0. Which would infuriate me because I hate "journeys to nowhere" storytelling.
• Death by Lightning - S01 (Netflix)
  I took a pass on this presidential drama because I just wasn't that interested in the life and times of President James Garfield. But then it got some buzz and I found out it was more about the life, times, and death of President James Garfield, along with his assassin! Well worth a watch.
• The Recruit - S02 (Netflix)
  This is a far, far better show than The Night Agent, but guess which series Netflix renewed? I can't be too upset because it was a drastic drop in quality from the excellent first season, but I sure would have liked to have gotten another one just to see where they'd take things next.
• The Diplomat - S03 (Netflix)
  While I don't think this series reaches anywhere near the atmospheric heights that many critics want to take it, I do think that they know how to craft a compelling watch. The cast knows what they're doing, the drama feels real, and they don't mire you down in boring details.
• Pee-Wee as Himself (HBO)
  As a huge Pee-Wee Herman fan, this was everything I wanted to see. In many ways, a complete validation of the man when most people only paid attention to all the trash that got piled on him.
• Boots S01 (Netflix)
  A dramedy about closeted Marines in the era of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" that never failed to entertain, I seriously thought that a second season was guaranteed after all the attention it got. Alas, the US Government's attention is apparently what mattered, and it was canceled. A real shame, because you got the feeling that the real story was just beginning as war loomed.
• Cassandra - S01 (Netflix)
  What if AI happened in the 1970's but was ultimately discarded... only to be reactivated 50 years later when a family moves into a house where it's been dormant? A very good question! And leave it to this excellent German series to build a decent mystery around it.
• A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - S01 (Netflix)
  Good for a binge-watch, the series doesn't get too dark, but has a good enough mystery at its core to fill a niche. What's unreal is that it stars Emma Myers, whom most people will only know as "Enid" from Wednesday.
• Bref. - S02 (Hulu)
  When this popped up on Hulu, I thought I was dreaming. I watched the original short-form French series years and years ago. Did they combine the episodes into bigger episodes and re-release it? Nope. This is six episodes of frantic storytelling that picks up 14 years after the original.
• Heated Rivalry - S01 (HBO)
  You know you're in trouble when the B-story between a fellow hockey player and a juice bar barista is far more interesting and engaging than the A-story with two hockey players who start a steamy, softcore porn romance. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if the acting was elevated to get you invested... but it's really not.
• Hacks - S04 (HBO)
  The show returns to form with a fourth season that's nearly as good as the first. Yeah, it gets bogged down by distractions that you know won't go anywhere... and they didn't really carry the falling out as far as they should have, and it got resolved before it could really mean anything... but it was witty and entertaining enough to make it worth a watch.
• Black Mirror - S07 (Netflix)
  Another season rises above the mixed bag we usually get. Even the episode I liked the least was still worth watching, something I haven't been able to say in a few seasons.
• Paradise - S01 (Hulu)
  A similar idea to Silo, but giving us something slightly more interesting both in scope and in setting. While the pacing is wildly inconsistent, I thought the story was good and the acting top-notch.
• Running Point - S01 (Netflix)
  This show lives and dies on Kate Hudson's performance, and she manages to carry it with relative ease. The plot is something we've visited before in a number of sports comedy shows and films, but it's funny enough to feel different.
• Your Friends and Neighbors - S01 (Apple TV+)
  John Hamm gives us a sharp performance as a hedge fund manager who turns to crime after his divorce. I was more than a little impressed at how they managed to keep things moving forward just when you thought it was going to stall out, which makes you not mind when it falters quite so much.
• Daredevil: Born Again - S01 (Disney+)
  My favorite of the Netflix-era Marvel shows gets a new life at Disney which is not quite a reboot, but not quite original either. Maintaining a gritty edge, it (thankfully) doesn't dwell on his appearance in She-Hulk which felt more than a bit out of character.
• North of North - S01 (Netflix)
  While no second coming of Reservation Dogs, it is refreshing to have a First Nation series which feels like there was a genuine effort to portray the Inuit community accurately. Funny, heartwarming, and interesting, it's a rom-com that treads old ground in new ways.
• Alien: Earth - S01 (Hulu)
  The critics praised the show to the rafters, so I was enthused to watch it. Maybe I was expecting too much, but I found it dropped from excellent to mid at far too many intervals to get in on my Top 12. Still... it was ultimately entertaining, which is more than I can say for a lot of television we get.
• Only Murders in the Building - S05 (Hulu)
  The show that keeps plugging along, finding new mysteries and interesting plots to keep everybody watching. While not up to the heights of the first two seasons, I did enjoy the fifth more than the fourth... even though they decided to inject a fucking robot into the mix for some bizarre reason.
• Ripple - S01 (Netflix)
  The whole idea of "strangers whose lives intersect" isn't new, but at least they found interesting ways to do it in this series. I tuned in specifically for Frankie Faison (and he was great, as expected), but it was Ian Harding who managed to have a death-grip on my attention with his storyline. His character is interesting, nuanced, and manages to stay grounded as he's pulled in a hundred different directions over all aspects of his life. You can't help but want to watch where he lands next, even though the artificial drama that gets put in his way could have been better.
• Landman - S02 (Paramount+)
  I missed the first season, but binged it before the second season debuted. While hardly a show to get excited about, the characters are at least interesting to watch... assuming you can appreciate the sheer soap-opera depths of it all. Which I can, for the most part, but I can't help but wonder how much longer Taylor Sheridan can keep things going when it already is starting to drift into the mundane. The show needs a serious shake-up to open up the third season or I'll likely be saying good bye.
• IT: Welcome to Derry - S01 (HBO)
  Now, I'm in the minority in that I did not care for the movies adaptation at all. They were as good as they could probably get, but they just pale in comparison to the book (though the films mercifully ignored some of the crazy-ass shit that the novel could have done without). This prequel series adds a big concept to how Pennywise operates. And boy does it poke some seriously huge holes into the story of it all. But in the end I was entertained more than annoyed by what they managed to pull off, so I'll be tuning in for a second season. If we get one.

   
HAVEN'T SEEN YET, BUT SURE TO GET A NOD

• Down Cemetery Road - S01 (Apple TV+)
  Emma Thompson in another Mick Herron adaptation? Take me away. If it's even half as good as Slow Horses, it's worth a watch.

   
OVERHYPED BUT NOT TERRIBLE

• Mid-Century Modern - S01 (Hulu)
  This was billed as a kind of "gay Golden Girls" and I never got that. Despite a cast that was fantastic, there just weren't enough laughs or compelling stories to hold my interest. I guess my expectations were just too high. As were a lot of other people's expectations, as it got canceled. Still, I'd watch this over a dozen shows that got renewed, so it's more than a little depressing.
• The Studio - S01 (Apple TV+)
  I do not, under any circumstances, understand the love for this show. It has funny concepts, amazing guest-stars, and Seth Rogan, which are all great. But it's just one scene after another that runs too long and goes right past entertaining and plunges head-first into annoyance. They needed to edit these things down. Some episodes could have lost a full 15 minutes and been so much cleaner and funnier.
• The Gilded Age - S02 (HBO)
  The sophomore season could have been so much better. It should have been. All the pieces were there. But they decided to run head-first into the tired old "Kill Your Gays" trope in the most ludicrous way possible, and you have to wonder what the fuck they were thinking. I know we're supposed to be enthralled with the scandalous sub-plot of invited a divorced woman to a party, but they didn't even attempt to make it an interesting plot point, so I (unsurprisingly) wasn't. Then you have George Russell's mutant healing properties, the artificial drama and inane "let's add in the worst possible Hallmark misunderstanding trope" for Marian Brook's love-life, and Peggy Scott's A-to-B trajectory getting a silly and tired detour for her love life, and... well... I was compelled to keep watching, but far from enthralled.
• Stranger Things - S05 (Netflix)
  I was already pissed when they diced this season in half and saved the final episode as a movie, but at least "Volume 1" was interesting and did the show justice. But then they just kinda crapped out a half-assed "Volume 2" which didn't really start wrapping things up so much as it coasted to an unsatisfying break before we get the "Volume 3" movie finale. Between that and Will's inexplicably lengthy coming out scene after being sidelined, and I had checked out completely. I will get around to the movie, but it's not like I'm going to be counting down the seconds. What a way to end a once-great series.
• Wednesday - S02 (Netflix)
  It's not that the show was bad... I actually enjoyed some of it (mostly the settings and some performances), but it was so frickin' weak compared to what came before in utterly baffling ways. Rather than try to come up with something interesting for the TITLE CHARACTER, they just crammed people into the story in the most boring and uninspired way possible. The entire second half of the split-season was so mind-numbingly terrible.

   
DISAPPOINTING to BAD

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - S03 (Paramount+)
  If you had told me that I'd be disappointed in a new season of Strange New Worlds, I would have told you that you're crazy. It was, after all, one of my favorite shows on television. But here we are. This season was mid from the start, then reached new lows in television history with that shitty fucking episode where they turned the crew into Vulcans, and now I honestly don't care if I ever see another episode. How does this even happen? Why is it allowed to happen?
• The Night Agent - S02 (Netflix)
  I just... don't get it. The first season was great. Good concept. Interesting characters. A serviceable plot. Dialogue that hit. The whole package. But the second season tanked so hard that I found it nigh-unwatchable in places. It's as if this was the tenth season, they were completely out of ideas, and just coasting on fumes. A sad drop for a once decent series.
• The White Lotus - S03 (HBO)
  The first season didn't stick the landing, but it was a fascinating watch so you didn't mind so much. Then they fumbled it pretty bad in season two, spinning out of control with characters you couldn't possibly care about. And now we get this wet fart of a third season where I was so fucking bored that I thought about bailing way too many times. It's like Mike White is all "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO TO KEEP THE SHOW TANTALIZING AND INTERESTING! I KNOW! LET'S THROW IN SOME INCEST AND SEE IF THAT DOES IT!" Spoiler alert: it does not. Characters approach a point where you think things could get interesting... but then they get jerked back in a way that has you wondering if HBO is just pushing to hard to get new seasons instead of giving White the time to find good stories.
• The Last of Us - S02 (Netflix)
  What the fuck happened? The first season was fantastically good, adapted the game deftly, and even managed to fill in some blanks in the best possible way. Then it all fell to shit in the second season, which had me hovering over the fast-forward button because I just didn't care to muddle through it all. No idea what happened, but I'm out. If I want to see a fantastic sequel to the first season, I'll replay the awesome game... which wasn't adapted so much as twisted into something unrecognizable.
• The Witcher - S04 (Netflix)
  Henry Cavill, who understood the character better than the writers, has enough complaints with how the series is adapting the source material that he bows out of the show. And then we get... whatever this was supposed to be. It's infuriating, because had the writers actually fucking listened to the guy who knew what the fuck he was talking about, we wouldn't have got a season with a new actor doing his best and lesser story that people are going to ignore. Now the series will get canceled, and Netflix will be all "People stopped watching, so what choice did we have?" Well, dipshits, you could have paid fucking attention to what what happening with development so it could have maintained its popularity, for one thing. Crap like this drives me insane.
• Ironheart - S01 (Disney+)
  Now, I love love loved the idea of this show. The character in the comics is amazing. I thought that Riri's appearance in Wakanda Forever was great. I love the actor in the lead (Dominique Thorne gets it)... but holy crap did they not give a shit about crafting a compelling story. It was just so... pedestrian. They didn't give her anything interesting to do, and then whiffed the introduction of fucking MEPHISTO, a comic book legendary character, which seems impossible to do, even intentionally! I am shocked at how badly Kevin Feige has dropped the ball. Between Ironheart, Captain America: New World Order, and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, what is he even doing?!? Is he asleep at the wheel? Do we need fresh blood to be more ruthless about fighting for quality? What?

   
GOOD GOD NO!

• All's Fair - S01 (Hulu).
  I tuned in to Kim Kardashian's legal drama for two reasons: 1) The reviews were so bad I was wondering if the show was truly bad or just getting review-bombed... and 2) The cast has some phenomenal actors in it, like Glenn Close, Naomi Watts, Teyana Taylor, and Sarah Paulson... plus Neicy Nash, whom I love. — And, yeah, it truly is that bad. I could barely make it through the first episode. To see actors I enjoy in this horrific pile of shit with such awful dialogue was unbearable. I am fully willing to admit that my problem with the show may be on me because I don't understand the tone. But either way, it just... fails. If it's supposed to be camp, it doesn't go far enough and feels like serious matters are being trivialized. If it's meant to be serious with camp beats, it is completely sabotaged by moments so cringe that you can't take the show seriously. Which is to say that I honestly don't know what the fuck to make of it all. A show which is assumed to be a monument to women empowerment feels an awful lot like mocking women empowerment. But I'm a guy, so maybe I'm missing the point. Good Lord I hope I'm missing the point. All that aside, my faith in humanity was shattered when this crap was renewed for a second season. Can we please just put Ryan Murphy on a spaceship and send him into the sun to spare us all before he kills again?
• Suits LA - S01 (Peacock)
  I didn't even make it through the second episode. Fucking terrible. They had Stephen Amell... and could have leveraged him in an interesting way. But instead they made him think, talk, and act just like Harvey Spector? This was gawdawful television with characters that were pathetic imitations of the originals and no fucking story to speak of. People should have lost their jobs over this hot mess.
• Nobody Wants This - S02 (Netflix)
  Good Lord. For the life of me I don't understand the appeal of this show. The first season was a nice distraction that I liked well enough, but this season was just so bad. Too many of these people are awful. Kristen Bell is a total mess who requires constant validation and non-stop attention. And that attention better come exactly how she wants and expects it or else she collapses in a fit like a two-year-old. Then it's up to Adam Brody to smooth everything over, no matter how irrational or insane she's acting. Bell's sister is borderline evil and comically self-obsessed. It goes on and on. It's impossible to like a show where it's impossible to care whether or not the main characters get together. It's been proven all season long that they're better off apart. But then they ignore absolutely everything that happened and just stay together anyway? Sure. Why not.
• Emily in Paris - S05 (Netflix)
  Why is this show still going? It's so bad as to be offensive. And has been from the start! I couldn't finish watching... skipping from Episode 02 to Episode 10... and it still seemed like a boring, awful, run of stereotypes run amok in a way that's not entertaining or even watchable.
• And Just Like That - S03 (HBO)
  Christ. I can't believe I sat through every episode of this shit. I guess I was thinking I had to in order to say goodbye to it all. Again. I hated everybody. Not just Miranda... everybody. At least they realized how fucking terrible Aiden was and ditched his stupid ass at the end. If there's one thing that made it worth watching, it's that.

And here we go... my annual wrap-up of my favorite films of the year! Or, to be more accurate, my favorite films that I actually saw. Which has again been hampered severely by my unwillingness to go to the theater. The experience is absolute shit in a day-and-age where people are inconsiderate assholes, and I am just not doing it. Oh well. Still love movies though. Even though a lot of the ones I liked didn't prove profitable.

THE EIGHTEEN NINETEEN BEST

#1 Superman (DC Comics/Warner Bros.)
As I have made abundantly clear over the years, I fucking loathed the Zack Snyder DC Comics films. Dark, dour, joyless, soulless, meandering crap that treated all super-heroes like gods, even when the characters aren't gods. Which made everything boring as hell. Then along comes Jakes Gunn, who made Superman interesting, fun, and hopeful. In a way we haven't seen since the two Richard Donner films. And it's glorious. As is that weren't enough, we're given Krypto the Superdog, and he steals the movie. Also stealing the film? Mr. Terrific, which was a wonderful surprise in every measure. If this is what we're getting out of the Gunn DC Universe, count me in. While not perfect, it's right up there with the Donner Superman flicks, Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, and the first Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman film (not the absolute pile of shit that was the second one). Can't ask for much more than that.

#2 (tie) Thunderbolts* (Marvel Studios)
While I liked this movie very much, the ending wasn't what I would have hoped. Though, to be honest, when you're dealing with a god-like entity and your entire team can only "shoot and punch," there are precious few other ways it could have ended. That aside, this is one of the better Marvel flicks in years. The cast is all great. The dialogue is snappy, funny, and always moving the story forward. And there's an overriding message to it all that's a strong foundation to build upon. Unfortunately movie audiences didn't agree, and it's probable that the film will only break even after all is said and done.

#2 (tie) Fantastic Four: First Steps (Marvel Studios)
The original Marvel Comics super-group is also one of the more unique. At their core, they're a family of explorers, and those stories which support this concept are the best. Unfortunately, the previous Fantastic Four movies were shit. The people making them were writing super-hero stories for just anybody, not a family. Then Marvel got the rights to the team back, they had a retro-futuristic story that was exactly what should have happened from the start, and came up with a brilliant way of making it fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole all while respecting the source material in a way that works.

#3 Sinners (Warner Bros.)
There's something satisfying about a horror genre film which manages to be highly successful despite being built around a very serious message. That doesn't happen very often. Impeccably crafted by Ryan Coogler, the movie tackles racism in the Jim Crow South head-on in a way that's not at all subtle. The fact that it's a story so beautifully told and gorgeously shot is just the icing on the cake.

#4 Ballerina (Lionsgate)
"Was... was that a flamethrower tango?" Heaven only knows I love a good action-flick, and this was top-tier. In addition to being a part of the John Wick Universe, it stars Ana de Armas, whom I love to pieces. Alas, it was not the box office smash it deserved to be, so we're unlikely to get a sequel. I don't understand it at all. The guest-starring cast was epic, including Keanu Reeves, Ajelica Houston, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, and Gabriel Byrne. As if that wasn't enough, it was every bit as intense, thrilling, entertaining, and well-made as anything else in the John Wick franchise (some of those action sequences and kills were stunning). And yet... maybe with streaming and video sales a sequel might still happen? I sure hope so.

#5 Mickey 17 (Warner Bros.)
That Bong Joon Ho is a remarkable filmmaker is not up for debate. But when I saw the trailer for this film, I had to wonder if he had lost his mind. This was the follow-up to Parasite? But then I saw the movie and it had a quirky brilliance reminiscent of Snowpiercer that was far better than you'd think it would be. I was happy to see that Robert Pattinson manages to craft another unique character which is sometimes offbeat to distraction but never fails to serve the film.

#6 Playdate (Amazon)
As you have no doubt noticed from previous year picks, I'm a sucker for a good action comedy, but honestly didn't think this was going to be worth my time. I watched it only because Alan Ritchson was in it, and had zero expectations. Only to find one of the funnier flicks of the year lovingly wrapped in a full-on action movie that succeeds on all fronts. Kevin James, an actor I just haven't seen in things because his projects don't interest me, was flawless in his role as hapless bystander turned hilarious participant in the madness. I loved it from start to finish and it will likely turn into one of those comfort movies I put on as background noise while I'm working or cleaning the house, but ultimately end up watching because I just can't help myself.

#7 Nobody 2 (Universal)
The first Nobody was a total surprise. Yes, I love Bob Odenkirk. Yes, I love the movies that David Leitch produces. Putting them together should have immediately caught my attention. But it didn't until the film got to home streaming. But the second time around? Oh yeah. I bought it the minute it was available digitally. And was not disappointed. Filled with the humor, wit, charm, and explosive action you'd expect... with an endgame you deserve... I sure as heck hope that this is a stepping stone to Nobody 3.

#8 The Ballad of Wallis Island (Peacock)
Always a great thing to manage to be pleasantly surprised by a movie. And this one surprised me quite a lot. If I had to sum it up in one word, that would probably be "charming," though it's so much more than that. Originally a short film that got turned into a full film, it doesn't feel like a short film that got stuffed with enough fluff to reach feature-length. Wonderfully scripted and beautifully shot... sentimental and sweet... but never cloying or tedious, I'd recommend this movie to anybody looking for a nice distraction from the horrors of everyday life.

#9 The Phoenician Scheme (Focus)
You either get Wes Anderson or you don't. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that everybody will love this movie. But I did. First of all, this is the first role where Michael Cera wasn't playing Michael Cera, which was refreshing. Second of all, the cast is absolutely stacked... starring Benicio del Toro to Mia Theapleton... and there's guest appearances by Tom Hanks, Richard Ayoade, Riz Ahmen, Jeffrey Wright, Willem Dafoe, Bryan Cranston, F. Murray Abraham, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson, and a guest appearance by Bill Murray that is so sublimely perfect that I still can't get it out of my head. Wes Anderson movies are not going to rake in a billion dollars, so I can only guess that he can always attract talent like this because they just love working with the guy. And they know they'll get to be in an awesome flick like this.

#10 A Working Man (Amazon)
While not the fantastic Jason Statham flick that The Beekeeper was last year, it was still another action flick worth watching. And I was very glad to have it given that The Beekeeper 2 hasn't been released yet. While Statham movies don't always have a twist like Wrath of Man did, preferring to be a straight A-to-B shot of straight-up action like this one, I'm just not looking for that every time. Sometimes I like to turn my brain off and go from A-to-B. But there IS a twist here... this movie was written by David Ayer and Sylvester Stallone?!? Didn't see that coming!

#11 Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (Paramount)
The final film in Tom Cruise's "Ethan Hunt Octology" is pretty amazing in some ways... and a head-scratching mess in others. Nearly three hours in length, the first third is non-stop exposition which has some fun flashback moments to show how the past of the franchise relates to current events, but it's mostly a boring slog. We would have been far better off had they just cut to the chase and not try to link every last thing together before the movie actually starts (though I loved Donloe being a bit part in the first film being a major player in the last!). But once it actually does start? It's pretty great, featuring amazing action at the endgame with a hallmark stunt that's Tom Cruise at his death-defying best. The Entity from the previous film is gaining control of the world's nuclear arsenal, which spells doom for all humanity unless Hunt & Co. can figure out a way of stopping it. And the fun is in the ride, not really the conclusion. A good film that could have been great, Final Reckoning isn't the worst way for the Cruise era to go out... until the inevitable reboot.

#12 Black Bag (Focus)
Few directors I like are as hit or miss for me as Steven Soderbergh. Here he's not only hit, he's done it in a way so stylish and engaging that it has me wondering what pushed him to get there (I thought Presence was good, not great, so this was a surprise). Few writers I like are as hit or miss as David Koepp. Sure he did a brilliant job of adapting Jurassic Park, but he can also stink up the screen with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull too. Here he's not only hit with a sexy, svelte, stylish, engaging script, but came up with such a great hook that it has me wondering what pushed him to get there. What should have been a retread of Mr. & Mrs. Smith ends up being something so much more when it stars Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, elevating a spy caper to something worth your valuable time. A part of me wishes that this was a 6-episode TV series so it could have had a little more room to breath and given us more of a good thing.

#13 Wake Up Dead Man (Netflix)
Rian Johnson knows how to craft a good mystery movie, and this one was so good that I immediately had to run back and watch Knives Out and Glass Onion because I was left wanting more. As always with a mystery flick that doesn't cheat the viewer, I gotta immediately go back and watch it again so I can see all the clues that I missed. This time it wasn't quite as easy to see, but it was all there to be discovered.

#14 Weapons (New Line)
There is nothing that makes me happier than when people I like find success. Zach Cregger is one of those people whose acting roles always made me a fan... but this? This?!? Brilliant horror with compelling characters which drive it to deserved success. And a frickin' mind-blowing character turn by Amy Madigan that's almost worth the price of admission alone.

#15 KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
Proving for the hundredth time that Sony Pictures has no fucking idea what they are doing (which is apparent to anybody who saw Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven), they took this brilliant animated movie and... gave it to Netflix?!? If you love K-pop music like I do, this is great. If you like tunes with meaningful lyrics like I do, this is great. If you love good animation like I do, this is great. If you just like a good movie, this is great. It's great.

#16 Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)
Look, it's a wallace & Gromit movie. What else do you need to know? Wildly funny, brilliantly animated, wonderfully charming.

#17 Zootopia 2 (Disney)
I saw this on a Disney cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. It was surprising for feeling so fresh just as the first one was surprising for feeling so unexpected. I would not mind at all getting a third film in the franchise so long as they keep finding new ways to keep this amazing world and fascinating characters interesting.

#18 One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Yes, yes, I know that this is the #1 movie on a lot of lists for 2025. And it is a very, very good film. But it's just not my cup of tea. I can watch it and appreciate the talent that went into making it. I can even see how some consider it a masterpiece of cinema. And it is. But when your top three films are all super-hero movies, and you found more entertainment from a cartoon with talking animals, then "masterpiece" only goes so far in what you want to watch for entertainment. Oh well. I liked it enough to have it hit my list, so maybe I'm not totally a lost cause?

NOT IN MY TOP EIGHTEEN, BUT FEELS LIKE IT SHOULD BE

• Captain America: Brave New World (Marvel Studios)
  Apparently they changed the movie more than once as they were shooting, and the result is a big ol' mess. They tried to come up with another Captain America: Winter Soldier by pumping in some political espionage, but did a terrible job of it. The narrative is anything but smooth from beat to beat and the overall story was boring. As if that wasn't enough, the air battle at the one hour mark was truly awful. I did love that Joaquin Torres played a part as the new Falcon (I was surprised he was in the previous TV series The Falcon & The Winter Soldier), but everything else was pretty bad. Sam's dialogue was mostly groan-inducing instead of clever (and even Anthony Mackie couldn't save it). Harrison Ford was given horrible material. Sabra was jammed into the show for no reason. The villain was good, but used badly. And Isaiah Bradley, a character with so much to offer, was inexplicably used as a pawn for a silly plot point. And then there's Red Hulk, which was a great idea, but implemented in a stupid way and defeated in an even stupider one after a disjointed battle at The White House that had Sam's vibranium wings charging up, then mysteriously discharging from one action beat to the next. Where did that energy go and why did he never direct it at Red Hulk until the very end? This entire movie was such a nonsensical wasted opportunity and I honestly don't understand it. I was still entertained enough that I was happy to see it (and it sets up Wolverine nicely with the adamantium angle), but holy shit did Sam (and the fans) deserve better than this.

HONORABLE MENTION

• Frankenstein (Netflix)
  As a massive Guillermo del Toro fan, I was looking forward to this. What I wasn't looking forward to was yet another Frankenstein's Monster movie. And yet... del Toro found a take that managed to elevate it to a level I should have anticipated, but didn't for some reason. Don't make the mistake of skipping it because you're not into monster movies. This is a film with something to say.
• Novocaine (Paramount)
  Finding an interesting concept for a movie is rarely Job #1. Here it is. Finding a way to turn that interesting concept into a decent flick is rarely Job #2. Here it is. The result is not without its missteps, but is wholly entertaining.
• Final Destination: Bloodlines
  For a Final Destination movie to work, the writers have to be very clever about how Death comes for the characters. The more convoluted and interesting the series of events, the more interesting their death, and the more entertaining the movie will be. This time around the writers were very clever indeed, trying to find new ways to breathe life into the franchise. Sure, the logic doesn't always track from film to film and they violate their own rules as to how you can "cheat death," but ultimately that's not what's most important. This is my favorite out of the entire franchise, and having Tony Todd's character fully explained from the previous films is just icing on the cake.
• Elio (Disney)
  Adorable. Well-animated. Stylistically fun and engaging. I don't know why this film failed so badly at the box office, because it has all the pieces which make you think it should have been a big success.
• The Life List (Netflix)
  When it comes to rom-coms, there's really not much new territory left to tread. It's all been done before. What makes it work is how they re-tell the same old story. And this is how The Life List manages to rise above. It's yet another "woman has to try to change her life for the better to honor her dying relative" tale, but one that's done quite well.
• F1: The Movie (Apple)
  This is not a great movie, but it is a visual stunner with racing scenes that are worth the price of admission. I'm not an F1 fan, but if you are... this is a total no-brainer for you to watch. Otherwise? It could be seen as tedious if you can't jump in.
• Eternity (Apple)
  Okay, you got me. These afterlife movies never seem to fare well with me, but this time you got me. A woman having to choose between her first and second husband in the afterlife is just enough of a twist on an old theme as to catch my interest, and Elizabeth Olsen knows how to play it to perfect comedic effect.

DIDN'T SEE, MIGHT HAVE MADE MY LIST

• Splitsville
  This is a flick that was completely off my radar... until I had two very different friends say I should give it a look because it's a funny dive into relationships which I might like.
• Avatar: Fire and Ash
  Apparently this is the best of the Avatar movies so far. I liked the first two, though found them to be spectacle more than story, which is why I'm intrigued by the idea of a film that's both. Maybe that's this one.
• Sentimental Value
  Have Stellan Skarsgård in your cast, and you've automatically got me as an audience. Alas, the subject matter of family drama didn't feel like something I was ready to dive into, so I never paid the money for the digital streaming. I will absolutely be looking at it when it hits whatever streaming platform gets it, and have heard good things.
• 28 Years Later
  I loved the idea of a new installment to the franchise, but was pissed at the idea of a trilogy when the single installments which preceded this one were so wonderfully done. But I guess you couldn't go from 28 Years Later to 28 Decades Later very easily, so maybe that's all they had?
• Lavender Men
  The concept of a movie that's intentionally all over the place tonally while trying to put a lens on queer history as a jumping off point for modern lives is just compelling enough to make me want to see it.
• Predator: Badlands
  When the trailer hit, it didn't seem like it was an actual Predator movie... it felt more like somebody using Predator to shove through an original story so it could get made. I'm told this is not quite true, and the film is actually quite good. So sign me up. Eventually. When I have time.
• Bugonia
  While not a fan of Yorgos Lanthimos by any stretch of the imagination, there's no denying that he's a compelling filmmaker. After he destroyed Poor Things (in my humble opinion, as a fan of the book), I wasn't planning on watching Bugonia until I started hearing about it in favorable terms from critics I like. So... maybe?

DISAPPOINTING

• Fountain of Youth (Apple)
  Guy Ritchie is one of my favorite writer/directors. This dumpster fire is what happens when he doesn't write what he directs. And, unfortunately, the stacked cast does nothing to save it. I honestly don't understand how this was made, because everybody involved should have questioned the script.
• Love Hurts (Universal)
  As a big fan of the Ke Huy Quan renaissance we're getting, this was just awful. Lazy, sloppy, and cringe in all the worst ways.
• Lilo & Stitch (Disney)
  With very few exceptions, these Disney live-action remakes are just not worth it. I always end up disappointed because 1) They are not necessary and end up inferior to the source material, and 2) They make senseless changes which sabotage what makes the original story so good.
• The Old Guard 2 (Netflix)
  To say I was rabidly looking forward to this sequel to the brilliant original adaptation was an understatement. I loved The Old Guard and couldn't believe we were finally getting more. Then we get this disaster. Needlessly confusing and inexplicably nonsensical, all they had to do was continue what they had been already started. Instead we got this? Why? The action wasn't even elevated, which makes this a miss in every department.
• The Naked Gun (Paramount)
  I wanted to like the remake, but the entire viewing I was just disappointed that it wasn't the original. So much of it was just... dumb-funny. It didn't hold any genuine laughs for me.

WORST

• Section 31 (Paramount)
  gut-wrenchingly awful. You have legend Michelle Yeoh doing her best to tear up the scenery at her evil best, but nothing could save this bland story which wouldn't even be notable if not for being tied to Star Trek.
• The Electric State (Amazon)
  A misguided and overall boring, sad, and terrible adaptation. Utterly bizarre that The Russo Brothers, who gave us so many exciting movies, would create this kind of mess.
• Now You See Me: Now You Don't (Lionsgate)
  The first two movies were shit where special effects and camera tricks were supposed to fool us into thinking that these "magicians" could actually do impossible magic tricks, all while being mired in stories with laughably huge plot holes and general stupidity. This was more of the same, and I sincerely hope they're finally done with this crap. Go track down the excellent TV series, Deception instead.
• War of the Worlds (Universal)
  I tuned in specifically to see if the movie is as bad as it was said to be by critics. It's worse. What an unbelievable turd. Zero internal logic. Zero reason to be made. And you can't really blame anybody involved, because swapping out the cast for even the best actors on the planet would in no way save it.

DIDN'T SEE, MOST CERTAINLY SHIT

• Tron Ares (Disney)
  A special effects treat on top of a story by people who don't seem to know what makes Tron be Tron. I do like me some great visual effects though, so I will likely tune in when Disney+ starts streaming it.
• Jurassic World: Rebirth (Universal)
  When are they going to have the good sense to just let this franchise die? MUTANT DINOSAURS?!? That's just a monster movie. It has zero to do with dinosaurs come back to life, which means this is not a Jurassic Park movie, and just continues a downward spiral of something that was once great becoming shit.

Well, here we go.

The entry where I recap all the things that happened in the year. Except... I just don't do as much interesting stuff anymore. That was a time that passed when I stopped traveling constantly for the charity I volunteered for. Now I just sit at home with my cats most of the time. But, because tradition is tradition, you get what you get...

Finally snapped over faux "Christians" finding a way to use the horrific L.A. fires as fuel to be fucking assholes.

I decided to buy a garage freezer to try and save on insane food costs gone wild.

Found joy in cursive spelling...

I mourned the loss of Farmhouse Mexican Rice, which is a staple in my cooking.

Went to a Valentine party at Disneyland, and completed my Loth-Cat mug collection (I have both Batuu-West and Batuu-East editions)...

Ran across somebody who refreshingly knows how to be funny without punching down on trans persons...

I will never understand parents who are content to let their child die... then double down to say "AND WE'D LET THEM DIE AGAIN!" but here we are...

Fulfilled my lifelong dream of owning a Le Creuset Dutch oven...

Learned that Jake does not like to be interrupted when cleaning his paws...

Paid another visit to Disney's lovely Aulani Hawai‘i resort...

Discovered the sexiest cooking video yet made...

And the most fucking embarrassing video of the most fucking embarrassing parade ever...

Or was this the most fucking embarrassing? It's probably a toss-up...

I learned to be afraid of AI. Be very afraid...

Spent my Summer floatin'...

...and boatin'...

Fell in love with growing my own tomatoes...

I watched the most fun podcast episode of the year, thanks to a very good interview with T-Swift...

Reveled in one of the best super-hero scenes of all time, featuring a super-hero most people have never even heard of in my favorite movie of the year...

Survived the end of the world. Yet again.

Repeated a double-bill concert of Cheap Trick and Heart which I watched... 34 years ago...

Finally realized my dream of drinking around the world (of Epcot) and visiting the new Beak and Barrel Tavern at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom...

Took a cruise onboard the Disney Wish...

And, lastly, I said a sad farewell to one of my oldest friends.

Hope everybody has a safe and happy New Year. See you in 2026.

Which is tomorrow, apparently.