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Theatre history and etiquette

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Theatre has been hit hard by Covid 19. We all know this. In honor of the opening and lifting of regulations due to Covid, let's dive into some theatre facts you didn't know before.  Theatre (live theatre) is an art form that created the modern films you know and love. Why is it important? Look around you and tell me what DVDs and TV shows you love most, then imagine that live theatre never happened and acting was never a profession. Most of our entertainment stemmed from live theatre. Let's honor and give that fact some respect with some wacky, strange, and weird trivia. Go buy tickets to the next live show you can see, too. Support the live theatre experience as much as you support our movie theatres, please. Without the live theatre experience, you would never have modern theatre and your Netflix favorites.  Broadway For those who don't know, off-broadway is not based on geography. It is actually based on the number of seats. Shows move from off-off-Broadway and move ...

Movies so bad they're hilarious

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You heard about The Room? Well, it was not watched for quality. Some films get watched for mocking purposes. The Room was truly a disaster that was shown again for laughs (when it wasn't actually a comedy!). How many other disaster artists are there? Let's dive into that.  Fun fact, there is a filmmaker by the name of Neil Breen that is truly something else (and by something else I mean.....just interesting). I once showed a professor (one who knew how to make good films) a clip of Breen's work. He had no words. The filmmakers I'm talking about today produced movies that are so bad they are hilarious. It was never intended to be a comedy and we are laughing at it.  Manos: The Hands of Fate I'm actually going to start with one that is so bad this mere clip is enough to leave me laughing at the quality of it. If you can sit through this whole movie you are stronger than I.  The clip above is from Manos: The Hands of Fate . I'd imagine that you couldn't fake th...

Historical Debutante Balls

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Bridgerton is all the rage these days, and that leads us to the accuracy of the series. Debutante balls, upscale society, etc.... Without further adieu, let's go into it. Every series is not without historical inaccuracies unless it is a documentary. Historical fiction is not exact, but close enough. I am not going to compare my research to Bridgerton because of the sheer amount of articles already published on that topic. I'll let you compare my research to the drama on Netflix yourselves.  Where the tradition comes from  England is the start of our research journey. The idea was that at a certain age women were presented to society to find a husband of similar or higher social standing. They were often accompanied by a large dowry. The debutantes were debuted in seasons, like when the families were all in the same area. The end goal is to have a ring on your hand and a husband. If you failed to catch a man after 3 seasons and you were 30 you'd be considered a spinster. Th...

Teaching Introverts

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Introverts know all too well that public education, camps, and even society as a whole are based on extroverts. We are tired of being told we need to be fixed. Half the world is introverted, so why are we being taught like extroverts? Teachers, you can help us learn better and be more comfortable in your classrooms and camps. Listen carefully and let me invite you into this discussion. I understand that you have to teach both extroverts and introverts in the same classroom. I understand that you are responsible for all the kids at camp and that a bored child can become trouble rather quickly. I just want to make it clear that introverts are often overwhelmed with group activities for long periods of time, being called out publicly and put on the spot, and generally being forced into any spotlight. Yes, we learn to do extroverted things, but only because we were forced into it at a young age and we need to survive out in the world. We hate small talk, yet we learn to do it for work and ...

sex in books and Christianity

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 Sex. It is why you exist and why you are sitting reading this blog, believe it or not. It is a natural thing for humans to do. We were built for it. Should it be depicted in fiction? Let's take a look at the pros and cons.  I'm looking at this from a Christian perspective. I am also going to define some things right out of the gate.  Erotica - literature written with the intended purpose of arousing the audience Pornography - representations in word or image that are designed to arouse the audience I'm going to make a point in saying that erotica and porn are purposely trying to turn on their audience. It is not accidental. It will not be a subtle one-paragraph of sex that does this. Fifty Shades of Gray  is a whole book of sex, as an example (which I have never read and think it's trash all the same). I do not endorse a display that purposely tries to arouse your reader. You have to understand that most romantic suspense and romance novels that have a real plot a...

writers and the editing process

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 Writers and their written work have a special bond. We write something to life, but then to edit our work, we tear it apart without mercy. After that, it is beautiful again. It isn't easy to criticize the story you spent months writing. Let's talk about it. Join me in discussing the hardships of editing.  Writing is energizing and fun for me. Editing, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. It takes energy to do it. While necessary, it also means I need to edit in a way that gives me breaks periodically. Good editing shouldn't be rushed. Good editors also cost some money. I have found, personally, that you should edit your work yourself - to the point that you can't see anything wrong with it - and then hire an editor. From there you give an editor a better manuscript to look over.  There are many ways you can go about editing your writing. Whatever you do, make sure you show it to someone else for a fresh edit. Entrust it to a human who doesn't know it backward ...

Gaming and Intellect

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Some people think you waste time by gaming. Well, let's look at the research and see how it affects you intellectually. They might be wrong.  Photo courtesy of Call of Duty First of all, plenty of games require intellect to even finish. Legend of Zelda has logic and critical thinking puzzles riddled through it, with some side quests that open hidden areas. Try to tell me that this game doesn't need a thinking brain and you will be lying. The same points can be made for Nancy Drew Herinteractive games, any game with logic puzzles, and the interactive ds game novels of Hotel Dusk and Last Window.  Another point to make here is that it requires the ability to multitask to fight in games. Many enemies coming toward you at once takes the thought to move and hit the right combos, especially in Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. It is not easy to play to the point of the last boss. I am only on level 2. There are no checkpoints in level - only at the beginning and end of each level. It is i...