Spend your whole day without watching no TV

[sovay]

Happy Valentine's Day! Under normal circumstances, spatch and I would be observing the conjunction of the holiday with President's Day from the balcony of the Somerville Theatre, watching as close as we can manage to twenty-four hours of science fiction film with the rest of the Boston Sci-Fi Marathon. It is our oldest shared tradition. We have been celebrating it together since 2012. Under circumstances of plague-time and considerations of technology, we are not even attending virtually this year. Instead, with recourse to our trusty handful of streaming services and a few ringers, we have programmed ourselves the Black Cat 'Thon 2021: Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953), Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), Matinee (1993), The Hands of Orlac (1924), Humanoids from the Deep (1980), The Brother from Another Planet (1984), The Silent Star (1960), Fantastic Planet (1973), Born in Flames (1983), Prospect (2018), Cherry 2000 (1987), The Atomic Submarine (1959), and Destroy All Monsters (1968), plus trailers and shorts as intervals throughout the night and last-minute substitutions as needed. We have no Atomic Fireballs, but Rob made cookies heavy on the cinnamon. For extra authenticity, we can leave the house and run around the block in the freezing dark at unwise hours of the morning to find no restaurants open. Wish us luck!

Comments

[cmcmck]

And to you two.

We would normally be out having a meal somewhere but as it happens we've just celebrated with a takeaway meal from our local pub which can still at least provide those!

There have also been choccies! :o)

Duck Dodgers is a HUGE favourite!

[sovay]

And to you two.

Thank you! I am glad you had celebratory takeaway.

[asakiyume]

Why have you no atomic fireballs!?

Otherwise, this plan seems very sound and appealing to me, and I look forward to the report (and I have a Patreon entry of yours to enjoy in the meantime).

[sovay]

Why have you no atomic fireballs!?

Because we didn't think to buy any in advance! But we had cookies and a package from selkie, who sent us both storebought ginger chews and homemade licorice.

Otherwise, this plan seems very sound and appealing to me, and I look forward to the report (and I have a Patreon entry of yours to enjoy in the meantime).

Thank you! It was a success!

[selkie]

In what language is the licorice currently screaming as you eat it, the Finnish of its origin recipe or the Italian of its main freight?

[sovay]

In what language is the licorice currently screaming as you eat it, the Finnish of its origin recipe or the Italian of its main freight?

Doesn't have enough salt to perform the Kalevala, so it must be Italian.

[choco_frosh]

For extra authenticity, we can leave the house and run around the block in the freezing dark at unwise hours of the morning to find no restaurants open.

LOL. Thank you, I needed that.
Good luck!

[sovay]

LOL. Thank you, I needed that.

(We did not leave the house for authenticity. We did step out on our back porch to try to determine why there was hair on the rail. We're still not sure and a little distressed we had to contemplate the question at all.)

Good luck!

Thank you! It worked!

[skygiants]

INCREDIBLE. I believe in you both!

[sovay]

I believe in you both!

Thank you! When spatch emerged from napping through one feature and one TV episode doubling as a short and asked me how they had been, I got to respond, "Robert Picardo played Karl Rove and got killed by a zombie!"

[thisbluespirit]

Ha, good luck! (Have fun. ♥)

[sovay]

Ha, good luck! (Have fun. ♥)

Thank you! We did!

[rosefox]

That sounds fantastic. Enjoy!

[sovay]

That sounds fantastic. Enjoy!

We did! It was pretty great.

[kathmandu]

Good for you figuring out a way to replicate the highlights of the experience.

I would not have thought of Born in Flames as relating to Duck Dodgers or Escape to Witch Mountain at all.

[sovay]

Good for you figuring out a way to replicate the highlights of the experience.

Thank you!

I would not have thought of Born in Flames as relating to Duck Dodgers or Escape to Witch Mountain at all.

It is speculative, which is the only rule of the 'Thon. There have been incredible grab-bags some years and always worth it. (Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century is also the traditional opening to the program, so we weren't going to leave it out.)

[dramaticirony]

Very glad you're able to celebrate an adapted version of the thon tradition!

A few neat sounding things on your list that I've not heard of, but am intrigued by. Hope you enjoy the program!

[sovay]

Very glad you're able to celebrate an adapted version of the thon tradition!

Thank you!

A few neat sounding things on your list that I've not heard of, but am intrigued by. Hope you enjoy the program!

I shall certainly write a review once I've recovered. If you participated virtually in the 'Thon itself, I hope you enjoyed it, too!

[dramaticirony]

I ended up juggling two conventions: Con of the North (a gaming con, and so "side gig" work) and Boskone. The latter was lovely--tons of strong panels. One thing I liked: having two channels for audience participation: a Q/A where you can ask questions of the panel, and a chat for geeking out. "Comments" are not annoying when they don't interrupt and you can engage with them asynchronously, including after the panel is done. That being said, I think Arisa had more sense of "community".

So no 'Thon for me, though I did get a chance to catch Have Your Seen My Movie "at" the Brattle, an neat experiment that creates a narrative about watching a movie by editing together the almost endless amount of footage that exists across film of people attending movies: buying tickets, walking the red carpet, working the projection booth, making out in the dark, and so on. Not for everyone, but a really interesting way to examine how editing can conjure meaning out of a jumble of separate sequences. Also a lot of nostalgic power at a time when we can't attend a theater.

[sovay]

That being said, I think Arisa had more sense of "community".

I was surprised by how much Arisia felt like a real convention and not just a bunch of conversations to dead air. I'm glad about the programming at Boskone, though!

I did get a chance to catch Have Your Seen My Movie "at" the Brattle, an neat experiment that creates a narrative about watching a movie by editing together the almost endless amount of footage that exists across film of people attending movies: buying tickets, walking the red carpet, working the projection booth, making out in the dark, and so on.

I don't know how much it would do for me to watch that movie, but I like the idea of it existing.

[gwynnega]

Enjoy your improvised movie marathon!

[sovay]

Enjoy your improvised movie marathon!

Thank you! We had a tired but splendid time, which feels like a successful marathon to me.

[minoanmiss]

have a grand homemade SF Fest!

[sovay]

have a grand homemade SF Fest!

Thank you! We are trying not to be too smug in thinking ours was one of the best lineups yet.

[moon_custafer]

Having watched Get Crazy and The Mummy’s Hand yesterday, we’re currently going through a Looney Tunes collection; very likely Duck Dodgers will show up.

[sovay]

Having watched Get Crazy and The Mummy’s Hand yesterday, we’re currently going through a Looney Tunes collection; very likely Duck Dodgers will show up.

I hope you will or have enjoyed!

[oracne]

Whee! Have fun!

[sovay]

Whee! Have fun!

Thank you! We did!

[kore]

Cherry 2000! Man, I saw that movie on cable in the Dark Ages.

[sovay]

Cherry 2000! Man, I saw that movie on cable in the Dark Ages.

It is one of the Eightiest movies I have ever seen.

[selkie]

Well, it’s been eight hours, you alive?

The tar cookies reminded me I should send you the recipe for The Original Name Is Racist So We Call It Porn in Your Mouth Which Is Only Tacky Instead. It does require white candy melt. Which is also tacky.

[sovay]

Well, it’s been eight hours, you alive?

Not yet asleep, but definitely alive! And pleased with our programming.

The tar cookies reminded me I should send you the recipe for The Original Name Is Racist So We Call It Porn in Your Mouth Which Is Only Tacky Instead. It does require white candy melt. Which is also tacky.

I have no idea what confectionary you are talking about, but you should definitely send us the recipe. I keep white chocolate chips around.

[selkie]

I think the Protestants invented it. I had never had it until introduced to it by the flaxen Saxons who gave the world my spouse. They have always very very sheepishly called it by its non-racist name but you know, that's a word they don't say, so usually they mouth it.

I will email you the recipe because it is likely you have everything, and it is surprisingly amazing stuff for the sum of its parts, but you may or may not need to really homogenize your kind of peanut butter for it to do anything not-unattractive when it hits lukewarm white [melted cocoa butter product of choice].

[sovay]

I will email you the recipe because it is likely you have everything, and it is surprisingly amazing stuff for the sum of its parts, but you may or may not need to really homogenize your kind of peanut butter for it to do anything not-unattractive when it hits lukewarm white [melted cocoa butter product of choice].

Our peanut butter is Teddie's which needs to be homogenized every time you take the lid off, so I suspect we will manage. spatch has been using it for cookies and even penuche variants quite successfully. (His best penuche variant is basically just maple.)

[swan_tower]

That whole thing sounds like a splendid plan!

My husband and I will observe Valentine's Day according to our tradition, which is to say, home-baked cookies today and a celebratory meal two days later (which is a splendid way to avoid mobs on the day itself).

[sovay]

That whole thing sounds like a splendid plan!

It worked out! We were delighted!

My husband and I will observe Valentine's Day according to our tradition, which is to say, home-baked cookies today and a celebratory meal two days later (which is a splendid way to avoid mobs on the day itself).

That does sound very nice. What kind of cookies did you bake?

[swan_tower]

Chocolate chip -- nothing fancy, just the Tollhouse recipe. But ages and ages ago, before we'd really gotten together, Kyle baked me cookies on Valentine's Day because he decided it would be too cheesy to ask me out on that day. Despite this decision, ever since then he has tried to retcon that into our dating anniversary (whereas I argue for either the 12th, when we had dinner together for the first time, or the 16th, when he officially asked if I was seeing anyone).

[nineweaving]

Bon voyage!

Nine

[sovay]

Bon voyage!

To space and beyond and back!

[nodrog]

La Planète sauvage (1973) is best watched on good-quality hashish.  You have my personal word on this.

[sovay]

La Planète sauvage (1973) is best watched on good-quality hashish. You have my personal word on this.

I trust you. We watched it straight, but it was still pretty fantastic.