New Beginnings, RoadTrips, and Aliens: My April Watchlist

Hey Whores, 

I'm not in that photo btw that just me and my friends on a hike. 

So here's the vibe um I quit my job at the golf course. I'm not going to get into the details but I needed to move on from the position and the stars aligned for it to be very easy to make that step, emotional. I'm not currently fully employed rn. But I have my savings and I'll be fine. 

The last week of April was my busiest. I went on a hike with friends, (as pictured), I mowed my entire lawn and I went on a Roadtrip!

It was not spur of the moment I had wanted to visit a 'friend' if you catch my drift. So I drove out up the highway to Eugene, then Redmond, then Klamath Falls, and then back home. I feasted on a glut of beauty taking in vista after vista and there is something amazing about traveling. Because you are constantly reminded of where you live. It's a stretch of road, or a brick wall with a faded Coca-Cola ad, or some poor hot piece of tarmac and your brain thinks for a moment that your hometown is right around the corner. 

Traveling also reminds you that there are things your've never seen before. I had never been to Central Oregon and it's bizarre to be in a place your've never been before. That's not like anything your'll even seen. Did you know Oregon is partially desert? Sometimes I forget. 

My date went equally well. I'd post a picture but that would be kinda weird. It was nice. I definetly get too in my head about things. I'm filled with an anxiety that people really don't like me and the nice thing about him is that we are taking things slow and I am priding myself in how I have matured as a person. He's really sweet. We spent the day together walking around the city, window shopping, talking, and just having a really lovely time. kinda makes me realize how shallow a lot of my previous dates with people have been. 

anyway whores lets get into the goodstuff. 

The Watchlist 

Ancient Aliens

Referenced: Our Strange Skies

This was an obvious reference for when I reviewed OSS and it's honestly kinda hilarious that I had never watched it before. 

There is really not more to this show. 

Each episode is an hour long and it follows a documentary format that runs that gamet from interesting archeology finds to insane mysticism ramblings that are insulting even to the realm of psuedo-science. 

Here's an example. 

In one episode there is a really fascinating premise. A man claims that there is a hidden pyramid in this mountain in Peru. That sounds rad as hell. OK. Like how does that work. Was the mountain built over the pyramid or was it a natural accumilation. They say that Lame-stream geologists say its a natural erosion but like how does that work?

and that sounds like a claim we could probably check right? Even if your weren't allowed to execavate it you could probably collect data through seismology. What does radar testing show for the area?

The man also claims that these ancient people built this pyramid with concrete that is '10 times stronger then modern versions'

and all these ideas are so deeply fascinating. 

An honest documentarian would take this as a premise. Investigate who this man is, interregate his claims and take joy in the process of discovery. Because even if the answer is that it wasn't aliens there is so much that we could learn and explore. These are still marvels of either nature or man regardless of whether aliens exist. 

and this work ignores that. This work is ultimately dishonest. Because it frames itself as scientific but ignores the fact that a hypothesis can fail. Its so deeply incurious about the truth that it would rather thrash about on a hundred topics then do the justice of exploring one. 

Its bad science, its bad documentation, and its bad ufology. 

The Rest

The Playing Card Killer (2023)

Encounters (2023)

Honestly I don't feel like covering these first two in depth. Netflix has really mass produced there docuseries and its really hard to distinguished them. The Playing Card Killer is a bit of a non entity up similar to Who Killed Jane Dando. Someone definetly died in the case but literally don't ask me a single question about it because I don't remember. 

Encounters is a much more well produced mini-series about aliens and that one was a lot more fun. I like weird paranormal shows .

Tidying up with Marie Kondo (2019)

oddly enough for this list the first time I ever watched Marie Konda was in 2019. I was living on the coast before I even started this blog. (could you imagine), and my first exposure to her. Was rather limited. 

Marie Kondo, put simply is a professional organizer whose sold one of those viral self-help books, in this case the Konmari Method. A multistep procedure to help one you guessed it is to tidy up. The core tenet is thus; when you hold something in your hands ask yourself 'does it spark joy' and if it doesn't why the hell do you still want it in your life?

On my first taste of this show thats all I took away from it as did most people. So how does the show expand on her ideas?

These types of docu-series have a kind of running issue. When you give yourself a gimick, (such as following the talents signiture method), there is always a need to stay at theme. HTBASR from last month was particular agresious with this. In TUwMK we will meet a variety of different families who are all struggling with staying tidy and honestly it feels like we skip over a lot of there personal struggles so that we can have another didactic lession on how to fold baby clothes. 

Say what you will about horders, (hey its an apt comparision), they put an effort into fleshing out the subjects, (victims?), of there episodes with this show the characterization feels half-baked. 

Its not poorly made by any means and the subject matter is interesting so definetly check it out if your looking for a relaxing if somewhat repetative show. 

Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak (2020)

Released horrible aprepos a month into Covid. P:HTPAO is a harbinger of the horrors to come. Following a variety of people at the forefront of pandamic prevention and ironically enough a single anti-vaxxer. 

This is just solid polished storytelling. We meet a company doing a pilot trial on a pan-influenza vaccine, a member of the CDC whose here to prevent animal outbreaks, a Sister of Christ giving out vacines to border refugees, an anti-vaxxer mom and the oregon politicians passing vaccine laws, and a rural doctor halfway through her 72 hour shift. Throughout the episodes the various fronts, viewpoints, and actions of the people involved ebb and flow and in terms of narrative structure it is done so well. 

I will also say there is a subtle liberal bent to the framing. Its not something I particular have a problem with. Whatttt egaltarians also tend to be humanitarians??? That's crazy coconuts. 

good shit. 

Kissing Game (Boca a Boca) (2020)

A Brazelian Netflix Original Drama Boca a Boca (Mouth to Mouth) is another horrible on the nose release for the pandemic. Namely because its about a bunch of kids getting SUPERMONO at the local rave. Supermono consists of course with mouth sores, blind unseeing eyes, and mild psychopathy,

I won't get to deep into the plot just know there is a lot of social media trends, dark secrets, bomb EDM music, and of course cows, a lot of cows. A truly surprising amount of cows. 

What is rather lovely is the amount of queer representation in this show which makes sense. Theres nothing more bisexual then making out with people at a rave. Through I will say for any queer people watching this the last episode features some rather differcult subject matter, specifically Queerbashing. Its also hard not to draw a comparision between the disease imagedry and aids if I'm being honest. Maybe thats just me but its definetly a complex and evokative show. You've been forwarned. 

I rather liked this. Definetly need to watch more stuff from Brazil. 

Salt Fat Acid Heat (2018)

Based on the book by the same name. SFAH is a docu-travel series where Samid Nosrat explores a few different cuisines that illustrate her core principles of cooking. Its an absolutely solid food travel series and Nosrat is just an absolute delight as a personality. If your a cook I completely recommend watching. 

School of Chocolate (2021)

School of Chocolate is a cooking competition show heading by Amaury Guichon, who I often describe as 'that chocolate guy who smiles too much'. 

The Show itself is interesting. It markets itself as a traditional cooking competition but the style was quite different. One there is no elimination. Everyone who begins the show works till the ending. To be honest this was a lot less like a traditional competition show and a lot more like my memories of culinary school. This was literally just a chocolatering class that they decided to film like a competition. 

Its good. Its a good show, they make some chocolate shit not sure what else to say but solid 6/10

anyway whores i'm a couple days into March and I'm not really sure what the vibe is rn. I'm figuring it out and in the meantime watching all the stephen king adaptations on my watchlists. theres a lot.