Dinah @metagrrrl@mastodon.social

Minimal plot

Madcap hijinks

Mostly not super cringy to watch with 21st century eyes

Nice huge dance number with Kelly and MacLaine

Two songs, but by Comden and Green (who also wrote the screenplay), so they are not terrible

Kinda stupid

Extremely funny

If you’re prepared for goofy, this movie will cure what ails ya.

Perhaps in these trying times you could use a movie so absurd and over-the-top fabulous that your mind is unable to retain its grip on worries. If so, have I got one for you: What A Way To Go! (1964)

Star-studded: Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly, Dick Van Dyke, and Margaret Dumont.

Edith Head with a half-million dollar costume budget (in 1964 dollars!). MacLaine has 73 costume changes and each one is amazing.

- Set up for success with food and drink early enough before the appointment that I'll be calm, hydrated, and less likely to need the bathroom away from home.
- Get someone who loves me to drive so I can get there and home as quickly and safely as possible. (would be masked, windows open if not already in my germpod).
- Hand sanitizer, COVID-killing wipes, AND proper handwashing.
- Long strapped shoulder bag so I don't have to set anything down on doubtful surfaces.

Hey, if you've been putting off preventative tests, like an annual mammogram or routine blood work, that's not a health sacrifice you need to make.

I'm immunosuppressed, taking about the same precautions as someone who had a transplant or as the parents of a newborn.

Here's my approach:
- Schedule for the least busy time of day; for the first appointment of the day if you can get there for it.
- Check-in online, ask questions in advance by phone.
- Wear a new N95 mask (or at least KN95)
- ...

"I am telling you these things because it makes me uncomfortable to tell you these things." https://monteiro.medium.com/my-people-were-in-shipping-9f102bc5fe60

Good #ttrpg roleplaying advice from one of my excellent players and my sometime DM Lance Arthur https://lancearthur.medium.com/character-development-part-1-5b3cb9ecf0ac #DnD

Do you like #history? Do you like miniature terrain for tabletop roleplaying games #ttrpg? Do you like a whole bunch of illustrations from old manuscripts? Do you like someone boldly #DIY -ing a thing they've never made before in a material they've never used? Have I got a blog post for YOU!

https://kabalor.wordpress.com/2020/11/25/df-diy-creating-a-shop-front-for-dwarven-forge-city-builder/

- We expected about 45-60 minutes of everybody interacting once we got past the setting up, but we had a good time & it wound up being half again that before folks began dropping off
- even though you didn't have to do the driving / cooking / cleaning, it's more work to have quality time over Zoom; you're still doing a major social event of the year & you will still be tired afterwards
- don't expect more of yourself than you would on any other Thanksgiving. Take a holiday. ❤️

Tips:
- start earlier in the day when people's energy is higher (say, noon)
- plan on the first 15-25 minutes being folks slowly joining the call & getting tech issues sorted out
- if someone isn't there by 15 or 20 minutes in, call them on the phone; it's 2020, who even remembers what day it is, right?
- set a time limit (I said not going past 3pm)
- encourage people to come at the start & then either take a break & come back, or just stay as long as feels good for their Zoom tolerance

We did our family Thanksgiving Zoom today & it was so nice to see everyone!

We didn't try to have a meal together, just talked about this & that. Some deep & important, some entirely trivial. No it wasn't the same as in person, but we felt connected.

And no one had to drive anywhere or do a ton of cleaning or shopping.

Most important of all, no one had to increase anyone's risk of catching COVID-19.

It's easy to be thankful for your family & yourself. Stay home, stay distant, stay safe.