More Subconscious Earping

I dreamt I was at another Earper meetup (having been to my first actual one this past weekend). It was much smaller and a different venue, about 5 people seated around a large round table at something like a diner. One of the five was Wynonna Earp* showrunner Emily Andras.

She was asking Wynonna Earp trivia questions which started with question 2.

"You skipped question one," someone at the table pointed out.

"Nope," Emily said, "Question 2 is the first question."

OK, I shrugged.

The next question was 11. Made enough sense to me.

My glass was empty so I got up to get some more water. "May I have some water please?" I asked the guy behind the counter.

"Sure," he said, pouring me a small glass. "That'll be 57 cents."

"For tap water? Could you at least pour me a bigger glass?" I asked as I fished out a dollar to pay him.

"You should really talk to Linda," he said leading me into the back. Oddly it was not a kitchen but a sizable room with a wall to the side with a cutout window in it which made me think of the DMV. Linda was sitting behind it.

Apparently there was some paperwork I could fill out to get tap water for free, but Linda was about to leave for lunch and couldn't find it.

"What information do you need? Could I just write it out for you?" I asked, trying to move things along. I was missing the trivia game with Emily freaking Andras and did not care that much about the water.

Alas I woke up before I got back to the meetup, my brain deciding my subconscious was just jerking me around.

Still, it's always fun when people you admire turn up in your dreams.



*Why are you not watching Wynonna Earp yet?! It's coming back for season 3 in 2018, so you have time to catch up on the first two seasons.

11 years ago on TTaT: Yacht Rock

Wynonna Earp, Vol. 2: Legends

43. Wynonna Earp, Vol. 2: Legends by Beau Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Thoroughly enjoyed this collection! A fun ride which introduces Waverly, Officer Haught, and Bobo from the TV series. I am always game for more Earp sisters and other character interactions.

Melanie Scrofano's contributions on the last two issues as a co-writer (also being the actress who plays Wynonna Earp) really brought Wynonna's sass and the humor of the show to the page in a way I loved. She and Beau Smith make a great team!

Tim Rozon, who plays Doc Holliday, also co-wrote with Beau Smith on issues in this collection bringing more of Doc to life. Good times.


9 years ago on TTaT: Twice, seriously?

Tales of the Black Badge

Since today was hot and muggy, Mom decided walking around outside wouldn't be great and asked if I'd be up for heading to the mall in quasi-civilization about an hour away instead. I was not psyched about it because I felt exhausted, but it's her birthday so I was game. I knew I wouldn't have to drive and figured I could rest on the way over.

I continued my low key workout when I had an excellent idea. My eyes lit up. A drive of about an hour each way?

Tales of the Black Badge.

It's a fan podcast for the feminist supernatural Western television show Wynonna Earp. (Season two just ended and they will be back for season 3 next year. Now is a great time to get caught up from the beginning!) On the podcast, Bonnie and Kevin interview cast members and discuss episodes of the show.

Though I'd been interacting with other Earpers (as fans of the show are called) on Twitter since last year, I hadn't gotten into the podcasts. Just not my medium of choice, you know? I've been catching up on the interview podcasts from the beginning this summer. Usually I listen to chunks while putting my laundry away. I was excited for a chance to listen to a whole episode or two at once.

I dug out my iPod, plugged it in, and transferred a few podcasts I'd downloaded from iTunes to it while it charged.

First up was Tales of the Black Badge #15 with Melanie Scrofano, the actress who plays Wynonna Earp herself. What a delightful interview! I closed my eyes and just listened as they talked about episodes from season 1 and felt myself smiling. It genuinely improved my mood and made me feel better. I was still tired but bolstered for the afternoon ahead.

Thank you, Melanie, Kevin and Bonnie!

It probably sounds totally antisocial (which is not to say I'm not) but my parents were sitting up front and I was in the backseat. On the highway, the road noise is loud and it's hard to converse between the front and back without yelling. So, easier all around for me to give them a heads up that I was tuning out for a bit.

The podcast finished as we arrived which was perfect.

I'd forgotten what a difference going to somewhere as simple as JC Penney makes when you go to a mall in a more populous area. The stores in my economically depressed area always have less selection even when they manage to stay in business. Easily 90% of the small local mall is empty where I live. Even the Penneys, Macys, and Best Buy all closed (3 out of 5 anchor stores).

It'd been a long time since I'd seen a mall full of open stores. And I'd forgotten about places having more options. Like maybe I wouldn't mind clothes shopping with the prospect I might actually see something I liked. And they might conceivably have it in my size.

I was still looking in mens wear, but that's because I like pants pockets to be useful and the sizing is better for my height.

Curiously when I was looking at eyeglass frames, the guy made a point of telling me, "The women's are over there." On the upside, he didn't mistake me for a man which happened to me at another eyeglass shop earlier this summer, but he clearly had opinions about what was appropriate for me. Whatevs.

There are at least 3 other eyeglass places in the mall I'll check out some other time.

After shopping/looking for a while, we took a break to have a snack and take a ride. Though it was still early when we got back to the mall, we went ahead to dinner.

Afterwards we hit Macy's and then stopped by the Longhorn Steakhouse to pick up a dessert to go that I'd wanted to try, a slice of their banana cream pie.

Yesterday, I baked my Mom a German chocolate cake, one of her favorites that I've always disliked. She's been gypped some years of a home baked cake because our birthdays are only two days apart. I don't even feel like having a cake this year, so it seemed fitting to bake her favorite for a change. With the pie, I could still be sociable while they ate cake.

On the way home, I listened to Tales of the Black Badge #20 with Dominique Provost-Chalkley (Waverly Earp) and Katherine Barrell (Nicole Haught), the two actresses who comprise WayHaught. (Just watch Wynonna Earp already!) What a treat! It's fun to listen to their hopes for season 2 while knowing how it played out. I'm still hoping we get to see Waverly deal with some of her old friends' reactions to her relationship in season 3.

Again, listening to them discuss season 1, their hopes for a then uncertain season two, and the fan reactions they've gotten about the show genuinely made me happy. Which then bled over into the day's birthday celebrations.

Thank you, Dominique, Katherine, Kevin and Bonnie!

I even got a match to light on the first strike to light my mom's birthday candles! (Even my mom commented on this because historically after breaking several, she ends up doing it.)

I was relieved and happy that both she and my dad liked the cake I baked, each having seconds. My slice of pie was also good.

Here's to Tales of the Black Badge for bringing some joy to my day which helped me better celebrate my mom's birthday!


11 years ago on TTaT: The Road is my Favorite Place: Day 5

Subconscious Earping

I feel like I brought my Earping¹ to a new level last night. I dreamt I was conversing with Alexandra Zarowny, a writer whose work I admire on Wynonna Earp.

We were discussing succeeding in creative careers and her journey to working on Wynonna Earp. Fortunately my brain started mid-conversation, so I bypassed any awkward introductions.

At one point she said² the key to her success had been narrowing her focus down to one pursuit.

"I still struggle with that," I said. And I do.

It wasn't a perfectly fluid conversation. There were times when it seemed like one or the other of us was about to move on, but then something would trigger further talking. You could argue it was dream montage but I perceived it as a bit of awkwardness on my part.

The next trigger was me saying, "I started reading The Artist's Way³." Which I have. In no coincidence, I'd been reading it before I went to bed last night.

Her eyes lit up. She pulled out a Moleskine, flipped through its pages until she found something and then turned it around for me to see.

It was some of her morning pages with her own negative self talk.

"Oh, I excel at that," I said. And I do. But I took two things from that:

a) We all have inner critics even if we're successful.
b) 3 handwritten pages a day are easier to crank out if your notebook is small.

"You look amazing, by the way," she said. It was here my brain instantly back-filled that I'd run into her at a wedding reception, an event at which you could meet someone unexpectedly, have a normal conversation, and where I'd be some semblance of dressed up. (No idea what either of us was wearing.)

Her compliment took me by surprise, and though I knew she knows a lot of really attractive younger people who work on Wynonna Earp, I took it graciously and said, "Thank you."

She asked me what sort of creative endeavor I wanted to pursue. Without hesitation I said, "Writing and photography." In a wakeful state, I would dilute the answer further, but in the dream, those two answers felt like the core of it.

She kindly expressed interest in reading something of mine, and I started mulling the #TTaTfaves⁴ I've been posting to twitter of late.

"Make sure you send me that video clip when you get the chance," she said. Like an audition for a bit part or background actor.

Wait, what?

Clearly I'd completely misunderstood the last few minutes we'd been talking.

Wasn't she the one who said I should focus on one thing? I hadn't even mentioned acting as a potential interest.

Ah, there must be something about my look that fits a character she has in mind.

Would I even want to do that? Wouldn't it be a distraction from my real goals?

But then it is Wynonna Earp, so yeah, even if it were a distraction, it'd be worth it.

And then I woke up, the final plot twist making me laugh.





¹to Earp (verb): express love for the kickass feminist supernatural Western television show Wynonna Earp. Season two is currently airing 10 PM/9 PM C Fridays on Syfy in the US and on Space channel in Canada; Tuesdays in the UK.

Season one is available on Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon, so get caught up and join the fun!


²Not actually Alexandra Zarowny speaking. Any comments related are only what my dream mind said she said.

³The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron has been on my radar a long time. Dominique Provost-Chalkley tweeted/Instagrammed a photo of a paragraph from it about perfectionism a couple weeks ago that struck a nerve which made me feel it was time to move the book up my queue of things to read. (In true perfectionist fashion, as soon as I remembered I'd forgotten to add this footnote, I turned my computer back on to include it.)

⁴I've started tweeting posts from my blog Taller Than Average Tales' best of page since I've got over 10 years of writing that most people have never seen. They can be found by searching the hashtag #TTaTfaves or visiting my Highlights page on the blog which also has more highly curated lists of favorite posts.


10 years ago on TTaT: Sick of your martyrdom

Wynonna Earp, Volume 1: Homecoming

50. Wynonna Earp, Volume 1: Homecoming by Beau Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It took me a couple of issues to get into it, but the introduction of Valdez in issue 3 won me over. As more of the Earp and Black Badge mythology is laid out, the story flow and character interactions get better.

I also thoroughly enjoyed Beau Smith's essay in the back about his visit to the set of the Wynonna Earp television series. He was as excited about it as any Earper would be. I love the enthusiasm evident in everyone associated with the series.


10 years ago on TTaT: Don't forget to VOTE!

Earp Your Day

While getting my teeth cleaned, my dentist popped in to see if my hygienist needed him to check anything. She didn't, but we chatted teeth for a minute while he looked at my x-rays and notes from last time.

Just as he was about to step back into the hall, I said, "On an unrelated note, watch Wynonna Earp." I know he likes sci-fi, so I thought I'd throw it out there.

He leaned forward and asked, "What's that?"

I took a breath and said, "Wynonna Earp is the great-great-granddaughter of Wyatt Earp and she kills revenants, demon outlaws, that Wyatt killed who are resurrected. It's funny, it has great action. It's not sci-fi, but if you liked Buffy, you'll like it."

"That sounds great!" he said with genuine enthusiasm. "Where's it on?"

"SyFy. The first season's done but it's coming back for season 2 next year, so you have plenty of time to catch up."

"And it was good?"

"Yeah, it really is."

"Thanks for the recommendation," he said with a smile.

"You're welcome!"


11 years ago on TTaT: I have an underwear drawer!

Inspired by Wynonna Earp to Try Something New

I'm not a cosplayer. I'm not even someone who is gung ho to dress up for Halloween.

However...

Something about Wynonna Earp and its wonderful, funny, creative fandom inspired me to ask myself:

Which character could I look most like with what I have on hand?

The women I love from the show, Wynonna, Waverly, Nicole, all have hair for days which I do not. Nor do I dress remotely like any of them.

Hmm.

My hair is dark and about the same length as Doc's though much curlier. If I pull it back with a barrette to dry, it looks a bit straighter when I remove the hair clip.

So what does Doc wear that I have?

Vest: check
Long dark coat: check
Black stetson: check
Various button down shirts: check
Dark pants: check

Huh, go figure.

Of course, Doc is not Doc without his mustache, soul patch, and side burns. I cut those out of a small piece of black cardboard I found while looking for dark brown or black felt. No stubble for simplicity's sake.

Et voilà! Claire as Doc Holliday:

If I were to shoot it again, I'd skip the coat so the vest would show up more and maybe change to my blue linen shirt.


11 years ago on TTaT: Shot through the heart

Why you should watch Wynonna Earp plus bits of real life

If you follow me on twitter (where spoilers abound), you probably know I'm a fan of the show Wynonna Earp. It's kind of ridiculous how much I've fallen for this show. To avoid spoilers from later episodes, here is a link to episode 1 (seems like you need a cable provider to see full episodes). It's also available on iTunes.

If you liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you should definitely give this a try. The bonus of Wynonna Earp is that the characters are mostly in their twenties rather than in high school or college.

Initially, I didn't think it was for me because it has horror elements which is where the first episode starts.

However, the potential of this scene from episode two convinced me to give the show another try from the beginning:


You just have to hang in a little bit longer in episode one to start seeing the humor and superb banter in the show. Simply put, reserve judgement until Wynonna's sister Waverly is introduced. The two of them have such great chemistry and are a treat to watch.

Wynonna is troubled, badass, funny, sexy, and vulnerable often in quick succession. Melanie Scrofano brings her to life full of delicious seeming contradictions that make her feel real.

Now back to the clip above:

When I first saw it, I thought, "I want to be as smooth as Nicole!"

The more I thought about it (another sign that a show is something special), I realized I've been on both sides of that scene. I've tended to be more circumspect in feeling someone out, which I suppose is fine since I've discovered people were taken or straight. But I like Nicole's unapologetic confidence and forthrightness.

In life, I would probably miss the import of Waverly saying, "I'd love to," first, focusing instead on her saying she can't when asked to coffee (which I don't drink in any case). But perhaps my people reading skills have improved some over the years. Alas, there's no one I want to introduce myself to at the moment.

On the flip side, I have been in Waverly's position although I haven't been approached by anyone who provoked delight. Mostly men, but one woman. At the time, I was working in a state where I could be fired for not being straight which added an additional edge to the encounter.

I've even had my own tank top moment though it was more like Wynonna (which actually makes me kind of proud) than Waverly.

I'd been traveling across country for a few months with my car packed to the brim with my essential possessions. I was back in LA staying with a dear friend in the apartment complex I used to live in. My previous roommate who I'd once dated (let's call him Fred) also still lived in the building with his now wife. She'd lived with us for months rent free and then bitched me out when my next apartment fell through. I had been surprisingly calm as she yelled at me, looking at Fred to see if he recognized how extreme she was being. Fred just sat in silence as she raged. I moved out in less than 10 days and left town.

It was now a year or two later.

My car was parked out front next to Fred's truck. I needed a nicer shirt, so I pulled one from the top of the loose pile of clothes on my back seat. No one was around on the street, so I pulled off the t-shirt I'd been wearing and tossed it in with a bag of dirty clothes.

Before I had a chance to put on the new shirt, Fred walked around the corner to see me just wearing a tank top, no brassiere.

Normally embarrassment would be my go-to reaction, but in this case, my brain thought, "Fuck that. Here's what you're missing, buddy," as we chatted and caught up a bit before he left.

*********
To sum up, there are aspects of Wynonna, Waverly, and Nicole I'd like to be more like. Sometimes I wonder if I were their age if that would already be more true, though I reckon I'd still be a hardcore introvert.

In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed season 1 and highly recommend it.

I sincerely hope Syfy renews it for more seasons as these characters and stories inspire me, make me laugh, curse the villains, and cheer (and also sometimes curse) the heroes. It's a lot of fun.


10 years ago on TTaT: Safe and Sound