Susan's Scribblings the Blog

Monthly Archives: April 2025

• Transformative

  Posted at 3:58 pm by kayewer, on April 26, 2025

  I have received plenty of self-help posts in my social media feed. One of the most prevalent is the affirmation that some mornings it’s okay to just do nothing. Life can be depressing, especially these days with all the negativity and mental abuse we endure in our new reality.

  Social media and video outlets occasionally provide some comic relief. I recently found something that has gotten me through the past two weeks that I’m willing to share with you.

  I watched as privileged early-admission guests posted content regarding the upcoming opening of a multi-themed extension inside Universal Studios in Orlando, but an ongoing attraction is part of the Transformers franchise. There is an exciting ride with 3D effects, but outside the thrills and chills of the fight between the Autobots and Decepticons is a “meet and greet” with the three key figures: Optimus Prime and Bumblebee (the “good guys”) and the evil Megatron.

  As is the way with most online activity, the minute I began taking a look into the new immersive worlds at the park (including a Universal Monsters theme, Harry Potter, the isle of Berk from How to Train Your Dragon and Nintendo), I began receiving clips of visitors encountering the “bad guy” of the trio, Megatron. Apparently he has been placed into a situation where he must interact with us humans. He uses this inconvenience to his world domination plans to roast those who dare step into the “recruit zone,” which is a photo-ready area with footprint guides for two people and seems to double as a boundary line for Megatron.

  Brave folks approach and enjoy (or suffer) a brief discussion with the master Decepticon, and attendants assist with cell phone photos. Megatron hopes to recruit new soldiers in the war against Optimus Prime, but often he endures a medley of typical human visitors and responds with anything from boredom to commentary barbs and opinions of those willing to take it for a souvenir on their cell phone. One intrepid influencer was given a dressing down by Megatron, who noted that it’s an activity best left to 14-year-old girls, adding she should make some “real memories.”

  Megatron even has a “thud” which comes into play, serving as the mechanical equivalent of a snare drum and cymbal zinger for some of his more spot-on putdowns. The fans waiting in line love it. He can be amicable for young kids and the neurodiverse, but dress-alike families and men in dad gear should be ready to get blasted verbally. Also, if you approach with Optimus or Bumblebee gear on, or you salute him like a willing acolyte and say “All hail, lord Megatron,” you will not be disappointed in how you are treated.

  The key to the experience is a combination of the operator among the visitors and the person responsible for taking in each visitor’s situation and appearance and then providing the vocal responses, which are hilarious and keenly observant.

  So yes I have been given quite a few of these encounters along with tours of everyplace in Universal Orlando I could imagine. Having been to the Hollywood location, I look forward to a time when I can fly down to the warm wonderland that is Florida and exchange some banter with the Transformers trio, including Megatron. If I must.

  *Because I like sharing collections, I am including a video link which you can enjoy (and watch for a local Philly reference for good measure): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkJK3c25JOA&t=108s

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged megatron, transformers, transformers-one

• Hooked on a Feeling

  Posted at 3:16 pm by kayewer, on April 19, 2025

  I recently resumed crocheting after a pause of several years. My first true project was a handbag I did using a pattern in one of my mother’s magazines (probably Woman’s Day). It was lined with felt and got dirty quite fast because I was a child in the late 60s, but it was my proud achievement.

  Other projects came along, such as an Easter bunny in white yarn (bleach bottle plastic kept the ears perky), a hat made from a wonderful yarn dyed to look like denim (still have it), and a few side items I attempted to knit. Later efforts included baby blankets which were, to put it lightly, a bit raw in execution but useable.

  A granny square afghan I crocheted for my mother is still at home. It was a late 1990s project I took on to make something to match the upholstery on the couch, and required buying yarn colors from memory. I would do up to two squares a day while riding to and from work on the train, and an occasional third if my lunch permitted. She was thrilled to open the package at Christmas.

  I then took on making half-day throws and managed to make countless ones for coworkers and friends. Then my family dynamic changed, and I didn’t have time for crafting. The “big return home” in 2000 didn’t nudge me to resume either, but now it’s five years later, and an event spurred me to pick up the hooks again.

  I have bins of yarns I had bought during sales from craft stores which went out of business, the latest of which is Joann Fabrics, where I bought some great quantities of yarn for what I anticipate will be a retirement filled with rows of patterns and special effects lovingly hooked with joy by my anxious hands.

  A friend of mine had her own home for some time, which had been a life-long goal for her, so I made her a throw while I was on my biggest creation kick back in the 2000s. When she moved out of the home and into a small apartment, many of her household goods went into storage bins. It turned out that, during a culling of the hoard, the throw accidentally got sent out with other charity bins for pickup. At least I know somebody else will likely be using what I made, but it left my friend without one, and she was rather embarrassed by the incident.

  She went out and did what anybody in such a situation would do. She hit up an estate sale and bought some yarn for a replacement throw. The bag contained several balls of an Italian merino in a purple colorway (a mix of several go-together colors in one), along with some solids which may have come from Michael’s, and a large skein of Red Heart. Only problem was, the main yarn was discontinued years ago, so finding enough for the project was nearly impossible if not extremely expensive. After-market buys on such rare yarns can be pricey. A listing in Etsy or eBay would have gotten me six more balls of the main colorway, along with four of another color I didn’t need, for about $80.

  So I did what anybody in such a situation would do. I got advice from a local yarn shop. They pointed me in the direction of similar types of yarn in complementary colors. I came home with freshly-balled yarn from their establishment, to add to my already yarn shop sized collection.

  Will I get an afghan or throw out of these? I’m not sure. I do know that I have plenty of colors on hand and could easily use any of them for a similar effect. I’ll need to strategize on this one. It’s venturing into a whole new territory of crocheting for me.

  I just hope these old hands can withstand the paces I will be putting them through to crank out these new projects. Wish me luck.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged crochet, crocheting, knit, knitting, yarn

• Rated Extraneous

  Posted at 1:54 pm by kayewer, on April 13, 2025

  I just read an article about the movie ratings assigned by the motion picture industry, from the perspective of the ratings’ relevancy in today’s entertainment world.

  The original rating system was introduced in 1968 as a way to inform parents of the suitability of a movie’s contents for young children. Before that, Hollywood was under the watchful eye of the “Hays Code,” which was designed as a type of “Ten Commandments” of forbidden depictions in moviemaking. Among them were nudity (adults and children), swearing/cussing, mixed race relationships, white slavery, sexual hygiene and childbirth, racism and drugs. Oh, and the clergy couldn’t be spoken ill of, either.

  The Motion Picture Association or MPA, (which included “of America” until 2019), created the rating system we now know to make it easier to choose movies for families or adults. The challenges which reshaped the system–one of the most noted being the addition of PG-13 after the release of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom due to some borderline violence touching the PG line in the sand–have tweaked the original four classifications. We now have five ratings (G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17) and a variety of descriptive text to include mild, fantasy or extreme violence, language, drugs and alcohol and sexual content as means of parental guidance as to what their children may experience during the movie.

  The article points out that, unfortunately, many young people feel that the ratings system is a plot by adults to deprive them of what they conceptualize as a “better” form of entertainment. Young people will purchase a ticket for a PG-13 film, then sneak into the R-rated movie. I know from firsthand experience–not in a theatre, but watching a film on TV not suitable for me at a particular age–that this practice can be mentally damaging. In a rush to grow up, theatres are accidentally releasing rule-breaking teens sporting mental scratches and dents out into the world with a perspective they may not have been ready for, because there isn’t a system in place to make sure they “got what they paid for.”

  This came to light recently when the Terrifier franchise (known for extreme violence) released another movie this past winter and the packed houses were not always filled with age-appropriate paying customers.

  The best solution may be to keep a certain classification of movies on one side of a multiplex, so that youngsters headed in that direction would be immediately obvious. Another may be to set up a ticket scanner at the door to each auditorium which the attendee must swipe in addition to their original admission in the lobby. The door would then open for them to enter the auditorium.

  The classification system is still relevant. Children still need some protections in place to shield them from things they may not be mature enough to witness. This is a job all grown-ups take on when we come of age. It is a responsibility to the future generations and mankind in general to allow children to grow at the pace set for them by natural order, and introduce new concepts when they are ready to receive them. Our society has become so lax and liberal, that youngsters do not seem to be blocked from anything that may harm them; true crime documentary channels are not for four-year-olds. Forget that it’s cable or steaming, and remember that you control the remote.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Books, film, mental-health, movies, mpa-ratings, parenting

• A Few Random Thoughts

  Posted at 4:34 pm by kayewer, on April 5, 2025

  After an intense rainstorm, a rainbow flag showed up in my landscaping one morning. I took it to the back yard and placed it in my garden, and a squirrel promptly broke it in half. Does this mean squirrels hate flags or LGBTQ+ people? A few other flags were spotted at other homes, including an Irish flag pinned to a bush. Whoever did this has not come forward.

  At birth and for the rest of our lives, we are given a name which identifies us. The most common way to express names here in the US is with five unique fields: the salutation field (Mr., Mrs., Dr.), the first name field (Jane, John), the middle initial field, the last name field (Jones) and the title field (MD, Jr., Sr., III). You would be amazed to find how many people don’t know how to use those fields effectively when filling out a form. I have seen first and middle names together, titles stuck onto the end of last names; once I found a name in which the person apparently tabbed or backspaced and gave themselves one letter for a last name. People also put in extra spaces after each entry, which becomes part of their name. Take a moment to look at how the information is laid out before starting the process. You can save yourself a lot of trouble.

  In that same vein, addresses are broken down as street, unit number (apartment, condo), then city, state and Zip code (with +4). Amazingly, though Zip +4 has been around since 1983, many folks don’t know what theirs is. Placing it on your personal information with any place sending you mail can make the difference between whether your delivery is sorted correctly or not. The +4 can pinpoint your location to the side of the block you are on, or the floor of your highrise apartment building. It’s easy to look up on the USPS website as well, and worth memorizing.

  While on the road the other day, I saw a tricked-out vehicle which gave me a bit of anxiety. It was a Honda with the upper portion of its tires obscured by bodywork, and the tires themselves were nearly three times the width needed. They were mounted at outward angles somehow, so that only the inner edges of each tire contacted the road. It was a relief to see it turn off the highway. Who wants to share the streets with a vehicle so potentially dangerous? How is that street legal? They must change it to pass inspection.

  Speaking of vehicle inspections, our state motor vehicle registrations no longer come on perforated documents. They must be cut to size with scissors. Does it seem too much to ask for a pop-out card?

  I had put off a task for a while and finally got around to it; synchronizing my phone to the car. Probably the easiest feat on a screen I’ve had the privilege of doing. Now if I can get my Microsoft Office to work as cooperatively as the car’s onscreen instructions. (Follow-up: when I got in my car after posting this, my screen provided an error message that my sync didn’t work, so I take back what I just posted.)

  The local mall just decided to restrict underage visitors from being on the premises without parental supervision, due to some teen fighting recently within the public areas. At least somebody is stressing that children should not be left unattended.

  My newspaper arrived encased in a plastic bag during the rain, yet it was soaking wet inside because the bag had holes in it. Reminded me of a popular meme about people in a swimming pool huddled under an umbrella while a storm passed through. That’s right: they were in the water, wet, and they held a brolly over their heads while in the pool. Defeated the purpose, right? But then so was putting a dry paper in a hole-ridden bag.

  So that was my week of brain-muddling confusion. Maybe next week will be better.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged bluetooth, names-and-addresses, newspaper-delivery, zip-4

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