Adventurous Beginner https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/ Tue, 14 Apr 2026 20:56:55 +0000 How to remove bobby pins damage-free https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/how-to-remove-bobby-pins-damage-free?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[Place your thumb at the open end of the pin. Place your index and middle fingers on either side of the closed end. Use your index and middle fingers to push the hair toward your thumb. This opens up the pin so that hair doesn’t snag. I don’t know if this is necessary for all hair types, but with my fine, thin hair, I always regret it if I don’t use this method. a href="https://remark.as/p/www.adventurous-beginner.blog/how-to-remove-bobby-pins-damage-free"Discuss.../a]]>
  • Place your thumb at the open end of the pin.
  • Place your index and middle fingers on either side of the closed end.
  • Use your index and middle fingers to push the hair toward your thumb.

    • This opens up the pin so that hair doesn’t snag. I don’t know if this is necessary for all hair types, but with my fine, thin hair, I always regret it if I don’t use this method.

    Discuss...

    ]]>     https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/how-to-remove-bobby-pins-damage-free Thu, 19 Feb 2026 23:21:50 +0000     Stuff to eat https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/stuff-to-eat?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[Here are some things I like to assemble meals out of that don't really count as cooking. I'm compiling this list mainly to help myself remember WTF I like to eat but maybe it will help my internet friends who hate cooking. It's a WIP that I intend to add to as I think of stuff. !--more-- Breakfast Ozery Morning Rounds with the good kind of Siggi's yogurt Boiled eggs with buttered English muffins Muesli with milk Sticks with milk Peanut butter on toast with frozen fruit Yogurt with frozen fruit Pecans, Babybel cheese (or the good Siggi's) and fruit Lunch Mestemacher Fitness Bread with cream cheese and smoked salmon A tuna sandwich (just bread, tuna, mayo, and pepper because I am lazy), with some veggies on the side if I have them Some kind of deli salad with some fruit or something Dinner Some kind of beans-in-a-pouch plus some kind of grains-in-a-pouch. Frontera Barbacoa Beef Taco Skillet over rice. Salmon fillets coated with Cajun blackening spice and baked, with microwaveable baby potatoes a href="https://remark.as/p/www.adventurous-beginner.blog/stuff-to-eat"Discuss.../a]]> Here are some things I like to assemble meals out of that don't really count as cooking. I'm compiling this list mainly to help myself remember WTF I like to eat but maybe it will help my internet friends who hate cooking. It's a WIP that I intend to add to as I think of stuff.

    Breakfast

    Lunch

    • Mestemacher Fitness Bread with cream cheese and smoked salmon
    • A tuna sandwich (just bread, tuna, mayo, and pepper because I am lazy), with some veggies on the side if I have them
    • Some kind of deli salad with some fruit or something

    Dinner

    Discuss...

    ]]>     https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/stuff-to-eat Sat, 04 Jun 2022 05:33:12 +0000     An idea for to-do lists that will motivate you to actually do things https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/an-idea-for-to-do-lists-that-will-motivate-you-to-actually-do-things?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I'm a big fan of A Slob Comes Clean, the blog and podcast by Dana K. White. Her cleaning and decluttering advice is the most effective advice I've found on the topic, and much of it is relevant not only to cleaning and decluttering, but to any kind of work that I want to do but have difficulty getting myself to actually start doing. !--more-- Today I listened to her recent podcast episode "Rewarding Myself in a Way that Actually Works" in which she describes the kinds of rewards that are most effective motivators for keeping up with household tasks. This not only got me off my butt to complete a chore I'd been putting off for days as I was listening, on a day when I was pretty committed to doing as little as possible, but also gave me an idea for writing more effective to-do lists. Rewards that don't work First, White gave an example of a reward that doesn't work for her: "If I clean the kitchen I'll reward myself with ice cream." It doesn't work because she thinks, "I'm an adult and I can have ice cream whenever I want," so she just eats the ice cream without cleaning the kitchen first. Another example of a reward that doesn't work: when parents try to pay their kids to do chores--say $1 for cleaning their room--the kid will think, "It only costs $1 to not have to clean my room," and decide it makes sense not to do it. Intrinsic rewards work Instead, the rewards that work for White are the natural consequences of completing the task. The reward for finally getting rid of an appliance that doesn't work is never having to think again about whether she should fix it or get just rid of it. The reward for doing the dishes every night is never having to deal with a mountain of dishes. This was the moment when I got off the couch and put away some towels that had been sitting in the dryer for days. The reward of doing it then was that I wouldn't forget about it until a much less convenient moment when I would have to interrupt whatever I'm doing to put them away because someone else needs to use the dryer. Isn't that obvious? While points out that this is exactly the kind of thing people who are naturally motivated to clean always say: "The reward for cleaning is that the house will be clean." People like us don't get this naturally, even if we hear it over and over. We have to experience the feeling to realize how good it feels. She didn't realize how much easier it is to do the dishes when you do them every night until she started doing it every night. Why is it so hard for us to recognize the intrinsic rewards of doing chores? This reminded me of some of the things Dr. Russell Barkley says about ADHDers. This is no surprise since Dana White's methods are quite popular among ADHDers as she has some acknowledged ADHD tendencies herself. Dr. Barkley says that ADHDers have difficulty motivating ourselves to do tasks because we're not as good as visualizing what they will look like when finished, or imagining how we'll feel when we're done. People who don't have this limitation are motivated to clean because they can anticipate the feeling of reward that they'll get when they're done, which makes just doing the task feel rewarding to them. We have less access to that feeling, so we fell less motivated. A shortcut to anticipating the reward Dr. Barkley recommends using pictures to help us see our goals, and talking to ourselves out loud (when appropriate) about our plans or writing them down. The idea is to replace missing or weak internal cues with external ones. So, maybe this will help motivate us to finish tasks: verbalize to yourself what the intrinsic reward of completing the task is. You can practice just thinking about it, or say it out loud if that works for you, but why not try this? A to-do list with a "reward" column When you write a to-do list, divide the page into two columns. On the left, write the task. On the right, write down what the reward of completing it will be. These need to be intrinsic rewards, so no ice cream, unless the task is "go grocery shopping" and one of the things on your grocery list is ice cream. Here are some examples of actual things I need to do: Task: Buy frames for some art prints I bought and hang them. Reward: I'll be able to enjoy looking at the pictures. Also, they won't be cluttering up my coffee table anymore. Task: Reply to a text from my mom. Reward: I won't have to keep reminding myself that I need to do it and compose the exact message in my head in my head every time I think about it. I actually replied to my mom immediately after typing that, so it seems to actually work. Like most ADHD tips I expect it will be really effective for me for a few weeks at most, and then still kind of work but be significantly less effective after that. I think that's a fact of life and the secret is really just to keep trying new techniques all the time, so I'm glad to have found a new one. a href="https://remark.as/p/www.adventurous-beginner.blog/an-idea-for-to-do-lists-that-will-motivate-you-to-actually-do-things"Discuss.../a]]> I'm a big fan of A Slob Comes Clean, the blog and podcast by Dana K. White. Her cleaning and decluttering advice is the most effective advice I've found on the topic, and much of it is relevant not only to cleaning and decluttering, but to any kind of work that I want to do but have difficulty getting myself to actually start doing.

    Today I listened to her recent podcast episode “Rewarding Myself in a Way that Actually Works” in which she describes the kinds of rewards that are most effective motivators for keeping up with household tasks. This not only got me off my butt to complete a chore I'd been putting off for days as I was listening, on a day when I was pretty committed to doing as little as possible, but also gave me an idea for writing more effective to-do lists.

    Rewards that don't work

    First, White gave an example of a reward that doesn't work for her: “If I clean the kitchen I'll reward myself with ice cream.” It doesn't work because she thinks, “I'm an adult and I can have ice cream whenever I want,” so she just eats the ice cream without cleaning the kitchen first.

    Another example of a reward that doesn't work: when parents try to pay their kids to do chores—say $1 for cleaning their room—the kid will think, “It only costs $1 to not have to clean my room,” and decide it makes sense not to do it.

    Intrinsic rewards work

    Instead, the rewards that work for White are the natural consequences of completing the task. The reward for finally getting rid of an appliance that doesn't work is never having to think again about whether she should fix it or get just rid of it. The reward for doing the dishes every night is never having to deal with a mountain of dishes.

    This was the moment when I got off the couch and put away some towels that had been sitting in the dryer for days. The reward of doing it then was that I wouldn't forget about it until a much less convenient moment when I would have to interrupt whatever I'm doing to put them away because someone else needs to use the dryer.

    Isn't that obvious?

    While points out that this is exactly the kind of thing people who are naturally motivated to clean always say: “The reward for cleaning is that the house will be clean.” People like us don't get this naturally, even if we hear it over and over. We have to experience the feeling to realize how good it feels. She didn't realize how much easier it is to do the dishes when you do them every night until she started doing it every night.

    Why is it so hard for us to recognize the intrinsic rewards of doing chores?

    This reminded me of some of the things Dr. Russell Barkley says about ADHDers. This is no surprise since Dana White's methods are quite popular among ADHDers as she has some acknowledged ADHD tendencies herself.

    Dr. Barkley says that ADHDers have difficulty motivating ourselves to do tasks because we're not as good as visualizing what they will look like when finished, or imagining how we'll feel when we're done. People who don't have this limitation are motivated to clean because they can anticipate the feeling of reward that they'll get when they're done, which makes just doing the task feel rewarding to them. We have less access to that feeling, so we fell less motivated.

    A shortcut to anticipating the reward

    Dr. Barkley recommends using pictures to help us see our goals, and talking to ourselves out loud (when appropriate) about our plans or writing them down. The idea is to replace missing or weak internal cues with external ones.

    So, maybe this will help motivate us to finish tasks: verbalize to yourself what the intrinsic reward of completing the task is. You can practice just thinking about it, or say it out loud if that works for you, but why not try this?

    A to-do list with a “reward” column

    When you write a to-do list, divide the page into two columns. On the left, write the task. On the right, write down what the reward of completing it will be. These need to be intrinsic rewards, so no ice cream, unless the task is “go grocery shopping” and one of the things on your grocery list is ice cream. Here are some examples of actual things I need to do:

    Task: Buy frames for some art prints I bought and hang them. Reward: I'll be able to enjoy looking at the pictures. Also, they won't be cluttering up my coffee table anymore.

    Task: Reply to a text from my mom. Reward: I won't have to keep reminding myself that I need to do it and compose the exact message in my head in my head every time I think about it.

    I actually replied to my mom immediately after typing that, so it seems to actually work. Like most ADHD tips I expect it will be really effective for me for a few weeks at most, and then still kind of work but be significantly less effective after that. I think that's a fact of life and the secret is really just to keep trying new techniques all the time, so I'm glad to have found a new one.

    Discuss...

    ]]>     https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/an-idea-for-to-do-lists-that-will-motivate-you-to-actually-do-things Sun, 05 Sep 2021 05:01:38 +0000     You deserve perfect-temperature beverages all the time https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/you-deserve-perfect-temperature-beverages-all-the-time?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[The two best things I've bought for myself during this pandemic are both drinking vessels, both designed to keep your drink at the perfect temperature. One for hot drinks, one for cold. !--more-- The first, for cold drinks, is an insulated tumbler with a straw. I got it because my apartment is disgustingly hot nine months out of the year, so I started keeping a carafe of tap water in the fridge, but I was annoyed by the condensation when I poured it in a normal glass, and it would get warm faster than I could drink it. The tumbler with a straw is way better than an insulated water bottle for using at home because you don't have to unscrew a lid every time you want to take a sip. It's great for keeping by your bed at night since you don't have to sit up as straight as you would to drink out of a bottle or glass. It's kind of fun to drink out of, because it sort of feels like you're drinking from a Starbucks to-go cup. If you put ice in it, it makes a really satisfying noise when you shake it. It would be great for taking to your backyard, a pool, or other outdoor setting where you're mostly sedentary and don't need a sealed bottle. Mine is this 22-ounce tumbler from Hydroflask with this straw lid. The second is a lot more indulgent because it's a $130 smart mug. I initially balked at the price but decided I had to have it after I read a bunch of reviews where people said, "I hate myself for loving this, but I love it." The main feature of this mug is that it keeps your drink hot. But it's better than an insulated mug, because it first lets your drink cool to the perfect temperature, and then it keeps it at that temperature. So you're freed not only from having to drink lukewarm coffee, but also from burning your mouth. Since it connects to your phone, if you want to, you can get notifications when your drink has cooled to your perfect temperature. I have these notifications going to my watch, which makes me feel like a ridiculous person, but it's also convenient! If you're a person who spends a lot of time at home, I think these are two of the most bang-for-your-buck purchases you could make to improve your quality of life. And while it's looking like we'll soon have the option of not spending so much time at home, let's face it: we're going to choose to keep spending a lot of time at home. Or, I guess these would be nice to keep at your desk at work, too! a href="https://remark.as/p/www.adventurous-beginner.blog/you-deserve-perfect-temperature-beverages-all-the-time"Discuss.../a]]> The two best things I've bought for myself during this pandemic are both drinking vessels, both designed to keep your drink at the perfect temperature. One for hot drinks, one for cold.

    The first, for cold drinks, is an insulated tumbler with a straw. I got it because my apartment is disgustingly hot nine months out of the year, so I started keeping a carafe of tap water in the fridge, but I was annoyed by the condensation when I poured it in a normal glass, and it would get warm faster than I could drink it. The tumbler with a straw is way better than an insulated water bottle for using at home because you don't have to unscrew a lid every time you want to take a sip. It's great for keeping by your bed at night since you don't have to sit up as straight as you would to drink out of a bottle or glass. It's kind of fun to drink out of, because it sort of feels like you're drinking from a Starbucks to-go cup. If you put ice in it, it makes a really satisfying noise when you shake it. It would be great for taking to your backyard, a pool, or other outdoor setting where you're mostly sedentary and don't need a sealed bottle. Mine is this 22-ounce tumbler from Hydroflask with this straw lid.

    The second is a lot more indulgent because it's a $130 smart mug. I initially balked at the price but decided I had to have it after I read a bunch of reviews where people said, “I hate myself for loving this, but I love it.” The main feature of this mug is that it keeps your drink hot. But it's better than an insulated mug, because it first lets your drink cool to the perfect temperature, and then it keeps it at that temperature. So you're freed not only from having to drink lukewarm coffee, but also from burning your mouth. Since it connects to your phone, if you want to, you can get notifications when your drink has cooled to your perfect temperature. I have these notifications going to my watch, which makes me feel like a ridiculous person, but it's also convenient!

    If you're a person who spends a lot of time at home, I think these are two of the most bang-for-your-buck purchases you could make to improve your quality of life. And while it's looking like we'll soon have the option of not spending so much time at home, let's face it: we're going to choose to keep spending a lot of time at home. Or, I guess these would be nice to keep at your desk at work, too!

    Discuss...

    ]]>     https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/you-deserve-perfect-temperature-beverages-all-the-time Thu, 01 Apr 2021 04:25:38 +0000     Read more escapist nonfiction https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/read-more-escapist-nonfiction?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[That's phrased like it's something I'm telling you to do, but really it's my advice to myself. !--more-- Whenever I'm in a reading rut, with a bunch of half-finished books piling up on my Kindle that I'm not excited about finishing, it's because I've been choosing too many books that I want to have read, but don't actually want to read. They're the kind of books that are a means to an end: health advice, career advice, self-help books, pop-psychology books that are half science and half self-help, books that will make me a more informed citizen, etc. When I read too much of this stuff, I get burned out. For some, the remedy might be to read more fiction. I don't dislike fiction, but I have a lot more nonfiction books on my want-to-read list. My remedy is to choose some escapist nonfiction. Escapist nonfiction doesn't have to be about light, pleasant subjects. It just has to be about topics that I don't usually think about and that aren't obviously relevant to my everyday life. For me, some good topics are: animals, science, pop culture, histories of forgotten events or everyday life in different places and times, books about jobs I've never done and never will, and technologies that have never been accused of undermining democracy. Things that won't make me think, I should really... or They should really... Topics that transport me to another reality, the same way fiction can. Some topics that are definitely not escapist for me are: computers, the internet, teaching, learning, and education, politics, feminism, psychology, the economy, health, climate, and any kind of advice book. I'll keep reading books about those subjects, but I think it's good to balance them out with some from the other category. Maybe by alternating? Here are some books I've enjoyed reading that were escapist nonfiction for me: Unseen City: The Majesty of Pigeons, the Discreet Charm of Snails & Other Wonders of the Urban Wilderness by Nathanael Johnson Extreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century by Kevin Fong If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home by Lucy Worsley Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years by Elizabeth Wayland Barber Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English by Lynne Murphy And here are some from my to-read list: A World Beneath the Sands: The Golden Age of Egyptology by Toby Wilkinson We Were Going to Change the World: Interviews with Women from the 1970s and 1980s Southern California Punk Rock Scene by Stacy Russo Lundy, Rockall, Dogger, Fair Isle: A Celebration of the Islands Around Britain by Mathew Clayton and Anthony Atkinson Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America's Most Dangerous Amusement Park by Andy Mulvihill A History of the Paper Pattern Industry: The Home Dressmaking Fashion Revolution by Joy Spanabel Emery The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-line Pioneers by Tom Standage How to Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder from World War II to Hip-Hop by Dave Tompkins Hollywood Unknowns: A History of Extras, Bit Players, and Stand-Ins by Anthony Slide Jane Austen, Game Theorist by Michael Suk-Young Chwe Bubble in the Sun: The Florida Boom of the 1920s and How It Brought on the Great Depression by Christopher Knowlton a href="https://remark.as/p/www.adventurous-beginner.blog/read-more-escapist-nonfiction"Discuss.../a]]> That's phrased like it's something I'm telling you to do, but really it's my advice to myself.

    Whenever I'm in a reading rut, with a bunch of half-finished books piling up on my Kindle that I'm not excited about finishing, it's because I've been choosing too many books that I want to have read, but don't actually want to read. They're the kind of books that are a means to an end: health advice, career advice, self-help books, pop-psychology books that are half science and half self-help, books that will make me a more informed citizen, etc. When I read too much of this stuff, I get burned out.

    For some, the remedy might be to read more fiction. I don't dislike fiction, but I have a lot more nonfiction books on my want-to-read list. My remedy is to choose some escapist nonfiction.

    Escapist nonfiction doesn't have to be about light, pleasant subjects. It just has to be about topics that I don't usually think about and that aren't obviously relevant to my everyday life. For me, some good topics are: animals, science, pop culture, histories of forgotten events or everyday life in different places and times, books about jobs I've never done and never will, and technologies that have never been accused of undermining democracy. Things that won't make me think, I should really... or They should really... Topics that transport me to another reality, the same way fiction can.

    Some topics that are definitely not escapist for me are: computers, the internet, teaching, learning, and education, politics, feminism, psychology, the economy, health, climate, and any kind of advice book. I'll keep reading books about those subjects, but I think it's good to balance them out with some from the other category. Maybe by alternating?

    Here are some books I've enjoyed reading that were escapist nonfiction for me:

    • Unseen City: The Majesty of Pigeons, the Discreet Charm of Snails & Other Wonders of the Urban Wilderness by Nathanael Johnson
    • Extreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century by Kevin Fong
    • If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home by Lucy Worsley
    • Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach
    • Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years by Elizabeth Wayland Barber
    • Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson
    • Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber
    • Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch
    • The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English by Lynne Murphy

    And here are some from my to-read list:

    • A World Beneath the Sands: The Golden Age of Egyptology by Toby Wilkinson
    • We Were Going to Change the World: Interviews with Women from the 1970s and 1980s Southern California Punk Rock Scene by Stacy Russo
    • Lundy, Rockall, Dogger, Fair Isle: A Celebration of the Islands Around Britain by Mathew Clayton and Anthony Atkinson
    • Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
    • Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America's Most Dangerous Amusement Park by Andy Mulvihill
    • A History of the Paper Pattern Industry: The Home Dressmaking Fashion Revolution by Joy Spanabel Emery
    • The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-line Pioneers by Tom Standage
    • How to Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder from World War II to Hip-Hop by Dave Tompkins
    • Hollywood Unknowns: A History of Extras, Bit Players, and Stand-Ins by Anthony Slide
    • Jane Austen, Game Theorist by Michael Suk-Young Chwe
    • Bubble in the Sun: The Florida Boom of the 1920s and How It Brought on the Great Depression by Christopher Knowlton

    Discuss...

    ]]>     https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/read-more-escapist-nonfiction Wed, 17 Mar 2021 05:22:49 +0000     Everything I love about iZombie https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/everything-i-love-about-izombie?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[What's a blog for if you don't attempt to use it to convince the world to love the things you love? One thing I've been loving lately is the TV show iZombie. !--more-- It's a CW show that aired from 2015-2019. The main character, Liv Moore, is a young doctor who gets turned into a zombie. As long as she eats brains, she remains a relatively normal person. If she doesn't, she'll turn into one of the mindless zombies we know from horror movies. She quits her doctor job to work at a police morgue for easy access to brains, and eats the brains of murder victims. This gives her visions of the victims' memories, which she uses to help solve their murders. She partners with detective Clive Babineaux, to whom she claims to be a psychic. Clive, a pragmatic guy, goes along with it. Oh, and Liv is not the only zombie out there. However good you think the show sounds from that synopsis, it's somewhere between 5 and 20 times better than that. Here's why: Kitchen sink approach to genre. It's a high-concept police procedural with elements of comedy, romance, horror, mystery (of the murder-of-the-week variety as well as season-long arcs), thriller, action, science fiction, political satire, and hangout show. (YMMV, but I find the core friend group of Liv, Peyton, Ravi, and Major to be a really charming one, and I like the "everybody gathering on the couch to watch a movie" moments we get as occasional breathers almost as much as the drama they punctuate!) A lot going on plot-wise, too. Season 2 alone has three major villains, on top of each episode's murder of the week, who all cross paths with each other in interesting ways. Successfully changes things up from season to season. Villains get replaced by new villains, new characters find out about zombies, become zombies, or get cured of zombieism, and all this succeeds at keeping things interesting because these changes have major effects on the relationships between characters and the way the plot develops. If all that's starting to sound complicated, know that it's still easy to watch. It is a CW show, after all. The cast is excellent. According to their various Wikipedia pages, most of the main actors are all "best known for their role in iZombie", so I can't name a lot of big names (best I can do is Aly Michalka of Aly & AJ, and Rose McIver of A Christmas Prince), but they're all incredibly well-cast and charming. Eating brains doesn't only give zombies access to memories; they also take on some personality aspects of the deceased. This means that actors get to do a lot acting-wise. It can get always gets a bit very_ broad, but this is a CW show, after all. Liv is the biggest chameleon, but Major gets some chances to shine, too. Do you like puns? This show has puns. The lead zombie? Liv Moore. The artisanal butcher shop selling brains on the side? Meat Cute. The funeral home selling brains on the side? Shady Plots. The zombie-run military contracting firm? Fillmore Graves. The Amazon expy? U-Freight-Eze. For a few episodes, the guy named Major has a dog named Minor. Not into puns? Then perhaps you'll enjoy the Buzzfeed-GIF-recipe-inspired brain cooking scenes. (Don't worry about the, uh, blue brains. There's an explanation for that.) a href="https://remark.as/p/www.adventurous-beginner.blog/everything-i-love-about-izombie"Discuss.../a]]> What's a blog for if you don't attempt to use it to convince the world to love the things you love? One thing I've been loving lately is the TV show iZombie.

    It's a CW show that aired from 2015-2019. The main character, Liv Moore, is a young doctor who gets turned into a zombie. As long as she eats brains, she remains a relatively normal person. If she doesn't, she'll turn into one of the mindless zombies we know from horror movies. She quits her doctor job to work at a police morgue for easy access to brains, and eats the brains of murder victims. This gives her visions of the victims' memories, which she uses to help solve their murders. She partners with detective Clive Babineaux, to whom she claims to be a psychic. Clive, a pragmatic guy, goes along with it. Oh, and Liv is not the only zombie out there.

    However good you think the show sounds from that synopsis, it's somewhere between 5 and 20 times better than that. Here's why:

    1. Kitchen sink approach to genre. It's a high-concept police procedural with elements of comedy, romance, horror, mystery (of the murder-of-the-week variety as well as season-long arcs), thriller, action, science fiction, political satire, and hangout show. (YMMV, but I find the core friend group of Liv, Peyton, Ravi, and Major to be a really charming one, and I like the “everybody gathering on the couch to watch a movie” moments we get as occasional breathers almost as much as the drama they punctuate!)
    2. A lot going on plot-wise, too. Season 2 alone has three major villains, on top of each episode's murder of the week, who all cross paths with each other in interesting ways.
    3. Successfully changes things up from season to season. Villains get replaced by new villains, new characters find out about zombies, become zombies, or get cured of zombieism, and all this succeeds at keeping things interesting because these changes have major effects on the relationships between characters and the way the plot develops.
    4. If all that's starting to sound complicated, know that it's still easy to watch. It is a CW show, after all.
    5. The cast is excellent. According to their various Wikipedia pages, most of the main actors are all “best known for their role in iZombie”, so I can't name a lot of big names (best I can do is Aly Michalka of Aly & AJ, and Rose McIver of A Christmas Prince), but they're all incredibly well-cast and charming.
    6. Eating brains doesn't only give zombies access to memories; they also take on some personality aspects of the deceased. This means that actors get to do a lot acting-wise. It can get always gets a bit very broad, but this is a CW show, after all. Liv is the biggest chameleon, but Major gets some chances to shine, too.
    7. Do you like puns? This show has puns. The lead zombie? Liv Moore. The artisanal butcher shop selling brains on the side? Meat Cute. The funeral home selling brains on the side? Shady Plots. The zombie-run military contracting firm? Fillmore Graves. The Amazon expy? U-Freight-Eze. For a few episodes, the guy named Major has a dog named Minor.
    8. Not into puns? Then perhaps you'll enjoy the Buzzfeed-GIF-recipe-inspired brain cooking scenes. (Don't worry about the, uh, blue brains. There's an explanation for that.)

    Discuss...

    ]]>     https://www.adventurous-beginner.blog/everything-i-love-about-izombie Mon, 15 Feb 2021 03:45:30 +0000