Last week, Ken and I decided to watch a new show, based on my dental hygienist Harmony’s suggestions. It’s called Ahsoka and it’s part of the Star Wars universe, and that might make you believe it was going to be a good show, but by halfway through the first episode, I turned to Ken and said, “This is the most stupid show I’ve ever seen.” Why, you ask? Was it the acting? No. Was it the dialogue? No. Was there a plot detail that made absolutely no sense and made me super-angry? Why yes. And what exactly was that ludicrous plot detail in a story that takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, and features people with elephant trunks for ears? It was this, and you can read this without worrying about spoilers:
In the show, one of the main characters has a cat. Well, it’s a cat-like creature that looks KIND OF like a cat but sounds and acts EXACTLY like a cat. When she comes home from her job, she takes a container of kibble out of her cupboard and feeds the cat, and it purrs, and she pets it, and it is VERY OBVIOUSLY her pet cat. But…partway through the episode, she gets into a fight with someone in her home, and she gets hurt, and ends up in a weird hospital. And NO ONE SAYS A WORD ABOUT THE CAT. Not, “should we get your neighbour to check on your cat?” or “do you want me to pop by and feed your cat while you recover in this very white and large hospital room?” Again, no. And then……she decides to go off and join up with the Jedis and she JUST LEAVES. Does she ask anyone to take care of her lovely, purr-y pet cat? NO, SHE DOES NOT AND WE NEVER SEE THAT ADORABLE CAT AGAIN. And it’s so apparent that no one in charge of writing this show has EVER had a pet of any kind because for all of us who DO have pets, we know that the care of your pet is usually topmost on your mind. Ken and I never leave the house without 1) calculating the number of hours that we’ll be gone and ensuring that it’s a reasonable length to leave Atlas alone 2) contacting our neighbour if the number of hours is more than 6 consecutively so she can give him lunch and let him out to pee 3) giving him a cookie and 4) telling him that we’ll be back soon so he won’t worry, as one does. And yes, I know cats are a little more self-sufficient than dogs but still, who the hell just up and leaves their pet house cat to fend for itself while you go off gallivanting around the galaxy and doing additional stupid things that shall not be named here because I promised no spoilers?

At any rate, it was terrible and I became very fixated on the whole cat abandonment plot twist, to the point where I started dreaming that I found a litter of kittens and Ken and I were trying to herd them into a holding area so we could care for them and if you know anything about cats and/or dreams, you’ll know that it was a very difficult and stressful task. So thanks, Ahsoka.
In other news, I’m sorry if this is so rant-y and short but I did one book festival all day yesterday and I’m doing another one all day today, and between having to actually talk to people and sit under a tent all day, I’m exhausted. But I sold a lot of books and promoted the new press, so it was pretty good.

I’m reminded of the Dr. Who franchise, where the original props were made out of trash cans and styrofoam. And yet, Amelia and I have a favorite Dr. Who, and it is Tom Baker. Sorry, but there will not be any discussion on this matter, as Tom Baker is the absolute best Dr. Who actor of all time.
As always, thanks for the laughs. Any show that has people with elephant trunks for ears has the potential to be so bad that it’s actually good. π
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Tom Baker is the OG and there is no question from here either!
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Yay! In this case, you and I can continue to be friends! You clearly have excellent taste in Dr. Who actors!
Amelia and I have very similar favorites; we share a favorite color (blue), favorite trees (birch & pine), and a favorite planet other than Earth (Saturn). She’s a keeper!
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While I won’t argue about Tom Baker I would like to point out that it was Colin Baker who had a cat pin on his lapel. And I met both at the same convention. Both really cool guys.
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Totally cool! π
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You met them?! Cool!π
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You do wonder about why directors/editors keep/reject the things that we finally see. I bet there’s a chance there was a line added by the scriptwriters about the pet but some bigwig decided it slowed down the action. Or something. There are a lot of things cut out of films & TV series that would make the experience of watching more satisfying.
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Exactly right! Some goofball who hates cats, no doubt!
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Uncle Jar Jar probably comes by to check up on the space kitty, feed it kibble and clean its litter box. And maybe use it, too….
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Jar Jar the cat sitterβheβs probably better at that than anything else he ever did in the franchise!
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Where’s Mando when you need him? In addition to being Grogu’s guardian, maybe he could pick up the cat? Congrats on your book festivals/promos π
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And thatβs what makes it worseβthe character Iβm referring to is a Mandalorian too and she never wears her helmet!
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TV/Streaming pets cease to exist as soon as they’re out of the scene, I suppose.
Do NOT reply to this comment. Get back to work, you.
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I was in a dead zone all dayβcouldnβt have replied even though I wanted toπ
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It sounds to me that the writers missed a huge opportunity to write in the sidekick cat galivanting around the galaxy with her. Likely would have gained a whole lot of pet lover fans.
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I know, right?! It had such personality!
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Glad your book festivals went well! And, apparently, these script writers have NEVER SEEN ALIEN but, you know, the fan fiction awaits for the interested writer to have Ripley be the CEO of the space version of the Animal Liberation Front and she and Jonesy will go and kick some Mandalorian butt with one of those yellow machine mover thingies. Or you and Atlas with a intergalactic forklift!!! Am I right or am I right? Ahahahhahahha!
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And the cat could ride on my forklift shoulder! I loved that cat in Alien, but I kept stressing over it so much, like I hope the alien doesnβt hurt it!
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I know, right? I remember seeing it in the theatres when I was eleven or so, and the cat scenes were the only ones that spooked me. Ha!
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I think maybe you are a little weird about the story. But I used to have cats, three and many dogs. ΓΒ I still miss them all. ΓΒ I think there areΓΒ a lot of bad stories and plots on tv these days and hope the strikes are over soon. ΓΒ There was supposed to be some sort of deadline around Labor Day when the streaming services would start buying content again? ΓΒ It is hard to find anything to watch that is not a repeat of something else or anΓΒ easily guessed plot. I have one granddaughter who had a cat looking like your photo but after adoption the vetΓΒ found he had liver disease and passed away soon. ΓΒ She now has a stray that kept hanging around and lovesΓΒ her too, so far healthy. But her constant companion is her husbandΓ’ΒΒs dogΓΒ Luna.This is long, sorry Γ°ΒΒΒ
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That sweet little cat is Ilanaβshe belongs to my daughter π
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It’s amazing how many times I’ve seen a character in a movie or TV show kill another person, sometimes in really horrible ways, and I’ll still say to myself, “Hey, maybe they deserved it” or maybe the killer will do something that redeems them, but as soon as a character harms a dog or cat that’s it. There’s no coming back from that as far as I’m concerned. It even applies to other animals. Someone just sent me a video of snippets of a young woman watching The Neverending Story for the first time. When she said, “Oooh, a pony!” I almost had to stop because I knew that was not going to go well. I hope that’s not a spoiler.

Anyway congratulations on the book fairs and sales, and, really, bigger congratulations on talking to a lot of people because that’s an accomplishment in itself. And here’s a very relatable cartoon:
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I hate when animals get hurt in moviesβI still canβt watch the first 20 minutes of John Wick! And yes, talking to people exhausts meβIβm glad the day is over and I can just typeπ
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You are so right. When I had my Kidney Transplant years ago. I wasn’t worried about the surgery but about about who was going to take care of my Cat, I had just gotten.
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See, thatβs what normal people do!
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It IS an alien cat after all–they merely had to give it opposable thumbs, a slightly higher i.q. and a little cat smart phone and we all would have figured it got along OK.
I’m not one to quibble. Frequently, the way I write, I leave stuff scattered all over the place.
Just wanted to point out I respect the X-file writers who had Scully feed Mulder’s fish.
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See, that made sense. There are some ends that just canβt stay loose!
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I had planned on skipping Ahsoka and probably will stick with the decision. I was watching a series recently that had a dog in it, and suddenly the dog disappeared from the episodes – permanently. My husband and I were all worried about what happened to the dog!!! So I can relate to the cat abandonment concerns. π I hope you sell lots of books. Have fun.
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No one said anything about the dog?! That would drive me crazy! Obviously lol
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Not a word. There was a dog, then there wasn’t. We’d never get away with that in our books.
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I haven’t watched it & now want to even less – all began with itching to switch letters around to Ashoka. many congrats on your signings & sales!
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Itβs a weird titleβevery time I wrote it, I had to double check it!
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I have the same issues with my furkids so I’m glad you told me so I never watch that movie. Apart from truly pathetic lack of empathy, aren’t there people employed specifically to watch for continuity issues? Bah, thumbs down on both counts.
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Every episode just gets weirder and weirder!
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The franchise is now owned by Disney, isn’t it? I’ve read that they people running Disney now are running the brand into the ground. π¦
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Yay for all of your success and for everyone who gets to read what you write and what you publish! Very bad pet owners on Ahsoka. I am, however, considering dying my hair that fabulous shade of purple!!!!!!!
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The one redeeming part of the show!
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Yes! Plots that have unresolved as in forgotten pets in the plot are the worst. It happens in books too. Nertz.
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The absolute worst!
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Just editorial oversight?
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Or underestimating their audience maybe!
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Exactly!
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Hello. Iβll skip that show. Hereβs one that my wife and I currently are enjoying. Itβs an unusual police drama called Criminal: United Kingdom. Itβs on Netflix. Neil S.
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I think theyβve done that show for different countries if itβs the o e Iβm think of, and itβs fantastic! Is UK the one with David Tennant as a suspect?
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yes
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Scratch that one from the list.
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Yes, definitely not worth the time π£
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