Trying to Manage 2 Blogs & Starting to Watch Supernatural & Friends (in 2019)

Hello folks,

I hope you're doing well.

Things have been crazy on the tramway called life. Last weekend I might have stretched myself a little too far trying to manage my work, homework and other projects.

This past weekend I helped run a tailgate at a soccer game with my school's Campus Activity Council. We served hot dogs, chips, Hawaiian Punch, let people make posters (I made one for this blog, which was sort of a fail at advertising) and had supplies to "spray" their hair purple and white, our colors. It was a lot of fun, and our Men's Soccer team did well, winning 6-0.

Facebook Pages 

So a few announcements: I've recently made two Facebook pages for my Blogs. You can find the pages below, if you'd like to meet up with other people in the Tug & Tram or The Occasional Express Community.

Tug & Tram Blogging

www.facebook.com/Patrick-Webbs-Tug-Tram-Blogging-115978946451247/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel&eid=ARCdaac6wleA2hvI_ZN9VL4CvnfhwUHxHmmbBcaJ7tR2EO9zWa0-X45sOK--fH3yIEUs7oDO4HDyUzs8 

The Occasional Express

@TheOccasionalExpress (if this' easier to search with)

www.facebook.com/TheOccasionalExpress/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel&eid=ARCbg0a4Kie37rOfjSSqJ-DkTvO-Z3N3ubrgd0pOuxPfnpdnRJTGu9XOBJSoCspRskVVfxY13u-D1Cz7 

I realized that a lot of writers on Twitter in the #WritingCommunity have Facebook Pages; I decided it was about time I got one of my own. Please note that The Occasional Express will be just about trains, while Tug & Tram Blogging's Facebook page will be about my writing in general, along with posts I make about Pop Culture, Pat Pitches, History of Characters, etc., so feel free to just follow the one you're interested in.

So far, I only have a small amount of likes on either page. This week I focused more on getting people to like The Occasional Express (who weren't friends) because I know most of my friends on Facebook aren't interested in trains.

I am glad that I have a new platform to interact with my readers, but I'm also worried it might be too much of a distraction from my writing. I guess that's something I'll have to work on figuring out as I go forward. If you're a writer with a FB page, and have some advice, I'd love to hear it.

Trying to Manage 2 Blogs

As I mentioned before, I think I'm starting to feel the time strain of trying to manage 2 blogs, along with their Facebook pages. Both blogs don't have schedules yet (unofficially most T&T posts come out on Friday, usually around 5 PM Eastern, and The Occasional Express is whenever I can get an article).

I have been enjoying working on both, don't get me wrong. Tug & Tram blogging has helped me reach out to you guys, gals, and nonbinary pals, which I'm very glad for. I also really enjoy the blog format, it's given me a way to share my thoughts and my love for pop culture, such as my history posts of forgotten characters or Pat Pitches.

However, with that in mind, I haven't written as much recently, since I have to manage my blogs, fun writing (ex: films, novels, etc.) and most important of all my school work. I think what I need to do is sit down and plan out a schedule for when I post on each blog, and set aside some time for my other writing.

Writing Updates

Before I go onto my next topic, I feel I should mention where I'm at with my writing. I haven't worked on The Bethany Galactic Railway Chronicles in a while, because I got swamped with work last week, and was dealing with some personal stuff. The heat didn't help any.

As for my other projects (Lady Luck, Royal Scot) I haven't done a lot with them in a while. Lady Luck is ready for some peer review/editing from a second person, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. My go to editor (Cristina) is pretty busy right now helping another friend (CC) with their Senior Projects. I don't need to really start the project until next year (since I'm currently a Junior) but I feel I should get some editing done sooner rather than later, given how big Lady Luck Vol. 1 is.

As for Royal Scot, I think I'm going to sit on that one for a while, and go back to it after I take some film classes. I'm sure I made a LOT of mistakes in the formatting of a script, so I should fix that first before showing it to anyone for serious editing. (Maybe I'm also a little anxious about that, who's to say? 😅 )

All right, onto the next topic.

Starting Supernatural & Friends (in 2019) 

So as stated in the name of the blog, I've decided to start watching Supernatural and Friends.... in 2019.

Now you might be wondering: Why? 

A few reasons. Let's start with Supernatural. My friend Cristina (mentioned earlier) is a big fan of the show, and we were talking at supper a few days a go about how the show is finally coming to an end after the 15th Season. I know a little bit about the show (my older sister is also a big fan of the show). I'd seen her watching some episodes a few years ago, but it never interested me.

At the time I was biased towards horror, which I'm working to overcome. I asked Cristina if it was worth starting the show, and she said yes. I decided "Why not?" So far I'm three episodes into the series, and I'm really enjoying it. It's a nice mix of mystery, horror and action, which keeps me entertained.

It's also fun to see the older technology in the show's first season, such as the flip phones and giant computer screens. Sam and Dean have really been around for a while, haven't they? I think my favorite part of the show is Sam and Dean's interactions. They really feel like siblings, such as how they get on each other's nerves, but also have each other's backs.

The only criticism I have is that the show has a dark color pallet which was popular around 2005 when the show started. Ah yes, gotta love that 2000's look: everything is somewhat drained of color.
While I'm not a personal fan of that aesthetic (especially in superhero shows, but that's a post for another day) it does fit the tone of Supernatural, so I'm willing to give it a pass.

I doubt I'm going to catch up in time to see the final season (it's 14 seasons after all) and I'm not really into binge watching super long shows. I will definitely make my way through it. So no spoilers!!

Next, Friends. Unlike Supernatural, I have seen a fair share of Friends episodes on reruns on the CW during their comedy block back at home. While I added it to my list of shows to watch on Netflix, I never felt motivated to start watching it from the first episode.

However, that changed for a few reasons. 1) Friends is leaving Netflix for HBO Max, Warner Bros./HBO's new streaming service. (YAY!!! Another streaming service 😒) and 2) I was talking with a friend at lunch about the show, while it was playing in our cafeteria. I decided "Well, why not? I could use another comedy show to watch."

I was watching Cheers a while ago, but I binged through the first season, and need a bit of a break. So I started Friends, and have watched two episodes. I understand why everyone loves the show a little better now. It's really funny, and the chemistry between the cast shines through.

I was concerned the show hadn't aged well, since it was made in the 90's. However, it certainly holds up pretty well. The show also handles Ross' ex-wife being a lesbian pretty well. They use the situation to make some jokes without mocking the characters being lesbians. However, since I'm a heterosexual male, maybe there's something I'm missing. Hopefully any members of the LGBTQ+ community who watch Friends are able to enjoy it still.

All right, that's about it from me today. I should get back to more "productive" work, like practicing Spanish on Duolingo. Or watching Friends and Supernatural on Netflix. 😜 I will try to keep posting weekly, however midterms are around the corner, along with the grand jewel event on campus: Kickoff, which I'm working at, so I might not have a lot of time to write.

If you'd like to connect with me, I'm on Twitter @ConductorPat, and as mentioned before have a Facebook page titled "Patrick Webbs Tug & Tram Blogging." Thanks for reading everyone. Keep writing, and I'll see you on the Tramway!