Ashlee Craft's World

Category: Uncategorized

THIS MONTH’S MEDIA: November 2022
What I watched, listened to, read, & played in November 2022!

November was an amazing month in a lot of ways & a traumatic month in other ways (but I’m okay now!). Due to the latter part of that, I think I spent a lot of time just listening to my playlists on shuffle instead of listening to podcasts or albums (I honestly don’t remember lol) so I ended up listening to much less of either of those things than usual. I did however end up watching more episodes of shows than I usually do, & enjoyed many shows about science & animals!

I also discovered my love for the Oceans trilogy of heist films & ended up watching all the films in the series this month (upon which I realized I’d actually seen the second one before, with no context from the first film so it didn’t make much sense like a decade ago when I watched it). I also played some board games for once, & rediscovered my love for Tetris-type games by playing Pentix Nova after the traumatic event because I’ve heard Tetris helps your brain process stressful things better.

TV
1. Absurd Planet: Strangest Things
2. Clint’s Reptiles: Bearded Dragon, Giant Day Gecko, Fire-Bellied Toad, Fire Skink, Crocodile Skink, Jeweled Lacerta, Oscillated Skink, Mossy Leaf-Tailed Gecko
3. Dreamworks Spooky Stories: Scared Shrekless
4. Dan the Turtle Man: How to Care for a Baby Turtle (Most Species!)
5. Molang: S1 E8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
6. Our Flag Means Death: S1 Ep. 6
7. SciShow: Bumblebees Play … And it’s Adorable, Why Don’t Jellyfish Look Like That?
8. Tarantula Collective: Best Care for Aphonopelma Chalcodes – Arizona Blonde
9. The Turtle Girl: Best Beginner Turtles – Which Turtle is Best for Me?
Total: 22 Episodes

BOOKS
1. The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (audiobook narrated by Stephen Fry)
Total: 1 Books

MOVIES, SHORT FILMS, & DOCUMENTARIES
1. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed*
2. Oceans 11
3. Oceans 12*
4. May I Enter Please (short film by Alan Resnick)*
5. Oceans 13
Total: 5 Movies & Documentaries

PODCASTS
1. Noble Blood: Queen Njinga’s Cleverness, The Three Husbands of Lucrezia Borgia, The People’s Princess (with Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall), From Poland with Love, The First and Last Emperor of America
2. Rusty Fears: Rusty Fears 5 – Casting Line, Rusty Fears 4 – The Budding
Total: 7 Podcast Episodes

ALBUMS
1. I Want to Feel Chaotic by Bears in Trees*
2. I Want to Feel Chaotic by Bears in Trees*
3. Can’t Buy a Thrill by Steely Dan*
Total: 3 Albums

GAMES
1. Pentix Nova
2. Candyland: Unicorn Edition
3. Kerplunk*
4. Jenga*
Total: 4 Games

BANDS I SAW IN CONCERT:
Total: 0 Bands

*Things marked with the asterisk mean it’s something I’ve read/watched/listened to before, everything else is new to me!
December 6, 2022
THIS MONTH’S MEDIA: October 2022
What I watched, listened to, read, & played in October 2022!

The main thing my brain hyperfocused on this month was reptiles & amphibians, as evidenced by the sheer amount of herptile-related content on this month’s list! My brain wanted to think about & learn about little else, & as far as podcasts only was really interested for some reason in non-fiction, so I also enjoyed a lot of episodes of Noble Blood.

TV
1. Clint’s Reptiles: Sandfish Skinks, Kenyan Sand Boas, Gargoyle Geckos, Pixie Frogs, Milk Snakes, Mexican Red-Knee Tarantula, Blue Tongue Skink, Pictus Gecko, Green Tree Skink, Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula, Jackson’s Chameleon, Box Turtles, Ball Python, Mourning Gecko, Garter Snake, Flying Gecko, Chameleon Gecko, Knob-Tailed Gecko, Peters Banded Skink, 5 More of the Best Pet Snakes You Can Possibly Own, Blue Death Feigning Beetle, Neon Day Gecko, Amazon Milk Frog, Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, African Fat-Tailed Gecko, Russian Tortoise, Solomon Island Skink, Mud/Musk/Stinkpot Turtles, Starry Night Reed Frog, Jumping Spiders, Corn Snake, Gidgee Skink
2. Snake Discovery: How to Care for Jumping Spiders
3. The Turtle Girl: Common Turtle Care Mistakes & How to Avoid Them, Musk Turtle Care Guide, New Nelson’s Milksnake
Total: 36 Episodes

BOOKS
Total: 0 Books

MOVIES, SHORT FILMS, & DOCUMENTARIES
1. Eraserhead
2. The Bob’s Burgers Movie
3. Coming to America
4. Little Shop of Horrors
Total: 4 Movies & Documentaries

PODCASTS
1. The Magnus Archives: Ep. 60
2. Noble Blood: The Red Paint on Leopold II, The Távora Executions, How Tycho Brahe Saw the Stars, Grand Princess Olga of Kiev Takes Her Revenge, The Blood Sacrifice of the Tang Emperor, What Crown Prince Wilhelm Left Behind, The Beggar Princess of Bristol; Charles the Beloved, the Mad, the Fool; King George Washington I; Piers Gaveston, the King’s Favorite; The Devil & the Duchess de Praslin, Juana La Loca, All Germany Talking of It
3. Storical Podcast: Charles Dickens: A Dickens of a Tale
4. Unobscured: S1: Floundering, Making Amends, S1 Interview 1: Emerson Baker
Total: 19 Podcast Episodes

ALBUMS
1. Mushroom Music by Louie Zong*
2. OK ORCHESTRA by AJR
3. Can’t Buy a Thrill by Steely Dan*
4. Can’t Buy a Thrill by Steely Dan*
5. I, Robot by The Alan Parsons Project*
6. SELF-ish by Will Wood & the Tapeworms*
7. Can’t Buy a Thrill by Steely Dan*
8. AAAH!BBA by Brian David Gilbert*
Total: 8 Albums

GAMES
Total: 0 Games

BANDS I SAW IN CONCERT:
Total: 0 Bands

*Things marked with the asterisk mean it’s something I’ve read/watched/listened to before, everything else is new to me!
December 5, 2022
THIS MONTH’S MEDIA: May 2022
What I watched, listened to, read, & played in May 2022!

May was a really good month for me! I did not watch a lot of films or shows, but I DID listen to a lot of The Magnus Archive which I CONTINUE to adore, & also I started listening to the Rusty Quill Gaming podcast which I ALSO adore. Additionally, I started getting into Brian David Gilbert’s content & discovered he makes music & I love both of his albums so very much, his content in general is just so fantastic!

TV
1. Molang: The Party, The Bicycle Ride, The Castaways
Total: 3 Episodes

BOOKS
Total: 0 Books

MOVIES & DOCUMENTARIES
1. Death on the Nile
Total: 1 Movies & Documentaries

PODCASTS
1. Aaron Menke’s Cabinet of Curiosities: Eddie’s Monster, Killer Act, Clowning Around, Ghosted, Rat Race, Shapes Shifted, Roman Justice
2. Lore: Episodes 153
3. The Magnus Archives: Ep. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43
4. Rusty Quill Gaming: Episodes 0, 1, 2, 3
Total: 27 Podcast Episodes

ALBUMS
1. Folk Songs for Young People by Pete Seeger
2. Songs With Videos Without Videos by Brian David Gilbert
3. AAAH!BBA by Brian David Gilbert
Total: 3 Albums

GAMES

Total: 0 Games

BANDS I SAW IN CONCERT:
1. Paul McCartney at Camping World Stadium in Orlando
Total: 1 Bands

*Things marked with the asterisk mean it’s something I’ve read/watched/listened to before, everything else is new to me!
June 15, 2022
THIS MONTH’S MEDIA: April 2022
What I watched, listened to, read, & played in April 2022!

April was a fun month! I didn’t watch a lot of shows or movies, but I did get really into The Magnus Archives podcast as I listen to it for the first time ever & oh gosh, I love & adore it so so much!!! Really that was the main focus of my media this month haha.

TV
1. Netflix’s Trivia Quest: Reel Talk
2. Our Flag Means Death: S1 Ep. 3, 4, 5
3. The Who Was Show: Ghandi & Benjamin Franklin
Total: 5 Episodes

BOOKS
1. Frog & Toad are Friends by Andrew Lobel*
2. More Than Sunny by Shelley Johannes
Total: 2 Books

MOVIES & DOCUMENTARIES
1. 21
2. Lucy
Total: 2 Movies & Documentaries

PODCASTS
1. Aaron Menke’s Cabinet of Curiosities: Disc Men, Living a Dream, Monster Mass, Shark Attacked, Stubborn Neighbors
2. Frog of the Week: Fowler’s Toad, Hairy Frog, Tomato Frog, Frog of the Year 2021, Banded Bullfrog
3. Lore: Episodes 148, 149, 150, 151, 152
4. The Magnus Archives: Ep. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 26*, 27, 28
5. Noble Blood: The Maybe Queen Arbella, The Butler in the Bedroom with a Sabre
6. Stuff You Missed in History Class by How Stuff Works: How the Donner Party Worked, Vlad Tepes: Who was the real Count Dracula?
7. Unobscured: S1 Consequences, She is One of Us
Total: 40 Podcast Episodes

ALBUMS
1. I Want to Feel Chaotic by Bears in Trees*
2. I Want to Feel Chaotic by Bears in Trees*
3. Keep Me Safe by Bears in Trees
4. I Want to Feel Chaotic by Bears in Trees*
5. Keep Me Safe by Bears in Trees*
Total: 5 Albums

GAMES

Total: 0 Games

BANDS I SAW IN CONCERT:
1. Toto* at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL
2. Journey at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL
Total: 2 Bands

*Things marked with the asterisk mean it’s something I’ve read/watched/listened to before, everything else is new to me!
May 13, 2022
This Month’s Media: MARCH 2022
What I watched, listened to, read, & played in March 2022!

March was a good month for me! I finished watching most of the movies I started watching in February haha – as you can see, there is a lot of variety as far as genres among them. I actually went to a concert for the first time this year (masked & vaxxed!) & saw one of my favorite bands, Bears in Trees, along with a few other great bands! This spurred me to actually listen to albums for once lol, & not only did I get more into Bears in Trees from doing so, but I also discovered two other pieces of media I really like: Our Flag Means Death, & The Magnus Archives!

TV
1. Numberblocks: Episode One
2. Our Flag Means Death: S1 Ep. 1, 2
Total: 3 Episodes

BOOKS
Total: 0 Books

MOVIES & DOCUMENTARIES
1. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
2. Stargate
3. Hairspray
4. Hook
5. Sonic the Hedgehog
6. Willy’s Wonderland
Total: 6 Movies & Documentaries

PODCASTS
1. Aaron Menke’s Cabinet of Curiosities: 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115
2. Frog of the Week: What’s the Difference Between a Frog & a Toad?, Cane Toad, European Fire-Bellied Toad, Kihansi Spray Toad, Pumpkin Toadlet, Arum Lily Frog, Wood Frog
3. Georgie Romaro is Done For: S2 Ep. 2
4. Hello From the Hallowoods: Episode 1
5. Jar of Rebuke: Episodes S2 Ep. 3*, 4, 5, 6
6. Lore: Episodes 146, 147
7. The Magnus Archives: Ep. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
8. Sawbones: Episodes: Birth, Hiccups
9. Schmanners: Pools & Beaches, Afternoon Tea & High Tea, Picnics & Potlucks
10. Science Rules! With Bill Nye: Cooking with Science: Why Eggs Turn White, Pickles Crunch, & Popcorn Sets Off Your Smoke Detectors
11. The Sheridan Tapes: Ep. 1
12. The Soft-Boiled Detective: Mambo Italiano; Be Careful, It’s My Heart
Total: 50 Podcast Episodes

ALBUMS
1. and everybody else smiled back by Bears in Trees
2. I Want to Feel Chaotic by Bears in Trees*
3. and everybody else smiled back by Bears in Trees*
4. I Want to Feel Chaotic by Bears in Trees*
5. Human by Dodie
6. From Under the Cork Tree by Fall Out Boy
7. and everybody else smiled back by Bears in Trees*
8. I Want to Feel Chaotic by Bears in Trees*
Total: 8 Albums

GAMES

Total: 0 Games

BANDS I SAW IN CONCERT:
1. Bears in Trees
2. Eric Butler of Mom Jeans
3. Just Friends
Total: 3 Bands

*Things marked with the asterisk mean it’s something I’ve read/watched/listened to before, everything else is new to me!
April 2, 2022
THIS MONTH’S MEDIA: JULY 2021
What I watched, listened to, read, & played in July 2021!

July was a pretty stressful month for me so I did not end up consuming as much media as I hoped to, but what I did listen to (including, MANY episodes of ‘Lore’ & some of my comfort show ‘The Adventure Zone’) were very helpful.

TV
1. Puppet History: The Donner Party
Total: 1 Episode

BOOKS

Total: 0 Book

MOVIES & DOCUMENTARIES

Total: 0 Movies & Documentaries

PODCASTS
1. The Adventure Zone: Episodes Live in Nashville, Candlenights in Tacoma, Setup: Amnesty
2. Cults: Oneida Community Part 2, The Moonies Parts 1 & 2,
3. Frog of the Week: Budgett’s Frog, Amazon Milk Frog, Coqui, Barking Tree Frog, Ruby-Eyed Tree Frog, Darwin’s Frog
4. Jar of Rebuke: Episodes S2 Ep. 2, 3
5. Lore: Episodes 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, `100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110
6. Purrcast: Ep. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40
7. Sawbones: Episodes: Tuberculosis, Pregnancy Tests, Plastic Surgery, Phrenology, Oil Pulling, Medical Marijuana
8. Serial Killers: The Murder Factory Parts 1 & 2, Son of Sam Parts 1 & 2
9. Sounds Fake But Okay: Ep. 9
10. True Facts About Dinosaurs: Carnotasaurus, Velicoraptors
11. Welcome to Night Vale: Episodes 159, 160
Total: 60 Podcast Episodes

ALBUMS
1. Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys*
Total: 1 Albums

GAMES

Total: 0 Games

*Things marked with the asterisk mean it’s something I’ve read/watched/listened to before, everything else is new to me!
August 21, 2021
My Pronouns & Gender Terms: A Cheat Sheet

One of my friends shared this on their Facebook a while back with their answers & not only did I find it really interesting to see what they had to say, but I also TOTALLY was excited about sharing my own answers! Also, this was a lot of fun to fill out.

KEY:
✅ – okay
❌ – not okay
❓– ask permission/situational

she/her ❌
he/him ✅
they/them✅ (they/them are technically the pronouns I use, but as I feel like a non-binary boy & identify as non-binary trans/demiboy/transmasculine, he/him pronouns or using he/they pronouns for me is fine! Really, anything as good as long as it’s not she/her pronouns! But if someone asks me my pronouns, as this point I’m gonna say “they/them” as those are still my very favorite ones)
it/its❌
other/neopronouns✅ (again, they/them is preferred but these are fine too!)

mx.✅
mr.✅
ms❌
miss ❌
mrs. ❌

Sir✅
Ma’am❌
Mx.✅
Other neo-honorifics (Zir, Misc, Ind)✅

dude, my guy, buddy, ect ✅
bro, boy, lad, man, sir, king, etc✅
pal, anything gender neutral really✅
boss, captain, etc✅
enby, non-binary person, human ✅
sis, queen, girl, lady ❌
slut/bitch❓
pretty, beautiful, stunning etc✅
cute, sweet, adorable, gorgeous, good looking✅
handsome, rugged, dashing✅

March 4, 2020
A (Micro) Interview with Michael Sheen

Stephen Fry’s 2003 film, “Bright Young Things” is a good movie, but the absolute BEST thing about it for me is the character Miles, played by the amazing Michael Sheen. Miles is seriously one of my favorite characters I have ever come across, & the way Sheen plays Miles couldn’t be more perfect.

If you’ve seen the movie, you know how sad Miles’ final scene in the film is. Miles’ facade of confidence is shattered when (spoilers) he learns the police have a warrant out to arrest him for being gay & he is forced to leave the country before they can.

The emotions in that scene are so palpably genuine, vulnerable, & honest. And poor Miles just looks so perfectly sad, with his very red eyes, his mannerisms, the way his voice cracks & he looks away, unable to make eye contact. I’m filing this scene in my “amazing textbook examples of sadness & vulnerability” category, so I can study the scene & acting, & use what I learn from studying it to improve my own acting.

Which brings me to my second point. As an actor, I really wanted to know whether Sheen was “actually crying” in the scene, or whether anything like a tear stick or tear blower had been used to assist this effect.

Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with actors using things like tear sticks to help their characters cry, if they really need to. I understand that having to reshoot a scene, or working a long day & being emotionally exhausted, etc might make it hard for an actor to cry naturally.

But what I wanted to know was, as an actor, if I were trying to portray a scene in a similar way, would it be fair to hold myself up to the standard of actually crying that much, or whether the way a scene like that was done DID rely on a sort of incidental “special effect” of a tear stick. A lot of things in films are simulated or rely on even a small amount of “stage magic” to work properly, & I wanted to know whether a scene like this was one of those things, or whether it was real vulnerability worth striving for.

I went on Twitter & the following discussion happened:

Q: “The actor in me would love to know whether in this beautifully-acted scene, your eyes were that red & sad from crying naturally (perhaps from multiple takes), whether a tear stick/makeup/etc was involved, or a combination?”

A: “Just crying a lot.”

Knowing that about this scene makes me want to hold myself to a higher standard of acting, & makes me want to get a lot better about learning how to get into my characters better so I can, when the time calls for it, bring about genuine emotions in the mindset realm of the character. It also makes me love this scene even more than I already did & is a true testament to Sheen’s talent in bringing his characters & their emotions to life. I just think it’s so lovely how genuine this scene is.

A huge thank you to Michael Sheen for giving me permission to publish this as an interview on my blog!

August 12, 2019
NEW CHILDREN’S BOOK: Learning Colors with Cute Llamas

Learn colors with cute llamas! 21 different colors of llamas, all with cute names & hobbies, fill the pages of this simple, adorable, & fun book about colors for kids.

PUBLICATION DATE: April 21, 2019
PAPERBACK 46 Pages
GENRE: Children’s Basic Education

Kindle eBook
Paperback

August 5, 2019
5 Beautiful Rare Things I Want to Feel in 2018 – The Ashlee Craft Show – Episode 036 – Motivation

In Episode 036 of The Ashlee Craft Show, I talk about the things that, at surface level, aren’t things I thought of when setting up my goals for the year. But they’re things that actually matter more, because they’re the core feelings behind the things you want.

READ THE ARTICLE

February 27, 2018