Quick updates! Masks and Jesus Christ Superstar and some reading

• I've made a lot of masks!  Specifically, I bought four lots of these kits from my local yarn store, Gather Here - Kits make 10 masks from 1 yard of cotton fabric and come with the elastic you need.  So, I guess in total I have made about 40 masks, but most of them have been either given to friends or donated back to Gather Here to donate to other orgs. They are a delightful lefty institution and I adore them, so I am happy to support them in their efforts to get masks to people who need them. 

• Having made so many masks, playing with different patterns, I have narrowed down what I want from a mask: sturdy and pretty cotton fabric, fold over elastic that goes around my head and neck to keep away from my glasses, and a pocket for a filter (if it comes to that). I highly recommend the pattern that Gather Here put together - they have put their updates to the pattern on Instagram

• I am going to make more masks! After buying the kits and getting fabric that was fine but not super pretty, I bought some fabric and better tools and got them delivered, and bought some fold over elastic. My plan is to make about 40 masks and keep a fair few of them. Walking the dog means I am using about three masks per day, one per dog walk, and if the husbeast comes with me (as we often do) we're going to need a stash. Also I want to have enough that I can just hand them out to people in my circle who need them. 

• I am apparently trash for Jesus Christ Superstar, which is. Really fucking weird.  I have some questions!
  • In the Last  Supper song, the apostles sing, "I always hoped that  I'd be an apostle" - was this a recognized career choice? Are there auditions? Benefits? Who's hiring other than JC? 
  • Are there ways of staging this show where the costumes are not, ya know, a little *too* into whatever period they are in? 
  • Are there ways to costume Caiaphus and Annas and the rest of the Jewish leadership that are not... comically antisemetic? 
    • Actually, there's probably a lot of major antisemitic bullshit happening that I am just missing because I haven't paid enough attention and I'm too accustomed to it from the annual passion stories. 
  • There's clearly a minimum required element of romance between Judas and Jesus, but has anyone established a maximum limit? 
  • Um. Has anyone figured out that casting literally any characters but Jesus and the apostles with a Black actor has some Real Bad Implications? 
    
    • The 1973 film did okay on this - there were enough actors of color in major roles to undercut any implications that might have arisen from casting Carl Anderson as Judas. But honestly, who else could have sung that role? None. 

• I'm reading a little bit again! My brain kind of wasn't into it recently. I'm only re-reading some fic that I have loved before in times of trouble, but that's reading and maybe it will jump start things. 

I have some plans to write letters today to friends and actually get some stuff done. Monday is a local holiday - but sadly the marathon is cancelled -  so I might sneak in another bike ride this weekend that I don't normally get. There's an annual pre-marathon bike event, the Midnight Marathon, that I will be missing again - people ship their bikes out to the start of the marathon route via a special truck and then ride the route in the dark as a joyful clump of noise. Since the route closes down some major roads the night before, it's kind of a wonderful break from reality.