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Not hardcore enough to be ultra nerdy, but it's not that shallow, either. |
 I'm not super dedicated to science fiction. In fact, it's my escape from reality. However, even when escaping I have plenty to say on the subject. I'm not as devoted to it as some people I know. That said, it's not a shallow thing for me. I can overthink it like I overthink everything else under the sun (and moon and other planets). My ramblings will range from cerebral to silly and borrow random elements from seemingly nonsensical areas. Many have (and will) appear in my journals first. When they arrive here, there will be edits for language, typos and similar details. However, the 18+ rating will stay since sex, violence and similar topics will be addressed in this blog. After all, sci-fi includes these elements in various ways from time to time. To get an idea of my science fiction background, I recommend this primer "Preferences in a nutshell"  . Links are always relevant to my interests, and my favorites can be found in the lefthand column next to this blog. You'll also see links to my other journals if you want to browse the unedited versions of my rants and/or see who I am outside the science fiction realm. Comment as much or as little as you like. Just remember that I'm not here to take things too seriously, as that's just not how I roll in sci-fi discussions.TAG GUIDE!
Handy keywords for searching for specific topics. Copy and paste in the search box to your heart's content!  alien racesbiologybookscastingcharactersdiscussionDoctor WhoDVD newsfandomfan fictionfangirlingFlashForwardfunnygendergender wankHeroesimaginationinteractiveintroKarl Urbanlinksliterary referencesmedicinemerchandisemoral ambiguitymoviesoffblog promotionpoliticspreferencesquizrecapsrandomrantingreviewssocial issuesspeculationspoilersStar TrekStar WarstechnologytimeTV showsvampiresWall-Ewhat?wibblewomenwritingwriting issues |
| I've been seeing this quiz around lately and decided I had to take it. http://www.seabreezecomputers.com/startrek/ Most people I stumbled upon got Kirk as their result, which made my result almost amusing. I ended up getting Picard. Here's the text from the result page. A lover of Shakespeare and other fine literature. You have a decisive mind and a firm hand in dealing with others. Given that my first love was TNG, the result did make me smile a bit. I am so geeky. I'm not a huge fan of Shakespeare, though. I mean, I can appreciate it, but I'm more into nonfiction. Moving along. After that, I most identified with Spock and then Chekov of all characters. Uh, what? Spock is not that big of a surprise, but Chekov? Seriously? It's too illogical to be lolworthy. So, if anyone else has taken this test, I'd like to know who you got in this little quiz type item.   |
I know I've neglected this blog lately. Hey, the holidays snuck up on me, and I've had to schedule in time to breathe. With things calming down, I've been cataloging my unfinished sci-fi shenanigans and realize I have a lot of them. So here's what I'll be doing in regards to sci-stuff in the coming year. Books: finish the following books
While I do enjoy a good sci-fi book, books are rather time intensive for me. If I get everything else finished, I'll consider getting the following and starting on it.
TV: This should take a little less time, and these activities will most likely result in discussion posts.1. finish Heroes and dive into Flash Forward; I'll probably marathon the latter this weekend or so since I'll have some time. 2. get caught up on the new Doctor Who; I actually saw most of Season 3 but want to see Seasons 1 and 2. I have season 1 in my Netflix queue and received Season 2 as a gift a couple years ago. Movies: Be on the lookout for movie reviews galore! Some of my choices are cerebral, while some are utter trash. Yeah, I am capable of watching trash. Whether or not I enjoy it is another matter altogether. Here's what's currently sitting in my Netflix queue.
Trust me when I say that list could be longer, as I've been intrigued by some of the recommendations I've been getting from Netflix. I think all the movies I rate/watch confuse the computers that make recommendations. On the other hand, the fact that it can come up with "cerebral foreign science fiction" at all is kind of awesome. On that note, stay safe this New Year's Eve! I will probably kick off 2010 in this blog with my long overdue squeefest commentary on the Star Trek DVD that I haven't watched enough (for my taste, anyway). |
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| Since I found out there will be no new episodes of Heroes this month, I've decided to pick a day and have a Flash Forward marathon. The premise of the show is intriguing and makes me contemplate how I keep coming back to movies/shows that deal with time and temporal disturbances. I guess the first question is why I'm so fascinated with time. I haven't really considered it, other than that messing with time is equivalent to playing God. While I don't believe in God, I do think that moving through time is a big deal that should not be taken lightly. In eighth grade English, one of our journal assignments was to write about what we would do if we could go back in time. I said I probably wouldn't change anything. I understood even then that time travelling was a risky venture. So maybe that's why it appeals to me, at least on one level. It's power, the kind of absolute power that corrupts absolutely. The other way it appeals to me is from a writing perspective. Time travel (voluntary or otherwise) allows for not only suspenseful plot twists but a chance to really develop characters. Why's that? Well, time travel creates a psychological sense of isolation, and you know me. I'm a fan of juxtaposition (in this case possibly being surrounded by people but not being able to mentally connect with them due to being from the mindset of a different time). This isolation alone provides fodder for excellent man vs. self conflicts. Of course, the other conflict types are fair game as well, and man vs. man conflicts between individuals from two different times allows for great contrast as well. I think this is why time is such a prevalent concept in science fiction. This ability to really flesh people out and being able to present myriad mentalities simultaneously makes time endure and immune to being trendy (unlike vampires) or appearing dated (like nuclear holocausts). Another thing to consider when dealing with time deals not with the past but the future. How does knowing the future affect your present and the decisions you make? Now this question has been around much longer than science fiction (Oedipus, anyone?), but it's just as much fun to contemplate in writing. Without having seen it, I figure Flash Forward centers around this question. The new Trek movie also plays around with it, mostly from how Spock Prime thinks, acts and feels in that brave new universe. In his case, he has experienced a future and thus gives Kirk a cheat sheet for getting the hell off Delta Vega and commandering the Enterprise. I think this particular aspect of time will be more explored in the media in this century due to an increasing psychologcal interest in wanting to have greater control over everyday affairs (at the very least). My first exposure to time in entertainment was Quantum Leap, which I watched with my parents as a kid. Of course, I wanted to be Al and not Sam Beckett. Go figure. From there, I tended to gravitate toward stories that dealt with temporal themes (e.g. Twelve Monkeys, The Butterfly Effect). This could partially explain my preference for Star Trek, as temporal disturbances were occasionally explored on the various shows. It's fun to watch the writers play god and see how the various others involved (actors, directors, art crew) interpret "God"'s word. |
| I will have my DVD in a bit. There was a credit card snafu and other shenanigans that have resulted in me getting it a week later than the other geeks. Hey, at least it gave me time to find a movie that suits both my movie snob tendencies and my incessant urge to fangirl over Karl Urban. Seriously, I think mi amor would probably celebrate the day when Karl retires. Or is otherwise out of his current career. Anyway, since my squeefest DVD review won't be around until sometime after Thanksgiving, I'll throw a link your way! http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2009/11/dinkytown_dad_s.php Ten bucks says this guy is in denial. Hey, join the club, buddy! I still like to pretend I have some dignity and confine all my Star Trek merchandise purchases (all two of them) to the world of online shopping. But when I start talking about how illogical it is for Starfleet to be headquartered in San Francisco due to the geographical instability of the area, I realize there's no hope left for me. Yeah. I'll elaborate on that point soon. I promise. Right after I stop adding additional crap to my Netflix queue. And get my rear in watching Flash Forward. And not just because John Cho's in it. Trust me. I'm up to my ears in sci-fi stuff I want to catch up on (along with news, political stuff, wedding planning, work and a zillion other things). |
Between computer issues, work issues and life issues, I have been terrible about keeping up with this blog. And I didn't even take on my Flash Forward marathon that I kind of told myself I'd do once my computer was fixed. Then again, Out of the Blue does wonders in distracting me from sci-fi (and will eventually be discussed in my regular journals). Anyway, so in the midst of all this, I have still been keeping up with Heroes, and I'm actually enjoying it. It took a little too much time for the creative staff to find their feet again, but now things are picking up. Time for some bulletpoints, I say! After the episode two weeks ago, I was all "OMGWTF Mohinder?" I am glad to see the creative staff nodding to continuity and showing Mohinder reviewing his father's old films. But I still want to know why he ended up with a torso full of nails and what Hiro's going to do about it. Speaking of Hiro, in spite of his best efforts, he did alter his present. I only figured this out when Matt-Sylar said, "I tried to kill a waitress here once." That could also be attributed to a slight continuity error. This is one of those occasions when both explanations work, mostly because of the way that Chaos Theory works (and it got its share of exposure in the Hiro-centric episode). I think the way they're developing the relationship between Peter and Emma is solid. It's much more subtle than what's been done in the past, and a lot of this stems from Emma actually being a strong character. Strong characters are something of a rarity on the show, but she's one of the best. She's growing on me, and I think even outside of a romantic context she and Peter work well together. Though I still think Peter and Mohinder would have made a good match, Peter and Emma are a lot more credible than most other combinations the writers have thrown at us (damn near literally). Samuel has an ability and a talent. While we've seen his earth-shattering (literally) ability, we've also seen his more subtle talent of persuasion at work. It seems to have worked on Tracy. Likewise, it can convince the audience that there is no definite good and evil in this situation. On the one hand, Samuel's clearly up to no good. On the other hand, he does have a point about family and the importance of being with people such as yourself. Both sides are as clearly wrong as they are right. I still haven't made a decision about Sylar-Matt yet, other than it's this season's gender twisted Nikki/Jessica battle. But it's getting ugly, and Matt's getting passive-aggressive. The word trainwreck comes to mind, and while I understand how it happened, I think this is where the writers will mostly likely write themselves into a knot. Just my personal opinion. Claire is almost tolerable this season and is sort of being the voice of reason. Oh, and she revealed the Haitian's name to be Rene. Say what? I admit I didn't see that coming. Speaking of the Haitian, his presence has been sporadic but crucial, just like Jimmy Jean Louis mentioned in this interview . I think Claire and the Haitian need more scenes together, if only because they have an understanding, a dynamic unlike any other in the show.I think that's all I have for now, but I'll try to get some of the old archived items added and get crannking on some of my sci-fi theories that are sparked by the various programs I watch. Good times! |
| http://www.examiner.com/x-24504-Norfolk-Comic-Books-Examiner~y2009m11d2-Adrian-P... I know you tend to hate spoilers, but...this is kind of major. I'm still kind of hoping another male character dies, but that's just me being a sadist. I don't really have much to say on it, to be honest. Okay, there is the "Yeah, who didn't see this coming?" He should have died after season 2 and stayed dead, in my personal opinion. Some of his fans might rejoice since he's now gone from Heroes and can move on to new projects. This sort of sentiment is echoed by fans of Sendhil Ramamurthy (a.k.a. Mohinder). Dunno. I'm still rooting for them to somehow write Claire out of the show due to Hayden devolving into a hot mess, but I think the odds of that happening are lower than me going on a date with Karl. I can dream, though, can't I? |
| Since sci-fi quality can really run the gamut, I thought I'd bring your attention to a place where we can poke fun at bad sci-fi movies and reminisce about an old TV classic. "Speaking of (potentially) bad movies..." I encourage you to post, hint hint! |
I'm caught up on Heroes. Due to my work schedule, fanfic, political career stuff and wedding planning, I haven't had a chance to catch up until now. It's better than I expected, although it is pretty dark what with it being about redemption. I'm a little too tired to bring out the Popnotes of Doom, but I will offer up the following bits. Spoilers ahead and stuff (unless you've already seen the episodes). Seems like Mohinder helped Hiro and Peter out sometime before this volume began. How I don't know. Though he has yet to appear in any episodes, I do remember him having a project out in London that filmed around the same time as the beginning of this volume. So we might see him. Might. I'm not so sure. I'm not so sure what to make of all these new characters. I do like Emma. She seems to be the easiest of the characters for viewers to grasp. The carnival crew is...vague. I don't completely like them, but their lack of a clear side has kept them in my good graces. And we're not going to talk about Gretchen. We just won't. I'm cringing all over. And why the fuck did Annie off herself? I'd really like to know. I apologize for the acronym use in advance. Still, Zachary Qunito=LOL. I think that's all I need to say. Hiro IS dying! Ya-fucking-TTA! Sorry. I should not be so enthusiastic, but I am. I can't help myself. But even with that hanging over his head and the new family dynamics that will eventually emerge, there's something still sunny about it all. And yet, even surrounded by people, I feel like they're portraying Hiro as an island, which feels way more...right than it should. I say if they really want to improve the ratings they need to carve out a character who has no powers at all and then get some solid casting. In completely unrelated news, I'll be watching The Bourne Supremacy later this week. I still haven't decided if I'll watch with the volume on or off.  |
| If you didn't catch my fanfic wibbling in my journal...maybe that's a good thing. Anyway, I'm doing a test run on this story, which I'm tired of thinking about. It'll be up for a few days just to gauge reaction. After that, we'll see. I'll most likely take it down for editing, but I haven't decided. So, link. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5415544/1/At_Last Let me know if it doesn't work. In the meantime, I'll be hiding from the online world for a bit, most likely driving the porcelain bus thanks to this insanity. |
| Our TiVo's on the fritz, so I haven't been able to watch Heroes. I'll recap it once I get a moment to catch up online. It might not be until next week, as I'm racing to finish my fanfic (proofreader was sick, and there's a bunch of rewriting I need to do in two days). I will spare most of you the fanfic wibbling. Trust me. I'm getting stage fright over the internet (even though I've never had it in real life). *facepalm* Since I'm here, anyone have any sci-movie recommendations? I'm filling up the Netflix queue and figured this place could use some movie reviews. So I'm all ears/eyes on this one. And for all two people that might care, The Bourne Supremacy is in said queue. I may have to watch a couple times for picking up the plot and enjoying the scenery (not necessarily in that order). |
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