And now...

...further proof that the world is out to get me.

The Discovery Channel has been running a marathon of kickass Mythbusters episodes all day long, on the day I planned to get lots of worky work done.

Ugh.

I am weak to Jamie Hyneman's walrus moustache. As well as fun science.

Writers' strike over

After 100 days, the writers' strike is over.

Thank goodness.

Not that is matters, considering I watch one or two shows total. But this should hopefully lower the number of dance contests, singing bees, and game shows built to embarrass and ruin lives that I have to flip past before landing on Mythbusters to take me away to a happy place.

Homage is where the heart is

About a week ago when I announced that Aoife's Kiss was buying my short story "After Effects" I made a side reference that the piece contained "a teeny homage to the Robot Man." Since nobody asked me what that meant, I figured I'd talk a bit about what I like to do with my short stories. Namely, I like to put in little bits of adulation for writers, musicians, artists, and a thousand of others whose work I've come to respect over time.

This is why I absolutely lurve the show LOST. Details, details, and details, along with the quick a-ha moments where they show you something obvious yet make it so transparent that you don't realize what you are seeing. LOST absolutely bounces in delight when it showcases books (Carrie, Catch-22, Heart of Darkness, Rainbow Six, and Stranger in a Strange Land to name a few), makes light of philosophers (John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau), and lets slip those seductively damning numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42, in case you forgot). It cares about these things, making it important that they are mentioned, that they are carefully revealed with respect and attitude.

Sure, the producers must like it when a fan picks up on a reference...but whether they do or don't, it truly doesn't matter. The deed is done, and its meaning is out there for whoever to take it in. I like that. I like looking for those sorts of things, linking one and two to make three, understanding the why and how of a creator's intent.

Now where was I? Oh right. Homages. I suspect I'm not the only one.

I won't reveal all of my secrets now (I'll wait until I'm insanely famous for that, of course).

So, who is the Robot Man then? To me, that'd be Isaac Asimov.

And how did I bend my knee? I named the spaceship that the story's events transpire on The Foundation. Plus, there's some robots on board (though they do not adhere to the Three Laws of Robotics). There ya go.

Crap Man

Okay, Tin Man sucks. Giving up after 17 minutes. Bad acting, bad dialog, bad plot points. I'd rather be reading...

Heroes, what the eff

Oh, Heroes. You're turning into that kid in high school that surprised us all by graduating on time with strong marks only to drop out of college by the second semester. You started so strong--and I'm talking about Season One here--and then somewhere along the line you decided you'd rather focus on 7th Heaven cheerleader drama and whiny angst-laden characters that makes me want to brown-bag vodka at every meal. And way to strip Hiro of everything that made him watchable. I actually keep hoping for the best during the feudal Japan scenes, but it's becoming ever so bland...even with tonight's twist. See? I don't care, Heroes! You lost me. Not in the truest sense; I'm still going to watch every Monday, but you could kill everyone but Peter off and I'd be somewhat okay with that decision. That's never a good thing so, yeah, in that sense I'm gone.

The show's biggest fault is that they introduced too many characters and plots without fulfilling previous ones. And this has bogged the pace down considerably. The Wonder Twins have been running since the season started: boring. The Mimic Girl has done some mimicking while mainly being uninteresting: boring. Kristen Bell showed up looking all sassy and stuff to kill an Irish lad: okay, that wasn't boring, but she is one of the new "heroes" so she gets a mention. Oh, and Claire's creepy boyfriend. If I was interested in teen dramatics, I'd watch reruns of Gilmore Girls. It's just all such a letdown from the comic-themed, comic-paced awesomeness that was Season One, with a GREAT villain and a simple message of saving a cheerleader. Here, I don't even know what the focus is on. Parkman's father? The cure? The remaining paintings? Alcohol on school premises? SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME!

And if I see one more Bee Movie crapisode I'm going to drown myself in a vat of honey. Bee that, NBC. Bee that.

22 Most Awful Moments in SF

The 22 Most Awful Moments in Science Fiction brought to you by, not surprisingly, Something Awful.

Pushing Daisies tonight

Pushing Daisies is a show I've been very interested in seeing. It is looking to be a dark comedy/drama about a man with the ability to both bring back the dead to life and then kill them again--all with just a single touch. The show comes from Bryan Fuller, who created Dead Like Me, one of my top favorite TV shows...hmm, ever. The irony I'm sure will run wild once the show gets its legs, and I'm definitely drawn to the whole Gambit-Rogue love story between Ned and the (un)dead girl from his childhood. It's on tonight, people, so check your local listings and give the show a chance, I say.

Monday night TV on NBC

I watched two hours and twenty minutes of television last night.

First up, Chuck. This is a somewhat thoughtful gov drama littered with comedy that is surprisingly a step beyond slapstick. Chuck and his videogaming buddy are quite funny together--that scene with them trying to "fight" off the ninja was laugh-out-loud worthy--and some of the other characters are interesting. I don't really understand the whole computer-in-his-brain thing, but that's okay. I can stretch it. The secret agent is kind of boring at the moment, but Jayne from Firefly makes me happy. So long as this comes on at 8 o'clock before you-know-what I'll continue to watch it.

Then the show that really matters to me: Heroes. The season two premiere actually mirrored the season one premiere. It's not about action and answering a lot of questions right away. It's about building its characters and storylines, and one has to remember that this is now Volume Two. A new volume means a new start. With that said, I liked a lot of things about it very much: Hiro in ancient Japan (though his storyline does not actually happen "Four Months Later," which confuses moi to no end); the new brother and sister team on the run from Meh-hee-co, complete with brain explosions; and I take back any bad things I said about Nathan because the ex-Congressman with a beard is beyond a curmudgeon now and that, my friends, is super great.

Some bad things that I know I won't like at all are Claire and more high school drama. So not needed, so blah. Also, her knowledgeable littler stalker boy that flies? Way to get creative with new powers, Tim Kring. Also, Molly Walker and her vagueness. Just find the bad guy that killed Hiro's pops! And Bitsy just called me to say that she thinks Peter is the villain since he had the symbol on his chest. I, personally, missed seeing that, but it's definitely a possibility. And if DL is dead-dead, I'll be kinda bummed.

Lastly, I have Journeyman a chance. It started out kind of formulaic and then just sort of meandered down a path of typical events and reactions. I'm so tired of seeing people being saved by an incoming truck. That whole dive across a street thing is far too silly to be believed. Anyways, this didn't hold my attention for very long and I shut it off after twenty minutes. If I want interesting time-traveling adventures, I'll just watch Heroes.

And that's all I'll say for now.

Heroes personality test

Your Score: Zach

You scored 41 Idealism, 58 Nonconformity, 45 Nerdiness

You gotta embrace your inner freak. 'Cause the only thing you'll regret is denying who you really are.
Congratulations, you're Zach! You're nerdy, strange, slightly snarky, and proud of it! You're also a nice guy and really trustworthy friend. Any cheerleader (or, well, anyone) should consider his or herself extremely fortunate to be friends with a person like you.

Your best quality: You're an all-around great friend
Your worst quality: You don't get along well with annoying little brothers

Link: The Heroes Personality Test written by freedomdegrees on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Caught in a lie!

Okay, I totally lied. Just banged out a piece of flash fiction called "Performing Tricks" at 900 words. Weird. It just kind of came to me so I sat down, wrote it, and submitted it. All within like an hour and a half. Some days I can't even write a paragraph...

Also, Heroes finale? Seriously good stuff. Resolved a lot, but still took it to new places. I was kind of hoping for dinosaurs, but you can't win 'em all...

Progress notes for May 19, 2007

I'd tell y'all to watch the all-day marathon of Heroes on the Sci-Fi Channel, but it's almost over now. Oh wells. Luckily, I've now been able to catch up on most of the episodes I've missed. Sylar is scary...

And, yay, I've started a new story. Fun voice, cloud cameras, and a mysterious suicide in an updated and thriving New York City. You know, one of those stories. We'll see where it goes.

"The Clouds are Calling"

New Words: 1,057
Total Words: 1,057
Pages: 3
Deadline: None
Reason for stopping: End of scene
Stimulants: Hazelnut frapp from Starbucks
Songs played loudly: "So Alive" by Ryan Adams
Exercise: Boo, it's been rainy all day
Mail: Snailmailed a sub to Realms of Fantasy
Darling du Jour: Ignoble? Maybe. The man flew like a rock, and the city cried and shook, sick at the loss of such a precious elite.
Other writing-related work: Nada
The Internet is full of Things: Miss Snark is retiring.

Progress notes for May 7, 2007

Whew, had a really tough scene to write tonight. Hopefully that means it turned out well considering how emotionally tied to it I felt. Anyways, just one final scene to write and then I can call it an official first draft.

"The Songs He'd Sing"

New Words: 995
Total Words: 4,827
Pages: 12
Deadline: None
Reason for stopping: Mentally exhausted
Stimulants: Ice cream!
Songs played loudly: "Ideas" by Days Away
Exercise: Quick walk outside
Mail: A nice, personal rejection from ASIM that had been held to the final round ::snartleblast::
Darling du Jour: N/A
Other writing-related work: N/A
The Internet is full of Things: LOST is officially ending in 2010. So, they're stretching it out into three shorter seasons. Meh. I'll still watch, but I wished that Season 4 was going to be the final one. Oh wells.

Duh-duh-Deadwood

The other night I was sorting through some of my DVDs and I came across a promotional disc for the first episode of Deadwood. What is this? I asked myself, scratching my beard as if the answer hid somewhere inside it. I have the first episode of Deadwood here and yet I've never watched it? Am I duh-duh-dumb?

Well, let's backtrack. You see, in college I knew a girl that worked promotions for some distribution company. She got us free tickets to movies, advance tickets to not-yet-released flicks, posters, and, I guess, promotional DVDs. So I think it was when I went to see the craptastically overladen sapfest Miracle for free that I got a gift bag. Inside that gift bag, among other things, was a free DVD of the first episode of Deadwood, a show that was just about to come out. Or something like that. It might have already been out at that point; I've never had HBO and so I can't claim to truly know this.

I'm pretty sure I tossed the DVD aside with hopes to watch it at some point. Unfortunately, that never happened. Even after hearing about Deadwood and how great a show it was, I still never dug through my collection to retrieve that which I had not watched. That is, until the other night.

So, the first episode was definitely enough to get me interested in the show. It's a Western set in Deadwood, Dakota Territory in the 1870s, a destination rising in popularity due to the prospect of gold in the Black Hills. The show follows a bunch of characters around--some historic names such as Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and Al Swearengen--as the camp grows from a stop on the road to a thriving town. The premiere episode is mostly setup, allowing the characters to get to Deadwood, and once there, interact with the folk.

As expected, the show's language and graphic nature is R-rated. Granted I know nothing about the Old West, but I found it a bit odd that everyone seemed to enjoy cursing so much. I liked the hidden politics of Al and his saloon of prostitutes, and Seth Bullock is an aimable fellow: quiet, law-abiding, and yet forceful when need be. I'm not quite certain of what his backstory is and why he and his partner headed to Deadwood to start a business, but I'm assuming some of that is revealed later. Also, pigs eating the dead? Sure, sure.

Anyways, Deadwood's got me hooked. I think I might have to splurge and buy the first season. Damn you, HBO, for your expensive DVDs. Actually, in retrospect, I'm glad I didn't watch this college because then I'd have had to sell all my school books and possibly my body to science just to watch the rest of the season. See? It's all working out in the end.

Now, if you're a fanboy/fangirl, feel free to yell at me for whatever reason you'd like.

Pi time

Happy Pi Day, everyone!

Speaking of mathematical constants, here's a list of a number of things I need to do:

• Review Robotika by Alex Sheikman and Joel Jason O'Chua, which should be up in a few days or so.
  
• Read and review Dreadful Skin by Cherie Priest.
• Read and review Brasyl by Ian McDonald.
• Er, try and do a Greenhorn comic to make up for the one I didn't do this week. Maybe. We'll see.
  
• Finish a story (either "The Morning Gift" or "The Lady of Jeweled Dreams") to submit to the MZB's Sword and Sorceress 22 anthology.
• Work on rewrite of "The Farrah Job."
• Hey, how about I not waste all my time playing Rogue Galaxy and trying to make every stupid sword from every stupid item I find? Hey, how about that? Huh?
  
• Continue work on shh secret project.
• I've run out of coffee creamer. ::cries like a loon::
• Gawd, I'm no longer even listing things to do here, just complaining off the cuff.
• What's with the weather lately?
• I want a kitty cat.
  

In other news, got a 16-day "after careful consideration, we have decided not to accept..." from The Town Drunk. Bah! This story keeps getting close at every place I send it. Either that means it has a chance elsewhere or I need to sit down with it and re-read the sucker. I'll try one more place for now. I'm a masochist, I guess.

Ack, LOST is on!

Fourth season!

Well, this came as no frakking surprise, but the SCI FI Channel just picked up Battlestar Galactica for a fourth season. So long as Boomer (multiple Boomers!) is still around, all is well in the world.

This is a post about LOST

I only religiously watch three television shows: Battlestar Galactica, LOST, and The Office. One is window clear science fiction laden with drama, another merely a cast of dramatic characters in a real-world setting with science fictional things happening this way and that, which are supposed to be ignored or dismissed blindly, and the other is just damned funny.

Two of them I'm very happy with. Unfortunately, LOST has been more and more disappointing as each episode unfolds slowly and without resolution. I was very happy to hear that the execs are closing the show down at episode 100, which at least means the bloated beast will finally sink at some point, but until then it's just going to be irritating and in your face. LOST! Watch it tonight! People will shoot guns, and hey, yaneverknowwhomightgetshot (pan to .005 second shot of Sawyer maybe getting shot; this is in every episode preview).

I'd seriously forgotten about the show during its couple month hiatus, and don't get me wrong, I'm glad it's back on and I now have something to watch on Wednesday nights, but it keeps straying away from the characters that matter and making others nothing more that stiff stereotypes. So Michael kills two people and is allowed to leave the island, but the truly nice people who have just had unfortunate lives are stuck to suffer, linger, and make pouty faces? The producers of the show promise answers. Unfortunately, to get to those answers, everyone'll have to wade through the Ocean of What The Fucks, shivering at its surprising chill all while murmuring "What the fuck?" at every. thing. that. happens.

Can you tell that tonight's episode reminded me of why I can't stand LOST and yet at the same time I will watch it, watch it, and watch it until my eyes are dry enough to crack.

What the fuck?