| Why this journal is dead |
[Nov. 15th, 2008|10:34 pm] |
Y'know, I totally forgot I even had a LiveJournal account. I'm still writing, just not here. I've got a blog at http://futureprobe.blogspot.com, which I update about two or three times a week, and I adapted "The Hunt For Red October" for Star Trek, and the resulting story appeared in Randy Lander's Antares fanzine. It's online here
Life moves forward.
|
|
|
| Nibbles . . . |
[Jan. 26th, 2006|08:21 pm] |
I don't have any close friends online. There's just too much going on in my offline life to have any time to cultivate remote friendships. Still, there are a few special folks that I feel fondness toward, folks that I've had good online times with in the past. People like Adm_Hawthorne, mcmac, PG15, Kaitz, kick3, Shatna . . . and Nibbles. Nibbles died three days ago. She was only 28. I'll be 28 in April.
Of course, I never really had more than a passing acquaintance with her, but her warm and friendly personality shone through. She always had something nice to say about the fanfics that I infrequently posted on her board. I feel guilty because the last thing she said to me was a post in this thread (http://www.kellyzkorner.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1143) at Kellyz Korner that basically said "hey, I was enjoying this story, where are you gonna write some more?" And now she'll never see it finished. I know it sounds silly, but I feel like I let her down.
And so another name is added to the "people I look forward to seeing in the resurrection". I'm glad I know that the hold death has on us isn't permanent, and there's a real hope of seeing these people again, but that doesn't make it much easier right now, and I guess it's not supposed to. We humans were designed to be pretty adaptable creatures, but death is something even perfect people were never programmed to accept. I look forward to the time when we don't have to anymore. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Jan. 3rd, 2006|03:41 pm] |
Every once in a while you have a crazy dream, something you'd like to do but know you'll never be able to. Me? I wish I could get together a band like the Tennessee Three, and we'd go all over playing old Johnny Cash songs. I've been listening to a lot of Cash lately, and it's brilliant, especially the old boom-chicka-boom stuff. It's an unbelievable shame that nobody makes that kind of music anymore.
So that's what I wish I could do: slick my hair back, put on a black suit and boots, and tour with my own version of the Tennessee Three, playing all those old boom-chicka-boom Johnny Cash songs. Of course, I can't play guitar or any other instrument. And my singing's not so great either. But a guy can dream. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Jul. 26th, 2005|03:31 pm] |
No one reads this blog, which is perfectly fine with me. You'd think it'd bother me to be roundly ignored, but I find it kind of comforting. I mean, if a bunch of random strangers were wandering in here and critiquing my writing it'd be kind of weird, y'know? Of course, maybe I'd get some readers if I filled my blog with lurid, steamy sex scenes but I think this would just gross out most folks. And if somebody actually got turned on by reading about me having sex, I'd definitely find that disturbing.
All in all, I think a readerless, non-sexual blog is a good thing. |
|
|
| True Tales of Induhviduals |
[Jul. 22nd, 2005|08:30 am] |
I had always thought that sitting in 100-degree heat smoking cigarettes was bad for pregnant women, but I must have been wrong. Some background: I live in North Central Florida, which experiences 90+ degree heat and extremely high humidity during the summer months (which last from June to mid-October). It is a bad idea to spend any time at all outside during the summer, and native Flordians derive much amusement from all the tourist dodos who come down here from places like New Hampshire, only to collapse from heat exhaustion as soon as they get out of their SUVs.
Fortunately, I work at a nice air-conditioned call center. I still get my fill of the Florida heat during the afternoon trek to my car when it's time to go home, and I would not dream of voluntarily leaving the air-conditioned comfort of the building at any other time. That's why I'm amused (and by 'amused', I mean the kind of amusement you get from hearing about idiot criminals who try to rob a bank with a toy lightsaber) by smokers. They're always cheerfully sitting in our concrete-walled outdoor smoking area that's maybe twenty yards from a loud and busy Interstate highway, entertaining themselves by inhaling vast quantities of cigarette smoke mixed with car exhaust.
Anyway, I was sitting at my desk minding my own business the other day when I was almost knocked over by an eight-month-pregnant ball of fury, on her way to angrily confront her manager. The new schedules had just been published, and she was incensed to learn that she was not scheduled for a break during her four-hour 9am-1pm shift. She insisted that her doctor had ordered her to take breaks every two hours. I butted in to point out that when her doctor told her to take breaks, he probably didn't mean that she should go outside and smoke in 100-degree heat. She was immediately overcome by the logic of my arguement, and vowed to throw away her cigarettes and change her ways.
Obviously, if you believed that last sentence then you have the brains of cottage cheese. Actually, she threatened to hit me. |
|
|
| Disney Princesses Attack! |
[Jul. 20th, 2005|08:13 am] |
Like you, I wonder if the Disney princesses know karate. I realize that they wouldn't have much use for it in the Disney Animated Film Universe (although it would be pretty funny to see Snow White dropkick the wicked witch instead of just eating the apple and falling down dead), but many of the princesses have to spend time in the Real World these days, and I'm worried for them.
I started thinking about this when I went to Disney World last year and noticed that there was a special Disney Princesses Greeting Area adjoining one of the gift shops. There was a long line of little girls lined up, waiting for their photo op with Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, etc. but it occurred to me that there was nothing to prevent creepy stalker-type guys from getting in line, too. Of course, it could be that Disney already has armed Cast Members (the Disney World term for "employee") ready to spring into action, but unless they're disguised as gift store merchandise or little girls I doubt it. That leaves open the possibility that a creepy stalker-type guy could get in the line and try to get a hug from Snow White or Princess Jasmine. So I wonder if they're trained in self-defense, like Sandra Bullock in "Miss Congeniality"? If so, wouldn't it be great to see Cinderella flip some guy that was getting fresh with her? Or maybe Sleeping Beauty could pull out a can of pepper spray and let the guy have it. Wouldn't that be awesome?
As a matter of fact, I have an idea. The next time Disney needs to drum up attendance, they don't need to go to the time and expense of building a new attraction. Just put on a show called "Cinderella's Self-Defense Adventure". The way it would work is, some sleazy-looking guy would try to grab Cinderella, and she would kick the crap out of him using some spiffy martial-arts moves. They could do the show several times a day using different princesses. I don't see how this show could fail to be a big hit. It could even inspire a Charlie's Angels-type movie with all the Disney princesses teaming up to kick butt. And another hot-chicks-kicking-butt-in-tight-outfits movie couldn't be a bad thing. |
|
|
| I haven't done this since Julius Caesar was President! |
[Jun. 1st, 2005|10:04 pm] |
Write in my LJ, I mean. I almost never update this thing, but what is there to say? Yes, Revenge of the Sith rocked, but I'm only the ten billionth person to say that. You know, if somebody ran across a bunch of blog entries from ancient Egypt or the Roman Empire, it would be a huge archaeolgical find. Historians would wet themselves with delight at the prospect of poring over the innermost feelings of everyday people that lived thousands of years ago. Thousands of years from now, if anyone digs up a bunch of Internet postings from 2005, historians will roll their eyes at the prospect of scrolling through zillions of "ROTS rocked!" posts. Our contribution to history will be pages of Internet pissing matches over why Yoda didn't give Palpatine a lightsaber colonoscopy after he knocked him on his butt, rather than standing there and waiting for him to get up.
The bottom line is that people have more power than ever before to spread their thoughts and ideas around the globe, but unfortunately, people do not have a ton of thoughts and ideas. Thanks to the media, everyone has the same two or three ideas, and they're convinced that they are the sole posessor of the world's only correct set of opinions.
And that's all I have time for. My wife is giving me that look that means that I have about two minutes to get off the computer and pay attention to her before she goes ballistic. And allowing that to happen would be like giving Pol Pot the keys to the Death Star. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[May. 4th, 2005|08:17 am] |
I wish I lived in Sitcom World. Mainly I say this because of my job. It's not bad really, but people in Sitcom World always work in offices full of attractive women and spend their workday in wacky, humourous antics. They're never expected to knuckle down and do any actual work.
If only the real world could work like that. I was born in the wrong universe. |
|
|
| Top 5 Missed Clues that Chancellor Palpatine was really Darth Sidious |
[Apr. 4th, 2005|08:21 am] |
Watching the Star Wars prequels, it's pretty hard to fathom that the wise, far-seeing Jedi never figured out that Palpatine was Darth Sidous until it was too late. Here are the top 5 clues to Palpatine's true identity that the Jedi missed.
5. I don't know, maybe the GIANT FREAKIN' STATUE of a SITH LORD in his OFFICE?
4. The way he fried insects with Force Lightning instead of just buying a bug zapper like everybody else.
3. His office stationery that said "From the Desk of Darth Sidious".
2. His "Dark Lords Have More Fun" t-shirt.
1. The sign on his office door that said "This is not the office of Darth Sidious" |
|
|
| A Deleted Scene from Star Wars: Episode III |
[Apr. 3rd, 2005|10:59 pm] |
I just got word of a "deleted scene" from Star Wars: Episode III. It was scripted but never shot. It takes place right after Anakin pledges his allegiance to Darth Sidious:
SIDIOUS: Now that the Republic is dead, we must think of a name for our new government.
ANAKIN: What kind of a name?
SIDIOUS: I was thinking of something like . . .Sith-topia.
ANAKIN: That sounds like a theme park.
SIDIOUS: The Dominion.
ANAKIN: I think that one's taken.
SIDIOUS: The Sith Emporium!
ANAKIN: Don't you mean "Imperium"?
SIDIOUS: Oh, go jump in a pool of lava. |
|
|
| Concerning Star Trek |
[Feb. 4th, 2005|10:00 pm] |
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm ridiculously into Star Trek. I spent most of my childhood pretending to be Captain Kirk. So when I saw the news of Enterprise's cancellation, I was surprised it didn't happen sooner. I've said what I want to say regarding the state of the Star Trek franchise on a few BBSes I post on, so I'm not going to repeat it here. Suffice it to say that all the Star Trek I ever loved is on DVD anyway, and there's more than enough of it to keep me happy. Just my own personal DVD and video collection, which comprises 16 Original Series DVDs, movies 1-4, 6, First Contact and Insurrection (yeah, I know Insurrection sucks and I honestly don't know why I bought it) equals about 46 hours of Star Trek, and that doesn't count the special features on my TMP and TWOK DVDs. That means that instead of going to work one week, I could just stay home and watch Star Trek 10 hours a day.
A bad show has been mercifully killed off. Yeah, folks complain that it was just starting to get good, but I remember shows like the Original Series and M*A*S*H that were good from the very first episode. TV is a business, and you can't suck for 3 years and expect the network to keep taking it in the shorts financially while you try to hit your stride. I think the Save Enterprise folks should buy the DVDs when they come out, and focus their efforts on things that actually benefit humanity. 'Cause I just don't think that "Darfur Genocide Halted By Star Trek: Enterprise Renewal Effort" is a headline you'll ever see. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Jan. 4th, 2005|11:28 pm] |
This is the second day of work I've missed in two weeks because of sickness.
Last week it was a bad cold that had me blowing my nose every few minutes; then yesterday I felt like I had the flu: achy, really tired (despite the fact that I didn't get up before 11 AM on all 3 days of New Years weekend), and this burning behind my eyes that felt like a fever. I felt so bad that I got snappish with a difficult customer (one of those damn pushy New Yorkers; why hasn't medical science found a cure for being a Yankee?) and openly expressed my frustration with a slow-witted co-worker (I'm usually nice to their face). So I stayed home today, and the symptoms magically evaporated. I don't know what's going on. Am I allergic to work all of the sudden? At least I have the vacation days to cover it.
Ah well, I'd better get to bed. It's back to the salt mines tomorrow. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Dec. 30th, 2004|08:14 am] |
In an effort to subdue this vicious cold I have, I took some DayQuil this morning. It doesn't make you drowsy, but the directions on the box say you should avoid operating heavy machinery once you take it. That's definitely a good idea, because DayQuil wraps your brain in a nearly impenetrable fog. So if I start to babble randomly, you'll know why.
If you have the good sense that God gave gravel, you should hit your knees and thank Him that you live in America, where you have vigilant civil servants to protect you from unattractive tomatoes. You think I'm joking. My state, Florida, produces a large amount of the tomatoes that are sold in the United States. Recently, a type of tomato called the UglyRipe has become popular. They look like this: ![]() http://bellsouthpwp.net/b/e/belyeu31/uglytomatoes.jpg
Of course, if you don't live in Florida you have never seen these tomatoes in a grocery store, because the Florida Tomato Board is protecting you from them. I am not making the Florida Tomato Board up. It's a real organization, presumably composed of people who are sincerely interested in making money without being gainfully employed. The Florida Tomato Board has decreed that UglyRipe tomatoes do not meet its minimum standards for appearance, and thus cannot be exported out of state; the fact that a lot of people like the way they taste and want to buy them does not matter one little bit. What does matter, according to the Florida Tomato Board, is that people could see UglyRipes in stores, be "turned off" by their lack of sexual appeal, and thus develop a bad opinion of Florida tomatoes in general.
Of course, it's entirely possible that the Florida Tomato Board is just doing its part to help fight the War On Terror, and that its appearance standards are necessary to prevent Al-Qaeda operatives from disgusing themselves as UglyRipe tomatoes and infiltrating the American Heartland. Then again, it's also possible that the admonition on the DayQuil box against operating heavy machinery applies to blogging. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Dec. 25th, 2004|04:10 pm] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Garth Brooks-Pushing Up Daisies | ] |
It's rainy and freezing outside. Okay, it's not really freezing, it's only 45 degrees. If I was from Minnesota, I'd probably put on my swim trunks and frolic in the rain. As it is, I'm a native Floridian, so I stay hunkered down in my house wearing three layers of clothes. Yes, I'm a cold weather wimp. But I'd like to see a Minnesotan handle a Florida summer, with triple-digit temperatures, four hundred percent humidity, and giant carnivorous insects. |
|
|
| 15 Fun Things to Do At Wal-Mart |
[Dec. 15th, 2004|08:25 am] |
15 Things to do at Wal-Mart while your
spouse/partner is taking their sweet time:
1. Get 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in
peoples carts when they aren't looking.
2. Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off
at 5-minute intervals.
3. Make a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading
to the rest rooms.
4. Walk up to an employee and tell him/her in an
official tone, 'Code 3' in housewares..... and see
what happens.
5. Go to the Service Desk and ask to put a bag of
M&M's on lay away.
6. Move a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted
area.
7. Set up a tent in the camping department and tell
other shoppers you'll invite them in if they'll
bring pillows from the bedding department.
8. When a clerk asks if they can help you, begin to
cry and ask 'Why can't you people just leave me
alone?'
9. Look right into the security camera; use it as a
mirror, and pick your nose.
10. While handling guns in the hunting department,
ask the clerk if he knows where the anti-
depressants are.
11. Dart around the store suspiciously loudly humming
the "Mission Impossible" theme.
12. In the auto department, practice your "Madonna
look" using different size funnels.
13. Hide in a clothing rack and when people browse
through, say "PICK ME!" "PICK ME!"
14. When an announcement comes over the loud speaker,
assume the fetal position and scream "NO! NO! It's
those voices again!!!!"
( And; last, but not least!)
15. Go into a fitting room and shut the door and wait
a while; and, then, yell, very loudly, "There is no
toilet paper in here!" |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Dec. 11th, 2004|08:20 pm] |
I love Five Minute Voyager. Just look at their explanation for the "James R. Kirk" tombstone in the second TOS pilot, Where No Man Has Gone Before:
Spock: What did you say was on the tombstone Gary made you?
Kirk: "James R. Kirk."
Spock: Right. What's with that? A god wouldn't make such a grave mistake.
Kirk: What mistake? It was a sentence: "James are Kirk." Which I are.
Spock: Hmm... becoming the brains of this outfit may be easier than I expected.
Hilarious! Hilarious, I say! |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Dec. 6th, 2004|08:40 pm] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Star Trek: The Motion Picture soundtrack | ] |
There's a skeleton of a fanfic idea that's been rattling around in my head, so I thought I'd put it in writing.
It's a post-TMP tale that starts with a shadowy and mysterious person infiltrating a Starbase, hacking into Starfleet's datanet and somehow downloading reams of information on the Federation in general, but also lots of classified Starfleet stuff about fleet strength and starship specs. The intruder makes a clean getaway in a small personal spaceship of unfamiliar design, and is tracked heading for the edge of the galaxy: deep space. Forensic analysis of the areas of the Starbase where he was yields the discovery that the intruder was a Romulan. Perhaps even more disturbingly, the techniques (and technology) he used to hack into the comptuer system were far more advanced than anything that any known civilization has.
Meanwhile, Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise are enjoying their first deep space exploratory mission since the V'Ger incident when they're ordered to intercept the Romulan, since he's headed in their general direction. They catch up with him just as he enters a solar system at the very edge of the Galaxy (I'm ignoring the Great Barrier from the series. The first shot of the barrier we ever saw made it clear that the phenonemon had clearly discernable edges. If it reached all the way around the galaxy, then it wouldn't have had "right" and "left" edges). His ship lands in a Mos Eisley-like city on a jungley planet. This solar system is completely unexplored, but the fact that the city is the only sign of civilization on the planet must mean that it's only a colony. But who would have a colony this far out?
Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down in civilian clothes, to help them blend in with the city's inhabitants. They follow the Romulan onto a passenger ship of some kind, but before they can get to him the ship takes off, with them aboard! It very quickly leaves orbit, makes a quick warp "hop" out of the solar system, then fires its sublight engines and somehow races off at fantastic speed, leaving the galaxy far faster than any warp engine ever devised. In fact, the ship has entered a kind of spatial current, kind of like the ocean current that the sea turtles used to get around in Finding Nemo. The crew of the Enterprise figures it out, and after reviewing the sensor logs to see how the alien passenger ship carefully aligned itself with the current, then fired its impulse engines very precisely to insert itself, they duplicate the procedure.
The ship carrying Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the Romulan eventually arrives at a Trantor-like planet way out in intergalactic space. It's the capital of a vast, ancient, highly advanced, and peaceful extragalactic republic. The Romulan is, in fact, an agent of the republic who was assigned to return to his home galaxy and collect information on the Federation, since it's an entity that the republic has identified has having potential for membership sometime in the far future.
The Enterprise arrives about that time, and Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam up to begin the journey home.
I think the idea of a civilization spanning extragalactic space that uses fast-moving spatial "currents" to navigate the vast distances between star systems out there to be pretty cool. I just don't know what to do to flesh the idea out. But here it is, anyway. |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
| |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
sando_ravor's journal
