The last feline member of our family is gone. This is especially hard for me, because she's always been my cat particularly. I've lived with several cats over the years, including when I was a kid, but of all of them, she was the only one that became especially attached to me personally. It's more accurate to say that I was her person than that she was my cat.
She was the queen of quirkiness, with more personality than I've seen in any other cat. She loved doughnuts (would do almost anything for one!) and Lebanon bologna. She used to make what my wife called "monkey noises", where it sounded as though she was trying to talk to us. It's hard to describe. Sometimes she'd chitter or trill (both of which I've heard other cats do), but sometimes it'd be almost like she was trying to form words. Sometimes it sounded like "uh-oh!", which was particularly hilarious when she said it after she'd gotten into trouble.
I could tell numerous stories about her. On one occasion, my wife was eating a doughnut and Domino jumped up and started eating from the other side of the doughnut as fast as she could, until my wife realized she was there and yelled. On another, my wife had made rice crispie treats to take into work, and left them out to cool. Domino decided they looked like a nice warm place to sleep and curled up on top of them. When my wife found her, she chased Domi around the house, and I was seriously concerned about Domino's continued well being for quite a while there.
She was very insistent when she wanted something. If she decided she wanted a lap to occupy, the only way that you weren't going to provide one was to never sit down. I spent many nights with her on my lap as I've typed these entries, frequently stopping to perform the required neck scratches. Sometimes it was a pain in the backside to work with her there, but now I'm glad I did it as often as I did, and wish I'd done it more.
I could go on and on with stories about Domino, some of which require visual components I can't adequately supply in writing. I'll never hear the phrase "dinner and a show" without thinking of one particular incident involving her. It's all the more painful because she was the last animal in the house, when we used to joke about our home zoo. She really warmed up as a personality this past year because she'd always wanted to be the only cat and finally had that position. Cats don't make a lot of noise, but somehow the house seems far more quiet now. I really don't understand why that is. We'll have pets again, but we've decided to take a long break before we do. We've had the privilege of some truly rare personalities in our furry housemates. We had Domi for roughly 18 1/2 years (from the time she was five or six weeks old), which is a good long run for a cat, and it still could never be enough. We'll miss her very much.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Still a Rough Time
Well, our furnace has been replaced, but that hasn't been the end of the trouble train. We had to have one of our cars inspected, and it needed some minor work, which of course cost us cash again.
More seriously, our cat developed a significant health problem. We're still not sure exactly what that problem is, but she had to have some testing and the vet kept her overnight. We have her back now, and are waiting for the test results, but she's definitely not behaving as she usually does. The short version is that she's acting a lot like our other cat did just before she passed away. Not good.
Let's face it. She's an 18 year old cat, just as our other one was. Nobody lives forever, and she's already had a very long life for a cat. All we can do is keep her as comfortable and happy as we can and hope she gets through whatever this is. As I write this, she's curled up in my lap, very much asleep, and I'm savoring this, knowing that even if she gets through this, it's still unlikely we'll have her more than another year or two. Sometimes difficult times come in clumps like this, and all you can do is ride it out and take care of those you love as best you can.
More seriously, our cat developed a significant health problem. We're still not sure exactly what that problem is, but she had to have some testing and the vet kept her overnight. We have her back now, and are waiting for the test results, but she's definitely not behaving as she usually does. The short version is that she's acting a lot like our other cat did just before she passed away. Not good.
Let's face it. She's an 18 year old cat, just as our other one was. Nobody lives forever, and she's already had a very long life for a cat. All we can do is keep her as comfortable and happy as we can and hope she gets through whatever this is. As I write this, she's curled up in my lap, very much asleep, and I'm savoring this, knowing that even if she gets through this, it's still unlikely we'll have her more than another year or two. Sometimes difficult times come in clumps like this, and all you can do is ride it out and take care of those you love as best you can.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Shelving the TOON Project
I've decided to put this one aside, primarily because of timing issues. One major aspect of it makes heavy reference to the presidential election, so it would only be funny this year, and the timing of the conventions where I'd be using it this year just isn't good. And by the time of the next presidential election, the other major idea in it is likely to be dated, and not funny anymore.
DexCon would be okay, since it's in July, except that they don't allow for slots less than four hours, and I don't want to pad this one out or write a bunch of other TOON stuff to fill it out to four hours. I already have enough submitted for DexCon anyway. MEPACon allows for two hour slots, but isn't scheduled until after the election, by which time the funny would be lost. GenCon in August would've been perfect, but I don't remember if they'd allow a two hour RPG slot anyway.
The scenario was actually mostly done, except for creating some characters, which is a breeze with TOON. I might finish it up for use as a light RPG for a local game night sometime late this summer, but won't be hitting the convention circuit with it.
Still, no idea is truly wasted. I'll probably get local use out of it anyway, and something from it might turn out to be useful later. At least it made me dig out my TOON book, which might lead to me resurrecting another TOON idea I'd had some time ago, but that's a project for another time.
This brings two GURPS ideas to the top of the project list. My plan is to work on both of them simultaneously to keep boredom from setting in, which sometimes happens when I work on one thing for too long. I don't need either of them until 2009, so I may as well make use of the time. One of the GURPS projects is the next in my Cabal series, and the other will have to stay under wraps for now.
DexCon would be okay, since it's in July, except that they don't allow for slots less than four hours, and I don't want to pad this one out or write a bunch of other TOON stuff to fill it out to four hours. I already have enough submitted for DexCon anyway. MEPACon allows for two hour slots, but isn't scheduled until after the election, by which time the funny would be lost. GenCon in August would've been perfect, but I don't remember if they'd allow a two hour RPG slot anyway.
The scenario was actually mostly done, except for creating some characters, which is a breeze with TOON. I might finish it up for use as a light RPG for a local game night sometime late this summer, but won't be hitting the convention circuit with it.
Still, no idea is truly wasted. I'll probably get local use out of it anyway, and something from it might turn out to be useful later. At least it made me dig out my TOON book, which might lead to me resurrecting another TOON idea I'd had some time ago, but that's a project for another time.
This brings two GURPS ideas to the top of the project list. My plan is to work on both of them simultaneously to keep boredom from setting in, which sometimes happens when I work on one thing for too long. I don't need either of them until 2009, so I may as well make use of the time. One of the GURPS projects is the next in my Cabal series, and the other will have to stay under wraps for now.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon
I just finished the book "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon". I'll admit to being a fan in the first place.
The book was ostensibly written by his ex-wife, Crystal Zevon, but in fact it was written by essentially everybody who knew him, which is a real strength. Her role was really more that of an editor. It begins with a touching firsthand account of the very end of his life, from the woman who was with him when he died, then resets to his childhood and progresses chronologically from there. The entire book is a series of brief bits, the longest of which is probably no more than a single page in length, written by whoever knew him during that time, plus there are bits and pieces from his own journals. He'd told his ex-wife just before his death that he wanted the entire story out there, in all of its unflattering detail, and that's exactly what it is. It's a powerful, effective approach, and I'd love to see it used for other biographies. As a side effect, it's also very easy to read. You can sit down and just read one or two segments, or you can read lengthy sections, and the experience works just as well either way.
The man's life was, frankly, one long train wreck. He was as insecure and selfish as he was brilliant, and he was very brilliant. After an early start as a highly regarded songwriter, he developed a reputation as an effective performer as well, though even his friends didn't think he was more than an adequate singer. He eventually fell into alcoholism and drug abuse, and was a spectacularly mean drunk. Like a lot of rock star stories, he came to terms with his condition after a long struggle, though his career never reached the heights of many of his friends. In fact, his career was in very poor shape at the time his cancer was discovered and brought a lot of attention back in his direction.
I was struck by how he managed to have a serious falling out with everybody who was ever important to him. There were no exceptions, unless you count the woman who was his closest friend at the very end, and that's likely because they simply hadn't known each other long enough. In some cases, he'd work out his differences with his friends or family and they'd resume their relationship, only to fall out yet again. And frankly, there's no doubt that the fault was his every time.
So why did these people put up with him? It wasn't as though he was wealthy, or successful, or even a particularly nice guy. I think it boils down to that he was an especially interesting guy, and that for all of his horrendous behavior, there was little actual malice in it. He was self-centered, but at the core of it, he just didn't cope very well with life. People would rescue him because they felt bad for him, then he'd do something that'd really tick them off, putting him in a bad spot again. Repeat as necessary for a lifetime.
He had no shortage of women in his life, and I have no idea why any sane woman would've stayed in a relationship with this man for very long. All I can say is that he must've been very persuasive.
I'm always fascinated by anyone's creative process, and his was certainly no exception. For all of the weird elements in his work, I was stunned to learn that most of them were based in actual events or phrases he came across, rather than invented. He'd build on those elements in his own way, but I hadn't anticipated that some of the songs were as literally true as they were. Very strange.
My wife asked me why I was so interested in reading about this horrible man and how nasty he was to other people. It was a good question, and I only really figured out the answer as I reached the very end of the book. He made many of the same mistakes everyone does in life; he just made them on a more spectacular scale than most people and more often. He could've chosen to take control of his life, but for some reason never did so. At the end of the day, he muddled through on the love and support of a lot of people who cared about him, and in that way he was no different than anyone else. Mistakes, I suppose, are ultimately the most human thing of all. His humanity came through in his work in his own unique style. He was enough like everybody else for a reader to feel the emotional connection and different enough to make it worthwhile to see how the story actually played out.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who'd enjoy a biography, even if you're not familiar with his creative work, though I might warn off anyone who might be offended by substantial amounts of content regarding sex and drug/alcohol abuse.
The book was ostensibly written by his ex-wife, Crystal Zevon, but in fact it was written by essentially everybody who knew him, which is a real strength. Her role was really more that of an editor. It begins with a touching firsthand account of the very end of his life, from the woman who was with him when he died, then resets to his childhood and progresses chronologically from there. The entire book is a series of brief bits, the longest of which is probably no more than a single page in length, written by whoever knew him during that time, plus there are bits and pieces from his own journals. He'd told his ex-wife just before his death that he wanted the entire story out there, in all of its unflattering detail, and that's exactly what it is. It's a powerful, effective approach, and I'd love to see it used for other biographies. As a side effect, it's also very easy to read. You can sit down and just read one or two segments, or you can read lengthy sections, and the experience works just as well either way.
The man's life was, frankly, one long train wreck. He was as insecure and selfish as he was brilliant, and he was very brilliant. After an early start as a highly regarded songwriter, he developed a reputation as an effective performer as well, though even his friends didn't think he was more than an adequate singer. He eventually fell into alcoholism and drug abuse, and was a spectacularly mean drunk. Like a lot of rock star stories, he came to terms with his condition after a long struggle, though his career never reached the heights of many of his friends. In fact, his career was in very poor shape at the time his cancer was discovered and brought a lot of attention back in his direction.
I was struck by how he managed to have a serious falling out with everybody who was ever important to him. There were no exceptions, unless you count the woman who was his closest friend at the very end, and that's likely because they simply hadn't known each other long enough. In some cases, he'd work out his differences with his friends or family and they'd resume their relationship, only to fall out yet again. And frankly, there's no doubt that the fault was his every time.
So why did these people put up with him? It wasn't as though he was wealthy, or successful, or even a particularly nice guy. I think it boils down to that he was an especially interesting guy, and that for all of his horrendous behavior, there was little actual malice in it. He was self-centered, but at the core of it, he just didn't cope very well with life. People would rescue him because they felt bad for him, then he'd do something that'd really tick them off, putting him in a bad spot again. Repeat as necessary for a lifetime.
He had no shortage of women in his life, and I have no idea why any sane woman would've stayed in a relationship with this man for very long. All I can say is that he must've been very persuasive.
I'm always fascinated by anyone's creative process, and his was certainly no exception. For all of the weird elements in his work, I was stunned to learn that most of them were based in actual events or phrases he came across, rather than invented. He'd build on those elements in his own way, but I hadn't anticipated that some of the songs were as literally true as they were. Very strange.
My wife asked me why I was so interested in reading about this horrible man and how nasty he was to other people. It was a good question, and I only really figured out the answer as I reached the very end of the book. He made many of the same mistakes everyone does in life; he just made them on a more spectacular scale than most people and more often. He could've chosen to take control of his life, but for some reason never did so. At the end of the day, he muddled through on the love and support of a lot of people who cared about him, and in that way he was no different than anyone else. Mistakes, I suppose, are ultimately the most human thing of all. His humanity came through in his work in his own unique style. He was enough like everybody else for a reader to feel the emotional connection and different enough to make it worthwhile to see how the story actually played out.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who'd enjoy a biography, even if you're not familiar with his creative work, though I might warn off anyone who might be offended by substantial amounts of content regarding sex and drug/alcohol abuse.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Chilly in Tibet
I watched the documentary "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama", then went to my yoga class tonight, which relaxed me and helped me get my perspective back. What does a financial hit I can weather matter when other people are dealing with much more serious problems? It's not as though it's keeping me from having the essentials I truly need. It really is only money, but when you've been raised in this culture it's easy to forget that from time to time.
Tibet
I'm sure there are a lot of people who know more about this than I do, but I'd be willing to bet that I know more than the average American would on the subject.
I think the tight Chinese control over the media pertaining to recent events in Tibet tells us everything we need to know. They want to get things in place to put as positive a spin on the situation as they can manage before any foreigners see anything firsthand. In one respect, I understand that they're trying to keep their image as positive as possible leading up the Olympics, but on the other hand, it makes their statements regarding what's happening in Tibet a lot less credible.
Another thing I think hurts the Chinese government's credibility is their statements regarding the Dalai Lama. They claim that he's actually the brains behind the violence, which doesn't square at all with everything I've ever read about him from anyone except the Chinese government. There was a representative from the Chinese government (can't remember his name or position) who said in one news story that he'd be willing to talk to the Dalai Lama regarding a peaceful resolution to the situation if the Dalai Lama would agree to two things up front, both of which the Dalai Lama has already publicly agreed to. And yet there's been no meeting, and it doesn't sound as though there will be one.
I'm hard pressed to think of a situation where rioting would be justified, especially on the part of Buddhist monks (if those were, in fact, Buddhist monks, which I have a hard time believing based on that behavior), so there may be blame to be laid on both sides of this equation, but I still think the Chinese are handling Tibet poorly and need to reconsider their actions. While you can rule people with force in the short term, it simply doesn't work in the long term. You've got to speak with them and get some level of cooperation. I think the rest of the world needs to step up and show them just how unacceptable the Chinese handling of this situation is in the eyes of the world community. The exact means will depend on the country, and how far they're willing to go.
I think the tight Chinese control over the media pertaining to recent events in Tibet tells us everything we need to know. They want to get things in place to put as positive a spin on the situation as they can manage before any foreigners see anything firsthand. In one respect, I understand that they're trying to keep their image as positive as possible leading up the Olympics, but on the other hand, it makes their statements regarding what's happening in Tibet a lot less credible.
Another thing I think hurts the Chinese government's credibility is their statements regarding the Dalai Lama. They claim that he's actually the brains behind the violence, which doesn't square at all with everything I've ever read about him from anyone except the Chinese government. There was a representative from the Chinese government (can't remember his name or position) who said in one news story that he'd be willing to talk to the Dalai Lama regarding a peaceful resolution to the situation if the Dalai Lama would agree to two things up front, both of which the Dalai Lama has already publicly agreed to. And yet there's been no meeting, and it doesn't sound as though there will be one.
I'm hard pressed to think of a situation where rioting would be justified, especially on the part of Buddhist monks (if those were, in fact, Buddhist monks, which I have a hard time believing based on that behavior), so there may be blame to be laid on both sides of this equation, but I still think the Chinese are handling Tibet poorly and need to reconsider their actions. While you can rule people with force in the short term, it simply doesn't work in the long term. You've got to speak with them and get some level of cooperation. I think the rest of the world needs to step up and show them just how unacceptable the Chinese handling of this situation is in the eyes of the world community. The exact means will depend on the country, and how far they're willing to go.
Chilly (Follow Up)
Well, the repair guy has been here and gone. Got to give him credit, in that he got here much more quickly than I would've expected. It was probably within an hour or so of my original call.
The news is as bad as I'd feared. We'll have replace the furnace, though they can get us functional again for the short term (repair guy needs a part and will have to come back). It's a bad financial hit, but at least it'll be a selling point once we're ready to sell the house.
The news is as bad as I'd feared. We'll have replace the furnace
Chilly...
At the moment, I'm freezing my backside off. Something went wrong with our house heater last night, and the temperature's slowly been dropping ever since. I'm calling for a repair guy in a few minutes, but have no idea when they'll be able to get here.
I'm very worried about what they're going to find, and what it's going to cost us. On the bright side, I was on vacation anyway, so I didn't need to take any unexpected time off, and it's a little warmer now than it's been in recent weeks. Also, while I had some things I wanted to do, it's not as though I had anything essential scheduled.
I'd like to be able to say that I'm doing fine, in a spirit of non-attachment. After all, it's not as though I can do anything about the situation at this moment. Whatever needs to be fixed needs to be fixed, and will be fixed when the repair guy gets here. But while I'm not spiraling into a fit of depression as I might've done in the past, I have to admit that I am experiencing some anxiety over it. We'll see what happens...
I'm very worried about what they're going to find, and what it's going to cost us. On the bright side, I was on vacation anyway, so I didn't need to take any unexpected time off, and it's a little warmer now than it's been in recent weeks. Also, while I had some things I wanted to do, it's not as though I had anything essential scheduled.
I'd like to be able to say that I'm doing fine, in a spirit of non-attachment. After all, it's not as though I can do anything about the situation at this moment. Whatever needs to be fixed needs to be fixed, and will be fixed when the repair guy gets here. But while I'm not spiraling into a fit of depression as I might've done in the past, I have to admit that I am experiencing some anxiety over it. We'll see what happens...
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Back on Track
Monday, Tuesday, and about half of Wednesday were the same as the last two difficult weeks, then it was as though someone flipped a switch and the incoming work went back to usual levels. Very weird. The respite allowed me to get my feet back under me and bring my total workload back down to almost average by the end of the week. This is a Very Good Thing because I took some time off this upcoming week, just because I had vacation time to burn and thought it'd be good to take a break sometime in the spring, and I really dislike leaving with a lot of potential messes for others to deal with while I'm gone.
The only firm plans I have for this week are to go to my yoga class on Wednesday, and to meditate and do some yoga each morning while I have the time. I have a lot to do around the house, so I'm likely to spend a fair amount of time staying here and getting things done, but I'd also like to just relax a bit and get my writing back on track again.
My wife asked what I was going to request from Netflix, since I'd have some extra time and might want to watch some movies. I replied that I'd requested "Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama" and "Saw II" from Netflix. She laughed, and I have no idea why. ;-)
So now let's see if I can get back on track this week, feel a bit better and get some things done.
The only firm plans I have for this week are to go to my yoga class on Wednesday, and to meditate and do some yoga each morning while I have the time. I have a lot to do around the house, so I'm likely to spend a fair amount of time staying here and getting things done, but I'd also like to just relax a bit and get my writing back on track again.
My wife asked what I was going to request from Netflix, since I'd have some extra time and might want to watch some movies. I replied that I'd requested "Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama" and "Saw II" from Netflix. She laughed, and I have no idea why. ;-)
So now let's see if I can get back on track this week, feel a bit better and get some things done.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Mindfulness, Games, and a Rough Two Weeks
It's been a very rough last two weeks at work. Most of my work involves two car accidents with one or two people who've been hurt, with the occasional multi-car or serious accident, but for the last two weeks there's been a flurry of wild four and five car accidents with several people injured in each car. Some of this can be explained by recent bad weather, but in most cases it was just the driver responsible for the accident having an inexplicable lapse of attention. People must have their minds on other things. There is usually a brief run of claims like this in the spring when the weather improves. However, it's much earlier than would be usual for that, and I've never seen so many injuries (many of them serious) in such a short time. Hopefully this is just some weird blip and things will get back to our normal level of overload so I can dig out to some degree.
Some friends of mine occasionally host tournaments of the Magic: The Gathering card game for their friends, and did one this past weekend. I do well enough when we play with our own decks, but for some reason I'm no better than average when we play tournaments. I think I've finally figured out why. Tournament formats level the playing field, in that all of the players are operating with identical size pools of cards. There are some people in our circle of friends who've been playing the game longer than I have, but not many, so my card collection is larger than most of them. I've realized that I've come to rely on deck construction to win rather than actually being able to play the game well, so when the playing field is level, my results aren't very good. The embarrassing thing to admit is that my main problem is a simple lack of paying attention, which leads me back to the Buddhist idea of mindfulness. So not only can I enjoy the games as games, I can also use them as a sort of spiritual exercise by using them to cultivate awareness.
All of this ties together, believe it or not. After an initial period where I was tearing my hair out at work and rushing around, I made a decision to slow down. I didn't feel as though I could afford to do that, but I was finding that I had been rushing to the point where I was making mistakes and actually taking more time because I had to go back and fix things I'd done previously. I found a pace that still seemed to be workable, though it's still going to take at least a few days to bring my desk back to some level of order (assuming the work load goes back to normal, which I don't think I can count on). The key thing here is that it wasn't so much the working pace that mattered; it was more about paying increased attention to what I was doing and ultimately being more efficient.
I'd planned to focus on the concept of Right Speech this past week, but frankly, I've been doing a poor job of it due to stress. I become aware of saying things I probably shouldn't, but the words are coming out even as I realize there's a problem with them. The more aware I am of how/when I'm making mistakes, the more I find. It's funny and ironic that the more aware I become (and in essence the more progress I make), the more I feel like a complete newbie who doesn't know anything.
Some friends of mine occasionally host tournaments of the Magic: The Gathering card game for their friends, and did one this past weekend. I do well enough when we play with our own decks, but for some reason I'm no better than average when we play tournaments. I think I've finally figured out why. Tournament formats level the playing field, in that all of the players are operating with identical size pools of cards. There are some people in our circle of friends who've been playing the game longer than I have, but not many, so my card collection is larger than most of them. I've realized that I've come to rely on deck construction to win rather than actually being able to play the game well, so when the playing field is level, my results aren't very good. The embarrassing thing to admit is that my main problem is a simple lack of paying attention, which leads me back to the Buddhist idea of mindfulness. So not only can I enjoy the games as games, I can also use them as a sort of spiritual exercise by using them to cultivate awareness.
All of this ties together, believe it or not. After an initial period where I was tearing my hair out at work and rushing around, I made a decision to slow down. I didn't feel as though I could afford to do that, but I was finding that I had been rushing to the point where I was making mistakes and actually taking more time because I had to go back and fix things I'd done previously. I found a pace that still seemed to be workable, though it's still going to take at least a few days to bring my desk back to some level of order (assuming the work load goes back to normal, which I don't think I can count on). The key thing here is that it wasn't so much the working pace that mattered; it was more about paying increased attention to what I was doing and ultimately being more efficient.
I'd planned to focus on the concept of Right Speech this past week, but frankly, I've been doing a poor job of it due to stress. I become aware of saying things I probably shouldn't, but the words are coming out even as I realize there's a problem with them. The more aware I am of how/when I'm making mistakes, the more I find. It's funny and ironic that the more aware I become (and in essence the more progress I make), the more I feel like a complete newbie who doesn't know anything.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Beowulf and 30 Days of Night
I'd really been looking forward to both of these, and can't give either one better than a mixed review.
"Beowulf" is a lot of fun to look at, and makes good use of the flexibility the computer-generated sets give the director. There are shots in this movie that would be entirely impossible to pull off in a live action film. On the other hand, the story itself isn't very interesting, even taking liberties with the source material. For all the gore and violence, it ultimately feels empty. The featurette showing how it was done was better than the movie itself, and you can see how this technology is likely to result in much more entertaining films down the road. I wouldn't recommend this movie unless you're interested in seeing how it was made. I'd give it a four out of ten, and consider it a passable rental flick. Add another two to the rating if you have a real interest in the technical aspect, and add one if you need some help in picturing what Angelina Jolie looks like naked.
"30 Days of Night" has some very flavorful vampires speaking some weird, Eastern European-sounding language. The creative people behind this film said they were trying to make vampires scary again. That they did; there are some nicely scary shots here, emphasizing vampire as predator, not seducer. However, they utterly failed to make the vampires (or anyone else) logical. Why would vampires make a particular effort to get to a place where there are 30 days of night only to seemingly eat most of the population on the first night, then hang around forever trying to find the last few survivors? They could've done that anywhere! And I can't imagine predators wasting as much food as they did here. I realize that a horror movie is about scares more than necessarily figuring out a sensible ecology of the vampiric species, but when the logic is this weak, my suspension of disbelief is damaged to the point where the scares don't work for me. I no longer care enough to be scared.
The first twenty or thirty minutes of the movie contain some of the most obvious set-ups for later elements that I've ever seen. I understand that if you want to use something later, you have to establish its presence earlier in the film, but it was as if they didn't even try to make those things appear to arise naturally. The main characters suffer from the usual horror movie cliche of doing really stupid things, because if they don't, there's no story. This happens over and over. I really wish that people who made horror films would show a little more respect for the genre by having characters actually make sensible choices and the scary stuff happens anyway! There's a lot to like in the look and behavior of the vampires (and just a hint of the underlying vampire culture), but there were just too many gaping holes in the internal logic for me to really enjoy myself. I'll give it four of out ten because I liked the look and feel of the vampires, but I didn't like anything else about this one.
"Beowulf" is a lot of fun to look at, and makes good use of the flexibility the computer-generated sets give the director. There are shots in this movie that would be entirely impossible to pull off in a live action film. On the other hand, the story itself isn't very interesting, even taking liberties with the source material. For all the gore and violence, it ultimately feels empty. The featurette showing how it was done was better than the movie itself, and you can see how this technology is likely to result in much more entertaining films down the road. I wouldn't recommend this movie unless you're interested in seeing how it was made. I'd give it a four out of ten, and consider it a passable rental flick. Add another two to the rating if you have a real interest in the technical aspect, and add one if you need some help in picturing what Angelina Jolie looks like naked.
"30 Days of Night" has some very flavorful vampires speaking some weird, Eastern European-sounding language. The creative people behind this film said they were trying to make vampires scary again. That they did; there are some nicely scary shots here, emphasizing vampire as predator, not seducer. However, they utterly failed to make the vampires (or anyone else) logical. Why would vampires make a particular effort to get to a place where there are 30 days of night only to seemingly eat most of the population on the first night, then hang around forever trying to find the last few survivors? They could've done that anywhere! And I can't imagine predators wasting as much food as they did here. I realize that a horror movie is about scares more than necessarily figuring out a sensible ecology of the vampiric species, but when the logic is this weak, my suspension of disbelief is damaged to the point where the scares don't work for me. I no longer care enough to be scared.
The first twenty or thirty minutes of the movie contain some of the most obvious set-ups for later elements that I've ever seen. I understand that if you want to use something later, you have to establish its presence earlier in the film, but it was as if they didn't even try to make those things appear to arise naturally. The main characters suffer from the usual horror movie cliche of doing really stupid things, because if they don't, there's no story. This happens over and over. I really wish that people who made horror films would show a little more respect for the genre by having characters actually make sensible choices and the scary stuff happens anyway! There's a lot to like in the look and behavior of the vampires (and just a hint of the underlying vampire culture), but there were just too many gaping holes in the internal logic for me to really enjoy myself. I'll give it four of out ten because I liked the look and feel of the vampires, but I didn't like anything else about this one.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Gary Gygax
Wow. It's hard to describe how I felt when I read that Gary Gygax had passed away this morning. I can't say that I was a big fan of a lot of his work, but we're talking about one of the two guys who started the entire roleplaying hobby. I started with one of his creations, Dungeons and Dragons, as virtually all of us did. It's not an exaggeration to say that he had a huge impact (at least indirectly) on how I've spent a lot of my free time over the last thirty years or so. D&D was my system of choice for roughly my first ten years of roleplaying, so I'd say I got more than my money's worth of fun out of those earliest D&D books.
A moment of silence, then, and a symbolic tip of my hat to Mr. Gygax for the many hours of enjoyment with my friends that his creation gave us all.
A moment of silence, then, and a symbolic tip of my hat to Mr. Gygax for the many hours of enjoyment with my friends that his creation gave us all.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
We Are What We Do
I was speaking with a co-worker from my yoga class this past Friday. She was expressing some frustration with the meditative part of the class where we're supposed to empty our minds as much as possible. She felt she was somehow failing because whenever she'd try to empty her mind, she'd find herself thinking about something at work, or a place she had to be later, or something her son had said that morning. I explained to her that I'd been meditating virtually every day over the last year or so, and that while I was gradually getting better at emptying my mind during meditation, my experience was much the same as hers. Part of the point was to keep trying, and to understand that she wasn't going to be able to completely empty her mind in the matter of a few minutes when she'd only been working at it once a week for about six weeks. She seemed to feel a lot better after we'd talked, and I was glad I'd been able to have that conversation with her before she reached a point where she'd have given up. She'd been seeing only that she wasn't reaching the goal, and not seeing the value in the process itself.
With most things, we spend a lot more time with the process than we do with the end product, and therefore it's important to recognize that the process itself has value. One of the things our yoga teacher said during the meditative part of the class on one occasion was the simple phrase "We are what we do". I like it. It's concise and powerful with truth. It reminded me of the importance of making good use of your time right now, which includes rest, socializing, and other things that some people might consider a waste of time. The point is to recognize that every moment is a choice, and that you should try to make each one the best choice you can.
With most things, we spend a lot more time with the process than we do with the end product, and therefore it's important to recognize that the process itself has value. One of the things our yoga teacher said during the meditative part of the class on one occasion was the simple phrase "We are what we do". I like it. It's concise and powerful with truth. It reminded me of the importance of making good use of your time right now, which includes rest, socializing, and other things that some people might consider a waste of time. The point is to recognize that every moment is a choice, and that you should try to make each one the best choice you can.
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