The Deja Vu Edition

We've all had it...that sense of Deja Vu...the feeling that you've been somewhere, met someone, done something before when you know that you haven't. In the season finale of Fringe, they gave a rather clever explanation for the phenomenon--that you have, in a sense, been there done that...only it's a different version of you in an alternate reality that you're picking up on. This is much better than The Matrix explanation (a glitch in the system) that is demonstrated when Neo sees a cat that looks exactly like one he just saw walking in the front of the same door. Since he just saw it how can he have the feeling that it hadn't happened before? The more I watch Fringe the more I like it. Yes, it does have a familiar X-files sort of feel to with the whole FBI exploring unknown phenomenon, but it definitely has more of an edge to it than it's predecessor.

I put the notion of alternate realities into the possible, but not probable category. As for going into an alternate reality, like time travel, probably not a good idea...isn't it enough that we mess up our own reality without screwing up someone else's? On Fringe, Walter really messed with someone else's reality. In his reality, his son, Peter, died so he crossed into an alternate reality and stole an alternate version of him. Tell me that isn't going to have some nasty consequences somewhere down the road.

It's an interesting theory that there are an infinite number of realities out there that are created by ever choice we make or don't make--every conceivable outcome to every conceivable decision that every person who ever lived has made. If on Monday you choose to go to work, there's a reality out there where you chose to call in sick. Maybe that means somewhere out there is a reality where I won the lottery....I wonder if it's a crime to rob a version of you living in a different reality?

What With Time Travel and All...

Several weeks ago I was reading viewer comments about Lost and was amused by the number of comments in which people were upset about how the show had gone Sci-Fi. Huh...what? You're just now realizing that this show was science fiction?? In the first two episodes of the show a large unseen force shakes the jungle trees and then apparently snatched the co-pilot out of the front of the plane and then dumps his mangled body in the tops of the trees and it wasn't obvious that the show was...well...science fiction. And what about the paralyzed Locke who suddenly gained the ability to walk when he woke up after the crash? The smoke monster? The guy in the hatch pushing a button every 108 minutes to keep the world safe? And so on and so on. But throw in a little time travel and suddenly the show is science fiction. I guess time travel just smacked of science fiction and everything else just seemed subtle?

My entire understanding about the area of time travel stems solely from watching science fiction...so there's a fair bet that my understanding is lacking in just about every possible aspect, but it's still a fascinating subject.

On the Stargate (SG-1 and Atlantis) side, time travel is possible under the right circumstances...namely the passing of an artificially created worm hole through a significant solar flare event and oops...there you are in the past. Star Trek also involved the sun in the achieving time warp and sling shotting oneself into the past. Both, however, dabble into other ways of time travel, but I don't recall anything approaching a scientific explanation regarding how it was achieved. Over in Primeval, they regard time as just another dimension so every point in time theoretically exists all at the same time. The other big debate is about causality. Typically, there is great concern about changing something in the past that would then change the future. They debate paradoxes such as going back into the past and killing your own grandfather before he fathered your parent....if you existed to do this how could go you back and do something that meant you wouldn't have been born to do what you just did. Lost has been different in that the Farraday character has, until recently, maintained that you couldn't change anything...whatever happened, happened. And no action you can take would change anything that had happened. Sayid tried to change the past when he shot Benjamin Linus as a child to keep him from growing up into the monster that they knew in the "present". However, a couple of his fellow survivors actually took action to save him...the same actions that change him so he actually becomes the monster. See...whatever happened, happened. They actually do allow things to be changed...sort of. When Desmond had a vision of Charlie dying, he took steps to prevent the event that would have led to his death. The result? The next day he had a vision of Charlie dying with the only change being the manner in which he would die. So, he could make a change, but all it did was delay what was going to happen.

If we could time travel and if we could change things, should we? On the surface, it would be easy to say that someone should go back in time and kill Hitler before his rise to power. He was a horrible monster who led to the deaths of millions of people so what could be wrong with changing that. It seems like a clear cut decision. The problem is that while we know the path of history, we have no way to determine what the new history would be. As hard as it seems, we might actually make thins worse...we might, however unintentionally, create a worse scenario...give rise to a new evil. I think if we had the ability, we'd probably use it, but I'm not sure that we would be better off for it. I think it might be better off that if time travel is possible that we never figure it out.

Annoying, Ringy Thing

I have to confess that as a teenage girl I could spend endless hours talking on the phones with my friends. And while for the life of me, I can’t remember of even now imagine what we could have to talk about during all those hours, I do recall how obsessively, insanely important it was at the time. It’s no coincidence that the worst grounding I ever got was not being able to talk on the phone. My dad knew how to deal out cruel punishments.

How the times have changed. Now when the phone rings, I announce to my husband “annoying, ringy thing”. Just in case he hadn’t noticed the thing hanging on the wall was making an annoying, soul stealing sound.

The sound of the ringing phone just grates like nails across a blackboard. It’s an instant snap of unhappy, headache inducing aggravation. I snatch the phone up and look at the Caller ID (a most fantastic invention). Then I can choose whether or not to answer it. If the number isn’t one that I know or I suspect of being any sort of telemarketer (on the Do Not Call List, but that still leaves you open to a whole host of exempt entities) I either hit the silence button (which at least keeps me from being annoyed by the phone closest to me) or I pick up the line and immediately hang up. I KNOW that I should probably just answer and tell them to stop calling, but well, I don’t. Otherwise, I answer the phone sounding well, really annoyed. It’s not the person calling (most of the time) that has annoyed me…I’m just annoyed that the phone rang.

I think the change started when I worked in a call center and I talked on the phone all day. The last thing I wanted to do on my own time was talk on the phone. And has evolved over time into the current affliction. It doesn’t help that it seems to happen at the worst times…during dinner, while I’m washing dishes, or deeply involved in something. It’s like there is some sort of universal signaling system that subliminally broadcasts the sudden desire for people to call you while you are fully engaged in something else.

Before Heidi and I both had DVR, we would be watching critical (Lost & Heroes) at the same time. We would communicate by text message any thoughts, statements regarding the current episode. The hubby would walk through and ask why we just didn’t call each other. Because I can text quickly or wait for a commercial break or read a quick message without actually distracting myself from the show….talking on the phone is distracting. Talking on the phone is annoying….even when I’ve made the call…it’s just worse if you have to do if AFTER being jolted out of peaceful content by the horrible ringing sound.

To Boldly Go...

Star Trek. I'm looking forward to seeing the latest entry into the Star Trek universe. It looks much different than anything we've seen so far and may be the better for it. Anyone who knows me might find this a bit odd since I'm normally a purist about such things (if I LOVE an original, chances are I won't see the remake). But maybe that's the beauty of Star Trek. Just like it's science...it's not about what is, but about what could be. It may indeed boldly go where no Star Trek show or movie has ever gone before.

I remember watching reruns of the original show when I was a kid and even though it seemed cheesy even then, it had an undeniable appeal. I was an avid watcher of Next Generation and even dedicated some TV watching time to Deep Space Nine. I could never watch Voyager...I tried, but it just annoyed and grated. I also tried Enterprise. I had great hopes for that show. It was a chance to have a great deal of fun...after all, there had to be some reasons, some really great screw ups that caused them to come up with all those rules (Prime Directive, anyone). It never delivered.

So with high hopes, I will be paying movie theater prices to catch this one on the big screen. I hope it's worth the price of admission!

Random Bits

I continue to be frustrated by the creative dry spell that I've been going through for what seems like forever. I get random bits and pieces that float into my head, but I can never seem to get them shaped into anything. It's really frustrating because I am missing the creative process. And while I'm trying to get more regular with my blogging, it's never been a real avenue for my writing (some poetry aside and I wouldn't mind having something new to offer). And while I do hope to be more regular in posting, I don't really want the blog to be about cultivating my writing. I like the blog as a more relaxed avenue where I'm just ranting, raving or rambling without having to worry too much about content, structure, ideas, progression, imagery or anything else. I want it to be rather worry free.

So, here's some non-creative random bits & pieces:

New TV worth giving a try: The Unusuals. It's not great, but it's got potential.

CD I'm currently in love with: Day & Age by The Killers.

Movie I can't wait to see: Star Trek

Movie I'd never heard of until I saw it on the digital guide and ended up really enjoying: Sunshine

Movie I'd heard of, wanted to see and finally watched and fell in love with: The Inside Man

American Idol: Haven't watched much this year...haven't really found much interesting about the contestants. And Johnny Cash isn't just rolling over in his grave, he's digging his way out for the "unique" version of Ring of Fire. Also, show runover ruined my DVR recording of Fringe....last 5 minutes were missing.

Cat: Thinks the fountain I got for Christmas is his personal watering device...downright demanding about it as well.

Dog: Thinks if you're moving around the house, you should be getting her a treat.

Work: Employed and thankful for it. Try to remind myself not to complain too much in this market.

Economy: All those finanicial geniuses didn't see this coming? Won't be easy to fix and fix won't be pain free.

Not particularly profound...but hey, at least it's a post!

Addicted to TV

I don’t think that it’s any big secret that I am addicted to television…I don’t consider it to be a problem…I revel in my addiction. Although, I have to say that it has been a long time since I’ve had so many shows that are on my “must watch” list. There have been times that despite how much the TV was on, there were only one or two shows that demanded my attention when they were on…that list has grown longer.
But first, a word about the shows that I’ve lost in the past year or so (ok…I should have aired my gripes in this area a long time ago…but it wasn’t like I was current with my blogging).


The two shows I miss the most:


Jericho. The great “nut” incident did garner this show 8 more mid-season episodes. And CBS was kind of enough to bring it to some sort of conclusion (while simultaneously leaving it open ended enough to resume should they want to). This was a greater courtesy than is normally extended (somewhere in my blog I think I complained about how both Surface and Invasion just stopped with huge cliffhangers that were never resolved). This show was rather dark, but it was also smart and clever.


Stargate Atlantis. This show finally seemed to grow up and come into its own and probably had two more good seasons in it, but instead Sci-Fi took the cancellation cleaver to it. More disappointingly, the buzz on the new entry into the franchise sounds a lot like the worst of the Star Trek shows (Voyager). Maybe they were afraid of letting this show linger too long like they did with its predecessor and elected instead to cut it down too soon. When they finally ended SG-1, they did it with an incredibly disappointing series finale (it wouldn’t have been a good regular episode). They did not repeat the mistake with Atlantis…giving it a decent send-off.




Other shows I miss:


Pushing Daisies. I guess that I knew show was doomed from the beginning, but I was hoping it would make it. Truthfully, I stopped watching before the end actually came because the buzz was it was going to end with a huge cliff-hanger and I just couldn’t manage it.


Moonlight & Shark


Now, all the stuff that I’m watching:


Chuck. The premise of this show is ridiculous, but the great thing is that they know it and they never take themselves too seriously.


Heroes. The first season of this show is still the best, but this season is much better than last season. It’s clever and has a great cast.


24. In some ways, the show is always exactly the same from season to season and in the real world, we could never tolerate Jack Bauer. But it still works.


Fringe. Either you will love this show or you won’t. If you were an X-Files fan, you should sign up.


Lost. This may be the only show that ever “umjumped the shark”. Another show that there’s just no middle ground with.


Eleventh Hour. Part X-Files, part CSI. Interesting & smart.


Primeval. BBC America’s offering to the Sci-fi genre. Clever even though the accents are sometimes difficult (thanks to the creators of closed captioning).

The Closer. Normally shown as a summer show that they decided to show this on Monday's against 24 and Heroes---good thing for Saturday repeats.

Burn Notice. Another one that also shows in the summer, but who threw out several episodes mid-season...fortunately they picked their time slot a bit better. Slick and entertaining.

Sons of Anarchy. I almost didn't watch this show and there are some reasons to not watch it, but it's well-written & well-acted. Katey Segal like you've never seen her...and she's brilliant.


Other Shows I enjoy:


Sanctuary. Not the best of the Sci-Fi channel offerings, but good to see Amanda Tapping and the show did get better as it went along.


Bones. I actually really enjoy this show, but tend to forget when it’s on. Good story lines and great cast chemistry.


Said goodbye on own:


House. Just don’t care anymore. Once they started the competition for his new staff, it stopped being interesting. Tried to watch for awhile, but not worth the effort.

A Quick Review

Wow…it really has been a long time since I’ve updated this blog of mine….I didn’t intend it to be so long, it just sort of worked out that way.

2008 Review
The year started off well enough…by March I had managed to lose 18 pounds…I was working out regularly and feeling pretty good about it. I was also horribly addicted to the Nintendo DS that I got for Christmas.

Then came March…..and we undertook a rescue mission for one of our clients that ended up being a life sucking experience. The work days turned out to be 12 to 14 hour ordeals…and almost every day of the week. I know I went one two month stretch where I worked every day. This greatly reduced the amount of time that I had for working out and consequently, I gained back every one of those lovely pounds I had worked so hard to shed…..and now I’m trying again. It seems that it’s harder this time….very frustrating. Wait…let me say it again…VERY FRUSTRATING. It was nearly impossible to not go out to lunch every day….it was a respite…a chance to run away from the building and everything in it. It did not help the weight control, but did a great deal for retaining sanity. We figured life would be painful for a couple of months when we started the mission, but it was MANY months. All things considered, I remind myself of how lucky we were. While so many were getting laid off, we were actually able to hire new people.

The next thing you know…it was October. And by that time, we had managed to make a mess out of our “office”. (Well, one day it’s going to be an office) which made working in there very uncomfortable. On top of that, the laptop is in desperate need of replacing. It has been a good machine…but it nearly 9 years old…so I should be lucky that it starts (of course, it takes FOREVER to start). Every time I turn it on, I wonder if it is going to work this time…and all the number keys don’t always work. So that makes it quite frustrating. However, since the office is still a mess…I won’t replace it. I plan on getting a desktop and since the desk is not really usable at the moment I am unwilling to buy a computer that will just sit in a box until the office is done. I have some great photo software the hubby got me for Christmas one year that won’t load on the laptop. On the other hand, we have a guest bedroom and one of the bathrooms got finished. That leaves the office, the master bath and oh yeah…the leaky basement.

I am sure that there were about a thousand more things that happened last year…but my mind is mushy on all the details (I’m sure some of it I purged on purpose). I had lots of thoughts about blogging…various ideas, thoughts, poems and what not, but never got around to it or felt like fighting the laptop to get posted. I hope that this year will be better in that regard. Wish me luck!