SKYSCRAPER

I finally got a chance to listen to [u]Firefly Talk #1[/u] podcast. Enjoyed the show. I particularly enjoyed the article [i]“In Defense of Whedon’s Zoe; A Warrior Woman in Battle”[/i] about Zoe’s (lack of) emotion to her husband’s death. A lot of points and background information on her character we’re made in that article. The article was making a defense about how Zoe reacted to the death of Wash seemed inadequate. We didn’t see the ‘traditional woman’ fall apart in tears and become despondent. I can’t really imagine Zoe doing that. This is one of the few moments in the movie, where background information about Zoe was not only helpful but also necessary to fully understand her reaction. Watching Firefly, I always saw Zoe as a woman who deeply controlled her emotions. The article on [u]Firefly Talk #1[/u] points out that people who go career military must have or learn to control their emotions. Zoe was career military. She would have to have learned keeping her emotions in check and herself in focus. Being that she was an Independent, I’m going to assume she did not live in a central planet. In the show Firefly, and even a little in the movie, it is shown that “survival of the fittest” is what determines your life span in the outer planets. And for Zoe being a woman, didn’t make it any easier. We’d like to think that equality has gotten better in 500 years, but the episode [i]“Heart of Gold”[/i] showed us that plainly, that’s not true. Women and men, who survived in the outer planets, survived because they did what they had to. Zoe simply turned it into an art. I’m not going to repeat a bunch of what the article said (i might a little, sorry). I invite you to listen to the podcast, though. That article, along with the rest of the show was very interesting and format was excellent. The people working on that podcast did a superb job. I’m just point out things I've said in the past concerning Zoe. During her time on Serenity, I’m thinking that Zoe probably mellowed out… a little bit. She is seen having a sense of humor. Laughing, listening to and telling jokes and stories. She had a blast calling the entire crew to the cargo bay after discovering Mal had accidentally gotten married. In the episode [i]“The Message”[/i] Tracy shocked when he found out Zoe got married, even making a comment about how “next you’ll tell me she has emotion and smiles.” But training and experiences don’t just disappear or are forgotten. The hard emotional shell goes active and strong when needed. Zoe doesn’t even flinch when Niska gives her Mal’s ear in [i]“War Stories.”[/i] After getting shot in the [u]Firefly[/u] pilot [i]“Serenity”[/i] Zoe almost immediately looks up and shoots without running for cover. She doesn’t hesitate to push Kaylee out of the path of the fireball in [i]“Out of Gas,”[/i] which results in her getting badly hurt. She also doesn’t loose her cool when Tracy points a gun at Wash [i]“The Message.” [/i] Her husband’s death profoundly hurt her. The emotions are stored deep in her. She switched to military mode very quickly because of Mal (probably the only other person she care about, but never romantically). She lost herself in rage while repelling the Reavers. And I’m sure, while she is alone she grieves for him, but she will never do it in the open. I’ve always seen her as a very strong woman. Sure of herself, but not arrogant or overconfident to a flaw. One of the most capable members of the crew of Serenity. She reminds me a lot of the captain in the movie [u]“Master and Commander – Far Side of the World.”[/u] An officer should be emotionally detached from the crew. Its impossible to do that on a ship as small as Serenity, and with such a small crew, but if Zoe ever had to vent, it was out of sight, in her room, probably with Wash. Even Wash would only argue about decisions with her and only when they we’re alone. Mal and Zoe couldn’t be completely detached from the crew, but Zoe did a better job of keeping her emotions in check then Mal. Having seen [u

NK7Z

Never blogged before! Gonna write some Fanfic!

FOLLOWMAL

Just checked the Sugar Creek Cinema listings and Serenity is there! WooHoo! That means another three week run here! Closer actually! I hope I can somehow make it happen that I get to see it! I'm sure going to try. Wish I had someone to go with. Don't think I can talk a daugher into going with me again.... and my Mom is leaving for her Cali trip. So... I'm on my own. But I am so happy it has a chance to pick up somemore watchers and some more moolah.

BOWOLF31

No toys,no costumes,no T-shirts,no dolls. Why is that? If collectables are created, people will buy them.So where are they? A Serenity ship with sound effects and lights,and talking dolls that say "I'll be in my bunk." [That would be cool!] Where are they? Replicas of Mal's brown coat,[which he got on sale] T-shirts that say "We're Humped" or "Shiny". Where are they? Marketing is more effective than us tellin folks about Serenity/Firefly. There shoulda been more merchandise from the series before the movie came out. I'm speaking of course to the good folk at Universal. More, or any marketing would have made a difference in the income of Serenity. I ask again "Where are they?!"

SHARPSHOOTER

We've seen it. We waited months and it came. It caused some strife for a moment, with schedules and money problems. But in the end, classes skipped, jobs called into, and pockets picked empty, we were all there, dressed for the part. We were ready. -History- I found myself in anticipation of something Joss didn't want to give me. I'm tired of Anakin falling to the Dark Side. I'm tired of Trinity dying just moments before Neo follows. I'm tired of the ambiguous endings. I'm tired of dead heroes. I've been sloughing through this trendy artform since the last episode of Cowboy Bebop. And yes, i'll admit that was one of the greatest shows i've ever formed an opinion for. And no, i'm not a fan of cesorship. And no, i don't think the world is less than atrocious. But i'm tired of the storybook temples built to the suffering protagonist. That's what was on my mind when i went into a dim theater with hopes of seeing Wash crack me up, Jayne act stupid in ways that allowed Wash to crack me up, and Captain Mal do the right thing, even when he had no reason to believe it was ever going to pay off. I went in expecting Serenity Pt. 3 and 4. What I got was a darkened look at a world I've been wanting to love. Now it seems like another jot on the notepad for Hollywood. "But in real life, mr. Sharp, the goodguys don't always win." I know. Believe me. I get it. So stop singing it. -Hubris- This is simple. I'm a purist, an Idealist, and a Dreamer. It's a rough combo in this day and age. Sure, we've known Anakin was Darth almost as long as we've know Frodo wouldn't be able to stay in the Shire. But those moments were back of our head as we watched the Death Star blow up. As we watched Smaug fall into the Lake. Somewhere out there, some guy wrote the ballad of Beowulf. Somebody started it. And we've been segregating our opinions ever since. We've been slowly dividing into the Hopeful Happy Endings and the Realistic Adult Dramas. And here's what's worse: We're usually the opposite in life. I will readily admit, when I go into the maelstrom of suffering that this life throws at me, i'm not squeezing the Lemonade. I'm shoving the lemons down the throats of any bloke willing to test me. I end up a jerk, by circumstance, and i hide behind the decisions I make with the thoughts that I had no choice. I guess what i'm saying is that in my own life, as pithy as it really is, i'm just like Mal. I shove the guy off the Mule and spare him one round to the chest in hopes of paying him my only bit of kindness from a parched heart. The Heart feeds on hope. And I didn't see Hope in Serenity. I saw a crew of hopless and stubborn souls that did out of a lack of choice. -Humility- Maybe I'm reading into this too much. Maybe i'm just not down with the trend for reasons more predictable than I'd like. As i wrot in the last entry: Serenity is the Best movie i've ever not liked. What I mean is simple: I have no argument about the writing. It's by far some of the best storytelling and movie-making I've seen in my life. It's a great film. It's just not what I wanted. Because I wanted a victory without the counter-weight of loss. I wanted to see something that might inspire me to stirve for the goal, instead of gritting my teeth and moving the only direction left...Forward. I expected a lot out of this movie. I wanted something that left me as happy as i did when Transporter 2 rolled it's credits, only without making me feel like a moron for watching it. I wanted something Joss didn't want to give me. I wanted Captain Mal to save Inara like a princess in a faery story. I wanted to see Jayne decide to leave the money for the crew. I wanted to see Book take down the Operative because he used to be an agent, too, only he lived, and that makes him better because he's a survivor... I wanted every last candy coated, re-hashed and predictable hollywood moment. Because I knew Joss could give it to me in a way that would merit my praise. And even if the critics damned

LIMINALOSITY

One of my best friends told me a few years ago when I was going through a really rough patch, that she had a trick to lift her spirits. She tries to think of ten good things that have happened that day. She told me they can be little tiny things if that's all you can find to be glad about, but find ten good things. So, of course I tried it because, why not. Paying attention to the world around you and making an effort to notice the good stuff on any level couldn't hurt, and I figured it might help lift me out of my (then) current misery. One day when I had started to turn it around, and life didn't look so bare, the highlight was seeing sparrows taking a dust bath, and it pierced my heart with the simple joy of their little flutteriness. This tiny little perfect moment is permanently tattoed on my heart. I still use this technique of ten good things whenever I remember it, because I figure you can keep lifting your spirits till everything around you is so perfectly beautiful you turn yourself into an angel. And who wouldn't want to be an angel, there might even be new colors, and there's flying too. A lot of what brings me great joy in little doses is making an effort to notice the natural world and be a part of it every day. Mare's tail clouds against a deep blue October afternoon sky is another little memory snapshot that I hold in the happiest part of my heart. Interactions with people, especially chance interactions with strangers, are also a regular addition to my list of ten things. I find that when I raise the level of attention and good will in my interactions with strangers, it raises the level of those qualities in my interactions with the people who play a larger role in my life. And, for the past couple years, one of the ten things at least once a week or so has been some little Joss related moment. The friend who told me to look for ten good things wants to know why I like Joss' work so much that I'd make an effort to get together with people to watch Buffy, Angel and Firefly. Seven seasons is just too much for her to contemplate, and she's not a big SF fan. I know, I know, I like FF best too. It's not just SF, but people have these preconceived notions. So I'm recording a couple of video tapes of some of my favorite Buffy eps. I hope she enjoys them, but I'm also having way lots of fun recording the eps on Fox, and trying to make a Buffy-sketch that might make some sense of the whole thing. Enough to maybe get her interested, not enough to intimidate or overwhelm. Enough to get her to watch some FF when I bring it at Christmastime. One of my favorite little arcs in Buffy is Bad Willow, so I've recorded "Lover's Walk", and "The Wish". The other day I walked out to a cafe to take a work break. There's a big scary parking lot where I work (I call these walks across the parking lot 'Laura Croft and the Parking Lot of Certain Death' to remind myself to pay attention, because the drivers sure aren't). There's a shiny blue cherry picker that's been parked in the lot for several weeks that I'd really like to borrow to take pictures of things at robin level. So, because I believe that wishing works, I'm making up a story about how I ask to borrow the cherry picker, and the guy at Fred Meyer says yes. Then I realize the episode that the VCR would have recorded that morning was, "Doppelgangland". So, I'm happy to remember this gift I'm making for my friend, and remembering some of the lines from that ep "Oh, I'm all fuzzy" and "I'm a blood sucking fiend! Look at my outfit!". Just as I get to where the cherry picker is parked, I notice there's a fresh banana peel on the ground in front of me and I laugh out loud. Like a little gift from the essense of Willow, a line from the ep my VCR recorded that morning. "I'm eating this banana. Lunchtime be damned!" Magic weirdness. Now who do I see about that cherry-picker? There's a lot of moss in OR. Thousands of shapes and sizes, a huge variety of colors and textures, and they really come to life at this time of year. They change color to a brighter g

LIBERTY

Finally, it's Friday! As I made the final carpool run of the week, the kids and I rocked out to Spoken's new CD. It's a Christian Alt band that is too awesome for words. Today on my lunch hour I'm going for a run. I have Spoken loaded in my mp3 player to inspire me. If you've seen me run, you know I need all the inspiration I can get.

120AMP

Censorship on cable is an interestingly applied concept. I have noticed that the Rating Codes have been expanded to cover not only actual proscribed imagery & language but also implied imagery, language & even subject matter. For example - because even if Homer Simpson only discuses his unfettered love of Duff beer The Simpsons will get a Drug (D) Rating. And don't even get me started on language, Mr Carlin. Anyway, did anybody notice that when The SciFi Channel aired the Firefly episode "Trash" the censors made some interesting distinctions concerning the presentation of the nude human body. Current thinking apparently is that a full right angle profile of Mal's naked ass is not offensive but any indication of the separation of his two buttocks needs to be shielded from public display. I know that I sleep much better knowing that I am protected from such obscenities.

CUB

Just finished my first fic.