Oh lordy loo. What a day week month year I’ve had. As we brace ourselves for a largely symbolic turning of the calendar, I have but one thought: bring out the booze!
Yes, New Year’s Eve is mainly an excuse for drinking, and if you’ve had a poor year (as most of us tend to do) then it’s the perfect occasion to send the old year off with an insincere admonishment for it to watch for the door on its way out.
Happy 2011!
Welcome to Microfiction Monday, where an image paints 140 characters, or fewer.
“I don’t see anything that looks remotely like a Bird Revolution. Are you sure this is Bodega Bay?”
And now for something I haven’t done in a while: one of Sunday Stealing’s mighty mega memes. I thought this one would also work nicely as a year-end wrap up thingy. So without further ado, here is the Quick 2010 Fandom Meme:
And, yes, it’s a fart joke.
Here’s a little seasonal chiptune music for your enjoyment this evening.
Yesterday, a friend and I went out for a cup of coffee. Because of the rain, most of the tables were taken. Oddly enough, the comfy chairs were available. The problem was that they were just a bit too far apart. Conversation would be difficult, I knew, with this particular individual.
This friend insists that I mumble and am difficult to comprehend. I find this a little baffling. Since nobody else ever demands that I repeat myself to the point of frustration, they all must either not be listening anyway, or be too polite to mention it.
I admit that I have a habit of trying to talk faster than I should. I think this is because I’m afraid that someone will come along and interrupt me before I have a chance to finish my thought. I’m afraid that whoever it is will drone on and on for minutes that seem like hours. So I sometimes feel as though I have to fire off as many words as I can before that happens.
I’m sure we all know what happens when we try to speak too quickly. We end up tongue-twisted and stammering, uttering spoonerised malapropisms and unintended portmanteaus. Of course, the cure for this is simply to try and relax and slow down.
As for the supposed mumbling, I suspect that the root of this is not enunciation, but pronunciation, and my sloppy California accent. If I had to change it for another, I think I’d go for that particular British accent used by the Imperial officers in Star Wars.
Yesterday, I saw a movie. Can you guess which?
Yes, I saw Tron: Legacy. Was it as good as I had hoped, or as disappointing as I had feared? Let’s find out.
The plot: fairly standard. In fact it seemed to be made of off the shelf parts. Take a missing parent, a homeward journey, a Pygmalion Effect, a Frankenstein Complex, a Well Intentioned Extremist and a Genocidal Overlord. Combine in a two quart casserole and bake at 350° for two hours, seven minutes. Voila!
This is not to say that the original Tron was all about the story. Quite the opposite, it was about the concept. The concept behind the original movie was to make an animated feature, but something new: backlit art animation. (Think of the far-out sparkly neon-like artwork on classic rock albums, only moving.) What was finally produced was a combination of backlighting, a novel photographic process, and, yes, even the primitive computer graphics of the time.
And I think that’s what I liked about Tron, that it was experimental, but also that in doing so, it managed to set a particular mood. There were so many fantastic elements that the viewer felt as though he were exploring a vast and thoroughly alien land. Sure there were people covered in glowing patterns, there were huge, chunky airships levitating over the land. But there were also brief glimpses of things that were never really explained: grid bugs, talking bits, the guy shaped like a light bulb.
Tron: Legacy has kept the iconic light cycles, recognizers, and air ships, and redrawn them in a modern style. The random glimpses to the side aren’t as apparent. In fact, I can hardly think of any.
Tron: Legacy has its own visual style, retaining the signature glowing patterns, but simplifying them. Everything is made to look as though it is made of glass, with characters even shattering into piles of glassy pixels when defeated. The look is not entirely original. When I first saw a Tron: Legacy display at the San Diego Comic-Con, my first reaction was that it looked like a shaver commercial. (To be fair, I’m sure there were those whose first reaction to Tron was that it looked like a rock album cover come to life.) It doesn’t really say cyberspace to me.
This is not to say I don’t appreciate the visual style. It is modern in appearance and beautifully executed. I rather wish it could have had its own, original movie to star in. Some new breed of Sci-Fi that would make Star Wars look old fashioned. Instead, its fate is to be relentlessly compared to its predecessor by everybody on the Internet, myself included.
There are a few other things that bother me about Tron: Legacy.
The titular character, Tron, is hardly anywhere to be seen in the movie, unless you look closely at each character’s markings. There were a few things in the setting that didn’t really make sense to exist in a virtual world: the idea of clothing, beds and the idea of sleep, food and the idea of meals, and the dance club. However, I suppose this sort of thing can be explained away by the world having been shaped by Flynn the elder, who could have inserted things that were familiar to himself. And, of course, there is the very final scene, which bothers me for some vague reason.
In all not a terrible movie, by any means. I’ve seen much worse. Much, much worse. By the same token, I’ve seen better. In the end, I give Tron: Legacy a solid, middle-of-the-road, three stars out of five.
Welcome to Microfiction Monday, where an image paints 140 characters or fewer.
Nick and Anna trailed the visitors back to the forest. Those strange children left no footprints.
Here is a stop motion tribute to your favorite childhood hangout (and mine) the coin-operated video arcade. Starring, of course, a chest full of quarters.
Arcades still exist, even in the age of the home console, but they now necessarily feature elaborate electromechanical contraptions that one would not likely find at home, such as whack-a-mole, air hockey, and robotic bear grabbers.
The question has been posed: If you were to take over a holiday, which holiday would you choose and why?
If I were to become the benevolent dictator over a holiday, I would choose what is probably America’s least favorite holiday: Valentine’s Day.
It is despised by the single as a reminder of another year of rejection. It is despised by those who are dating as a day to literally pay a tribute to one’s partner. It is despised by everyone else as a nauseating festival of candy hearts and cupids. I would imagine that the only folks who do not despise Valentine’s Day are the manufacturers of candy hearts and greeting cards.
So, as the ruthless dictator of Valentine’s Day, I would first do away with the gift-giving obligation. Cards, candy, jewelry? Save it for your sweetheart’s birthday. Or… don’t. Surprise that person any other day of the year.
Now, you may be asking, how shall we celebrate romance, love, and companionship, if not by spending money upon one another?
As the Supreme Overlord of Valentine’s Day, I would model the festivities on the Chinese Lantern Festival. This was traditionally a day for young people to look for love, and for older people to act as chaperones and matchmakers. I would make Valentine’s Day into a day for couples not to lord it over the singles, but to attempt to bring them together. Friends arranging for other friends to meet. A day of introductions and beginnings.
Obviously, this could lead to many people experiencing feelings of failure and rejection if they don’t experience Love at First Sight™ followed by a one-night stand and walk of shame. This will not be that kind of holiday. We have plenty of those already. The new Valentine’s Day will only be about making the attempt. If two people meet and talk, that’s enough. Whether they decide to meet again or go their separate ways is not important. If they decide to continue as romantic interest or as friends is not important. The important thing is the attempt.
Welcome to Microfiction Monday, where an image paints 140 characters, or fewer.
Thumbelina never regretted joining the circus, even if she did end up doing most of the laundry.
ERIK
