Monthly Archives: October 2006

Battlestar Galactica Season 3 Premier

hobbies, sci-fi, tv

Battlestar GalacticaOH MY GOD!

Dark? Depressing? Sure.

Distrubing? Absolutely.

Political? Not even subtle!

The best hour and a half of science fiction video ever? Without a doubt!

I think it took a couple of days just for me to be able to write out my thoughts, and it still feels like a lot of fanboy “Oooooh! Ahhhhh! Wow! Whoa!”.

I’m not even sure if I can effectively describe how they pulled off showing an insurgency, complete with suicide bombers, as the good guys! And portraying a monotheistic occupying force using torture, random arrests, and executions as the bad guys (okay, maybe that wasn’t so hard).

For the characters, four months have gone by since the end of last season when the Cylons occupied this little colony of humans. In this season opening, they’ve shown us the horrific state that has developed over the four months, and in doing so they’ve created a metaphor for Iraq – with us rooting for the insurgents!

This was the type of show that I would only butcher by trying to describe it. You need to see it for yourself. There isn’t anything graphic. The violence and horror are pretty much off screen and in the back story. But you see the impact on the characters. And in that, it’s even more horrific. The picture I posted above – yup, it’s that scary.

Dr. Who and The Dalek Invasion of Earth

hobbies, sci-fi, tv

Harriet was out of town this weekend (someday I’ll write about “The Elves”), and so I decided to get caught up on a lot of videos. Most important was getting through the typical three Netflix DVDs which are kept sitting around for weeks.

Invasion of DaleksI chose to watch some old Dr. Who episodes from 1964! One DVD collected the story arc titled “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” and consisted of 6 episodes. A companion DVD had extras like interviews of actors and designers who were still alive, as well as video clips about Dr. Who from that era. Even though it’s got a lot of cheesy effects and huge plot holes, there’s still something absolutely charming about it. Look at that picture of the Daleks in Trafalgar Square! They had a plumber’s plunger as a weapon and they still took over the Earth.
It’s sort of like watching the original series of Star Trek. The shows are dated and yet redeemingly sincere. I had a great time watching every minute.
New Dr WhoI’ve recently gotten hooked on Dr. Who thanks to the new BBC versions. I never watched the series as a kid. I remember being put off by the goofy costumes and rediculous plot line. Of course, why I thought Star Trek made more sense is as much a mystery. The new series captured me because the characters are just so gosh darn enjoyable. The Doctor is fundamentally an optimist, and he enthusiastically enjoys every new experience. This show is just fun to watch.

I’m slowly working my way through the old shows, also. The BBC has lost quite a few of the shows from the first years, but they stil have an amazing amount of video from this longest running sci-fi series, ever.

My trainer says “try LSD” (yay!)

health

Mikki, my trainer from Fitness Transform, loves to throw new terms and acronyms at me. The latest is LSD (Long Slow Distance).

Apparently, I’ve been overtraining.

No really. Who knew?

My current training schedule consist of two days of strength training (in a gym, using weights) and three to four days of cardiovascular interval training (running stadiums) per week. Oddly, I’ve come to enjoy it. And lately, I’ve been going through another anti-growth spurt, so it’s pretty effective.

However, in the last week or two, I’ve been dragging through the day. And, my workouts have been affected since I can feel myself getting tired earlier than usual. So, Mikki recommends I cut back a bit to let my body recover. Rather than stadiums, switch to LSD, and only for two days a week.

LSD is the new term for low intensity cardiovascular work, and Mikki discusses the tradeoffs between the two in another article. So I’ll go back to running around the track for several miles and see how I respond. Not as impressive as “running stadiums” but still a challenge for me.
Maybe I just need a vacation – in Malaysai!

Caught in the Act Show Coming October 21

improv, Santa Barbara

We have a Caught in the Act show coming up Saturday October 21. For now, you can find the particulars in my Improv Blog post.

Last night we had a Caught in the Act meeting in order to get ready for the new show. Improv ‘rehersals’ are a chance for the troupe to work together, try out some new games, and plan which pieces we’ll perform. We’ve lost one player and are looking to bring in some additional players, so it’s also a chance to start learning each other’s rhythms.

Clothes for Malaysia

Malaysia, travel

Magellan’s is a fabulous travel supply store that has its headquarters here in Santa Barbara. We generally hit the place a few times before a trip, and the good news is that they have a big sale about this time of year.

This year, thanks to my weight loss, I need new travel clothes, and so this convergence of events led me to a buying spree. I now have two new pairs of nifty travel pants, and a new travel shirt. All are lightweight and quick drying: perfect for light packing and on-the-road, in-the-sink laundry. And they have LOTS of pockets. I won’t argue that travellers need lots of pockets, but it’s the way I like to travel.

Also this year, both Harriet and I were intrigued by the new disposable underwear. Yes, as odd as it sounds, these thin cotton briefs take up much less space than regular underwear, don’t require cleaning, and disappear completely by the end of the trip. More room for souvenirs despite the questionable eco-friendliness. The manufacturer claims that since they are 100% cotton, they are biodegradable. We figure they are worth giving a try, so we bought a couple of packages. I’ll let you know.

We also picked up a new water bottle carrying doo-dad. It has a rubber washer that fits over the spout of a water bottle, and a clip that can attach to a belt buckle or the strap of a bag. Over the years, we’ve tried a lot of water bottle carrying devices, and have yet to find the ‘perfect’ one. It’s amazing how useful such a thing would be since bottled water is something we seem to always want to have around (and no, I do not carry my big, diet soda mug around with me while travelling).

We also picked up a new collapsable umbrella. Unfortunately it looks like we will be getting a lot of rain during our trip. So, we’ll be packing ponchos and umbrellas.