Author: Brian

Pre-Thirty Crisis

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A guest post by Athena from The BlissQuest

I’m settling down with a glass of wine, St. Chapelle a Riesling and crawling in to bed to watch Big Trouble in Little China. Quite possibly one of my favorite Kurt Russell movies – ever. Well, that and Overboard.

When I saw the first time I was like 8 or 9 and I was sure when I got old enough – like 12ish Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) would come rescue me from Lo Pan because I had green eyes and obviously that meant I was doomed to be a victim of Lo Pan’s evil marriage plans. Until then I imagined I would hang around with Kim Cattrall and we’d talk about things like puppies and how much school sucked.

I was a child of the 80’s. I watched smurfs and wore jellies, I had sisters with bangs that scraped the ceiling and a brother who turned up the collar of his polo. I played dress up with blue eye shadow and danced around the house to Janet Jackson and what’s-her-name from American Idol. My siblings all wore parachute pants and knew the steps to Thriller while I mostly played sports and made up fantasy worlds.

I survived the eighties and Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Brite and swore I would never look back.

But over the last couple years the re-constitution of the 80’s hit – the looming 30’s of the 80’s children has brought to life a fond reminiscence of the most schizophrenic decade of the previous century- and all that was ungodly horrid in the fashion came back with burning pride.
I find myself missing Pappa Smurf, the Battle Cats and all the other movies and entertainment that was my nanny through the years.
I don’t know if it’s like a new phase of aging but I miss movies like Big Trouble in Little China like I miss being able to build blanket forts in the living room. I miss walking through mud puddles in my blue jellies as much as I miss Saturday morning cartoons and pouring too much cinnamon and sugar on my toast.

So, I’m coming to terms with the fact that I may be missing my childhood. I might actually be subconsciously longing for the “days of innocence” as I surf youtube for cartoon clips of Rainbow Brite and My Little Pony. I’ve been really excited about turning 30 next year, but maybe I’m also starting to worry. Maybe I’m just slow to realize how awesome the 80’s really were. Maybe I didn’t think they rocked at the time, and maybe I still wouldn’t be caught dead with mushroom bangs – but the longing is there and I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Therefore I will indulge it. I may just go build a blanket fort in the living room, have some cinnamon sugar toast and watch some cartoons.

But for now, I think a glass of wine and some Jack Burton fantasies will hold me over for awhile.

Is this what a pre-thirty crisis looks like?

A Time for Friends

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It’s my turn for a guest post. Even though I wasn’t assigned a day, or even a specific subject (although, you can bet your sweet ass that I asked for one), I thought I’d post on Christmas Day. Although, Christmas is almost technically over…I’m hoping to get it done before the strike of midnight.

I’m not drunk, in fact, I haven’t had a drop of alcohol today. I haven’t seen live strippers in weeks, although I have thought about it several times. And, I make sure to not talk politics unless I’m forced into it by my friends. So, what’s left to talk about as a guest writer? The only thing that I can think of that Brian is passionate about besides the three previously mentioned topics, is his passion for relationships, and especially friendships.

What exactly is it about friendships that are so important? Is it honor? Is it respect? Is it knowing that the other person will be there for you if you ever really need them? How about a touch of tenderness and compassion…or maybe more than a touch? Yes, it’s all those things. As well as integrity….that’s a biggie. How do I know this? Because these things are important to me, as well.

Brian and I have become quite close over the past several years, and we have learned to trust one another…even through the tough times. A true friendship that I hope will last forever. It is a relationship of honor, of respect, of integrity, of dependency (mostly healthy, although sometimes we both wonder, I’m sure), of tenderness, and of compassion.

Merry Christmas to all, but especially to those that we call friends.

Feliz Navidad

General

Today I swam in the ocean, drank, talked to new friends from London, South Africa, Wisconsin, California, Canada, and of course, Mexico. And had dinner with my family. I left my iPhone in a taxi, and it was returned to me – after I offered a reward.

I understand it snowed back in Portland.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Self-Talked

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As a guest writer, there are a number of things I’ve thought of writing here. However the only words that are coming to my head, at the moment, are sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. Very cliché, eh? And yet, when one ponders it further, those three things are the very ideas Americans still revolve around: The lusts, addictions, and subjective feelings that consume us.

No matter the reasons which brought us to this point, we all have a mantra which helps get us through the day. Mine is, “Make ’em laugh!” Although there were few I love yous said aloud in my homestead, I grew up hearing the sweet sound of laughter as its replacement. This sound connects me to others. I refined it and was paid as a professional, for a number of years, to use it. I am addicted to the contagious human-made noise.

We ponder. We react. We desire and search. Subconsciously justifying it in our heads, and consciously acting due to the result. All of it making us rather unique, while still fitting perfecting in with the rest of society. Whether it’s right or wrong, it is what people do.

“Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, man!“

Think about it.

One glimpse’ll show you now, baby
What the music can do
One kiss’ll show you now, baby
It can happen to you

Holiday posting

General

I am leaving for Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico, early tomorrow morning. Posting from me will be light until after I return on Thursday 3 January 2008. I may post. I may not. You’ll just have to wait and see.

But in the meantime, I’ve asked some of my friends to fill in, with a guest post each (more if they feel the urge). I can’t wait to see what they’re writing about; I gave them no direction beyond “write whatever you like.” They may disagree with me; they may respond to something I’ve written before; they may make death threats (but I hope not – they don’t strike me as the death-threatening kind). But they’ll bring a different perspective to my little truck on the intertubes, and for that, I am thankful.

The guest posters are (in alphabetical order):

  • Athena, who is blogging about her own personal quest for bliss. She and I may have seen each other naked, though we didn’t know each other at the time. How many people can you say that about?
  • Ken, who is a busy husband and father of two beautiful children, and one of the most social, friendly, stable people I know.
  • Kevin, one of my closest friends who is also related to me. He’s known me all his life, and I him, and yet we’re still friends. Plus we share a birthday, 6 years apart.
  • Tracy, who is my closest friend, the mother of a beautiful girl, and who is on her own quest for bliss. Or maybe she’s just trying to figure out where to go?

I’m not going to be too mad if these four get way more comments on their posts than I do. Not too mad…

At any rate, I hope all my readers enjoy their year-ending celebrations, and take care of each other. Feliz Navidad!

Carl Sagan, novelist

General

This is my second year for the Carl Sagan Blogathon.

In fact, it’s the second year for the Blogathon itself.

Yay, I got in on the ground floor!

December 20th, 2007 is the 11th anniversary of Carl Sagan’s death. It is also the 10th anniversary of the release of “Contact”, the science-fiction flick based on Carl Sagan’s only work of fiction. Sadly, the astronomer did not live to see the debut of the film.

I have a confession to make; I have never read “Contact”. When the novel first came out, in 1985, Dr. Sagan was at a peak of his popularity, and I had long been a fan of his pop science books and of “Cosmos”, the television series he created. But for some reason, the idea of this man of science writing genre fiction did not sit well with me.

Don’t think that I was above reading sci-fi. Not at all. I read it. It was most of what I read, if by “most” you mean “99.9993%”. Larry Niven was my fav, if I recall correctly.

But could an actual scientist write a good story?

Little did I know that science and the pursuit of science lends itself particularly well to crafting a good story. There are so many scientists who write, I am now well aware. And, in fact, I was even aware of those authors back in 1985: Isaac Asimov, who was a professor of biochemistry at Boston University. Arthur C. Clarke. a mathematician and physicist. Rudy Rucker, a mathematician who taught at many schools, before retiring from San Jose State University.

The difference was, I knew them as authors first, and as scientists second.

Carl Sagan was always a scientist in my mind. And that meant that I never even considered his work of fiction, Contact.

So my first experience with Dr. Sagan’s gift for sincere, hopeful, human storytelling about relationships, was the Jody Foster movie. Seeing the character of Ellie Arroway butt heads with bureaucrats and politicians to try to get some science done, and seeing her fondness for her father, showed me a side of Carl Sagan I had not previously understood. Carl Sagan knew people, just as much as he seemed to know astrophysics.

After seeing “Contact”, I had a new-found appreciation of the book he co-authored with his wife, Ann Druyan, “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: A Search for Who We Are”, shows how compassionate and insightful an atheist could be towards the only species we know of that has evolved intelligence… and how close that species (us) is to the rest of life on this planet.

Re-reading “Dragons of Eden” after seeing “Contact” only reinforced the view; Carl Sagan knew people. He knew the lows to which they could sink, and the heights to which they could rise. And he strove towards the latter. In public view, he was always positive, and cheerful, even when pointing out the terrible mistakes he saw humanity making.

And as I noted last year, Carl Sagan was able to admit his own mistakes and failings.

Carl Sagan is one of my intellectual heroes. This is not a sad day. Dr. Sagan’s legacy is that we should continue to reach for the stars.

Neosplaining?

General

If I were braining clearly, I would come up with a word, a new word, a word that encapsulated the experience and feeling of having a call come in that’s clearly identified by the Caller ID to be someone you know, and picking up and saying “Hello?” as if you did not know that person, and having them, in a worried or nervous or confused way, explain to you who they are.

No FlexCars @ PDX?

General

Just seems like a weird oversight that there are no FlexCars at or near the Portland Airport. Maybe even several cars.

For example, I have an international flight leaving at 6:00 AM on Saturday, and it would be nice to reserve a car at the airport the night before, take it home, and then return it around 3:30-4:00 AM, giving me plenty of time to check in for my flight.

But I can’t. No FlexCars at the airport. Just seems weird.

BMSMA

General

Watching the new Futurama movie for the third time last night, I noticed that Bender’s email address is bender@ilovebender.com.

Just figures that robot would have his own custom domain. Hell, he probably hosts it himself. Literally.

So I sent him this:

From: Me
To: Bender [bender@ilovebender.com]
Subject: I love Bender, too!

I want to be as evil as Bender if I grow up!

And nearly immediately I got the following response:

From: Bender
To: Brian Moon
Subject: Re: I love Bender, too!

Dear New Friend,

Thank you for writing to me, Bender. It really means a lot to me. Not many humans contact me because I am so rude and impatient. You’re starting to get on my nerves now. Quit buggin’ me, meatbag!

P.S. – Buy my DVD.

Love,

Bender

And, of course, there’s a bunch of promotional stuff located at that domain.

I love modern internet-based marketing. But only when they’re marketing things I love. When they’re things I don’t love, they suck.

In fact, my default ringtone is the theme song to “Futurama”… and my close friends announce their incoming calls on my iPhone with Bender saying, “Bite my shiny metal ass.” Which makes me laugh every time I hear it.

But I want to have my all-time favorite Bender line:

Futurama – Bender – Oh Your God! – Watch the top videos of the week here

I’ll have to rip it myself, I think. Can’t find it out on the internets.

Best music of 2007

General

These are the new albums or artists I liked enough to purchase in 2007:

  1. Radiohead, “In Rainbows”
  2. Spoon, “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga”
  3. Bad Religion, “New Maps of Hell”
  4. Amy Winehouse, “Back to Black”
  5. Queens of the Stone Age, “Era Vulgaris”
  6. The White Stripes, “Icky Thump”
  7. CAKE, “B-Sides And Rarities”
  8. Sage Francis, “Human the Death Dance”
  9. Honorable mention: Various Artists, “OKX: Tribute to OK Computer” (I downloaded this for free when it was first released on Stereogum)