'Tis "Talk Like a Pirate" Day! This be a day many of me shipmates celebrate, and a tradition among those of ye who would call yerselves "pirate" and not "lubber" but this one day of the year.
Be ye not knowin' the tale of this here day? Best be knowin' yer pirate lore . . .
'Cause it be known across the seven seas that on this day pirates be just about everywhere.
Shiver me timbers, are ye not yet feelin' the spirits of Davy Jones and Blackbeard among ye? Perhaps ye be needin' a closer look . . .
Observations, rants, and plausible
deniability from a person who refuses
to be a prisoner of his own world.
deniability from a person who refuses
to be a prisoner of his own world.
The Village
I AM WRITING!
My Screenplay -- Draft Three
I'm currently reading:
On my Kindle 2
I'm listening to:
iTunes Radio
I'm driving:
The Honda FCX Clarity
Thursday, September 18, 2008, posted by Q6 at 5:49 AM
Yes--as the last couple of blog posts clearly demonstrate, I'm back.
For those who have asked, the wedding was wonderful. It was not at all a stressful day (the boat had to wait about seven minutes for the arrival of the cake, but it arrived), there were many friends and family members on hand to share the boat cruise with us, and we were even the victims of piracy! Five of my wife's former students came alongside in their own boat holding huge hommade signs for us. The crowd loved it, and both the charter manager AND our photographer said the same thing: "I've never seen this happen before." Of course, my wife's reaction was, like mine, one of pure joy. "Do you want cake?!" she called from the bow of the ship; and sure enough, they pulled alongside for pastry delivery.
We honeymooned in Santa Barbara for almost a week. It was relaxing, it was romantic, and I understand now why real estate isn't a booming business in that area--if I owned property out there, I wouldn't sell it, either. I could totally see myself living in that area at some point. (For those of you who travel: if you ever have the chance to stay at the Simpson House Inn Bed & Breakfast in Santa Barbara, I highly recommend it.)
Great wedding, great honeymoon--Happiness is mine!!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008, posted by Q6 at 5:00 AM
At long last, I have found a new favorite joke:
A gorilla walks into a bar and, to the amazement of the bartender, orders a martini.
When the bartender gives the gorilla the martini, he’s further surprised to see that the ape is holding a $20 bill.
The bartender takes the $20; then he decides to see just how smart the gorilla is, so he hands the gorilla on $1 change.
The gorilla quietly sips the martini until the bartender breaks the silence.
“We don’t get too many apes in here,” he says.
The gorilla replies, “At $19 a drink, I’m not surprised.”
A gorilla walks into a bar and, to the amazement of the bartender, orders a martini.
When the bartender gives the gorilla the martini, he’s further surprised to see that the ape is holding a $20 bill.
The bartender takes the $20; then he decides to see just how smart the gorilla is, so he hands the gorilla on $1 change.
The gorilla quietly sips the martini until the bartender breaks the silence.
“We don’t get too many apes in here,” he says.
The gorilla replies, “At $19 a drink, I’m not surprised.”
Tuesday, September 16, 2008, posted by Q6 at 5:02 AM
I was recently asked about my blog. Someone wanted to know the significance of the title, "The Village." Given one of AMC's current filming projects, it seems more relevant than ever to provide the answer.
Anyone with a working knowledge of 1960's science fiction knows of "The Prisoner," a British miniseries starring Patrick McGoohan as "Number Six," a former secret agent who, after resigning, is kidnapped and whisked away to a secret location, which seems to run independent of everything, from which there is no escape, and which truly is a society unto itself. This location, where people have no names--only numbers--is called "The Village." Viewers of the TV show learned at the end that it was filmed at the Portmeirion resort in Wales. (Each episode includes a "Number Two, a societal supervisor of sorts, played by a different actor in each episode; one actor, a brilliant Leo McKern, reprised the role for the finale after doing the second or third episode.)
The "remake" of this miniseries is filming right now in Africa. It's gonna be a bit updated, it's gonna be a little retro, and early reports from those in the know say the scripts are pretty good. [A lot of people have been waiting a very long time for this; it was going to be a movie at one point, then it was going to be a TV movie, but it's now a miniseries.] Number Six will be played by James Caviezel, which could be hit or miss; Number Two, however, will be played by Ian McKellen. (And the angels sang.)
Anyway, in the original miniseries, Number Six refuses to "settle" in the Village, repeatedly speaking out in favor of his individuality and non-conformity to society. The storylines actually have a lot of cat-and-mouse to them, though I must admit a passion for the pilot episode: it's not easy to do the exposition on this series, but it seems to work out. In some episodes, Number Six is bent on escape; in others, he tries to help people in need. The entire thing is an allegory, and as it goes on (and eventually and surrealistically ends) it become more and more difficult to translate.
And that's what my blog is named after--a society in which I express my individuality, whether I'm free to or not.
Anyone with a working knowledge of 1960's science fiction knows of "The Prisoner," a British miniseries starring Patrick McGoohan as "Number Six," a former secret agent who, after resigning, is kidnapped and whisked away to a secret location, which seems to run independent of everything, from which there is no escape, and which truly is a society unto itself. This location, where people have no names--only numbers--is called "The Village." Viewers of the TV show learned at the end that it was filmed at the Portmeirion resort in Wales. (Each episode includes a "Number Two, a societal supervisor of sorts, played by a different actor in each episode; one actor, a brilliant Leo McKern, reprised the role for the finale after doing the second or third episode.)
The "remake" of this miniseries is filming right now in Africa. It's gonna be a bit updated, it's gonna be a little retro, and early reports from those in the know say the scripts are pretty good. [A lot of people have been waiting a very long time for this; it was going to be a movie at one point, then it was going to be a TV movie, but it's now a miniseries.] Number Six will be played by James Caviezel, which could be hit or miss; Number Two, however, will be played by Ian McKellen. (And the angels sang.)
Anyway, in the original miniseries, Number Six refuses to "settle" in the Village, repeatedly speaking out in favor of his individuality and non-conformity to society. The storylines actually have a lot of cat-and-mouse to them, though I must admit a passion for the pilot episode: it's not easy to do the exposition on this series, but it seems to work out. In some episodes, Number Six is bent on escape; in others, he tries to help people in need. The entire thing is an allegory, and as it goes on (and eventually and surrealistically ends) it become more and more difficult to translate.
And that's what my blog is named after--a society in which I express my individuality, whether I'm free to or not.
Monday, September 15, 2008, posted by Q6 at 5:02 AM
Although they haven't started using it to smash protons or slice cheese or play solitaire or anything, the good folks over at CERN have started up the Large Hadron Collider in Europe. No one got sucked into anything, space/time didn't rip open, and clocks didn't start suddenly moving backward. We made it.
There are some really cool photos of the LHC on the web. (You can tell that these particular photos were taken after construction was completed, because there's no styrofoam pieces or packing popcorn anywhere.) Hopefully this technology will uncover the secrets of quarks, gluons, and other subatomic particles that will one day make you iPod even smaller.
[Footnote: Whenever I hear about the HRC I always think of this, and then I wanna bust out my DVDs and watch more.]
There are some really cool photos of the LHC on the web. (You can tell that these particular photos were taken after construction was completed, because there's no styrofoam pieces or packing popcorn anywhere.) Hopefully this technology will uncover the secrets of quarks, gluons, and other subatomic particles that will one day make you iPod even smaller.
[Footnote: Whenever I hear about the HRC I always think of this, and then I wanna bust out my DVDs and watch more.]