Torchwood - Miracle Day - Outstanding

Well, I just watched the final episode of "Torchwood: Miracle Day". I have to say that was an astounding piece of television. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it and the finale episode knocked the ball out of the park. Kudos to BBC, Starz, and then entire cast. A truly enjoyable piece of television. If you should happen to find it on re-run, or buy or rent the DVD's when you get the chance, you will not regret it - especially if you are a Science Fiction fan, or a fan of the Torchwood series. Simply outstanding television.

John Barrowman - Captain Jack Harkness
Eve Myles - Gwen Cooper
Mekhi Phifer - Rex Matheson
Alexa Havins - Esther Drummond
Kai Owen - Rhys Williams
Bill Pullman - Oswald Danes
Lauren Ambrose - Jilly Kitzinger
Arlene Tur - Dr. Very Juarez
Marina Benedict - Charlotte Wills

Three New Books

Yesterday I came home to find a small pile of Amazon packages on my doorstep. Inside of them were three new books, each slightly different then the other, each with their own attraction.

This is the cover of the first of the three - "The Ink Dark Moon: Love Poems by Onono Komachi and Izumi Shikibu, Women of the Ancient Court of Japan" by Jane Hirshfield. T.R. recommended this one - I love the simplicity and directness of Japanese poetry, there is a spare elegance to it that dazzles me.

The second book is "The Winged Seed: A Remembrance" by Li-Young Lee. This one was also recommended by T.R. If you're not a fan of Li-Young Lee you're missing out on a brilliant and articulate poet whose work is the work of a master artist. I have several of his connections of poetry and this is his memoir, a poetic work in itself.

The third book is "The Ending of Time" by J. Krishnamurti and David Bohm. I am a huge fan of David Bohm's "Wholeness and the Implicate Order", and recently I have been semi-obsessed with time, so this book seemed like it would be a good read.

A Career in Offices

It is very quiet at the office here today.  In the normal cycles of the corporate world it happens sometimes, just like you have days of chaos and confusion.  Sometimes the stars align and you have days of quiet and contemplation.  Today has been one of them.  I woke up and started early this morning.  One of the advantages of being a "knowledge worker" is you have flexibility.  If you work for the right organization you can exercise that flexibility by starting early or finishing late, by working when the muse is fully upon you, or when you've managed to find that point of silence where you can concentrate.

A short while ago I walked outside intending to bask in the sun a bit.  Unfortunately, there was no sun for basking.  The morning fog and cloud cover is just now burning off. I stood there near the back door for a while anyway, sunglasses on, basking in the cloudiness. I've mentioned before that my work area, my office area, has no natural light.  After a while in such an environment you start to crave it. When Dame Fortune spins the wheel of office relocation again, and I am sure she will, I hope I land near a window. I was just sitting here thinking about my "journey in offices" with this corporation.

My first office was a shared cubicle.  I started here as a temporary worker doing data entry while I was in graduate school.  I shared the cubicle of an analyst, but the cubicle was so small that we basically had to play Tetris to get in and out of it.

My second office was a single cubicle, shared with two servers.  It was an improvement from the first cubicle, but only marginally, since people were continually in and out of it to tinker with the servers, a pair of old Suns.

My third office was a great big cubicle right next to the front door.  It was spacious and well appointed, with lots of room.  No one wanted the cubicle because of its position next to the door.  All day long people went in and out and given the proximity to the door, people just automatically assumed you were the receptionist.  I liked it because of its size and because it was right next to the door, so I could slip outside and sit on the picnic bench in front of the building.

My third office was yet another cubicle, in a different building.  The building of the first three offices was sold and torn down.  This was actually a double-cube that faced a glass wall that opened on a very large central atrium.  It also had a pair of racked servers in it.  In this case, no one else wanted it because it was wide open.  Anyone walking by could look right at you through the glass wall.  I rearranged the furniture so I was facing the atrium and then made it a point to vigorously wave at anyone who looked at me, mostly because their startled looks would amuse me.  It was always interesting to me who would enthusiastically wave back and who would suddenly look away.

My fourth office came with a promotion and I landed against the opposite wall from the third office.  It was a regular sized cubicle that fronted on a glass brick wall, beyond which was a hedge, a yard, a street, and a parking lot.  That was probably the most ordinary cubicle I had and it was comfortable and normal.

My fifth office was a move up one floor, into a small cubicle in a shared area.  Not a very pleasant work circumstance, given the cubicle was very small and it was a heavily trafficked area.  The cubicle was so small that in order to go from the computer desk to the office desk all you had to do was spin around and be careful you didn't bang your knees on anything.  The best part of that location wasn't the cube, it was that you could enter and leave the building via a back stairwell that let out behind the company cafeteria. For exercise I would walk up and down the five floors of stairs.

My sixth office was another standard cubicle in a very nice area, with adequate space, natural light, and an AC that was set permanently on cryogenic freeze, regardless of how many times the HVAC folks tinkered with it.  I'd often come in and find my analysts covered in blankets, wearing stocking caps and gloves, inside, in the summer.

My seventh office was about ten feet from my sixth office.  When I was promoted to management, they decided to move me into a managers cube, which they constructed partly by tearing my old cubicle down.  It was spacious and was very close to a traditional office. (This company is not big on offices, preferring cubicles and shared spaced.)  I had privacy, space and a great view out a floor to ceiling window that looked out, past another company building, at the Santa Cruz Mountains in the distance.

Alas, all good things come to an end, and I landed in my current office.  Office wise, it is not bad.  It's small, but I am now a minimalist, so I have ample room.  (People often think it is larger than it actually is because I have four pieces of furniture and mostly bare walls, which creates the illusion of space.  There are two main drawbacks - first, there is no natural light, which is what prompted me to start down the path of remembering other offices, and second area itself is decorated in strange blues and browns.  Not-really-blue.  Not-really-brown.  But, other than that I have no real complaints here - it is off the beaten path, relatively private, and conducive to working.  But, oh, light - give me light!

So, that is seven offices in fourteen years, so I am moved, on average, once every two years. Ah, the wonderful world of facility Tetris!

All The Way Wild Baby - A Poem

I was sitting in my chair listening to the
drone of yet another teleconference when
suddenly I realized I was dancing to
Morris Day & The Time you know the dance
the one from Purple Rain I tucked my thumbs
into my belt and stood up and went full out
back and forth across my office in silence
except for the music in my head was I finally
driven insane by teleconferences or was I always
prone to dancing without reason and what
would the difference be (and I'm all the way wild baby)

Jungle Love - Morris Day and The Time 1984

The Suddenness of Life

In the last few months I've often found myself commenting on the suddenness of life. As human beings we tend to like our stability and certainty, so when either is called into question it can be anything from vaguely irritating to major stress inducing and life changing. There is a simple truth underneath it all and that truth is the suddenness of life. Life changes, without warning, without explanation, according to its own secret timing. Any dream you have of stability is just that - a dream. However, you'll find that once you've truly accepted this, you can easily roll with most of the things life sends your way.

Recently a friend of mine, who has lived in the same apartment for 20+ years, came home to find his complex had been sold and he was being evicted at the end of the month so they can do a major remodel and jack up the rent (which, as a ruthless capitalist, I fully support). It came as a great shock to him. But, in perspective, on the very same day, an condo complex in Cupertino burned in a gas leak and fire. On the same day, tornadoes blew apart entire neighbors in the south. On the same day, fire burned entire neighborhoods in California and Texas. It's all about perspective, it's all about the suddenness of life. My friend is going to have to find another place to live, but he’ll be moving rather intact.*

So, if you want to have some peace of mind, cultivate a benigh acceptance of the fact that the entire world can and does change on a dime. In the course of your life, your life, your environment, everything around you is going to change, multiple times, in the blink of an eye, for better or for worse. There is an old Chinese proverb that says "in the course of a long journey, a wise man is prepared to abandon his baggage several times". (I have also heard it as "...a long life...", both are correct).

*We did have a long discussion on how it might actually be better to move with nothing, as in the result of losing everything, because essentially it’s a far easier move, logistically speaking.

In the Land of the Blind

I often read with amusement the political diatribes that flow across the vastness of the internet. From the standpoint of a "slightly-to-the-right-of-center" person who has at one time voted for candidates from both parties, I’d like to comment on two things that tend to rise in my mind as I read.

First, we paint the "Other" with a demon's mask so we can destroy them with a clear conscience. I often think of that when I see scorched earth rhetoric that both sides routinely display. It is not enough that our opponents be wrong, it appears necessary that they must be evil as well. I picture two cartoon characters with sharp sticks passionately engaged in alternating bouts of eye-poking. If you would like to play an affirmative and compassionate role in the vast drama of politics, I would be willing to suggest the first step is to stop, take a deep breath, and acknowledge the basic humanity of people who hold belief's or belief systems other than yours.

Second, once you've acknowledged the basic humanity of the opposition, take the time to try and understand what they actually believe. What is the adage? Seek first to understand, then to be understood? A long time ago, when I was in college, I had a professor who taught me a very simple and powerful thing in the search for knowledge. "You should be able to argue with equal passion and conviction those things you do not believe in as you can those things you do believe in." If you are astounded by the things the "Other" believes, it is not because they believe astounding things, but because you have an imperfect understanding of what they believe. No one ever sees themselves as the villain of the play. In their own hearts, everyone is a hero, staunchly defending their deeply held convictions.

It seems to me that both sides have taken sticks, sharpened them to fine points, wrote the word "truth" on the side of the stick, and are now vigorously eye-poking to their hearts content. When you look down at your hand, what do you see? An open hand of friendship and compassion extended to "the other"? Or a sharp stick? Then, you can ask yourself a simple question - which would you rather be doing? (I don't doubt for a moment that some really want the sharp stick - so I have my safety goggles on and I am prepared to be King in the Land of the Blind).

The September Crows

On a branch inside the old Spanish oak
their black feathered cloaks glistening
sullen eyes watching through the window.
The September Crows arrived overnight
to escort out the falling days of summer, the chill
in their eyes, shimmering on their feathers, sung inside
their raucous promise of all the
sorrows of October waiting.

Rambling About Three Days Off

I fell asleep very early last night and paid for that indulgence by sleeping through the night in three hour shifts, with an hour to a half hour laying away and staring at the ceiling between them. Fortunately, it was the holiday, so I slept in until about 8:00 AM, which is late for me. I normally rise around 5:00 AM.

Through the night I dreamed, but I do not having any sharp and specific memories of the dreams. Part of the dream was about Texas. Part of the dream was about boats on a flowing river. Part of the dream was about a warehouse in a water front district. But, they are just flashes, there is not coherent narrative attached.

It has been a good weekend. I went up to the Pleasanton Highland Games at the Alameda County Fairgrounds on Saturday with friends and spent the whole of the day wandering the fair in the beautiful California weather. It turned a little hot toward the end of the day, but I have been there on hotter days.

We wandered the fair, listening to the Pipe Bands, watching the Marine Corp band play at the opening ceremonies. I had a moment at the opening ceremonies though. They were playing the national anthem and asked everyone to rise. Except....it went kind of like this...:

"Please rise for the national anthem of Canada....please stay on your feet for the national anthem of United Kingdom....and now the national anthem of the United States of America...and finally, the long version of In A Gadda Da Vida."

Okay, that last part isn't true, but it was starting to feel like it. We also saw a could of other musical groups - The Golden Bough, Tempest, Wicked Tinkers, Isla St. Claire, the Browne Sisters and George Cavanaugh. It was a nice day at festival I always enjoy.

Sunday was breakfast with friends, then a trip to Fry's Electronics where Tony ordered his custom gaming PC tower. Once he has it in hand, which should be later on Monday, I will get the specs from him. It looks to be one sweet game playing machine. After that, we grabbed a quick lunch at Togo's and then scattered in different directions.

I went out and did a couple of loads of laundry, a little bit of marketing, and then wandered home where I spent a very quiet evening with T.R., did some reading, and fell asleep way too early. Today's plan is pretty simple - after lingering in bed, I am going to go out and get something for breakfast, then meet my friend Don for a couple of games of pool, and then a late lunch and probably another early evening.

I am looking forward to this work week. Because of the way the B schedule falls at work, I have today off as the holiday and then Friday off as my B Friday. So, this week will be a three day work week, which I plan on completely enjoying.

The summer is slowly drawing to a close here, the hot days falling off into the cool nights. On Saturday, I saw geese gathered down at Starbird Park, and then a little later in the day saw small flocks of them orbiting around, preparing for the next step in their southward migration. There is one festival left that I want to attend and that will be the Renaissance Faire down at Casa de Fruta, which is always the end-stone of the summer pathway for me.

Corn Creek - A Poem

last night I dreamed in snow and wind
the long road to my grandfathers house
on Corn Creek
a small wood frame house
on a bluff overlooking the springs
which never iced over
the trail up the bluff
the wire fence
the back patio
the back porch
the back door
and inside playing cards in the kitchen
by the Franklin stove
my grandfather and his brother Paul
the warmth of that stove
coming up from the creek bottom
out of the dreaming snow and wind
home

Movie Review - Colombiana

Over the weekend I saw a pair of movies, one of which was "Columbiana" with Zoe Saldana. It was a very enjoyable action-adventure film. It is basically an extended revenge tale, with Zoe in the lead role as the beautiful, intelligent, and deadly title character.

It moves crisply along and is a good example of several of the things you need to do to make a successful action film - first, have a charming, likeable, and talented lead. (Ultimately, all movies are about the relationship between the observer and the star - one question alone answers whether or not you like a movie and that is did you relate to the lead actors?

A good relationship with a lead actor can redeem a bad movie. Fortunately, in this case, it wasn't a bad movie. So, if you have an afternoon to kill and you want to watch a friendly little tale of revenge and violence, what better way to spend it than with the charming, talented, and sexy Zoe Saldana.