Packing for a holiday is a strange thing – especially for one like me who could make worrying a sport. As I leave the house I always feel concerned that I have forgotten this or forgotten that. In my mind it is a big issue. In reality if I have forgotten something it can always be acquired. There are only three things you need to have: money, mobile, and your house keys.
Naturally that assumes that you are going on a regular holiday and are not planing to climb a mountain or something else of that sort.
Yes. I have just come back from my summer holiday in Tenby. It was a lovely trip and the weather was beautiful. The choppy sea meant that boat trips to Caldey couldn’t run but that didn’t matter as there were other things to do such as visiting Barafundle Bay – most importantly just stopping for a bit. Tenby is the one place I can truly say I relax. There is something magical about a beach.
Unfortunately I was ill for the trip so I didn’t get any writing done but that is okay as it mean I completely stopped. And my parents were in the area too. It was nice to spend time with them.
I am a very stressed person and I think I would find a new place stressful. If I had paid a lot of money to go somewhere there is pressure to get out and do things. Going to the same place every year is nice. You can do nothing and it not feel wasteful. I didn’t want to come home – but reality beckons.
I hope that you have a wonderful holiday planned for this year. See you next time.
I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.
We seem to live in a creative lull at the moment. That is not to say that we don’t have great TV and films to watch but consider this question: How many films and TV shows can you think of released in the last few years that have no connection to anything that has gone before? Maybe I am just out of touch but what I see is a saturation of reboots, remakes, prequels, sequels, adaptations, and based on real events.
Star Trek: Discovery is technically a prequel and not a reboot. However so much has been changed and retconned it might as well be a new show. My question is why isn’t it a new show? Answer: Money.
Dollar signs! Money! I didn’t build this ship to usher in a new era for humanity. You think I wanna go to the stars? I don’t even like to fly. I take trains. I built this ship so that I could retire to some tropical island filled with …naked women. That’s Zefram Cochrane. That’s his vision.
Zefram Cochrane (Star Trek: First Contact)
I look at any work of fiction from a writing and creative standpoint. I am however aware that they are also a business. If a series is being created, and millions spent on it, then it will need to have views. In order to have viewers they need to make it as accessible as possible. And a connection to something that has gone before is as easy a way as any. However I think that that attitude is in danger of alienating the established fans. That is certainly how I feel when looking at Star Trek: Discovery.
…it… it wasn’t our world anymore. They made it theirs.
Willow (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Prophecy Girl)
The problem with science-fiction is the speed at which technology marches on. Discovery needs to look superior to today’s technology while looking interior to a 1960’s version of the future. This is, of course, impossible.
…well mostly.
I still think Enterprise had many issues but the look of the show, particularly the internal sets, was well done. It really gave the feel of a ship that was more advanced than today but still less advanced than the 1701. There are, naturally, a few compromises but it is never going to be completely cohesive.
Discovery doesn’t seem to have the same care and attention. Having touch screen controls makes sense but the series didn’t need holograms to work. I like continuity and a cohesive universe. In my view if a writer doesn’t want to be concerned with continuity why not begin again… well I have the answer to that above… Discovery has given me an appreciation of Enterprise as now I see the good and can ignore the facepalmingly bad.
Many people are enjoying Star Trek: Discovery and that is wonderful. I truly mean that but it is not for me. One of my friends who likes it said you have to forget about the other shows. Again why not make something new?
In other news the BBC is adapting His Dark Materials.
Doesn’t it look good?
And I can’t wait! I know that this contradicts all I have been saying above. I am not against books and TV shows based on other things. I would just like to see lots of new things coming out along side them. Said the man who hasn’t been to the cinema in ages and will probably next see Star Wars: Episode IX.
I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.
This is the most last minute post I have ever done. It is 1740 and you will probably not be getting this on time. Sorry about that.
Also my WiFi has been on the fritz today so I am writing this on my iPad instead of my laptop so there will be no pictures today as I am not sure how to add them on this thing – yes I have the technical expertise of a goldfish sometimes.
It is funny how we have come to relay on all this technology. That might be a redundant statement considering this is a blog – a word which has only been in existent since 1999. And it is scary to me just how long ago that was.
I remember having one laptop for the whole family and having to go off line if someone wanted to use the phone! It seems like such a long time ago now. That might be because it was but it also seems almost impossible that that is the way things once were.
I have had a reasonably productive week but I am not sure I have been productive with the right stuff. After finishing up here I am going to get some dinner and finish (hopefully) a chapter of my novel to read out at my writing group.
Have I mentioned the writing group before? I think I did. I go every Monday that I possibly can and it is important to me. Reading out every possible week is helpful and it holds me accountable as people will be (again hopefully) interested in the next instalment; rather than it just being a sad lonely guy writing in his untidy flat. Well it doesn’t stop either of those things from being true.
Next week is my last week before my holiday and I cannot wait. I may only be away for three full days but it should be amazing. I am going down to Tenby and I certainly need to relax – for me that is a challenge.
I still have six days in work but hopefully they will pass quickly.
I’ll see you all next time where hopefully I will be a bit more with it. Bye for now!
We are at the end of another week. We are at the beginning of another week. Both of these contradictory statements hold a degree of truth for me. I have always thought of Sunday as being the last day of the week – but, for where I work, Sunday is the first day of the week. And because I like a degree of consistency I tend to mark my time in that way too. And the reason you are getting this short post today is because I ran out of time.
If I can quote a show I love and have it make some as semblance of sense I will.
The other day, when I might otherwise have been blogging, I was prepping for a job interview. I have had the interview now and I think it went well. It is always hard to tell being interviewed is like being on the most awkward date ever. So since I won’t know anything about the job for a little over a week I am trying to put it out of my mind.
Not the best quality but it is hear for the dialogue.
Paul Darrow died on Monday. I know him from Blake’s 7 playing Avon. Avon was a wonderful character and easily my favourite. Here are some of his best bits. Blake’s 7 was a most enjoyable show. It was made on a shoestring budged but had a good cast and some fun stories – following the adventures of a group of criminals as they fight the evil Federation.
Don’t you just love TV theme tunes.
I couldn’t substantiate the quote but I remember one of the creators of Blake’s 7 saying they had the budget for each episode that Star Trek had for its tea break.
So while this is a short post this week I have at least given you a show to watch (or re-watch) and next time the post that is currently in draft will be up. I hope you have a great week ahead.
I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.
Isn’t it weird how we divide ourselves into groups? I am not talking political groups this is not going to turn in to a political debate. Actually come to that I want and don’t want to talk about politics. OK…fine… that had been the plan but I think that this is something I should discuss. The word of the age… Brexit. The politicians have managed to make a complete pig’s breakfast of the whole thing.
I voted remain back in the 2016. I stand by that and still believe that it is the best thing – even if I do not have that many facts to back that up. Looking at the news and the way things are going it looks like I am in the minority in that regard – or maybe it is just that the powers that be are not listening.
There are questions that need to be answered about how the campaign was conducted. For some reason the irregularities in the leave campaign have not been enough to get the referendum declared null and void. Maybe we will manage to stay in the EU – maybe not.
Satire at its finest.
This seemed appropriate in the current situation. If there is one thing that is quintessentially British it is the ability to laugh at ourselves.
I agree with this completely.
First and foremost I consider myself Welsh. That comes before anything else and now for the controversial part…
I don’t see much of a difference between Brussels and London. They are both far away places that I have little connection with and frankly I would rather decisions, those that are not made by the Welsh Assembly, be made in Brussels than in London. I like the diversity of the EU and there is a lot we could learn from the other countries. We could even learn something as simple as getting the trains to run on time. And the Scandinavian countries are frequently shown to be amongst the happiest in the world.
I would one day like to see an interdependent Wales as part of the EU. That may just be a dream of course. Maybe all this comes from growing up with Star Trek. The idea of the Federation is wonderful. I would even like to see an end to borders. To live in such a way that country is much less relevant – maybe only in connection with competitive events.
So, will our next Prime Minister be our eminent Chancellor or our distinguished Foreign Secretary?
That’s what I wanted to ask you, which do you think it should be?
Hmmm. Difficult, like asking which lunatic should run the asylum.
Sir Humphrey and Sir Arnold (Yes (Prime) Minister
Yes here in the UK we will be getting a new Prime Minister before too long. The favourite is Boris Johnson which sounds like a joke. Anyone who has seen Mr Johnson on Have I got News for You will know exactly what I mean. For those of you who do not Mr Johnson has a reputation for being very gaffe prone.
I want to end this post by referring to what I had originally planned this post to be about – the more trivial ways in which people group themselves. And the far more important grouping. Are you a nerd? Are you a jock?
This is the classic grouping we see in high school. This maybe more of an American thing than a British thing but I think it is worthy of mention. This type of division is trivial and thus easier to dissect. In the real world a person can love football and Star Trek equally. They can know all England’s world cup rankings since it began and know that Worf was the son of Mogh.
Divisions continue all the way down the line. Star Trek fans even have a bit of a debate going about what they call themselves. They have debates over who is the best Captain. And I will admit if someone said Archer I would think they were very wrong but everyone is entitles to their opinion. Now I am going to attempt to wrap this all up.
The point of my ramble is how much humans have a predilection for division both in trivial matters and in more important matters. Science fiction fans can all be united in their love of the genre. And more specifically Star Trek fans can be happy together despite wildly different opinions. This maybe something I will discuss next time. (Unless I can’t find enough to say or I forget.) Division in fandomes is interesting and infuriating – on the whole though I think people can have calm discussions about their differences. (Your millage may vary) Politics is a little different.
You might be thinking that Brexit is an all or nothing thing and that remain and leave cannot co-exist. That might be correct but I think there must be some way of reaching a compromise. We need something more than just repeated that ‘brexit means brexit’ – I don’t know what that compromise could look like but then I’m just a blogger not a politician.
I wonder what discussions are going on behind closed doors at the moment.
I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.
Unstable Orbit 