Recently I spoke of having a massive sort out of my flat. Along the way I found things that had been missing and got rid of a lot of things too. I also found this:
It’s dead, Jim.
The other nacelle was lost a very long time ago. I actually have no idea when or where. This little ship nearly ended up in the bin about two years ago when I had a sort out but I fished it out. I do not know why. It is broken and I now have its bigger brother which is a far more detailed model. Yet this Micromachine sticks around – I don’t seem to want to part with it.
We’re one big happy fleet.
Khan (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
I don’t even have a stand to display it properly. I could carry it off as a battle damaged version. The annoying thing is that in the film it lost the starboard nacelle! There are always going to be broken things though and it is, sometimes, difficult to know what to do with them.
But no more than a broken heirloom.
Boromir (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)
There are also the broken relationships. The people who cut themselves off and we are sometimes left wondering what it was we said that was so bad. In the end we can only reach out a hand so many times before we have to admit that we will never speak to that person again. And that is a hard realisation to make and I am so close to the point of acceptance – it is a hard thing indeed. Perhaps that is why I cling to this little broken thing. For as little sense as that makes.
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.
In the TV show Babylon 5 we see the conflict between the Vorlons and the Shadows. It is an ideological conflict between order and chaos. It has been pointed out to me that I seem to have qualities of both of those extremes.
“It’s like knocking over an ant-hill. Every new generation gets stronger, the ant-hill gets redesigned, made better.”
Mr Morden (Babylon 5: Z’ha’dum)
I control my life through lists and timers and so I have order. I also have order to the exclusion of common sense. I frequently have a chaotic flat because this order has lead to being tied to my list. I might need to do some laundry but that might not have come up on the to-do list for today.
“The Vorlons are like your parents, I suppose. They want you to play nice, clean your room, do it by the rules. I guess you could call them Lords of Order.”
Justin (Babylon 5: Z’ha;dum)
Currently my flat is in perfect order because I had help with it. My parents were here today (Thursday) helping me to sort out nearly 32 years worth of collected rubbish. I must admit to some trepidation before we started both because of not having control and the feeling that I should not need help.
Sometimes the most adult thing you can do is ask for help.
Rupert Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Grave)
The plan now is to find the right balance. I think we all need a little chaos in our lives, perhaps I should say spontaneity, but I think we need order too. I have struggled with this for a very long time. I feel so much better about my flat now than I did before. The trick will be keeping it in order, getting other areas of my life in order, while also allowing time for occasional unpredictably.
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.
“No, not gone. Now we make our own magic. Now we create our own legends. Now we build the future. Now we stop–“
“–being afraid of shadows.”
Delenn and Sheridan (Babylon 5: Into the Fire)
I like to read. I usually read about 30 books a year but I rarely talk about them here. When I say read I am including audio books and maybe that is fudging the data somewhat. Then again I think my brother includes the children’s books he reads to his son. Given that I am 8 books behind schedule for my 39 book target maybe that is something I need to do – although I don’t have children so it might be a bit odd.
I have recently finished Becoming Superman by J. Michael Straczynski. It is his autobiography and it is amazing. I listened to the audio book while walking to work and I must look like a complete imbecile as parts of it are literally laugh out loud funny. Although maybe that is just because I am a writer – unknown and unpublished but still a writer. To me though some passages were most amusing.
I will not sleep, eat, drink, nothing! The words and I will be locked in mortal combat until one of us surrenders
G’Kar (Babylon 5: No Compromises)
Becoming Superman tells the whole story of JMS’s life. It talks about his abusive upbringing and goes on to his career as a writer across many areas of creativity. He was had an amazing career and the volume of scripts he has written is phenomenal. I find myself rather envious that he has been able to do that full time – even with the financial struggles that came with it.
Ask ten different scientists about the environment, population control, genetics and you’ll get ten different answers, but there’s one thing every scientist on the planet agrees on. Whether it happens in a hundred years or a thousand years or a million years, eventually our Sun will grow cold and go out. When that happens, it won’t just take us. It’ll take Marilyn Monroe and Lao-Tzu and Einstein and Morobuto and Buddy Holly and Aristophenes .. and all of this .. all of this was for nothing unless we go to the stars.”
Commander Sinclair (Babylon 5: Infection)
JMS is a man of incredible integrity – on more than one occasion he left working on a TV show because he refused to adjust it to what, in his mind, would be a detriment to the work and to the characters. He also kept a promise made to his wife even after they divorced. A promise that she would never have to work in a closed in office if that wasn’t what she wanted. It was wonderful to reed about a divorced couple that still cares about each other after the end of a relationship. The common wisdom of the world would suggest that that is impossible but it is not.
It doesn’t matter if you stand completely alone. Fight for what you believe.
Captain Sheridan (Babylon 5: Objects at Rest)
I have used quotes from Babylon 5 in this review for three reasons. Firstly it is what I know JMS from and it is a work I very much admire, secondly I don’t have a hard copy of the book, and thirdly he puts his feelings in to the mouths of his characters. He describes this idea in episode commentaries of how his character creation can be based around a particular trait of his.
The quote above is very important and it is echoed in Becoming Superman. It is the idea that a writer, or any sort of artist, well have their naysayers. These are the people who say ‘Get a real job’ or ‘You’ll never make money doing this.’ While tenacity and dedication are no guarantee of success the important thing is to keep going. To try every day to make a step towards your goal. As the old saying goes: ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ And a novel of 100,000 words begins with a single word. Even a 500 words a day will get you a first draft in less than a yeah. So keep going and fight to achieve your goals. That is what I take from Becoming Superman. It is a book about the struggles of life and what is important. It is quite simply an excellent read.
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.
I am far beyond plan B when it comes to productivity. I actually have no idea what letter of the alphabet I am up to in my planing. I have used several different apps, notebooks, and other assorted methods that I seem to have forgotten as it is 0630 when I write this and I have been up since 0400. There may not have been other methods but writing rules say that examples come in threes!
Do you remember being in school and having a revision timetable? The cliche is that you spend so much time making a pretty timetable that there is no time left to actually study.
I couldn’t find a clip of Rimmer taking his exam so this is always good for a laugh.
It is a new day now. I wrote up to the last paragraph a few days ago – and started today with this video. In those few days I have not come any closer to a plan. I have at least defined the problem. What I want to do in a week would take more time than actually exits in a week! (That is when you consider having to fit it in around a full time job.)
This is no time to argue about time. We don’t have the time!
Troi (Star Trek: First Contact)
Releasing this issue is the first step. I have no idea what the last step is. Now if you’ll excuse me I am going to get to the next item on my ridiculous list of things to do. I think I almost miss boredom.
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 