I have been a bit lackadaisical about posting as of late (if 'lackadaisical' means what I think it means; lazy would be a better word anyway).

I've been studying a bit heavily, so too bad for all of you.

Anyways, just imagine I have posted a large analysis of something related to Star Trek.

Midwest Memory again

With classes and socialization, it has been pretty hard to blog.

I'm lying... I just can't think of anything to blather on about.

I guess I'll just trudge up another memory that I spent so long trying to forget. Talking about something is the first step of healing, right?


----


A day after a rain storm, my mother and I went out to check on the cattle herd. In our humongous van, we prepared to make our way across a moist and murky landscape (much like my attempt to recall this). The gate to the field was a heavy metal construct (no, I don't mean it was the crap that kids listen to nowadays, I meant it had properties of both steel and other heavy elements). Directly in front of the gate was a large puddle formed by the previous rain.

Eventually getting to the gate, my mom got out to lift the heavy gate and swing it open. The reason I wasn't doing it was that my strength was similar to my maturity, meaning I was pretty weak.

Mother had me get into the driver's seat and instructed me on the key actions I would need to pilot through this gate (because it wouldn't make any sense for my mom to open the gate and walk back to drive through and get out again to close it). Being short, I had to maneuver myself to be close enough to the breaks and have a good view through the windshield. Eventually reaching an equilibrium, I could neither reach the breaks or see through the window. Time to drive!

Hitting the gas with spirit and gump, the van went careening forward. Out of fear of breaking the van with my poor driving, I immediately struck the breaks. Stopping as fast as I started, the van stopped right in the middle of the thick puddle.

It took my mom half an hour to get out. Pretty good for a first try at driving.

Best television episodes

Top Nine Episodes of Television, because I have nothing else to blog about...

9) Friends - The One with the Embryos
While Phoebe is off to have her brother's baby, the rest of the cast come together in the spirit of competition. What makes it great are the interactions between the cast. Friends has always had a large number of guest characters that are used for both their humor and as catalysts to the plot. This episode shines because of its focus on the core cast and some extremely well written jokes.

8) CSI - Blood Drops
The first great case I remember from CSI, a quadruple homicide is the main focus for the CSI team. I am not a fan of the spin offs and the original series has been wearing thin on my patience over time, but this episode was the one in which all the people gelled and the story was woven in beautifully.

7) Homicide: Life on the Streets - Three Men and Adena
The case that started in the very first episode would end up being the one detectives Moby Dick. As two characters attempt to wring the truth out of a street vendor about the murder of a young girl, their vigilant battle is finally lost. The drama comes together so swiftly and heartbreakingly, I'll never see another interrogation as brilliant.

6) Star Trek: The Next Generation - Best of Both Worlds
I believe I already discussed my reasons for enjoying this in my post about Star Trek: The Next Generation. Repition would only make geeky swooning lamer.

5) Angel - Waiting in the Wings
While they are several other great Angel episodes, this one takes the cake for encapsulating the series: an odd mystical plot (ghost ballerinas), humor (jokes about vampire dancers), poignant moments (a dancer explains the horror of being forced to repeat the same dance over and over), and relationships (Wesleay's dispair over Gunn and Fred's budding romance).

4) Battlestar Galactica - The Miniseries
The miniseries both setup the rest of the great show and set a high bar for quality for what would follow. Acting, direction, writing: all top notch.

3) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Visitor
Heartbreaking at its best, Sisko would never be the same after. Like a the best of plays, this episode rises above standard Star trek and joins the realms of great drama with Shakespeare, Spielberg, and Hemingway.

2) The West Wing - Two Cathedrals
An unexpected find, The West Wing has quickly risen to being one of my favorite shows ever. If only I had watched it before posting my Top Nine shows. Two Cathedrals takes the use of flashbacks, now overdone in the Lost era, and builds to the most powerful climax of a season ever. Martin Sheen's should have won the Best Actor Emmy, dammit!

1) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Way of the Warrior
While The Visitor completely removed itself from Star Trek and moved on to greatness, this season opener took everything I loved about DS9 and made it all work. From big character scenes to small character scenes, little pieces of action to humongous battle sequences, political machinations to the small manuverings of a crew out on the edge of space; The Way of the Warrior has it all.

Bored blogging...

In order to be fair, I realize that I should also post some good things about Minnesota. Now to find out if I can think of nine...

Top Nine Good Things About Minnesota:

9) Fargo, no matter how ludicrously stereotypical the portrayals were, was set in Minnesota, not North Dakota as the title would suggest.

8) A mockery of the shape of our state would be poor at best.

7) The Mississippi River begins here and Leslie Nielson's career ended here (the critically panned sequel 'in spirit' to both Airplane and his generally funny trio of Naked Gun films was Wrongfully Accused, a gag-centric and entirely-bad story of mistrust and mystery in Minnesota).

6) The ultimate symbol of America is here: Mall of America.

5) This state is the origin of both American heroes Hubert Humphrey and Josh Hartnett.

4) The name of our state is ‘water’ in Dakotan, while Dakota is ‘boring’ in Minnesotan.

3) Even though we had a wrestler for governor, we made up for it with a comedian for senator.

2) The women are strong, the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.

1) It was actually warm outside today.

Star Trek: The Penultimate Frontier

One of the problems of Star Trek is that nothing can be definite in the universe; every surprising twist or grave choice is backed up by the vague, but likely, option of making the point moot. Examples of this concept range from seeing Spock's coffin on the Genesis Planet to the end of nearly every episode of Star Trek Voyager. The stories require this plot concession because, in fear of making other possible ideas untenable, there are always plans for more Star Trek. A franchise can't be shoved into a corner because of the natural plot of a single episode. This very fact extends Star Trek's legacy while also stifling its creative urge to continue.

What is even worse about prequels is that the ruse of story advancement in the universe is lessens the chance of exciting entertainment from the creators. All that occurs in the story must both be sequel friendly and also not have any surprise advancement that wasn't set up in the shows before.

Now the big wigs and new producers are thinking seriously about Star Trek's next sequel, even though the new film has a month left to premiere. Planning of the next plot is currently going on, while this films director is pondering in public about whether he will direct in Star Trek again. Even the actors are lined up for the next one, a provision for sequels in their original contract.

Sadly for me, I have read a few spoilers for this new film, and it seems the producers of the new Star Trek have set it up for an easy second act. They did this by seriously subverting the Star Trek universe their film was set in. With an ingenious use of time travel (the ingenious part being that audiences won't expect time travel in Star Trek to have consequences), the film creates a logical stage for further advancement while opening up the universe to completely new story-lines.

I guess you could call it a new hope. I won't though, due to my dislike of Star Wars. Lets just say it's a re-imagining.

DS9 vs. BSG Part II

Now to get back to somethign that has been on my mind for a while.

I've been mulling over at to why I like DS9 more than BSG. BSG has the better effects, some better acting, and the critical support; so why I am so much more smitten with the earlier show? I think the key to my better enjoyment of Deep Space Nine lies in the comparison of the philosophies of both shows.

Battlestar Galactica was highly conscious of its relevance, constantly adding texture to the show with symbolism both deep and meaningful. Sometimes the metaphor would be too hard on the nose, but usually the allusions were smooth and well weaved into the drama.

Deep Space Nine was far less aware of its significance at the time. It wasn't critically praised or well recognized by even the main producers of Star Trek.

What the show was able to do was communicate with me on a more subconscious level. The obvious qualities of the show were qualities I personally like, but what really made the show were the unintentional aspects, like Jake's off-screen but ever present relationship with his father. The perfect example is the final shot of the series that shows Jake mourning his father's absence (much as the fans would mourn the shows ending). This shot mirrored another shot from the heartbreaking The Visitor episode. That impetus of the scene in The Visitor indicated Jake's natural inability to cope with the world without his father. In the natural plot structure of that episode, the story sets up the fact that Sisko would be able to be around for Jake in the future to help his son. The ending of the finale though set up the fact that Jake still wouldn't be able to cope. This does not detract from The Visitor though, instead implying that a father's influence over his son never ends, adding to the reality of this world instead of tying up plots.

Star Trek DS9 had hidden depth that eventually meant more to me than BSG's, no matter how hard they tried.

---

This might not be a complete thought, so I will probably rethink it later.

Another Memory...

On the fateful date of my 8th birthday, many fateful things occurred.

Well actually, I just got stung by some wasps.

---

Ona birthday trip to the barn, our tractor rode along.

I was excited, for no sane reason other than being easily excitable at such a young age.

Once in the barn, our small minded dog began digging around in the corner. I became worried because there was a tractor moving about, even though it was on the other side of a large barn and it wouldn't fit into the corner anyway.

Little did I know, danger was afoot, or maybe a yard, away.

Yes, my microbrain dog was digging up a hornets nest, not as a political allegory but as a literal digging up exercise in futility.

Exclaiming in a far too girly voice, "Oh No!" I ran up to save my dog from the stinging menace.

Yeah, it was pretty dumb, much like most of my Midwest Memories.

Midwest Memories

I'm not a complete idiot; I realize that Mankato, MN, is still technically in the Midwest United States. It still seems like a good idea to reflect though, due to a lack of other things to blog about.

----

In the days of years past, I would hike across sprawling pastoral fields, admiring the wonders of nature. Whether it was the aggressive competitions between birds over insignificant territory or the decaying flesh of cattle that died well past their prime, nature's message of the circle of life has never been more evident.

During one of these many walks, I spotted a flurry of activity in some nearby bushes. The immature rapscallion in me urged me to hoot and holler, trying to scare whatever was in the bushes out so that I would be able to know what it was and thus blog about it in the future.

The civilized aspect of my personality argued that patience was key when watching nature, convincing me to wait for the creature to expose its identity. Little did I know, I was well on my way to being a grown up.

Oh yeah, back to my friend in the bushes (and no, this isn't a story about college parties).

The animal didn't show itself, leaving me curious for a few moments before my overactive imagination kicked in and I continued on my walk while singing along with the voices in my head.

This story might not have had a point, but at least I'm blogging.

----

If I ever recall anything else from my childhood on the farm, I'll post under Midwest Memories.

A small post for a petite week

Time to return to the world of blogging after a short sabbatical.

Top Nine Reasons To Listen To NPR:

9) There is nothing like the dreary tones of BBC radio to tire a weary insomniac.

8) Most programs still have their catchy pop-intros from the 90's.

7) The pledge drives are only once every six months, meaning twenty times more non-coercive coverage than PBS.

6) Since the people today are so ugly, it's nice to have news that doesn't require opening your eyes.

5) Monotony is key to a healthy ear.

4) You don't need famous people when you can hire people who sound like them for half the price

3) Commercials have never been so nonexistent before.

2) Who needs flashy images when a number of lengthy descriptive phrases would do?

1) Intelligence is currently in vogue.

My companion for many a quiet weekend...

As an avid listener of National Public Radio, hearing the many programs has become a way of life for me. Without the tomfoolery of the Car Talk brothers (mechanics who are known for their automotive honesty, their real scam being the fact that they make the subject seem interesting) or missing an episode of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me (a news quiz that makes light of the troubling issues of the week's news) could send me into a funk until the next time I hear them. Those two shows are easy favorites of mine, both humorous and informative, leaving me fulfilled for the week in the matters of both being entertained and up to date in the workings of mechanics and politics. My relationship with these two shows differs greatly from my feelings about my favorite NPR program, Prairie Home Companion.

Using guest musicians and a troop of actors and writers who bring comedic sketches to life, it is a variety hour unequaled by few. An easy comparison would be to that of Saturday Night Live, though the obvious difference is that while SNL has no single star, Prairie Home Companion is the home of the idol and genius that is Garrison Keillor.

Keillor embodies both the cultural significance of the program and its self-effacing cynicism, both elevating and mocking the variety genre which is worthy of little respect in this day and age. While presumably a large factor in the behind-the-scenes creation of the show, Keillor's performances on the air are easily the most entertaining parts of the show. Whether it is the updates on the going-ons of small town Lake Wobegon or the dilemmas of a certain private eye, his unique voice and style pervades his parts of the show. A solemn speaker, the dry humor and effortless soliloquies he effuses not only require deft attention but would invariably fail if not followed with utter reverence.

I have no wish to cast a dark light upon the rest of the people behind Prairie Home Companion and must say that they all bring their own qualities to the show. The voice actors have a particular large responsibility (considering the fact that this show is over the radio), adding depth to the two-dimensional constructs they are required to perform as. Rounding out the sketches are the sound effects men who give the show a polished feel, skilled enough to even make their profession one of the ongoing gags over the years.

It surprises me that it took me four paragraphs to reach the musical guests as their presence is an integral part of the mechanics of the show. With over half of the span of each show given to their performances, these guests must match, in modest gravitas, Keillor's own bearing. Even though a few selections of the pieces played on the show don't fall within the usual genres of my repertoire, their presence only heightens the impact of the humorous interludes by the monotonous Keillor.

To quickly mention the excellent ongoing sketches is an important task that I will lend a few lines: commercials singing the praises of the therapeutic effects of ketchup, the tales of a few rustic cowboys attempting to remain true to their era in an ever changing landscape, and Guy Noir investigating both menial cases he finds and the nuances of this modern world.

As a variety show, it has the undeniable task of stimulating nostalgia for past days and being a satire of how those days really were, it is the perfect show to hear if one wishes to both be intellectually challenged and entertained. Simultaneously the sum of its parts and a vehicle for the mind of Garrison Keillor, Prairie Home Companion is my nomination for Best Variety Program of the Century (to save myself the cost of a statuette, I'll just give it a rating of 10 out of 10 stars).

A production worthy of the president's seal...

While on my many perusals through the blogosphere, I ran across a recommendation for a popular, Emmy-winning, television show known as The West Wing. I knew of this show through both its reputation for quality writing and as one of the many suggestions given to me by my mother (whose every word I studiously follow, of course). I am pleasantly surprised to find that my online and familial confidants have been correct in their own evaluation of The West Wing, to the point that I have been giddily watching the first season of this wonderful show.

If I wish to further examine my new found delight as I watch The West Wing, I’ve found that it is key to analyze the current political climate, since this is a show about politics.

With the ousting of a certain cabinet (that, in my honest opinion, had required a good carpenter's refurbishing for quite a while), the world is now in a more optimistic position. Obama and his like-minded allies have joined together to bring forth peace and prosperity out of a time of war and poverty. Gone now are the days of social commentary of likes of The Wire and Battlestar Galactica that did their best to offer optimism in a murky world, whose tough morality would no doubt be of little affect in our happy land.

All is not as it seems though, since the media has been quick to pounce on the faults of Obama and his 'Justice League' as they boringly work to reform our government correctly instead of in the stylized and spectacular way we all were eager for. Then comes The West Wing, tackling social issues and dramatic stories like they were one and the same, sprinkling intelligent and often immensely entertaining dialogue along the way. This show is what I personally want our government to look like, though I doubt it ever would.

The cast is a solid ensemble, from large movie stars to theatrical actors. Charlie Sheen's bravado performances as the president are scene-stealers in the greatest sense of the phrase. Since the show is really about the people advising the president though, the writers' judicial use of him as a character makes his few scenes even greater gems. As a fan of droll liberal characters running off on droll liberal diatribes, I must say that my favorite character is Josh Lyman, the guy involved in nearly all the plots and yet I am still unsure of what he exactly does. I also approve of the rest of the cast, each making their characters feel as though they really carry the burdens of being 'kings of the hill'. When comparing the writing of the show to what is actually seen, it is obvious that the cast are invested in their roles as many improvised lines and additions are present, creating the feel of both real speech and real people.

Nearly every episode is shot within the confines of the set of the White House, making it surprising that each scene is able to feel new and unique in a place that has been scoured by many directors before it. The direction must be commended for the way it flows smoothly, from the show's patented walk-and-talk scenes filled with fast flying plot exposition and even faster wit to the quiet emotional moments that teach us the human faults of both the people and their positions within the government. One of my greatest appreciations of the show is that it doesn't devolve into each character being Gerry-rigged into representing an issue that would be challenged or explored each episode, instead allowing the people in The West Wing natural feelings about the policies that make up our government and the right to exercise their opinions about their beliefs. While I have been accustomed to the preaching of rights of human beings and organizations (I've watched every Star Trek series, which is about as preachy television can get without having a time slot on Sunday mornings), this shows use of preaching is merely there to signify the passion of these characters rather than the aspects of the plot. As with Star Trek, I choose to look at the people making the speeches to get my drama, allowing the obvious content of their words to brush past (though, I must say, a few of the speeches have gotten past my Minnesotan-grown armor and made me teary eyed).

The inspiring urge both the characters and the show provide have made this program an already instant classic in my long career as a television viewer. Instead of going off on a droll liberal diatribe in the name of good shows being rewarded (they already have a few Emmys so I doubt my commendation will matter much), I will simply say this show passed my congress and is officially part of the Bill of Good Television.