David Cranmer's Blog, page 8

RAZORED ZEN: In a world of books

RAZORED ZEN: In a world of books: Sometimes folks seem to think I lead an exciting life. Well, I do. But not in the way they think. I live most of my exciting adventures ...

Richard Prosch Has Nothing to Push Against

Richard Prosch is at the BTAP webzine with "Nothing to Push Against." A short story with an ending I wasn't expecting. Always a nice pleasure for an old editor. Thanks, Rich!

Nothing to Push Against

Glad to have Richard Prosch at the BTAP webzine with "Nothing to Push Against." A short story with an ending I wasn't expecting. That's always a pleasure for an old editor. Thanks, Rich!

Tomorrow is Yesterday (1967)

A high-gravity star has flung the Enterprise back in time to the late 1960's where they are spotted by an Air Force captain named John Christopher (Roger Perry). Kirk (William Shatner) captures the pilot's F-104 interceptor in the Enterprise tractor beam to hold it at bay. Unfortunately, the plane begins to break apart and Christopher is transported on board to save his life. But now that Christopher knows about the future they are concerned he could disrupt the timeline. Solution: wipe away all photographic and audio evidence at the military base on Earth and using a Mr Spock (Leonard Nimoy) proposed slingshot maneuver, go back in time dropping off their unwanted passenger and then forward home to the 23rd century. You betcha all kinds of temporal complications occur.

Written by the mighty D.C. Fontana, this episode has loads of humor from Spock telling Christopher that he also never believed in little green men to Kirk being interrogated by a clueless military officer. When the colonel threatens to lock him up for two hundred years, Kirk deadpans, "That should be just about right." Bolstered by remastered CGI scenes, that's been seamlessly interwoven into the old show, the original chintzy Enterprise in the earth's atmosphere now pops way better—that also goes for the effects of the ship hurtling toward the sun for their hair-raising breakaway. "Tomorrow is Yesterday" is on Netflix and is a gem. Next, my Trek time travel continues with "The City on the Edge of Forever."

Voices of the Dead

When the family reserve has been let down by the indie publishing, I go back to the daily security grind which takes me here and there, until the coffers are no longer on life support. So, there I was, at 4:30 a.m., shuffling into the Holiday Inn dining nook in Warrenton, Virginia—preparing my bolstering dose of English breakfast tea—when I noticed the woman I had exchanged pleasantries with the previous morning was unhinged. "Be careful out there," she warned. "There's been a murder at the CVS and the police told us to lock the doors. So, if you go out, you’ll have to knock or call to get back in." That deposited an image of me...

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On the Turntable...

Do Some Damage: What Batman: The Animated Series Got Right

Do Some Damage: What Batman: The Animated Series Got Right: By Scott D. Parker I think most folks here know Batman is my favorite superhero, and, by general consensus, Batman: The Animated Series i...

Saul Bellow Interview

Don't Know Much About The French I Took

For Twitter's Wednesday Wisdom hashtag, I posted from Saul Bellow's Herzog (1964) masterpiece: "Readiness to answer all questions is the infallible sign of stupidity.” For me that quote runs parallel with Mark Twain's "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Now I'm a full believer little changes and all one has to do is read Cicero's letters from 2000 years ago to see the same old human animal sharking along but with the internet explosion it seems like 'experts' are everywhere. I think of them as James Bond Polymaths. You know, whatever 007 has to say or do, fly or fire, he's always 150% prepared—that is unless the writers need Blofeld to chalk up a few wins.

Everybody is allowed to mentally expose themselves, of course, but I can't help feeling pity for such lack of modesty pauperizing our discourse. Having an opinion is fine but acting, for example, like you know economics or Middle East diplomacy when you don't reduces you to being the loudest shit talker at the end of the bar. I know, I know, nothing new here that hasn't been said before, and maybe I'm treading on the 'gotta say something to say something' sin, but I heard the classic Sam Cooke song this morning and I knew you wanted to know what I was thinking, right? Ok, all sing along, "Don't know much about history/Don't know much biology..."

Minimalism vs. Possession Obsession

I have too much stuff. And not just books (which there's a shitload) but trinkets, notebooks, files, etc. Items that I rarely look at but feel the need to possess. Stacked up everywhere, spreading like a contagion. Reminds me that d and I occasionally talk about the time we lived in Virginia in a one-bedroom apartment with absolutely no furniture save two lawn chairs that we dragged inside from the third-floor balcony when company arrived. Bedroom had a mattress, lamp, and zero other furnishings. Now our happiest time will always be when our daughter entered the frame but occasionally we recall the earlier era when we had next to no possessions. Life seemed a lot more, say, manageable.

So I was drawn to Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things directed by Matt D'Avell and featuring minimalists who believe in more happiness through less clutter. Here's the trailer for you. Now, I'm not sure I could ever scale it back as far as the minimalists do because I like a lot of books surrounding me and couldn't imagine Joyce's Ulysses orphaned on the shelf. (Though if I could only have one novel, what would it be?) But after viewing Minimalism on Netflix, I scoured through a few containers inspired by not just the film but my previous lifestyle and tossed away old newspapers, magazines, and papers guilt free. It felt damn good... and hardly made a dent. Still, like my hero Sisyphus, never give up. I'm going to try again today.