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Lost — 3.3.10 (“Sundown”)

March 3, 2010 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

Dear Sayid,

OMGYOUKILLEDALLTHOSEPEOPLETHATSCRAZYBUTYOUKICKSOMUCHBUTTANDRHOTSORUEVILNOW?

Um, yeah. So, I hope you get this letter and all, but you don’t have to send me one back. You’re kinda scary now. And not it a brooding anti-hero kinda way.

We’ve known you were bad ass for a long time now. You and Keamy had that great fight two seasons ago. Now you and samurai Dogen have another one. But I’ve always held out hope that you were trying to use your powers for good. Even though we’ve had some setbacks, I kept telling myself you were either forced into it or at least looking out for the greater good — like that time you shot 10 year old Ben. That wasn’t very good, but at least I could understand why. Now, though, you don’t seem good AT ALL anymore. You made that deal with Locke, drowned Dogen (ah, poetic justice), cut Lennon up, and directly led to everyone in the Temple getting killed. At least all those who didn’t join up with Locke’s Army of Darkness. That’s all, officially, Not Cool. I can’t say I blame you that much, though. That Dogen guy drowned you, tortured you, then lied to you in the hopes that Locke would kill you. I know your principle character arc has been about struggling with your nature as a killer and it looks like you’ve figured all that out. It’s too late for you, just like you told Ben:

“There’s still time to escape.”
“Not for me.”

Creepy and sad all at the same time.

But, wait a minute. Seeing you in action this episode made me really think about the Others, Jacob, and that whole group. They don’t seem all that nice, either. There was the whole torture thing (sure, they were “testing” you, but maybe some multiple choice questions would have been better:

2. When Locke says hello, you _______

A. Say “what’s up”
B. Reply “I’m not that man anymore”
C. Stab him in the chest with a ceremonial dagger
D. Pledge to join his army of darkness

The Others, who presumably were following Jacob the whole time, have also kidnapped kids, killed Losties, tortured Claire, done God knows what to polar bears, and (via Ben) wiped out most of the Dharma initiative with poison gas. All of that stuff is Not Cool. So if they were doing it for Jacob, then Jacob isn’t exactly Santa Clause, either. Which means that you aren’t really evil after all. That’s good, because you’re too hot to be evil.

I’m beginning to hope Hurley just tells Jacob and Locke to piss off.

Love,

me

Lost — 2.23.10 (“Lighthouse”)

February 25, 2010 in Uncategorized | No comments

Dear Jack,

Sorry this is a day late, but things have been super busy around here. You seem busy, too — running around LA a lot, picking up your son from school, trying to find your dad’s will. That’s a lot going on! Of course, you were also just sitting at the Temple staring at a pool of water, so maybe you’re not that busy. This sideways timeline stuff is confusing. It looks like it’s confusing for you, too. You didn’t remember your appendectomy. And, no offense, but that’s a horrible scar. It looks like someone did that surgery in the jungle or something.

Where to begin, man? I loved this episode! You seem like a stand-up guy in LA. You’re not drinking, which is good. You have a son! Not sure when that happened, but he seems like a good kid. Awesome on the piano, rockin’ the Chopin, beating out samurai guy’s son for the conservatory spot. Hey, when you said ” I didn’t even know he played” was that, like “I forgotten my son played the piano because my consciousness is stretched between two alternate timelines” or more like “I didn’t know he still played because he quit when he was little because I was a crappy, pressure inducing father.” Just wondering. You never know when something is a character moment or a timeline clue. I think it’s the later, because you tried to reconcile with David after the audition and told him how crappy your own father was. Looks like you two are going to be okay! Awesome! Let me know what David wants for his birthday and I’ll send him something in the mail. Maybe a DriveShaft t-shirt.

Speaking of your dad, I can’t be the only one who has noticed the only real constant between the two timelines is that his body is missing in both of them.

I liked the return to the caves and your confession to Hurley. You two did a lot of talking in this episode, which was cool. You seem to be moving on. You realize that you and Kate are just not going to work. “Holy random encounter in the jungle” Batman! Did we really need to have you bump into Kate out there? I guess it did set up the whole “I’m sorry to wreck your game” line, which was funny.

And the Lighthouse is even more awesome than the four-toed statue! Mirrors that see through time and space! Names and numbers at different compass points! Awesome! You smashing the mirrors, not so awesome. But Jacob knew you were going to do that anyway, so I guess it all works out. He’s crafty, that Jacob. Even if he’s all Obi-Wan Kenobi and stuff, now (another great Hurley line).

One last thing. Your sister is crazy. Not just “I’m kinda upset I got stranded on an Island and lost my baby” crazy, but full-on Jack Torrance, “HERE’S JOHNNY!” kinda crazy. Seriously. She totally buried her axe in that guy’s chest! “Are you my friend, Jin?!” Yikes! She’s been seduced by the Dark Side, for sure. Now it looks like she’s headed to the Temple to kill everyone, which is just what Smokey Locke has planned. And Jin is going to help her so that Claire doesn’t kill Kate. Jin, you may want to rethink that one, pal.

Anyway, it looks like you are “special” and “you’ve got what it takes”, probably to be the new Jacob. The Island is supposed to fix you, after all.

Love,

me

P.S. Tell Hurley how awesome he is. He gets the best lines. “Because, I, uh, like Temples and all that Indiana Jones stuff.” He had to write the mystical instructions on his arm with a pen! The only way that would have been better is if they’d have worked in “Klatuu, Barada, Nikto” somehow. Although then I may have exploded from Geek Joy.

Lost vs. Eleanor

February 2, 2010 in Uncategorized | No comments

I have amassed a nice collection of Lost links, with the plan of posting them all along with some preliminary thoughts yesterday, since Lost begins again tonight!

But fate and germs intervened. Rock Hill Schools (unnecessarily, IMHO) canceled schools yesterday, which meant that Eleanor didn’t have preschool. There went my morning. Eleanor took a short nap and woke up feeling poorly, to the point that she had a fever and an upset stomach by the afternoon. By the time I got her to bed, I was wiped out myself. So I had no time for my planned posting.

I hope to get to something later today, but we’ll see. Have no fear, though, as letters will be coming on the morrow!

Silly Country Music Radio

January 27, 2010 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

Let’s not bother with why I’ve been listening to country music radio lately and focus on this one incident.

I first encountered Darrell Scott’s “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive” as a result of the compilation CD’s my father in law makes for us upon occasion. They’re awesome (remind me to tell you about The Contest sometime. Best. Christmas. Present. Evar.). The song is awesome too. Here are the lyrics:

I got rice cooking in the microwave
Got a three day beard I don’t plan to shave
And it’s a goofy thing but I just gotta say
Hey I’m doing alright

Yeah I think I’ll make me some homemade soup
Feelin pretty good and that’s the truth
It’s neither drink nor drug induced
No I’m just doin alright

And it’s a great day to be alive
I know the sun’s still shinin when I close my eyes
There’s some hard times in the neigborhood
But why can’t every day be just this good?

It’s been fifteen years since I left home
Said good luck to every seed I’d sown
Give it my best and then I left it alone
Oh…I hope their doin alright

Now I look in the mirror and what do I see?
A lone wolf there starin back at me
Long in the tooth but harmless as can be
Lord I guess he’s doin alright

And it’s a great day to be alive
I know the sun’s still shinin when I close my eyes
There’s some hard times in the neighborhood
But why can’t every day be just this good?

Sometimes it’s lonely
Sometimes it’s only me
And the shadows that fill this room
Sometimes I’m fallin
Desperately callin
Howlin at the moon…
Ahwoo!
Ahwoo!

Well I might go get me a new tattoo
Or take my old Harley for a three day cruise
Might even grow me a Fu Man Chu…
Oh Aww!

And it’s a great day to be alive
I know the sun’s still shinin when I close my eyes
There’s some hard times in the neighborhood
But why can’t every day be just this good?

And it’s a great day to be alive
I know the sun’s still shinin when I close my eyes
There’s some hard times in the neighborhood
But why can’t every day be just this good?

Travis Tritt did the popular version that you likely heard on the radio. On the way to work this morning I heard the Tritt version — except the version I heard omitted the bridge. That’s the “sometimes it’s lonely” part. That omission completely changes the meaning of the song! It goes from being honest (he’s a lone wolf but knows the price he’s paid) to a silly celebration of shirking all responsibility. As you can tell, this bothered me.

Silly radio. Stop messing up the meanings of songs.

I Need a Nap

January 21, 2010 in Uncategorized | No comments

I have to go teach in a few minutes, but I really would prefer to go somewhere quiet and lay down. It’s cold and dreary here — perfect nap weather. More than that, though, is I am worn out from our daughter’s unkind sleep patterns lately. She needs lots of help to get to sleep, has woken up in the middle of the night several times (and then requires lots of help to get back to sleep), and routinely wakes up before 6:00 AM. 4:55 AM this morning, to be exact. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I hope it stops soon.

Quick Running Update

October 25, 2009 in Uncategorized | No comments

I dragged my tired butt out of bed yesterday morning at 6:30 to run. Yes, I am still doing it and, surprisingly, liking it. I finished the official Couch to 5K program about a three weeks ago and have managed to keep it up since. Mondays I run after I drop Eleanor off at preschool. I have a nice route that takes me through Glencarin Gardens, downtown Rock Hill, and Winthrop. I run every Saturday morning with a biology professor. We go about 3.5 miles around Winthrop Lake. Running by myself, I have a pace that’s just under ten minute miles.

I really need to sign up for a 5K, which will mark a big milestone for me. There’s one next Saturday at the Charlotte Airport where you run on the runway! At least that one would be flat.

Sarah’s still trucking along with her half marathon training. She’s got three weeks to go!

Social Networking Break

October 15, 2009 in Uncategorized | No comments

No lengthy post today about social networking or anything else. I’ve had my hands full with grading and meetings. We’re headed out to Nashville right after class tomorrow, so posts may be spotty for the next few days.

Running Without Music

September 11, 2009 in Public Introspection, Uncategorized | No comments

For Winston, I tried running this morning without the headphones. Loved it! My wandering mind was enough to keep me distracted. Without the music, I could no longer say to myself “Let’s see, each song is about 4 minutes long and I’ve heard three songs, so I am 12 minutes in.”
Thanks!

Baltimore

June 21, 2009 in Uncategorized | No comments

We’re at Sarah’s sisters house in Baltimore, about a third of the way through our vacation.  We spend two fun days in Richmond, visiting with a friend from graduate school and his family.  Eleanor played with his two children, we grilled out, and did fun kid stuff.

We arrived here on Friday, just in time to eat dinner (crab cakes, of course) and head to my neice’s dance reciatal.  I’ll admit my initial scowl at being told tickets were $15 each, but it turned out to be lots of fun.  The recital had a “Night at the Museum” theme, combined with a cool multicultural vibe and a series of dances about Moses.  Eleanor was enthralled, despite staying up way past her bedtime.

We haven’t ventured out too much otherwise — a trip to the grocery store, brunch today after church.  The moms all cooked a great father’s day meal for us tonight.  This afternoon we visited Normals, a great used bookstore here in a somewhat sketchy part of town.  Another trip out (to buy beer, which can be purchased on Sunday from bars that also have their package license) yielded a nice drive past Johns Hopkins and Loyola.  Tomorrow we’re taking the train into DC.

I’ve seen more of Baltimore on this trip than I have any other time we’ve visited.  As I told my brother in law last night, Baltimore kind of scares me (and I’ve never even watched The Wire).  Many of these row home neighborhoods are run down and menacing.  But there are wonderful neighborhoods, too, like they one my in laws live in, with homes dating from the 1930′s nestled under trees.  There’s also a funky counterculture here, at least there seems to be, judging by the flyers in the bookstore and the emerging neighborhood around where we ate brunch (a packed place called Clementine).  I’m sure if we lived here there would be lots of cool stuff around, but then we’d have the school system to deal with.

A good vacation so far, with lots more to come.

Happy Thanksgiving

November 27, 2008 in Uncategorized | No comments

We’re doing some traveling for the holiday, so there won’t be many posts until Monday.  I do hope to have the Fringe recap done today, though.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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