I start a new job Monday, a new position within the same company. This has been coming for quite some time, and while I understood it intellectually, the emotional wallop of passing my life’s work on to another person did not hit home until I moved my stuff.
I wrote an article for Artvoice a while back on how to decorate one’s office/cubicle, a subtle art to be sure. Just what does one want to represent? And how to do this? For now, my trappings are all hidden away. As I assert myself in the new space with time, though, these question will raise themselves again.
Allow me to geek out for a moment. I share with a life-long obsession: familiars.
I don’t know what else to call them really. Pet-like little guys that fly around your shoulders and help you with stuff. These are, of course, completely fictional to date.
I believe it started with Tron. That little Bit guy (in Spanish below) flitting about left a serious imprint on my young geek sensibilities.
Years went by, and as a college graduate I played The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. Widely considered the best game ever created, many people criticize Navi, Link’s constant counterpart. Yes, perhaps her persistent wheedling can get a little annoying, but she certainly fits the bill as a familiar, and thus I love her.
Not geeky enough? OK, fine. Once I got an Xbox, the mysteries of Halo became my playthings, including 343 Guilty Spark. A lunatic librarian made by an long-dead alien race. How could I not go for that?
Still not satisfied? My favorite of all time is Bao-dur’s remote from KOTOR2. It’s a Jedi training remote familiar. FEEL THE AWESOMITUDE!
Now, what’s a boy to do? Essentially, what I’m dreaming of here is a flying, voice-activated iPhone with a great AI system and a personality.
Well, seeing how this would require a level of tinkering far beyond my own, obviously the only option is to build my own steampunk familiar in Second Life. And yes, Sparky the etherworks pet is coming along just fine, thank you for asking.
Two “you’re getting old” face-slaps within mere moments today.
The young woman who sold me my fries had a picture of The Fonz next to her register. When I inquired about it, she told me her coworkers had brought her the grinning Henry Winkler jpeg because she had never heard of him. The Fonz. She had never heard of the Fonz.
Shortly afterwards, a fifty-year-old man walked by me wearing a T-shirt featuring Sonic the Hedgehog. It said “Old School” on it.
I have always considered myself something of a stoic. I don’t really get worked up about things either positive or negative, an even keel being my persistent goal. I did find myself laughing out loud when watching Rome and hearing the line “You’ll not turn to drink, will you? You stoic types often do when disappointed in life.”
The American Heritage def of ‘stoic’ give s us a bit on where the word comes from:
[Middle English Stoic, a Stoic, from Latin Stōicus, from Greek Stōikos, from stoā (poikilē), (Painted) Porch, where Zeno taught; see stā- in Indo-European roots.]
That’s right — the Stoics were the original porchers.
A hearty thanks to Garv for spearheading what is sure to become the most definitive movement in the first half of the 21st century, and congrats to all who have managed to post every day. I mean, I got into a fight with an author, bought a laptop, started playing Second Life, and shaved my head to keep things interesting.
For the record, Nanowrimo started with just 21 participants. We’ve got that beat! I did send Garv a note of thanks today, which can be viewed here.
Just in case a “wow, we did it” post doesn’t count, I’ll continue.
Apparently, Jules Verne is trying to talk to me from beyond the grave. Or maybe just from the grave. Either way, he wants to chat. He just keeps coming up. Several times in bufblopofo (tieing with Tupac, I believe). Went to a lecture on the Darwin Martin house (apparently, we are those people), and was told the Courier Express claimed that Jules Verne must have moved to Buffalo, since the style was so odd.
What do you have to say to me, Monsieur? Are you encouraging my latest writing project? Angry with me for detesting The Clipper in the Clouds? Whatever it is, I’ll try to get my hands on a ouija board. See you soon.
Just an FYI, BufBloPoFo MoFo’s Scheduled outage at 5:00PM PDT.
BufBloPoFo Topic for Day 13: When the writer’s return kicks back in and all the good TV comes back, what’s your viewing list going to be?
Let’s play a MadLib. TV Shows: Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, Journeyman, Boston Legal.
“I keep watching ___(show)___, even though it’s not good.”
The one show I can honestly say I want to see come back is Mad Men. Start watching this show. Yes, they smoke and drink all the time, and no that’s not the reason I like it. Not the only reason.
Sure, Jess drools all over the couch every time the main character shows his Brylcreamy head. It’s worth it.
This is a group which catalogs the libraries of of dead people. As an LT member, I can compare my collection with theirs. I assume it will come as little surprise that I don’t have any books in common with Tupac Shakur*, but I was astonished to find how many I have in common with Hemingway. Gladdening to see I don’t share any with Dreiser, depressing I have none with Joyce. 21 books in common with Walker Percy? Really?
Can you tell anything about someone from their library? How much? Somewhere between “where they came from” and “who they wanted to be”, I’d say.
*Yes, that’s two Tupac references this fortnight. Didn’t see that comin’, didja?
Second Life intrigues me. Millions of people gadding about, creating whatever they want and doing as they please in a completely user-maintained environment. No shooting, no competition, just wandering around.
Maybe it’s the similarities with the Metaverse from Snow Crash (a fave). Maybe it’s my HR-geek sensibilities, since companies all over use it. Whatever it is, I want to know more.
Now that I am the proud owner of the star-blessed lappy-so-happy, I am actually able to run Second Life (albeit with limited graphics). I set myself up a character, skimmed the orientation stuff, played dress-up, and got to it.
But, got to what? What the heck do people do on this thing? My initial wanderings produced nothing to maintain my interest. One of the sites I reference from time to time in my steamjournalism is The Heliograph and this guy talks a lot about a steampunk locale in Second Life. I figured I’d swing by.
Okay, so Victorian-style buildings, Victorian-style clothes… by this point I still haven’t figured out the draw. By happenstance I come across a library. Someone has built a library, making public domain Vic Lit available to read in-game. I pull up a chair and start on some Jules Verne.
In other words, I end up doing EXACTLY WHAT I DO IN REAL LIFE.
Alex in real life:
Alex in Second Life:
Apparently, the way I live my Primary Life is pretty well-suited to me. Even in a fantasy world, I end up holed up somewhere with my nose in a century-old book.
