Soggy Saturday

"Throwing away Zen mind is correct Zen mind. Only keep the question, ‘What is the best way of helping other people?’” Seung Sahn

"There is no doubt about the increase in our material progress and technology, but somehow this is not sufficient, as we have not yet succeeded in bringing about peace and happiness or in overcoming suffering." Dalai Lama

I managed to pull myself away from Myst long enough to work on a new art piece on the new computer which has been named Harvey. I am one of those people who enjoy naming inanimate objects. All of my cars have had names. My current car is a Honda named Amelia Peabody after the feisty character of the same name in Elizabeth Peter's wonderful mysteries. My other computer is named Marvin after Marvin the Martian another favorite of mine. Harvey got his name from the Jimmy Stewart movie and play of the same name. The original Harvey is a 6 foot 3 1/2 inch invisible rabbit who is actually a mischievous pooka. It seemed like a good name for a computer that will find itself doing a lot of fantasy art work.

I am obviously enjoying Myst although I am finding I need to get some hints before I can get out of some of the spots I find myself in. I did manage to make it through the Stoneboat Age and am now in Channelwood. I'm going around in circles at the moment and am trying to get the stupid elevator to work.

After a horrible day I kicked back last night and watched Doctor Who. It was a Dalek story that will conclude next week. I have to give credit to British actors they do manage to do decent American accents. They say your favorite Doctor is the one you grew up with which in my case would be Tom Baker. I loved his Doctor along with Peter Davison's but I must admit I have been totally won over by the current Doctor, David Tennant. He showed some amazing acting last night.

I know that my love of science fiction and fantasy comes in part from a desire to escape from the real world occasionally. Everyone needs a safety valve and a place to get away from it all once in a while. As long as I continue to deal with the real world I see no problem with enjoying science fiction and fantasy. They present new and different worlds; worlds that aren't always better but they are always fascinating. It is a world where Geeks such as myself can meet other Geeks with the same interests. It is a world that mundanes just don't understand. A person was complaining that Harry Potter was evil because kids were in costume waiting to buy the new book. She does not understand that costuming is a big part of the American science fiction society. It is one of the things that we enjoy doing. There is nothing evil about it. She hasn't read the books and doesn't know that the stories are a lesson in good and evil. There is something to be learned there. In her closed mind however she hears the word magic and assumes that it is all evil. Some people have not matured and are still in the Medieval mindset of burning witches at the stake. Salem is still with us.

The picture is called Attack and the new program gives me a chance to do my black unicorn General Brand fighting a rogue dragon.

The real counter is 5730.