Ahoy, Internet Pirates!

Ahoy there and welcome to Talk Like A Pirate day, 2006!

I find myself quite amused that while I have been tormenting my colleagues and friends with piratical expressions and metaphors, I have also been allowing my inner 1337 pirate to surface and serve a Greater Cause. Aye, 'tis a strange sea I sail as I comb through the Internet in search of any trace of my grandfather.

Since the Project is off-limits conversation with my grandfather, I have been faced with the great task of attempting to assemble parts of his life without picking up the phone and asking directly. Clandestine meetings, secret correspondence, subdued phone conversations. Quite a lot of mirror tricks and parlour games for a simple birthday present, neh?

Fortune has smiled on this fairly well. Just about all the family contributions are in, which is beyond awesome. I'm still awaiting material from two members, one of whom just moved across the country and the other who had to do some major reworking after experiencing technical difficulties. Beyond that, I have to film my parents' message and, oh, um, film myself and, uh, find some pictures of myself to add. Ouch. I hadn't even thought about, nor started on my own contributions yet. Avast!

Anyway, my happiest finds so far were some old pictures of Denver (where my granddad originally hails from) and some pictures that date back to his service with the L.A. Fire Department. The truck in the picture was ol' 908. A picture of one of the exact trucks that he rode on, courtesy of the L.A. Fire Department Historical Archives.

I have exactly 1.5 weeks to complete this beast. My next task is to plunder th' National Aarrrrrrchives for some historical video & pictures! Lucky that me brother steered me in the right direction for those! A hoist of grog to he for his uber1337 historical skillz!

Fair winds, friends, until we speak again!

A Little Sci-Fi For Friday...

I must admit that I have been in total <3 with the Sci-Fi channel lately...

First of all, they have picked up the next season of Doctor Who, which airs at the end of this month. Say what some of you might about Doctor Who, I love it. I grew up watching the old episodes on PBS and while yes, the monsters were rubbery (and in some cases made with bubble wrap of all things) and yes, many of the effects lacked a certain polish to them, it was a show that caught my attention.

Needless to say, I'm stoked.

The next item on the list is the return of BSG. The show returns in early October, however, Sci-Fi is releasing "webisodes" every Tuesday & Thursday from this week on to the premiere of Season 3. If you dig the show, click here to watch!

Also, the Season 2.5 box set is due out soon! Huzzah!

Finally, Sci-Fi is having a Firefly marathon on Sept. 18th. If you haven't seen Joss Whedon's Sci-Fi/Western epic series yet, you should. I had no idea about the show when it originally aired (mostly due to the fact that the network really didn't care about promoting or airing the show) but found myself caught up in it after borrowing a friend's DVD box set. It's really a damned shame that intelligent and entertaining shows such as this die a whimpering death. C'est la, I suppose.

Anyway, tons o' watching coming up in the next few months. Good thing I don't have a life or this would get tricky... Heh.

Three Weeks To Somewhere...

I'm heading to California in three weeks and one day for the celebration of my granddad's 90th. That gives me three weeks from today exactly to edit together the top secret present that I hinted about over six weeks ago when I was letting my brain embrace it's creative side with a story about itself talking amongst, uh, itself.

The Zuber Project, or simply "The Project" as I've been calling it during conversations of late, is progressing slowly. I really wish I could pick up the pace a bit, but I'm at least making strides in the right direction. I'm still waiting on material from most of the family, so hopefully that will trickle in during the next few business days.

It's amazing how a family can be so awesome to join together for great works such as these. While everyone is unarguably busy with their own lives, it really means a lot to know that the ties that brought us together still hold.

Can You Hear Me?

I can show you
That when it starts to rain
Everything's the same...

-The Beatles, Rain

On the day that rain returned to Texas, I found myself almost successfully suppressing the urge to dance in it.

I dressed, took the Golden Retriever out for her morning constitutional and walked slowly to my car. I walked slowly to feel the rain dance on my skin, to feel each blob of dihydrogen oxide impact on my hair with a rather ungraceful splatter.

I stood before the car and stared upward into the sky, admiring the simple beauty of nature's smattering of grayscale artistry. Neighbors around me darted to their cars and houses as quickly as they were able. Not three days ago, I talked with one of them about how they wished that the rain would return.

Rain brings a welcome break from the Texas heat. Rain brings life to grass that has been dying a slow, painful death during the heat of July and August. Rain increases the flow and volume of the area's lakes and streams. Rain restores hope to farmers who had just about given up.

Rain equals life's careful balance at its finest.

I lingered a bit longer, letting the rain soak into my shirt. I welcomed the coldness of precipitation. It caressed my face, depositing gentle and frequent kisses on it like those from a lover long separated from.

"I missed you," I whispered into the rain, "What took you so long to come back to me?"

The rain didn't answer back, just kept kissing me with a gentle intensity. Expecting an answer from the rain always leaves one unfulfilled.

"That's ok, ol' girl, you don't have to explain anything to me," I smiled as I tilted my head skyward to let the rain kiss my neck, "you're always welcome here."

I stood there for few more minutes before I finally permitted myself the privilege of dancing a short jig to celebrate the day rain returned to Texas.