The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had geared myself up to read a book by one of the masters, but I did not expect what I found. I did not expect to find an altered English for a future lunar colony. Nor did I expect to find polyamory, group marriages, and a culture without rape in a penal colony. I really, really, REALLY did not expect the main character of a novel published in 1966 to be a computer technician.

I related to Manuel immediately. It didn’t take Mike much longer to have me rooting for him.

The story took its time to build up. The leisurely pace, instead of boring me, gave me the time to get to know the main characters. I had the time to come to care for them, and their cause. The tension built slowly, and then exploded into action and ballsy diplomatic shenanigans. I have to admit that I was surprised by who joined Manuel’s group marriage. I had hoped she had interest in him, but had dismissed it early on. Well played, Mr. Heinlein.

There’s a reason that this book is a classic. If you’re into SciFi, my advice would be to read it. Take your time getting used to the language and the first person narrative. It’ll be worth it.

I picked this one up at a used bookstore in Caseville, MI. It’s old enough not to have an ISBN, but a SBN instead.

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“Webcomic Tales of the surreal, fantastic, & macabre”

The art is what drew me in to this one. I’m not the biggest fan of horror, gore, or over-the-top tentacle-and-eyeball crazy. I hang out with the kids when the wife has her horror movie nights, making sure that they’re playing nice and getting their fair share of the popcorn. But, I tell you what, I loves me some good artwork.

False Positive has amazing artwork. The artwork is so good that it kept me around for the horror, the gore, and the tentacle-and-eyeball crazy. It drew me in so completely that I find myself reading through the comments, guessing right along with other readers about what the next plot twist will be.

Big Mike can twist a plot.

Compared to many in my ridiculously long list of webcomics in my RSS reader, I’m a newcomer to this one. It took two or three comics to suck me in to reading through the full archive of Season 1. It’s currently in the fourth chapter of Season 2, and has dipped into Sci-Fi. This pleases me.

The comic updates on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It’s worth your time to eyeball. http://falsepositivecomic.com/

Terry McGinniss makes a good Batman. There, I’ve said it.

Yeah, he’s a teen. He’s got a problem with authority, has high school problems, and has trouble learning to think before he acts. But he’s got redeeming qualities, too! He facepalms with the best of them.

I’d watched Batman: The Animated Series as a teen, and I had hoped that Batman Beyond would be a faithful continuation of that saga. While my hopes were misplaced, this show was worth watching in its own right.

My favorite characters weren’t the protagonists. I loved the concept of Inque. Commissioner Barbara Gordon was beautifully complex, and they didn’t shy away from her feelings about having been Batgirl, let alone her issues surrounding the Robins. Max does an amazing job of being Terry’s Lucius Fox, badass and vulnerable on top of ridiculously helpful. Don’t get me started on Henry Rollins as Mad Stan. I’d squee for HOURS.

I hated the Cobra gang. I couldn’t separate it from G.I. Joe, especially when they started giving nods to it. The new Royal Flush Gang were far more interesting adversaries.

The setting was a ridiculously large leap forward in time. From the 1950’s retro Gotham of Batman: The Animated Series to the hypertechnological Gotham of Batman Beyond was more than a one or two generation jump. And yet, in the intro, when I see old Gotham dwarfed by the titanic skyscrapers, I feel the thrill for that future that Marvel’s 2099 comics could never pull off. Let’s face it, Gotham doesn’t do anything half-ass.

I have (purely by accident, I assure you) addicted both the 12-year-old and the 4-year-old to this series. I found it on Netflix Streaming; check it out if you’re so inclined.

When Netflix didn’t have all of the episodes of SG:U available for streaming, it was understandable. It was still relatively new, and barely out on DVD. When they ran out of their streaming licenses for Farscape halfway through watching, I got a wee bit irritated. Frelling trelks!

Once again, the Capital Area District Library came through. It had every episode on DVD, as well as the concluding movie.

Out of all of the twists and turns, the back and forth between Crighton and Scorpius, the magnificence of the aliens (played by actors and animatronic puppets), I think that what stuck with me most was the ebb and flow of Crighton’s madness. I cackled with glee every time he’d let loose with a string of unhinged TV and movie references, possibly grow a beard, and risk everyone’s lives on a gut feeling.

The writers weren’t afraid to make fun of themselves, either. They regularly referenced other science fiction, in print, film, and TV. Even their golden boy, Crighton, was confronted with his “wacky hi-jinks” and “everyman charm.”

I was completely pulled in. The characters quickly developed depth. The setting was enormous and detailed. The special effects were both cheesy and grand enough to satisfy me. The episodes forwarded the metaplot at a good pace, with a healthy peppering of smaller story arcs and alien-of-the-week  to prevent BSG-level heaviness.

I cared about what would happen to Crighton, to Aeryn, to D’argo, to Moya and Pilot, and even to Scorpius. Between the WTF ending of the series and the right-in-the-feels ending of the follow up movie, I’m left satisfied. Farscape is well worth the watch. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to learn how to hum the 1812 Overture.

We have a lot of good food around here. A lot of really enjoyable, delicious food. So much so that I stare, open-mouthed, at people who bemoan the lack of anything to do. All you need to do, good friend, is go out there and eat!

Woody’s Oasis is where I first ate falafel. Woody’s is also where I fell in love with falafel. If Batman had gone there before he strung up Gordon’s corrupt partner, he would have taken care not to spill the falafel all over Gotham’s sidewalks.

DON’T SPILL THE FALAFEL, BATMAN!

Woody’s has a falafel sandwich, which is really a wrap, with pickled veggies and a tahini sauce that ties it all together. I pull a Pavlov’s dog and start drooling as soon as I think about unwrapping that crinkly paper wrapper, exposing the soft flatbread underneath… *AHEM* It’s a really good sandwich.

They also have great hummus, as well as a pretty good salad. They also have selections of store-made desserts, imported juices, and a full menu of stuff that I have yet to try. As of right now, they’ve got two locations – one on Trowbridge Road in East Lansing (new building!), and one on Jolly Road, between Okemos Road and Hulett Road in Okemos.

There are certain challenges that I am unable to resist. Wait, scratch that. It’s more accurate to say that there are some challenges that I have no desire to resist. Semantics Are Important is one of those challenges.

Remember my recent trip to Cleveland?  Okay, maybe not that recent.  Anyway, about a month back, Gil started a podcast. He’d already created a web page, had the first episode recorded, edited (mastered?), and posted. The second was in the works, and more were a certainty. He was hitting a wall with his technical skills, and wanted to get me involved in a professional capacity. I jumped on this immediately.

A point of context – I tend to move at a tectonic pace. A more “normal” assessment of the events might say that I spent a few days contemplating, doing some research here and there, and letting my excitement gather steam.  If that’s your flavor of normal, I can only say, “Whoa, there. Pull up a chair and sit a while. This weather’s rough. Want a coup of coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? Meet the wife and kids…”

Once I got going, my pace significantly increased. We got the bulk of the site nearly mirrored from Wix to WordPress.com. Now all we have to do is wait to transfer the domain over. Why have I put in this effort? Why did I jump on this project? Well, a little extra income never hurt nobody. More than that, the podcast is Gil at some of his finest. It takes the philosophic  social, artistic, spiritual, and bullshit rants out of the bars, car rides, diners, and coffee shops that have housed them in the past and pipes them directly into your ear holes.

He says that we no longer need to suffer through the rants, wondering when he’ll just shut the fuck up.  Now, we can just turn the podcast off. Except, I don’t.

I anticipate the next episode.

I look forward to it. I enjoy hearing his larger-than-life voice come out of my headphones. I chuckle, I roll my eyes, and I miss my friend a little less.

I think you might look forward to it, too. Go give it a listen here.