So, I have just seen the latest Indiana Jones movie. I liked it. I took a little bit of effort, but I liked it.

“But Josh,” I hear some of you asking, “Why did it take effort to like it?”

Well, I can tell you…

But, be aware…there be spoilers in these here waters

[=====SPOILER ALERT=====]

So, those of you who might be familiar with the Indiana Jones series undoubtedly know it for it’s sense of history, and its delving into the supernatural. The Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, and the stone things from the Temple of Doom, my least favorite of the series, (Hey, sue me, I’m not critiquing the ToD)

Well, the tradition of paranormal continues. We are confronted early on by a villainess that appears to have some sort of psychic power. It’s ok. We go from Nazis to psychic Commies. I guess I can suspend disbelief on that one. We need villainous antagonists, right? Of course. Moving on… Indy’s miraculous escape ends with him surviving an atomic bomb explosion in a fridge… Huhwha? Ok…Starts to get a little bit much, but I’m still having a good time. Popcorn movies at their finest.

The writing on some of the dialogue was pretty weak. And while yeah, they are going for a 50’s vibe. When some preppie kid shouts “Get that greaser” and a ‘rumble’ breaks out…I can’t help but roll my eyes. Maybe that’s just me though…but having actually seen The Outsiders I can’t help but wish they had left those lines in that movie.

The action sequences are pretty solid, though the Tarzan sequence was wholly unnecessary. It’s like ‘oh, the monkeys can do it, how hard can it be.’ I would wager it was a bit harder than we could expect a city-boy to pick up that quick. But fine. And it wouldn’t be an Indy movie without a fight on a moving vehicle. So that doesn’t disappoint.

I definitely get the vibe that they may be spinning a new series off on the Mutt Character…so we’ll see about that. But if it happens…I’ll give it a shot. I find myself liking Shia LeBouf as an actor…lets see if he develops, or what.

Though the crystal skull is *spoiler alert* an alien artifact, it isn’t handled with any sense of belonging. I know there are theories that ancient civilizations were influenced by beings from another planet. And if that sort of thing appeals to you, then fine. But for my own tastes, I thought that the quest for the Ark of the Covenant was inherently more believable than the jungle trek to the ancient resting place of E.T. Honestly if Spielberg/Lucas had wanted to really give our collective sense of nostalgia the great big middle finger, they might as well have just made the aliens from E.T. and the aliens from KotCS one and the same.

The climax, from about the time they discover the final antechamber on, was formulaic. Not only formulaic, but predictable. The ending of the movie, the last 15 minutes or so, almost drained every last ounce of goodwill I had remaining for the movie.

If you are an Indy fan, check it out…let me know what you think. Maybe I am off base. I’d like to hear what your opinions on it are.

I give it

--I reject your reality, and substitute my own

Greetings to one and all. Last year I held an art contest with a grand prize of $500 dollars. I am thinking about making it an annual thing...so now is when I should start brainstorming. I have a few ideas already, but am open to suggestions.

What I have in mind so far:

Solarin: the Movie.

Draft up a movie poster or scene from the Solarin movie. Would it be live-action or an animated feature? Who would you cast? Would it be a Hollywood summer blockbuster, or a quiet independent noir film?

Solarin crossovers. Show me what would happen if the characters from the Solarin universe were to meet with the characters from another. The other characters can be from virtually any other genre, but you have to convince me they are interacting. Maybe they've already met, maybe they are just meeting. But having the characters simply standing next to each other and 'saying' its a crossover doesn't cut it.

As a variant to the Solarin crossover idea, what about a genre juxtaposition. Maybe the characters are part of a japanese-style sentai team. Perhaps a futuristic cyberpunk team. Maybe even a counter-terrorism squad.

I have other ideas. But I am interested in hearing what you have as well.

Suggestions?

Or, should I just bugger off on the contest idea?

Let me know what you think. Operators are standing by.



--I reject your reality, and substitute my own

What. The. Hell.

One of my duties on board the USNS San Jose, is to act as the berthing petty officer (BPO). And normally it entails conducting inspections and making sure that the berthing crew, the E4 and below personnel, are actually cleaning their assigned spaces. However, it is not all candy and pamphlets.

We recently had another room added to our list of spaces, so we had to give it a good once-over. The civilian who lived there previously was…foul. That’s the only way I can describe it. We found a cockroach in his medicine cabinet, and his mattress was filthy. I don’t know what he was doing…but I felt pretty bad for the guys who were cleaning it.

So, after a good field day we finished up, and made it habitable for human beings.

This morning however, things took a turn. When I was making my rounds through the berthing the ships medical officer was inspecting the room. He told me about a few things that needed to be fixed (the mattresses mentioned above), which we were already in the process of getting resolved. And then called me over to the toilet.

“Does that look like a condom to you?”

“Why yes, Doc. Yes it does.”

We had a bit of a laugh about that…but the question I have to ask is…who was engaging in activities that would require a condom? It’s generally frowned upon to engage in sexual relations onboard the ship, and the number of people who knew that that particular room was open was pretty small. I have my suspicions…but I don’t want to throw stones. Besides… if people are enjoying the pleasures of each others’ company. More power to them. As long as I don’t know about it. Rock on. If I were to find out who is doing it though…I’d have to put the Kibosh on it. While I am not going to go on a witch hunt for these folks. I can’t let my silence be perceived as approval. Besides, if the offenders happen to be CIVMARS, then there isn’t much I can do about it anyway. They have different rules from the Navy folks.

--I reject your reality, and substitute my own

It was pretty neat actually, some of the critters (I believe they were some form of jellyfish) were actually pretty deep, and the lights reminded me of a summer thunderstorm back in Minnesota.

The moon is nearly full out here, and it is simply gorgeous. I wish I had a picture. It's totally different than anywhere else, because the haze makes it a sort of dusky yellow color. Until it crests above the clouds when it becomes its normal blue-white color.

So, those of you who are paying attention to this collection of letters that make up my journal will know that I am heading to Italy (I feel like talking about it this early might Jinx it...but I'm pretty excited anyway)

I went to wikipedia (because, why not) [link] to find out some information. I love the architecture. I'm so gonna be a tourist. *note to self: Buy a digital camera*

On a similar, yet unrelated note. I seem to have regained contact with one of the artists that has fallen off the planet. (He did this piece: [link])

He has a deviantart account now: and hope to see much new art from him. I am cautiously optimistic, and he has already sent me some new sketches reimagining my characters. So I have my fingers crossed.

I have a lot of commissions in the wind. And I have been doing my best to keep track of them. If I have forgotten anyone, or you feel like I have forgotten you feel free to drop me a note.

My goal, by the time I leave this ship, is to have a Solarin Webpage, and a whole mess of Solarin art. Focusing a little more on the non-canon characters. So everyone can get a feeling for the setting itself.

--I reject your reality, and substitute my own

Dubai.

Dubai was an entertaining place. I had heard good things about it, and it did not disappoint.

We went to Wild Wadi Water Park. But because our guide’s accent was really thick we thought he had said “wadi wadi’ water park. So imagine the poor cabbie’s confusion when we asked to go to “Wadi Wadi” Eventually we made it to the park which was right on the coast, next to the Burj Al Arab Hotel. The WORLD’s most luxurious hotel. Check it out here. [link] Definitely check it out. Just to take a tour of the lobby is like $50 USD.

So, we didn’t actually go inside (we were not dressed appropriately) but we did see a couple of jet-setters helo on and off the hotels own helipad. That was a pretty interesting experience. It’s a shame that photography is discouraged in this part of the world, or I would probably be doing the tourist thing. I might start smuggling a small digital camera around with me. Just so I can take pictures when the opportunity presents itself.

One of the guys I work with brought his camera and took some pictures. I am entirely too pale. and that makes me sad. I look like I would glow in the dark.

I spent over 740 Dirhams while in Dubai, and I am not sure of the exchange rate… but my math is telling me that it’s about $250. If we had been here any longer, I think my bank account would have taken a much bigger hit.

Oh well… It’s for the best. I have quite a couple few commissions outstanding, and I don’t think the artists that I have been working with would appreciate me being unable to pay them for their hard work.

To those artists I have outstanding payments, Don’t worry, you should be paid in full by the end of the week. (=yumedust *Elcarim)

--I reject your reality, and substitute my own