Apr 12th 2011, 14:22 by E O Hatterpol | KUIPER BELT DAY 8
THERE are plenty of reasons to pout: my sore ribcage, my mild concussion, eight days of poor sleep & the fact that these things are preventing me from investigating a mystery deep in the bookstacks.
But you know what? I'm not going to complain.
I took a long weekend in bed to rest, watch television, & read books. The fictional heroes I followed have shown me how to adopt a new attitude toward space. From now on, I'm going to be as positive as I can about this whole starship-to-new-planet experience.
I'm almost finished with the first season of Doctor Who (with Christopher Eccleston). What I like about the Doctor is that he recovers from every sci-fi crisis thrown at him with a big smile on his face. He gets angry sometimes - everyone does - but on the whole he's not a dramatic person, even though he faces end-of-the-world dramatic adversity in each episode.
I also spent time reading about the tales of Bastian & Atreyu in The Neverending Story. I just got to the part where Atreyu's mount, Artax, dies of sadness on their way to see Morla, the Aged One in the Swamps of Sadness. Atreyu could have given up, or sat down & complained, but he kept going.
(By the way, Artax's death is ten times as sad in the movies. Reading about the struggles of a talking horse is easier to stomach than watching a mute horse give up.)
Then, all of a sudden, I got a craving for American comics I've never had in all my years, so I checked out some new Thor issues that are gorgeously illustrated. Nothing to take from here, though; Thor is a straight bad-ass, full stop. Always has been, always will be.
Point is, I've complained a lot so far & I'm going to stop. Nobody wants to hear about how much sleep I got last night; they want to hear about the 70,000 Kuiper belt objects that are believed to be floating around out here at the edge of the solar system.
If the giant blue whale hits every single one of those 70,000 objects on the way out, who cares? So long as we stay positive & keep going.
And so with that, I officially ban the Starship Drama from ever docking alongside the Flybrary! With a positive attitude, it won't be long before we're yelling "Land ho!"
Good for you! And it's quite the right attitude! I needed this post. If the Doctor can face the total annihilation of his people and keep going with that smile, what right do I have to complain about a stomach virus? Good form, Hatterpol!
ReplyDeleteSo, massive question: is the novel any good in comparison to the film? You see, I'm a diehard Neverending Story I fan, and I've never read the book. Is it worth it? Though I suppose if one can read it in space and be interested in it rather than the magnificent views out one's window, it must be!
(Besides all of which congrats on finishing series one! --Again, Time isn't linear!)
ReplyDeleteP.P.S I absolutely LOVE the illustration for this one! Made me laugh. Such intensity of conviction! XD
ReplyDeleteFUNNY how pirates show up right after I tell myself to be positive!
ReplyDeleteI hope your stomach virus has cleared up, too!
The Neverending Story is amazing in book form; find one that's printed in red & green inks for the full effect.
On Doctor Who season 3 now. You cannot defeat David Tennant!!
& thanks about the drawing! I had more time to doodle in sick bay so I tried my best!
NEVERENDING Story update: my foggy recollection of the first movie only extends 50% of the way into the novel. Then the action really starts.
ReplyDeleteGetting my mind blown. Michael Ende's prose is infinitely creative and sharper than Occam's razor to boot. There is straight up no fluff in this novel, just succinct pictures of unimaginable places.