Random Thoughts V

And now, joining us from a keyboard near you, the internet presents –

Me! Hi world!

*waves enthusiastically*

But you knew that already.

Okay, I’ll be frank. These opening lines are hard to come up with. What should I say to kick things off?

Winter is coming? Not where I live.

Use the Force? Believe me, I would if I could.

Expecto Patronum! I loved the idea of having a symbolic spirit animal. I’m pretty sure mine would be something with wings.

There. All of those seem appropriate. Why, you ask?

They’re completely random. Didn’t you see the title?

It’s time for some random thoughts.

So – I’ve just finished reading The Martian. 

In a not-too-distant future, Mark Watney is one of a crew of astronauts meant to spend a month on Mars. The mission is scrubbed due to a dust storm beyond anything NASA anticipated. As the team is heading for their ship, Watney is hit by debris and lost from view. The others are forced to abandon him. Everyone thinks he’s dead…

But he’s not.

Now, with limited supplies, Mark has to survive on Mars long enough for the next mission to come along and save him. Which will take years.

It’s a lost-in-space story, in other words. Things often get technical, dealing with physics, mathematics, chemistry and so on. All the knowledge you’d need to keep yourself alive on another planet. Clearly a lot of research went into this. On its own, I daresay it could even get dull.

But it doesn’t get dull – because the hero is anything but.

Mark Watney is a smart guy. His resourcefulness and ingenuity under pressure is impressive enough. But what makes him compelling is his personality. He’s funny.

He’s kind of a smartass, actually.

Despite the odds against his survival, he approaches it all with an irreverent sense of humour and gritty optimism. He doesn’t despair, even in situations where most people would be thinking, this is it. He figures things out. He keeps working, moving, progressing.

I liked that.

I used to have a thing for grim heroes. Those who rarely smile and struggle under their many burdens. The more lighthearted kind, I figured, were hopelessly cliché, a remnant of childhood. The serious ones were more realistic, more relatable. They were cool.

And they’re still cool. But now I see them both in a different light.

Heroism is the willingness to keep going despite the odds. Yes? I realize now that this includes your attitude. I used to think optimism was just part of someone’s character. Either you had it or you didn’t.

But it’s not that simple, is it? There’s a struggle there. Staying positive is harder than it looks.

I guess I’ve come full circle here. But the depth I once saw in brooding heroes, I now see in the smiling ones instead. It can be hard to keep smiling. And seeing someone do it, staying positive despite the odds – that’s inspiring. It makes you think that maybe you can do it too.

Mark Watney is that kind of hero.

Thus inspired, I even watched the movie. It’s not bad. Matt Damon does the character justice. But inevitably, his many challenges are streamlined. There’s a greater emphasis on the drama, less on the humour. What can I say? The book was better. Go read it.

Here’s the first chapter to get you started.

Next, character of a different kind.

A few years back, I came across a book called Waiter Rant: an expose of what it’s really like waiting tables for a living in the US. Adapted from his blog of the same name, the titular waiter was ranting about customers from hell. Naturally he hid all identities, his own included. Fake names for everyone.

Right, so his name’s Steve Dublanica. The book was a huge success. Kind of hard to keep yourself hidden after that. Apparently he was even featured on Oprah. I wouldn’t have known. I didn’t watch Oprah.

The details of the food and beverage industry alone were intriguing. What was this arbitrary ‘tipping’ business I kept hearing about? Over there, people can actually choose how much they want to pay you? What’s up with that?

But just as important was the author himself, speaking candidly about his own self-doubt, growing cynicism, and the knowledge that his was a job with no future. By his own admission, he could be kind of a jerk. But he was honest, and I liked that. I liked his voice.

Oh. I should explain. In creative writing, your voice is basically your own unique style/tone/methodology – sorry, it’s an elusive quality – developed through practice. Lots and lots of practice.*

Which he must have gotten through his blog. He’s still running it. No, he’s not a waiter anymore. His posts are now few and far between. But I just spent a few days reading the last few years’ worth, and that’s something I almost never do. He’s that good.

Go read this one, for his point of view on a famous parable. I have to admit, it makes sense. And this one, because it spoke to me on many levels. He’s right. We all have moments like that.

And this one, because I had to make an effort not to burst out laughing over it in public. Even now it cracks me up.

*contented sigh*

Yeah, I’m probably going to hell.

Thirdly – I’ve recently gotten a PlayStation 4. Secondhand, so relatively cheap. And I sold my last console to pay for it, which means that most of the money I spent on that years ago has gone towards this as well. Bottom line, it cost me far less than I ever thought possible. My inner child has been squealing with joy ever since. He still hasn’t stopped. Hey, quiet down in there.

Ahem.

The PS4 is Sony’s flagship video game console, of the eighth and current generation. For nearly twenty years, the console wars have been dominated by three companies: Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Of the current generation, in terms of both sales and technology, the PS4 is number one. It’s the best there is.

Now, I could go on and on about the amazing graphics**, technical capabilities, and many cool features. It supports Spotify! That’s just awesome.

But it also means something more than that.

See, over my many years of gaming, with a few exceptions – I’ve always been behind the times.

That is to say, I’ve (almost) never had the hardware for the newest games. I was always one or two generations behind. Not that that made a difference. Good games are good games, technical constraints notwithstanding. But there was always something better on the horizon.

Now I’ve reached the horizon. For the first time, I can actually play the newest games as soon as they’re released.

I’ve caught up.

Not that I could go on a shopping spree or anything. These things are expensive. But it's nice being on the cutting edge for once. One or two is more than enough.

Mass Effect: Andromeda, here I come.

Meanwhile, another cool feature of the PS4: it takes screenshots. Now I can write about this stuff and post my own pictures.

*grins*

Coming soon.

And lastly. How about some music?

Something different this time. Let’s go country.

Now in general, I’m indifferent to the genre. And to the singer, before or after she dropped her Disney-girl persona. But I like this song. It’s about parents, and hope for the future, and the ephemeral nature of childhood.

It’s a bedtime song. Fitting I guess, since I'm writing this at night, with rain outside my window. I like the rain at night. There's something comforting about it. This song gives me the same feeling.

It’s called ‘Butterfly Fly Away’.

* I think I’ve found mine. Though a writer’s voice is much more than this; assuming you know me, can you hear my actual voice making these stupid jokes and earnest observations and talking to you right now? 

*smirks* 

Yeah. I thought so too.

**Pretty. No, really. Pretttttty.