As I mentioned yesterday, today was reserved for a very special post, one in which to wish my mother a very Happy Birthday!!!

The above picture is not as old as you might think. My mother is still that pretty and my brother and I are still close to that maturity level, so it fits perfectly really! (Sorry Abby, its hard to see you, being an egg several years from hatching and all…)

My mother is a very amazing woman. For those of you who’ve been reading for awhile you know that my mother will occasionally pop up in the comments section from time to time. Its always a hoot because I’m still a little amazed that my parents have a new computer in their home and are online. I’ve always thought of my parents as fairly hip but did not believe the day would come when they would join the world in cyberspace. I’m very proud of them both but especially my mom as she seems to have mastered email and internet traveling very well. That isn’t the only reason she is amazing.

Despite an attempt to leave my infant self at the airport on the way back from Germany (dad in army) she has always been a wonderful mom. She worked really hard in our home to provide my brother and I, and later our sister, a clean, safe, fun home environment and thanks to her we never went hungry, never felt alone, and always knew we were loved. We were and are very blessed. How she managed to put up with our silliness, stupidness, and rebelliousness I’ll never know (For an example of silliness I refer you back to the nipplegate incident). Regardless of anything we ever did, good or bad, mom always had time for us to talk things through. There was a time between my 10th and 11th grade years where I was really having some monumental struggles with things at school (mostly authority figures and my rebellious nature) and I recall having a moment of epiphany when I realized that I could talk to my mom about this stuff and she would actually listen…and even had some good advice. I doubt that I followed it all but at least she gave it to me anyway.

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Mom, you share your birthday with such famous people as:

June Allyson, star of stage and screen from the late 1930’s. She starred in such films as Little Women in 1949, The Glenn Miller Story with Jimmy Stewart in 1954, and My Man Godfrey with William Powell in 1957 just to name a few. She turns 87 today.

Bishop Desmond Tutu who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, he turns 73

and current Russian President Vladimir Putin, 52.

And of course today marks the 156th anniversary of the death of Edgar Allan Poe.
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In addition you share your birthday with a young man who turns 6 years old today, Zachary Smith, son of our friends Jeff and Keri. Happy Birthday Zack, here’s some dinosaurs just for you:

and here is a link to a cool palaeontology blog that your dad can go to every day to show you pictures of dinosaurs bones and other cool stuff.

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Mom, you have always been a source of love and inspiration. I appreciate the way that you have been supportive of my family and continue to be a help to us when we need you. I love you very much and am thankful for your influence in my life and the way that you raised us. You have been exactly the mother I’ve needed. Happy Birthday to you, Mom.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I ponder, weak and weary…because its so late and I should be in bed. This post was intended to be aired on Friday, October 7th. I decided to reserve that date for a very special post so please realize that I know that it is actually Thursday, October 6th and bear with me.

October 7th, 1849 marks the day of the death of Edgar Allan Poe. At a mere 40 years of age Poe died as he lived, mysteriously. If you know anything about Poe it is probably of the nature of his lifestyle and addictions, facts which many see as part of the many inconsistencies in accounts of Poe’s life. I’ll get back to that.

I first discovered the stories of Edgar Allan Poe in 7th grade. I was taking a junior high literature class in which we read The Masque of the Red Death. The tale was so engrossing that I sat there and read it again and again, trying to fathom every possible meaning and nuance of the story. I became a fan then and have never stopped being one. At the time I was attending a small Christian school and I have always found it ironic that my eyes would be opened to Poe’s macabre tales at a place where one would stereotypically assume they would frown upon those type of stories. To this day I am extremely grateful to the author of that literature book who introduced me to such delightful, delicious tales of mystery, terror and imagination.

If you have never read any of the works of Edgar Allan Poe you have missed out on some of the greatest stories ever recorded. While not wildly successful in terms of riches Poe was a very celebrated author even while he was alive, receiving critical acclaim for his short stories and poems. The acclaim was valid then and even more so today. Most of Edgar Allan Poe’s tales are timeless. They don’t feel like old literature that one dusts off to discover the way people used to think. His stories are alive and vibrant and thought provoking. They are capable of giving you a chill on a cold dark night and they make you marvel at the talent of a man who wrote his greatest works and died before the age of 40. Edgar Allan Poe only published one novel-length story, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. The rest of his works are short stories and poems, both of which he was a master. Poe’s stories are not frightening because of an abundance of blood and gore, they are frightening because the subject matter rings true of reality tinged with madness. They are stories of revenge and murder, of madness and justice, of the death of young loves and of being buried alive (a particular favorite subject in Poe’s stories). Poe is also considered the father of the detective story with his character of Dupin featured in the 3 stories: Murders in the Rue Morgue, Mystery of Marie Roget, and The Purloined Letter. Virtually all the conventions recognized in detective fiction today originated in these stories by Poe.

Like any genius there is a great deal of speculation as to where Poe got his ideas. It could easily be argued that his life circumstances contributed to the tone of melancholy and death in his works. Poe’s mother and father both died before he was 3 years old and he was taken into the home of the Allan family. Poe’s relationship throughout childhood and early adulthood with the Allan family was a rocky one. He was never officially adopted and was eventually disowned by the family. In 1835 he went to live with his widowed aunt Maria Clemm and her daughter Virginia. In 1836 Edgar Allan Poe married his 13 year old cousin Virginia, he was 27. In 1842 she became severely ill with tuberculosis. She was tragically ill throughout her remaining years and died in 1847. Biographical accounts indicate that Poe had occasional intense bouts with alcohol. Depending on who you believe the extent of this problem ranges from minor to alcoholism being a driving force in his life. The problem with the biographies of Poe is that many were written years after his deaths from accounts of those who were still alive who knew him, many of whom are thought to have had agendas of their own. One particular biographer seemed hell bent while Poe was alive to paint him as a devil and a poster child for the wickedness of alcohol. Whatever can be said it is generally believed that depression and alcohol use increased dramatically after Virginia’s death and last until his own death in 1849.

Taken from the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore “… there is also no greater example of how badly Poe’s biography has been handled. Shrouded in opinion and contradiction, the essential details of Poe’s final days leave us with more questions than answers. In the end we must accept that the few tantalizing facts we have lead to no certain conclusion. Poe’s death must, probably, remain a mystery — but the puzzle still teases and entices us.” There are varying theories as to the cause of Poe’s death and what happened to him between the days of approximately September 27th when all seemed well to October 3rd when he was found in a bad state and hospitalized, never to regain consciousness to the point of being able to coherently relate the circumstances of his malady. You can read the many accounts and theories here. Alcoholism, disease, attempted murder, being beat up by a political gang…all and more are theories as to the reasons for his death and none have overwhelming evidence to suggest that they are the true reason. The mystery remains.

Here is a link to all of Edgar Allan Poe’s works online. While I’m not a fan of reading fiction on the computer it does give one an opportunity to sample his work without taking a trip to the library or bookstore. To truly experience Poe you must be reading from the printed page, book in hand. There is simply nothing like reading stories in book form and Poe’s writing screams for a comfy chair, darkness, and a good solid volume of his works in your hand. I have several different volumes of various works of Poe. A large portion of my Halloween decorating consists of putting together my Edgar Allan Poe shrine complete with books and other memorabilia that remind me of Poe and his works. One of my most prized pieces and an indication of my Poe obsession was this gift given to me by my lovely wife last year for Christmas. It was a complete and utter surprise and I’m still thrilled by it to this day.

It is a brick from the last Manhattan residence of Edgar Allan Poe. The Poe Museum lost its bid to block New York University from demolishing it in constructing their new location. The apartment at 85 Amity Street, Greenwich Village was demolished in 2001 and the Poe Museum and the Mystery Writers of America obtained some of the bricks as part of the settlement for them to sell. Mary went to the Poe Museum site and purchased one for me. Here is a close up of the plaque attached to the brick:

They obtained 700 bricks and mine is number 327. I may be silly but I just love this!

If you are interested in reading Poe, Barnes and Noble put out this wonderful large format book last year

It has several of Poe’s better known works and is beautifully illustrated by Mark Summers. As an added bonus it has an introduction by Neil Gaiman and is only $14.95! The one I had was damaged and I found one in perfect condition in Chicago for $8.50!!!

Edgar Allan Poe is an author worth reading and re-reading to savor his deep delicious and often macabre tales. I recommend The Raven, The Black Cat, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Tell-Tale Heart as good ones to begin with. 156 years after his death he is still one of the greatest if not the greatest American author. As in death there is mystery surrounding Poe’s actual place of burial. Of the many monuments and gravestones this is my favorite.

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted–nevermore!

I have many things to post about October, autumn and Halloween. Truth be told it was too hot today to feel like fall, I have been too busy to start decorating for the season, and I am not yet ready to let the crew of Serenity go.

There are some things that you tend to lose as you grow up. They seem to just go away. One of those things is that captivating feeling of a good book or movie. In reality you do not lose this entirely, it is just that moments like those are often few and far between. Firefly, a series that I completely missed in its original run, turned out to be one of those moments of child-like bliss that one misses in adulthood. I was told by many to “give it a few episodes and you will really get into it”. For me it didn’t take a few episodes. Though the two-hour pilot felt somewhat like the first episode of any series, with the actors trying to find their way, I was hooked from the very beginning. There on the small screen was the familiarity of the genre I love with a uniqueness that defies easy explanation. If you are in love with the series you know what I mean. It seems a little silly to post about Firefly after reviewing Serenity but as I said, I’m not ready to let go. This will not be a typical review. I just want to ramble a little about the things I enjoy about Firefly. Bear with me, I may wander a might…but that is what you do sometimes when discussing the things you have affection for.

Firefly, How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

1. The Cast and Characters:

Nathan Fillion, Malcom Reynolds…Mal, Captain of Serenity. I’ve proclaimed past affection for Han Solo and Mal is truly the Han Solo character for this generation of science fiction fans. His love and loyalty to his ship and crew coupled with his very human aspect of looking out for his own interests makes him a very charming rogue. From the first unexpected gunshot (wink, wink) I was a fan. Nathan Fillion brings such a swagger to the role yet manages to make the character very likeable right from the start.

Gina Torres, Zoe Washburn, First Mate of Serenity. Zoe is a strong, powerful character and it would have been easy for Whedon and Torres to make the mistake of allowing this character to be a one-dimensional alpha-female. Instead Zoe is a multi-dimensional character who is not only believable as a tough-as-nails ex-soldier turned first mate but is also believable as a wife, friend, ship-mate and a woman. Gina Torres’ beauty and talent go a long way towards rounding out the role of Zoe.

Alan Tudyk, Hoban “Wash” Washburn, pilot of Serenity. I first saw Alan Tudyk in A Knight’s Tale where he nearly stole the show. He continues his run of brilliant comedic acting in Firefly. Tudyk makes Wash such a loveable, humorous character without turning him into an “aw, shucks” caricature. Wash is such a perfect blend of cockiness in his abilities and self-deprecation that you cannot help but like the character instantly. Alan shows emotion so well that I find it easy to empathize with him both in Firefly and A Knight’s Tale…he has a great ability to show you the man behind the ‘funny-guy’ mask.

Morena Baccarin, Inara Serra, Companion. I have to admit that when I first heard the buzz before Firefly aired the biggest turn off for me was the idea that the show would feature a prostitute. My early impression was that this was going to be a gimmick character with no real depth. Upon finally seeing the show I could not have been more wrong. Baccarin brings the same dimension to this role that I believe Nicole Kidman brought to the role of Satine in Moulin Rouge. The role is not written to glorify or deplore Inara’s profession but is instead written to show Inara as a woman with a gift that has helped her become sought after and at the same time one who aspires to be more than she currently is. Morena Baccarin portrays Inara with such a fluid grace that it is obvious that she is more cultured and elegant than the rest of the crew. And the outfits!!! I have to tip my hat to the costume designer as every outfit Inara wears is elegant and stunning and rich with texture and detail.

Adam Baldwin, Jayne Cobb. What a terrific character! It is not an easy thing to write comedy nor is it an easy thing to perform it. The writing and performance of the character of Jayne Cobb is amazing to say the least. He is the most loveable selfish, greedy, unconscionable, occasionally bumbling rogue I have ever seen. Baldwin is just terrific in this role and each line is a quotable, humorous work of art. Jayne Cobb is a great antithesis to the character of Malcom Reynolds and they balance each other perfectly.

Jewel Staite, Kaylee Frye, engineer of Serenity. Jewel Staite is an adorable actress who takes the very loveable role of Kaylee and saves it from being a one-dimensional ‘cutsey’ character. From the very beginning of Firefly we are rooting for Kaylee in her lovelorn pursuit of the doctor. The other thing that impresses me about this character is the way that Staite and Whedon craft the genuiness of this character. I have no problem believing that Kaylee is indeed an engineer due to the way the character is handled in the series. Jeff actually pointed this out to me and I thoroughly agree with him.

Sean Maher, Dr. Simon Tam. If you have seen Firefly or Serenity you can see that the character is set up to be somewhat antagonistic. In his devotion to his sister and her ultimate protection Simon can be unyielding and quarrelsome. Also as a character who gives the initial impression that he is not prone to violence Simon could have easily become a whining character on Serenity that was somewhat unlikeable . Again terrific casting and writing kept this from happening. Simon is a character that had to grow on me and I really believe this was intentional and fits the personality of the character so well. Ultimately I liked Simon Tam despite my desire to slap him and just say “kiss Kaylee already, you fool!!!”

Ron Glass, Shepherd Book. In my opinion it was a stroke of genius to put a holy man in the midst of the many wordly characters of Firefly. It was even better to cast Ron Glass as that character and give the character a very real, human side rather than making him a holier-than-thou parody. Shepherd Book is one of my favorite characters in this ‘verse and Glass portrayed him with such conviction that he really kicked the show up several notches. This is a very well-rounded role and I loved what they did with it.

Summer Glau, River Tam. The character of River is one through which the destiny of the Serenity crew is guided. Summer Glau does a masterful job in portraying the mysterious, fragmented character of River Tam. Her moments of psychosis and moments of lucidity are equally believable and Glau acts so well in the role that you find yourself caring deeply about this character despite her inconsistent mental health. I really enjoyed this character in both Firefly and Serenity and loved how she developed each and every episode.

In fact that is one of the things I enjoyed most about the cast and the characters…that in each episode they grew individually and as a ‘family’. It is almost unreal how quickly one becomes attached to these characters in the mere 14 episodes that comprise the only season of Firefly. I encourage you to click on all the names and visit their fan sites, there are some really great ones out there.

2. The Ship:

Not since the first time I laid eyes on the Millenium Falcon have I been so excited about a hunk of junk. Serenity is a Firefly class vessel, one of a group that has been in use for some time. Like Han Solo before him Malcom Reynolds is passionate about his vessel and occasionally blind to her deficiencies. I love the way the ship looks and I love the character that Whedon has infused her with. Serenity is the kind of ship the little boy inside of me, who is still alive and well, daydreams about boarding to search the stars. It doesn’t replace the Falcon in my affections, but runs a very close second.

There is a great firefly wallpaper here that includes pictures of the cast. It is 1024X768.

3. The Dialogue, including the foul language:

Those who have watched any of Whedon’s shows or read any of the comics he has written knows that Whedon is a master with dialogue. I really enjoy the use of Western slang, made up slang like “shiny” and “verse” and also the use of actual Chinese swearing and other Chinese dialogue.

If you are not a gou tsao de, fong luh, shiong-muh duh duang-ren, tah mah de then go to this site and you can find the translations of some of the Chinese dialogue used in Firefly. (Sorry about my potty mouth, but does it really count if it is in a foreign language?)

4. The relationships:

And here I’m talking about the romantic relationships or the potential romantic relationships.

The “we like each other but damned if we’re going to admit it” relationship between Mal and Inara was very enjoyable without becoming Ross-and-Rachelish. I liked the way this relationship built and the emotional punch that this relationship provided in the final episode of the television series.

The marital relationship between Zoe and Wash was fantastic. Their passion and desire for one another and their marriage was handled so well throughout the series without being a distraction. It was so great to see a marital relationship in a science fiction series, let alone any series, that actually promoted a positive spin on marriage.

and of course the unrequited…or is it?…relationship between Kaylee and Simon. As I mentioned earlier Kaylee is such a loveable character that you desperately want Simon to wake up and throw himself into her arms. I really enjoyed the ebb and flow of this relationship in the series.

5. Out of Gas

While each episode of Firefly is entertaining Out of Gas is my favorite. More than that, however, I believe Out of Gas is one of the greatest single episodes of a television series that I’ve seen in my life. Set at roughly the midpoint of the season it is an episode that really solidifies the relationships between the crew. The opening image of Serenity, lifeless and adrift in the silence of space to be followed by a series of flashbacks showing not only what lead to its current state but also showing how the various crew members came to be aboard Serenity in the first place is pure television genius. The way it is shot, the dialogue, the music…everything is terrific. Out of Gas hits every beat perfectly and I find myself close to weeping every time it gets to the end and Mal, surrounded by the entire crew, says “you all gonna be here when I wake up?”. It is so powerful. And then the ending flashback where it shows Mal picking out Serenity…wow! I know, I know…it is supremely silly to get this attached to a television show but I am and know (hope) that I’m not alone.

and finally

6. The Theme Song.

I didn’t like it the first time but after seeing an episode it really fits perfectly and I love it. You can go here to see the lyrics and listen to it.

If you have not watched all 14 episodes of Firefly in their proper order I have to say ‘trust me…watch it all…you won’t be disappointed’.

And for all of you, especially Jules who wanted to see River Tam without greasy, stringy hair, I leave you with this picture:

(click on picture for a larger version…make sure you move your curser to the lower right hand corner of the bigger picture once opened to expand it to its full size.)

Thanks for letting me ramble on about Firefly and Serenity. I watched Out of Gas again tonight before writing this post and despite how much I loved Serenity and the way it wrapped up the series I literally ache for these characters to be back on screen. It is a shame when great television ends before its time.