Bulletin Board of the Brain » The Universe

What Happened To Me Tuesday

Kj — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 09:16:54 +0000

This

What can I say? I am astounded, dumbfounded, profoundly humbled, and indescribably grateful.

And a little bit closer to leaving Seattle.

[no comment]

Celtic Prayer

Kj — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:57:20 +0000

I’ve been fortunate this spring to be an assistant instructor for the Celtic Spirituality class at The Seattle School, taught by Tom Cashman. This week, students brought in prayers they had written in the Celtic style, some features of which include a Trinitarian focus, attention to nature and specifics of everyday life, a rhythmic structure, and nuance between the immanence and eminence of God. I took the opportunity to write two myself. Here they are.

Prayer for the orphaned

Holy God
Fractal father of the universe
You are the same from near as from far
show me how I am shaped like you
that I would not prize isolation over relationship

Holy spirit
Voice of the wind
You are as gentle as you are strong
Help me hear the secret vows I have made
That I might be freed from lies I have believed

Holy Christ
Most human of humans
You are both healer and king
Enlarge my heart to take compassionate risks
That I would not run from the pain of love

Prayer for Awe

I bind to me this day
The wisdom of the Spirit
She who wakes the fairies
Speaks through dream language
Rouses repentance through story
May I respond to your truth at the moment I hear you, and not hesitate to trust

I bind to me this day
The beauty of the Son
He who walks with the wolves in winter
Laughs with the mischievous toddler
Keens with the mourning lover
May I respond to your desire at the moment I am near you, and not hesitate to love

I bind to me this day
The faith of the Creator
Who stirs the atoms of the universe
Unfurls the spirals of time
Encloses every reality to one
May I respond to your presence at the moment of my need,
at the moment of my joy,
at the moment of my death
and at the moment of my transformation,
that I would not hesitate to embody the fullness of what you made me to be: yours.

What I’ve Learned Watching Star Trek TNG Chronologically Instead of Syndicated(ly)

Kj — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:04:54 +0000

**While I’m pretty sure that by 1991 I was watching new episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation every Sunday at 6pm on FOX, and while I’m positive that in its 12+ years of syndication, I have seen every episode of TNG at least 3 times, what I have never done is watch the series from its chronological beginning to its close. In today’s era of online streaming and boxed sets, we’re used to talking to each other about the 5-year television series we just watched for the first time in a 2-week marathon and how you watched it that way the previous summer. Further, in the post-Buffy the Vampire Slayer world of the 21st century, we’re used to hour-long TV dramas that follow a narrative through-line rather than functioning mainly as episodic incidents. Star Trek TNG is perhaps the epitome of all that was good in cable syndication: that show you were super familiar with, but never really needed to know what came before or after the episode you were watching. You might notice that Ensign Ro was there so that meant it was at least in the second half of its run, or that Wesley was wearing his rainbow sweater so it must be an early episode, but you (or maybe just I) never knew the true narrative locations within the cumulative storyline of TNG.

Enter Netflix.

All of TNG is streaming online right now, and by watching each episode in the correct order, some long lingering questions of mine are beginning to have answers. Here are some of them as of finishing season 1. (Yes, I know Interweb can answer all these questions for me, but it’s so rewarding to discover them as I go).

1. Saturn’s changing appearance in the opening credits?

Okay, so technically, this one doesn’t have an answer yet, but watching in syndication, I could always tell by whether Saturn was opaque mustard colored or dark orange with glowy spots, that it was a very early show or not. (The other major clue of course being the uniforms: tight-fitting with diagonal lines on shoulders or sturdier with more blocked black on shoulders. And OMG I forgot they actually had some attempts at the old-school mini skirt uniforms in early seasons. Even stuck one on Counsellor Troi for some reason). What I can confirm is that all of season 1 has classic mustard Saturn (and the uniforms are still the skin-tight bellboy numbers from season 1).

2. How long did Tasha Yar last?

I always found it odd that such a major character as Tasha died in such a cheap-looking episode, but did she make it past season 1? The answer is no. She bites the dust with only 3 episodes till the end of the season. And frankly, I was fine with that. For a Federation Starfleet officer, she was incredulously intolerant and judgemental of other cultures and it annoyed me. (I didn’t notice this till re-watching).

3. When does Dr. Polaski replace Dr. Crusher?

I forgot I had this question until BOOM, season 2 premiere, there’s Dr. Polaski. I’m only 4 episodes into season 2, so I don’t know when she’ll dissapear or how they’ll explain Dr. Crusher deciding to quit her job as head of Starfleet Medical, but I do know that I just plan hate Dr. Polaski. Sorry world. And sorry Diana Muldaur. Your status as an Original Series actor makes you cool, but Polaski’s caustic attitude and sense of superiority over Data make her the Debbie Downer of NCC-1701-D.

4. OMG the heat between Picard & Crusher!

This is more a realization than a question, but I’ve discovered that from episode 1, the writers were being none-too-shy about shipping Captain Picard and Beverly Crusher. I’ve always known they had important history regarding her dead husband, and that they were close, but by S1/E2 “The Naked Now” (ahem) you’re bsically expecting their wedding to be the season finale. While I don’t know the nuance of how they further deflect or develop their relationship, I’m pretty confident that it was toned down to a mutual respect, not mutual turn-on, by later seasons.

4. When does Guinan show up?

This one was a shocker. I’ve always associated Guinan with the second half of the series (in my mind the stronger half of its run). But BAAM, first episode of season 2, there she is! AND this made me realize that 10-Forward never appears in the first season; it’s presence as the social center of the Enterprise debuts in season 2. Which, as far as I can discern, makes it possible to believe that Guinan has been there from the get go, we just never were in 10-forward to see her. I like that.

5. When does Geordi Laforge become Chief Engineer?

Another visual marker of early shows is LeVar Burton’s red uniform rather than his engineer-gold. Answer: Season 2 episode 1 (lots of changeover occured-all for the better I think). There’s no explanation for why he got promoted but we hear that his promotion was recent.

6. When does Worf become Chief of Security? (and when does he starting looking like a Klingon instead of a Q-tip?)

After Tasha’s death in season 1, Worf is made acting security chief but wears red till the end of the season. But season 2, he’s finally in his classic gold look. Also, S2/E1 is when his traditional Klingon thing he wears changes from fringed gold fabric to baddass silver metal. What remains to change is letting his hair grow out like a normal klingon instead of his current, unfortunate golf-sock look.

7. The Beard?

When does Riker become a man? Again, the goodness that is the passing into season 2/Episode 1 brings Riker into the facial-haired First Officer we all know and love, not that smooth-faced-loose-cannon-Kirk-knock-off from season 1.

8. Chief O’Brien, whereart thou?

Oddly enough, he’s in the series pilot. He’s in a red uniform, and pretty much just one of the many random officers doing stuff in random episodes. But he pops up from time time. He gets a bit more focus by S2/E1, though still just a reoccurring fellow officer. But what does occur is an odd stream of north country transporter chiefs, most notable being Lt. Commander Argyle. Was this the one area where they wanted to do homage to TOS- Scottie, Argyle, and eventually (but when?) O’Brien? Weird.

8. How the hell did Wesley Crusher earn the right to fly the Enterprise?

Don’t get mad. I too love dear little Wesley Crusher, but seriously, how did they justify having a 14-year-old at the helm of Starfleet’s flagship? Well, there it is in S1/E5 “Where No One Has Gone Before”. The Traveller, a character I was surprised to see appeared so very early on, has a nice chat with Picard to tell him how Wesley’s special yet-to-be-revealed abilities need encouragement and training, thus leading Picard to give the child prodigy the status as acting-ensign. It works, and that’s one character arc (what the Traveller knows that we don’t yet) I like knowing was there from the beginning.

General Thoughts After Season 1

It’s interesting to realize what episodes are premieres or finales, that I always thought were just run-of-the-mill episodes: did you know that the random Counsellor Troi having a baby episde was a season premiere? I didn’t.

Further, I didnt give it a special note, but I am paying close attention to Deanna Troi’s transormation from weridly-coiffed gray jumpsuit wearing exotic Imzadi, to fluffy-haired, uniformed, friendly Deanna that I actually like. (yes, I know the episode where she tests for officer status, but I don’t know when it happens of course). As of season 2, her non-Starfleet outfits look more business-appropriate and her hair is thankfully down more than it is up.

I’m sure there’s more, but these are the AHA moments I’ve been having while watching in 23 minutes blocks while I eat lunch in front of my my computer. And, no hyperbole intended, the days where I wake up knowing that today is a day I get to eat lunch while watching Star Trek, are days I sigh inwardly and say “I’m so lucky to be alive.” TNG has always been a home away from home. I love the beige walls and mahogany paneling of those hallways more than I love most foods. FACT.

**The existence of this largely fandom-hewn post is most likely the result of my passion for this blog, whose author unfortunately will probably not read this post because of the TNG spoilers. Tragic interweb irony at its best.

Where Am I?

Kj — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 03:15:14 +0000

Here

and Here

Jet Bike Steve, Jimmy Fallon and Other Signs of our Changing Textual Identites

Kj — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 05:10:32 +0000

In “Introduction to the Hermeneutical Task” today at MHGS, I got to lecture on some questions that have been buzzing in my brain for quite some time now. I am obsessively curious about and amazed by the changing role of text and author in a culture where, due to blogs and social media, we are now largely the authors of the texts we read. What do the expressive capability of Twitter, Facebook and the like, bring to bear on our perception of “Author” and ourselves as “Reader” and what opportunities might this provide us as interpreters of scripture?

My hope was not to provide application ideas or explore “internet-as-metaphor,” but rather, in a class focused on the art of interpretation, to wonder what about ourselves we might be able to learn through the now ubiquitous presence of free and instant global communication. Does the new social landscape show us something about ourselves that has been obscured significantly since the printing press?

I certainly don’t have answers to these questions, and indeed, I hope the questions themselves are more helpful than the answers one might come up with. But today I finally got to talk about Twitter in an academic setting! I used some examples of new text and content being spawned by Twitter, as well as the displacing of “author”ity due to readers’ presence on the internet. I used an article I really enjoy by Dr. Bridget Cowlishaw, which I was lucky enough to hear her present at this year’s SWTX Popular & American Culture Conference.

Basically, since 2006, the word “text” is officially a verb. We also now live in a world where a 20-something guy can tweet stuff his dad says, and within a year, it becomes a sitcom starring William Shatner. This amazes me, and i believe it merits reflection.

Here’s some presentation images.

Also, here’s a link to an excellent TED talk by Clay Shirky. I used a clip of it as well.

I Really Need To Write About The Hunger Games…

Kj — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:48:02 +0000

…but instead, here’s David Tennant as Dr. Who.

Get to know him

Kj’s Corner: Mythopoeia, Monsters and Jesus Oh My!

Kj — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:27:10 +0000

For my second Kj’s Corner in “Theology & the Artistic Impulse” I explored the concept of Mythopoeia as described primarily by George MacDonald, JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis. For part of the lecture, (screenshots below) I also used a scene from the documentary Monster Camp (see the trailer below) and the preview for the documentary We Are Wizards (also below), to look at some cultural examples of how we attempt to inhabit the narratives that either enchant our lives or drive us to escape our lives. Thanks again Chelle for the opportunity to teach a bit, and thanks to the class for your gracious engagement and conversation around my little corners.

(This image is “Lucy & the Lampost” by Bridget Beth Collins. I have a copy hanging on my wall.)

Suggested reading on Mythopoeia:

C.S. Lewis: “On Stories” & “On Three Ways of Writing for Children”

George MacDonald: “The Imagination” & Lillith

JRR Tolkein: “”On Fairy Stories” & The Lord of the Rings (duh)

Kristin Johnson: “Tolkein’s Mythopoesis” in Tree of Tales

The Christian Imagination edited by Leland Ryken

Dialogical Film Club: Rundown 2010

Kj — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:42:02 +0000

Next month will mark the one year anniversary of the Dialogical Film Club, which, considering that it all started because six of us wanted to deconstruct Twilight, that’s really pretty amazing. Here’s what we’ve been up to. And DFC members- feel free to amend my versions of things. I know I forget about 80% of what we talked about once it’s over.

December 2009: DFC Christmas Extravaganza

Stop-Animation Specials: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy
Bonus Feature: Little Women
Chosen Because: I was really curious what Rudolph would be like for people who didn’t grow up with it, and I wanted to parse out my theory of Rudolph being a pro-queer text. Also, since I’d bought a Stop-animation Christmas DVD collection, we decided to explore one none of us really knew. Little Women came out of conversation around movies we always watch at Christmas, and after sitting there quoting Christian Bale and Gabriel Byrne for twenty minutes, those of us still hanging out decided to go ahead and just watch it.
Our Dialogue: Rudolph & Drummer Boy- you really have no idea how violent and angry they are till watching it with those who have never seen them. And I lost track of my “dentist/misfit=okay-to-be-gay” subtext as we realized what an A-hole Santa is in Rudolph. Little Women–I have no idea what we talked about, but man that night made up for the two weeks of Christmas break I spent weeping at my desk alone in the middle of the night writing my thesis. We even had British style Christmas Crackers- the kind that explode with toys, not covered in cheese.

January 2010: The Nines
Chosen Because: Ian was visiting us from NYC and curated this DFC, bringing with it questions of determinism, fate, spirituality, and how the film might function well as a play.
Our Dialogue: Much prediction around the trajectory of the mysteriously bifurcated narrative, and what the filmmakers wanted us to question about our reality. Also- we got kind of scared a bit.

February (though we met first week of March): Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban
Chosen Because: Harry Potter comes up a lot, and this is one of my top ten films of all time. Plus, Chasten had just finished reading the series.
Our Dialogue: Orphanhood, identity, protection–the various ways the story explores Harry’s need for care and protection from adults, but also how those relationships enable him to learn to protect himself.

March: Where The Wild Things Are
Chosen Because: The DFC is largely counseling psychology graduates and good lord, this film reads like a DSM article on the childhood subconscious.
Our Dialogue: This was the most heated (and lengthy) DFC meeting yet. We literally took an hour and a half to get through the first twenty minutes of the film. Factions formed between those who found the boy overdrawn, overwrought and heavy-handedly hipster, and those who found his portrayal heartbreakingly true. We discovered the split seemed to exist between oldest siblings (the former opinion) and youngest siblings (the latter). There was many a battle fought over this one- which doesn’t surprise me since when I saw the movie in the theater last October, it was the first time I ever walked out of a theater and said “Now that’s a movie for the DFC.” This viewing also marked another time where we were blessed with visits from Ian and from the Pietsches as well. The DFC misses them!

April: The Graduate
Bonus Feature: Garden State
Chosen Because: I don’t know who initially suggested The Graduate, but since most of our choices center around watching and wondering about what’s most popular culturally, The Graduate was a great opportunity to reflect on an iconically popular classic. I suggested Garden State as an intertext since it’s functioned in some similar ways for our generation as The Graduate did for our parents’, not the least of which being, the significant role of soundtracks for each film.
Our Dialogue: We were shocked by how clearly The Graduate (at least acts I & II) illustrated the cycle of abuse- with seduction, manipulation, guilt, abuse of power, etc. We were all equally flummoxed by WTF was going on during act III other than that Benjamin just basically goes insane. Then those who were able to stick around, shared embarrassing and cathartic stories of why Garden State felt so amazing six years ago, and now seems absolutely ridiculous. Go figure.

That’s it for now. Here’s to another great year of dialoguing our way through some breathtaking films and some crappy ones too!

Life on Venus

Kj — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:27:50 +0000

This is part of my last assignment for my last spring of seminary/grad school. It’s an image showing my current theological space. I’ve been inhabiting a different planet for some time now. I could call it Planet Lent/Holy Week/Resurrection. I could call it Planet People In My Room Late At Night. Or Planet Not-Submarine.

But the easiest term has been Venus.

Voices, faces, words, stories, prayers, tears, hands, gratitude, perseverance, sunrises, full moons, icons, incarnation, conversations, photographs, papers, books, songs, hot fudge sundaes, embraces, car rides, questions, histories, movie theatres, women, men, beloved friends.

Six weeks left…I wish I could fit all of your faces on this page.

…and yes, Sofa Square made it into my theological space collage. I love you Sofa Square.

Time to Talk Twilight

Kj — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 09:31:29 +0000

For about eight minutes, at least.

Anyone in Seattle who’s interested, some of us from my MDiv cohort will be presenting our Integrative Projects

Wednesday, April 7th at MHGS from 3-5.

You would be most welcome.