Redshirt in London

Click for huge! Your humble blogger went to London way, way back in 2004. I loved everything about London, and especially the British Library and the British Museum. Simply heaven. And herewith I present some photos I took at these places before I was shut down at the BL by this super snaggled tooth security lady. I sincerely did not know photography was prohibited - but note! I never used flash so I consider my crime victimless, aye, even more, a victory.

I know the names or authors of none of these books, unfortunately, as I did not take notes for my pics of these ancient books - this one's from like 1320 or some such. Also, I assume the pic above is from a complete book of medieval porn/botany.

More botany. And snakes.

Illuminated Texts is the name of the genre - huge manuscripts hand written by small armies of monks squirreled away in far off castles and monasteries. Beautifully painted and simply gleaming under light, no doubt due to the actual silver on the page. Books were once magical, mystical items of great import and rarity and as such, they were venerated. Now, we have Kindles and iPads and cheap ass paperback editions. It's the future, people.

Bonus British Library collection of John Dee's magical items. Dee was fairly awesome, but yeah, it seems like there were so many awesome people back then. In history, that is. As opposed to now. We're all lame.

Newswatch16

Bill O'Reilly - in your face "journalist" from way back. A pioneer of the "in your face gotchya" technique in many ways. Hooray for evil! Also, big props to the Newswatch16 logo. Especially the future as heck 16.

But not all reporters/anchorman are evil.

Or are they?

I was never a Will Ferrel fan but this one time I was on the red eye to London and Anchorman came on the in seat TV and even though most everyone was sleeping around me I could not help but laugh out loud. LOL. To some annoyance. I've subsequently seen it many times and love it more so  - funnier still to consider it as a superhero movie, where each channel is a super hero (or villain) team. Consider the anchorman fight as culmination of this theory. Hooray for analogies!

Yay!

Big Ben Kids

Look! I went to London and saw Big Ben and took a picture of this crazy guy ranting on the corner. Though in sooth I agreed with all his signs and had a pleasant talk with him -  he was absolutely correct in most of his opinions, I found, and incredibly committed to them. He wasn't really ranting either. Another difference between America and England - English nutters are well versed, polite, and correct. I generalize based on a single experience, of course. I must confess I grudgingly admire anyone who would stand on the street with a sign, telling the world their opinion. It takes energy! Far easier to sit on the couch and mutter under one's breath. And so we all agree to make fun of guys like this, when in fact, he's a hero, and all the hate stems from shame.

Ain't it the truth?

Escape from your self

As always, click for big. It's glorious - all the colors of Trek nerds you could imagine. Look at the Boy Borg in the upper right.

When we dress up in costumes, we leave our normal world behind. This is a literal, physical feeling, one you can sense even when dressing up for a dinner at the Chez Fancy or going to one of them there Broadway shows. Different costumes for different events, as you fit the new mold of who you are supposed to be, then, and there. Going to a sporting event, for instance, requires a different costume than one for the opera, and it will make you feel like a different person. Perhaps.

If you agree so far, than, ask yourself this: What does this say about us? That we - the individuals we think of as "us", or, "I" - are actually largely constructed from the clothes we wear, and the circumstances we normally find ourselves. How could you argue for a permanent "you" if "you" can change simply by wearing a different costume? 


I would argue we, knowingly or not, use this dynamic as a social and personal release valve. Halloween, for another example, allows you to confront the darker side of life, in a fun and socially accepted way. You delve into it, knowing you'll be right out. You get to take a break from your own life, escape from your self, and perhaps see the world with new eyes.


It's like a battery recharge, and the more often you can break out of the mundane, the more fresh you'll be. This is the point of many of our costumed rituals.


So, live long and prosper, Star Trek (and all affiliated) nerds. Enjoy the liberation which is the release of self. 


This is the near ultimate aim of Buddhism, by the way: Letting go of the ego, understanding what it really is in the process: An illusion. A costume. A mask.

Also, too: I was on this same not London Bridge back in the banner year of 2004:

Fireworks are simulated war, and war is death

Pop quiz, hot shot: Where in the world was this photo taken?


BZZT! London. The London Eye, in fact, during a recent New Years celebration. Quite spectacular, for stuffy olde England!

As pretty as fireworks can be, never lose sight of what they represent: War. A simulation of war, and simulations are almost always steps in the right direction - better to shoot off a bottle rocket than a mortar, eh?

But there's no good lesson here - no one learns anything about the horrors of war from a fireworks celebration, except occasionally for a burned fireworks technician. So, more work to be done!

Also, fireworks - that is, DRAMA! CONFLICT! CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! is really the defining aspect of our reality. Without conflict, and the inevitable destruction that results, not much of anything would happen, ever. All would be balanced.

But with imbalances, pressures build up on one side and then demands an outlet. BOOM! Big excitement. And thus, the real benefits of fireworks, and other Breads and Circuses: Pressure releases.

The Glorious Dead

London, 2004

Here's to all the redshirts throughout all of time - the numbers that have died in someone else's wars are staggering if you start adding them up. But then, that's why we're here! Huzzah.