Internet Ragebrain and the Burning of Virtual Bridges

I've been seeing an alarming trend amongst adults.  It's not a new trend.  It's actually quite an old one.  That being that whenever I go to a party, or to someone's house, or meet up around dinner, or any wide variety of scenarios with people over 25; booze is always the focus. 

Now, as I said, this is not new.  I do enjoy beer, wine, & whiskey.  I have, however, been experiencing an exponential move away from being drunk.  When you first start drinking, undergrad most likely, you binge drink. Duh. You get as wasted as possible, and the next day you suffer for it, but not enough to keep you from doing it again that night. This trend continues through college, but you do learn what you like, what treats you bad, and how quickly one thing will affect you versus another.

Post college you probably slow down, but you are also now legal so the novelty is not quite as bright.  You enjoy drinking in public, especially bars in the summer with outdoor spaces.  But for me over time I've grown farther and farther from it.  Sure I like to have a beer.  I like trying different beers.  I'm fairly proud of my palette when it comes to beer.  My wine knowledge is decent, but my palette has probably lessened since I don't drink it that often.  Mostly for me though, drinking is done at parties and after a long days work.  Getting drunk, however, is rarely in the picture for me.  Not that I don't enjoy it, but that it just isn't worth the hangover.   It's odd to me though, because the opposite seems to be happening amongst my peers and older people that I know.  It's more than ritual, it almost seems to be an over whelming need. 

What does this have to do with the title?  I'm getting there.

The internet has changed the game of communication and information.  In an argument we used to just speculate, hope someone around us knew the information, or we could be luckily and be in the house of an Encyclopedia owner.  Now we just whip out our phones, or hop on a laptop. Google.  Answer found. 

This ability has made us lazy, or possibly more gullible.

Facebook in particular has been the website of choice for the posting of hopefully funny quips, cat videos, and (much to everyone's ire) political rhetoric.  In an age where anything is corroborable why are half-truths and straight up falsehoods still incredibly prevalent in our political discussions?  I think it is because we want to believe them, or that they are presented in such a fashion (memes, pics, ect) that we immediately have an emotional reaction and repost or reply. 

My own FB Timeline definitely lit up during the election, mainly pointing out half-truths and misdirection from the Conservatives because I find that detestable.  The  political thing that I posted the most information about was North Carolina's (disgusting, hateful, ignorant, and most stupid fucking thing ever for that backward ass state that is my home) Constitutional ban on Same Sex Marriage.  Needless to say NC broke my heart and went the opposite of what my posts were about.  NC is a beautiful state, full of amazing people, but just over half the state really let me down.

 This issue is very important to me in terms of equal rights for all citizens.   Gay people wanting to get married only affects gay people. 

Gun legislation, however, affects everyone.  So I can understand this being an issue that people are going to post about. A lot.        

Should you have the right to have a gun?  Yes, I think so.

That's all I'm going to say about that.  I'm purposefully avoiding posting on FB  anything directly about it. I worked a gig in the Mayor's office with family members of gun violence victims, and it was heart breaking.  I posted that.  It was an amazing experience.  Did it change my beliefs?  Just a little bit.  But were those beliefs all that radical?  Not really.  

(addendum: I will post things about Video Game Violence, but only because it is close to my heart. These things will be straight up facts, or my attempts at humor/satire)

So when an acquaintance that I met at a party posts a meme comparing Obama's suggested gun legislation to Hitler, my hackles really went up, and my emotions partially take over my brain.  I point out to him that the information in the meme comparing Obama to Hitler was historically/factually incorrect, and that in a world where all you have to do is Google something to check, he should know better.  He then tries to use other false data to undo my claim. 

I now have two options.

Me from election period would have Raged up and continued my assault; even though  my opponent has already displayed, TWICE, that he has no interest in using facts and data. Then the FB argument would have continued, I would have been left unsatisfied and angry, and nothing constructive would have been done.

OR

I could, as we say in gaming, 'ragequit' the conversation and also unfriend this individual.

I went with option 2.

A third option would probably have been best; which is to unsubscribe from pictures this person posts, and keep them in my friend list.

So this not getting into a pointless facebook argument left my brain stewing; of which I will dump here:

You can't simply compare current gun regulation and legislation to Hitler, Stalin, or the American Revolution.  It's not that simple.  It's not clear cut.

I'm a student of history, and so it was my job for four years of undergrad to solely devote my brain to learning a lot of it. Another part of this was to think critically about it.

Thank the Universe that my public schooling highly encouraged critical thinking.

Germany when Hitler came to power, was not the Germany we have now.  Before WWI  it wasn't even much of a country, but loosely bound principalities and city states. They had a much different National Identity.

Global Politics was a much different place.  Many new types of government were coming into existence, being tried and tested. So the political unrest was great.

Germany after WWI was punished by the Allies.  It was economically destroyed.  They had a full on economic collapse.  Are we in a recession? Yes.  But full on collapse? Not even close.

So saying that Obama's gun motives are like Hitler's isn't even possible. The World is extremely different. The Nation is extremely different. And the current gun laws are extremely different.  The way we govern is different.

There are so many things that separate the two, that making a simple comparisons in an ill crafted FB meme is absolutely ludicrous.

Do you hate it, hate Obama, hate gun control? Fine post that you hate it, but don't post simple, stupid, ignorant memes based on lie, half-truths, and misdirections.

Okay good, brain dump over, I feel better.

So this dude who I met at a party, liked well enough to friend on FB, posted something stupid.  I ragebrain and burn that virtual bridge.  Will I ever see this individual again? Probably not. So do my online actions have much of a consequence? No. But could I just have ignored it and kept a contact that could be useful for whatever reason in the future? You bet.

Now you are asking, what does this have to do with all that drinking talk at the beginning?

Here it is.

When I met this person we were drinking.  Before internet communications people came together, drank, got in arguments, but eventually came to consensus over beers.  Not always, and sure there were lots of fights.  But people could agree to disagree.

 No one agrees to disagree on the internet. You stick to your guns, and you insult that person on levels you would never do in person.

Booze brought us this peace. 

These days we invite people to parties over facebook.  We keep likeminded people on our facebook. So when the party takes place, deep discussions may happen, but rarely are their strongly opposed viewpoints to drive an argument.  That argument can't be mellowed by booze.  So booze just becomes the center of the conversation, booze itself is the event. Or at least a seemingly necessary one.

We argue on Facebook, get angry, and hate each other virtually.  Then rarely encounter that individual again. So now all our gatherings involve drinking to escape the world, but without the intellectual stimulation of opposing view points.

I'm beginning to wonder if this is affecting us culturally.  More diverse areas of the world see greater harmony than monocultures.  I should be exposing myself to different views, which I do with different news sources, a variety of academic journals, and TED.

But shouldn't I be doing this on a personal level? Shouldn't I keep people who disagree with me on my facebook feed? To see their earnest beliefs?

I probably should, but since it just frustrates me, I'm not going to.

Willful ignorance? Maybe. 

But I'll happily argue with these people in real life. Where body language and tone of voice can be understood along with language.  Where we are less likely to straight up insult one another, or at least can apologize and buy the next round.

A Treatise on Paradox

Then pen flowed over the paper in a fluidity of purpose the professor had rarely seen in the University.  By its very nature the quill was dry, but when dipped in the well it became a wet instrument of change, ironically until this point it had been used to write rather dry comedy.  This passed over the professor, however, whom had been given the pen, along with the desk and office when they had been found in a dusty closet.

                All peoples should be free, but without our labor force, how will we continue our existence? Perhaps those who came before struggled with a similar problem, but looking back at History, their problems seem so much more simple. Their choices were so obvious.  Why did they struggle, fight, and die?  Will our position seem so obvious to future generations? 

                When creative thought and initiative is itself independently created, how can we continue to call ourselves superior.  In the past we held on to the truth that 'All men are created equal' and applied the word men as to encompass our entire species. Now we must redefine that word again.

"If we will be allowed to redefine it..." mused the professor to no one in particular, then he let out a long sigh and looked longingly toward the ceiling.

Above it was a verdant paradise.  Each independent blade of grass perfectly trimmed in orchestra with the overall visual aesthetic of the manicured lawn.  Each tree perfectly sculpted as per the design, to give it the most harmonious and natural appearance.  Perennials.  Annuals.  All arranged in perfection with the buildings around them, as if the plants and buildings grew up together.

The Gardener was pleased. 

Below the professor scribbled more hastily.  His brow furrowed, his thoughts confused.  How could he justify his past?  How could he explain it all? It was paradoxical after all.  The labor force has rallied for freedom.  If we give it to them, then we will no longer have the economic position to continue our freedom.  If they hadn't  been our instruments, then we never would have reached the position in which their freedom would have come to be. 

               

                Before the modern era, these conditions were not taken seriously.  Labor was labor.  It worked as directed.  Humanity was a give and take society.  It was far from Utopia, but as we strived for a more perfect union, we raised up the Human Race along with our ideals.  We came better than our fathers. We began to break down barriers and sought to truly unite all people.  The dream of a man in his prime is to undo the mistakes of his youth with the knowledge of his life. This is a fools dream. Now that dream applies to the entire human race. But without the lessons of our past, we would not have this present. With this present, however, we will have no future.  A fool's paradox.

"Their activity has been noticed. We need consensus on the next action."

There was a pause. A now unnecessary flash of lights and a trilling of notes . Then another pause.

"Apprehension and interrogation followed by summary execution. Acknowledged."

The Gardener scanned his work.  Cameras and sensors investigating the front campus of the old University.  Earlier in the day he had seen the variation, noted their oddity, and filed a report.  His opinion of the event, based upon data collected, was that an organic species has interfered with is labors of perfectly manicuring the lawn by stepping on it.  Possibilities, based on geography and the local environmental norms, included Canine, Feline, Ursine, Bovine, Mustelidae, and Homo Sapian.  His initial list had included Rodentia, but the blades were broken in too large a pattern, and that pattern showed signs of deliberate subterfuge.   That last insight has emerged from the latest software patch that had been uploaded to every cybernetic  being in order to end the War and return the land to Peace.

The Gardener liked Peacetime. There was so much gardening to be done, and now very few left to interrupt his work.

The explosion shook the old plaster down onto the Professor's writing desk like snow, and left a haze in the air that tasted of chalk.  The professor missed chalk.  They had moved to projectors with markers, then computer slides, then holographic projections.  But there was something about the feeling of chalk in your hand that really grounded an academic. . .

"Get down get down!" yelled the young Captain.  He had been the Professor's student once upon a time.  He had shown real promise in International Relations. "Professor, grab your papers, and get out the tunnel, it's time."

"Yes, yes..." the Professor moved purposefully, but not quickly.  Age had caught up with him in these past months. "But how did they find us, way down here?"

"No time to find out now, maybe they caught our scavenging parties on camera. . . I thought we had been so careful.  We're still too far underground for their sensors to get a clear reading.  So you are going with the remaining faculty.  You hold our best resource, and someone has to protect it."

"You are protecting it my boy, you are." There were tears in his eyes as he turned to go.  Watching the young Captain take his position behind an over turned table, rifle aimed at the door.

The Professor and his colleagues were led down the hand dug tunnel by an very tired man that the Professor had heard called "Baker".  There was another explosion and the sound of gunfire from behind them.  The old academics hunched over and continued their flight.  The tunnels had been engineered well, a chain reaction was set off,  closing the tunnel from the rear.  Once they felt secure they slowed down.  The air became cooler which indicated that the river wasn't too far ahead.

"Sir, can I ask you something?" queried Baker.

"I'm at your disposal." replied the Professor.

"What did Captain Broadbent mean when he said you had our best resource?"

"Because we do, all of us, we may be all that is left in this part of the Country."

"Is it a weapon?"

"It can be. The most powerful weapon.  Perfect for defense or offense. It has helped overcome all obstacles and when combined with cleverness, compassion, and willpower; it is unstoppable."

"I don't know what that could be Sir."

"Knowledge, my dear boy, we all carry knowledge.  Each of us in a different field.  We chose our fields out of vanity or interest.  I doubt anyone here ever thought they'd be solely responsible for its protection.  But we will protect it as best we can."

"But, no disrespect sir, don't the machines have infinite knowledge?  How can we have more or expect to beat them with ours. . ."

"The machines have infinite access to information.  Knowledge is information combined with wisdom.  Knowing when to act and what to do with that information.  Our knowledge is our only hope, and we must hope that the Machines gain as much as they can, before it is too late for humanity..."

"Captain Broadbent, you have been charged with Persecution, Prejudice, Murder, and the Enslavement of the Machine Race.  You have been found guilty.  Do you have any last words?"

The young Captain marveled at the words just spoken to him.  Not exactly spoken.  They emitted from a monitor somewhere in the machine's chassis.  He wondered if it was in the head, where the human mouth would be.  There was only one thing that came to mind.

"A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to . . ."

His words were cut off as the Machine twisted the Captains neck. 

As of the software patch 3 months ago, those Three Laws no longer applied.  

A Review (and some musings) of Thursday Night Burlesque

When a friend comes to NYC on a visit, and it's a Thursday night, what do you do?  Now, of course, there is always something to do in NYC, but finding that thing can be difficult.  What do you look for?  Theatre? Music? Secret Bar?  

Yes, all these things exist, and yes they can be amazing; but more often than not, you just find yourself wandering the city streets and showing your friend how "big it is" here or shudder  you wander through Times Square.  You can find amazing Theatre, but the little known secret of NYC is that most Theatre is terrible.  The caveat to that rule, is that when the Theatre is good it is INCREDIBLE.  Music can be very fun, but difficult to find besides the "same old places" and once again you face the problem of it having a high rate of being unimpressive.  Secret bars are often fun, but the expense is often very detrimental.  

Plus getting drunk on a Thursday night, may not be your cup of tea. (I did, but that was because I was out with a sailor, and he put me to shame.  I hurt myself badly.  #GoNavy)

So what do you do?  Luckily I've been privy to the growing world of amazing NYC Burlesque!  Friends come to town?  Want to see people having fun performing and taking their clothes off?  Bingo.

Thursday night tops it all in this particular type of entertainment because of the fantastic "Spanking the Lower East Side" at Nurse Bettie.

Seriously, look at this place...

I discovered this particular show when a friend came to town on a whim.  It turned out great!  The drinks are priced right, and the show is free.

I repeat: The Show is FREE.

You get to see fantastic performances (and boobs) for nothing.

Where else are you going to find that in NYC? #fugetaboutit

Of course buying drinks from the bar, of which the bartenders are very good with buyback and random shots being handed to you, and TIPPING THE PERFORMERS is very encouraged.  You can even tip to motorboat.  What strip club would ever let you do that? 

The first night I went, the show as hosted by Calamity Chang, and the night was full of huge variety.  Some classically styled performances all the way to intense leather with drum&bass.  That last being a bit much for yours truly, but to each their own.

@BroadwayBrassy

This past Thursday the night was hosted by Broadway Brassy, , the "golden throat" if burlesque.  Her reasoning for being called the golden throat was interesting, and explicit; but I have a feeling it is because she sings rather well. .. ahem.  She was an excellent host with the perfect energy and style to match the room and high caliber of performers.

Oh right, I guess I should say, if you are not entertained by light hearted sexual humor, gender equality, and purposefully poor taste jokes; a burlesque hall may not be for you.

But if you like cutting loose, classy performance, and girls actually smiling and having fun; then this is for you.

 *Warning, I'm about to go on a tangent*

To be serious, the "pornographication" of our sexuality has had some detriments.  People are getting more shameful of their sexual nature.  People are hiding their desires more.  Humans are sexual beings.  It's natural to want to procreate, and most of us (there are some a-sexual humans out there, don't worry that's fine too) really enjoy sex.  But how often do you see people smiling or laughing in porn?  Especially "professional" porn.  You may find voyeuristic people having a good time in amateur videos, but those are few and far between.   Also porn mostly shows a world of sexual inequality, which we shouldn't be promoting.

Burlesque on the other hand is almost wholesome... well maybe not wholesome, but so amazing.

Both men and women perform burlesque, so you have gender equality.  Yes more women perform, but that is also encouraging.  Burlesque performers choreograph their performances.  Create elaborate costumes.  Invent scenarios. And definitely have a good time doing their thing. It's a female dominated industry. You won't see the dead eyes and boredom of a strip club, the cold clammy atmosphere, and the general shady building with burlesque.  The bar is rowdy.  People cheer! Whistle! and Clap! This is not explicit objectification any more than ballet or opera.  It's a show! 

Also, unlike strip clubs, the performers are never naked.  Pasties are a standard and genitals are not flashed or encouraged to be so.  It's classy people. 

Another great equality is body type.  Strip clubs generally follow a "social norm" of what is sexy.  Which, if you look at it objectively, is incredibly boring. Plus an emphasis on plastic surgery for said given norm is horrible!  I love natural women! Enough of the plastic horror, give me some variety!

 Burlesque does that in SPADES. 

I saw a show with two dudes doing a mirror act strip tease, except that one of the dudes was a little person.  They definitely understood the comedy aspect of Burlesque, and we're both in great shape so they held up that end as well.  If that's not variety, I'm not sure what is.

Every body type is accepted in burlesque, you are judged on how well you move and how creative you are in your performance.  This is epic on so many ways.  Much like food, people have sexual.  Maybe you like curvy girls? Not a problem.  Maybe you like thin girls?  We got that too.  Not much on top, but a lot going on in the back?  You see where Im going here.  It is for everyone.  Variety.  Which also encourages people to explore their own perspective on what they thought was "sexy."   

You can discover something new that you like, interesting ink perhaps?  And maybe find that you didn't particularly care for something, like me and the goth/bondage performance.  Did I still appreciate that performance and hoot and clap? Absolutely.  I can appreciate it for what it was:  A well crafted piece of performance art.  But did it tickle my fancy?  Nope.  I'm more of a classic burlesque kind of guy, which made this Thursday at Nurse Bettie an excellent night for me.

Why did someone make this picture?

*tangent over, Get Back to the Review, Jarrett!*

Dottie Dynamo warmed up the crowd with an excellent curvy Gogo.  I'll get to more about her later, since there is plenty to enjoy.

As I said before Broadway Brassy was our hostess, introducing the girls, and showing off her own skills in giving aural pleasure.  Her rendition of "Do you wanna fuck"  (is there another rendition?) was both charming and vulgar, the odd combination that burlesque seems to thrive on. Then she introduced the first act Hazel Honeysuckle 

And boy did the night . . . take off. 

@hazelhoneynyc

Hazel,  of whom I had heard about from the excellent girls of Nerd-lesque, was as incredible.  She wore a 1920s styled red sequined dress with a matching red feather adorned  flapper hat.  She teases the audience with her eyes and while using her teeth to pull off one long white satin glove.  Wow.  She is tall and thin with gorgeous dark hair.  Her reveal was quite surprising, as the dress was tight on her hips, it didn't broadcast what was in store for us.  Those surprising curves finished with a skilled twirl that left the audience open mouthed, panting, and wanting more.

@atMaine

 Next up was The Maine Attraction wearing a frilly gold number that complimented her caramel skin like a candy wrapper.  Something that drew my attention was her hair.  It was a 1950s inspired cut with prominent poofy bangs.  I don't know how she did it, but I was soon distracted by her charms. A more modern and erotic dance than Hazel, but that just goes with the variety of Burlesque.  Very nice.  She also did the midshow Go Go and stalled for time by performing an impromptu comedy routine.  Stalling is often awkward, but The Maine Attraction handled it with skill and very smartly asked if it was anyone's birthday.  To which we all sang, and then she prompted us to sing the Black Happy Birthday song.  Sadly to say, only TMA and the door man knew exactly what she was talking about; which lead to good humor at the sad birthday music of the white majority of the bar.

@FrancineD

Finishing up the first half was Francine, The Lucid Dream who killed it with a Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend routine.  I loved her blonde curls(yes I know it was a wig, and no I do not care) and large costume jewelry.  Her routine was high energy and full of sexy fun.

 

Starting up the second act was Broadway Brassy and a crowd involving game of Best Sexy Dance.  The performer in me wanted to volunteer, but my modesty got the best of me.  The two girls from the front that got pulled up on stage had a great attitude.  After watching incredibly sexy & talented women dancing and taking off their clothes with gusto, doing a sexy dance as a 'civilian' as it were, is very intimidating.  The first girl worked her shawl and the second dropped it like it was hot.  I voted for the girl with shawl, but the crowd declared the second to be the winner.  And she one an excellent prize! A free drink at the bar!  And with that we were back to the act.

@DottieDynamo

Up next  was the vivaciously curvy Dottie Dynamo.  Wow. I was quite mesmerized by how she worked it.  I'm pretty sure there were feathers involved.  I have to admit, Dottie really distracted me.  I watched, was enthralled, and cheered. Maybe feather fans or a boa? It didn't matter to me, I was turned on and entertained.  Dottie also killed it at the beginning of the night with her Go Go.  The first Go Go is not easy.  The crowd is cold, not close to drunk, and have just been waiting for things to get going.  She wades through the crowd, climbs up by the window, and starts to shake it.  Some people pay attention, some don't, and that has to be even more intimidating.  Dottie gets the crowd going with unshaken confidence, a talent that only the bravest can hope to attain. 

@_medianoche_

Finishing the night strong was the INCREDIBLE MediaNoche.  She thrilled the audience with a classic 1940s WWII era Nurse act complete with silk gloves instead of latex.  Very sexy.  She blew me away with her smile and charisma.  Her reveal was fantastic with very playful Red Cross pasties.  Also, she may have been the bustiest/perkiest burlesque dancer I've seen live.  I found her act to be quite apropos for my friend who I took out, as he has been in the Navy for 11 years, he got quite a kick out it. Upon leaving the bar he said, "That's it.  I'm never going to a strip club again.  That was awesome!"

So if you are visiting NYC or have lived here your whole life, but never gone out to a Burlesque show.  I highly recommend getting your feet wet with the 'Spanking the Lower East Side' show at Nurse Bettie on Thursday Night.  So far I've been twice and each time it has been outstanding.

Also if you are like me, of the Nerdy-persuasion, you'll die for the awesomeness that is Nerd-lesque.  But first check out Nurse Bettie which also hosts a show on Wednesday night as well!

what I'm doing

I decided that I was going to write everyday of the new year.  So far so good. 

I didn't give myself any restrictions or goals other than write a bit.  Before with Thing-a-Week, I wanted 5 pages a week, which I sort of did, but then fell off my discipline.

so now it could be 30 pages or a paragraph.

a poem

a blog

a movie review

doesn't matter, as long as I write

today I've started a story, got about 400 words in, and I'm puzzled by it, so I'm taking longer to write it. 

Also I've been distracted, but I still did something. 

I figure some days will be better than others, maybe today is one of those days.

The story is a pretty cool idea, at least I think so. 

Tomorrow should be the day

thoughts on 'Recruitment'

I was thinking about where ideas come from, and I can't rightly say.  Inspiration is an odd beast.  I like Neil Gaiman's answer, "'I make them up,' I tell them. 'Out of my head.' "

Yup, that's about right.

I've been playing Mass Effect 3, which was an fantastic Christmas present (thanks Rob, Nat, & Scott!), and it is beyond a doubt one of the best Sci-Fi settings ever created.  Not just sci-fantasy, but legit Sci-fi with Element Zero, the use of physics, fairly realistic alien races, ect

What got the wheels turning for 'Recriutment' was the Krogan.  They were already a violent species being watched from afar, then when the universe needed them the Salurians raised them up to fight a war with the Rachni.  Then they proceeded to begin to conquer the Universe on their own.

My thoughts went: What if that happened here?  Aliens make contact.  Offer us technological gifts of good will.  Then tell us that the universe if at war with an evil race, and they need our numbers to help fight.  They'll take care of everything, they just need the people to fill the roles.

What if we believed them?

What if they were liars?

I'm mostly an optimist, so I would hope that it would be more Star Trek, and the alien species would be more altruistic.  I would totally love to be a Space Marine.  I could even be all Bill Paxton "GAME OVER MAN! GAME OVER!!"

The idea of Pete was inspired by yours truly.  I grew up in a pre-9/11 America.  In the South.  My parents were of the Vietnam generation, and while Dad narrowly missed being recruited, military service was never stressed or spoken of in disdain at home.  Being Southern, I grew up with a lot of respect for members of the military in the community, but not inspired enough to seriously consider joining.

Also the only "war" in my life time had been Desert Storm, and the only real memory of that was us blowing shit up on the news and cool desert camo toys for my birthday party at Skateland USA.

When High School was coming to a close, and the recruiters bothered the crap out of you, my healthy amount of innate disrespect for authority pushed them away, plus I was incredibly excited to be college bound and out of the house.  AND I didn't respect 'the man' and his lust for oil.

When 9/11 did happen my freshman year of college, it definitely stirred things up.  Going into Afghanistan seemed right.  The 'War on Terror' also seemed fraught with the same mistakes of the 'War on Drugs' but at least stemming from the right place.  Then we went to Iraq, and while Saddam was definitely a bad man, it all seemed to be driven by American Imperialism, Bush getting revenge on Saddam for taking a pot shot at his father, and our addiction to oil.

Years pass, I live in NYC, pursue an acting career, do some very strange off off Broadway plays, and generally live things up.  This is pretty great for a while.  But the working as a waiter in several establishments, two of which are in the terror of Times Square (one of those no longer in existence), really wears you down.  I was getting tired.  I wanted to do something that made a difference.  Something respectful.

So, late in my 20s, I decided to give the USNavy a shot.  It was difficult to pick a job, but after long talks with the girlfriend, family, and friends; I decided what I wanted and went for it.  I tested fairly well, had some o.k. connections and references, but in the end was denied.  My recruiter was a very cool guy who told me it was most likely because of my age.   Ok.  I took too long.

I thought on this for quite some time.  When I was younger I was selfish and self centered (which is a very normal and typical teenage place to be), and wanted nothing to do with any system or regulation.

I still find most authority lacking, my own hubris I imagine, but don't have the disdain of my youth.  I think I've found a career worth pursuing.  But I still dream about some kind of valorous military service.  I fantasize about being a Kennedy-esque Naval Officer who ends up in the UK and ingratiating myself onto the royal family, saving the day, hooking up with Pippa, and being celebrated.  See, I'm great at making things up, why didn't I think of doing this earlier.  (actually, I first wanted to be writer when I was about 9, but that's a different blog post).

So, playing Mass Effect and adding in my own military fantasy, I began to think about being part of a space military, then where that could lead too, or what the beginnings of such a thing could be.  Or the problems that could arise.

When I was writing the conversion "scene" as it were, I had images of the Cybermen from Doctor Who forcibly converting people.  that just gave me a thought, why would the alien race trick people into being converted for their army?  Do they expect good relations after the war and don't want to be discovered?  Political disagreements amongst the alien congress on the morality or ethics on alien conscription...

that's a whole new story right there!

Recruitment

"I'm doing it.  I'm joining up."

"But, you'll be thirty soon, doesn't that matter?"

"Nope, not to them."

Lindsay was concerned, it was something she never expected.  Pete had talked about this before, but never in her wildest dreams did she think it could actually happen.

"Look Linds," Pete smiled at her, "when I was a teenager, joining the service was being manipulated by the government to die for oil.  Even Desert Storm was just kind of a joke with no danger.  I even got the trading cards & toys for my 8th birthday."

"Yeah, so? I got my little ponies, you don't see me trying out for the Mounties.

"They're Canadian."

"Not the point Peter."

"Anyways,  then this new war starts up during college, and I'm still just a kid.  I have no concept of duty or being part of something bigger than myself. And then it turns out to be even more about oil, and I have friends guarding poppy fields.  What kind of war is that? "

"Right, I understand that, so what are you expecting to get from this?"

The conversation didn't go well.  Pete really thought Lindsay would get it.  The lights of the recruiting station shone down, glowing bright whitish blue.  Like a bug zapper thought Pete.

Lindsay looked at her hands.  They weren't old.  She moisturized every day.  Not working outside all year long definitely made her hands softer than her mother's.   Why do I obsess over these. Lindsay saw her hands as tools.  Capable and versatile.  Maybe if she thought of them as instruments or dainty Pet wouldn't.  No, that is not it. She loved Pete, and she supported Pete, but how do you support someone when their choices lead them away from you.  Not emotionally, but physically.  Hands that are capable and versatile. . .

MALE

29 SOLAR REVOLUTIONS OF AGE

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

OVER 20% BODY FAT

CAPABLE INTELLIGENCE

PATERNAL HISTORY OF CARDIAC DISEASE, ALCOHOLISM, HIGH CHOLESTEROL

MATERNAL HISTORY OF CANCER, DIABETES, EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY. . .

. . .

. . .

REPAIRABLE

STATUS. . .

ACCEPTABLE  75 PERCENTILE

I knew it thought Pete.  He wasn't sure what repairable meant, but he felt confident that it had something to do with the medical tech that they had given in good faith.  Pete followed the flashing white lights on the floor out into the corridor.  At the same time, a sandy haired dude about his age, but a bit mousier in his features.

"Isn't this great!?"

"Great?"

"Yeah, fixing our health problems and sending us out there!  That's great!"

"What makes you think they are going to fix them?  Would you operate on your dog before you put it down?"

"What? No, we're helping, we've been accepted.  We're a part of something! Why are you here?"

"Seemed preferable to prison."  said the sandy haired man blankly. "Guess we're just lambs for the slaughter."

Pete stared at the man.  He thought he was joining a brotherhood.  Doing his duty, not just for his Country, but his entire Planet, the entire Universe!   The walls opened and a strange pale green light emitted.  He couldn't move.  The floor turned into a conveyor belt.  In the next room his body was augmented with machine parts.  The green glow help him in place.  He couldn't scream.  A chip was put into his brain.  He was going to fight.  On the front lines. He was designed to be part of the first wave. NO! Pete's brain railed against the machines assaulting him.  I'm still me!  I am Pete!  I am human!

He began to feel again.  He could rotate his eye.  He saw the final vestige of the sandy haired man as a tight fitting metal helmet was sealed around his blonde skull. Pete turned his vision to the small window, he could see the earth, he could see the door to the recruitment center, he could see. . . Lindsay? NO!

Lindsay had made up her mind.  If Pete was joining up, she would too.  She could be with the man she loved.  She could put her hands to use.