Lazy Summer Nights

Many times this summer, my mind wandered to those lazy summer nights at my house in Bossier City.

I remember fondly the times when I was "all growed up" as they say, and can appreciate the wonderful times I spent with my mother and father on those summer nights. Mother would make the most wonderful meals. Simple, but I don't think I'd trade one of them for Ruth's Chris. A good example of what she would make would be: round steak, boiled potatoes, green beans, salad with cucumber, sliced tomatoes and cantaloupe. The cucumber, tomatoes and cucumber were from my father's garden. I'd bet my last dollar that there wasn't any tastier vegetables and fruit anywhere. After supper, I'd wash the dishes, then join my father on the back patio in lawn chairs. We'd drink diet coke or iced tea and listen to the Astros. Lokai the cat had back yard privileges when someone was out to watch her, so she busied herself stalking bugs or just flopping on the cement patio. As the game went on, night fell and the cicadas started their buzz. Finally, it would get too dark, or the mosquitos would get too active, and father, son and cat would go inside. Most of the time the game wouldn't be over, so we'd listen in the den, or watch ESPN baseball. I treasure those memories. Now that my father has been gone for many years, I am so glad of the time I spent with him, on the patio with the cat on those lazy summer nights.

Firefly

For someone who likes television and televison shows, I am way behind the curve so many times. By that I mean the show has been on for several years, or had its run and passed, then I figure out this was a great show and I should watch it. This is the cast picture of this latest, and greatest behind-the-curve incident, Joss Whedon's Firefly. Firefly only ran for 14 episodes, plus a movie, Serenity, then it was gone. In that short run, Firefly has entered to the pantheon of shows that I hold revered above all else. Folks apparently agree with me, because Firefly regularly appears in, if not at the top of, lists of shows that should have never been canceled.

Ok, so much with the yapping. What makes it great? To call it a western set in space is like saying a Bruce Springsteen show is some guy playing the guitar and singing. What sets Firefly apart, from the very beginning, is that we care about these characters. Deeply. When I realized the show had come to an end, I immediately started thinking of more stories, more plots and wished for hours and hours of time to write more stories about this grand crew and noble ship. Perhaps, as some other commentator opined, it is best that Firefly ended when it did, otherwise it would suffer the fate of mediocre seasons, and perhaps a downward spiral into indifference that marks the last few years of so many shows. We'll never know. Firefly does live on, and thanks to the almighty DVD, other folks can discover what they missed, just as I had.

Facebook ex Machina

Don't know if that is the correct use, but it looks cool. I've been registered on Facebook for a couple of years, but not very active. It started for us Buffyverse folks to have a place to exchange stuff and keep up. Then my cousin Laurie found me plus one of my dearest Army buddies. However, earlier this summer, one of my high school friends that I keep in touch with mentioned that he's on Facebook. I looked him up and discovered that tons of folks I went to high school with are on. So, in this case, Facebook does exactly what it is supposed to . . . allows old friends to find each other and keep up. Good for you, facebook!