Zeitgeist

For Whatever reason, I seem to be hooked up with the Pop Culture Zeitgeist.  The reason I believe this is that I have had ideas that have turned up in Television and Comic books.  Since I am not paranoid, I do not believe I am being plagiarized or my mind is being data mined by aliens or what not.  I feel somehow I tapped the same part of the collective unconscious that other creative types have.  Also the bigger concepts are the same but the details are very different. 

In the early 1980’s I was a teenager with way too much imagination and time on my hands.  I created a lot of worlds and concepts.  I was a huge Doctor Who fan back then.  I came up with an idea of a Gallifreyan who had an affinity with American Culture.  He was a Military man.  Funny thing is twenty years later; we get Captain Jack Harkness an American Time Traveler in the Doctor Who Universe, who later finds himself immortal.  Now there are differences, my character was from Gallefrey and his rank was Major.  Am I claiming I came up with the idea first?  No there probably were many American Whovians who came up with a similar idea.  I am just pointing out the interesting thing there is that a similar idea ended up on the show.

In the mid 90’s I had this idea.  What if Superman’s rocket landed in the Soviet bread basket of the Ukraine?  A decade later Mark Millar put out his great series Red Son.  The Series was in development since the late 90’s.  It is considered one of the best Superman and alternate reality comics of all time.  My idea had the superheroes spread out in more countries.  Lex Luthor was Soviet as opposed to being American as he was in Red Son.  I was not surprised this happened.  There are a lot of cultural parallels between Kansas and the Ukraine in their importance to the two countries they were a part of.  Early Superman was very pro the common working man which some people translate as Communist.  So I was not surprised that more that one person came up with this idea.

Also in the mid- nineties, I had the idea that the members of the X-men aged in real time and were as old as the year they were introduced.  So the original five were teenagers in the sixties so today they would be in their sixties.  The original New Mutants would be in their Forties, and so on.  In 2006 Marvel announced GeNext.  It was supposed to be similar to my concept; however it ended up a sequel to X-men: The End Trilogy.  I think the original idea would have been fun and interesting. 

Another idea I had back in the Mid 90’s was a few other X-Men related ideas.  Most of it has come to pass.  The idea was to integrate the New Mutants into the X-Men.  This was a concept that Chris Claremont had implied as the natural progression of their story.  Thirty years later they are only a few years older.  Some have become full fledge X-Men.  With the recent integration of the Avengers and X-Men, Cannonball and Sunspot are Avengers.  I also thought with integrating the New Mutants/ X-Force members, that the idea of the X-Force should be a black ops team headed by Wolverine.  This team would utilize Mutants with Covert ops backgrounds and those with powers that lend themselves with those kinds of missions.  In 2008, Marvel did just that.

Now in all this I am not claiming responsibility for any of these ideas.  I just think it is interesting these ideas could not be contained to one person.  They came out regardless of my own situation.  It is weird how some ideas will do that.  These ideas came along with parallel inspiration.  Others came up with them independently of me.  It is like we were tapping into the same part of the creative ether.  That Is My Not So Humble Opinion.

The Doctor & Me

With the Fiftieth Anniversary of Doctor Who occurring this year,  It makes me look back at my own personal history with the show.  So do I know the exact date I was introduced to Doctor who?  No, I do not.  Do I remember the exact episode?  I cannot help you there either.  It was on a UHF channel from Glendale.  It was a Tom Baker and Sarah Jane Smith Episode.  It was in a Frankenstein like castle on an Alien Planet.  It was some time between 1976 and 1977, maybe even 1975.  You know what?  It had me hooked.  One small problem, getting reception was trying.  This was the days of Antennas and rabbit ears.  Cable was still new.  I am not sure if our local PBS carried it either.  Our reception of that in Oxnard, California was not the best either.  It was not until I visited my extended family in Oregon and later moved there that I was able to truly catch up on Doctor Who.  OPB or Oregon Public Broadcasting has always had a good relationship with Doctor Who.  Even after it went into hibernation they still showed episodes.  They even found old shows and broadcast them. 

Of course there is a saying among Whovians, Doctor Who Fans, there is nothing like your first Doctor.  In my case that is true.  The Fourth Doctor Portrayed by Tom Baker has a special place in my heart as well as my first companion Sarah Jane Smith.  Tom Baker was the delightfully mad and playful Doctor.  He still holds the record for most seasons and episodes.  His Jelly Baby eating, Scarf wearing and Sonic Screwdriver wielding Doctor is one of the most iconic of the Doctors. I watched most of his adventures with Leela, K-9, Romana and Sarah Jane Smith.  Later through the mid to late Eighties I caught up with the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors.  As older shows became available I was able to catch the stories of the First, Second and Third Doctors; I also saw the Fourth Doctor’s adventures I had missed.  When The BBC made the Video tape about Shada, the Fourth Doctor’s Story that was never finished, I bought that too.

Doctor Who was always fascinating.  His different incarnations made him refreshing and unpredictable.  During the Seventies to the Nineties, American Whovians were still kinda fringe.  In the UK Doctor Who was like what Star Trek is here in the U.S.  It was also very popular in British Commonwealth countries like Canada, New Zealand and Australia.  In The U.S., it was not as widely known.  It took more to get into Doctor Who.  Not to mention, mainstream found the low budget costumes and special effects silly.  If you look closely, that can be said of many 20^th Century Science Fiction Movies and Television.  From 1989 to 2005, when the BBC put Doctor Who on its long Hiatus there was very little fueling Doctor Who Fans.  There were books, audio plays, comic books, and in 1995 the failed Fox/ BBC reboot Television Movie with Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor.

I personally loved the show; the idea of a Protagonist who tried to avoid physical confrontation and in some incarnations did not what the adulation was amazing to me.  I still found the Fourth Doctor to be my favorite, although the Seventh Doctor was a Close second.  The other concept I loved was the Companion.  Anyone could become a companion.  A companion did not need to be the fastest or strongest.  They definitely did not need to be the smartest; all they needed was the spark of spirit that the Doctor could see clearly.  Many of the Doctor’s companions were outsiders to their respective cultures.  Those things did not just resonate with me, but many Geeks and Nerds who grew up with the earlier version of the show.

In the Eighties many BBC executives saw the show as this silly little children’s show.  Some felt it had not place in the BBC.  Funny thing happened during the long Hiatus.  The people, who became BBC heads, were now the generations who grew up the Doctor.  That led to another discussion to attempt to revive the show.  The attempt in 1995 had some serious issues.  By being a joint U.S. and UK Production, it lost many of the things that made it unique.  Many of the unique flavors of Doctor Who have to do with it being ensconced in British Culture.  The 1995 Movie tried to Americanize it too much.  So in 2005, Doctor Who re-premiered.   This time with the Ninth Doctor and a young London Shop Girl, named Rose Tyler.

Not only did it premiere in the UK, but within a year it showed up all over the world.  With the advent of the internet, fans worldwide were able to keep each other up and discuss their passion for the show.  The show seemed to be a cultural juggernaut.  Some old school Whovians get irritated that the newer fans do not know the pre-2005 cannon.  Is it Necessary to enjoy the show? Not really.  My ex was a fan of the old show like me.  We watched faithfully the Ninth and Tenth Doctor’s tenures.  We enjoyed the spin-off, Torchwood, up until the Last series.  When that relationship ended, Sixth season had just finished.  Honestly I am not a huge fan of the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith.  He is better than some of his predecessors.  He just does not connect with me like previous Doctors.  I will continue to watch, because I enjoy the show.  I still plan on catching up with another spin-off, the Sarah Jane Adventures, mostly due to my fond memories of the character when I was a kid.  To this Day Sarah Jane Smith and the Fourth Doctor are my Doctor and companion.  That Is My Not So Humble Opinion.  

More Fun with Podcasting

So after a few months since I wrote my last blog post about Podcasts, I noticed I forgot some podcasts I listen to.  Some of these were new when I wrote Fun with Podcasting.  Others have very irregular schedules.  Two I mentioned in the opening, I will do a full write up here for both.    Quite a few of these are Audio drama’s or podcast novel, anthologies.  In the Portland, Oregon area the predominant format of Podcast is talk show.  This is regardless of whether the content is geeky or not.  However thanks to various podcasts I was introduced through Chooch and Viv, I found the Audio Dramas, the Podcast Novel, the Podcast Anthologies and the Podcast story collections.  These types of podcasts showcase the talent of writers.  Many of whom do not have major publication deals.  In the last few years they have started offering their works in digital book formats.  Even if the podcasts are free, show your support of any talent whose work you enjoy.  The more you support them, the more content they will offer.

Byron Chronicles

http://thebyronchronicles.blogspot.com/ (older episodes)

http://ericbusbypresents.com/ (newer episodes)

Byron Chronicles is an audio drama podcast set in Portland and made by a Portlander, Eric Busby.  It is a decent Urban Fantasy/ Horror show.  It does not have a regular schedule, but it is worth the wait.  It does not have the stereotypical tragically hip Vampires.  Vampires here are menacing.  If you want an Urban Fantasy that breaks the tropes of the genre, check this out.

Shared Desk

http://www.theshareddesk.com/

Tee Morris and Philippa “Pip” Ballantine are well known podcast Novelists.  They also are married to each other.  Shared Desk is their podcast that center on writing and what it means to be a writer.  Due to their history in Podcasting, they cover that subject quite often.  They talk about what they are doing, what interests them and geek/ nerd and podcast culture.  They also have guests in publishing and other writers, who talk about what it takes in today changing paradigm.

Accidental Housewives

 Another Funemployment Radio Network Show, the hosts are Nate Ayling, Kaebel Hashitani and Royal Hebert.  All three are recently unemployed Gentlemen who found themselves with female significant others as the household breadwinners.  As their tagline says they are over educated under employed.  The show talks about the travails of being unemployed in today’s economic situation.  They talk about the new phenomenon of the male homemaker.  It includes tips about dealing with the Employment Office, and dinner recipes.  They use their experiences as fodder for the show. Their last episode was September 2014. 

Leviathan Chronicles

http://www.theleviathanchronicles.com/

The Leviathan Chronicles is a full cast audio drama Podcast.  It melds a world wide conspiracy with Science Fiction.  It has the elements of a spy thriller with a conspiratorial historical mystery.  So Bounre meets the Da Vinci Code is kind of what it is like.  It however is so much more than just that. The mystery is what is Leviathan and what it is up to.  After a three year hiatus the second season is up and running.  They are on a bi-weekly schedule. 

Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences: Tales of the Archives

http://www.ministryofpeculiaroccurrences.com/

This is another Podcast from Morris and Ballantine.  This one is a short story anthology based in their Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences world.  Their setting is a Victorian Steampunk Alternate world.  Many of the Authors are from the Podcast community.  The stories try to flush out the setting by going places the novels, which are written by Morris and Ballantine, do not.  These stories are also available to purchase in e-book formats.  Either way, brew a pot of tea, sit and enjoy these tales.  This show has an irregular schedule.

Shadow Publications

http://www.shadowpublications.com/

This is Paul Eldard Cooley’s Podcast feed.  Everything from short stories, novellas, novelettes, essays and novels are in this blog.  Mr. Cooley tends to be very adult in his work so not safe for kids or work.  He does a lot of in the Thriller and Horror genres.    This is definitely not for the squeamish.  So just don’t say I did not warn you.  Shows come out irregularly.

CrimeWav

This is Seth Harwood’s Crime genre podcast it is mostly short stories from various crime writers.  If it is hardboiled, Noir, gritty or anything along those lines it is in here.  Not always cops but definitely robber represented here.  This is not safe for work or kids.  Some of the stories will shock you.  This feed drops irregularly, but worth the wait. Seth is still writing but the podcast is gone. 

SpecFic Media’s Beyond the Wall Podcast

http://specficmedia.com/podcast/btw/

http://www.youtube.com/user/SpecFicMedia

This is a Game of Thrones round table discussion Podcast.  P.G. Holyfield is the moderator and it includes Chooch, Viv, Nuchtchas, and Christiana Ellis.  They cover each episode each week.  They go into in depth discussion of the characters and plot points.  All but Chooch have read the books.  Chooch being the newbie gives a fresh perspective to the show.  They do not take themselves too seriously.  There is also a video version on YouTube.  They only podcast during the regular run of the show.  They usually have a pre-season and a post-season episode as well.  They include clips from the show they are discussing.  They have fun with interesting polls in which they audience can participate.  For instance how many Freys are mentioned or shown in an episode.  If you enjoy Game of Thrones, you may have a good time with Beyond the Wall from SpecFic Media.  During the regular Game of Thrones Season they are on a weekly schedule.

The Gearheart

http://www.thegearheart.com/

The Gearheart is a Steampunk/ Fantasy Audio drama podcast.  Since the first novel is done the feed has had sporadic drops of various short stories set in the same setting.  Although it is Steampunk to me it is more reminiscent of the pulps as opposed to Penny Dreadfuls.   Not all the short stories are from Alex White the Author for the first Novel, but they are just as good.  Mr. White also does the music as well, which is available for purchase.  He ends some of his podcasts with imaginary ads for imaginary products that are quite humorous.  It is worth it to listen.

Welcome to That Whole Thing

Cort Webber and Bobby Roberts just could not stay away.  The format is different.  It is a weekly show.  They stay within the usual 45 minutes to hour length of their former show Cort and Fatboy.  They no longer have guests.    It is usually a discussion of the week’s events in news and pop culture.   They still have that sharp rapport they have always had with each other.  In a way they brought back Bobby’s Dirty laundry as an hour long weekly show.  Their snarky irreverence is still intact.  Since they are in Portland, Oregon, they do get very local with some discussions, however many of these can carry over to any community. Their last episode was in December of 2014.

Big and Loud Podcast

Big Jim Willig and Don Frost host this comedy show.  They are off the cuff and wild, covering their own histories, current events and pop culture.  They style is a little off kilter and no holds barred.  Nothing is sacred here, everything is fair game.  They do not even let the facts deter the humorous cavalcade.  Not Safe for Work or Kids, but definitely fun.  Remember humor is subjective so this might not be for everyone. Their last Episode was in June 2014.

The Nerd Out

http://thenerdout.com/

The Nerd Out is a Female centric Nerd/ Geek Culture Podcast from the Greater Los Angeles area.  Lisa and Ritzy P. give the audience the lady nerd perspective.  Both are involved in the L.A. Art and entertainment communities there.  They talk about their Pop culture passions and their point of view of the nerd community in general.  They try to have guests that intrigue them on as often as permitted.  These ladies know what they are talking about.  This show tends to be Monthly.

Boy Howdy Podcast

http://boyhowdypodcast.com/

The Boy Howdy Podcast is a Pop Culture Podcast starring Bill Mudron, Portland area Artist, and Anne E.  They cover everything from Comic Books, Video games, TV Movies and all sorts of Pop Culture.  First thing is they are very Video Game centric, since both hosts are huge video gamers, at least compared to yours truly.  They have been known to have panel shows discussing, Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who and more.  Since both has connections to the Portland, Oregon Comic Book Creative community, many Artists, Writers and others from that community show up as guests.  The show tends to be between 90 minutes and 2 and a half hours.  Longer shows have been known to drop in the feed.  The show has an unrestrained exuberance and sense of glee.  This is a weekly podcast. Their last episode was in December 2017. 

Monster Kid Radio

http://www.monsterkidradio.net/

Derek M. Koch’s new podcast is about the monster movies of the 1930’s - 1960’s.  He has covered some non-horror monster movies like the Day the Earth Stood Still and The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.  The common theme is the ear and there is a monstrous creature in the film.  Derek brings in guests who have a good handle of the subject matter, usually writers, podcasters, bloggers and other creative types.  Derek himself is also a fan.  Derek has had a few other podcasts, so he is not new to podcasting.  This however is the first one I was introduced to.  So far he has been posting two shows a week.  If you like Classic horror and genre films this is the podcast for you.

Obviously Oblivious

http://obviouslyoblivious.com/

Tha Mike Pilot has another show; this one is with South Philly Paul.  I love the interviews on this show.  Tha Mike Pilot Missed his calling, forget Larry King its all Mike.  This show much like other shows with Tha Mike, have an irreverent streak to them.  If you don’t like it forget you, Mike does it because of his own passions.  He interviews people he finds interesting and thinks so should you. The last episode was November of 2014.

BCXradio

http://beyondcomix.com/

BCXradio AKA Beyond Comix Radio is the show for Fanboys with a Life.  Host D. Jacob Ryals and his group of revolving guests go into other geeky interest other than comic books.  They do reserve they right to go there if they desire.  This is another geeky Punk related show.  The show is also extremely grounded in the Portland, Oregon Comedy scene, since Mr. Ryals is an up and coming comedian himself.  The host is a recent transplant to the Rose City, but this is a refreshing view compared to the many jaded local podcasters. The last episode was in September 2015. 

So here we are on my podcast choices.  I have listened to more but this is all my current and recent choices.  This Is My Not So Humble Opinion.

What's in A Name

[Author’s Note: This is the fifth iteration of this blog. It began as a MySpace posts. Then as The Recovering Ubergeek on BlogSpot, later it became A Recovering Ubergeek, then Fumbling Forwards. This version is at a new URL from the previous versions, on BlogSpot which had the same URL just differing names.Here s all the articles on the name and its progression.]

What's in A Name

From May 5, 2013

Recently I was at the 2013 Stumptown Comics Fest in Portland, Oregon.  I told folks about my Blog, A Recovering Ubergeek.  Where did that come from?  The blog originated from essays from my MySpace page circa 2007 to 2008.  In 2009 when I started my Facebook page, I decided to put my thoughts down in a blog.  The name originally it came from me recovering from being an Ubergeek.  I was in a tragically horrible abusive relationship.  My Ex did some weird things.  First she was very controlling.  She was very sick and had many things she could not control, so she controlled what she thought she could.  That included me.  Stupid me, I allowed it.  She allowed me to buy my comics, but I would get in trouble if she caught me reading them.  Same thing with my video games, animation and other thing I liked she did not care for.  For a geeky person herself, she had weird ideas what obsessions were acceptable and not.  When I started my blog that is where I was in my head.  That is also why my posts were kind of light.

After a long talk with Kaebel Hashitani of Sequential Art + Gallery, I decided to start writing more.  I had a few false starts with fiction.  I decided to work on blog posts instead.  With that I started to talk about my journey.  In that bad relationship I lost much of what and who I was.  I gave up so much to make it work.  A relationship where one person is the only one willing to put anything into it, won’t work. Mine had not worked in almost a decade.  After a discovery I decided for my safety and self preservation I needed to go.  In the year and a half since then I have been rediscovering who and what I am.  I am also learning who I want to be.

I have begun recovering my Ubergeekiness.  I have been displaying my action figures.  I have been catching up on many comic books, although I had almost four years of floppy comics I was behind on, so I sold them and I am starting over there.  I am watching shows and movies that I was discouraged from seeing.  I have been going to Geek events and I am trying to become more a part of the Portland Geek Community.  I am still not much a gamer, but that is who I am.  I am reexamining what I like what I don’t.  I no longer have someone in my ear trying to tell me what to think.  I have people whose opinions I respect, but we don’t always agree. That is a good thing.  Being in my Forties I try to help folks discover new things.  Younger folks, I suggest stuff that influenced what they like from the recent works.  Folks in my age group I suggest newer stuff.  Most of those in the geek community are more current than general.  I try to help people learn of new stuff.  I am, myself, still learning about myself and everything around me.  That Is My Not So Humble Opinion.

What’s in A Name Again

From June 30, 2013

Funny thing, I finally post my examination the Origins of this Blog, A Recovering Ubergeek.  I realized I was not done.  I realized another meaning to this title.  I am recovering from an abusive situation and I am an Ubergeek.  This meaning was implied in the last article on the subject.  I felt though it needed to be obvious.  This post will be fairly short.  I am a survivor of abuse and this most recent period, a fourteen year relationship, was worst in my experience.  At the time I was unable to truly see it for what it was.  I was too close to the situation.  I allowed someone to make me responsible for everything in both our lives without any real decision making power.  I gave up too much of what made me who I was.  That has led to where I am I now; trying to figure out who I am and who I want to be.  The overwhelming problem is not what can’t I do but deciding from the infinite possibilities.  The funny thing is that this is in many ways a wonderful problem to have.

In the Future, I am going to be more about self interest.  That does not mean I am putting myself above others in a negative way.  It means I will not subsume my necessities to the point I have in the past.  I will not give up my necessities or parts of myself to please others.  I will surround myself with people who would never ask for that.  I will do better about boundaries my own and others.  I will let things happen in their own time not my own.  No rushing any relationship, be it a friendship or an intimate relationship.  People will need to accept the whole me, including that dorky nerdy Ubergeek part of myself; especially that part of me.  If people are not interested in getting to know me, I will let it go.  If it is meant to happen it will happen.  Forcing things never works.  What I left is proof of that.  I also need to remember sometimes the destination is not always the most important thing.  Sometimes the Journey itself is everything.  Well That Is My Not So Humble Opinion.

Ch-Ch-Changes

From March 19. 2015

I have come to an important decision.  I am working to start my own podcast.  I was trying to find a name to denote my personal journey and my optimism in it.  The name I came up with was Fumbling Forwards.  It denotes also humor and the case that I do not always know what I am doing and that I am still a work in progress.  I decided to use that name for the blog as well.

I have been really struggling with the name The Recovering Ubergeek.  There is so much more to me than just my geeky pursuits. The new name opens me up to social, political and spiritual discussions as well.  That does not mean that stuff is ever going to go away. I just am so much more and so will my blog be more. I already have tackled to more socially relevant subjects and covered my culinary history and pursuits. It is still me and all the older articles are not going anywhere.

The address is the same since it is connected to my account name and not the blog name.  Thank goodness for small favors like that. The name works for both the upcoming podcast and the blog.  Many of my personal journey articles fit the recovering side but not the Ubergeeky side.  The new name broadens that and makes anything a write possible.  It will be what it was plus so much more.  In a way this is a new introduction to the blog.  I have had a great deal of support for the name as it was for a podcast. I hope to get the same support for the change. This Has Been My Not So Humble Opinion.