Well, I seem to have lost track of… frankly, everything! I discovered the series Stargate SG-1 and it now consumes my every waking moment… that and a pair of socks that I’m making two-at-a-time, toe-up. (An interesting construction method that I heartily approve of–because in the end you don’t have to do the whole thing over to get a second sock, and I can keep going with ‘em until I use up all of my yarn instead of guessing how much I’m going to need.)
But I realized that I’d neglected everything else, and did some of the cleaning/organizing that I’d taken time off to do–around 2:30 a.m. when my heart was racing and I couldn’t sleep and I finally realized that I’d drank an entire caffeinated soda instead of the caffeine-free one that I usually limit myself to after dinnertime. Sigh. But I got something done. Then today I confirmed that I am “off the books” of the State of Ohio (who mistakenly thought I owed them taxes for 2004), and just now I checked on my dragon eggs and mini-city (see the post below), and they’re both progressing well. I think. I also returned all my visits for my city (people leave messages to let you know they came through–it’s polite to revisit them in return).
Check out my city now!
Anyway, all the rest of the things that I do normally have suffered because I am so totally and utterly immersed in this TV show. I’d avoided it because it’s got a (probably well-deserved) nerdly reputation, and because I remember watching the Stargate movie long ago and thinking it was kind of cheesy. Aliens were the Egyptian / Greek / Roman gods of myth? Come on, now… But it’s fun and engrossing, and I’ve been picking up lots of things that I find fascinating about culture at large.
For instance, when the show started up, it was the season of 1997-1998, and this show is set among Air Force personnel who operate the stargate in question. Of course, in that season they were ridiculously unmilitary in some ways… their sloppy salutes and strange interpretations of military rituals were… odd, to say the least. But it was a reminder of what a different world we inhabited back in 1997 (the year, incidentally, that I entered the adult world after college). The Cold War was over and the military, in particular, was suffering from a certain sense of uncertainty about their mission and relevance in a post-Cold War world. I remember experiencing even some remnants of this existential crisis when I entered the AF back in 2002, though of course 9/11 and the resulting war has changed things for all of us.
For instance, the military folks wear their “blues” a lot (the “office” AF uniform) when they’re not on tactical missions in this show. This is accurate for the time. When they visited an alternate reality (yes, it’s a sci-fi show, so of course there were such things), they were engaged in an all-out war and it was made sinister by the fact that they were all wearing utility uniforms in (gasp!) a Vietnam-reminiscent tiger-stripe camo. The funny thing about this is that 10 years later, it’s regulations that almost all of us are always wearing utility uniforms (the pilots and other “cool” types who can wear flight suits do so), that are a digital pattern and desert-appropriate greyed-down colors, but also a Vietnam-reminiscent tiger-stripe pattern. It struck me that if a visitor from 10 years ago could visit a military installation today, they would have a sense of displacement and the worrisome feeling of being at war when one was used to peace… so the show’s creators were spot-on with that.
The politics of the real world haven’t played too much into the show, though in the election year season (season 4, which I’m currently at the end of), there was some discussion of elections and reelections for some of the political characters. I’m interested to see if the election of Hollywood nemesis-of-choice President Bush will change the treatment of the government… but most particularly, I’m going to be watching to see what impact the events of 9/11 will have on a show that is so thoroughly of the military.
Anyway, it’s been interesting. Due to some of the show plots, I’ve discovered which themes I’m most resonant to. So much of TV focuses on people saving their friends and/or their families… I’m pretty callous to it these days, but now and then they touch on a theme that really moves me. I seem to have this deep-seated NEED for knowledge, for learning… for the ability to continue to pursue knowledge. They’ve got a character who’s typically Promethean in this way, and it’s interesting to me that I very much relate to him.
Since it’s one of my theories that every person constructs a story of which they are the hero/heroine, I’ve wondered which story I am trying to live out… and watching a show with this much intensity has given me a few insights into that. It’s truly intriguing.
Well, forgive me for blathering on in such a way. I’d include the background music of the show’s series, just for effect, since it’s apparently playing in the back of my mind in a continuous loop… 
Oh well. I’m having fun. This is a good way to take some time off. Just no more caffeine after dinner!
Posted by Kjirstin 
