(That and if I’m truly lost I can cheat and use the endless wikis devoted to the show to fill in the blanks.)

 Now lets talk about that show that sounds like a spice hidden in your cupboard…

I liked the pilot as much as I liked the original BSG miniseries, and that’s saying a lot.

Set 50 years before the beginning of Battlestar Galactica, Caprica is about a society that has reached a near peak of scientific perfection without dipping into scientific tropes like transporters, giant mechs, or reptillian overlords who gaze out over mankind and uttering “Hmm, yeeeeeesssss” like Beast Wars Megatron.

Caprica is set in a world that’s very similar to the 21^st century.  People wear business suits when they go to work and the only time you feel it is set in the future is with the little things people use from day to day.  Rather than carrying around a clunky cell phone they have small little communication devices and instead of a smart phone or laptop to send emails to each other they use pieces of paper that are miniature screens you can interact with.

For some, it can be jarring.  Absent are the capes, blasters, and starships from the original BSG series.  Instead of having nobles they have politicians and while starships are mentioned people still travel back and forth in cars or on the subway.  (Ugh.  The subway survived into the future and seems just as crappy.)

The main focus of Caprica are the characters of Joseph Adama and Daniel Graystone.

While Daniel Graystone represents an interesting character who is torn between his devotion to science and his belief he can resurrect his daughter through technological means, I was more attracted to the character of Joseph Adama.  Joseph, or Yosef as he is referred to by his fellow Taurons, is someone who is trying to live the Caprican way of life and yet comes from a planet that is looked down upon by the “civilized” world.

Graystone is very familiar to me, which is both comforting yet a little…dull.  A scientist obsessed with his work and making irrational decisions to save his company and his daughter and he is from what can only be called a “Western” culture?  Eric Stoltz does a fine job but I have seen it before.  I think his character will get more interesting as time goes on, so I’m more than willing to let this go in favor of seeing new episodes.

Joseph Adama is interesting and his background is a combination of Middle Eastern, Hispanic, and a refreshing mix of a made up culture thrown together with a grieving father whose ties to the underworld conflict with wanting a better life for his kid.  He pulls off the role as a distant father beautifully, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the character evolves.

Alessandra Torresani was good as Zoe Graystone.  I admit, I hated the living Zoe at the beginning of the show and much preferred the purity and innocence of the digital version. 

Hopefully the show keeps going strong and I’m looking forward to seeing the development of the Cylons, the eventual outbreak of the Cylon war, and how the relationship between Joseph and Graystone evolves.

Breaking news, dear readers:

FML = DEAD

Congratulations, internet.  In the time it took you to invent a new catchy saying, you buried it but a short time later.

I only learned about this phrase last fall but it seemed to hit its zenith during December.  Like a teen pop star or boy band, FML started popping up on AIM status messages, Facebook postings, and inevitably with internet sayings I heard it in real life with a coworker at his cubicle.  What is this now extinct internet phrase you might ask?

FML:  Fuck My Life.  As in, “I can’t get a job, my dog is sick, and I’m fairly sure my foot has gone gangrene.  FML.”

Why have I declared this phrase dead?

Like “Angry poster is Angry” or “The emo, I has it” FML became tired and was used inappropriately rather quickly.  Before long, I was reading my Facebook page and grimacing at how people were using it to describe little things with the phrase.  It was like a caterpillar which turned itself into a cocoon and emerged a piece of poop that was all ridgy and green.

Here are just some samples I’ve seen on LJ and AIM as of late…

“Still can’t find a job.  FML.”

“They screwed up my order at McDonalds and put mustard on the sandwich. FML.”

“Aww, man!  I couldn’t get Gaga tickets.  FML!”

That first poster?  That sucks.  They can’t find a job, and that’s never good to hear.  Their life is properly fucked, especially if they can’t figure out how to pay their bills.  That second person?  Well, no one likes having mustard on their sandwich when they don’t want it there but maybe they had something else happen in their life.

But no Gaga tickets?  Oh man, your life is over.  What will you do now that you don’t have tickets to Gaga?

I think the biggest telling point that this catch phrase is dead though?

When it is used ironically.

“Yeah, FML or whatever.”

Personally, I hope the next catch phrase involves the Last Starfighter.  That would be killer.

In Other News

J.D. Salinger is dead.  That’s a damn shame, though it was kind of inevitable with his age.  You will be missed and I need to find my copy of Catcher in the Rye.

Hey faithful readers (including some of you sentient bots out there), I’m in a bit of a situation that maybe you can help me with.  Right now, I have a head cold which is driving me NUTS.

As a friend of mine recently pointed out, I think noses only exist to remind us how much we hate them when we’re sick.  My nose  won’t stop running and whenever I try to clear it, it hurts.  It’s so annoying that when I try to sleep at night it feels like a 5 pound weight is sitting on my face, and when I move my head to the side to compensate I then have to deal with a clogged nostril.

I know, THIS is what you read my blog for.  Disgusting health news. 

Some of you might wonder why I haven’t turned to medicine to help me sleep.  Trust me, I’ve tried.  Last night I took a Benadryl, and the night before I took Tylenol Cold Nighttime formula.  Both of these are supposed to make you tired and help you sleep despite having a maddening nose.  Instead, once I take these drugs the exact opposite happens.

Sure, they do what they claim and help clean out my nose to help me breathe but they also make me hyper!  My heart was racing last night and while I was physically exhausted and unable to concentrate I was without a doubt very awake.  As I tossed and turned in bed, I would do my best to achieve a “Zen” state and clear my mind so that sleep would come naturally.  Clearly, this was a failure and around 1 AM I decided to read through New Avengers: Illuminati and Necessary Evil to pass the time.

I believe I fell asleep sometime after 3 AM, and considering that I woke up at 10 AM I want to find some way to nip this in the bud so I can sleep normally.  So I’m turning to you guys!

What helps you sleep?  Do you prescribe by the “glass of warm milk” or do have another method?  Tell me anything, from great grand papa’s old fashioned elixir to scientific methods.  How do you sleep when you absolutely have to?

I will do an update on this decade, but for now you get to enjoy this review of this year.

In summary, 2009 sucked and was a terrible year.

OK, that’s not entirely true.  It could have been a lot worse and to be honest, I made it through.  I’m here, I’ve got friends, and I’ve done a lot of cool things this year.  So here is my Top Five things of 2009!  Top Five, as in they were super important to me or were very changing of this year.

FIVE!

Getting better physically.

After the surgery, I lost a ton of weight but then gained back more.  This hurts, because for the first half of the year I was walking every day, going to the gym, and watching what I ate.  After the surgery I lapsed in this especially when I couldn’t move and it shows.  Ugh, does it show.

I’m not proud of this, and I want to change it.  I know everyone says they want to lose weight for the new year but I’m going to do this, damn it!

FOUR!

Friends come in at a strong four!

I have lots of friends.  Some are online, some I’ve met through work.  Others I’ve met through friends, and even more are acquantances who I don’t mind hanging out with from time to time.  Heck, if you’re reading this web site you’re either a friend of mine or an adbot!

I had to count on my friends in 2009 more than ever before, especially during my surgery.  So many of you sent presents, get well cards, and good thoughts over Facebook or in my email.  Thank you all for the kindness you’ve shown me, especially when I needed help.  I just hope I can repay you guys for all the help in 2009!

THREE!

My nephew, Jack, makes number three!

He’s the first new family member we’ve had in a long time.  He is 10 months old as of now, and he has been an awesome little guy.  While he is not my kid, he has helped me change and grow as a person.

…what, too sentimental?  Tough shit!

The fact is, he’s helped me become more patient.  I’ve learned to take things slowly around him.  Because of him, I’ve started to watch my language.  I’m not censoring myself, rather I’m just learning to be more considerate around children.

I’m not normally a fan of children.  For years, I had to deal with them at Vons and clean up after their messes.  I still remember when a kid spilled an entire 72 oz drink on a book shelf and how furious I was with him.  (And with the parents who didn’t realize he’d spill his jumbo drink in our store and refused to pay for it.)  I’ve also never dealt with babies before.

I love my nephew, and I think he’s the  most awesome person I know.  I hope it stays this way for a good long time.

TWO!

Working with Peryton Publishing is my number two.

I managed to negotiate a fiction deal with them and I managed to do it while recovering from surgery.  I’ve also sold short stories this year that should come out in 2010, and while I did not have that many things released this year I’m confident that my writing career is progressing.

It’s hard being a writer.  For starters, most people don’t understand what it is you do!  Most people go “Oh, anyone can write.  Please read my five thousand word fanfiction on Sepiroth fighting Spike then scoring with Buffy.”  I’m not saying I am the “end all” of writers by any means.  I have a long way to go, and I need to brush up on a few things before I can safely feel confident in my own skills.  Still, I think I’ve come a long way.

Since most people do not know, I started writing professionally five years ago.  I started working for a company called FJ Gaming and I wrote an adventure for them for their Gunslingers RPG line.   Since then, I have worked for a few companies and I finally made my way to White Wolf Publishing this year with my first supplement published with them for Collection of Horrors (Caveat Emptor).  I’m really glad I got to work with them, and I like where my career is headed.  It’s going onwards and upwards, which is good.

ONE!?!?!

This one is easy.  The surgery tops out my 2009.

Earlier this year, I had a “Laproscopic Microlumbar Surgery on my L5 Vertebrae with removal of a mass on my nerve cluster.”  In layman’s terms, I had a small pipe inserted into my spine where they cut out a solid mass that was bulging from my spine and crushing my sciatic nerves.  I could barely move my foot, and I was in solid pain throughout June.  The pain was so unbearable that I was forced to break down and get a $2000 CAT scan and I was barely able to leave my home.  I couldn’t even operate my car as my foot was paralyzed.

The surgery was successful, and I’m able to move my right leg and foot now.  However for July I could’t do anything and while at Gencon I was in so much pain I passed out each night around 10.  Still, I didn’t die on the operating table and they correctly diagnosed the problem and treated it.

Does it still hurt?  Yes.  Does it get better from day to day?  Sort of.  I can see a lot of improvement and I’m glad I had the surgery although I still have a lot of pain.  I have a numb patch on my right foot that will never go away.  When I say I have pain, I have pain in my back that prevents me from going up and down stairs, lifting heavy things, even from sitting for too long!  The most irritating part about this is that I hurt my left knee on a hike a few weeks ago and it’s taking forever to mend, which only makes me more cranky.  I would do almost anything for this pain to be over!  However, I am doing better.  Slowly, I am doing better.

I predict that in 2010 I will feel better and my spine will recover.  Until then, I’ll just have to cope with this pain.