Caerulean blue

Last year about this time I bought a passiflora caerulea from the Texas A&M Horticultural Gardens spring plant sale. Although it grew all summer, it set few flowers--a grand total of three. I started to grow concerned that maybe I'd gotten a dud--occasional plants grown from seed have a genetic mix that makes them reluctant to flower. Well, no worries on that count this year. The vine is growing like gangbusters and has set well over 100 buds. Here's the first one I was able to get a shot of a day back, and four more flowers opened today.



By this time next week, half the vine will be in flower. Plus, my p. caerulea var. Constance Elliott (a white flowered variation), which didn't set a single flower last year has a dozen or so buds growing as well. I'm thinking I'm going to have to set up a gallery to show off all the cool passion flowers I'll have this year.

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Friday Night Videos

Big Bam Boom was a huge album for Hall & Oates, and that's interesting since it was, for the most part, a departure for them. One of my favorite songs off the album--and favorite video as well--is, as you might come to expect from me, one of the more obscure tracks. Possession Obsession was something of a minor hit, especially in comparison to "Out of Touch" and "Method of Modern Love" but it's still my favorite. It's just so silky smooth with a darker subtext that I can't resist. I also have to confess a predisposition to support the underdog, and it's nice to see John Oates get some lead vocals for a change. But Daryl Hall isn't forgotten--get a load of his hair during the chorus!



Previously on Friday Night Videos... Kim Carnes.
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Battlestar Galactica: Crossroads part 2

I hate Apollo. I mean, really, really hate him. He has become the most offensive, sniveling, self-absorbed character on the show. Which really sucks, because I know the writers intend for him to be this pure, noble idealist. But he's not. The man has had his spine surgically removed. The only time he takes a stand is when some obscure, abstract point of navel-gazing morality stands in the way of practical, pragmatic solutions to immediate problems faced by the few remaining survivors of the human race. He hasn't achieved anything of his own--command of the Pegasus on down has been handed to him on a silver platter, and he has the audacity to whine about this because life somehow isn't fair on a cosmic scale. Please, somebody, frakkin' kill him now.

Galactica won't be back until 2008, and I don't think I care. If blowing up the Pegasus wasn't their "jump the shark" moment, then basing an entire episode around Dylan's (or Hendrix's depending on your tastes) "Along the Watchtower" is most definitely a great white moment. Talk about destroying any semblance of verisimilitude with a gross anachronism like that. Since the show actually showed Earth in the psychedelic closing sequence, I think we have to accept Starbuck's contention that she's been there and can lead the fleet to it at face value. The other contention of the episode, that Col. Tigh, Chief Tyrol and those other two are actually Cylon sleeper agents and members of the "Final Five" (as ill-conceived a macguffin as any I've ever seen) is utter and complete bullshit. Tigh's got a 40-year service record. The android Cylons are a relatively new invention--unless they plan to explain that the real Tigh was abducted and replaced with a Cylon duplicate just a few years prior to the miniseries, they're facing some horrible continuity blunders that I don't think I can overlook. Especially when this "Final Five" idea itself is a fairly recent development--hell, I can't find it now, but at the time Lucy Lawless showed up as a Cylon model Ron Moore said in an interview that we'd now seen all the Cylon humanoid models, that the other models had been "boxed" as flawed. That plan, apparently, is out the window. They're rapidly losing all credibility with me--making it up as you go along is one thing, but pretending that you're not is just weak.

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Off to Aggiecon

In a few minutes I'll shut down the computer and hit the sack. In the morning I'll be off to Aggiecon in College Station. Gene Wolfe is the author guest of honor, and I'm looking forward to having him sign my personal copy of Voices of Vision. I've got a reading on Saturday, a full hour, and will be doing "The Whale Below," the story I have coming out in Jeff VanderMeer's pirate anthology Fast Ships, Black Sails. Here's my schedule--If you're at the con, drop by and introduce yourself.

Friday
5:30 p.m. Texas Writers
6:45 p.m. The Future of Harry Potter

Saturday
3 p.m. Pimp Your Book
8 p.m. Reading "The Whale Below"
9:15 p.m. Life Extension and Cloning
10:30 p.m. Penetrating the Rift (18+)

Sunday
11:15 p.m. The History of SF

There's also an autograph session in there somewhere. Aggiecon's always a fun event, and I haven't missed a single one since attending my first, Aggiecon 20, 18 years ago. Wow. I think that make me officially an old fart.

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Fun while it lasted

Memphis and A&M played a heck of a game. Both teams missed a truckload of point-blank shots, and the two coaches made some good strategic moves from the sidelines. I'm ticked off that A&M lost, make no mistake. I really, really wanted the team to reach at least the Elite 8, but in all honesty, playing in the Sweet 16 after going 0-16 in Big 12 play three years back is undeniably awesome. My only real gripe is the refs taking more than a second off the play clock at the end. Even the TV announcers thought that excessive, and it forced A&M to rush the potential game-winning play. There's no shame in losing to Memphis, but I wish such an even, back-and-forth contest could've ended on a less controversial note.

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Draft Gore

Apologies for my long absence. Last week was spring break, and I've found that during holidays when my routine is disrupted, I rarely get online, much less post. And this week has been quite hectic.

I don't go into politics all that often here, but I've had a growing certainty over the past six months or so that of all the potential presidential candidates out there, the only one I'm comfortable with in office right now is Al Gore. I voted for him in 2000, and sorely want to do so again in 2008. Only he isn't running, so I've joined the thousands who've signed the "Draft Gore" petition online. I found this in my inbox today, and thought I'd share it with you.

Dear Friends,

Today Al Gore testified before Congress on the issue of global warming,
and the New York Times carried this as their lead story. This is a
crucial time for us to make a bold statement about the need for Gore
candidacy. When Gore makes news, we get ten times more visitors than
normal -- including media. Let's impress them with the biggest petition
possible and take some bold actions. Today. Together. Please join us.

There are four things we'd like to ask of you. Please take a few minutes
to read this. It's never been more important than now.

1. Forward the petition link to at least one friend (hopefully more)
2. Make a contribution -- we can't do it without you!
3. Ask DFA to include Al Gore in their presidential poll. Their
endorsement hangs on this.
4. Write Al Gore -- his birthday is 3/31.

1. PETITION (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/algore2008/)

We currently have more than 61,000 signatures on the petition. For a
petition of its kind it's enormous. (Most similar petitions get stuck at
3,000 or less.) But for us to demonstrate the strength of our movement,
we need to double this number now, and then aim for far more in the
months ahead.

And it's easy if you all forward the link
(http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/algore2008/) to as many people as
you can -- friends, neighbors, coworkers. Or tell them to visit
draftgore.com and sign the petition. It can make a huge difference. We
rely on you.

2. CONTRIBUTIONS: HELP US BUY ADS

For each one of us there are millions of Americans who would love to
join this movement but don't know we're here. They will never find us
unless we advertise. Ads are the biggest expense of a campaign. Right
now we cannot afford to reach large audiences beyond internet activists.
With YOUR help we will take out big ads that will tell the world Draft
Gore has arrived.

http://www.draftgore.com/contribute.htm

Anything you can afford will make a big difference. Your dollars COUNT.
And for each contribution you'll receive a beautiful color
bumpersticker. You can pay either by check or securely and quickly
online through either ActBlue (the Democratic fundraiser) or by PayPal.

3. DFA POLL

Democracy for America is running a poll right now asking people to pick
a candidate for 2008. Based on this poll they could make an endorsement.
To our disappointment, Al Gore is NOT included in the poll. The DFA
membership is extremely Gore friendly. If Gore were included, he'd win
in an instant. Please write to DFA and ask them to include Gore in their
presidential poll. You can do it by taking the poll and selecting
"other" for the candidate, or by writing them directly. Here are the
links:

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/contact
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/pulsepoll


4. BIRTHDAY LETTER

Al Gore's birthday is coming up on March 31. This is the perfect time to
write him a letter to send him your wishes and tell him why you think
it's so important that he run for president. Here's his address (sorry,
no email ... same thing, with a stamp ;-)

The Office of the Honorable Al Gore
2100 West End Avenue
Suite 620
Nashville, TN 37203

Thank you very much for your continued support,

Draft Gore

One last thing--Lisa and I, through the magic of NetFlix, watched An Inconvenient Truth the other night. A fantastic, engrossing film. Despite what Republicans such as Joe Barton and James Inhofe would have the world believe, there isn't any scientific doubt over the human role in, and carbon dioxide impact on climate change. I know researchers at Texas State that are studying glacier retreat who are downright exasperated at politicians' dismissal of their overwhelming evidence. So while Gore's documentary is slick and stylish while playing up the drama (how often do you hear those words used in conjunction with "Gore" and "documentary") the facts, science and conclusions in the film are real and solid. Gore makes a few references to the cigarette industry, which got me to thinking that An Inconvenient Truth and the hilariously evil Thank You for Smoking would make a great double-bill. Check them out if you're able--excellent films.

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Friday Night Videos

I went through a Kim Carnes phase right near the end of her biggest sustained popularity. I really got into her "Barking at Airplanes" album, and from there tracked down a lot of her previous albums. Very interesting songwriting. I also find it interesting that she never changed her image--pretty much her entire career has her sporting the white-shirt-black-suit look. Bette Davis Eyes was her biggest hit, but is also her most stylish and prototypical 80s video. And it's still such an odd piece that I'm baffled as to how it succeeded as it did. In today's slick, programmed era of radio, it'd never get any airplay. Which explains, I suppose, why Karnes hasn't had a hit in more than 15 years.



Previously on Friday Night Videos... The Police.

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