What dreams may come ~or~ I really need to watch those midnight snacks...

For the past two hours I lay awake in bed, haunted by a dream. In it I stood before a congregation in a church from my childhood long gone and spoke in a voice I never knew I had.

At the pulpit I spoke about the horrors of gun worship and an out of control military complex - where we spend more than the next five developed countries combined - and kill from afar; justifying the countless civilian deaths as justified collateral for the one target among them. I spoke of the disgrace of having the most citizens incarcerated and the greatest deficits between those who have, and those who do not.

I pleaded the case of Ben Franklin and his wise words about sacrificing freedoms for security when I talked of how we have let the TSA and the NSA walk all over and disgrace the Constitution and The Bill of Rights. And I asked them all, in this age of progress and enlightenment, how could we be proud of ourselves when the most we can say is we can destroy the world many times over from a single submarine?

The congregation - obviously as confused as I was about how and why I was up there speaking to them, sat stunned and murmured to themselves as I slipped away, across the quad, and to the gym to check in with security while the charity basketball game was just getting underway. I laughed with the chief as we saw one celebrity insist he enter the gym being bear hugged by his body guard. And, while I tried to discretely change into a kilt in the back corner, two older women started asking me about how to get to the music festival. So, instead of giving into my growing annoyance, I smiled and led them around the back hall, past a stage strewn with kilts and band equipment and off to the reception area.

As the dream started to fade I caught site of myself in a window, now having affixed my kilt. It wasn't any tartan I had ever seen, before. It wasn't even plaid. And as I saw how different I looked I started to think about that little gold card in my wallet.

Obviously this is a truncated version of how the dream actually went. And, I have to wonder, under what authority would I be to give such a speech, to begin with? The church, as it was, is long gone; however there is a new church built on it. It's one I don't recognize as well, these days. As much for my separation from its teaching as much as its physical form; though my blood line is mired in it.

Yes, ever inch of this is steeped in symbolism; I've been going over it for the past two hours. I imagine I'll continue going over it the rest of the day...

Iron "Fanboy" Chuck

On the heels of an "interesting" attempt at a scifi conversation last Thursday night with some younger fans comes twenty six random facts about IronChuck's fandom:

1. Batman was my gateway drug into the wonderful world of comics. So much so that I sought out the very first real Batman comic I ever read; Detective Comics #395, "The Waiting Grave" which I discovered in a pile of comics in a mountain time share on a family sky trip when I was eight. Some day I will own that issue, and proudly display it at Grand Central.

2. I really, really, really gave the new Battlestar Galactica a chance. Really, I did. But it's old school for me; the new stuff just doesn't do anything for me.

3. It took me three seasons to start not liking Star Trek: The Next Generation. So much so that I stopped drinking my favorite tea - Earl Grey - because of all the obsessive nerd crap at cons with guys drinking it. (Yes, I once heard someone order it at Wondercon at the coffee place. Yes, he actually said; "Tea: Earl Grey. Hot".)

4. Looking back, Daredevil is actually a good comic book movie.

5. I started watching Doctor Who in 1981, when I discovered it during a PBS pledge break late one Saturday night. And I stayed an avid fan up until - but not including - Tennant's last year. My favorite Doctors are Peter Davidson and Christopher Eggleston.

6. I worked at a comic shop in high school.

7. I saw all three Star Wars films first in the theatre. (Star Wars I saw as a second run in 1978, but Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi I saw first run.) At one point not only could I recite the scrolling intros, but, if played the scores, I could tell you what was happening at that exact moment on screen. I still own my original copy of George Lucas' paperback.

8. When I was a kid, I was a DC kid; never had much taste for Marvel. Today I couldn't care less for DC, but the Marvel movie 'verse is pretty compelling.

9. I was near ground zero for the Japanese invasion of comics and cartoons. Back then, if you were lucky, you could find a sub-titled tape; otherwise you had to read a plot synopsis in a fanzine. When the first wave of translations hit by Studio Proteus you could say I was a very happy geek, indeed.

10. I have an autographed copy of Stardust. Just Neil Gaiman, though; really want Charles Vess', too.

11. It's taken my thirty years to really appreciate Stan Lee.

12. There was once a time when you could throw an overnight bag in the car, take the drive to San Diego, walk up to the door of the convention hall, and get a day pass to Comic Con for that day. Of course, there was also a time when Comic Con was about comics...

13. I have beaten Mertroid in one sitting without using the infamous "Justin Bailey" code. (And those of you who read Galactic Gun may have just made a connection.)

14. I have, on many more than one occasion, participated in an all night RPG session. My experience includes, D&D, Champions, Star Wars, and the Palladium system (Under more than one title.) I have played a ranger, a star hopper, a vigilante super hero, a private detective, a cyborg, and even once as myself.

16. I have attended every Wondercon from the third one until Comic Con stole it from us. Bastards.

17. I had a table at A.P.E.

18. I was once recognized at a Renn Faire as the creator of Galactic Gun. (Yeah, sure, the guy thought the art sucked, but loved the writing.) No, my feet did not touch ground the rest of the day.

19. Speaking of which; I have performed at Renn Faires for six years in a comedy stunt troop. Yes, that included actually swinging a sword in a choreographed routine.

20. The original Star Trek is still the best Star Trek.

21. I used to customize my G.I. Joe figures. This would include stripping and repainting, as well as scratch modifications that would utilized parts from models and the old parts box in our family garage. In a freak accident I once drove a screwdriver through my hand trying to undo a rusted back screw on a figure. Panicked that my dad would take the screwdriver away, I wrapped my hand in a towel and went to bed early. To this day he does not know that.

22. My first subscription was to Heavy Metal magazine. I kept them hidden in my closet because I was worried my mom would find them and think they were porn.

23. Yes, I did have a Slave Leia fantasy. Guess it makes sense what with Han Solo being my favorite character; besides the droids, that is.

24. My video game prowess came at the height of the golden age of video games; the era of the arcade. There isn't a single console in the world that you kids have today that will ever begin to come close to that experience. Sorry.

25. I have never been able to reconcile why Automan's car did 90 degree turns, but not his motorcycle.

26. The first season of Buck Rogers is really good. Not so much the second, though.