Monday, January 25, 2016

William Myrl; Letters to No One (36)

Dear No One, 
Procure a ramen noodle package, and crush the contents. Pour a quarter to half of the seasoning packet inside and shake it up. Pour that into an old popcorn bag, and place it all into the microwave, except the original ramen bag, obviously. Cook for thirty seconds, shake it up, repeat until its had about two minutes or so, I prefer a bit more. Eat it 
So there is an original series on syfy called Childhoods End. It is about an alien race appearing in the sky and teaching us to be nice. It feels like a short story concept. The odd part is that the aliens aren't teaching anyone anything. They prevent wrongdoing, force cooperation to help bring food and water to the thirsty and starving, and generally nanny the human race. They heal some people, essentially at random. Why isn't the alien intelligence more clever? Why is their big plan to brute force a solution that requires their long term commitment? Because this alien intelligence is actually writers employed by syfy. You can't actually write about something smarter than yourself, because you can't know what that something would actually do or think. 
So it turns out that the aliens are actually space Satan, who come from the planet space hell, where god lives, whom they call the overmind. They psychically devour all the worlds children, prevent all further childbirth, and blow up the planet in eighty years. This was based on a short story by Arthur C Clarke, or someone, which should have tipped me off that it would be horrible and not make any sense, but I was a fool and watched anyway.
I am going to make a concerted effort to learn japanese. I have all the necessary materials, and I have said this before, and it will probably mean a mighty effort for about a week and a half. I read a book about learning languages more efficiently, and it mostly referred to resources I do not have; the internet and other people. I used a pen pal booklet to attempt to contact a couple of native speakers, and it will likely come to naught. Still, the chance of having someone who could be helpful to contact was worth the effort of writing a few letters.
I listen,to a lot of Japanese music, not actually useful, but it feels like Im doing something positively immersive. Amenoto is good, and someone called Draft Kings. Searching out worthwhile foreign music on the kiosk is no minor task. I try to preview everything I see with a Japanese name that isn't obviously terrible, as exploitation bands usually are, and it does yield rare dividends.
Syfy is also premiering a series called the Magicians, based on a book series by Lev Grossman. I don't think I was writing you when I read them; it was one of the most stressful experiences of my literary life, Bridge to Terebithia stressful. It makes us hate and hurt in equal parts. I am not going to relive that via the series, however little else is on Wednesday nights.
I am sorry I don't have anything exuberantly exciting to share with you. Ive been helping the shipping department out, which means I've been folding clothes and taping them in plastic bags. I actually don't mind. It keeps my hands moving, and my mind is free to wander. The hours pass more swiftly that way than when I spend them pretending to work. 
The days pass more swiftly being there, a good and bad thing. Five months until my essay is published.

Yours,
William Myrl 

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