Science Fiction Day

BECAUSE WE ARE WORTH IT! yes. YES. HELLS BELLS yes we are. This must the one of the Best Days Ever!

Now read that again, but this time, imagine it being shouted with helium?  Thats how it felt to write it. Like either helium or sugar O.D.  I don’t think you could notice in that short row of words that I’m a fan of sci-fi? Not a fan like “I can’t breath if I don’t get my daily dosage of sci-fi”, but big enough to know my Dr Who, Star Wars, Stargate, Firefly, and a bunch of other series I’ve watched that goes in the sign of sci-fi.If my days involve someting sci-fi, I’m happy, but if not I will survive. Promise.

When I was younger I was a strict Fantasy reader  (after I abandoned Nancy Drew to a honor-shelf in my room and started on a new shelf and a halfdussin libraries. Got through them all. No more shelfspace at home, and no more books at the library made me, 2 years ago, to start look in the other direction. Not that I hadn’t been watching sci-fi for a very long time at this point in my personal history. I’ve long been of the mind to READ fantasy, and to WATCH sci-fi. But two years ago.. Wow. I can ACTUALLY still remembering going over to that side of the bookstore and pick up something from the sci-fi shelf. How wierd it felt. I think it was Cobley’s Humanitys Fire and Reynold’s Terminal World that I bought that day. Loved them both for different reasons and since then I’ve been very graciously abusing my local library for sci-fi, and even cleaning out a shelf at home for new additions. Now, I wouldn’t say that wasn’t my FIRST sci-fi books, I’ve been dipping my toes in that literary waters for some time, even got a few favourit authors and books that can claim sci-fi status. But it was the First Time that I chose delibratly to read someting from the other side. And since then I’m happy as a clam in a Chicago chowder!

Enough of my personal shit. This is about something bigger than me. It’s Sci-Fi day and we should celebrate it! It’s also the birthdate that Mr Asimov himself took after not knowing when between october and january he was born.  It’s because of HIM that sci-fi is also celebrated today. They go together like someting that goes great together (was going to write penutbutter and jelly, but then remembered, I havn’t actually tried it so can’t say for sure that it’s awesome).. I’ve been wanting to read something of his for quite some time now, but I’ve been waiting for that perfect moment, and that perfect book (mostly the library only stock his books in Swedish, and I am of the mind to read an authors work in the language he wrote them in, especially if I can actually read that language). The one at the top of my to-read list by Asimov is ofcours I,Robot.

But today I’ll just have to gobble down Oryx and Crake by M. Atwood instead. It’s the one from this month bookclub (yes, I’m in a bookclub and it’s awesome, even though it mainly is about Fantasy, there is one in every few that does go for the sci-fi genre instead just to keep it freash), and I’ve been keeping it for a rainy day. Today is that rainy day (expect it doesn’t rain, but it’s kinda gray and soggy outside, this winter just ain’t getting it done) and since it’s also a day to try out that futuristic bathtub I’m going to bring the book in there and have a really splendid time reading in the tub. More people should do that. But only with books that they love and only with books they aren’t afraid of hurting. There have been more than one incident of dropping the book down in the water, and since I’m of the mind to like warm baths, there has always been the problem of steam. And not the good kind of steam, as in steampunk, the daughter of sci-fi, but the bad kind that makes the book all wonky.

“Let’s run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it”

About half a century ago in U.S someone said this and they had quite a laugh about it. But then it’s become a catchfrase and it’s been in movies and joked about by famous people. It’s also wieved as somewhat arcane, and ridiculed. But what it also is, are an expression for trying out ideas. And that is what this Day is about. To try out ideas. It could have been any psychological experiment really, as I see it. The urban legend about the man standing outside a door to form a queue and people showing up behind him because they want in on the game, and then the first person just leaves. Or that experiment when they looked for responses to a fight in a highly populated area (everyone looked away and went about their day, because the fight wasn’t their problem). The whole thing is kinda a fix on human nature. At least the running up to the flagpole thing. It doesn’t express how it’s a new thing. So how it’s come to represent that I can’t really see, but it’s a good thing it actually exist.

This Day is about trying out something new. Maybe you have been thinking about a crazy haircut? Trying on that hideous, but strangly comfortably looking christmas present from smelly uncle Frank, experiment with habaneros in the kitchen, rock-climbing, or any other thing in your life you have been thinking about and havn’t gotten around to try out because you are afraid of what your friends and family will think or say. Today is the day when you can do it. But the main part I think is about presenting that idea of yours to a friend. Or family member, dammit, even the dog is a good choice if there is no one else around. One have to let go sometimes and throw the ideas out there to get some feedback to actually know what is working for you. And maybe your family will hate you for walking around in that offensice sweater, or your husband will choke on that paella filled with to much habanero, but the important thing is that you will have tried! And maybe you will find out that you don’t care what the family thinks about uncle Frank, because you have fallen in love with the sweater and my GAWD is it comfy, or that you actually liked that paella even if your husband havn’t stopped crying yet. Or maybe this friend of your goes and get the same haircut because you just look that damn good in it.

The reactions may vary, the feedback may not be positiv, but it may also be a way for finding a new side of yourself that will make yourself more comfortable in life, get a new friend, or grow some courage to it again the next time you have and idea that you like. It’s all about the trying, and another cheesy cliché goes “if thy falleth to the harden ground, keep picketh thyself up”. So run to that imaginary flagpole of yours today and try something you have been thinking about for a while but havn’t had the curage to try. It’s a good day to do it, and if you get ridiculed for it, blame me for pushing you into it. Or rather blame the guy that said the flagpole thing the first time (I don’t like crazy angry people showing up at my house with knives screaming “you ruined my life with your shitty advice”. The whole idea of evil stalkers make me wanna go hide in the basement, but if you wanna send flowers or better yet, choclate to thank me, good stalkers are welcome for a while, untill they go insanly wierd, than no less than 150 yards thanks to the restrainingorder I’ll order)

My celebration on this is going to be to send this blog out in the world, try it out on a few more friends, some unknown and some yet not befriended. I’ll go a different way (one never walked before) with the dog on the next walk, and try the bath that have been staring for me everytime I’ve been over to this house. It kinda scares me because it’s a ENORMOUS tub, with a loads of different metall-thingies along the sides, and I wouldn’t want to make it explode or break or better yet… not work while I try it. BUT I love baths, and so it’s a great day to try this thing out. Hopefully it’ll be alright.