I Told My Grandmother I Have A Star Wars Blog

This is one of my earliest non-jokes, originally published September 26, 2006.  Every word is true, honest injun!

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"I haven't read your sister's blog in a couple of days," she says to me over the phone, "so I have really no idea what's going on in her life."

"Don't worry, she's doing fine," comes my reply. Not a very creative thing to say, but I just got this new cell phone, and I'm trying to figure out where to put it in the car. I quickly settle for the nearest option, and drop it on my lap. Did I mention I'm driving?

"Well, her blogs are what keep your grandfather and me up to date. She's a very good writer, your sister." That's true, but I'm still more impressed that my grandparents know what a blog is. For a couple of octogenarians, they're remarkably internet-savvy.

Then she continues. "Do you have a blog?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." I should have seen that coming, yet I have no clue how to respond. I figure that honesty is the best policy, or at least the easiest, so I decide to just come out and say it. "Well, yeah. But it's not a regular blog. It's a Star Wars blog."

"A Star Wars blog?"

"Yeah, it's about Star Wars jokes. Kind of a niche, but people seem to like it."

"Oh," says my grandmother. "Well, I don't think I'd like it."

"No, probably not," I agree. She wasn't being mean, just honest. Wookiee puns aint her thang. I get that.

"When did the Star Wars come out?" she asks.

"The first one? 1977."

"You know, when that movie came out, they made such a big deal about it that we just had to go see it. So me and your grandfather, we went to go see it with some friends of ours. We saw it at the Esquire Theater - you know the one?"

"Of course," I lie.

"I think they just closed the Esquire. I read about it in the Sun-Times. A real shame, it was such a nice place." My grandmother was a schoolteacher, so she knows not to stay off topic for long. "Anyway, we go to see the Star Wars, at the Esquire Theater, and I remember sitting there and having absolutely no idea what was going on!"

"Well," I manage, "I suppose it's not for every audience."

Then there's a pause. I know the pause well. My grandmother is a people-pleaser, and she's concerned that I might be upset by her story. I don't call her nearly enough, and she's not going to blow this conversation by implying that she disapproves of my hobby. She's trying to think of something -- anything -- which might make me feel better.

"Carrie Fisher was in Star Wars, right?" Gotta admit, she has an impressive memory.

"That's right," I say.

"Well, everybody loves Debbie Reynolds."

Echoes ... of the blogs

This is one of my favourite blogs I wrote that I wish to re-post first.  It combines my love of Star Wars and music, particularly Pink Floyd.  Thanks, nobby, for giving us the space to bring our works back to life.

Originally posted January 10, 2009

Echoes.  Such an interesting word.  When I think of echoes I think of a few different things.  I think about the purely fantastic song by Pink Floyd from their album Meddle, which I will make reference to in this entry.  I think about an actual echo, which is a repetition of a sound caused by a reflection of the sound waves (like calling out hello across a lake or a mountain range) or the reflection of radar signal by an object.  And I also think of memories and how they are an echo of a time gone by which can repeat in one’s mind for years after.

 I’ve always found it fascinating to call out my name in a geographic area that would say my name back to me, or to say hello loudly enough that it sounded as if others on top of the mountain range were saying hello back.  Admit it, how many of you have tried that?  Such a neat and fun thing to do.

And as a Floyd fan, I’ve always been enamored with the song Echoes.  I love all twenty-two plus minutes of it, as it digs deep into the band’s existential writing and dream-like sequence.  Deej, you may have more insight into the deeper meaning of the song, but to me it talks to the beginning of life on Earth being a constant echo in our world … of life climbing towards the light.  I’ll provide an excerpt here of the first few lines:

Overhead the albatross hangs motionless upon the air

And deep beneath the rolling waves

In labyrinths of coral caves

The echo of a distant time

Comes willowing across the sand

And everything is green and submarine

And so interesting that they would use the albatross bird in the song.  In common phrases, an albatross could refer to something around someone’s neck which is a burden that one would have to carry.  Is Floyd saying that the world has an albatross around its “neck”?  That there are great burdens within the beauty of our world that have lasted throughout time?  An albatross, albeit a large seabird, is also something in lore that causes anxiety or hinders any accomplishment.  Perhaps the albatross is linked to the echo of that distant time that can plague so many.  Like Anakin.

Anakin is a fellow who most definitely went through life with an albatross around his neck.  He felt burdened, he felt anxiety and he felt weighed down by the echoes that persisted in his mind … both as himself and as Darth Vader.  The echoes that reflected in his mind were very specific and vivid: the joy at winning the Boonta Eve Classic and the fleeting joy when he realized what it really meant that his mother wasn’t coming with him, the words that he said to her that he would come back to free her and the despair and anger over holding her as she died when he did come back, and the sounds of the slaughter of the Tusken Raiders.  I believe it’s in The Clone Wars movie that he hears the echo of the Tusken’s cry when questioned about that time by Ahsoka.  Such a powerful event in his life that the echoes still sounded real to him.  And it’s those echoes, those memories that drove him to become who he did.  Yes his dreams gave him vision to see what he didn’t want to happen in his life, but it was the echo of those dreams that persisted within him, that drove him to become a Sith Lord and continue down that path as a Sith Lord inflicting pain and suffering on others.  The same pain and suffering that the constant echoes gave him.

And as I think about Anakin and the echoes in his mind, I think of a dangerous, snowy mountain range.  A simple sound that echoes throughout can cause an avalanche with devastating results.  It can bring down a fury of weight that no one can stop … which is what happened to Anakin.  Once his fall started, once he let the echoes in his mind be the trigger, there was no stopping him.  Even as Vader, those echoes remained in his mind as a driving force of his actions.  Which begs the question: can we ever be free of those echoes?  Or better yet, can we allow other echoes to emerge and take voice?

I can imagine that Yoda’s and Obi-Wan’s voices are an echo in Anakin’s mind as well.  But it only took until the end for him to hear their voices from across the lake, as an echo that finally reached him … to hear his past self and realize who he really was.  And to hear a new voice that would echo within his mind … that of his son Luke and the truths he spoke.  Which allowed Anakin to become an echo himself … the echo of a distant time.

Memories are like an echo of the past.  They reside within our mind, continuing to shout back at us, giving us the feeling of what used to be.  And there are good memories and bad memories, there always will be.  But they can also be used for hope as much as remembering good things.  Luke used the echoes of the old, good Anakin in the hope that he would succeed and bring his father back and restore peace to the galaxy as much as Anakin used the echoes of his past to fuel his turn to the darkside.  In a way, Luke was the echo of the past that Anakin needed to be redeemed and toss that old albatross down the reactor shaft.  He could finally free himself of the echoes of so many years.

I like to think that the memories, the echoes in my mind will always give me peace and learning.  The learning can come from the ones that I know mistakes were made, and the peace from the ones that feel good and warm and familiar.

And I’ll still enjoy hearing my name echo back to me.

The Bold and the Beautiful

Note: This post was part of 'Padme Week', one of a series of themed weeks I posted where I explored each character with essays, limericks and drawings. This was an attempt by me to address some of the criticism of the films' dialogue, and also to write something sensible for a change. Neil.

date posted: Nov 14, 2006 4:04 PM 
 
OK, put that down before reading this... no seriously.
And wash your hands.

Well, we made it to day two, and I don't believe pidluk has read yesterday's entry yet otherwise my typing finger wouldn't be quite so nimble.

I got the slack-jawed, wide-eyed slobbering out of the way yesterday, and now I can focus on Padme's inner strengths.

If ever there was doubt over Padme's resolve, courage and intelligence, just remind yourself of some of the things she said.

I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war.

Such resolve from a young girl. This is an unenviable position to be in, as in any monarchy. Oh sure, one might be surrounded by all the trappings of wealth and security, but this is counterbalanced by the weight of decision making, decisions that could mean life or death for entire populations. Padme/Amidala knows her responsibilities, and will not be swayed by others into making hasty or ill-conceived choices.

I'm sure Qui-Gon doesn't want to put your son in danger. We will find another way...

Padme's compassion is quite evident here, but also her diplomatic skills. On the one hand, she knows that her party needs Anakin's help, but she also understands the bond between a mother and her son. However, by addressing Shmi's concerns she has gained her respect, and this prompts Shmi into cooperating with them. A form of gentle manipulation you might say.

I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in a committee.

When Padme needs to be forceful, she really puts her foot down. She has no time for fools or politicians working to serve themselves, and demonstrates her decisive nature, preferring to act on her own beliefs rather than rely on the ponderous blathering of her peers.

Ani?? My goodness you've grown.

She's not just a senator, she's a young woman, with all the instincts and desires of a young woman. Her words to Anakin are loaded with meaning. On the one hand she's reminiscing about their time together on Tatooine, on the other she's teasing him, and for teasing read flirting with him.
On the third hand (anything's possible in the GFFA), she's having her own, personal, phwoar moment.
There's a zing of instant attraction, and her inner conflict begins.

You're a good friend, Jar Jar. I don't wish to hold you up. I'm sure you have a great deal to do.

Another perfect example of compassionate manipulation.
How to get rid of an annoyance without hurting their feelings? Pander to their ego, make it seem as if they are making all the decisions for themselves. Her diplomatic skills are finely honed, and she can make her aides do whatever she wants without bullying or condescension. You see her work people like this throughout the trilogy, but don't mistake this for a negative trait, this takes great cunning and integrity.

Then we'd be living a lie - one we couldn't keep even if we wanted to.

She's trying to listen to reason, even while she is saying this to Anakin. She is already resigned to the idea that she wants to spend the rest of her life with Anakin, but still, she is trying to put others before herself. She is trying to give Anakin the option of calling things off, in the vain hope that he will be stronger than she. Ultimately though, she knows her desire for Anakin is a battle she cannot win.

I'm going to save Obi-Wan. So if you plan to protect me, you will have to come along.

A perfect example of her decisiveness and manipulation rolled into one. The ultimatum she gives Anakin here is a foregone conclusion, they are in it together for the long haul now, but she still feels the need to make it seem like it is his decision. Again, her selflessness dictates the method by which she reaches her goals.

I truly, deeply love you, and before we die I want you to know.

Finally, the curtain fully drops and she can reveal her true feelings to Anakin.
I wonder if she really did think they would die out there?
I prefer to think of her saying this to him at a time that looked extremely bleak, but with a glimmer of hope that they would survive the encounter and be able to take their relationship to the next level, with all pretense dispelled.

Something wonderful has happened.

Her fear and joy mingled together at this moment is quite palpable, and I get the feeling that she did not know how Anakin was going to respond to this news. His joy at hearing this lifted a heavy burden from her shoulders, and offered the promise of a golden future as the war neared its conclusion. At this point she was a mother and a lover, nothing more - a young woman who needed to be held and loved.

Hold me . . . like you did by the lake on Naboo, so long ago . . . when there was nothing but our love ... No politics, no plotting ... no war.

Padme's joy is short-lived, and she reaches out to Anakin using one of her most powerful tools, the memories they shared together. Despite her words, we are still aware that she is actively involved in the political machine which is mired in the Clone Wars, yet she is attempting to distance herself from her professional life in an effort to strengthen their bond.
Her husband and child(ren) are more important than anything else right now.

So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause.

The moment when she realizes her political career is at an end.
Padme has played all her cards, and the forces at work in the new Galactic Empire are much stronger and sinister than she can handle. However, her desire to see democracy and peace triumph pushes her closer to Mon Mothma and the infant Rebellion, and it would appear that her future is sealed as a freedom fighter. Her distaste of the senate is all too apparent in this sentence, which is laden with disappointment and new resolve.

Come away with me. Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can.

Her last, desperate plea to Anakin. Anakin can see right through her though. He knows that she could never leave everything behind, she could never abandon her political beliefs. Padme knew this also, but she had run out of ideas. Her world was collapsing around her, and she had to make hollow, emotionally charged statements in a last effort to keep her family unit intact. With Anakin gone, she would truly be alone.

I'll never stop loving you, but you are going down a path I can't follow.

At first this seems to be her actual, last desperate plea, but I think that she knew Anakin was already lost to her. In a way, I think she is trying to convince herself, trying to come to terms with the fact that she has lost him. Her words are falling on deaf ears, Anakin's mask of hate appears impenetrable, and this is her way of acknowledging her loss.

Obi-Wan . . . there . . . is good in him. I know there is ... still . . .

Selfless to the end. Padme lives long enough to give birth to her twins, and to implore with Obi-Wan to help Anakin.
And so ends a life dedicated to others.

Through resolve, manipulation, compassion, love and intelligence, Padme helped steer the events of the trilogy to their conclusion.
A tragic conclusion?
I think not.
Her life is extinguished as hope is born, the ultimate sacrifice from a selfless mother.

The mother of the Rebellion.


Phew! You still here?

No doubt you will disagree with some of the stuff I've written here, but hey, I'm a boy, and not very knowledgeable about these things :)