This just in …

[aadler]

 
Playing catch-up after a busy weekend.

First Cut — Personal and Military

Thursday I had my APFT (Army physical fitness test), for which I’ve been preparing since essentially the moment I arrived at Guantanamo. The APFT is differentiated by age ― the younger you are, the more is expected of you ― but there’s a minimum standard everyone is expected to meet. And, of course, different units or specialties can (and do) have additional standards.

On push-ups, I scored 22% higher than necessary to qualify. On sit-ups, 34% higher. Finally, I finished the two-mile run only 18% better than passing, but nonetheless the best run time I’ve ever achieved. As a benchmark, qualification for SOF (special operations forces) requires 10% above minimum, which level I met and surpassed. Heartening, not at all surprising ― that’s about as well as I’ve been performing in my individual practices ― and no reason I can’t do even better if I continue pushing myself.

My duty situation at Guantanamo remains indeterminate. The possibility of extending my tour here for an additional six months, which seemed to have been ruled out, has now returned but not been verified. I have no definitive word on the likely deployment plans of my home unit. I’m giving further (serious) consideration to transferring out of the Reserve and into active-duty Army, but won’t be making any decisions for weeks or months yet. And I’m still ― still ― trying to arrange for regular practice with a native Farsi speaker, with no clear sign that I might be getting anywhere.

Close First Cut

Second Cut — Thoughts on Buffy Season 8

I at last received issue #5 of Buffy Season 8, and of course read it immediately. My reaction …

Well, the issue itself was okay. Not bad, not great, maybe good support material. Mainly it contributes to an overall, gradual, and (on my part) unwilling sense that Season 8 just isn’t quite working.

I want it to. I’m a Joss Whedon fan, a Buffy fan, and a superhero comics fan … and Season 8, so far, hasn’t delivered on any of them, much less on the three-way intersection that seemed made in heaven. I heard of the stint Joss did on Astounding X-Men, but didn’t see any of it; I caught his Justice League graphic novel, though, so I know both that he can manage the pacing and flow of the panel-graphic format and that he can work brilliantly with other people’s characters. Why, then, is he taking so long to accomplish anything with his own characters? So far everything he’s done in Season 8 has been promising, but none of it has really been satisfying.

Just as an example, and by no means my biggest problem: Andrew. The writers played him for comedy and disdain in Season 7, and ― though I despised the character ― he was applied to decent effort in the overall story. The Scoobies/ Potentials were a small group with limited resources, and some advantage could be gained by making use of Andrew. Now, though, they’re a big organization with extensive resources, and Andrew is more ridiculous than ever … but, apparently, a section chief. If he’s such a moron, then what kind of morons are they for letting him run anything bigger than a lemonade stand? If there’s a good reason he’s being trusted with such responsibilities, then why isn’t it being shown? The story is undercutting its own credibility for the sake of a running gag that was never really that funny.

Some things operate better as completed works than as installments. I earnestly hope that Season 8 will prove to be one. Because, unless something happens soon to change my view, I may conclude that canon, post-TV, simply isn’t worth following.

Close Second Cut

Third Cut — Fanfic issues

I continue to make progress in my fanfic writing endeavors, but so slowly that it no longer seems worthwhile to provide ongoing reports. The story is slowly, slowly coming together, and hard experience tells me that I’ll get there eventually if I just don’t stop. Right now, though, I don’t have a lot of enthusiasm. I owe this one to my daughter (and I’ve done three other stories since finishing the rewrite of her original “God Save the Queen”, so it’s not as if I’ve been chained to a single project), but I’ll be very glad to wrap it up and move on to other ideas of my own.

As I had already noted, it’s been a full nine months since I did anything completely original. I wrote “Icarus” at the beginning of November 2006 (and that wasn’t even a Buffyfic), but since then it’s been “God Save the Queen” (rewrite), “Walking After Midnight” (remix), “An’ Foolish Notion” (remix), “X-Factorial” (remix), and now “Queen’s Gambit” (rewrite, unfinished). I’m pleased with all those stories, but damn! I can’t just keep on redoing other people’s work!

Close Third Cut

It really was a long weekend. Lots of rain, rum, fajitas, movies, various other forms of recreation. It’s good to be back at work so I can get some rest.

Comments

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

Many congratulations on your APFT scores! I know you worked hard for them and I'm glad that work paid off for you.

I'm beginning to suspect Joss my be being paralyzed by his own success. Such a stir has developed around his Buffy characters that he may no longer be willing to take chances with them as he once was.

[aadler]

Or maybe he’s just working on so many different things that he’s taking this one — theoretically his home ground — for granted. I don’t know; I just know that, if comic-Buffy was the only one that had ever existed, I never would have become a serious Buffy fan.

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

Besides his comic book endeavors is he working on anything at the moment?

[aadler]

I believe he’s supposed to be doing another run in Astounding X-Men, and I heard something about him actually putting together a ballet specifically for Summer Glau. And those are just the things that have come my way, I don’t make a point of keeping up with his schedule.