Category: Uncategorized

Distant Love (Part 53)

Derek marvels at the display of the base. The miniature buildings on the moon have all been made to the exact specifications. It even shows little people going back and forth between them, carrying out routine maintenance and other functions. He is most interested in the spaceport. This is where human exploration and colonization would expand to Saturn and beyond. Then there is the Le Poitre telescope that scans for habitable new worlds in the galaxy. He could have spent the whole day absorbed in that base, but there was so much more to see at the exhibition.

He looks up to see which moon he will look at next. The woman with the tattoo that had been on the train is standing there looking at him, but disappears into a crowd passing by.

Derek thinks little of it. Due to medical advances, there are very few people in wheelchairs. Even less on the moon. The odd time, Derek would find himself followed by someone enamored by his chair. Life is too short for him to worry about it.

He powers his chair over to the volcanic moon lo and watches intently as lava oozes over the surface. The realism is beyond his expectations.

Festive Updates: My Creative Projects in Progress

Hi everyone, I hope you are all enjoying the festive spirit. Personally, I love this time of year and having some time off. It’s great to catch up with people, also.

I like giving these updates every six months or so on all my projects. Occasionally, these posts prove really popular. Other times, I’d be lucky if anyone apart from myself reads it at all. Such is life, I guess. First, an update on my longer-term projects.

Wheelchair Wars

This has now been fully critiqued. I am about to employ a successful author to read through it to see how it could be improved. I’m aiming for the stars.

Romance Short Stories

Critiqued, but I need to work through the suggestions and rewrite as appropriate. Hopefully, this will be significantly improved over the holidays

Pegasus

The first draft is complete; the next needs to go through the critique process.

Distant Love

First draft being written.

The blog itself is going quite well. Last year, it received 1,746 views. It’s looking like this year will be more like 2,746. Still, quite a way to go to become profitable, but moving in the right direction.

I have 2,700 followers on Bluesky. Hoping to get that up to the 5k range by next year.

Plenty of things planned for next year, and hopefully, see you there!

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning: A Review of Epic Action

Ladies and gentlemen, Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hawke in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, and he’s back with a bang. This dropped on Sky only yesterday, and I was immediately psyched up to watch it. You know what you are going to get – great action scenes.

From Wikipedia:

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a 2025 American action spy film directed by Christopher McQuarrie from a screenplay he co-wrote with Erik Jendresen.[7][8] It is the direct sequel to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023) and the eighth installment in the Mission: Impossible film series. The film stars Tom Cruise in his final portrayal of Ethan Hunt,[9] alongside an ensemble cast including Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny and Angela Bassett.[10][11] In the film, Hunt and his IMF team continue their mission to prevent the Entity, a rogue artificial intelligence, from destroying all of humanity.

Imagine if your toaster became sentient, hacked the world’s nuclear codes, and then asked nicely for world domination. Now replace the toaster with The Entity, a rogue AI that threatens to blow up everything except dessert buffets. Ethan Hunt is all that stands in its way.

It’s a long film. I mean, very long at a running time of 170 minutes. Personally, I watched it over two days and thoroughly enjoyed it. One sitting would be a significant endurance test.

The action scenes are what really set this apart. The underwater cinematography is incredible, as are the shots on the planes. Additions to all the great shots and stunts Tom Cruise has given us over the years.

On that subject, we do get quite a few flashbacks of previous films. Much like a tribute to the franchise’s greatest hits.

I give the film five stars out of five. It’s like Tom Cruise.

Do you agree? Do let me know.

Distant Love (Part 52)

Now, there is little standing space left, and Derek’s concern has grown about someone falling on him by accident. He tries to put concerns such as those to the back of his mind. There is only one stop left. He has nearly made it and can already feel a slight deceleration.

The doors open, and the packed crowd jostles its way out with him following closely behind. He has reached Zone A. The largest settlement on the moon. All the passageways are filled with a mass of people. The settlement is composed of fifteen layers, with him currently at the lowest level.

He sees a sign for the Jupiter Fair. It leads him off the main thoroughfare and down a tunnel. After going about a hundred metres, he hears cries of excitement ahead. His own heart begins to beat a bit faster.

The tunnel opens up into a vast chamber. A massive holographic display of Jupiter and its moons is centre stage with throngs of people everywhere. It’s even better than he could have dreamed of.

He knows where he wants to see first – Europa and its human settlement. He powers past the small outer moons for now and heads straight towards it.

Four-Star Movie Review: Fun Light Entertainment

Hello, my dear readers. Guess you are all looking forward to Christmas right about now. I finished this gem called “The Adams Project” last night and thought I’d do you all a quick post. It’s been a while. What can I say? Alcohol comes first.

The plot zips around like it’s had too much coffee—time travel, futuristic jets, evil corporations—but it never forgets to slow down for heart. The real secret weapon is the banter between adult Adam and his younger self, which feels like watching your inner monologue argue with you in real time. It’s funny, oddly touching, and painfully accurate.

One of the funniest parts is where he convinces his younger self to stand up to a bully, only to get pummeled. Of course, that could be my strange sense of humor..

The film is quite uplifting, never getting particularly dark. His being mean to his Mum is about the worst of it, and he gives her a big hug at the end. The action scenes are good and will keep your heart beating away.

A small bit of romance, but it never gets in the way. Down with that sort of thing.

Four stars out of five for me. Good light entertainment.

Distant Love (Part 51)

He now continues down a long ramp to the underground corridor that leads to the nearest lunar train station. He is more or less alone, except for some stragglers that he powers past.

The corridor is bright and white. Ten minutes pass, and he hears the bustling of a crowd in the distance. For a split second, he worries there will be no space for him. Fortunately, an echo has made it sound far busier than it is.

There is a group of six teenagers to his right. A mixture of girls and boys is laughing hysterically. He put them at around fifteen years of age.

To his left, a woman close to his age with short, jet black hair and tattoos on her arm.

I wonder if any of them are going to the fair.

He asks the AI on his wheelchair, Sarah, what time it is? He has time to spare.

Three minutes pass, and the lunar train arrives. Its doors automatically open, and he drives inside to the area reserved for wheelchairs. The wheelchair is then clamped in place by a robotic arm.

A smile broke out across his face as his excitement built.

There were numerous stops along the way. Each time, the crowd on the train grew.

Review of the film Priest (2011)

Don’t worry, readers, I haven’t gone all ultra-religious on you. Priest (2011) is the kind of movie you’d get if a graphic novel, a goth rave, and a spaghetti Western walked into a bar, got drunk, and decided to raise a CGI vampire baby together.

This could be a good film to show Muslims and people of other faiths. You know, to convert them to Christianity. Of course, we’d have to tell them the more boring reality at some stage. Like, no, you don’t get to kill vampires.

The vampires themselves are pretty odd. Not like ordinary vampires. They have no eyes, and walk on all fours. More like some crazy aliens.

The story has nothing to do with reality, of course. It’s way out there, and that’s bad coming from me.

From Wikipedia –

A centuries-long war between humans and vampires devastated the planet’s surface and led to a theocracy under “The Church”. Despite vampires’ vulnerability to sunlight and humans technological advancements, their strength and speed made them impossible to defeat until humanity sheltered in walled cities and trained elite warriors, the Priests, who turned the tide. After the war, most vampires were killed, while the remainder were placed in reservations. After the war, the Clergy abandons the surviving Priests, who struggle to integrate into city society. Outside the walled cities, some humans seek out a living, free from The Church’s totalitarian control.

One particular Priest (only referred to as Priest) is approached by Hicks, the sheriff of a free town, Augustine. Hicks informed Priest that a vampire group killed Priest’s brother Owen and his sister-in-law Shannon, and kidnapped his niece Lucy. Being in love with Lucy, Hicks asks for Priest’s help in rescuing her. Priest asks the Clergy to reinstate his authority, but leader Monsignor Orelas refuses, dismissing the vampire story. Priest leaves the city and Orelas sends three Priests and a Priestess to bring him back.

Paul Bettany stars as a warrior priest in what I would consider to be a good performance. Some of the action scenes are quite brilliant. There were times, though, when a bit too much CGI was used.

I give the film four stars out of five. A great way to spend a spare hour and a half.

Have you seen it? Let me know in the comments.

Distant Love (Part 50)

Derek methodically gets dressed and transfers into his electric wheelchair.

He looks out at the barren moonscape. If this were Earth, something would have changed over the years, perhaps even from day to day. But not here. Exactly the same as the first time he looked out. At times, he would wish for a micro-meteor to add a new rock or small crater to the scene. Today, it would not bother him as there would be plenty of new things to see.

The fair was in Zone A. It was one hundred and fifty kilometres away. A serious lunar trek made easy by lunar rail. He checks his watch and smiles – plenty of time.

Moving his joystick, the wheelchair powers out of his room. He looks down at the floor beneath him. As expected, it is largely deserted at this early hour. A strong smell of detergent lingers in the recycled air from the robotic cleaners whose shift had just ended.

Driving past his workplace, he chuckles at all the work he left for the new girl, Nathalia. He knew she wouldn’t be impressed when her shift started.

Next, he went down on the lift to the main communal area. Later, the place would be bustling with traders and people coming and going. He was happy to get ahead of it all.

Distant Love (Part 49)

The conversation shifts to Maeve’s many cousins and what they are up to. Hours pass over tea and biscuits.

The room grows dark. At first, the light is switched on, then the blinds are drawn, and the conversation turns to where they will sleep.

“There’s a nice little bed for you, Derek, beside the front door. It could be quite tight with the wheelchair, though. And Maeve, you can sleep in the bed beside mine.”

She was right. There was no chance of turning the wheelchair into the room. Derek crawls out of the wheelchair and into the low-rise bed.

Exhausted now, he thinks of what a crazy day he’s had.

His eyelids close, and he drifts off.

*************************

Three weeks previously…

An alarm goes off in Derek’s room. He stretches and opens his eyes. For the first time in quite a while, he can’t help but feel enthusiastic about what lies ahead.

No work, no worries. He had been planning this trip for over a month. The Jupiter Fair.

Jupiter had always entranced Derek. A place where you could be free with just the right amount of human civilization. Aviris 6 was the stuff of legend. Get rich or die within 24 hours.

Distant Love (Part 48)

Derek feels a stiff breeze blow across his face. “Wow, it’s cold here. Is this not the planet where humans are meant to have evolved?”

Jessica looks back at him with a quizzical look. “Eh, not on this part of the planet. Come on, we’d better get the two of yous inside.”

Soon, she was pointing to a nearby white-finished bungalow. “Come on, this way.”

For a moment, Derek worries his wheelchair is too wide for the door, but fortunately, he has an inch on either side to spare.

Immediately, he feels the burst of warm air. It felt good.

Jessica led them to a small kitchen. “Now, what about a nice cup of tea for the two of you?”

Maeves face lit up. “Oh, yes, please. They are mad about their tea in these parts, Derek.”

Derek smirks. “I’ll have to give it a try, so!”

And lovely tea, it turns out to be.

“So, what’s next?” Jessica asks. Her tone is more serious.

Derek and Maeve look at each other, unsure what to say.

Maeve takes the lead. “Auntie, it was all somewhat rushed. We had to take our chances; there was no time to plan ahead.”

“It’s okay, love, you should be fine here for quite some time. They’d never expect you to come to this remote place. That’s for sure.”