Good Vibes From the Solar Eclipse.

When I first heard that a Solar Eclipse was coming, I wasn't in a hurry to see it. Since I live in Michigan, it would probably be too cloudy. Plus, it was only going to be a 98% eclipse at my location. Besides, it's simply the shadow of the moon, moving in like a cloud. 

Then the day came.  I was listening to the radio and that's all they were talking about. They kept saying how this is a rare event, and somehow it was sunny out. I found a map on the NASA website tracking the eclipse. It was pretty good because you could enter your location and it would show an image of how much of the moon was covering the sun. So with all the hoopla, I started becoming more interested. My plan was to look out the window at 3:14 to see just how dark it might be. As the time came closer, more and more people were talking about it and asking questions like "when is it?"  I was able to tell them the current percentage of coverage and the peak time thanks to the NASA map. But...I did not have the glasses. 

It felt like a party was breaking out, and people started gathering by a window. They had the glasses and were sharing them. Next thing I know, I'm looking at it with the glasses on. It really was amazing. Some patients wanted to see and they were even putting the glasses on them. 

Then some friends told me to come outside with them, and they had the glasses, so of course I came. Doctors, nurses, some patients and many others all gathered outside. As the moon approached, it started to get colder and darker outside...of course. Car and street lights came on. I was freezing but refused to budge. Thanks to friends, I was able to see the eclipse at 3:14 pm, which I greatly appreciated. 

In those few minutes, it was like we were all united. All those good vibes left an impression on me. It kind of gave me some sort of natural high. I felt like I was on cloud nine the rest of the day.  

What made this special is that so many came together to watch a rare event caused entirely by nature. Other than to watch, humans have nothing to do with it. If only these moments of unity could happen more often. I'm also wondering if this means I need a vacation. 

In this video, scroll up to 2:30 pm to view the complete eclipse in Ohio.
  

I leave you with this photo of the eclipse as I stood outside the hospital. I took this by raising up my phone while not looking, which was awkward. As you can see, the camera wasn't capable of capturing it at all. If you look at the clouds, you can see that something is happening. 

Dune Part Two Recommended!

Dune Part Two finally got me to go to the movies. Part of the reason is that it also has good reviews. 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. I've read the book and have seen the first Dune movie as well. So I know the story. For me, that's a bit of a draw back because I know what's going to happen. However, I didn't know how they would go about it in this movie. The acting, special effects, etc are all better in this movie. Probably over a year ago, I watched Part 1 on MAX. I didn't feel the need to go back and watch Part 1 again, but some people might find it useful. 

Anyway, I found this to be the best version of Dune as a movie. I liked the balance between action and dialogue. I like the way they did the character arc of Paul. It stood out more in this version. He changes a lot, step by step, through the tragedy of losing his father and so much more. 

Another thing that stood out more to me is the influence of the Bene Gesserit. These women have weaved their way into all the Houses. They are behind the scenes controlling everything. Every House has their own Bene Gesserit as a kind of counselor because they have some ability to see the future, and they can also tell when someone is lying. Their focus is mainly on House Atreides and the terrible House Harkonnen. Each House competes for control over the desert planet with the valuable spice. Meanwhile, the Bene Gesserit's main goal is to breed a man who can be one of them and become the ruler of the universe. They will do whatever it takes. This includes wiping out the Atredies who they feel are too weak. I should also mention that one of their powers is the ability to control men sexually. So in general, they're highly controversially as to whether they are bad or good.

It also stood out to me how Dune has elements of fantasy. The leader of each house is like a king with a prince or princess. They are looked up to as royalty. "Yes, my Lord! Yes, my Duke, Sire, etc." Like other fantasies, the Houses compete with each other for power. They also fight with long knives, even though they have advanced technology. 

Dune as a movie, still struggles getting across this huge world and story, but it's an improvement over previous versions. At the end, some things were left resolved. I wanted more, and I can only think they left it this way because more is coming. If so, this will go into the story beyond what I remember from reading Dune Messiah years ago. Below is the best trailer I could find. 

Alone: A Reality Show about Survival.

Alone is a series where 10 people are dropped off into the wilderness to survive. The person to stay there the longest wins 500K. I watched the first two seasons and both times the contestants are dropped off on Vancouver Island (Near Seattle) several miles from each other. Too far to ever find each other.  

They're allowed to bring some survival supplies like tools, knifes, nets, tarps, rope, etc. Vancouver Island is a difficult place to survive. It's a northern rain forest. It's cold, sometimes freezing and always wet. The people that do this challenge are trained in survival, some have been in the military and yet they struggle to start a fire. The forest is dense and wet, making it hard to set up a shelter. Plus it has bears, wolves and cougars. One unique thing about this show is that the people are really alone. There is no camera crew. They have to set up cameras to record their journey. 

Each person has a radio. They can "tap out" at any time. Then a boat or a helicopter will come pick them up. In the first few days (for season 1 and 2,) a few people tap out right away. They are scared off by the predators or it turned out to be harder than they thought. 

I haven't watched many reality shows, but for those that I have watched, I can see how people get hooked into them. Once I get to know the characters, I tend to want to know who's going to win. Many of them talk about why they entered the contest. Usually it involves helping their family. So then I find myself caring about the cast. It can be fun to try and predict who will drop out next. 

For food, most of them rely on fish or crabs, but as the days go on winter starts to come. It gets harder and harder to get food. The sea is rougher, the wind is fierce. They struggle with hunger and then the loneliness gets worse. It all contributes to a mental struggle.  

The last few struggle to fight the temptation to tap out. Some of them describe it as fighting against their brain that keeps telling them to tap out. I think that is a survival instinct in itself and is part of the sub-conscious mind. Then the conscious mind fights back because they want the money. What makes it even tougher, is that no one knows how many people are left. So they have no idea how much longer they need to stay. There was one person who tapped out that surprised me because he was doing well. However, the loneliness got to him. In Season 2, the winner went about 60 days. 

Also in Season 2 there there was one woman who I really admired. Nicole made it as the 4th remaining person. She was almost always pleasant on camera. Her survival skills really impressed me. She knew what plants she could eat. It was obvious how much she loved nature. For awhile, she was thriving until seals started stealing fish from her net. But in general, she seemed to blend in with nature and often demonstrated patience, rather than a blur of expletives. 

This show also demonstrated to me how much people need each other. Often times, one of them would say "why am I doing this?"  Of course, they had a good reason to do it as in the money, but the loneliness made them question it. It seems we need other people to give us purpose. Many of them made statements that they appreciated their spouse and families more than ever. That they wouldn't take them for granted anymore. It seems it gave them new perspectives on many things. 

I started watching this for writing research purposes because some of my characters are going to have to survive in the wilderness. However, it seems I've learned some other things as well.