THIS BLOG HAS MOVED

Hi, for the last time from this locale.

Having been blogging here erratically since 2006 and having only 314 page views to show for it, I am relocating the blog to a more convenient place.

You can now find the blog at http://behindthetimes.superhumantimes.com/.

The new location places it under the same domain as the website, which makes it easier for me to manage both and, in the unlikely event anyone shows up to read about the show, easier to find. (I have no illusions of attracting a wider audience; I just want to fail in a more organized manner.)

I'm keeping this account active so that my prehistoric entries about the show, and the remembrances of my friends Robbie G., Jim C., Tucker, and Shalla, will be here for the curious. If there's a way to import them to the new blog, I might, but for now, this is fine.

Let me close by saying that this move should  not imply that I have any complaint with Blogger. I have enjoyed using it and, were I doing personal blogging only, would eagerly use it again. (Who knows? I still might.) I just heard the Daleks in my head chanting, "Con-so-li-date, Con-so-li-date," and they made sense.

Months of nothing, then two entries in one day, and one of 'em's the last one. Perhaps it's the start of a Renaissance. Or the end of one.

Either way, join me, won't you?

-- L.

Long Time, No Shows -- Razmig Likes Us!

Hi.

No, there are no new Times stories finished yet, but I wanted to make public an email which Prometheus Grand Poobah Steve Wilson forwarded to me on September 23. (Note: Any typos have been corrected, and references to specific stories clarified where necessary, by me.]

I just wanted to drop you a line and say that I have greatly enjoyed listening to SuperHuman Times. I have listened to all the episodes twice now. I have really enjoyed listening to them each and every single time. I really disliked the [alien] in “Close Encounters,” episode four. The actor portrayed him so brilliantly. The family dynamics in “Risk Management” was just so great. I found myself laughing at the byplay between mother and daughters. Until the very end, I honestly thought the book’s owner had somehow stolen it himself. Talk about an episode chalk full of surprises. I didn’t like ["Dashing"’s] Trevor Desmond until the very end when he made up for all his narcissistic ways by helping Chip out after Chip helped him. In episode five’s closing credits, Lance Woods said that there were two more episodes coming to close out season one. I hope that’s still true. I can’t wait to take a listen to those if that still is the case. Thanks again to you and your fellow Prometheans for the series.

Sincerely,

Razmig Der Torossian

Okay, okay. We'll keep at it. Thanks to Razmig, and to anyone else who's still with us, for hanging on this long. We'll do our best to make it worth the wait.

-- L.

Our Girl Shalla, 1996-2010

Hi.

Since I've shared the misadventures of our superhuman dog, Shalla, here in the past, I thought it appropriate to interrupt our regularly scheduled plugging (or non-plugging, as we have nothing to plug -- yet) for some sad news.

This evening, after watching her health decline rapidly in recent days, we said goodbye to our dear girl. She was 14.

Shalla was diagnosed with diabetes last fall. Since then, her state has varied from steady to shaky. During the last few days, she acted disoriented, wandering in and out of room after room on legs that were growing more unsteady by the day. Watching her struggle to pick herself up from a lie-down was painful. Tonight, when we came home, she lay on the living room floor, her breathing shallow, barely responsive to our calls. Cindy carried her out  as the three of us went to the car and up the street to the animal hospital. There, her regular vet checked her out and confirmed that a) she was dehydrated, which we suspected, despite having lots of water, b) she really wasn’t “with us” anymore, as we suspected from her behavior, and c) there was nothing else to do. We agreed; the tell-tale sign for us was that, for the first time in more than 11 years of vet visits, she wasn’t shaking all over.

When they brought Shalla in after prepping her, our 10-year-old son Greg said a tearful goodbye, as did we all, but couldn’t stay for The End, so Cindy took him outside (she would have stayed otherwise). He was very brave to stay that long, and we told him so. I remained for the procedure until she was gone, and thanked our vet and the staff for everything they’d done for Shalla and our other dog, Tucker, over the years. (I also told them that, eventually, we’d be back. I can’t imagine this house without a dog. Well, after I recover financially from this one.)

I cursed Shalla often for her many fights with Tucker, but I’m glad we didn’t get rid of her. When she was top dog around here, without “competition”, she was a sweetheart, and I’m glad we had a few years with just her around to experience that. It makes saying goodbye a lot harder, but that’s okay. It should be hard, even if it’s for the best.

Besides, if there’s a doggie heaven, you can bet Shalla has it all to herself. She'll be fine.

G’night, sweet pea. Sleep well.

Coming Soon...

No kidding: A major announcement regarding the new Times stories, one I that I hope will surprise and amuse you.

Til then, thanks for hanging around.

-- L.

Two Years Later...

Hi.

Actually, it was two years ago on Monday that the last chapter of "Dashing" -- and, for the time being, of Times -- hit the web, but I was too busy with other things to mark the occasion until now.

Believe it or not, Steve Wilson and the Prometheus gang are still recording the new stories in between, you know, living and working, so I hope you'll hear them before the sun burns out.

And if they don't get 'em done soon, I'm gonna record them myself. All the parts. Even the women.

I'm not kidding.

Stay tuned. This may get even more interesting. Hell, how can it not?

-- L.

Thanks for waiting.
-- L.