Author: Drew

So, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died today (June 25th, 2009) of an apparent heart attack.

I’m not sure how I feel about that, besides the obvious “That’s too bad”, “I feel bad for his family and friends.”, “His poor children”, etc…  It’s not that I disliked the guy, it’s just that he’d become such an object of scorn and ridicule in the last decade and a half that it is hard to take him seriously.  Honestly, my first thought was that he faked his death so he could hang out with Elvis and JFK.  How sad is that?

I got to thinking, though, that the man had talent.  Serious talent.  You don’t just accidentally release two of the biggest selling albums of all time and make probably the most important music video ever.  I never saw him perform, but everything I’ve heard says he put on one hell of a show.  His dancing and choreographing has never really been topped.  It may have been equalled or imitated, but I don’t think anyone to date has done anything that tops it.

That got me thinking further about who the current “King” of pop/rock/whatever was and I really can’t come up with anyone who is (or has) had a decade-long run at the absolute top like Michael Jackson had in the 80’s and early 90’s.  No one.  No successor.  No heir apparent.  No one as big.

Oh, and just so it isn’t forgotten, Farrah Fawcet died today.  As did my best friend’s grandmother.

So, to those who have passed on I say: May you be remembered for your triumphs and good deeds and may all your missteps be forgotten.  To the families of those who have passed away: my heartfelt sympathies go out to you and may your pain be eased by the good memories you have.

I just finished watching the final episode of my (current) favourite show on television: Battlestar Galactica.

When I was a kid, I was a big fan of the original series, and even though it was bad 70’s Sci-Fi, it still holds a nostalgic place in my rather nerdish heart.  Despite having serious doubts about the new “Re-Imagined” series, I fell for the new stuff hook, line, and sinker.

I think the writing, direction, acting, music, and effects are all top-notch.  As a complete package I definitely feel that there hasn’t been a better television series produced in at least the last 10 years.

That being said, I was a little bit wary about the final episode.  Don’t get me wrong, I think the idea of going out “on top” is great.  It was all still relatively fresh so it made a lot of sense instead of dragging things on and on until you end in a way you don’t have control over.  I was wary because of a lot of disappointing final episodes I’ve seen (Cheers, Night Court, the various Star Trek series, Buffy, Angel, … , the list goes on).

I’m not exactly sure whether or not I liked the final episode.  On one hand, it did answer most of the questions and tie up all of the threads brought up in the last four seasons.  Some of the characters got what they deserved, some didn’t.  Some things fell right into place while other things seemed to be like square pegs pounded into round holes.

Ultimately, I don’t think it was a fitting ending for the show.  I don’t think the overall mood of the episode fit with the rest of the series.  In a lot of ways, it reminds me of when I compose music: I can do the openings and the middle just fine, but coming up with a proper ending is a struggle.  I guess that’s why I usually just fade out ….

Well, I’ve sort of dropped off the face of the Earth for a while.  Not sure why.

I’d managed to find a contract job that I was planning on talking about, but that job came to an unceremonious close as of this past Sunday (after 4 weeks of work) because the company was effectively imploding.  To make matters worse, it looks like the company is going to blatantly ignore several clauses of the contract so it is going to be a fight to get paid.  Ugh…  This is a headache I just don’t need right now.

Being a jack-of-all-trades doesn’t seem to be helping me lately – I’m getting tons of interviews but I can’t seem to close the deal – all sizzle and no steak, so to speak.  If anyone knows of any Program Manager, Junior Project Manager, LAMP back-end or C/C++ developer positions (even short-term contracts) I’d love to hear from you!