Star Trek Beyond – Boldly Going Forward Because We Cannot Find Reverse

Posted on July 26, 2016 by christianclem

star-trek-beyond-2Space, the final frontier…

I’ve been able to recite Captain Kirk’s monologue from the opening titles of the original Star Trek since I watched it in syndication more than 30 years ago. Today, my son – who is the same age I was then – can do the same with Picard’s variation while watching reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Clearly, there is something about that epic speech “to seek out new life and new civilizations” which crosses generational boundaries. And while my wife and I did not take our son to see Star Trek Beyond in the theater this weekend, I think it will appeal to him when he is a bit older.

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On Losing my Mind

Posted on August 25, 2015 by christianclem

Fifteen years ago, a psychiatrist at the Student Counselling Services at Texas A&M University in College Station diagnosed me at the age of 20 with bipolar disorder. The revelation cast much of my life to that point in a new light. The diagnosis and the condition both color my perception of the world today.

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Why Online School Works for Me

Posted on May 10, 2015 by christianclem
I'm back on course to being the Doctor.

I’m back on course to being the Doctor. This is part of that majestic tale of a mad man.

In light of my return to my master’s program with Walden University next month after nearly three years away, I thought that I would re-publish this post from 02 July 2011 that I previously shared on my old blog. It was a simpler time of life back then. Jackson was still very new, and we had not yet moved to the Woodlands, where many of our tribulations began. However, the things I learned about myself then are still applicable today. Of course, I have learned much more in the four years since then, and I have touched on those from time to time. I’m rather proud of what I wrote back then, and I thought I would share it with a new audience, as many of you have not yet seen it.

As a researcher and a scholar at heart, I included citations following the original post, and I included them here as well. Although all from the same author, the citations reference numerous papers she wrote over the years on the topics of achievement, accomplishment, and mastery orientation. Continue reading →

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Much Ado About Everything

Posted on March 17, 2015 by christianclem

I realized that it has been quite a while since I posted here. I haven’t forgotten to write, but life has been rather busy over the last six months or so. This is not to say I want to neglect my writing as things get busier. In fact, I want to do more as things get busier.

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On Discussing Media

Posted on October 7, 2014 by christianclem

Following my previous Doctor Who post, I spent a significant amount of time discussing opposing views on the season. It was a great conversation, and it answered for me a significant question: Why do we write so passionately about our favorite media? Why do we pick apart the stories, the acting, the writing, and the production values?

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A Long Time Ago: “Spark of Rebellion”

Posted on October 6, 2014 by christianclem

Star Wars is back! Star Wars is back!

Of course, the big news from a galaxy far, far away right now is production of J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars Episode VII: Revenge of the Lens Flares. I’m excited for it, to be sure. Cautiously so, but I trust J.J. and his crew to treat Star Wars with the same respect as they did Star Trek. Probably more respect, given how much they tried to copy Star Wars with their two Trek films. So, I’ll definitely be in the theatre next December when it comes.

For now, however, my Star Wars love is reserved unabashedly  for the new Star Wars Rebels animated series. My reservations about Disney taking control of the Star Wars intellectual property have largely been laid to rest by the pilot episode of the new show, “Spark of Rebellion.”

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Who Review: “Time Heist,” “The Caretaker,” and Series 8 Thus Far

Posted on October 1, 2014 by christianclem

I started this blog because I wanted to write about something in pop culture about which I was passionate. Doctor Who has been that for many, many years. But it’s really hard to get worked up about it this season. Capaldi – like Matt Smith – clearly loves being the Doctor even if the writing is not all that great, and – like Smith – he does the best he can with it. I see him as a mix of the First, Third, and Fourth Doctors, and the writers don’t seem to be capitalizing on that potential. Capaldi is, to be sure, but not the writers.

So, as I’ve said from the beginning, I have loved Doctor Who for a long time. My earliest recollections are of Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor as I watched repeats from the 70’s on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons on PBS when I was about six years old. I really don’t know that I understood everything that was happening at the time, but I remember being fascinated by the Doctor, Sarah, Harry, Lela, Romana, Tegan, Nyssa, even Adric and K-9. They were strange and mysterious to me, but they were so interesting in their basic humanity.

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Who Review: “Listen”

Posted on September 26, 2014 by christianclem

“Fear makes companions of us all.”

But does it truly make this episode faster, cleverer, and stronger than the rest?

Apologies for the lateness of this review. Life has a way of raising its ugly head from time to time. I’ll try to get the review for “Time Heist” up soon, too, so bear with me. Part of the delay has been the switch to WordPress, which is more robust than Blogger but also more complex in its set-up. Anyway…

Boy, was this a wild episode! We explored the past, present, and future of the Doctor, Clara, and Danny Pink this week. Many are calling it the best episode of Doctor Who since the show came back in 2005, and I’ll admit that it has its brilliant moments. The superb acting and characterizations of the three leads carry an episode that is very light on plot. So is the episode as good as everyone says? Well, let’s take a look. And listen!

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Who Review: “Robot of Sherwood”

Posted on September 26, 2014 by christianclem

“I’m just as real as you are.”

The Doctor and Clara meet the famous outlaw of legend, but is he the real thing?

When the Doctor takes Clara to 1198 Sherwood Forest, they discover the truth of Robin Hood, the mad Sheriff of Nottingham, and climate change. With nods to previous Doctors (“Hiya!”) and an affectionate look at the importance of legends, stories, and impossible men, “Robot of Sherwood” delivers an entertaining ride with the season’s strongest showing yet as the Prince of Thieves meets the Last of the Time Lords.
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Who Review: “Into the Dalek”

Posted on September 4, 2014 by christianclem

“I see beauty!”

The Doctor’s greatest enemy returns to challenge everyone’s expectations.

This week’s episode of Doctor Who deals with some interesting moral issues and a lot of very good character development for the Doctor. Clara continues to emerge from the shadow of her (thus-far) superior predecessors as we see her as more than just a live-in nanny who sometimes travels with the Doctor. I’ve been avoiding most news about this current season of the show, so I was not sure what to expect from the episode. I was almost as surprised by the episode as the Doctor was when he went “Into the Dalek.” Continue reading →

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