Happy New Year

It's time to start 2009, and, looking at the archives, it's hard to believe that I've had this blog for almost four years!

If you've been here before, you'll know that Painted Ocean is a bit eclectic. It lacks the specific focus that my other blog Strange in San Antonio has, but I started it that way just to see what it would eventually develop into. I started posting things that just happened to strike my fancy or that would urge me to say something, and I've even dabbled a bit in photoblogging here. But I think things have started to settle.

Here are the main themes that I seem to keep coming back to on Painted Ocean:

1. Space exploration - I am a product of Star Trek, The Martian Chronicles, Battlestar Galacitca (the old and the new, which starts again January 16!), The Foundation Trilogy, Dune, Star Wars, and much more. I am fascinated by the expanses of our galaxy and universe and all the wonderful, amazing things in it, and I truly think the future of the human race is in the stars. We are explorers, and we should not resist the urge to expand our reach to the rest of our solar system and beyond. As such, I watch what NASA and the other space agencies are doing, and I root for them in all their ventures.

2. English - I love to read. I don't always have the time to read for pleasure, but I enjoy reading stories and poems, and I admire good writing. I think the English language - given its mongrel pedigree - is an especially rich language for expression, and I love wordplay and clever constructions. So occasionally I will post something that strikes me as impressive, funny, or quirky.

3. Pandas - I have never understood why the human race invests so much emotional capital in the panda. Sure, they're cute, and they are in danger of losing numbers, but this species above all others has the power to affect people beyond the regular conservationists and animal lovers. Pandas turn men, women, and children (and especially news reporters!) into sentimental goofs, even to the point of enticing people to give hugs to these wild animals! That's crazy, and the phenomenon fascinates me.

I will continue to post on such topics and on anything else that strike my fancy. Posts to this blog tend to be a bit sporadic, but I will try to do better in the future. Thanks for reading, and have a Happy New Year.