[The 14th Colony]

My answers Part 2:

10-How long have you been posting in sci-fi forums? Why do you frequent these boards? What do you get out of it; and what do you hope to give to others?

I’ve been posting on a SW forum since September of 1998, after I went desperately searching for any pre-SW:Episode I info on the coming movie. I found this particular message board after I heard rumors of a new Galactica, first by DeSantos and then the version by Moore, and I wanted to learn what other Galactica fans like me were thinking about these new developements. So I did a BG search and found this board, and I liked everything that I saw here, inlcuding the posters her and the layout and appearance of the boards. And that's why I return every so often, to catch up a bit on what's new and exciting among BG fans.

I like reacting to what others write, and sharing my own thoughts with others to spread a little bit of myself around (don’t worry, I washed it before I touched you with it). Mostly I enjoy using and expanding my mind via episodes of reading and writing on the net and in the forums, and it is to me a launching ground for further thought and expression. I admit I use the forum to procrastinate and vegetate when I have trouble working on my stories and need to work on something simpler to take a break from taxing my mind When I have trouble developing my stories further, it is far easier to come here and relax, less draining than struggling with the right words and expressions for my works of fiction; and by posting here I build up my sense of creative direction and sometimes manage to focus more. Or something like that.

11-Who were your childhood heroes or role models?
John Robinson, captain of Jupiter 2-Lost in Space, my favorite show when I was a little one. Ed Straker of Shadow Forces-the 60’s show UFO. Adama and Apollo of BG. My father, a hero and a people’s man, a friend and role model to many others in the Boy Scouts, synagogue, and the neighborhood. Luke Skywalker, a dreamer with his eyes on the future, the horizon, never his mind on where he was or what he was doing…but on what he wanted to achieve and become far beyond his humble and uneventful life.

12-What film or TV characters do you slightly or largely resemble in appearance and/or personality and actions?
Andy Sipowitz in seriousness, brooding, and moods; Drew Carey; Homer Simpson in belly and hair, childishness and lack of motivation; Jerry Seinfeld in comments and expressions, and sometimes George Constanza in paranoia and self-defeating nature; Chandler Bing in clumsiness, expression, and insecurity, and Ross Geller in moodiness and outlook; and Luke Skywalker.

13-Name something you dreadfully fear yet dearly love and enjoy and/or find relaxation and fascination from?
The ocean, and dark water in general. I am a good swimmer and have no fears of drowning, no, it’s the fear of not being able to see under me or around me in dark water and the panic of being vulnerable. Damn Spielberg and Benchley! They scarred me for life! I’ve been to the beach and hung out in 4 feet of water but it’s nerve-wracking. I have a lake behind my condo and I used to own a SeaDoo XP personal watercraft. People would watch me going at high speed doing tricks, turns, and spins in the water and wiping out, and didn’t believe that I was terrified of the very water that gave me so much fun and thrills. I would fly off and hit the water, then casually swim back and get on and do it again, but despite the façade of calm that I managed to present I was terrified of being in the water. But despite ignoring my fear to enjoy riding, I never rode at night, because that was even more terrifying. Likewise the ocean at night scares the hell out of me. At times I have gone to the beach at night when I was upset, stressed, and anxious, and sat by the water’s edge to think and sort things out in my mind. I can’t explain it, but my fear of the dark water, amid the quiet of the night, calmed me and relaxed me. Maybe because it convinced me that the terror of the water near me was greater than the fear inside me, and I saw that the darkness beyond was vaster than the darkness within.

14-At the end of your physical life, what do you most expect or hope to be remembered by, by those outside of close family and friends? And, what message do you want inscribed on your tombstone?
My books, my stories. I fear not dying per se, but dying without my dreams seeing the light of day and people experiencing what I’ve so wanted to share.
My tombstone message: “Damn it moron! Get off my head with those spiked boots!”
Or: “What the hell’s leaking?”
Or: “Would somebody tell the neighbors to stop rolling in their graves? I can’t sleep with all that noise!”
No, Seriously, on my tombstone: “In life he tried, failed; tried again, failed; tried again, and finally succeeded.”
Either that, or "Hey, what was his name again?"

15-If you could contribute one aspect of yourself to all of humanity, what would it be?
My sensitivity and humility. I know that’s 2 things, but I think one compliments the other, and vice-versa. Maybe with an abundance of those 2 wrapped into one, there would be more peace and less hatred in the world. If 2 enemies became sensitive to the other’s needs and dreams, and each realized they were not better than the other, there would be no division.

16-If a book or movie were to be made about your life, what would you have it called?
“Out of the Darkness, Into the Light”, about my 22 year battle with depression and my hoped for release from its shroud.

17-If you could figuratively “consume” or absorb three famous people to gain or understand their particular knowledge, attitudes, and insights, who would they be and why?
1-Stephen Hawking. I am poor in understanding of science and physics, and I would savor his ability to understand the mysteries that baffle me.
2-Arthur C. Clark. In addition to my own imagination, I would like to gain his understanding of the cosmos and the ability to write science fiction with such realism and believability.
3-My father Harry. He went through the Holocaust and survived living on the streets and running from the Nazis, then came to America and built a life for himself. I didn’t get to know him when I was a child as well as I miss him as an adult, but he was a brave man with physical and emotional strength. I don’t envy his memory of horrors and fights for life, but I wish I knew better his ability to risk death, brave desperate odds, and keep his confidence and faith in God. Later in life he was a strong man and a hell of a fighter (before I was born he took on 2 men at once and handed them their asses after they dissed his girl, my mother), and when I was a kid I was a wimp.














:p