Another Monday night. Today I resolved to begin putting my life back together next Monday, the first Monday of the new year. Let's hope this resolution goes better than most. On the list: eat better, eat cheaper, get a little exercise, lose weight, find a job I can live with, write every day, devote more of my writing energy to publishable works, and spend less time online trying to get laid.

Shortly after I got laid off it occured to me that I now had all the time I needed to find myself a date or two. But, after nearly two months, I feel as if I've been fishing in the swimming pool. There apparently isn't someone out there for me. I haven't even had any near misses in this time. I'm not trying to generate sympathy, I'm just spilling things out as I see them. Of course, I've done all my fishing online, and haven't bothered to find a bar or any place to go to. I'm just not a bar person though. Oh well, maybe something will change soon.

I'm not that upset about drawing a bad hand in the game of love. At the age of 46 I'm not sure I even want someone in my life. I don't know if I can share my life at this point. Mostly I'm just looking for someone cuddle with now and then— not for hours at a time, but long enough to satisfy the cuddle instinct.

Enough of that. I don't mean to sound like I'm whining.

Right now, as I write this, my computer at home is encoding the first thirteen episodes of the second season of Starblazers. This was my first anime series, and I used to watch it about 1982. (OK, OK, I watched Speed Racer and Kimba, the White Lion as a kid. Those were technically the first anime series that I watched. You can sue me for neglecting Kimba!) Starblazers is the best. I still remember watching the first series, wondering what condition the Yamato would be in when they finally for to Iscandar and Queen Starsha. The second and third series are complete mysteries to me as I've never seen them. In fact, back then, I didn't even know there was a third series. (We didn't have the interwebs back then!) I can't wait to watch these episodes.

When I was a kid watching Speed Racer and Kimba, the best series on TV was Ultraman, hands-down. This is probably where my love of Godzilla movies and anime began. In case you don't remember, the series was about a special squad of monster fighters in Japan. In the first episode, a space being, Ultraman himself, chases a space monster to Earth, but upon arrival, Ultraman accidentally causes the death of one member of the Science Patrol. In order to save the man's life, Ultraman merges with him. Thereafter, whenever the man needs to call upon the power of Ultraman, he raises a token into the air— it looks like a fat pen— and he is then transformed into the rubber suited Ultraman, towering over the city. (Which size is fortunate given that the monsters also tend to be taller than skyscrapers.) Sadly, due to the pollution in Earth's atmosphere, Ultraman can only retain his form for three minutes. Every story was broken into two episodes (much the same way the old Batman TV show was filmed). In the first episode the new threat would be revealed and there would be a first inconclusive round of fighting between Ultraman and the monster. Typically, the episode would end on a cliffhanger, with Ultraman or a member of the Science Patrol in danger. In the second episode, Ultraman would appear to be on the ropes during a second round of fighting, usually up against superior strength or the three-minute clock, and then he would whip out one of his special moves, accompanied by a cheap special effect. I couldn't get enough of it! I lived for those special moves. In many episodes Ultraman would cross his wrists in front of him, one arm horizontal and one vertical, and a beam like Godzilla's breath would shoot out of the foremost hand. In other episodes, he would reach up to the small fin on top of his head with both hands. Then, with a forward thrust, a sawblade would be flung towards the monster! How could a person not love that kind of action?!

Well, enough sex talk and nostalgia TV for one evening!