Night at the British Museum

An Egyptian bust in the British Museum

Last year, I saw "Night at the Museum 3" in the cinema. I had looked forward to seeing the movie, as the story was set in the British Museum, which I had visited a few months previous. While the production featured a scene in the iconic atrium of the British Museum, most of the museum interiors looked completely different, as did the nature of the exhibits on display. I can only conclude the producers set the film in the British Museum for two reasons: 1) because the British Museum equates with England in viewers' minds, and 2) so they could make a statue of King Arthur come alive. 

Had I not visited the museum previously, I suspect I would have dismissed the movie as harmless fun, fueled by a passable reason for a plot, and lots of gags. Instead, it seemed odd to me that the filmmakers didn't make a movie about what's actually in the British Museum. The museum features a wealth of history which they could have built on to make a gripping, and funny movie. Instead, "Night at the Museum 3" seemed fake, unreal. It's not as if I wished to find fault with the movie. I love Ben Stiller movies. I've enjoyed most of the Ben Stiller movies I've seen. But as I watched that day in the cinema, I simply could not suspend my disbelief. 

Thus, the movie was something occasionally laughed at (or with). But it was never something I was into. But then, I suppose I should have been prepared for that, for while I had thoroughly enjoyed the original movie, the second left me dissatisfied.

Like "Night at the Museum 3," the movie "Paddington," based on the character and book series written and created by Michael Bond, was set in London. As with "Night at the Museum 3," part of the action takes place in a famous London museum. In the case of "Paddington, key scenes take place in the Natural History Museum. I've never visited the Natural History Museum, so I cannot say how much of the movie was filmed there. What I can tell you is that, unlike "Night at the Museum 3," I found "Paddington" completely gripping. It picked me up and took me along for the ride. I wasn't just watching it, I was into it. It remains one of my three favorite films released in the past two years.

What are your favorite films of the past two years? Do any of them feature destinations you would like to visit? Or are they special because you've already traveled there, and the places hold special memories for you?

Dragon Dave

Neil Gaiman & the British Museum

The iconic atrium of the British Museum

On our first visit to England, my wife and I walked around London, stopping at all the places on that day's itinerary. In the afternoon, and after getting lost (and getting directions), we finally arrived at the British Museum. Then a strange thing happened. We realized we had other places we wanted to see more, and only so much more time remained to us that day. So we got no farther inside than the iconic atrium before we turned around and headed off.

Later, while reading the novel Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, I came to regret that decision. Although his fantasy takes place mostly within the London Underground, a few scenes featured his characters into the British Museum. That reminded me of our abortive attempt to see the museum. Thus, when we planned our next trip to England in 2013, we made sure we set out a day for the British Museum.

I can't say that subsequent visit brought the novel to life more vividly for me, or made the story more important to me. I cannot tell you why the novel made me feel like I needed to visit the British Museum in the first place. It's not as if I'm particularly a museum lover. I visit museums rarely, if ever, at home. All I can tell you is that, while a fantasy, Neil Gaiman's novel became real enough, and important enough, to make me want to see this particular museum. 

Most of us live where we want to live because we like where we live. We've chosen to be there. Yet sometimes, a particular story becomes so important to us that it pulls us to a place we would never otherwise visit. How does that happen? How does an author weave such magic? 

Where have your favorite stories taken you?

Dragon Dave

U.S.S. Midway: Containment Holding Tanks & Worms

While touring the brig aboard the U.S.S. Midway, I noticed a number of pipes running along the walls and ceiling. One was labeled Waste, another Soil, another Photo Lab. 

Speaking with a docent later in the Engine room, he confirmed that the lines carried chemicals and other undesirable substances to holding tanks. The Soil stood for sewage, which would end up in Containment Holding Tanks (CHT), where it would be treated, before being dumped when the ship reached port. He said he served aboard the USS Peleliu, named for another WWII battle. For a time, he had overseen the CHT department. 

He claimed that the CHTs were filled with worms, and as they filled with sewage, the worms went to town. As they fed on the waste matter, they grew in size and length. When the ship arrived in port and dumped the sewage that the worms had treated, the worms gradually shrank. If they didn't receive enough new sewage to feed on, the crew in charge of the CHTs had to give them some kind of nourishment to sustain them. 

I asked the man what kind of worms they used in the CHTs, but he didn't know. Later, I searched out the matter online, but didn't find any references to the subject. My wife uses Earthworms in the compost bin to clean up some of the waste our household generates. It would be interesting to know what kind of worms they used aboard Naval vessels to clean up other types of waste.

Then again, another docent listened to our conversation, and twice he broke in with a smile to suggest that the next time we toured the Midway, we should wear tall boots. At the time, I wondered what he meant. But on reflection...

Dragon Dave

U.S.S. Midway: Personal Space & the Forecastle

Recently, my wife and I visited the U.S.S. Midway, a retired aircraft carrier named for the famous Battle of Midway waged six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. As we waited to board, two Japanese tourists cut in line to join up with other members of their group. They didn't ask us to move aside. They didn't tap us on the shoulder. The man simply barged past us, and the woman pressed against my back with her purse until I looked back and moved aside. Then the two lagged behind to take a photograph together. Then they walked closely behind us, the woman pressing her purse against my back, as we navigated the rest of the line.

Touring any old ship involves navigating through narrow hallways, and for some reason, the Japanese group seemed locked onto us. If we bypassed a given room to get away from them, so did they. If we stuck around an area to wait them out, they stuck around with us. The woman who had pressed into my back with her purse did so twice more during this time. Finally, we grabbed a bench in the vessel's forecastle (also known as the fo'c's'le), listened to the spiel on our audio guide twice, and waited them out. 

After the group left, my wife and I walked along the mammoth chains, each link weighing in at 140 pounds, and imagined them whizzing past us at 45-50 miles per hour when they dropped their twenty ton anchors into the sea. After that, we occasionally saw the group, but they never clung to us like roadies fawning over rockstars (or fans over favorite authors) again.

I thought it odd that the Japanese tourists seemingly had no regard for our personal space. Perhaps it's a cultural thing. I also thought it strange that people would travel all the way from Japan, and spend some of their limited vacation time to visit a naval vessel named for a battle that proved decisive in their nation losing World War II. It might have been interesting to ask them about that, had they not crowded us so, and given us some indication that they spoke English.

Dragon Dave

Herman Melville & Ron Howard on the Realities of the Seafaring Life

In Herman Melville's first novel Typee, his protagonist Tommo sees the last remaining chicken on board as significant. All the fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meat are gone. All that remains is a single, solitary chicken. So when the captain orders the cook to prepare chicken for his next meal, Tommo knows that the ship will finally head to the nearest port, where they can gain fresh provisions.

After all, life can grow pretty bland, when all you have to eat are rock-hard ship's biscuits.

That's not the only hardship that Melville's protagonist Tommo faced. In the sequel Omoo, when Tommo ships out from Nuku Hiva aboard another vessel, he finds sleeping belowdecks rather challenging. No matter how hard the crews attempt to scrub the interior clean, every night the rats crawl from their hiding places, and scurry over the sleeping sailors. As if this isn't enough, at some point each night, the air fills with cockroaches. 

These insects swarm through the interior of the vessel, making the night just one more trial to be endured, instead of a refuge for respite and rejuvenation. Tommo doesn't know how long the sailors have shared their living space with such pests. All he knows is that people are getting sick and dying.

While I watched director Ron Howard's movie "In the Heart of the Sea," one thing that surprised me was the aftermath of the whale attack on the Essex. I expected the whale to harass and damage the ship, and figured the sailors would endure a harrowing time until another ship came to their aid. Instead, amid the rich whale-hunting waters of the Pacific Ocean, a great white whale destroys the small harpooners' boats, and then rams into the Essex with enough rip a great gash into its side. As water rushes into the ship, the whale continues to pound the ship. Masts break, the ovens crack open, and the fires ignite the whale oil stored in wooden barrels. Perhaps the Essex was as old, and as infested as Tommo's ship in Omoo. But whether the Essex was slowly rotting away, as in Melville's novel, or whether the wooden vessel met or exceeded factory specifications, all the determination and ingenuity of her crew can not extinguish the fires, or prevent the ship from sinking beneath the waves.

Another thing that surprised me in Ron Howard's movie was how the surviving crew slowly starves to death. Here they are, surrounded by all the fish in the sea, and they can't feed themselves. Today vacations pay good money to have sailors take them out sport-fishing. They capture big fish and even sharks, which they then cook up for their next meal. You would think nineteenth century sailors would be even more adept at fishing. Yet Melville never shows the sailors fishing in either Typee or Omoo. All the men care about are the stored beef and other meat they've brought with them, even if it looks and tastes rather yucky (a scientific term), despite their best efforts to preserve it. Oh yes, and they also care about all the alcohol they've stored aboard. This is supposedly under lock and key, but a few enterprising individuals prove adept at accessing, sharing with their friends, and lending everyone that little extra buzz to help them get through the day. In any case, in Ron Howard's movie, the crew of the Essex sail day after day, using the stars as their guide, hoping a ship will find them, or they will find an island where they can gain food to fill their empty stomachs.

While it's not mentioned in "In the Heart of the Sea," the sailors could have tried to reach Nuku Hiva, or another of the Marquesas Islands, where Melville (and his character Tommo) spend time living among the natives. But first mate Owen Chase had heard stories about cannibals who would devour any visitors to their shores. So he and Captain Pollard opt for the longer voyage to South America. As the sailors die of starvation, the survivors consume the deceased to preserve their strength. Later, when landfall proved beyond reach, they draw lots, and eat those who draw the short straw. Thus, in their efforts to avoid falling prey to cannibals, they become cannibals themselves, and fall prey to each other.

In Typee, Melville's character Tommo faces a similar conundrum. He can either starve on the barren mountaintop of Nuku Hiva, or he can descend into the more remote sections of the island. He has heard stories of the cannibalism practiced by the tribes that inhabit these areas. Yet he risks that fate, and discovers that such stories were overblown. In fact, the natives treat him as an honored guest. So greatly do they regard him that they do not wish him to leave. Rather than viewing him as their next meal, they invite him to become a valued member of their society.

But then, life often overturns our expectations. Sometimes, it is better to brave the dangers we fear most. Otherwise, we risk becoming those things we fear most.

Dragon Dave

The Elusive Airboy

The Airboy series produced by Eclipse Comics in the 1980s was a revival of comics produced during the 1940s and '50s, when the idea of people flying in planes and protecting U.S. sovereignty thrilled a generation of young boys. The Eclipse series featured the son of the WWII hero, Davy Nelson, who flew the same plane as his father in fifty fabulous issues and a number of specials. This plane, named Birdie, had a mind of its own, and sometimes performed transport and combat maneuvers without the aid of a human pilot. The stories featured other Sci-fi elements such as zombies, intelligent rats, and robots. I started reading the series at issue 50, enjoyed it, and then sought more issues out in the discount rack. Visits to other comic book shops helped fill out the series, and gradually, the number of issues I possessed exceeded the number I needed to procure.

For more than a year, I collected issues of Airboy when I could find them. I read some, but saved most for when I filled the series and could read it in sequential order. I also found a hardcover book containing reprints of significant issues from the original 1940s & '50s, and devoured those stories in a few evenings. Eventually, I filled in the missing issues until I only needed one: Issue 5. And there, the collection remained incomplete, for a long time.

Last weekend, I visited the comic shop. Along with other series I was looking to fill, what should I find but Issue 5? And they only wanted a dollar for it, not six dollars the one place I had seen it elsewhere. Price is important to me, as I'm not purchasing these comics for resale value, but merely for my reading enjoyment. I could have purchased a trade paperback containing Issue 5 for fifteen dollars long ago, had I not set my heart on getting the original issue, along with the editor's preface, advertisements, and letter column. But now I've got the last missing issue. Hooray!

As you can see, Issue 5 features Valkyrie on the cover. She was a German villainess in the original series, who at times turned to good and aided Davy's father, and other times returned to her villainous ways. She returned for this sequel series, and as I recall, befriended the new Airboy. Don't ask me how she retained her youthful appearance: as I recall, that was another Sci-fi element that attracted me to the series. I look forward to discovering the answer to that, and much more, as I delve into the series now and read them in chronological order. You know, interspersing those Airboy issues with all the other series I collect, including Star Wars, Star Trek, and Conan The Barbarian.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to read Issue 1 for at least the third time. Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll tell you about it sometime.

Dragon Dave  

The Intriguing Airboy

Last year, a guest at a dinner part asked what comics I collected. I found this a surprisingly difficult question to answer. My immediate answer was "Cheap ones," which was mostly true, but does neither me nor my hobby any credit. The fact is that a visit to Stan Lee's Comikaze in Los Angeles reminded me how much I had enjoyed collecting and reading comics earlier in my life, so after the convention I investigated my local comic book stores. I quickly discovered that I could secure missing issues from series I had collected cheaply or expensively. Some sellers sold their copies for a dollar. Others wanted five or ten dollars for the same issue. As the issues I had picked up over the years probably weren't worth that much, I opted for the less expensive copies. After all, what I was buying were images and words printed on pieces of old, stapled-together newsprint. How much would you justify spending on something like that?

Besides, I was interested in the stories, and building a larger, cohesive story out of unconnected individual ones, some of which ended on cliffhangers. I wanted to know how the cliffhangers ended. I also wanted to learn the crucial events that set up the scenarios depicted in the issues already in my collection. 

While I initially began by trying to fill out series I had previously collected, I found other books that intrigued me. One good story led to another, and soon I was collecting all sorts of books that I had not previously heard of, nor had any interest in. A perfect example of that is Airboy. A publisher named Eclipse produced the series in the 1980s. The title and covers suggested no reason why I should desire it. It offered no visible links in subject matter, characters, or authors to Conan the Barbarian, Star Wars, Star Trek, or any of the other Sci-Fi/Media titles I had ever collected in the past. But when I found a few issues of the comic in the twenty-five cent boxes of a local comic store, I found myself picking up one and flicking through it. The story looked interesting. Should I buy it? 

When the barrier to entry is so low, what did I have to lose by investigating the series?

As I read that issue, what I found was a series that excited and intrigued me. It made me want to know more about the central character and his world. What stories have you discovered recently, that surprised you by making you a rabid fan of the author, the characters, and the new world you discovered in its pages?

Dragon Dave

Smoking Hot Hair Dryers

Last Saturday, our hair dryer unexpectedly cycled down to a lower speed while my wife was using it. We let it rest awhile, and it came back on at its regular speed. The next day, it did this again. Both times, we noticed a slight burning smell. So my wife decided it was time to buy another hair dryer.

Bideford, England

One thing I like about England is all the picturesque villages and towns. Big retail stores exist, but as a rule they are set outside of towns, and there's nothing like the concentration on brick-and-mortar stores that there is in the United States. People evaluate products online, order them, and have them delivered to their home far more often. Imagine buying a big screen TV, a dishwasher, or a refrigerator online. In America, that's virtually unthinkable. In England, I get the sense that preserving the natural beauty of their landscape is more important to the individual than "kicking the tires" of everything they buy.

Or perhaps the average citizen buys less than we do. Perhaps theirs is a less consumer-driven culture?

In any case, my wife noted the danger signs, and got online. In a few minutes, she had located the manufacturer and the model number she desired, and figured out what online supplier to purchase the product from. Purchasing the same model was important to her, as we drilled holes into the wall for the housing, and we didn't want to have to drill more holes. Plus, we've enjoyed this particular hairdryer. It hangs on the wall, so it doesn't take up counter-space. It also features a nightlight in the handle, which proves a valuable safety feature at night.

Oh, one other interesting fact: we've only ever seen this product online. As much as we like visiting superstores, and keeping brick-and-mortar stores in business, we've never seen a wall-mounted hair dryer for sale in a store. We only got the idea to buy one because we kept seeing them in hotels. So here was one case where we didn't have a choice of buying in the store or online. If we wanted it, we had to buy it online.

It was a good thing my wife acted when she did. On Monday, the hair dryer stopped working, and dark smoke wafted up, accompanied by a strong smell of burning. So we unplugged it and used our travel model. Two hours later, a box arrived on our porch. Although it hadn't been scheduled for delivery until the following day, the post office had delivered it a day early. The day after we ordered it!

Even more amazing, the Post Office delivered it on a holiday, when they supposedly aren't working!

Our new hair dryer,
only available online,
and delivered precisely on time.

In a few minutes, my wife unscrewed the old holder, and then screwed back in the new one. The only noticeable difference between this one and the last is that the nightlight is white, not green, which makes for an even stronger nightlight. 

As beautiful as I find much of England, I'm not ready to give up the ease and convenience of America's shopping centers just yet. But it's nice sometimes to be reminded that you can get most everything you need online, and in some cases, get it precisely when you need it. 

Dragon Dave

Herman Melville & Ron Howard Go Whaling

In his new movie, "In the Heart of the Sea," director Ron Howard takes us aboard the Essex, an American whaling vessel in 1820. In so doing, he introduces us to George Pollard, a young captain anxious to prove himself; Owen Chase, a first mate who believes he should captain the vessel; and several members of their hard-working crew. Perhaps most notable of these would be young Thomas Nickerson, a boy who dreams of harpooning whales when he grows up. But all these sailors have good reasons to serve aboard the Essex, whether it is to earn the captaincy of another vessel, to better their station in society, or to contribute to the financial wellbeing of their families.

The only question is this: will they have a successful voyage? A good captain, one who knows how to read the signs, to know where to go and when, can return to port regularly with enough whale oil to provide the officers, crew and shipping company with a reasonable profit. A poor captain, one incapable of getting the best out of his crew, and making the right decisions with regard to their destinations, can sail around the world and never catch enough whales to make their voyages financially feasible. 

Author Herman Melville knew something of this. In his first novel Typee, based on his own whaling experience, the protagonist Tommo has heard stories of whaling ships that never return to their home port. They catch the occasional whale, dock in a foreign port to trade what little oil they harvested for food and supplies, then they sail off again, in the hopes of catching the big break that will fill their holds with barrels of oil. The crew grow old and die aboard such vessels, without ever seeing home again, because the captain knows if he returns home with little or nothing he will lose his commission and his livelihood. So Tommo flees the ship on the island Nuku Hiva when he is granted a few hours shore leave. He hopes to live a few months among the natives, then return to the island port, and sign up with another ship that will take him back home.

Unlike in Herman Melville's novel, the crew of the Essex seem a cohesive, hard-working lot. The main tension aboard the vessel is between Captain Pollard, who comes from a prestigious family of sea captains for his first voyage, and first mate Owen Chase, who has experience, but no familial connections. The two battle over each decision, and blame each other for their failures. Still, the two men and their crew manage to capture a whale, and then everyone (excepting the captain) gets down to the hard work of gleaning every usable portion of the whale for oil.

The sailors haul up the whale, dig into it, scoop out its innards, and then render the contents of the buckets into oil in the ovens on deck. They work long and hard into the night, and when all the men have harvested everything they can access, they send in young Thomas Nickerson, a cabin boy who fears the confined spaces inside the whale, and discovers that the smell of a whale's insides make him violently ill. Yet everyone works together for the good of all, as catching a whale is a mixture of smarts, skill, intuition, and most of all luck, and then don't know when, or if, they'll catch another.

Perhaps this was the problem with the whaling vessel Melville served aboard. For in Omoo, the sequel to Typee, Melville's protagonist Tommo leaves Nuku Hiva aboard another whaling vessel. There he discovers a dysfunctional captain and crew. The captain is afraid to mix with his sailors, and the first mate cannot climb below decks without risking getting beaten up. When the captain grows ill, the ship docks in Tahiti. There the crew refuse to ship out again when the captain returns to health. So the vast majority of the crew remain behind on Tahiti, without money, food, or any resources beyond the clothing and other articles they brought with them in their wooden trunks. If they wish to return home, or gain employment on another vessel, they must convince the captains of those ships that they are not trouble-makers, and will not instigate a mutiny when they grow displeased with conditions aboard ship.

Today, most countries view whaling as one of the great evils that society perpetrated in the past. But back in the early nineteenth century, people regarded whale oil as a necessity to light their homes and power their societies. In every era, people will always attempt to fill a perceived need. But, as Herman Melville and Ron Howard demonstrate, life is an adventure, and only those who give their best, and work effectively with others, can achieve anything worthwhile. And even then--even then--you still need a little luck, in order to achieve success.

Dragon Dave

A Memorable Day: On Car Dealerships & Wells Cathedral

Yesterday, my wife and I spent three hours at the car dealership, waiting for our car to be serviced. Some might get irritable and angry, confined in one place for so long. But the dealership really put a lot of thought into the atmosphere of the waiting area. They offered complimentary bottles of water, free coffee and hot chocolate, and constantly made popcorn and chocolate chip cookies. The upholstered chairs are comfortable, and some have little desks attached to the arms. Plus, if you get bored, there are TVs on the wall, and books, magazines, and newspapers to read.

Plus, they have a little shop, where you can buy anything from jewelry to car parts.

I brought my sketching kit with me, and worked on a sketch of Wells Cathedral. We visited the Cathedral our last full day in England last year. It was a rainy morning, and after wandering around the shops, we sat in the sanctuary for an hour. There we sketched the interior, while a choir of asian school children practiced.

I don't know what they were singing. I only know they weren't singing in English. Yet it was pleasant to listen to them while we sketched. As we were leaving, a film crew was fitting a few alterations to the cathedral, to cover up the modern heating vents with faux stonework. Later, my wife did some research, and discovered that they were filming "The Huntsman: Winter's War," which will be released later this year.

Interestingly, Chris Hemsworth, who plays the Huntsman, played First Mate Owen Chase in Ron Howard's movie "In the Heart of the Sea."

I've never really considered the sketch of Wells Cathedral as anything but practice. The interior is to detailed, and my penciling too loose, to be anything more. But I enjoyed working with my Prismacolors, doing a little coloring, while we waited, and enjoyed our drinks and cookies. Then I read a few chapters of a Conan the Barbarian novel in the time remaining. It made for a pleasant afternoon, and a memorable day.

What did you do yesterday? What did you read? Was it a memorable day for you?

Dragon Dave