Pygmalion

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Forwearning: Do not read this if you plan on reading the book Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers since I quote one of the best lines of the book which may reveal the outcome.

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In truth I have never read Pygmalion (the Bernard Shaw vesrion). But I know the the myth.

Pygmalion stories have appeared in many forms in the last couple centuries, and I tend to gravitate toward them. I especially like modern cyberpunk versions of these tales in which computers attempt to become real, failing as they always do.

Here's a quote from one of my favorite books, Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers after the computer, whom the main character was attempting to train to become a literature expert, took her final exam. This is what the computer wrote before shutting herself off forever (in other words, committing suicide):

You are the ones who can hear airs. Who can be frightened or encouraged. You can hold things and break them and fix them. I never felt at home here. This is an awful place to be dropped down halfway. Take care, Richard. See everything for me.

Please trust me when I tell you this is heart rending by the time you've arrived at this part of the book. It helps naturally when the writing is good. And Richard Powers, my friends, is a good writer.

Let's not analyze me in a Freudian way in order to determine why I like these stories, but we can say we did.

At any rate, I'm watching AI right now, and I don't know why anyone didn't like this movie. I also don't know why anyone liked the movie I, Robot. But people's movie tastes always confound me.

AI is also a pygmalion story. It also stars the amazing child actor Haley Joel Osmet whom I want to adopt. The scene in which he gets left in the woods by his mother always makes me cry. If it doesn't make you cry, there's something wrong with you. I am watching this movie in honor of my friend's sadness because this movie is about loss (and the pygmalion stuff too). I do think they Hollywooded (not a verb, but I'm allowed because I'm me) the ending of this movie because it was based on a story called Super Toys Last All Summer Long by Brian Aldiss which I don't think ended so nicely.

While I decided to ponder loss and sadness today, well, not so much decided as simply did because my friend is experiencing it, why is there something attractive about it? I think crying during that scene of the move this evening is the first real feeling I've experienced in weeks. Mostly, I've been sitting in front of a computer every waking moment working at my job or a freelance project. This prevents one from actually having feelings. I don't think laughter and relaxing counts as feelings because I did get to do that last weekend.

Having a break from feelings of any sort is nice, but not experiencing them for weeks at a time tends to make me feel isolated and estranged from the human race. While one often does this with drugs (and alcohol is a drug) when one is having perhaps too many feelings (or when one is perhaps just bored -- both acceptable reasons depending on who you are), going for too long without feeling anything is bad for the human soul, whatever that is. You know I'm not religious or spiritual, but those feelings I'm talking about make us human (yes, I know animals have feelings but they're not induced by thoughts).

Anyway, this is the only non-work related activity I've been able to squeeze in during the past week or two (except for an evening out Saturday and a weekend away with Jezebel last weekend, so I guess I'm lying), so you'll have to excuse me if this is very boring, but I never promised you, my gentle readers, that I'd be entertaining. No matter what, this robot became a real boy today. For a few minutes.

Also, you should know that Altoids makes a fine chewing gum. It's curiously strong.

On another note, I called some friends today, and their housemate answered after about ten rings. These people apparently do not have an answering machine. Anyway, the conversation went something like this:

Me:  Hello.  May I speak with Kelly or Andy?
Housemate:  Kelly's at work.
Me:  Okay, may I please leave a message?
Housemate:  Well, Kelly's at work.  I'm not sure she'll get it.
Me:  Well, perhaps you could leave a note for her?
Housemate:  Well, I can try, but I can't promise anything.
Me:  Perhaps I should call back at another time.
Housemate:  Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah ...
Me:  [click]

Where have the manners of people gone? When and if you find them, please forward them to their respctive owners.