Exploring the Abandoned Planet (urban exploration after people)

We may think about life after death but it's our own death we consider. What happens to the planet, the culture, machines, and animals we leave behind when (if) there were no people left on the Earth to maintain and build them?

Whether you think about something small like a goldfish in a bowl or big, like pollution... have you ever wondered how much impact humans have on the planet and how the Earth would change once we were all gone?

Life After People is a video series based on the idea that people (all of us) have disappeared from the planet. There is no discussion about what happened to us. Once the documentary begins we become irrelevant (except for everything we have left behind and how we left it).

If you have seen the series or one of the movies, do you watch it for the science fiction, the illustrations of abandoned civilization or out of curiosity to see what happens to everything when we (who think we are so important) are not here any longer?

I must admit, as an urban explorer (one who explores abandoned, derelict and ruined places and things) I do love to soak in the illustrations. I could spend the entire length of the documentary just pouring over the details of the ruined places. I would enjoy time to look at still images and catch all the details of the abandoned cars, roads, homes, and all the rest.

However, this series is so great because they go beyond the everyday places and things you would think of. Places like abandoned amusement parks, churches, historical monuments. Things like domestic livestock, family pets and oil leaking from cars in parking lots over time. The series of movies would have to go on forever to capture every last detail but you can find out so much in just an hour, or two.

The Neverending Adventure of our Planet, Life and Everything

I'd like to live forever. Not because I'm afraid of death but because I want to see how the story goes here on our planet. How far do people evolve and what big inventions and changes come along? Can we clean up the planet, control over population and give the animals some habitat back? What happens to the planet.. does the sun die out and leave the Earth cold, barren and out of luck? Does the moon last or some day get hit by space junk we created? So many questions, all leading to the end of time, and farther. How long can the story go? We don't even know where it all began. So many questions and so few answers we can count on 100% as fact. I'd like to know!

We can read so many ideas in science fiction but no one really knows anything, it is all just ideas based on what we know or think we know so far.

If I could have my three wishes... the first would be for health and losing weight, the second would be to live forever and be able to get around exploring the world and seeing it al for myself. Actually seeing it all, rather than reading about it in paper and print. As a bonus I'd take photographs with a digital camera which never runs out of battery life or memory space.

The third wish I would keep in reserve, you just know something will come up and I'm going to need that extra wish somewhere through all time and space.

Why Did you Watch Merlin (assuming you did)?

I may have watched Merlin for the costumes alone. The colours and styles of the Medieval wardrobes were not strictly authentic but they made a good effort while having a real flare. I remember a dress Morgana wore which really caught my imagination but then I noticed she was wearing what looked exactly like modern high heels. Not quite right historically but altogether she looked like a Princess.

The Merlin and Morgana Show

Morgana is my favourite character. I really wish the show had done more with Merlin and Morgana. In the first season Gwen liked Merlin, until the second season when she switched to being love lorn for Arthur and sometimes Lancelot. Morgana seemed to like Arthur, there were expectations for them to get together but I thought she saw him more as a brother. One of my favourite scenes was Merlin poisoning Morgana. It was the first really hard decision Merlin had to make and from there on he seemed less a boy and I think he became the dragon lord soon after. Merlin and Morgana could have worked, if they had been written that way. She would have been much different if she had a real friend she could count on.

I don’t think Morgana’s motives were ever really explained or shown very well. Her character begins as a brave princess with a few bad dreams. She isn’t told who she is, that she has power and was supposed to become someone so different from the brave princess who could hold a sword. Without real cause she becomes bitter and angry even plotting to murder Arthur. She liked Arthur in season one, trusted and confided in him. She was just as honourable and kind as Arthur or Merlin in the first season. Finding out she is Uther’s daughter does not seem like enough to cause her jump in loyalties.

The Merlin and Arthur Show

I enjoyed the rapport between Arthur and Merlin as two young men. Merlin is a bit too good to be true. Steadfast and loyal just because the dragon told him his fate was to make Arthur become a great king. But he and Arthur do develop a friendship which can almost be understood in spite of the servant and royal Prince roles they actually have. Some of the best lines and humour come from the simple moments between Merlin and Arthur.

I liked the character of Uther who I have never seen given so much depth and range in any other movie or series about Arthur, Merlin and the knights of the round table. Uther becomes a real person rather than a background story. Of all the characters I think Uther is the most human, with human flaws, pride and determination. Though he is supposed to be less than Arthur as a king he actually does make very tough decisions and choices which Arthur seems unable to do. Arthur does not want to be a the bad guy but Uther understands a king (or a parent or any other type of leader) can’t always be popular or seen by all as the good guy.

Merlin is on NetFlix Too

Overall I liked the series. I’m watching it over again on NetFlix this week and will likely rewatch and catch up on missed episodes all this month. I didn’t catch a big part of the fourth season so I am looking forward to it.

I haven’t bought a new video game in several years. I used to love picking up a new game, struggling with the packaging and then… loading up the game for the first time. Magic on screen.

My nephew was visiting this week. He prefers using a mouse when he plays games on his laptop. When the mouse wore out on Thursday I took him to the computer store Friday. I decided I would treat the cash poor university student to a new mouse.

Walking up to pay for the mouse, he stopped to look at the software – games just out. I kept walking and then, on impulse, I turned back and asked him if the store still carried PC games. So off we trekked. They were just a few aisles over. That’s where I found Civilization V, the gold edition. All shiny new and just waiting for me to buy it.

Civilization V is Like Finding an Old Friend

I have played Civ (the short form) since version III. I still have the older games (II and IV). Of them all, I had the most game play out of Civ III. It was simple to get into the game, easy to understand and it didn’t have any trouble loading and not crashing. Civ IV was good but the game play was awkward, to me. I tried it a few times, went back to try it a few times over the years. But, the game has mainly taken up space on my shelves.

Civilization V is much better. It has flow, it has far more detailed graphics and there are more details to building your city, growing it and evolving technologies than the old Civilization III game. Yet, it has that simple game play. I was able to load the game, spend a few minutes in the tutorial to find what was where and then start a real game. It has been easy to catch up. There is a game guide on the screen if I need to get extra details about finding followers for the religion I invent or how to get my cities trading good and so on.

I’m really glad Civilization V has brought back many of the best things of Civ III while being a nice upgrade to the look and strategy of the game overall. I’m glad I went mouse shopping with my nephew that day. He got the hardware he needed and I found an old friend in a new, updated package.

I wrote this about my Dad, so long ago I had forgotten about it. Originally published to BackWash.com on May 28, 2004 and written when my Dad died.

My Dad would sometimes say, "If that's supper, I guess I've had it." This past week after his death that phrase has caught in my mind only I've adapted it to, "If that's life, I guess I've had it."

My Dad was 71 years old when he died. He was born in South Shields, Scotland in 1932. He had one sister who also came to Canada (the whole family did when he was in university). My Dad was an electrical engineer though he didn't have the actual engineer stamp due to not finishing that last year of university. He could have many times over, but he chose not to bother. He chose not to bother about a lot of things.

Anyway, he married my Mother in 1964. They lived in farm houses and city apartments for awhile, back and forth until one run down farm in a town called Kincardine where my sister was born. She was the third of four kids. We moved back to the city from there cause the farm house had no running water and my brother and I were having asthma problems with the country lifestyle. Two more moves and we ended up in The Rouge. It was the town of Port Union then, later it became part of Scarborough and thus part of Toronto. When someone asks where I grew up I think of The Rouge. It was a very white middle class place. Nice though a bit sheltered.

Dad always loved jersey cows. He kept buying the Jersey Breeder magazine long after we had seen our last farm house. While I was growing up in The Rouge he was daydreaming about a jersey farm. He made lots of plans on paper and now and then we had family trips into the middle of nowhere Ontario to look at a farm he could buy. By that time Mom was pretty much prepared to veto them all. No more run down farm houses, no more him expecting her to run a farm and cows while he worked in the city and came back on weekends to supervise.

Dad liked to sing and whistle while he worked. Often the same old songs about 'stay home and mind baby brown eyed girl, captain brown being down amongst the dead men and tally my bananas day o'. I'm not even sure what the names of the songs are. But I've heard them over and over all my life.

We started looking through his things, picking what to keep, what to display at the service and what to toss. There is a lot to toss. He wore his clothes till they were worn out, he was no fashion plate though he liked to think he looked good. Sometimes he did. Among his things I noticed an old program from a theatre performance of 'Man of La Mancha" that he went to with my sister and myself a very long time ago. I was surprised to see that. Also one Father's Day card from all the cards I had ever given him. Usually he left them sitting right where he had opened them and let Mom eventually toss them into the garbage. I put away the one card that he kept. There were also more pins and badges from the local Lions clubs that he had yet given to me to sew onto his Lions vest. Between my Mom and I we had kept them sewn on for him for the past ten or so years. He also had pictures of golf games and events with business associates and sometimes my brother or his current son-in-law too.

He had his first small heart attack while we lived in The Rouge. After that they came more frequently, over time, slowly. He ignored them. Even though his own Dad had died at age 65 from a heart attack which he ignored until he died in the hospital that same night. That just proves you can't help people who will not help themselves.

I remember being in the hospital up here in Alliston with my Dad just a few days before they took him down to Newmarket for the quadruple by-pass operation. He wasn't sure about having the surgery and I can see now that he was afraid. That makes me feel very sorry for him. But, I don't see how we could have done differently at that point. It was likely already too late. Anyway, he had a very bad heart attack right before the surgery but they went ahead at that point cause he would have died anyway I guess. Either then or the next attack. Surgery seemed to at least give him a chance to survive. He did pull through for two more days and seemed to be feeling pretty ok for someone who has just had his chest opened and adjusted. But two days after the surgery he didn't wake up. He was in ICU and stayed there. Being worked on, his body kept functioning with life support. The hospital staff seemed to think his chances were not too bad at that point. But he never got better and last Saturday, the very day they were going to pull the plug he died himself sometime before 6:00 AM.

Maybe it's having the distance of time and now death, but I do feel less angry about him and things he did and said. In the end it doesn't matter. It's up to me to get on with my own life. On Monday we are having the memorial service. Mom is bugging me about what I will wear. I am not looking forward to having to make chit chat with people who think they knew him. Cause they didn't really know him. Dad liked to make a show of his life. He was always Mr BigShot and we were holding him back, picking on him and making things difficult in general. He would tell his business associates, the local Lions club which he joined and others all about us, as he chose to see us. So, no, I'm not looking forward to two hours of hearing about what a good guy he was. But the service is for them I think. For me, I don't care. He is dead and it's over.

Right now beside me I have an old rolodex of his business cards which I'm sorting through for valid names to add to the guest list. If he could be there for the memorial he would be happy with the show put on for him, because of him. His due I expect he would think. For me it's just something else I have to do. I wonder if I will think of him much after the wind down of everything. It seems as if we've been expecting and waiting to put on this last show since we were kids and here it finally is. Now we can do the show and put it into the past and leave it there. All the build up and the suspense will be gone. Just like Ian N. Brown himself.

Personal Concierge

People who run their own home based business as a personal shopper, running errands for other people, are also known as a concierge service. Concierge are the people who work in fancy hotels, making sure the guest have all the extras they need. The concierge would book tours, order them a taxi or a limousine, whatever comes up. It's a wonderful thing to have someone you can count on to help you with the little extras, if you have a lot on your plate, need help and can afford to pay for it.

Photographer

Take photos of people at events. Photograph pets for their owners. Learn a little more about light and shadows then look for work as a professional photographer. You don't need the expense of your own darkroom or developing film now so photography can be a simple home business.

Event Planner

Weddings, family reunions, local business events, there are endless events going on all the time if you track down the sources. Talk to a veteran event planner and see if you can apprentice while you get the hang of things and build your list of contacts and sources for cakes, flowers, party supplies and etc.

Local Newsletter Publisher

Your local area may already have a local newsletter, distributed in stores and other businesses in the area. If so, consider formatting your newsletter online instead. But, gather businesses who want to reach more customers and provide the content to fill the newsletter with news, tips, stories, events, and ads.

Packing and Unpacking Service

Not only can you work with real estate agents to provide a welcome to new people moving into the neighbourhood but you can offer your own service to help people pack to move or unpack when they move into their new house.

Pet Sitter/ Walker

If you like animals offer to pet sit for the evening or a weekend (or longer if you are able to). This may be in your own home or you may come to the home of the animal. If you can, offer extras like pet grooming.

Yard Work

Whether it's raking leaves, shovelling snow, cleaning a pool for Spring... there is always outside yard work to be done.

Internet Services

Building a website is not the job it used to be. These days you can spend some time learning the software and put up a finished site in an hour. Not everyone wants to do this however and those people will pay to have someone do it for them. You can also set up their online portfolio with social media accounts. Offer Internet lessons to teach them how to use social media and update their site too.

Tutoring

What's your best subject? Offer your services to parents with school children who need some extra help and your expertise. English, math, science... but don't forget piano playing, sewing and other skills you have.

Collectibles

The idea isn't to build up a collection for yourself but to find and add to the collections of others. Pick items which you have an interest in and know something about then search for them online, in second hand shops and from other collectors who may want to sell. Connect yourself to people who collect and want what you can find for them.

Graffiti Removal

Here, a local business is told to remove graffiti within a specified amount of days. This is left for the business owner to do and if it is not removed in time the city will fine them. So, graffiti, especially when it continues over time, is a problem and a headache. Watch for the businesses which tend to be hit and offer to clean it up. You could even get a contract to come out weekly and take that headache away for them.

Local Tours

Your town will have something interesting to see. Even if you can't think of anything, there is a reason people are coming to your town. Find it. Offer yourself as tour guide and then... go a bit farther. Offer a walking tour of your town and talk about the history, the paranormal, the UFOs, the ghosts and hauntings. Work with people who run local events, have a bed and breakfast or other tourist related businesses - don't forget great sources like the local library and museum too.

Home Staging

You may not want to clean someone;s house but you could help set up homes for sale. Look at their curb appeal, see what could be touched up and make to look better for the sale inside and outside too.

Personal Chef

Not a caterer who cooks for parties and events, but a personal chef who cooks for a family (or someone alone and needing a specific diet). You do the shopping and cook it too. Preparation could be at your own home but the idea is to serve the food hot in their home.

Clothing Repair

Can you sew? People need cuffs hemmed, buttons sewn on and rips and tears repaired. If you can do alterations add that to your list of services.

Bookkeeping

Even with the software out there to make keeping books easier, someone still needs to pull it all together on a regular basis. You could have a few businesses (even other home businesses) who you visit weekly to gather the paperwork, sort it out and enter it into the system.

Office Plant Maintenance

Find which businesses keep plants and offer your service to maintain them: water, prune them and fertilize.

Elder Care

Seniors living alone need company and help with things like running errands and organizing.