The Resurrection of Aaron Pittman

Lest he be confused with the real-life electrical engineering student at Florida Aeronautical University from Deerfield Beach, Florida I found in a Bing search, I'm referring to the character from the NBC television show Revolution. I remember reading a comment on a Web forum about the show that Pittman (played by actor Zak Orth) never smiled. Well, if I'd written the computer code that went berserk and caused all the power in the world to go out and bore witness to the results fifteen-plus years later – Revolution begins fifteen years after “The Blackout” happened, technically by inhibiting any device's ability to receive motive power to generate energy, not wiping out the energy itself – I perhaps would not find much reason to smile either. Even after fifteen years.

I bring this up because tonight – at least if the previews I've seen and how last week's episode ended are any indication – Aaron woke up today, March 5, 2014, and cars are running and radios are blaring and TVs are broadcasting (all stuff that requires electricity, which explains why mass solar power won't work to generate it in Revolution's post-Blackout world) as though the Blackout never happened. Other shows have used this premise (check out Dallas and LOST) with mixed success, but in Revolution's latest foray into Star Trek science fiction, the nanotechnology that keeps the power from flowing has gained a rudimentary sentience that responds, or at least is manifest to, the individuals “it” perceives as responsible for “its” creation. As of this writing, we know of three: Aaron, Priscilla, and Peter.

 

 

And since you're seeing this on a computer screen, I safely assume the power has not gone out yet. Just a few thoughts clambering for prominence in my brain, like the dream I had of some dreadlock-wearing Caribbean man coming to Martha's workplace (which wasn't her actual workplace, it looked more like Target and she was wearing her McDonald's outfit) looking for Bob Lemke, the conductor of Minot Chamber Chorale. The guy turns around and he comes up to Bob's belly button – evidently Bob is much taller and girthier than I remember from last week, and Dread Lock Man is my size – and I remember looking up at Bob's smiling toothy face from D.L.Man's perspective … and I woke up. Yet another reason I've giving up chocolate for Lent …

Giving up chocolate, AND giving up checking books out of libraries as well as buying them. I wanted to say “give up going to libraries and bookstores for Lent”, but since the Bible studies I get to are held in the church library, I thought that would be awkward. Besides, I have quite a few to read as it is! After work last night I got to visit Jeffrey at North Hill Bowl where his Cub Scout troop was bowling, and he did a good job with a score of 57 (he's six, remember?) and he gets THAT from his mom, the bowling league queen! Got the kids' reading caught up and got to work without too much getting decaffeinated or discombobulated in me. I like that. Now to share with forty people over Lent, which can (heck, more than can) be done – I cannot controls who signs up or who buys, but I can control my effort.

And I will.

 

 

David