"From whose bourn no traveler returns..."
As the fleet data analyst at the new company I work for, I basically sit in the IT department, despite the fact I have no tech support or hardware function. I was worried about being the only girl in the department, but it's not bad at all-- it's often quiet, and its entertaining when the server/tech guys get silly. Sometimes, I heard bits of conversations floating out that make me laugh, or I playfully fuss at them like a preschool teacher.
Yesterday, one of the guys came in and announced that Leonard Nimoy had died. I assumed he was teasing-- they often randomly quiz me or test my sci-fi/science/tech knowledge. (I remind them all the time that just because I have ovaries does not mean that I can't enjoy science fiction, horror, or military history.) It turned out that he wasn't teasing, and we all became very sober. In an effort to lighten the situation, one of the guys stuck his head in the CEO's office and said that the entire IT department had to go home for a day of mourning.
... I'm not going to lie, I did end up crying when I got home. I know its foolish, but there are some celebrity deaths that hit you in the gut. I've never really had one effect me before, but my mother was very shaken when Whitney Houston died, and my uncle was distressed at Ernie Bank's passing.
I watched TOS all the time growing up, and Mr. Spock was my favorite character. So many people have already written far more eloquently about the draw of his character than I ever could. He's the outsider with his toes just barely in the circle of light cast by the street lamp-- always in-between. The opportunity to identify with that is what made Spock a sci-fi legend.
My brother and I also loved watching 'In Search Of', which Leonard Nimoy narrated. He had such a wonderful voice. I recall a very young Nimoy in an episode of The Twilight Zone and, while I have tons of philosophical, stylistic and narrative problems with the Star Trek Reboot, I was thrilled to see Mr. Nimoy reprise his role. He was a great supporter of Jewish education and academic preservation too, which never hurts.
I have nothing original, witty or marvelous to say, and it certainly isn't as if I knew the man. But his keystone character was always a titan in my fictional landscape, and a passing is one of those reminders that wakes up the little girl inside.
Farewell and safe travels, Mr. Nimoy. The world will be a less gentle and far less logical place without you.
.
Yesterday, one of the guys came in and announced that Leonard Nimoy had died. I assumed he was teasing-- they often randomly quiz me or test my sci-fi/science/tech knowledge. (I remind them all the time that just because I have ovaries does not mean that I can't enjoy science fiction, horror, or military history.) It turned out that he wasn't teasing, and we all became very sober. In an effort to lighten the situation, one of the guys stuck his head in the CEO's office and said that the entire IT department had to go home for a day of mourning.
... I'm not going to lie, I did end up crying when I got home. I know its foolish, but there are some celebrity deaths that hit you in the gut. I've never really had one effect me before, but my mother was very shaken when Whitney Houston died, and my uncle was distressed at Ernie Bank's passing.
I watched TOS all the time growing up, and Mr. Spock was my favorite character. So many people have already written far more eloquently about the draw of his character than I ever could. He's the outsider with his toes just barely in the circle of light cast by the street lamp-- always in-between. The opportunity to identify with that is what made Spock a sci-fi legend.
My brother and I also loved watching 'In Search Of', which Leonard Nimoy narrated. He had such a wonderful voice. I recall a very young Nimoy in an episode of The Twilight Zone and, while I have tons of philosophical, stylistic and narrative problems with the Star Trek Reboot, I was thrilled to see Mr. Nimoy reprise his role. He was a great supporter of Jewish education and academic preservation too, which never hurts.
I have nothing original, witty or marvelous to say, and it certainly isn't as if I knew the man. But his keystone character was always a titan in my fictional landscape, and a passing is one of those reminders that wakes up the little girl inside.
Farewell and safe travels, Mr. Nimoy. The world will be a less gentle and far less logical place without you.
.