Watching the TV series Heroes has brought up a sensitive subject in my life. It is a subject that upsets me so much that my husband flat out refuses to discuss it with me anymore. I have been reluctant to even write about it because I haven’t wanted to hear what other people think. Also I haven’t wanted to hear what other people think about what I think. And when I think about thinking about it or think about what other people are thinking, I have bad thoughts.
I think.
You know how when you type the same word over and over it starts to look weird? Like you’re not spelling it right? That just happened to me.
Anyway, I just really need someone to talk to about it. Someone who will read what I have to say and not interrupt me. Or laugh in my face. Someone who understands that we all have pain in this life and that we all need a soft place to fall. Someone who will continue on with me until the bitter end of this post, whether or not their children have been fed lunch.
That someone is you.
Yes. That’s right. I pick you.
You had me at hello.
So I’m going to put it all out there. Insecurities and low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence be damned. Here it is.
Time travel.
I just don’t. get. it.
How can a person (say, me) be living her life somewhere (say, in Tulsa, Oklahoma) and be taking care of her activities of daily living (say, messing around on the internet all day) and BAM! (or POOF! if you like) ANOTHER ME strolls up the sidewalk and rings my doorbell and hands me a free copy of Watchtower asking how certain I am what my fate will be on that glorious day when Jesus comes back to take us all home?
In what universe does that make sense?
I — am — me. I — have — only — one — body. How can a future me-body travel back in time and hang with a present me-body?
Does. not. compute.
And honestly y’all, I’m not asking these questions because I want you to try and explain it to me. So don’t wax all philosophical or metaphysical or metaphorical [or whatever is applicable] on me. You stand a better chance of explaining nuclear energy to my gray tabby cat than explaining time travel to me. So let’s don’t go there, want not to?
Alrighty, just needed to get that off my chest. Feel much better now. Rant over.
But don’t even think about wasting my precious comment space trying to tell me how it could work. Because I have The Power of Delete. And I will use it. mkaythnxbai
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This entry originally published on jennyology.net on October 26, 2006.
Manually re-mastered on May 7, 2008.
16 Responses to Time After Time
Enough about me.
Not your mommy's blogger.
A freelance writer and editor, wife and mother of four who excels at Wii bowling, makes a mean cherry pie, and has probably seen the movie Grease more times than you. Read a lot more about Jenny Motley here.pinterest is the new black.
Problem: Keeping track of all your internet fab finds. Solution: Pinterest. Read the whole story.
Do not read “The Time Traveller’s Wife” then. Just saying…
Twitter: CrashTestMommy
says:
Ashley — Noted. thnx.
Oh my gawd Jenny, I so totally love you for writing this!
ME TOO!!
My husband and I bicker over time travel constantly. My argument is that you can’t go back in time because it isn’t there anymore and you can’t go forward because there’s nothing there yet…it hasn’t happened, so therefore it cannot be. He just geeks out on me and drones on about dimensions and time space continuems and blah, blah, blah, BatmanSupermanStarTrekBattleStarGalactica, blah.
All that to say I do still enjoy the concept of time travel in FICTION, as I loved the Time Traveller’s Wife and enjoy Heroes and Lost. I just don’t believe it as FACT.
(…and I’m totally showing him this post tonight, mainly to prove why I enjoy blogging so much. I’ve found “my people” here)
Twitter: CrashTestMommy
says:
haha! We should form a club. Srsly.
I don’t believe it’s possible either. But my husband also pulls out the dork card and tries to explain it all scientific-like. I think it’s such a fundamental part of human desire – to back in time and change the stuff you messed up, it’s just natural that people fantasize about it. A LOT. But so far as I know, it hasn’t been accomplished yet. Not to mention, if you pay any attention at all to the stories about it, it always turns out BADLY, so if you could do it, you shouldn’t.
Is you main problem with the physics of actual time-travel or the plot concerns of fictional time travel?
Twitter: CrashTestMommy
says:
Okay heather. If I had an actual non-believers’ club your membership would be approved.
Douglas — The answer to your question is YES.
Imagine the possibilities of a nuclear capable feline…
I’m giddy over this thought.
Twitter: CrashTestMommy
says:
Okay Keith. That totally made me LOL.
LOLCat sez: I can haz A-bomb?
Don’t even get me started on when Reese died in Terminator, and then he gets sent back to get Sarah Connor pregnant in 1984. And then he dies. And then he gets sent back again.
And over. And over. And over.
Makes no sense to me. And i think your DH is my DH’s brother.
Twitter: CrashTestMommy
says:
Ah yes. And have you seen Seven Monkeys?
WAIT . . . If you haven’t then proceed viewing with extreme caution.
I am of the belief that it may induce early-onset Alzheimers.
I have seen it, but the only thing I remember about it was it instigated one of those maddening conversations that went like this:
Me: Wait! How can that be?
DH: Dude. Don’t start. It always ends the same way.
Me: And what way is that?
DH: You talking for 10 minutes, non-stop, about something that can.not.happen. and me getting madder and madder about the whole thing.
Me: Well then next time get Desperately Seeking Susan, dude.
Twitter: CrashTestMommy
says:
I agree. Desperately Seeking Susan seems safe.
My only explanation for the whole “Heros”/time travel conundrum is the same as my explanation for why Caillou’s parents won’t EVER tell him to just “shut the fuck up and stop whining already” (which, in all honesty, is far more baffling than time travel) and it it is this:
It’s in the script.
(there can be no other explanation)
But if you traveled back in time the future you wouldn’t be the present you. It’d be the you of the future, thus different.
I’ve just given myself a headache.
Twitter: CrashTestMommy
says:
WoW.
I really appreciate your attempt to explain time travel to me Jenny and I’m going to give it A LOT of thought.
The next time my husband asks for sex.