Hot! Odyssey 5! Chores! A Beautiful Deadhead! Apes!

HOT! Crap! The last two days have been among the hottest of the year. The air feels cloying and thick as though the molecules have grown fat. You feel the fried pavement sucking at your shoes. No shadow is immune to the heat's tentacles.

The five include the captain of the mission; his son, also an astronaut; a British Nobel-winning scientist; a reporter; and another astronaut. Of course, in the present there are any number of personal complications and conflicts.

The father and son are at odds. It appears that the father wanted his other son to be in the space program. In the future, the reporter's young son has recently died of a rare form of cancer. The other astronaut and the scientist have had a fling at some point.

So far any number of "exotic" life forms have appeared. A super computer virus that may be good or evil. And that may be capable of "jumping" over to humans. There's also some gooey creature that looks like a bleached squid and can assume human form. There's also talk of covert space missions. Something about a hidden "cadre" in the space program. A curious alien who lives outside time. A deaf girl with a stuffed panda filled with killer ants embedded with computer chips. A mad scientist on the loose. Humans that help the bleached squids.

And to be honest, I'm a tad confused. I'm not sure what's related to what. Or even if it's supposed to be. So I'm hoping as the programs proceed, reason will prevail.

After last night's episode, there was a chat with the son astronaut, played by Chris Gorham, who previously played Harrison on WB's "Popular." Surprisingly, I was able to get into the chat area. But the questions were standard. "Who's been your biggest influence?" "Have you done any movies lately?" "Where do you see yourself in five years?" And the answers adhered to the Showtime party line.

None the less, the program has become a potent addiction.

Another trip to the laundry. Nothing unusal there. No cute boys or humpy men.

A stop at the quick lube place to have the oil changed. Several of the mechanics were worth a second look. One had longish hair and a tattoo on his left arm. Another had the look of an American version of Robson Green. (Robson is a British performer known for his "working class" roles. His most well-known role here has been in "Touching Evil." Very masculine, with green eyes, an easy smile.)

Lunch was the customary Japanese sushi bar. As I sat down I recognized a young guy that I'd seen before. Several weeks ago, I sat next to him and asked if I could look at his tee shirt. It was a wonderful quote by Kerouac. The exact wording escapes me. Something along the lines that the true innovators are those who take the different path. Obviously more poetic than that. It turned out we'd both read "Kerouac's "On the Road" and "The Dhrama Bums."

Today I waved at him and then proceeded to glance his way from time to time. He was wearing a dark blue cap with gold writing on the front that covered his black curly hair. His shirt was tie dyed in a riot of colors. The closest I can come to ancestry is some Mediterranean lineage. If I'd had any sense I'd have sat down next to him.

As he was leaving I realized the tee said "Grateful Dead." And my snappy comment was "a deadhead." And he replied, "Yeah! I was born too late." (And I was born too early.)

There's something about this type of individual that attracts me. Young. Slightly exotic looking. Intense. Sharp features. Thin. Fluid moving. The former manager of the restaurant was like that. (The one I think I was in love with.)

I wondered if Charleston Heston, who played the astronaut in the original, would show up. And he does - playing an ape!

The ape battle helmets kept reminding me of those of the flying monkeys in "The Wizard of Oz."

No nearly enough was done with Marky Mark's body. In the original, Heston wore nothing but a loin cloth most of the time. Alas, MM stayed fully clothed in every scene. What a waste!

PAX!