Heat, Battlestar Galactica, Gayatri Mantra

Summer is definitely in full swing here in Southeastern Idaho. Daytime temperatures have been in the 90s yesterday and today; right now, it's 99 degrees fahrenheit (37 degrees celsius). I'm trying to see how long I can survive in my apartment without turning the AC on. As warm as it is, I still much prefer practicing in heat to practicing in AC; there's just something about practicing in an artificially-cooled room that takes energy away. Earlier today, for instance, I practiced led primary to Sharath's count. The heat lent a certain lightness to the practice; I like to think this brings me a bit closer to what it must be like to practice in the heat in Mysore (as in Mysore, India).

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I've been watching a lot of sci-fi lately. Yesterday, I went with a couple of friends to see World War Z. It's actually a pretty good movie, if you try to let go of any expectations you may have gathered from having read the novel; this may be one of those instances in which it could be better to watch the movie without having read the novel. In any case, both Brad Pitt and Marc Foster (the director) make no pretense about the fact that their story departs greatly from the novel. The story is actually quite tight and convincing in its own right. I don't think this is going to go down as one of the great classic zombie movies (although I may be wrong), but it's still worth watching.

At the recommendation of a friend, I've also started watching Battlestar Galactica (the 2003 remake, not the 1978 original) on Netflix. It's actually a very compelling re-imagining of the original, with more contemporary political tropes ("We don't negotiate with terrorists") thrown in for good measure. Another thing about this remake that should immediately jump out at longtime yoga practitioners (or anybody who is familiar with Sanskrit chants, for that matter) is the use of Indian devotional chants in the series. For instance, the series's opening theme has the Gayatri Mantra in it. Check this out:

Which strikes me as being very apt for a story which is basically an interstellar retelling of Noah's Ark. I loved the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica theme (remember that?), but there is something powerfully haunting and moving about hearing the Gayatri against the backdrop of deep space, set to a story about a bunch of humans on a space odyssey to find this mythical place called Earth while being pursued relentlessly by a bunch of cybernetic beings that they had created themselves. Does anybody know who came up with the idea of putting the Gayatri mantra in Battlestar Galactica? I'm really curious to know, but couldn't find any information on Google about this.        

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