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As I sit here I am unsure what today’s blog is going to be about. I wonder if in two hundred posts I have run out of things to say and share with you all. But even as I write this I am reminded of my search for the perfect new desk that I will be undertaking tomorrow. I am looking to get a new desk to put in my upstairs living area so that I can free up a space next to my elliptical for my bike. Added to the list of wants is a device to turn an outdoor bike into a stationary bike so that I can work out in the winter on a bike.  My mother does not get this idea one little bit. Her comment was “why would you want a workout bike when you have an elliptical”. The reason that I want the workout bike is so that I can switch up the workout now and then just for a little more fun. I don’t mean this to sound like a negative thing of my mom to ask, she is just curious and I love her to death! Anyway back to the desk. I have a feeling that my wish list for this desk is going to be somewhat unattainable, like trying to find the perfect mate.  I often find that my expectations far exceed what in reality exists, especially when you consider the budget I am looking to spend on this desk.  Ideally I want to find a desk that is taller than it is wide with plenty of storage spaces for office materials and a printer and other office type needs. I’m hopeful that I will find the desk by the end of the year so that I can put my 30^th birthday present on it… a new computer.

Elliptical Machine: Calories- 641, Miles- 3.47

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Data, Crusher and Riker are overseeing some work on the Melona Four colony when the Crystalline Entity attacks and ravishes the planet. The landing party and all but two of the colonists survive by hiding in a series of underground caverns. Starfleet has ordered the Enterprise to further investigate the Crystalline Entity and a lead scientist, Dr. Marr, is sent to help out. Dr. Marr is clearly uneasy working with Data because of his brother Lore’s past involvement with the Crystalline Entity. Lore betrayed is home colony on Omicron Theta to the Entity and it just so happens that Dr. Marr’s son was on that planet when it was destroyed. She is initially very abrasive to Data but they eventually develop a good working relationship. Their friendship is improved when she discovers that Data can access her son’s personal files and even imitate her son’s voice. We quickly learn that this woman is out for revenge against the Crystalline Entitiy and intends to help the crew of the Enterprise destroy it before it reaches the next planetary system. She is shocked when Picard reveals that it is not his immediate intention to destroy the Entity but to attempt to communicate with it. Through a means of communication Dr. Marr uses the communication method to eventually destroy it! Picard is shocked and appalled by her actions and orders her to her quarters. Dr. Marr claims she did it all for her son and asks Data to tell her what he would have thought. She is shocked when Data reveals that he believes her son would not have been happy with her course of actions.

The episode is essentially a Moby Dick story set in the 24^th century, and it is even sadder because it is about her revenge of a loved one, not just getting back at a whale for taking her leg!