Obsession

Teacher workshop day 2.. and a half. At least it feels like it. I was at school for a long time today and got a bunch of stuff accomplished yeah. I went to lunch with some friends and then ended up being at school long enough to get dinner with some other friends! After dinner I was thinking I’d just go home and sleep but I made it to the treadmill and there was no stopping me!

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill: 2.3miles and 280 calories burned

Obsession

Kirk and company are looking for a rare mineral on an unimportant planet…. Again. Suddenly a mysterious gray cloud appears and kills two red shirts and wounds another one. Kirk immediately becomes suspicious and seems a bit crazed about what is happening. Kirk decides to beam back down to the planet with a security crew including an Ensign Gariveck who is new to the ship. Well again the cloud attacks and another two red shirts get killed. Gariveck is accused of hesitating and Kirk takes it much more personally than he usually would and Gariveck is suspended from duty. We learn that 11 years ago Kirk ran into this cloud creature and it killed half of the crew and his then commanding officer… Captain Gariveck. Kirk begins to become obsessed with the idea of killing this creature and the story takes on a decidedly “Ahab” feel. Well McCoy and Spock start to question his judgment and encourage him to choose a more rational course of action. The cloud flees into space and the Enterprise pursues and it eventually turns and attacks the ship. During the attack another 2 redshirts die and we learn that the creature does not like Spock’s blood. They follow the creature the what is assumed to be the home planet. On the planet the creature is destroyed using a simple antimatter device. The episode ends with Kirk and Ensign Gariveck making amends.

The Deadly Years

Back to work day 1 and boy am I pooped!!! Who knew working 8-4 could be so tough.. ahahhaha. I am sure glad the district gives us a week to get ready before the kids actually show up!

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill: 2.08 miles and 280 calories

The Deadly Years

The Enterprise crew learns a valuable lesson… getting older sucks! Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, Spock, Chekov, and Lt. Galloway beam down to do a routine medical check of some scientists on Gamma Hydra 4. The discover the science team has suffered from rapid aging and all but two of them are dead. Soon after returning to the Enterprise the landing party begin to display signs of rapid aging, with the exception of Chekov, who remains unaffected the entire time. Kirk and crew become exceedingly incompetent and the Commodore onboard decides to relieve Kirk from command and bring them to the Star Base where he is the commanding officer. After a lengthy and embarrassing trial scene Kirk is removed from command. The Commodore decides to cross the neutral zone to make a faster arrival at Star Base 10. They are of course attacked and the Commodore buckles under pressure and freezes leaving the ship open to attack from over 10 Romulan war ships. Kirk, Spock and McCoy make a link between Chekov’s adrenaline and his lack of symptoms and make a daring move to try adrenaline therapy. Of course it works and Kirk takes command and gets the Enterprise out of trouble before it is destroyed.

The episode truly doesn’t have a great deal of substance but allows the four affected crew members to stretch as actors and play a person across a wide age span.

Friday's Child

Well the summer is over folks! Tomorrow it is back to the daily grind which I am actually very excited about. I sometimes feel that I am becoming one of my students with Autism. I say this because when I don’t have a great deal of structure in my daily routine I tend not to function as well. So the summer is fun for about a week and then I am all about “having something to do”. This blog actually has really helped to set up that structure. Some people in my life say that I keep myself to busy, but in all honesty I am a master of time management and so having a schedule that is full but predictable is almost better than having a wide open schedule. That is just who I am.

Today’s workout:

Treadmill: 2.10miles and 305 calories

Friday’s Child

The Enterprise has been sent to Kapella 4 to negotiate a deal for exclusive mining rights on the planet, oh and the Klingons want to obtain mining rights as well. McCoy was stationed on this planet several years before and informs the crew of the many rules and taboo’s of Kapellan society. The Kapellans are giants with the short ones being around 7 feet tall and they wear the most ridiculous outfits ever consisting of what looks like spandex and faux fur. Anyway the crew beams down to find a Klingon already on the planet and one thing leads to another and a red shirt ends up dead. The Klingon and Kirk present their case for mining to the leader of the Kapellans and the second in command makes some bold political moves. In the middle of the night there is a giant fight going on and the leader, Akaar, is killed and the second in command, Maab, takes control of the Kapellans. While in the main tent being briefed Kirk accidentally touches the pregnant wife of the former leader, which is forbidden on Kapella. Well Kirk, Spock, and McCoy end up escaping and kidnap the young woman, Eleen, and flee to the mountains. Eleen is a strong willed woman who does not want the child inside of her because on Kapella the child is the property of the man, and since the father is dead it has no place in the world.  Kirk and Spock are in charge of defending the group from Kapellan attack. In the end the Klingon reveals he was working with Maab to get mining rights but both the Klingon and Maab end up dead and Eleen and her baby become the leaders of Kapellan society.  The second plot is that the Enterprise is called away on an emergency which is discovered to be a trap to distract them from the Klingon’s attempting to get their people on Kapella 4.

This is a great episode with some very funny moments. Since Eleen won’t allow the others to touch her and McCoy needs to touch her to complete his work a lot of humor stems from this. When McCoy attempts to touch her she slaps him in the face twice to which he responds with a slap. After the bitch fight is over she allows only McCoy to touch her! Eleen is played by the amazing Julie Newmar and she is beautiful and funny all at the same time. The plot contains a lot of political drama but does so in a funny way.

Journey to Babel

So yesterday I had to put down my kitty buddy Gulliver. He has been in my family for 15 years and lived with me for the last three years. I will miss that crazy boy a lot! I hate to say this but I observe that my other cat Miss Twitter seems to be ok with the loss… I’m sure she is sad in her way but enjoys my undivided attention.  Other than that news I have been working at my parent’s house and sister’s house stacking and bailing hay. I know it sounds fund but trust me people it is not! And as a negative bonus doing hay makes your arms look like you have been doing Rock and shooting up for about a week straight! YIKES

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill: 324 calories and 2.45 miles

Journey to Babel

The Enterprise is playing host to over 100 Federation delegates on a two week voyage to a neutral planet called Babel. Once on the planet there will be a debate about allowing a new planet into the Federation. When the Vulcan ambassador is picked up Kirk offers Spock the opportunity to beam down and visit his parents before they depart. Spock informs Kirk that Ambassador Sarek and his wife Amanda are his parents… WHAT! And apparently Sarek and Spock have not spoken for over 18 years. Let the drama begin! While in route the delegates argue and one who looks like a human/pig cross gets into a very heated debate. Minutes later the pig-man is found dead and Sarek is the prime suspect. When confronted we find learn that Sarek has a rare and fatal disease and needs surgery ASAP and Spock is the only one who can donate blood. All is well until an Andorian attacks and nearly kills Kirk. At this point Spock refuses to help with surgery because of the circumstances surrounding the ship require his attention more than the surgery. Kirk is half-recovered and tricks Spock into going into the surgery to save his father. While in command the Enterprise is attacked and we find out that the Andorian prisoner is not an Andorian at all. Turns out that the murder attempts and attack on the ship were a plot to keep the planet out of the Federation. Sarek and Spock pull through and reform their relationship.

What a great episode that is all about family and the choices we make as children and parents. Sarek and Amanda are perfectly cast in their roles and will later reprise them in the Star Trek movies of the 1980’s and 90’s.

Metamorphosis

I cleaned my closet out today! The clothes are cleaned, organized, and everything looks wonderful. I had promised myself I wasn’t going to work until Monday and I’m sticking to it! Now on to the really good stuff… the ADELE concert was in a word amazing! I have never been so dumbfounded by the shear immensity of someone’s talent at a live show. The only way to describe it is by saying that she was better live than on her CD. The quality of her voice is so pure and her range so impressive and to boot she is hilarious! It was so fun to hear her speak in her cockney British accent and has possibly the most infections cackle I have ever heard.  If you have the opportunity to see her live take advantage of it! Oh and run out and buy both of her CD’s asap. She tells a good story which of course just makes me want to hang out with her. I can imagine she is a really fun drinking buddy!

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill and another Butt workout (I downloaded this one on my phone)!

Weekly Weigh-In:

238 which makes for a total of 18 pounds lost!

Metamorphosis

Kirk, Spock, McCoy and a Starfleet Commissioner Nancy Hedford are in a shuttle escorting the commissioner back from a planet where she has become deathly ill. Despite being deathly ill she still manages to be a ragging bitch to everyone in sight! The shuttle runs into a strange entity and it causes the shuttle to crash land on a very large asteroid. The crew runs into a man on the planet and he is the only living human there. We find that the entity called “The companion” has kept him alive and used him as a partner for over 150 years. The man turns out to be Zefram Cochran, the inventor of Warp Drive. The Companion will not let anyone leave but if they don’t Hedford will die.. bummer.. LOL! Well they try to destroy the companion and then they try to reason with it. The companion is talked into helping them but to help it inhabits the body of the nearly dead Hedford. Now that the companion and Hedford are joined they can’t be separated. Cochran, who was at first mad at the companion, decides to stay on the planet with the new companion/hedford creature. Once this decision is made the shuttle rendezvous with the Enterprise and all is well.

So I know I have said that the second season is great well it wasn’t perfect and this episode is a prime example of a steamy pile of crap produced in the second season. The episode is dull and we really don’t care for anyone in the episode by the end. Cochran seems to be a tool and Hedford is too big a bitch for us to even care about by the end. Also, in this episode Zefram Cochran is from Alpha Centauri which of course was changed for Star Trek:First Contact 30 years later. In STFC, Cochran was from Montana  and changed the course of human history. I think the producers /writers of that movie didn’t care about the inconsistencies in background information because let’s be honest… no one remembers or liked this episode anyway! WOOF.

I, Mudd

I love lazy days… especially when they are in the middle of the week. I’ve been doing a little TV watching a bit of light cleaning and just a whole bunch of nothing! Whoo Hooo! There are officially 4 days of summer vacation left after today, how did that happen. Oh well tonight I’m going to see Adele live and I can’t wait!

Today’s Workout

Treadmill: 2.45 miles and 270 calories

&

30 Squats…OUCH!

So the story behind the squats is this. I have no ASS. It is flat and not in the good way. Some people have an ass, I have what I call an upper thigh/lower back transition area. There is something there with a crack in it but it doesn’t really have a good shape to it! UGH so I am on a mission to make something happen in that area and everyone says to do squats and lunges, so that is what I am doing. If that doesn’t work I saw a really nice pair of padded underwear that will give the illusion of a butt. Then of course comes the explanation when the underwear eventually comes off in front of another person, but let us hope I don’t have to face that road.

I, Mudd

The Enterprise is hijacked by a android named Norma. He takes the ship on a four day voyage to his world where the key crew members are asked to beam down and meet their new host. Well the new host is none other than Harry Mudd! The dastardly space pimp from the first season episode “Mudd’s Women”. Apparently after he was handed over to the authorities he escaped and found this planet of androids by mistake. Well the loveable pimp has become the androids leader and made thousands of female androids, all of whom are wearing very little clothing. The androids need new people to serve and learn from and so Harry promised them a ship’s crew and was lucky enough to get the Enterprise crew. At first Mudd intends to leave the crew stranded but the androids have other plans and eventually they turn on Mudd and inform him that he is no longer their master. Now the crew of the Enterprise and Mudd must work together to confuse the androids who can’t process illogical actions and regain control of the planet. The crew performs odd skits, songs, dances, and uses word puzzles to confuse the androids and of course it works. The best moment though is when Spock tells Norma that “Logic is little tweeting bird in the field”. In the End the Androids are restored to their original program and Harry Mudd is left on the planet to serve the rest of his jail sentence. To add insult to injury Kirk had the androids create over 500 replicas of Mudd’s wife Stella to taunt him for the rest of eternity!

Season two was filled with humor and this is one of the funnier episodes of the season. Harry Mudd is a really fun character and it was a shame he didn’t return for another live episode, he does however return in an animated series episode.

Catspaw

Mall Of America today! Shopping is so much fun and I got some really good pieces for the upcoming school year. Well and let me be honest I got a few pairs of jeans and a sexy shirt that will be a hit at the club I hope! One of my favorite pieces I bought were a pair of $70 jeans I got for only $35 at the GAP. The jeans were a size 36 and were “slim fit boot cut” YEAH!! Oh and they make me look like I actually have a but which I think the Vatican would certify a miracle, if I could only get the Pope on the phone. The other one is a HUGE bulky sweater which I just love, It has a big ol’ neck on it and looks adorable. The only bummer with the sweater is that it won’t be cold enough to wear for another few months. I have forgotten how much fun the people watching is at MOA! Between the mullets, rat tails, and eye candy it was a great day.

Today’s Workout:

Pilates in the morning and Treadmill in the afternoon

2.17miles and 290calories

Catspaw

The Enterprise is charting an uninhabited planet but has lost contact with the landing party. Suddenly one of the crew members requests to be beamed up but dies in the transporter room following an ominous warning from the surface to leave immediately. Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to investigate and encounter a spooky planet and are once again warned by three witches (who are very similar to the three witches from MACBETH).  The crew comes upon a spooky old castle filled with one scary cliché  after another including dungeons, black cats, manacles, and skeletons.  Well the planet is inhabited by two aliens who are trying to learn new things and gain new experiences. These aliens also have powerful skills of telepathy and mind control.  Well once again Kirk must seduce the “female” to get the ship out of danger and save the day. In the end the aliens are killed and things are returned to normal.

This was the one and only Halloween-esque episode of the original series. It was intended to be a little scary and even mentioned Tricks or Treats and other Halloween references. Honestly this is not a great episode but there are some fun moments.

The Doomsday Machine

Chicago was amazing! I am very glad that I decided to take the time and have a bit of out of town fun before the school year starts in a few days. An 8 hour drive sounds daunting but I found it pleasant and a lot of fun, I think having two good friends with helped a lot. Stimulating conversations, impromptu sing alongs, laughter and the “book of questions” made for a great time. Chicago itself was fun as always. When you are there next visit Giordano’s Pizza and just say to yourself “Diet Be Damned” because it is really worth it. The Hancock center was a bit of a letdown because of the cloud coverage at the time but it was pretty overcast most of the day so it would have been bad no matter what. I would have to say two of the highlights would have to be the people watching in Millennium Park and Navy Pier and getting checked out by people at the clubs! Yeah for working out and having a little more self-confidence from losing some weight! This will be a trip I cherish for a long time.

In other good news… my classroom is finally finished and I’m organized to start school!

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill: 2.3 miles and 314 calories

The Doomsday Machine

The Enterprise enters a solar system that has been crushed to rubble and finds another ship severely damaged. The ship is the USS Constellation, which happens to look just like the Enterprise. This is another example of cost cutting techniques used to keep production costs lower. Well when Kirk, Scotty and an engineering party beam over they discover the ship’s captain, Commodore Decker, to be the only surviving member of the crew. Decker nearly goes into shock when asked to explain what has happened and reveals that to keep his crew from dying he beamed them onto the 3 planet in the system. This planet was destroyed and he could do nothing to save his people. Commodore Decker has clearly gone crazy. When the “planet Killer” attacks it leaves Kirk and company stranded on the Constellation. Decker immediately takes over the Enterprise and nearly destroys it in the same way his own ship was paralyzed. Decker outranks Spock and McCoy so they have no authority to do what they know is right and must follow orders. When the Enterprise is nearly destroyed Spock then relieves him of his command. The Constellation regains some power and together the Enterprise and Constellation attempt to destroy this massive weapon. In the middle of a crazy fit Decker hijacks a shuttle and runs it into the mouth of the “planet killer”. It has little effect but inspires Kirk to do the same but with the Constellation. His hope is that a ship of that size will cause a bigger explosion and neutralize the threat. It works in the end and Kirk barely makes it back to the Enterprise alive.

This episode is really fun science fiction and a lot of action but at its core it is a bold statement against the Cold War and the arms race of the 1960’s. The episode tells the tale of an alien society’s weapon that destroyed their civilization and their enemies and now continues to destroy without reason. Bold stuff for 1960’s TV!

The Apple

Off To Chicago for the weekend! YEAH

Today's Workout:
Treadmill: 2.4 miles and 290 calories burned

The Apple
The Enterprise is investigating a strange planet that has been putting out strange electronic readings. Upon beaming down Kirk and crew (including 4 red shirts) they find the planet to be a near perfect paradise. As they explore the planet they are confronted with rocks that explode, poison dart shooting plants and some pretty tan white-haired natives. Well the befriend the natives quickly and learn that they are practically enslaved by this creature known as Val. In the meantime the Enterprise is experiencing technical difficulties caused by the radiating waves from the planet. We find that his is a result of Val and that eventually the Enterprise will crash into the planet if they can't stop the transmission of the energy waves. Val obviously gets pissed at the Enterprise crew for influencing their simplistic lives, because he teaches the Valians to kill people. Well in the end the Enterprise destroys the machine known as Val and the people of Val need to learn to fend for themselves. To me this violates the prime directive but hey back in the 1960's Trek the prime directive was more of a suggestion than a rule.

The Red Shirt deaths are so funny in this episode so here we go:
1- Red shirt one is killed by a poinson dart plant
2- Red shirt two is killed by a lightning bolt
3- Red shirt three is killed by an exploding rock
4- Red shirt four is killed by a villager with a club

Mirror, Mirror

I’m ready to go to Chicago and ready to have a grand time with my friends. Even more exciting is that I think I am finally done setting things up in my room at school which means that the year should be able to get started on an easier note. No real grand thoughts for the day, to be honest I’m a bit thought out for the summer and need the next two weeks to take a break from thinking!!!

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill: 1.8miles and 245 calories

Weekly Weigh-in: 241 (down 15 lbs)

Mirror, Mirror

Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura are on an away mission to negotiate a mining deal with a group of aliens called the Helkens. They beam up during an ion storm and something happens during the transport and the landing party is transported to an alternate universe and their counterparts are thus switched to the regular universe. In the alternate universe the crew we know and love are a group of savage power hungry people out to conquer the galaxy. There is no federation but an Empire in its place. Kirk and company soon figure out that they can rig the transporter to get them back to their own world. While attempting to get more information Kirk is nearly assassinated by Chekov and his henchmen. Apparently the crew moves up in rank through assassinating their superior officers. Sulu constantly hits on Uhura throughout the episode but of course has no success. We are introduced to Kirk’s alternate reality love interest a chemical lab technician who apparently has slept around a lot before becoming “the captain’s woman”. When the team is ready to beam back Spock interrupts them to find out more information but allows them to return because he needs his captain back. The crew returns safely but not before Kirk manages to give the alternate Spock a heartfelt talk about making a change in his society to allow for peace.

What a fun episode! We got to see our favorite characters but with a twist. Speaking of twist, the women’s costumes in this episode are insane! Two pieces.. one of which looks like a glorified training bra, and a pair of thigh high HO shoes! Season two really has started out very strong and the next few episodes are even better!

The Changeling

Lunch with the fellow SPED crew from Salk today and it was fun to see nearly everyone there and share a few laughs. Followed by yet again work at school to get my room set up for year. Now I’m going to relax and enjoy the rest of my evening at home and do some cleaning and arranging my iPod. Sounds boring but I’m excited for it!

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill: 2.24miles and 301 calories

The Changeling

So Ladies and gentlemen today’s episode is basically the same story as Star Trek: The Motion Picture just a little less high tech. So while investigating a remote section of the galaxy the Enterprise runs into a probe called Nomad and they take aboard the probe after it tries to destroy the ship. Well we find out that Nomad is on a mission to seek out and sterilize imperfections, which is drastically different than the original Earth probe Nomad launched in the early 2000’s. Through a mind meld we find out that Nomad was damaged and repaired/joined with an alien probe and thus we have the new Nomad who is pretty much a bad attitude that floats. The only thing keeping the Enterprise safe is that Nomad believes that Kirk is the same person as his creator Jackson Roy Kirk. Eventually Kirk confuses Nomad and commands him to self-destruct and everyone is safe. Well okay about a handful of red shirts die and Lt. Uhura’s memory is erased completely. Nurse Chapel is put in charge of reteaching her and by the end of the hour long episode she is already at a college level. Huh?

As I said before this is really the same story as ST: TMP just compressed in time. It is an interesting episode with lots of excitement and suspense. To be honest is has about the same amount of excitement as the movie, it is just too bad that the movie is almost three times longer and therefore not exciting.

Who Mourns for Adonis?

Bad boy today on the diet but it is an occasional slip and I am told that is okay. So I am not going to stress about it, simply recommit tomorrow! I had a great day today though! Went to breakfast with the family which is a rare treat to have a nice sit down with the parents and sister. Afterwards I was of grocery shopping , which was well needed because it had been about 3-4 weeks since I went grocery shopping for real.  As some of you may know.. I hate grocery shopping. I know yesterday I mention that I love to shop but that excludes shopping for necessary items such as food and toiletries. Then it was off to my sister’s place for a grill out and some fun with our friends. They are truly my urban family and we try to have “family dinner” together at least once a month if not more.

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill: 2.3 miles and 280 calories

Who Mourns for Adonis?

Once again we find the Enterprise scouting an uncharted or uninhabited planet,,, or so we think it is! All of the sudden and without warning a giant hand-like shape reaches out and grabs a hold of the ship not permitting it to move. We then see a face appear and he explains that the Enterprise is now his possession and that a landing crew must beam down to meet with him. The mysterious man introduces himself as Apollo, son of Zeus. WTF? Right, I know. Well we come to find out that this creature is the real Apollo from over 5,000 year earlier and that he and a band of aliens came to Earth and became the basis of the Greek gods and mythology. Apollo demands that the Enterprise crew beam down and become his worshipers and promises to care for each of them as his children. Well obviously Kirk and crew are going to have nothing to do with this plan. Kirk formulates a plan to drain Apollo’s power by getting him angry, despite the risk it poses due to Apollo’s impressive powers and short temper. Meanwhile on the ship Spock is attempting to release the grip of the power source and Uhura is working hard to regain communication. This is a nice moment where we see that Uhura can do much more than just push buttons she can also do some of the technical work with the ships computers. The landing party and ship regain communication and coordinate an attack that eventually destroys Apollo. The Enterprise leaves orbit on the way to the next adventure.

One of the great things about the second season is that we start to see some of the other ancillary characters such as Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov start to do more. We get to see these people as characters not just button pushers. Oh and the guy who plays Apollo is a total beefcake! LOL

Amok Time

Went shopping today! Some people play sports, I shop! But like everyone’s favorite sports shopping should be a team activity and today I flew solo. I had a huge coupon for 30% off and went and got a few items for back to school time. I bought a shirt and the size was… LARGE. OMG I couldn’t believe it when I put on the XL and it was a bit too loose. FUN TIMES. Oh and the pants were a size smaller as well. I am liking these little reminders and signs that the hard work is paying off!

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill- forgot to capture the time and calorie counter… woops

Amok Time

Kirk and McCoy notice that Spock has been acting weird the last few days and has not been eating and are beginning to get worried about their friend. Spock requests to go to Vulcan for shore leave and Kirk hesitates until Spock says it must be on Vulcan. The Enterprise alters its current course to Vulcan but Starfleet requests they change course. After Spock tries to change the course he is ordered to have medical examination. McCoy then explains to Kirk that if Spock does not go to Vulcan he will die in a matter of days from a chemical imbalance. When the Enterprise arrives we find out that Spock is going through Pon Far a Vulcan equivalent to puberty.  We also meet T’Pring, Spock’s wife/fiancé. When they beam down to the planet the marriage party arrives but T’Pring rejects Spock. Spock must then fight T’Pring’s “champion” to the death a fact that is left out until after Kirk is chosen as the champion. Kirk and Spock enter a fight to the death resulting in Kirk’s apparent death shortly after McCoy injects him with a compound to help him breath better. Spock demands that T’Pring explain her choosing the fight, she basically says she has fallen in love with someone else and no matter who won the fight she would still be with that other Vulcan. In the end Spock beams up to resign his command and has a shocking emotional outburst when we find that Kirk was merely unconscious and not dead.

This is the first episode we meet Ensign Chekov who was brought on to draw a younger crowd and show some Soviet diversity to the show.

Operation: Annihilate!

I went to Dunn Bros coffee today to get some work done on my paper and I really got a lot done! I have one section left which should come out to about three more pages, which will bring the grand total to approximately 10-11 pages. While I was at the coffee shop I ran into a few former students of mine. When you work in the schools you are safe nowhere I guess is the moral of the story. The funny thing is that these students were from Elk River schools and I was in Zimmerman, and also I have never run into students at the Caribou in Elk River. So the Moral of the story is this, Caribou is better! I was a little worried to because one of the students is not one that I would let wonder around town on their own.. YIKES!

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill: 2.2miles and 300 calories

Operation: Annihilate!

The Enterprise is conducting a research mission on Deneva a planet on the remote edges of Federation space in connection to a “insanity plague” that has moved through three planets in the past 100 years. This plague has wiped out every living thing these worlds and managed to move to other planets light years away. While in route to Deneva the crew encounters a shuttle pilot heading directly into the sun. Over the subspace transmissions the ship hears the crazed pilot screaming “I’m free, I’m free”.  On the surface Kirk, Spock and the landing party are attacked by a pack of deranged Denevans and then encounter the culprits of this “insanity plague”, some odd jelly fish looking objects that make a buzzing sound. The Enterprise finds Kirk’s sister-in-law, and discovers his brother is dead and his nephew is in critical condition. Shortly after his sister-in-law dies too. Very little attention is paid to this really.. odd. Anyways Spock is infected by these creatures but does not go crazy because he is able to control them using his Vulcan powers. Kirk has a choice destroy the planet to stop the spread of these creatures or to find another alternative. At the last minute Kirk thinks to try exposing the creatures to extreme light which works to kill them. They decide to test this on Spock and it works but it renders him blind. Well they find out that it is ultraviolet light and all the creatures on the planet are killed. Oh and we find out Spock has an inner eyelid which protected his sight.

Thus ends the first season of Star Trek! The show had a bit of a rough start but became increasingly more consistent by the end of its first season and the second season truly was the best of the three! I am so excited to start season 2 tomorrow! Oh and bonus I looked at the scale today and I’m down 15 pounds,, If I keep up that pace and lose 15 a seas I would be down 45 by the end of the original series! Now there’s a goal!

The City On The Edge Of Forever

My room at school is like 80% set up for the year! Yes I know that the year does not start for about a month but I am the type of person who needs to have their physical environment settled before I can do any type of mental work. So I’m feeling really good today about the layout and design of my room and I’m hoping to have it done on Monday. I was a little bad today because I went to Chipotle and ate the entire chicken burrito… OMG those things are HUGE! I have not had one in a few months and feel like I ate a small child for lunch today. Uber light dinner is in order.

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill:  2.76 miles and 350 calories

Weekly Weigh-In! Today’s weight was 242lbs that puts me down 14 lbs. Time to kick the diet up a notch.

The City On The Edge of Forever

In an accident McCoy injects himself with an incredibly large dose of a narcotic and he goes for lack of a better term… Bat Shit Crazy! He runs away from the crew and assaults a crew member to beam down to the planet below. There are a number of strange waves emanating from the planet below that are causing temporal waves. When Kirk, Spock and the landing party beam down the find a giant structure that refers to itself as “The Guardian” and he explains that he open a door to whatever time you wish to visit. When he shows the Earth’s history and McCoy, in his drugged stupor, runs into the past. In the next few minutes Kirk and crew lose contact with the ship. The Guardian informs the crew that past has been changed and that they have no choice but to head back in time and try to fix the error. Hello Quantum Leap! Kirk and Spock travel to the early 1930’s and arrive approximately a week prior to McCoy’s entrance in time. Kirk and Spock meet a social worker named Edith Keeler, who helps them survive for the week until McCoy arrives. We find out the Edith is the key to change in the timeline and that if she does not die in a motor accident the US won’t enter WWII and as a result the Nazi’s will control the planet. To throw another hitch into the plan Kirk falls in love with Edith Keeler and has the tough job now of letter her die at the appropriate time. In the end they are reunited with McCoy and Edith Keeler dies before the group’s eyes. History is restored but we are left with an extremely pensive ending.

This episode is often touted as the best Star Trek:The Original Series episode, and I would say it really is in the top 5 for sure. The show has everything you need from drama, suspense, a little humor and a good touch of sci-fi time travel. The show also has a great guest star in Joan Collins as the tragic Edith Keeler who must die (as Spock says nearly 15 times in the episode I swear). OMG Joan Collins,, she is amazing and about 15 years later went onto play the incredible Alexis Carrington on the wonderfully campy and over the top DYNASTY! During college I sadly became addicted to reruns of this show on the soap network…. Oh memories!

The Alternative Factor

Today was my last day of college!.... or was it? NOPE my professor has given us a paper that is due on the 16^th and we couldn’t start it until the end of class today. I don’t get why someone would do this, wouldn’t she want to be done today as well? So now I have to write this paper and I’m honestly feeling a little chappy about it.  Oh well. I am really sad though that I won’t see my classmates again L Here is hoping to seeing them at a conference or workshop someday.

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill- I hit clear too soon so I don’t know who many miles or calories.. Woops. I did how ever do 20 minutes of run/walk intervals. I RAN..WOW who knew I could do that.

The Alternative Factor

The Enterprise is conducting a survey mission of an uninhabited planet when all of the sudden something crazy happens and the universe “winks”. WINKS? Spock’s exact words… really “Mr. Vulcan Science Academy” Winks,, that is the best you can do. WOW. Well after the universe “winks” the Enterprise picks up a life sign on the planet below that wasn’t there before. Kirk and Spock beam down to find a man named Lazarus who claims he is searching for a creature and has been for years. Well the universe continues to “wink” and every time Lazarus switches places with this creature who happens to look just like him. The two act quite differently but no one seems to catch on to the fact. After longer than I would say is acceptable they figure out there are two of these guys and that they are from parallel universes. In the end Kirk helps the sane Lazarus capture the crazy Lazarus in an in between place for the rest of eternity. Kirk is pensive at the end for stranding the two guys but really who cares.

So it must be pretty obvious but I think this is one of the worst episodes of Star Trek The Original Series! It is dull and we really don’t care about the main character Lazarus. Also the crew of the Enterprise are almost treated like background characters,,, even Kirk and Spock.

Errand of Mercy

Homework, Homework, Homework… that is about all I did today. I sat on the couch and did homework with movies on in the background which helped to make the day faster. It possibly made the homework go slower though.. oh well! Other than homework I made a trip to Wal-Mart to pick some fruit and some printer ink. While at the store I saw a few people in front of me in line both in those store owned power chairs with the cart. Neither of them appeared to have a disability other than being morbidly obese. I guess it is a few you have when you are fat that one day you become so huge you need a chair at Wal-Mart. I would think though at some point a person would say “Holy F, I’m getting big” and do something about it. Which is what I’m doing to slim my fat ass down right now? I do not know these people and the situation which surrounds their weight problems but they do serve as a cautionary tale for all of us! Maybe this is insensitive but it is just an honest observation.

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill: 2.29 Miles and 307 calories

Errand of Mercy

The Enterprise is directed to head to Organia, a non-federation planet near the Klingon neutral zone. The federation is worried that the Klingon Empire will annex the planet because of its strategic location near Federation Territory. Organia is inhabited by a humanoid race that is much less developed than the Federation. When Kirk and Spock beam down Sulu is placed in command and told to leave at the first sign of Klingon hostility because they are outnumbered. Well of course the Klingons attack and invade Organia. The strange thing is the Organians couldn’t be bothered and just sit there smiling as the Klingon commander Kor threatens to kill everyone. Kirk and Spock are given fake identities to keep them safe but are soon discovered. Kirk and Spock begin to sabotage the Klingon’s plans and begin a minor war on the surface. The Organians do not like violence and eventually prevent both sides from fighting and reveal themselves to be beings made up of pure energy and consciousness.  The fighting never takes place but hostilities between the Klingons and Federation continues to build.

This is the first time we see or hear about the Klingons! During the 60’s the Klingons were really a Sci-Fi take on the Soviets and allowed Star Trek to mirror elements of the cold war on their show. This show even is quite an interesting parallel to the Cuban Missile Crisis of the early 1960’s. Like Cuba, Organia was a small unimportant planet near our territory that did not become important until our enemy wanted it for military purposes.  INTERESTING STUFF! Also the Klingons looked incredibly different in the original series because they didn’t have the money to give them rough heads so they simply wore dark wigs and had darker skin.. Sometimes. Interestingly enough in the second seas the Klingons were as pasty as Mr. Spock.

Also interesting is that Kor and two other Klingon characters (Kang and Koloth) were brought back in a few episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the mid-1990's. The characters were portrayed by the same actors.. how fun!

Klingon Commander Kor

1967                                1995

Devil in the Dark

Got up late today and that was okay but didn’t get anything done this morning which means Monday will be college homework day! Today I ended up going to a baseball game with my dad which was fun but OMG the sun just baked me for hours. I think I know what a baked potato feels like. If only I could get someone to eat me up with butter, sour cream and a few chives! On second thought,, no thanks. I then went to a meeting and out to drinks with some friends afterwards. I love having deep conversations with friends!

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill: 2.09 miles and 260 calories burned

Devil in the Dark

The Enterprise is routed to help out on a mining colony after a series of sabotages and mysterious deaths. When the Enterprise arrives a survey is completed and the recommendation is to kill the creature that is causing the problem. Initially there is some soul searching about whether or not kill the creature because of scientific reasons. Spock and McCoy have a heated debate on the possibility of silicon-based life forms in the universe. The creature is indeed silicon based and has the ability to move through rock like humans move through air. The miners have found several round objects they call silicon orbs and have started a practice of just destroying them and throwing them out of their way. Kirk and Spock encounter the beast and Spock performs a mind-meld to determine what the creature wants and to communicate the needs of the humans. We find out that this is a Horta, an ancient silicon based creature that dwells in the deep crust layers of the planet. She is the last of her kind and is ready to be the mother to a new generation of Horta. The silicon orbs are actually eggs. In the end Spock makes a deal with the Horta to have them help the humans in an equal relationship and everyone is happy!

The moral of the story is: Don’t judge a book by its cover! Even though the Horta looked awful it was genuinely a peaceful creature that when reasoned with would be helpful to the miners!

This Side of Paradise

It has been lazy station around my house lately and I have not been too motivated. I need to change this so I get some stuff done before summer ends, but for now I’m enjoying it! I watched some TV and did a little laundry and took a nap. Today I had to go to my parents and do chores, which entails feeding the llamas, horses, donkey, dogs, and cats! I then got to go and see “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” with some friends. Tough movie to watch because it is so damn sad for the first hour but by the end you are truly rooting for the apes to kick the assess of their human oppressors. Go and see it!

Today’s Workout:

Elliptical Machine: 5.82 miles and 473 calories

My parents have a beautiful gym quality elliptical machine that I covet! So since I was at their house today I took advantage and used it for my workout! I burned a ton more calories and can totally tell I worked harder. When I was done I felt like my ass and legs were going to fall off.

This Side of Paradise

The Enterprise is on a mission to determine what happened to the space research team on planet Omicron-3. The planet is subject to deadly radiation and the researchers should be dead after three years but low and behold they are still alive! The survivors are in perfect health and Dr. McCoy cannot explain why. The research party contains an old “flame” of Spock’s who still is in love with him after several years. We come to find that the planet is inhabited by strange plants that produce spores that inhabit a person and change their thoughts. The spores create total harmony and peace within the body they inhabit. Soon the entire landing party, with the exception of Kirk, is affected. Even the crew of the Enterprise is infected when the plants are beamed up for research. The entire crew beams down to the surface to live in harmony. Kirk finds that the spores are disrupted by strong emotions and everything is set right.

A Taste of Armageddon

Is it Friday or Sunday? Ever since I have finished the summer school jobs I have only had things to do on two days of the week. Which would be great but it is really starting to confuse me! So to limit my confusion I am proposing that I rename my days of the week in the following order:

Monday   Tuesday   Wednesday   Friday   Saturday   Lazyday   Amazingday

… so that makes tomorrow Lazyday and I fully intend to celebrate it by sleeping in.

Yesterday I went to work to do some set up and meet with my Jostens rep which was great and then it was off to go wedding dress shopping with my friend Andrea. What a fun day but it left no time for a workout. Today has been a bit less intense and I’m currently eating Chinese food and watching my favorite episodes of Will & Grace.

Today’s Work Out-

Treadmill 1.97miles and 266 calories

Weekly Weigh-In: 244 

That is officially down 12 pounds!

A Taste of Armageddon

The Enterprise is on a diplomatic mission to Eminiar VII to open political relations with the federation. The Enterprise is playing host to Ambassador Fox who is overseeing the mission. FYI he’s a bit of a prick too who really doesn’t understand starship rules and safety procedures. When the Enterprise enters the Eminiar system they are given a code warning that they are not to enter because if they did they would be in grave danger. Of course this warning is not paid any attention and well the shit start to hit the fan quickly. Kirk and the landing party find out the Eminiar VII is at war with the neighboring planet Vendikar. This war though is fought through computers and no real weapons are used to cause damage. Instead the two planets fight through computers and deaths are calculated by a computer. The supposed casualties then have 24 hours to willingly enter a disintegration chamber and be terminated. WTF! Well of course the Enterprise is targeted and the crew is considered dead. The Eminiar government must have these people dead or else risk total attack from Vendikar. In the end Kirk and Spock destroy the war computers and end the electronic war, for good or for worse. A big risk on Kirk’s behalf and seems to violate the prime directive of Starfleet but oh well. Everything ends well and the Enterprise is off.

Though not a great episode it is an example of how Star Trek was able to make some pretty bold statements about current events under the guise of science fiction. During a time when the U.S.A was engaged in an unpopular war in Vietnam, Star Trek made an incredibly bold anti-war statement. I’ve always felt that intelligent Sci-Fi should make a statement about our lives in the present day.

Space Seed

I have three more class sessions left… Hallelujah! I am burnt out on college and ready for a summer vacation. I am still glad I decided to do it all at once and get it done. How did I manage to do full time college for six years? Well I was used to it and let us not forget the adult beverages that frequently helped me through the tough times. Oh well three sessions left and I can’t wait for it to be over! And sadly enough I’m excited to start the school year again.

Today’s workout-

Treadmill: 2.37miles and 307 calories burnt

Space Seed

This episode can be summed up in one word:

“Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!”

Yes ladies and gentlemen this is the episode where Captain Kirk and Crew meet Khan for the first time and eventually strand him on Ceti Alpha 5 (or is that 6?).  Well Kirk and crew pick up a ship full of people in suspended animation. They revive the leader, a mysterious man who says his name is KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!. He is revealed to be a genetically engineered man from the then fictional 1990’s. He was a conqueror and ruled nearly 1/6 of the planet before he was overthrown. Khan quickly sets to work at two jobs. 1- Seduce the ships historian and 2- take over the Enterprise. Khan revives the rest of his crew and tries to take over the ship. He first starts by trying to suffocate the entire crew and then convincing them to help as he shows Captain Kirk in a decompression tube. In the end Khan’s new girlfriend the ship’s historian, Lt. McGyvers foils Khan’s plan and releases Kirk. In the end Kirk and Khan have a brawl in main engineering but of course Kirk wins the day and sentences Khan to exile and surprisingly Lt. McGyvers goes with him.

So for those of you who have seen Star Trek 2 you will know the one MAJOR plot error in the movie, which is the fact that Khan recognizes Chekov. Ensign Chekov did not join the crew of the Enterprise until the second season and this Episode takes place at the end of the first season. To this day I don’t know why they didn’t choose someone else to discover Khan in that movie. The other options would have been Scotty or Uhura both being decent choices. Sulu would not have worked because he does not appear in this episode. The common bullshit answer by most officials is this “Though we do not see Chekov it is feasible that he was onboard and since Khan states the he never forgets a face, we can deduce that he must have seen him while wondering the halls.” LAME Oh well this episode and that movie are still awesome.  

Khan 1967

Khan 1982

The Return of the Archons

Today I went to the coffee shop to get some work for college done and I was successful…hooray! But while there I was given yet another reason NOT to have children. While working at my favorite Caribou Coffee in Elk River things were peaceful and calm until a lady came in with her two kids. Well to be truthful two screaming little terrors came in followed a few moments later by a lady seemed unfazed that her kids were interrupting the lives of other patrons. The woman proceeded to sit at the table drinking her latte while chatting with friends while the kids shouted, ran and loudly played with toys. I understand that people can still have a life after they have kids but they do not have the right to let their kids ruin everyone else’s lives. Now I am not a parent I will fully admit that I don’t want kids and from time to time find certain kids annoying. So I realize I am not someone to give out advice for parents, but I do have several friends with kids I adore for a couple of reasons the main reason being that they are nice, sweet and well-behaved kids and the reason is because these parents have rules when their kids are in public. People find it odd when I say I don’t really want children and they look at me with pity or like I’m from Mars. Maybe at some point I will change my mind but for right now I work with approximately 45-50 kids at work each week and those are “my kids” for the time being.

Today’s Workout:

Treadmill: 2.5miles and 330 calories

The Return of the Archons

The Enterprise is on a special mission on the planet Beta-3 to attempt to unravel the mystery of the missing ship the Archon which disappeared over one hundred years earlier. Is it just me or is this a long overdue rescue mission? It seems to me like Starfleet is working on rescues as fast as the US government is working on the budget deal. Anyway Sulu and another officer are on the planet and as the episode opens they are frantically running away from some mysterious men in brown cloaks. When Sulu is brought back up to the Enterprise he has been changed and talks about “The Body” and “Landru”. Intrigued Kirk, Spock, McCoy and a few other randoms beam down to check out the planet. The inhabitants are almost zombie like in their happiness. The landing party begins to raise suspicions immediately but find friends in a group of people who are attempting to resist this “Landru”.  They are brought to an underground hideout but are caught by the Lawmakers, the guys in the cloaks. Meanwhile the Enterprise is being attacked from the surface by an energy force that is draining the power of the ship. This is a plot device that is used time and time again during the original series episodes. Kirk and Spock hypothesis that Landru must be a computer and what do you know they are correct. They cannot simply blow up the computer though they must “trick” the computer into self-destructing itself by engaging in a series of complicated questions and word puzzles about the computer’s directive and functionality.

The episode uses another common plot device- an Earth-like planet where the residents dress in clothing from Earth’s past. This was used to cut the costs of creating a whole new wardrobe and alien make-ups. So in this episode we have the entire landing party crew looking like they are in the old west, even Spock. The funny thing here is that to hide Spock’s ears they have him wearing this odd mourning shawl/cloak. I would have put a nice ten-gallon hat on the man or a sensible bowler but, no. The picture below shows the shawl, is it just me or does Spock look like an old woman mourning a death in the family (despite holding a phaser).