The Dauphin

Snow Day…. YEAH! I’ve been spending the day thus far sleeping in, working out, lounging and doing some house work. Next up on the agenda is making lunch and doing some yearbook work!

Today’s Workout: Elliptical 2.3 miles and 491 calories burned

(PS- going backwards on the elliptical hurts! But in that good way were maybe it means I’ll start to form a butt of some sort)

The Dauphin

The Enterprise is playing escort to a future leader on an alien planet the Federation has had very little contact. Upon beam up she is a beautiful 16 year old girl accompanied by a crabby old woman who looks quite like a toad. The old woman is overbearing and over protective much like a crazy person protecting her rations for when the government fails. (PS I’ve been watching a show on the subject and it is crazy… Doomsday Preppers). Anyway the girl runs into Wesley Crusher and young romance is in the air between the two lovers. Wesley asks every man on the ship practically how to talk to the girl and “seduce” her or something. About this time the old woman gets really bitchy and it is revealed that she is a shape shifter and can turn into a really ugly bear like creature. She wants to protect the girl and Wesley is told to leave her alone, of course now the girl comes to him to hang out. A battle of ugly bear like creatures ensues between the old woman and the girl, both of whom we now know are shape shifters. The girl and Wesley part ways and his young heart is broken but Guinan is there to help him cope with the pain.

What a dud of an episode. The Effects are really bad, the story is week, and it is just bad. Oh well they can’t all be in the top ten episodes.

The Measure Of A Man

So I guess the snow never came until quite later than expected so now it looks like I will be going to work on time in the morning which is ok. Other than that not a whole lot is going on today so that is all I have to say.

Today’s Workout: Elliptical 1.9miles and 415 calories

The Measure Of A Man

Upon visiting a remote space station Picard learns that Data has been forcibly transferred to be under the command of the scientist who wants to dismantle him to study him. Data is apprehensive as is Picard and the rest of the crew. Data finds his only choice is to resign from Starfleet to avoid the consequences of the transfer. Data pleads with Picard to support him and help him but Starfleet argues that Data is the property of Starfleet so a trial is set to determine Data’s rights. The judge of the trial turns out to be one of Picard’s old flames/nemesis’. Picard chooses to defend Data and Riker is faced with arguing the prosecution’s side. Riker places a good argument that Data is simply a machine but Picard gives an even better argument that Data may in fact be truly sentient. In the end Data is given the right to choose and he remains on the Enterprise as a crew member.

What a great episode that deals with the rights of humans, separation of classes and other human rights issues. The episode has been on the top of several lists that rank the best of The Next Generation episodes, in fact Entertainment Weekly ranked it the 6^th best of the series.  

A Matter Of Honor

It is Monday and apparently it is also the eve of an impending “snowmageddon” that is supposed to dump anywhere from 10-16 inches on the greater Twin Cities Metro area. Is it shameful for a 29 year old man to say that he is hoping for a snow day,,, because I am. A day off in the middle of the week sounds really fun even though it would mean an extra day in the end of the school year. I just want a day to be in my PJ’s read a book, do a little work and maybe have a noon time beverage. In other news this morning the most ridiculous thing happened. I opened my garage door and there was a random car parked in my driveway blocking my exit. I called the cops right before a couple of teenagers came out of a neighbor’s house and I had to tell those kids four times to move their car quickly and then added the information that I had called the cops earlier to tow the car. Well they gave me quite the face and then left. I waited for the cop who then said “I’ll go find ‘em” and went on her merry way to locate the asshole teens! So the moral of the story is that I am now officially the crabby old man who yells at kids in the neighborhood to get off of his property. UGH

Today’s Workout: 2.46 miles and 451 calories

A Matter Of Honor

The Enterprise is participating in a “crew exchange” with a Klingon ship and Riker has been chosen to take over as the Klingon ship’s first officer. Riker heads over to the Klingon ship and he quickly becomes acquainted with the Klingon way of order and command. Meanwhile on the Enterprise a strange organism is found on the hull and they quickly begin searching for the Klingon ship which they have learned also has been infected with the organism. The Klingons have discovered the organism and believe that the Enterprise has infected them and they are now out for revenge. Riker is not placed in the awkward position of being loyal to the Enterprise or supporting his new crew on the Klingon ship. There is nearly a confrontation until Riker tricks the Klingon captain and has him beamed onto the Enterprise, thus he takes command of the ship. Riker returns to the ship and the Enterprise and Klingons part ways.

Unnatural Selection

Today is the last day of the play and I am so excited! This has been a long road and it will be over by 5pm today and I can’t wait. I have had a good time getting this part and putting this play on but it has been a strain mentally and emotionally. In other news, I got my cat groomed and she looks so cute with her hair shaved off! Though I’m really not sure if she loves it as much as I think it looks cute.

Today’s workout: 465 calories and 1.55miles

Unnatural Selection

The Enterprise encounters a Federation ship that’s crew has all died of apparent natural causes and old age. The only problem is that the entire crew was recently checked at a starbase and they were all perfectly healthy. The Enterprise is now tasked with investigating the deaths and it is linked to the Darwin Research Lab. Upon visiting the Darwin Lab the Enterprise learns that the entire research crew in the lab is suffering the same illness as the crew of the doomed Federation starship. The Darwin Lab staff is worried about the health of their genetically engineered children who are not infected with the disease. Dr. Pulaski decides that something must be done and she seems be convinced that bringing one of the children up in a shuttlecraft will be safest even though she is putting herself in danger of infection. She of course becomes infected and now the Enterprise and Darwin staff is faced with curing the disease before they lose their doctor. The crew searches and searches for a clue until finally they decide to use the transporter to repattern the doctor based upon a sample of her previous DNA. The experiment of course works and then all is well with the station and the crew of the Enterprise.

The Episode is an updated take off on The Original Series episode “The Deadly Years” in which the crew begins aging rapidly and they must find a cure. Though that episode dealt with aging as a result of an accident this episode deals with aging as a result of genetic experimentation and the consequences it may have for humanity.

The Schizoid Man

So I have thought long and hard what the topic of my first post back to this whole deal and suddenly today it presented itself to me out of the blue… BALLS! I was driving home today and was stuck behind a very large 1 ton truck with dualies and to top it off a set of rubber balls hanging from the hitch. The particular truck in question also had a 69 sticker, a “Git R Done” sticker, and some oddly sexual license plate. As I drove past the man he was wearing the ideal white trash outfit and seriously going to town on large juicy burger… YIKES.  But the real issue I have is this.. Why The Hell Would You Hang A Fake Set of Testicles Of The Back End Of Your Truck?????? Now I have seen balls on trucks before that are smaller and equal sized but not this crazy hick, his truck had absolutely ENOURMOUS balls and one was even hanging lower than the other. Seriously dude really, after seeing them it made me want to cut them off of his truck and/or take a sharpie and draw some serious ball hair on the things. UGH it was so gross. I then began to wonder too what is the female equivalent? I can’t see women hanging a big ole VaJayJay from their cars. So then the question is WTF guys?

In other news the show is going well and we have three performances left this weekend… THANK GOD!

Workout: Elliptical 1.59 miles and 290 calories (all in 20 minutes)

It is amazing how much better of a workout the elliptical is than a treadmill!!!

The Schizoid Man

The Enterprise is summoned to a distress call from a planet where the only population is a semi-crazy old scientist and his young female assistant. A landing crew of Troi, Data and a random Vulcan doctor beam down to spend a few days while the Enterprise takes care of another mission. The scientist is a genius who helped Dr. Soongh , Data’s creator, to develop his technology. The Doctor is working on closing the link between humanity and technology. The Doctor dies and upon return to the Enterprise Data begins acting strangely. The crew figures out quickly that the doctor placed his consciousness into Data because Data has been acting very strangely. The doctor decides to leave Data after a series of accidents and all is returned to normal.  

This Long Break Is Nearly Over... I Promise

Hello All,

It has been a crazy few weeks which  have resulted in me not having the time nor the energy to workout. Mostly it has been a time factor. I have been in a show and the rehearsal schedule had gotten so crazy before we opened on Friday that I didn't have the time. I feel like an absolute slob for not having worked out. I truly do miss so much. The other factor impacting my workouts is that I recently purchased an elliptical which is being installed as I type this post. I made the foolish decision to get rid of my treadmill before the elliptical came. But I feel okay because the Treadmill now has a nice home on a farm where it can roam and be free. LOL it is at my sisters house which is at a farm.

The opening weekend of Clue The Musical has been a success really with the exception of me nearly breaking my ankle opening night. It is feeling much better now and I should be able to hop on the treadmill by midweek!

I will get back to blogging as soon as I can!

For more information on the show go to:
http://www.erct.org/

here is a picture from the show:

Loud As A Whisper

PRIME RIB… I gorged myself at lunch in honor of my Dad’s birthday and it was a wonderful meal at Rockwoods in Otsego, MN. Then it was off to check out Elliptical machine’s at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Why on Earth would you name a national chain of stores Dick’s? Makes me laugh every time I go there in the same immature way that I laugh every time I eat at Dickey’s the barbeque place. I am going to be purchasing an elliptical machine in the next few weeks depending on the amount of money I get back for taxes so here’s hoping for a boat load!

Treadmill- 200 calories and 1.8miles

Loud As A Whisper

The Enterprise is given the job of transporting a negotiator to a planet to negotiate a peace settlement for two factions who have been fighting for centuries. The negotiator turns out to be deaf and he communicates through the use of a human chorus who aids him in communication. He develops a connection with Counselor Troi whom he understands because she is an empath. Upon beam down the aliens don’t look to happy and one even kills the negotiators chorus leaving him without the possibility of communication. Data quickly learns sign language through the use of the computer and he and Troi attempt to get him to communicate and go back to the planet to negotiate. Through an impassioned plea Troi and Data convince the negotiator to go back to the planet but this time things will be different. This time he decides to teach the different factions to communicate through sign language giving them all a common ground to move forward from.

This episode is great human story that is simply set in a science fiction context. I really enjoyed this episode and the use of sign and other communication sciences though I’d like to think we would be able to cure deafness and have other options for communication in the 24^th century.

The Outrageous Okona

OMG what a wonderful day. I took a personal day from work today so that I could go to the doctor and work on memorization for the play. My doctor’s appointment was great today! My weight is down 35 pounds since July of 2011 and I learned something even more shocking. In mid 2010 I weighed in at 270 pounds… that means that I am down 50 pounds since that time. My blood pressure was right where it should be, in fact the doctor said it shouldn’t get much lower or I would have the opposite problem. He also suggested that I add Flax Seed to my morning yogurt to help keep me from getting hungry so early in the day. He also suggested that I eat six small meals throughout the day, which I know is nothing new but I’m going to start trying to do this. After the appointment I went to Target and purchased a weighted workout vest to increase the intensity of my treadmill routines. The vest is ten pounds and all I can say is wow. When I put that thing on it seemed so heavy that I couldn’t believe that is how heavy I was just a few months ago. If this goes well I just may add additional ankle weights to the deal. Later I’m off to callback auditions and play practice.

Today’s Workout: 1.94miles and 265 calories

Now I don’t know how to measure the additional calories burned from carrying the heavy vest but I’m sure it increased the burn.

The Outrageous Okana

The Enterprise is simply passing through a planetary system when they pick up a small freighter captain named Okona. The guy is a daring rogue who wins the heart of several crew members, mostly female but also Data and Wesley take a shine to him as an example of how to live. Data seeks to learn humor because of an awkward encounter with Okona so he enlists Guinan and a holodeck creation to help him learn humor. Sadly Data doesn’t make a whole lot of progress towards his goal of becoming a funny man. Meanwhile two ships approach the Enterprise, each claiming legal right to take Okona hostage as he is a criminal on their worlds. Through a series of discussions we learn that Okona is no criminal but more of a go between man for two young lovers from opposing families on opposing planets. The two ships are captained by their parents who believe Okona to have stolen a jewel from one and to have impregnated the others daughter. In the end Okona is set free and the two happy kids get together.

One of the many women Okona beds is a transporter cheif played by a very young, yet still whorish looking Teri Hatcher. The Guy who plays Okona also went on to continue acting in a variety of shows, and he is currently on that hit show The Killing.

Elementary, Dear Data

So finally something good happened at play practice. Things are going to start progressing I can tell and I think I’ve turned the corner on being positive on the show! There really is nothing else to report in my life today so this is quite the boring blog post.

Treadmill- 1.95miles and 245 calories

Weekly Weigh-in: 221lbs

Elementary, Dear Data

The show revolves around the use of a simplistic plot device, well two of them actually. The first, The Enterprise is three days early for a rendezvous with another starship and the crew has three days to kill. The second, Dr. Pulaski’s rampant “androidist” comments spark a challenge to see if Data can really have an original thought based upon a set of clues provided. So to solve this challenge Data, Geordi and Dr. Pulaski enter the holodeck to engage in a Sherlock Holmes mystery with Data as Holmes and Geordi as Watson. The game becomes too easy so the parameters are changed and the computer is challenged to create an adversary who can beat Data. This was a truly poor choice of words, because the computer creates a holographic Professor Moriarty who begins to learn and grow. He begins to understand things and eventually gains some minor control over the computer threatening to destroy the ship if he is not set free. Captain Picard now enters the holodeck with Geordi and Data to talk to Moriarty and hopefully rescue the doctor, whom Moriarty has kidnapped. In the end Picard explains to Moriarty that he is a computer program who can’t leave the holodeck so therefore he cannot exist. Picard promises not to delete the program but to save him for later when he can possibly be set free.

Where Silence Has Lease

Today at work was great! I had a very productive day and got everything on my to do list completed and even had a few minutes to chat with some of my wonderful coworkers too. Then it was off to work and then off to play practice. Play practice was good tonight and the drama stayed away for the day… well mostly. I then got home and powered through and worked out! Thanks in large part to the support and advice of my good friend Derek! I have a doctor’s appointment on Friday and for once I am actually excited for it! On top of all that wonderfulness I heard a great new song on the radio this afternoon. It was “I Won’t Let You Go” by James Morrison, Thank You baby Jesus for Cities 97 and their endless array of adult contemporary goodness.

To see the video check out the video link below:
                                            James Morrison's "I Won't Let You Go" Music Video

Treadmill- 2.0 miles and 253calories burned

Where Silence Has Lease
The Enterprise is on a routine mission to chart an uncharted planet when it encounters a strange anomaly in space. Despite the crew’s best efforts to scan and avoid the anomaly they get sucked inside and can’t get out. Picard attempts to guide the ship out of the anomaly but everything just seems to be going in circles. All of the sudden a Romulan Warbird then appears but it turns out to be a fake and then the Enterprises’ sister ship the U.S.S Yomatto appears. Worf and Riker beam over for some dumb reason and get confused and agitated and then they get beamed back over in the nick of time as the ship disappears. It is about this time that Counselor Troi reveals that she thinks that the anomaly is really a place to hold the Enterprise as a lab experiment for tests. The creature in the anomaly reveals itself and its intentions, which are to learn what death is and kill half the crew to figure it all out. In reaction Picard and Riker decide to auto-destruct the ship to send a message. The message is sent and the Enterprise is allowed to leave the anomaly unscathed.

We also happen to get a second helping of the new Dr. Paulaski’s apparent racism against androids. She again treats him like an object and even refers to Data as “It” to Picard and the rest of the bridge crew. I honestly find this a little disappointing in the writing of the show but thankfully it goes away soon, if memory serves correctly.