Tin Man

WOW! I have not posted since the 22^nd ,,, that is 8 days without a workout, YIKES. The opening weekend of Wizard of Oz in Elk River was a total success and I had a very clean weekend as far as my performance goes. I felt so into it this weekend and that is a blast. Sometimes as a character you retain parts of your own personality, sometimes you play a version of yourself, and sometimes you lose yourself totally in the part. While playing the Lion this weekend I lost myself. It doesn’t happen in every role I play I admit but there have been a few times I have completely lost myself in the character, and for 2-3 hours a day that is such a fun experience. The applause and joy of bringing a character to life are just big reminders of why I enjoy performing on a stage. I was in a choir last year and though I loved my fellow singers to death I never felt the same joy as I feel while performing on a stage. I know it sounds narcissistic but that is one of the reasons I do theatre.

Elliptical Machine: 3.15miles and 555calories

Tin Man

The Enterprise is playing host to a secret mission to rendezvous with a mysterious life near a star on the verge of a collapsing star. The entity, which has been nicknamed Tin man, is also in an area of space that is technically claimed by the Romulans. The Romulans also want to discover the secrets of this life form. To assist the Enterprise crew is a Federation expert named Tam Elbrun, who is a Betazoid. Tam has a rocky past including a few missions gone very awry. Tam is also a former patient of Counselor Troi’s, and she reveals that he is a very unique Betazoid. Apparently Betazoids acquire their powers around puberty but Tam on the other hand was born with all his powers and is a very powerful telepath even for a betazoid. Tam is curious about the Tin Man and wants to intercept it before the Romulans. Tam becomes quick friends with Data because he is the one man on the ship that he cannot “hear”. The Enterprise is being followed by at least two Romulan ships who eventually overthrow the ship and continue on to attack the Tin Man. Tam warns the Tin Man telepathically who them destroys the Romulan ship and nearly destroys the Enterprise too. Tam and Data beam onto Tin Man in an attempt to communicate. Tam expresses a desire to stay on board and forms a bond with the Tin Man, who we learn is an old vessel that once had a crew of symbiotic life forms who died nearly a millennium ago. The Tin Man destroys the other Romulan ship and scoots the Enterprise to safety, along with Data.

I find it very appropriate that I am in the middle of a production of Wizard of Oz and I am watching an episode called Tin Man! I love life’s little ironies. The episode is an interesting tale and I’m not sure what the real message was but it was entertaining. I also find the discussion of Tam’s past very interesting about a Betazoid born differently who prefers to be isolated an struggles socially.. HMM? It was in the late 80’s that Autism began finding more public awareness. I find this character’s story to be so similar to several to several of my students with Asperger’s Syndrome. Interesting. 

Captain's Holiday

And my life is about to get even crazier than it already is at the moment! The Wizard of Oz opens up in a week and we are in the final stages of getting the show ready for the public. The downside is late rehearsals this week and a very busy weekend ahead but the upside is that we will have a few days off before the next weekend’s shows. The other upside is that once the show is over I will have a social life again and I can’t wait for that to happen. This weekend was a fun social opportunity, we took my friend Andrea out for her Bachelorette party and we ate at my favorite restaurant in Minneapolis,,, Chino Latinos. The food is so delicious and the drinks are incredible and it has this really fun atmosphere. If you have never been you really should get there at some point. Once again I’ve been absent a few days due to rehearsals and just being beat ass tired… there are bags under my eyes and I do not like that, but I did make it out for a run on Friday afternoon. Who knew I’d ever actually enjoy running? I’m still not sure if I do like it but I really enjoy it when it how I feel when the run is over.

Elliptical- 408calories and 2.5miles

Captain’s Holiday

Picard and Troi have just returned from a grueling two week treaty negotiations and Troi seems fine but Picard is tired and crabby! Pretty soon Troi, Riker and Dr. Crusher team up to get the man to take a vacation and relax. He is finally convinced to go and vacation on Risa, a planet that is devoted to being a peaceful place of relaxation for anyone in the galaxy. Before Picard gets there two mysterious aliens beam down to the planet looking for Picard and decide to wait because for some reason they know he is on his way there. Upon arrival Picard has a run in with a mysterious woman who is trying to avoid a Ferengi and he chalks it up to a random encounter. He continues to try to relax but is more and more frustrated, mainly because he just can’t find a good way to relax. Picard is then confronted by the mysterious aliens who are looking to find a mythical device from the future that was sent back in time. Picard agrees to help them but keeps that a secret. Picard once again meets the woman, Vash, and she is looking for the mythical device so Picard agrees to help her out in her search. They foil the Ferengi’s plan to steal the device and go to a cave to find the device but they don’t locate it and once again the Ferengi shows up to take the device, being a less than intelligent Ferengi he is tricked. Picard figures out the Vash has already found the device and he gets it from her and destroys it before the Aliens or the Ferengi can take the device. Picard and Vash have developed a romantic connection with each other and there is a hint that she will show up again in the future.

Finally Picard gets to be the romantic lead and not the comic gag because someone is romantically attracted to him. The show introduces Vash who shows up again in the fourth season and in an episode of Deep Space Nine, she continues to be a romantic foil for Picard. She is a bad girl without rules to his prim and proper ship captain’s personality. The show also features Max Grodenchik as the Ferengi Sovak, he later goes on to play Rom on Deep Space Nine for seven seasons. He plays a good Ferengi I must admit. 

Allegiance

So I found out today that one of my students at school is very concerned about me and the fact that I’m still single at my age. During a testing session he said to me “Hey Olson, Are you married” to which I of course replied, “No bud, I’m not, I’m single”. He then informed me that I needed to get married soon. I first laughed a lot on the inside and then asked him why I needed to get married. His response was a good mixture of sad and shocking; he informed me that I needed to get married because I Am Lonely!  What the hell kind of vibe am I throwing off to the students I work with? LOL I’m sure I don’t put off a lonely vibe just that in this young man’s word anyone who is single is lonely and depressed. The same student proceeded to then give me advice on finding a lady and of course through more conversation he said that he wasn’t just giving this advice out to anyone but that I was special. I am really touched I must say … LOL Oh well though it was just another one of those experiences that you want to add to a memoir of experiences in the future. The things my students say to me always brighten my week and remind me why I love my job.

Allegiance

There are two stories here in this episode so I will explain each one rather quickly here today.

Story 1:

Picard is kidnapped from his quarters on the Enterprise and transported to a holding cell on a mysterious planet. He is in the cell with three other people, a Starfleet Cadet, an alien from a race of pushovers, and an alien from a race of savage warriors. The group is faced with arguing and trying figure out how to escape. A series of events happens and eventually Picard determines that the whole thing is a laboratory experiment. The Starfleet Cadet turns out to be the alien captors in disguise and they reveal their intentions and then return everyone to their home worlds.

Story 2:

The crew is unaware of Picard’s absence from the ship and an imposter has been put in his place. The crew each begins to have awkward experiences with the fake Picard. He initially orders the ship of course and won’t tell anyone what is happening. Picard bosses LaForge around to improve engine output. He intrudes on the poker game between Riker, Troi, Data, and LaForge and then asks Troi if the crew is turning on him. He then goes to an unscheduled physical with the Doctor and asks her out on a date. The crew is starting to get suspicious and then Picard buys a round of drinks for everyone in 10 Forward and leads them in an old pirate drinking song. Riker and the crew take away Picard’s command and it is about that time that the real Picard is returned.

The episode is really a bit of a dog and maybe one of the worst episodes in the third season. The plot doesn’t seem to move very fast and the dialogue is not very intelligently written. As with every show ever made… not every show can be a masterpiece. 

Sins Of The Father

I slept well and yet still felt like I was going to pass out this morning. Was it exhaustion? Boredom? The Weather? Or some other random factor that I have failed to take into account this lovely Monday morning? Whatever the cause was I am glad that I eventually woke up this morning and came to my sense because it would have been a long day to live in a fog. This proves to be a long and busy week ahead of me and even worse is that it is a five day week! I know those of you who work outside of education will think I’m being ridiculous but after having so many short weeks in a row it just is hard to come back to a full week. And that is it, enough complaining from me today.

Elliptical Machine- 3.1miles and 538calories

Sins of the Father

The Enterprise is playing host to a Klingon commader named Kern, who is part of the exchange program that Riker participated in about a year ago. The officer is not making things easy for anyone on board that is except for Worf; who he seems to be ignoring completely. It is then revealed by Kern that he is Worf’s brother who has been kept hidden because of the accusations against the Mogh family. Worf’s father Mogh has been dead for sometime but has been charged with betraying the Klingon outpost of Khitomer to the Romulans. This betrayal resulted in the murder of nearly every Klingon on Khitomer, that is except for Worf. Worf now decides to challenge the ruling of the Klingon high command and Picard decides to take the Enterprise with him to Kronos. Worf challenges the claim and the high council is not happy about the action and even the Emperor himself tells Worf to drop it and return to his life in the Federation. Through a lot of cunning research Picard and Data determine that there was a transmission but that it couldn’t have come from the house of Mogh. This evidence was brought out by a woman who also survived the attack and was Worf’s nanny. It is revealed that the House of Duras was the real traitor but because they were more powerful the blame went to Worf’s father. Worf accepts public banishment and his brother keeps his secret about his true heritage. 

Goldy's Run Wrap-up!

So as you can all see I have not posted a blog in quite a few days, this is not to say that I have not been working out. A lot has been happening. I didn’t work out on Wednesday. On Thursday I realized that I had signed up for a 5K and had never run a mile in my entire life so I decided to pair up with a friend and go for a run. I ran for 2.5 miles that day and felt really exhausted and sore afterwards, which made me very nervous for the 5K. Friday I didn’t work out to provide my body with a little rest and relaxation. Saturday was the big day and I could not be happier with my performance in the run. I ran a 5K without walking at all in 31 minutes! I had so many friends there who were running as well and they were all so supportive and it made me so grateful to have these people in my life! The other thing that helped me was a truly KICK ASS playlist on my iPhone. The song that came on about half way through the run that really helped me out was “Machine” by David Guetta. Today I tried my hand at Pilates and did a 45 minute workout, I may have spent it all on the floor but I can really feel the work out. I think one comic put it best when she said this “Pilates must be a Sanskrit word for ‘try not to fart’”.

In other news I bought a Dyson vacuum cleaner and I think I already have a love/hate relationship with the machine. It is a great vacuum and does a wonderful job and I really love it!!! The only reason I hate it is because in my first use of the machine I had to empty the container six times throughout the whole house. I thought I was doing a good job of cleaning the house but apparently I was not. YIKES

That is all for now and I will continue to “go boldly where no exerciser has gone before” tomorrow. 

The Offspring

I am having so much fun playing the Cowardly Lion once again! I now remember why I enjoyed him so much when I played him that summer after high school. He is such a goof ball and putz and I love him to death. I really hope that several of my readers stop by and see the performances when they open at the end of the month! I really do love being the King Of The Forest!

Workout: 2.65miles and 465calories

The Offspring

Data has been very secretive the last few weeks and now Troi, Geordi and Wesley have been invited to his lab for a surprise. The show has a very “Frankensteinesque” beginning but it is very fun. Data reveals that he has created an android and that it is in fact his “child”. Immediately Picard is furious that he was not informed of Data’s work but he soon overcomes that hassle and is in support of the new family on board. Data allows his new child Lal to choose its own gender and appearance. It chooses to be a girl and one who looks quite similar to Data minus the golden skin and eyes. Data begins to teach Lal and work with her to begin assimilating into the human element aboard the ship. As with any child there are ups and downs and several misunderstandings, including a particularly embarrassing incident where Lal makes out with Commander Riker. Starfleet takes an interest in the new android and wants her to come to a base for training and studying. Data refuses and Picard supports him and decides to argue with Starfleet command. Shortly after she is interrogated Lal begins to experience an overload and emotions and goes to Counselor Troi for help but then returns to Data’s lab. Lal eventually “dies” after Data and a Starfleet Admiral attempt to save her life for hours.

The show again raises the issue of Data’s humanity and rights as a sentient being, but this time it is brought up through the guise of a parent/child relationship. This is one of the first really moving family dramas that ST:TNG produced during its seven season run. The character Lal is brought to life by actress Hallie Todd, who is also famous for playing Blanche Devereaux’s slutty niece on The Golden Girls. 

Yesterday's Enterprise

Dating, or more to the point the attempt to date, is a shitty proposal! The entire concept of putting yourself out there, though wonderful, is very scary and a pain in the ass at the same time. I only say this because I have been trying to put myself out there recently to no success at the moment. Now this is not going to be a blog post by some single guy who bitches and cries himself to sleep and drinks a bunch of wine. I’d actually like to make a few suggestions to the people on the various websites and apps.

1.       Truth is sexier than a six pack. Be honest and that will take you a long way in this world and in your search for the perfect mate.

2.       Be a little more creative and a little less slutty when choosing your screen name. Also gentlemen, if you are over 25 you are too use the word “Boy” in your screen name. Again something to note there is a cut off age for using the term “boi” as well. The rule is this… don’t use the fucking word “Boi” in your profile name it is ridiculous!

3.       Though a torso or ab shot is worth seeing now and then I am not in the business of dating headless people and I’m pretty sure no one else is either.

4.       Make sure your profile picture is up to date. I’m sure you looked great when you were in high school but now you are a grown up, so update that photograph.

5.       I’m all for talking but for god’s sake people of the world, get a little more inventive than a simple “hey” or “sup”. Ugh maybe it would be good to work on your small talk skills.

6.       Finally, if you send me a picture of your junk I will think your attitude matches the picture you are sent. And chances are if you do send a picture like that I already think you are an ass.

That’s simple and I feel much better now. Yes this post was a little bitchy but every now and then we are all allowed to have a bad day. Honestly I’m doing okay and having a good week thus far.

Elliptical Machine- 400 calories and 2.5miles

I am continuing to do about 100 crunches a day and today I did 4 30second planks. Those suck but I guess they are worthwhile. I’m not sure how many I’m supposed to do in a session but they hurt. I also did about 15 squats.

Yesterday’s Enterprise

The Enterprise encounters a strange space anomaly which brings the Enterprise-C forward from 23 years in the past. The ship is badly damaged and has suffered an attack by several Romulan ships. The appearance of the Enterprise-C causes a shift in the time continuum and causes some very dramatic changes to the Enterprise-D. All of the sudden we find that the Federation is at war with the Klingons, the Enterprise is a war ship, and Tasha Yar is back on board as tactical officer because she never died. The crew is now faced with helping the Enterprise-C and also determining what to do with the ship. Guinan who has a sneaking suspicion that something is wrong comes to Picard and informs him that he must send the Enterprise-C back in time to fix the errors in the continuum. Through a lot of soul searching Picard agrees to send the ship back in time and the crew of the Enterprise-C agrees because they would rather be back in their own time. At this time the ships are attacked by Klingons and the Enterprise-C captain is killed leaving a hole on their bridge crew. Tasha asks Guinan what her role is in the other timeline and it is revealed that she is dead. Tasha doesn’t really like this answer and asks to be transferred to the Enterprise-C to help them in their fight against the Romulans. The Enterprise-C returns through the anomaly and all is changed back to normal.

The show is one of the best of the entire series! It gives us a look at the Enterprise-C and allows us to once again see Tasha Yar on the bridge of the Enterprise which is very nice to see. It also opens up a door for later appearances by Denise Crosby as Tasha Yar’s half Romulan Daughter, a very good plot twist surprise in the fifth season. The show is just great! 

A Matter of Perspective

Spring Break has ended and really it was a pretty good break and I feel energized to get back to school for the next few months! Easter Sunday was yesterday and though I don’t really celebrate the holiday as the Christians around the world observe it, it is still a great day to get together with my family and have a few laughs and delicious food. I ended the celebration with a trip to the movie theater with my sister and a cousin which has become a tradition in my family. We went and saw American Reunion and laughed our asses off! The movie was pretty funny and I found it to be enjoyable, though it did follow the formula of the other three American Pie movies just a little too closely. The movie brought back so many memories of watching those movies over the years and the music in them was so good! It really captured the music that I loved from the late 90’s and early 00’s. I may be losing some money on iTunes over the next few days.

Elliptical Machine: 519calories and 2.97miles

A Matter of Perspective

The Enterprise is making a stop at Tanuga IV to check on the progress of a scientist’s work on creating some type of energy waves. Riker and LaForge were on the space station and Riker didn’t seem to happy about it and was grateful to leave. Moments after Riker beamed aboard the space station blew into a million bits! Soon after Krag, a representative of the Tanugan societies police, boards the Enterprise to arrest Riker for the murder of the scientist Apgar. Picard does not believe that Riker would be responsible and tries to buy time before extraditing him to the Tanugan police to be tried and ultimately killed. Riker, Picard, Krag, and Troi watch as Data takes all of the evidence from all of the sources and compiles them into a holodeck program so that all points of view can be seen. Of course all of the points of view are different and in the end there is more evidence against Riker than in favor of him. Meanwhile there have been strange radiation burns appearing aboard the Enterprise and Data eventually determines that they are from Apgar’s emitter on the planet below. Through some creative forensics it is determined that Apgar was responsible for his death and he also attempted to murder Riker in the process. It seems he was successfully making Krieger Waves but wanted to sell them as a weapon instead of getting no money from the Federation for his work. In the end Riker is cleared of all charges and the Enterprise leaves down.

The episode uses the 1950 Japanese film Rashomon as its basis. IN Rashomon the audience witnesses a investigator trying to solve a murder and it is examined through multiple different storylines. In effect we see the same sequence in this episode about 4-5 different times but through different character’s perspectives. It is a plot device that works sometimes and sometimes it doesn’t work, thankfully here it works pretty well as it is not overdone. After watching this episode I was reminded of an episode of Dawson’s Creek in which Joey and Pacey go through a day trying to figure out how to tell Dawson of their new romance. Now I know what you are thinking how sad is it that this man watches Dawson’s Creek? And you are right it is a little sad but it also brings back good memories and it makes me feel like I have very few problems in my life because the teenagers in fictional Capeside Massachusetts have some really rough lives. LOL  

Deja Q

I am a local fashion ICON! Well sort of anyways. I was walking around the grocery store this morning in a very cute pair of jeans, a nice black track jacket, and a grey news boy style hat, anyways back to the important stuff. I was walking around the grocery store and as I’m walking past the baby spinach, potatoes and bananas a guy says to me “Nice hat sir, where did you get it?” I of course said thanks and told him I got the hat at Target. Now, the news boy hat once popular by boys in the 1910’s has become relegated to “old men’s apparel” in recent years but I’m out to change that perception as I love these hats. The only downside to this whole story is that the guy who liked the hat was maybe 80 years old and in one of those motorized shopping carts, oh well I’m just going to take the compliment and run with it. In other news, I am officially a male version of “Bridget Jones”! I have had a sneaking suspicion that this was the case ever since the second Bridget Jones movie came out but today proved it. I was planning on making Indian food tonight and bought my Basmati Rice and Curry Sauce, and I bought my meat too. It wasn’t until I was actually cooking dinner that I realized I had bought turkey; ya know just to try something new. Like I said I realized I had bought turkey and was making Turkey Curry! Thank god it wasn’t a buffet and I wasn’t wearing a lovely reindeer jumper or else that would have been just sad!

Elliptical Machine- Forgot to track my calories and miles

Déjà Q

The Enterprise is attempting to help a planet avert a disaster because one of its moons is about to crash into the surface of the planet. While attempting to find a solution Q appears floating naked in front of Picard and the rest of the bridge crew. Q reveals that he has been kicked out of the Q continuum and has chosen to live his life as a human and wants to spend his time on the Enterprise because Picard is the closest thing to a real friend he has in the world. Q spends most of his time learning how to deal with the minor day in day out problems of human life but tries to be helpful and work on the problem of the falling moon. Geordi and Data begin to work on using their warp engines to move the large moon which was Q’s idea. In the meantime a group of aliens begin attacking the Enterprise because they are mad at Q and are looking to get their revenge on the mortal Q. During an attack Data tries to assist Q and is nearly destroyed which forces Q to reevaluate his choices. He decides to take a shuttlecraft and sacrifice himself because he can’t bear to be human, and also because he doesn’t want to get the others hurt. At this moment a second Q shows up informs him he is back in the continuum! Q moves the falling moon and leaves the Enterprise in peace. \

The High Ground

I just booked my appointment for my Tattoo! In a month I will have some ink on my body! Is it odd that I’m not second guessing my placement of the tattoo? I know what I want and it is very tame but meaningful to me but do I really want it on my wrist? It is hard to hide on that body part but at the same time It is my body and I don’t honestly care! Oh well I have a month and I will make the right choice I’m sure. In other news I was a good son today and took my Momalla lunch and we had a fun time talking and laughing. I brought my newly discovered Asian Chicken Lettuce wraps and they were a huge hit with my Mom and her coworkers. In other news I hit the bike for a half hour and then I hit the elliptical for 40 minutes! Good workout day for me YEAH!

Elliptical- 461calories and 2.61miles

The High Ground

The Enterprise is on a mercy mission to provide medical supplies to victims of a terrorist attack on Rutia IV. The planet has been racked by terrorist attacks by a group of separatists who want to have autonomy of their own continent. In the aftermath of an explosion Dr. Crusher is kidnapped by the terrorists as she attempts to provide medical care to the victims. The crew is now faced with finding her and getting the hell out of Dodge. Riker stays on the planet to help the police and discovers that the violence has gotten worse in the past few months due to the terrorists use of a new transporter device. Wesley Crusher determines that they are using a dimensional shift transporter which is virtually untraceable but very dangerous. Dr. Crusher finds out that she has been kidnapped to help find a cure for the terrorists being affected by the dimensional shift transporter. Since the Federation has given medical supplies to the Rutians the terrorists decide to attack the Enterprise and nearly blow the ship up. Their plan is foiled but the terrorists still manage to get off with Captain Picard hostage. Wesley and Data find a way to trace the transport and stage a rescue of Picard and the Doctor. The police captain on Rutia IV kills the terrorist leader to make an example of him and the ending is left very uneasy as the planet must face continued violence. On board the Enterprise a happy reunion takes place for the Crusher family and all is well again.

This episode poses a good question for the world, what is the difference between a revolution for freedom against a country and a terrorist fighting for freedom? As the episode says itself the difference between a hero and a terrorist is determined by who wins the war. I am sure the British once thought of all us Americans as a group of terrorists whereas we think of our founding fathers as heroes. Perspective is an interesting thing, especially how it relates to history.

The Hunted

The first day of spring break has come and gone and it was great! It was full of cleaning, cooking, a little work and play practice! I am actually feeling a little bit boring today so there isn’t a whole lot to talk about.

Elliptical Machine- 3.00miles and 607calories

Weekly Weigh-in: 212 pounds!

The Hunted

The Enterprise is reviewing a planet’s application to join the Federation and conducting a site visit just to make sure things are ok. During the visit one of the planet’s prisoners escapes and they ask the Picard and crew to capture him. The prisoner evades them through a series of tricky measures but is eventually captured but puts up a huge fight once onboard the Enterprise. He is a very unique man and Counselor Troi takes an interest in him right away from a psychological standpoint. She learns through him that he has no criminal record but is a genetically altered soldier who has now been deemed a menace to society because the training and conditioning is not reversible. He is merely one of hundreds of remaining soldiers. When the Angosian government comes for the prisoner he escapes and leads the Enterprise crew on a wild goose chase until he finally gets on board the Angosian freighter and goes to free his fellow inmates to raid their homeworld and demand a place in society. The Angosian government requests help so Picard obliges and shows up to help, or not. Picard refuses to help because it is a matter of cultural development and poses no threat to the Federation. It turns out that the government and the prisoners began negotiating and the Federation  agreed to come and help reintegrate the societies. 

The Defector

My work week is half over! Yeah for a short week because of spring break J I don’t really have anything to report today in all honesty. I am starting to think that I lead a very boring life because all I do is work, then work my second job and then go to play practice. Such is life at the moment I guess and part of the reason I’m intending not to do a show this summer. I’d like to have time to work out, hang out with friends and possibly go on a date.

Elliptical: 360calories and 2.6miles

Let me just say this to begin with, I used a workout mode called “the tour” and it was sooo hard that I had to quite a little early out of exhaustion. As a result of that difficulty I may have missed a few plot points in this complicated story. So if this summary is unusually short it was my elliptical’s fault.

The Defector

The show opens up with Picard and Data rehearsing a production of Shakespeare on the holodeck, when they are interrupted by a call from a Romulan scout ship. The ship is being commanded by a Romulan looking to defect and hopefully stop a war between the Romulan Empire and the Federation. While on the edge of the neutral zone the Enterprise is now charged with determining if the claims made by this Romulan are accurate or if they are a trap set by the Romulan Empire. There is an interrogation, a probe launched to the location of the supposed base and a secret deal made with the Klingons to get their help. The defector reveals himself to really be a high ranking Romulan admiral who has apparently fallen out of favor with the Empire. While at the planet it is revealed by the Romulans that they had set up the admiral to see if he was still loyal to the Empire. The Admiral must now face the facts that he defected for no good reason and now must live his life in exile. In exile that is until he swallowed a poison tab to end his life. The Federation has now learned firsthand the lengths that the Romulans will go to get information and spy on their enemies. 

The Vengeance Factor

I’m Baaaaaaaack! I’ve been busy once again and took a few days off and missed it greatly. Though it doesn’t mean I haven’t been working out and staying active. The bike was great and I’ve ridden a few times though one day it was frickin’ cold and I froze my bits off..YIKES. It has been a productive few days too, I’ve gotten work done for school, some cleaning and organizing at home and then some friend/family time. Today I did a little shopping and wound up buying three pairs of new pants, all different styles but they were all a size 34 waist. They were also a size 34 length which is different than usual because I typically wear a size 32 length. I wonder if it is because I am wearing my pants a more appropriate waist level but I’m wearing longer pants now a days. So smaller waist and longer legs.. YEAH. I’ve also been watching the American Pie movies today as well in preparation for the new one coming out. These movies bring back such memories of high school and early college for me and they are just as raunchy as I remember them to be, though slightly more misogynistic than I remember them to be.

Elliptical Machine- 470calories and 2.65miles

Weekly Weigh-in: 213 total weight loss since July- 44 pounds

The Vengeance Factor

The Enterprise is investigating a raid on a Federation starbase and they determine it be the work of a rouge group called The Gatherers. The Gatherers are a group that left the society on Acamar 3, a society that has been ravaged by internal fighting and a clan system rife with vengeance and honor killings. The Acamarian sovereign boards the Enterprise to meet with the Gatherers and who reluctantly agree to meet and discuss peace and rejoining. Negotiations get off to a rough start and even rougher when one of the Gatherers is found dead on the planet of an apparent heart attack though he was in good health. The death was at the hand of one of the sovereign’s attendants named Yuta. While en route to meet with the Gatherer’s leader Yuta and Riker develop a relationship of sorts which of course further complicates things in the future. Meanwhile Data and Crusher are searching for clues to what is happening with the deaths that are linked to a certain family clan and a clan attempting take revenge. They discover that Yuta is behind the murders. Before they discover Yuta’s secret Picard and the Sovereign are negotiating for a rejoining and of course Yuta is among them. Riker beams in at the last minute and is forced to kill Yuta to save the negotiations. Before her death Yuta explains that she was one of five survivors of a vengeance raid against her clan, after the raid she was genetically modified to live longer than usual and to carry a virus that would only kill members of the correct clan. The incident leaves Riker in a terrible mood but the Enterprise moves on to the next mission.