Firstborn

I do believe that a five year old called me a faggot today! Now it was not in those exact words but the message was very clear. In talking with my neighbor in the street a kid came and said, “hey that kid calls you Mr. Fancy Pants!” To which the other kids says something to likes of “my parents call you Fancy Pants”. I think the kid is simply repeating what his parents say and apparently one of my neighbors has a problem with me. I hardly talk to anyone in my development so of course this is based upon seeing me and not knowing me. Hooray for stereotyping and homophobia. The suburbs and really northern ring suburbs are a scary place for us gay men out here. I think it takes a special kind of gay man or woman to live out here and deal with the tolerance and change minds. As much as I would like to think the incident this afternoon was that I need to move and soon.  I will stick it out for now and maybe change a few minds. For the time being though I am feeling spicy and may just live up to my new sobriquet by wearing my bright red pants tomorrow.

I would like to take this time to say a big ole SHAME ON YOU to the small-minded parents in our world who teach hate to their children. You truly do not deserve the children you have been blessed with if you cannot teach them love and respect for all people.

Elliptical Machine- Calories: 617, Miles: 3.83

Firstborn
Worf is planning for a major milestone in his young son Alexander’s life. He is about to reach the age ascension where he begins the journey of becoming a man and a warrior. Alexander must participate in these rituals if he wants to become a warrior, the only problem is that Alexander does not want to be a warrior. While on a break for a few days Picard suggests that the ship divert to a Klingon outpost where Alexander can observe some of the Klingon heritage and energize him to become a warrior. While on the planet three Klingons try to murder Worf, but a man named K’mtar who is the chief advisor to the house of Mogh saves him. Mogh explains that he is there to help Worf and to solve the mystery of the attempted murder. He believes that is an attempt from the Duras family to gain more power in the Klingon empire. The investigation leads them to Quark on DS9 who dealt with the Duras sisters earlier that year and he leads them to a mining operation. On the mining planet they are then lead to a freighter making a mining deal. They of course locate the sisters but when shown the weapon they are confused because it contains a sister from Lursa’s baby, who is yet to be born.  Worf then goes to talk to K’mtar who is holding a gun up to Alexander about to kill him. When Worf attacks him K’mtar reveals that he really is Alexander come back in time to try to set something right that went wrong. In the future Alexander becomes a diplomat and watches his father die because he doesn’t know how to engage in combat. Worf then makes the decision to let Alexander follow whatever path he wants in his life. 

Journey's End

A change has come into my house once again! I decided that since I watch my TV at the elliptical more often than I watch the TV in the living room I would be better suited switching them out. Now I have a beautiful 32-inch TV in front of my elliptical and an ok 22-inch TV in my living room. It was amazing watching Star Trek today on a bigger TV for the first time since I started this whole process in 2011. Now I am sure in a while I may want a larger TV here in my living room but I don’t think I will need one. In other news this blog has been viewed over 10,000 times since July of 2011. I can’t believe it; it is so amazing that I have somewhat of a worldwide following on this blog. I find it all so motivating and it has made me want to keep this up even more.

Elliptical Machine- Calories: 633, Miles: 3.93
Weight- 197

Journey’s End
The Enterprise has been burdened with a difficult task. They must remove a group of Native American Indian colonists from their home on a planet that is now in Cardassian space because of a recent treaty. The treaty has set up a demilitarized zone between Federation and Cardassian space leaving several planets in the crossfire. Also Wesley Crusher has been picked up while he is on holiday from the Academy. Wesley is happy to be on the Enterprise but he seems to be on edge and it is apparent something is up when he is a total asshole to several of the crewmembers on board the ship. Picard meets with the tribal leaders and they are unwilling to move so a solution must be met. One of the Indians talks to Wesley and has tells him that he has a destiny ahead of him. Wesley meets up with him again and goes on a spirit quest where he has a vision of his father who tells him to follow his own path. Wesley causes a major scene when he tells the Indians they are going to be forcibly removed from the planet. A group of Cardassians shows up and things get worse. A fight breaks out and Wesley somehow stops time and the Indian reveals himself to be The Traveler (from the much earlier in the series). He has returned to help Wesley start his journey of self-discovery and evolution.  The Federation and the Cardassians come to an agreement to let the Indians stay and there is a tentative feeling of hope in the end. Wesley says his farewells and that is the last we see of the young lad.

This episode sets up some of the background for both the Maquis story line later in DS9 and Voyager. It also sets up the American Indian storyline that becomes a central part of Voyager with Chakotay .

Genesis

My sleep schedule is officially fucked up! For the last four nights I have had a bed time far past midnight and I’m just waiting for it to catch up with me. Today I slept for ten hours and then woke up and proceeded to fall asleep for another few hours later on today. It really makes me start to worry about what the week ahead holds for me on this limited sleep schedule.

Elliptical Machine- Calories: 616, Miles: 3.79

Genesis
Reginald Barclay is once again feeling a bit ill at ease and has decided to get some help from the good Doctor. She determines that he has an inactive chromosome that is supposed to synthesis some type of antibody to a particular virus he has come down with this week. We also learn that Data’s cat is pregnant and nearing its due date and Nurse Ogawa lets it slip that she is also expecting a child. Skip to the Enterprise is testing a new weapons guidance system and there is an error with one of the torpedoes. Picard and Data go after the torpedo in a shuttle craft and leave the Enterprise, but first Data leaves his cat with Barclay. Barclay is apparently the only one onboard that Spot doesn’t hate. Riker, Worf, and Troi begin to show signs of some type of illness or at least some type of crazy ass behavior. Troi is feeling dehydrated and very cold and wants to eat a bunch of salty food and drink water. Worf is feeling aggressive and angry as hell. Riker is starting to become easily confused and can’t seem to focus. While examining Worf, Crusher notices a sac on his chin and Worf ends up spraying posion on her face. She is placed in stasis for the time being until she can be cured. Meanwhile the shuttle returns to the ship and finds it drifting in space and powerless. Once on board Data and Picard try o figure out what has happened and they start in sickbay and the bridge. The figure out that the crew has been infected with something and that they are de-evolving into primitive life forms from the planet they hail from. Troi is turning into some type of amphibian, Barclay a spider, Riker a caveman, and Worf some Klingon caveman type creature. In Data’s quarters the find his cat spot has turned into an iguana but the kittens were born normal. They determine that they can use the amniotic fluid of a humanoid to create an antibody. The find Ogawa who is now nearly a chimpanzee and extract her cells to make the anibody. At this time Worf is trying to get to Troi starts attacking the sickbay and Picard uses some pheromones to give a distraction so Data can get the job done. Picard though is becoming more and more nervous as the disease begins to affect him and he starts turning into a primate of sorts. Data gets a cure in the last few minutes and everything is put back to normal. In the end Crusher names the disease after Barclay, which only serves to make him more paranoid about life. 

Eye of the Beholder

“A friend is someone who knows all about you but still loves you” –Elbert Hubbard

A true friend is worth more than anything else in the world and I must say I have been blessed with a few amazing friends. They support me and love me and more importantly I love and support them no matter what! I would do anything for them and I truly hope they know that.

Eye of the Beholder

A lieutenant on board the Enterprise has committed suicide by jumping directly into a plasma venting beam in one of the ship’s nacelles.  Worf and Troi are put in charge of investigating this apparent suicide to provide the officer’s parents a further explanation of the details surrounding the death. During the investigation Troi has telepathic visions of what has happened in the room before during its construction. The visions are quite intense but she sees people in some type of heated argument. Troi continues to have these visions but the investigation goes on. During a late night conversation Worf and Troi end up hooking up and wake up in bed the next morning in total bliss. Troi becomes slightly jealous Worf when he talks to other women though which is a bit odd. Troi’s visions contain a red headed man who worked on the Enterprise during its construction and who is now on the ship. This man turns out to be slightly empathic as well which is strange because he is simply a human. Troi goes to talk to Worf but sees him with another woman so she pulls a phaser and kills him. She then makes a B line for the same plasma reactor and tries to throw herself into it in the same way the other officer did. It turns out that something bad did happen in that reactor room 8 years ago and the red head is trying to cover it up by using his telepathic powers. Everything is returned to normal but the thing with Worf and Troi seems to be in an awkward place… did it happen or didn’t it? 

I must say this is a bit of a weak summary but this episode is very hard to distill down into a cohesive narrative. It is a good episode just hard to explain! Also this show has a very similar title to one of the Animated Series episodes "The Eye Of The Beholder" but the two stories are not related at all! It is also very evident that Marina Sirtis had collagen injections in her lips before this episode because her lips look really fucked up. She was a natural beauty before this and now looks a bit odd but still beautiful. 

Masks

I am just going to come out with it and let the whole world know it… I have a huge crush on Chris Kluwe at the moment. That’s right the 30 year old, immensely hot, multi-talented, genius level intelligent Vikings punter. I mean the guy is attractive, plays in a band, and has become one of the biggest supporters of gay rights in the nation. It is of course too bad that the man is straight but that is OK, a simple man crush is OK now and then! I’m actually going to a Vikings game later this week which is a first and I can’t wait to see him in action.

Elliptical Machine- Calories: 520, Miles: 2.66

Masks

The Enterprise encounters a stray asteroid traipsing through a remote section of space and they of course investigate is as the crew is always want to do. Upon investigation there is a mysterious power surge that everyone ignores to start with until some strange icons and artifacts start showing up around the ship. No one is too concerned about the strange occurrences and they all assume that they have run into a space archive from a culture long since deceased. Data appears to be the most affected by this power surge and he even starts taking on different personalities and a sun icon forms on his face. Data has at least 5 distinct personalities within him that keep phasing back and forth between each other. All the characters have some relation to a character named Masaka who is a queen in that culture. The ship continues to have strange occurrences and the Archive is transforming the Enterprise into the cultures planet or something. Picard and crew decide to conjure Masaka and at that time Data appears wearing a very stylized mask. Masaka reveals that she is the queen and threatens the Enterprise with destruction. Picard and Troi have a shocking realization that Masaka is related to another character, Korgano, and that they represent the Sun and Moon. Picard wears a Korango mask and confronts Masaka. At this time everything returns to normal and things are just fine on board the Enterprise again.  It appears that this archive made the crew of the Enterprise enact some of its culture’s mythology for no good reason.

The show is very stylized and really is a visual wonder. Once again we are treated to a power house performance by Brent Spiner, who has shafted once again for some time of Emmy recognition. The man’s characterization of Data was incredible and he really deserved some major award notice for his work, sadly this never happened. Patrick Stewart was also never given any love from the award shows and he really truly deserved the attention. 

Thine Own Self

Fire and Brimstone! Today I observed in a local Christian private school and did my student observation during religion class. I am not a very religious person and really don’t recall much of what I learned in the limited amount of time my family attended church on Sundays but this was a unique experience for me. I guess I just don’t understand religion and how people live with all of those rules, truly I think I know what the answer to that question is. The answer is that very few Christians actually follow the rules of the bible and its teachings to the letter. The rest simply say that they are Christians and follow whatever small minded rules they choose to live by. The amazing thing I have always found about people in nearly any faith is that they pick and choose the rules they want to live by but some of them always seem to forget the core message of treating everyone with respect and not to judge others. Truly judging others is the work of their God correct?  Oh well I guess I just don’t understand faith and the small minded teaching that some people take from it.

Elliptical Machine- Calories: 632, Miles: 3.82

Thine Own Self

Once again we have an episode with two distinct stories that don’t really connect so I will explain them as two separate plots.

First we have Troi returning from a recent Starfleet class reunion and she meets Crusher on the bridge. Troi is surprised to find that Crusher is actually the command duty officer. Troi presses Crusher for information on why she moved to the rank of Commander when she didn’t have to. Troi approaches Riker and informs her of her desire to test for the rank of Commander. Riker will be the man in charge of her test but he warns her that he will be a tough judge of her abilities. Troi is taking an engineering test and fails it because the ship blows up and this is apparently the third time she has failed the test. Riker refuses to give her clues so she returns to her quarters to continue studying the technical schematics of the ship. Riker comes to her and informs her that he is cancelling the test because he does not think she has it in her to be a command officer. Troi is mad as hell about this and goes to the holodeck to take the test again and this time she remembers the phrase “your first duty is to the ship”. Troi realizes that solve the problem she must send an officer on a mission that will for sure mean their death. Riker ends the simulation and informs her that she has passed the test and is now a full Commander.

In the second plotline Data has been sent to a planet to retrieve some missing radioactive probe fragments that have landed on a remote planet. The inhabitants of the planet are equivalent to about 1500’s Earth. They are primitive but starting to learn the sciences. Data shows up in the village and has lost his memory of all events and is taken in by a kind family. The local doctor comes to examine him and determines he must be a member of some race of people who live in the far off mountains. Everyone starts calling him Jaden. The metal fragments are taken from their box and sold to a blacksmith. Soon after the people of the village start getting sick and Jaden is blamed for the illnesses though he knows somehow that he can’t be the cause of it all. Jaden is confronted by the local townspeople who all believe that he is responsible for the problem and they attack him. In the attack his face is damaged revealing his mechanical parts. He continues to work on a cure for the illness and finds it but when he is found putting the solution into the water supply the villagers kill him. In the end Crusher and Riker come to the town and ask a little girl about their friend. Data has been buried as a hero so he is beamed up along with the radioactive fragments. Data is restored and fully functional when the show comes to an end. 

Lower Decks

MEA weekend has come and gone and it is back to work tomorrow and four words come to my mind right now… DO I HAVE TO? Love my job as I do I still wish that I could have one day more to sleep in and relax at home. This weekend has been great and the best part is that I got some painting accomplished and my house looks so much better! No I am on the hunt for art work to decorate and spruce up the house!

Elliptical Machine- Calories: 573, Miles: 3.48

Lower Decks

There are four junior officers on the Enterprise who are up for a promotion and they are nervous as hell around the senior staff. First there is Sito Jaxa, a young Bajoran security officer who you may remember from a troubling incident involving a death during a flight at the academy. Second there is Sam Lavelle, a young, suave, good looking conn officer who might just be a little to ingratiating for his own good. Next there is a Vulcan engineering officer named Taurik, who is obviously smart but may not yet know when and when not to talk and act on his ideas. Finally we have Nurse Alyssa Ogawa, a familiar face in the sickbay for the last few seasons of the show. The officers are all working towards promotions in their respective fields but Jaxa and Lavelle are working towards the same position. Lt. Worf locates an escape pod in Cardassian space and it is brought on board but before Crusher lets her help she informs Ogawa that she must keep everything confidential. Soon after LaForge and Taurik are firing phasers at a shuttlecraft in the shuttlebay. Taurik finds it very odd and points out that it looks like they are marking the ship to appear as if it were in a fight. LaForge makes up a flimsy excuse about hull integrity. Picard calls Jaxa to his office and basically gives her a huge talking down and makes her feel like shit because of what happened at the academy. Meanwhile the rest of the senior staff are having a poker game to discuss everyone and the junior officers are playing poker to gossip about their evaluations. Worf asks Jaxa to stay after a Klingon yoga class and puts her through a stupid ritual that she figures out was to just get her to confront someone when she feels mistreated. Jaxa gets the courage to talk to Picard who is impressed with her and offers her a very secret and important mission. Jaxa is asked to participate in a mission to return a Cardassian spy to Cardassian space. The mission is underway and then Jaxa does not show up at the pickup site. The Enterprise intercepts a transmission detailing a Bajoran prisoner escaping from a shuttle and the escape pod being destroyed. Both the senior and junior staffs are devastated but the junior staff is promoted though they feel just a little down about it all. In the end Worf joins the junior officers to help discuss and commemorate Jaxa’s life. 

Sub Rosa

I have absolutely nothing of interest has happened to me the last day. I’ve been doing work and painting the house and nothing is really too exciting. Sorry Folks!

Elliptical Machine- Calories: 600, Miles: 3.47

Sub Rosa

Dr. Crusher and the rest of the Enterprise is visiting Caldos IV where they are partaking in Crusher’s grandmother’s funeral. After the funeral Picard is invited to stay around for a few days from the colony governor who needs a little help with some technical concerns. The whole colony is one of the first terraformed colonies in the Federation and has been modeled after the Scottish Highlands. Crusher is shaken by her loss  and reacts poorly to her Grandmother’s housekeeper coming in and trying to get rid of a candle, even after he explains that it is for her good to never light the candle again. Crusher also finds her grandmother’s journals where she talks about a young man who was her lover, Ronin.  Ronin comes to Crusher and says that he is a ghost that has lived with the Howard women since the 1600’s on Earth. He seduces Crusher and he inhabits her body and soon after she retires from Starfleet to spend her life on the Caldos IV. Picard is angry about her leaving and when he beams down he finds that something is truly afoot. Ronin reveals himself and nearly kills Picard. Picard, LaForge, and Data all work to find the source of Ronin’s being and they find it in Crusher’s grandmother’s tomb. Ronin attacks all three and eventually Crusher is forced to turn a phaser on him and destroy him. It turns out the Ronin was a Non-Corporeal life form who lived off the bio energy of humans, particularly the Howard women for nearly 800 years. 

Homeward

Why the hell does paint at Sherwin Williams cost so much? I was at Menards today and they couldn’t confidently match a can of paint so I had to go to Sherwin Williams to get another can of the same paint and it was $54 for the gallon..WTF! The gallon of paint at Menards was $24 and truth be told the white paint from SW that I already had was shitty paint! It scuffs easily and doesn’t wash well. I feel I was ripped off big time today. I felt so screwed that initially I didn’t want to buy the paint at all and I walked out of the store balking at the price. Well after my mother talked some sense into me and reminded me that if it didn’t match I would want to do the whole thing over again and well the ceilings in that location are about 20 feet tall. And well I am not getting on a ladder that high up and I certainly don’t want to pay someone hundreds of dollars to do it for me. So after storming out of the store in a minor huff, I had to walk back into the store and order a can of paint. The clerk at the store, who I am guessing was also the owner, had a smug look on his face the whole time! To top it off he looked and sounded like William Hurt who is maybe one of my least favorite actors, even if he was phenomenal in Kiss of the Spiderwoman, I haven’t seen too much good since that one.  It may seem like nothing but annoying shit has happened all day but it has actually been a very good day here!

Elliptical Machine- Calories: 589, Miles: 3.37

Homeward

The Enterprise has been sent to retrieve Dr. Nikolai Rozhenko, a Federation scientist observing a race of people known as the Boraalan. The planet is dying and soon the atmosphere will be completely gone resulting in the death of the entire population. Worf beams down to rescue Nikolai, his adoptive brother, and bring him back to the Enterprise. What he finds is that Nikolai has made an attempt to rescue some of the population and has become involved with their daily lives. The problem here is that Nikolai was supposed to be observing from a distance and remaining unseen and hidden. Nikolai is brought up to the Enterprise and told that he cannot rescue the group of Borallans because it would interfere with the prime directive. Nikolai agrees to this but is not happy about it. As the Enterprise is about to leave there is a technical malfunction but things seem to be fine until there are unusual energy readings coming from the Holodeck. Worf and a security team head to the Holodeck to find that Nikolai has beamed up the Boraalans in hopes to relocate them to a new world where they can continue their lives with no knowledge of the change. Nikolai informs Picard that they must find a planet for the Boraalans and that Nikolai will use the Holodeck to guide them through the rugged terrain to a new place that will look like their new home. Picard is not happy about this plan but now must oblige with the request as he has no other choices. Nikolia and Worf are assigned to guide the Borallans through the Holodeck and try not to fuck up their culture any more than they already have. The problem is the Holodeck is being overworked and the system is close to shutting down the whole time. Things get worse when somehow one of the Boraalans gets out of the Holodeck and onto the ship. Just a questions… They didn’t think to lock the damn doors?? Really? Well now the Boraalan is faced with the choice of staying on the Enterprise or going back to his people and keeping a secret forever. He eventually makes a choice and kills himself to save him from both options. The Boraalans are eventually transplanted onto a new world and Nikolai stays with them as he has fathered a child with one of the women of the population. Talk about a shitty scientist, I mean he really became involved with his subject didn’t he?

This episode features a guest appearance by Penny Johnson who later goes onto play Cassidy, Ben Sisko’s girlfriend on Deep Space Nine. It also has a guest appearance by Paul Sorvino as Nikolai Rozhenko, in a very strong supporting performance. I’m most familiar with him from a little movie called Mambo Italiano in which he plays a conservative Italian father who has trouble dealing with his son being gay. It is a total comedy and my favorite line is “Nobody is a gayer than my son!” LOL

Also of note is that the plot line involving using a Holodeck to unknowingly transport a whole group of people was recycled for use in Star Trek Insurrection in 1998.

The Pegasus

I have made the choice not to watch the presidential debate today because I really know who I am voting for and that opinion won’t really be changed. Another reason being that the debates simply piss me off royally and I don’t need that stress in my life right now! The third reason is of course that I will hear all about it tomorrow at lunch anyways so why bother. Call me a bad citizen if you will but I will still be voting so that is all that matters that and that I have formed my own opinion on this election unlike some other people who simply do what the mass majority is doing or whatever their parents are voting. I am very excited for the second week in November because that will signal the end of all of these ridiculous political videos and what is simply trash talking without a lot of reliable backing information. It is times like this that I think the world needs Star Trek more than ever. The reason for this nerdy statement is of course that Star Trek is a future perfect that our society could strive to achieve. Also because it is just good escapist fun that we so desperately need when there is so much shit around us every day.

Elliptical Machine- Calories: 614, Miles: 3.78

The Pegasus

The festivities surrounding “Captain Picard Day” have been cut short, much to the happiness of one Captain Picard, because the Enterprise has been rerouted on top secret mission. The Enterprise rendezvous with the USS Crazy Horse where they pick up Admiral Pressman the former Captain of the USS Pegasus and Riker’s first commanding officer. The Pegasus is a Federation ship that was apparently lost some 12 years prior in an explosion and only a few officers made it out alive, two of which were Pressman and Riker. Pressman reveals that the Pegasus has been found in a remote sector of space and that they are on for a race against time because the Romulans also know about the ship’s existence. There is a significant deal of mystery surrounding the ship and Riker is growing increasingly uncomfortable by his orders to remain silent about the ship and its demise. This comes to a head when Picard begins to press Riker for more information about a possible mutiny on the Pegasus prior to its destruction. The Enterprise locates the remains of the ship but it is 2 kilometers inside a gigantic asteroid and there is a Romulan Warbird patrolling the sector doing “research”, which of course is code for looking for the Pegasus. Pressman orders Picard to take the ship into the asteroid where the Pegasus is found lodged inside the rock face but not like a collision, it was as if the ship materialized inside the asteroid. Suspicions heighten further as Riker and Pressman beam over alone to the ship instead of a full survey crew. We now find out that the Pegasus was carrying a prototype cloaking device and that the crew led a mutiny against the Pressman because this action violated a Federation treaty with the Romulans. Riker lays into Pressman about how he was young and stupid and shouldn’t have helped him escape the mutiny 12 years earlier. At this time the Romulans purposely cave in the asteroid leaving the Enterprise stuck. Riker recommends that they use the cloaking device which is a mater phasing cloak which will allow the Enterprise to move through the solid asteroid surface to escape. The episode ends with Pressman in the brig along with Riker. Riker faces a potential court martial for his actions 12 years ago but Picard assures him that he will be in no real danger of losing his rank and position on the Enterprise. 

HAPPY CAPTAIN PICARD DAY !!!!!!!!

Parallels

Why is it that Asparagus does what it does to your pee? I always forget it does that until it is too late! I made a wonderful meal tonight of Jerk chicken, mashed potatoes and Asparagus. Two hours later and I was not happy with the odor.. WTF. If someone can give me the real science answer as to what causes that I would be appreciative. Of course I could just go online and find that answer out for myself but I am far too much of a social person to block out the possibility of a face-to-face pee conversation with one of my friends. It is just amazing how in this day in age we can find nearly anything at the click of a mouse or the touch of a screen. I think this limits the need to have conversations with other people at times and sadly means that the art of communication is being lost as each year goes by. And yes I just went from smelly pee to an observation about the impact of technology on the communication skills and styles of the future. Yay for being random!

Parallels           

Worf is on his way back from a Bat’Leth tournament on Forcas III and has been victorious but he now faces a major challenge on the Enterprise… It is his birthday and he doesn’t want everyone to make a big deal out of it! Well low and behold Riker throws him a huge surprise party but very soon Worf has a minor dizzy spell and then things start to change. At first it is minor details such as Lemon vs Chocolate cake, then it is the matter of a painting being different or hung in a different location. Soon entire people are moving from place to place and even the Enterprise itself has changed. Worf begins to pick up on the changes and seeks help from Crusher but nothing seems right. While he has a dizzy spell he shifts into an Enterprise mid fight with a Cardassian ship and he falters. Worf returns home after this embarrassing incident only to have Troi barge in on him and put the moves on him in the bedroom. She reveals that Worf and her are married with two children, neither of them Alexander. Troi and Worf start trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle and with Data’s help they determine that the problem is really LaForge’s VISOR. It seems that Worf traveled through a subspace rift and now every time he is in contact with LaForge’s VISOR it shifts him to a new dimension for some reason. The crew determines that it will explode the rift and return Worf to his own ship but a Bajoran ship attacks (because they are hostile in this universe) and causes a major catastrophe. There are now thousands of Enterprise’s in the area and they must return the correct Worf to the correct Enterprise. With a minor glitch along the way Worf is back to his Enterprise but now must confront the eminent birthday bash but it never comes. Though Counselor Troi is in his quarters but he eventually asks her to stay for dinner. There is a hint of a new possible romantic connection as the show comes to an end. 

Inheritance

What do we want… Brains, When do we want them… Brains!  I went to a zombie pub crawl this weekend and I had a very good time I must admit. The one thing that I noticed was that some people get just a little to into the whole process for my taste in things. There were people there in so much makeup and acting like such crazies that it was just a little off putting. I do love the whole message of the event which is lets just be crazy and weird for crazy’s sake! Some of my favorite zombie get ups were: Spice Girls Zombies, Disney Princess Zombies, Super Hero Zombies, Power Rangers, Zombies and well of course my very own creation the Aberzombie. I must say too that I am pretty proud of my friend for taking a step outside of his box and dressing up for a Halloweenish event and even putting on makeup! YOU GO! In other news it is MEA week which means it is a three-day week and a four day weekend! I could not be more excited.

Elliptical Machine: Miles-3.09, Calories- 500

Weigh-in: 196... Down nearly 75 pounds now! 

Inheritance

The Enterprise has been dispatched to Atlrea IV to help solve a major problem on the planet. It seems that its core is starting to cool and will eventually solidify, thus destroying the planet. The Enterprise is assigned to work with two scientists on this problem, Pran Tainer and his wife Juliana Tainer. The two scientists along with LaForge and Data develop a plan that will use the ship’s phasers to drill and reheat the core material and in essence save the entire planet from destruction. The plan is agreed upon and preparations are underway at once. Juliana Tainer stops Data upon his exit from the observation lounge and seems to know a lot about his past and where he came from on Omicron Theta and the answer to this is of course that she knew Dr. Soong and was indeed his wife. Data listens to her story but at the same time wants to do his research on Juliana’s story. When it mostly checks out Data is ready to accept Juliana as his mother and wants to get to know her better. The two start to get acquainted with each other so they begin having lunches, sharing stories and in general spending time with each other. Juliana treats Data with all the joy bestowed upon her special son. While correcting an error in a phaser beam Data starts to become curious about Juliana but passes it off until later during a violin recital when she plays a song the same exact way she did during practice. Crusher finds nothing out of the ordinary about her and Data lets the issue go. There is an accident in one of the drill sites and Juliana and Data beam down to correct the problem. When Juliana is accidentally injured it is revealed that she is actually a Soong type android and Data is not surprised at all. He finds a chip in her head that is a holodeck program of Dr. Soong. The program has been designed to let people know that she is a robot and to plead for her to not be told that she is actually a android. Apparently the real Juliana died a few years after they left Omicron Theta and Soong created this android replica with all of her memories in place. Data decides to let Juliana keep her reality and even tells her that Dr. Soong must be sad that he didn’t tell her that he loved her as much.

The heart of the show is anchored by a very remarkable performance by Fionnula Flanagan. She adds a level or reality and depth to the character that another actress I don’t think would have grasped.

Force Of Nature

Today at work I was given an “Inter-PEN-tion” by my coworkers at Family Speech. My boss came over to me and said something to the order of “Paul we’ve pretty much concluded that you are the one chewing on the pencils around, we figured it out when it was happening last year and it just started again this fall”. THANKS! I was then given a package of pens with a post-it note on them that said “Paul’s Pens”.  I think I turned about as red in the face as the Abercrombie pants I was wearing today. I then spent the rest of the afternoon at work paranoid that I chewed my pencils and didn’t realize it. I didn’t chew all afternoon, Yeah! I left work feeling I had taken the fall for a kid who was chewing on the company pens but then again maybe I am a pen chewer. It is a good thing I work in a place that I enjoy my coworkers enough to tolerate a little semi-awkward jibe like this now and then. By the way I am so proud of my little “interPENtion/intervention” word joke that I plan on riding it until the wheels fall off!

I didn’t write down my stats today but I will be honest it was a bit of a lame workout. I need to find a way to change up my workout a little bit in the next few weeks. I am considering taking some time off of Star Trek as soon as I have finished season 7. Nothing is set in stone yet but I may take a little bit off and watch a season of a half hour comedy then get back into Star Trek.

Force of Nature

The Enterprise is investigating the disappearance of a Federation supply ship the Fleming. The ship was last seen in the Hekaras Corridor, a safe pathway through a dangerous portion of space. The area is littered with subspace disturbances and the corridor is the only way to travel this sector. While investigating the Fleming the Enterprise runs into a Ferengi ship that has been disabled by a buoy in the corridor. The Enterprise is then attacked by a small ship that disables it in one shot. The Enterprise is then boarded by two Hekaran scientists who have evidence that warp drive is destroying the fabric of space itself. Picard, LaForge and Riker agree to send the research to Starfleet but this isn’t enough and one of the scientists then decides to blow up her ship to cause a warp rift. The warp rift demonstrates what will happen if warp drive is continually used in this area. The remaining scientist, Rabal, works with the Enterprise to find a way out of the rift but before they can leave the Enterprise discovers the Fleming in the center of it! Data and LaForge now work to find a way out of the rift and to save the crew of the Fleming. Of course they manage to save the crew and now they are faced with a daunting challenge, recommending to Starfleet that warp drive be limited. Starfleet and the Federation issue a statement that all ships must limit their warp use to no greater than warp 5. There is also a fun subplot of Data trying to train his rebellious cat Spot with little success.

The episode is essentially an allegory for the “save the environment” that became extremely popular in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s. The show does a nice job of being entertaining and still carrying a hefty message for the public. 

Attached

I must say I am thoroughly impressed with myself today! I made the most delicious turkey pot pies today from scratch. I looked up a recipe on my phone and threw things together with just a few things needed from the store. I truly love cooking and making a good meal. I find that the more I cook the more diverse my meal plans have become. I am sure other people have this problem but I found myself in a rut of meal plans each week. Every week used to include Spaghetti, Tacos, Chicken and Veggies, Soup, Salad, or some other bland boring meal. Now I can safely add Lasagna, Enchiladas, pot pie, a number of casseroles, and other items to my list of good foods. My next cooking challenge will be to cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner this year for my parents and sister, if we decide to do that of course. I would also like to become a better baker someday so that I can further diversify my skills in the kitchen.

Elliptical Machine- Calories:629, Miles: 3.90

Attached

The Enterprise has been sent to oversee the planet Kesprytt’s inquiry to become a Federation planet. The planet though is an oddity because only part of the planet’s population wishes to join the Federation, the Kes. The Prytt on the other hand are a xenophobic race of people who wish to remain isolated from the Kes and the rest of the galaxy too for that matter. Crusher and Picard beam down to the planet but immediately after beam down the Kes contact the Enterprise wondering where the two are at. Picard and Crusher wake up in a Prytt jail cell; they are being held prisoner as spies against the Prytt government. The two have implants on their neck that are apparently going to give the Prytt truthful information. Before they can be questioned a Prytt guard gives them their tricorder back which now contains a map to escape the prison and Prytt space. Meanwhile on the Enterprise the Kes and Riker work together to find a way to rescue Picard and Crusher. The Kes offer to engage an armed rescue party but Riker wants to try something a little more diplomatic. Through his talks with both the Kes and the Prytt, Riker discovers that both sides are extremely unbalanced, paranoid. He also discovers that the Kes want to join the Federation to give them a tactical advantage against the Prytt. Meanwhile as Picard and Crusher go about their escape they learn that the implants on their necks have linked their minds together. The two can now hear everything the other one thinks and even access to memories from the past. It is revealed that they both have long held attractions to the other but that their friendship and Crusher’s dead husband have gotten in the way of them acting upon these feelings. The two work together and cross the energy shield between Kes and Prytt territories but Crusher is captured before she can cross the barrier. At this time the Prytt leader who has had a little bit of common sense talked into her beams both Crusher and Picard up to the Enterprise. The episode comes to a close with Picard and Crusher deciding that it is best not to act on these feelings they have discovered. It is a somber ending for both who could have possibly found happiness with the other. 

Dark Page

The process of attempting to date and get out in the social world is a tricky and winding path that will eventually lead to a relationship. The problem being that the road to a relationship is filled with twists, turns, distractions, and douche bags. So many people out there appear to enjoy playing games and hiding things. I have come to find out that I am the type of person who does not want to play games and prefers to just lay it all out there from the start how I am feeling. I know that this is sometimes odd for people and can be a turn off for some but it is the way I am. I guess I will just have to wait until I find some guy who is the same way. I’ve been on three dates in the past month and a half which has been great to get out there but damnit I guess I just would like to have two dates with the same person. Am I asking too much? Am I hoping for too much too soon? Should I just start drinking a lot? Or should I buck up and go out to find the next possible person? I choose to quit complaining and pull it together I mean as they say “You need to kiss a lot of frogs”.

Elliptical Machine- calories: 626, miles: 3.88

Dark Page

The Enterprise is playing host to a group of aliens who are looking to join the Federation in the near future. These aliens only communicate through telepathy but are learning to use words to speak with other people and races. To help these aliens learn to speak Lwaxana Troi was sent a few months ago as she can telepathically communicate and use words as well. Lwaxana seems somewhat tired and restless but she still has enough time to attempt to hook her daughter and Maques up with each other. She also introduces her star pupil a young girl named Hedril who Lwaxana has become quite attached to. Lwaxana has a minor meltdown and Crusher finds that she has something wrong with her telepathic lobe in her brain. She is encouraged not to use her telepathic powers so Troi starts working with her mother and the aliens to improve their language before their meeting with the Federation. During a visit to the ships arboretum both Troi’s observe Hedril fall into a pond. Everyone brushes it off but when Hedril comes out of the water Lwaxana had passed out. Maques and Troi decide that they need to get into Lwaxana’s unconscious mind and unlock the “hidden area” that Maques had sensed. Upon entering her mind Troi is confronted with many road blocks to keep her out of Lwaxana’s mind, one of these roadblocks was a meeting with her father who died when she was seven. Troi pushes further into Lwaxana’s mind and forces her to confront her secret hidden truth. The secret is that when Troi was just a baby Lwaxana first child, Kestra, died in an accident. Lwaxana had kept this secret for more than thirty years but now that the truth is out the two women have a renewed and strengthened bond.

The episode features a guest appearance by Kirsten Dunst in one of her first big acting jobs. Kirsten played Hedril in this episode and the part was very small but the next year she made her big debut in Interview With A Vampire. 

Phantasms

Driving into work has become a major downer the last few days. The reason being that there is a house across the street from my school that has about 4 VOTE YES: Marriage One Man, One Woman signs in their yard. The fact that one house feels the need to be so public about their bigotry astounds me and reminds me that I am living the heart of conservative territory. I really try to assume the best in people and I know that there are a large number of people who don’t have signs and those who have Vote No signs but it is hard to ignore the people who feel the need to broadcast their hate. What scares me is that these people don’t really recognize that their views are those of hate because they frame it as a view of their religion. Using religion to justify hate is despicable and that is the bottom line on that topic.

This Workout happened a few days ago but I have forgotten to do the write up until this morning…whoops!

I also completed this episode after watching one hour of the presidential debates and proceeded to have an extremely intense workout!

Elliptical Machine: Miles 3.9, Calories: 670

Phantasms

The Enterprise has just had a new warp core installed and is completing some initial maintenance work before it is operational. At the same time Data’s dream program, which he has continued to explore, has developed into a scary new environment for him. Data has been experiencing nightmare like dreams and they are really starting to freak him out. He has been seeing images of the crew hurting each other, eating a cake shaped like Counselor Troi, a phone ringing in his chest, mine workers assaulting people, and other crazy stuff. At the same time the Enterprise’s new warp core is malfunctioning and things aren’t looking great. Data continues to have dreams but has a waking dream in which he physically attacks and stabs Counselor Troi. The stab helps to reveal that there are strange microorganisms living on the ship that are leaching the life out of the crew members and the new warp core. The crew allows Data to act out his dreams on the holodeck which leads them to think that they can cover the problem with a radiation pulse on the ship. The problem is cured and all returns to normal and in the end Data decides to ignore his dream program for a little while. 

It's Britney Bitch! (A Glee Post)

Today once again I risked my life in the name of fitness! I watched the Britney 2.0 episode of Glee while I worked out on my elliptical machine. It is impossible not to dance while watching Glee and working out but dancing on the elliptical will eventually lead to a broken ankle I am pretty positive. It makes me wonder how I would explain the incident leading up to my broken ankle and I am pretty sure there are two different approaches that I could take in this situation. Option 1 involves making up an elaborate back story about how I was at Menards and moving some timber so that I can build a new shed at my house; but while I was purchasing a gigantic sledgehammer I had to stop an armed robber who shot me in the ankle. Option 2 for me is to of course queen out and just admit I was shaking my booty and fell off of my elliptical dancing to a top 40 pop song or other Broadway ditty.  I know the option that my friends will believe which is of course option 1. LOL I jest of course it is option 2 and I’m honestly a terrible liar so I’d never be able to tell option 1 with a straight face. I guess the moral of the story is basically be who you are and don't try to hide it no matter how embarrassing it may possibly be in the long run. 

Forgot to write down my stats! 

The Gimme More sequence was fantasticly funny