A Simple Investigation

I’ve said it on here many times lately and well it continues to be increasingly true, I am just so damn happy! After going through several months of shit my life turned around in a big way. I’m incredibly proud of myself for taking the steps to actively change things. I just decided that since I was unhappy I had to make changes so that I could start to be happier. I’ve been working out and eating well which as of today has resulted in a 20 pound weight loss. I am finally back to a weight that I think is a good place for me to start. I’ve set a goal to lose another 15 by August 1st. I’ve also been keeping my mind focused on much more positive things and taking time to get rid of negative thoughts and feelings.

Meeting great new people who challenge you in a lot of healthy ways really helps to. I’m not saying that my happiness is tied to other people in the slightest, but what I am saying is that sometimes different thoughts and perspectives shake up your view and outlook on life in an incredibly healthy way.

This week at my work is one of the craziest weeks of my entire school year, yearbook distribution week! Yearbook is a small part of my job when you compare it to the other duties I do as a Speech/Language Pathologist but not this week. The yearbooks go out Friday afternoon and until then it is a week of worrying, getting yelled at by parents and the best part, seeing the student’s faces as they enjoy the hard work that me and my staff have done throughout the year. I’ve already started getting yelled at by parents who have forgotten to order yearbooks for their children. It is just a statement to the level of entitlement some people in this world feel. Now, I am always polite and nice in my email responses to parents because I am ever the professional. If I could say what I want thought it would be something a bit more harsh!

workout-

Run- 3 miles

Swim- ½ mile

Sat in the Sauna too and learned a lesson about drinking more water as I nearly passed out at my locker and in the shower. I’ll be a bit more smart next time!

A Simple Investigation

This is a small but complex character story that I hate to say it ends up to be a bit of a boring episode.  Odo meets a lovely woman who appears to be a criminal but the story keeps changing and changing and he finds himself increasingly drawn to her. Arissa, it turns out, is some type of spy or espionage agent for a powerful man in the organized crime world. Odo takes it upon himself to protect her and make sure that she can testify and get her employer put behind bars. Odo and Arissa continue to become closer and closer and he eventually hides her out in his quarters. The two spend quite a passionate evening together which only serves to make things more complex for Odo. Arissa proposes an exchange with her former employer, her life for the crystal chip she is carrying with data. It turns out during the exchange that the crystal carries her true memories and appearance. Arissa was an agent chosen to infiltrate this crime ring and she is restore to her real self. Odo and Arissa meet one last time in a scene that shows Odo’s ultimate vulnerability as he navigates the way of love.

(PS... so he can't make a normal looking human face but he can master shapeshifting nipples?)

Doctor Bashir, I Presume?

Today was a really cool day! I attended a retirement party for a college professor of mine today and I was able to reconnect with her and a number of other people from my past that have left an incredible impact on my life. In addition to my professor who was retiring I was able to talk to the guy who got me into the field of speech/language pathology. It was great to hear how he is doing in his retirement and share my story of how my career is going thus far. It is hard to think that 8 years ago I was in the last stages of obtaining my master’s degree, the way time flies is simply put incredible. Even more fun I ran into a college classmate I had not seen in 8 years. It is just fascinating to see the directions that my classmates have gone in and the changes that are occurring at my former college. Who knows someday maybe I will become a professor.

workout-

Bike and Elliptical Machine Tonight

Doctor Bashir, I Presume?

Dr. Zimmerman, most famous for being the model and creator of the Emergency Medical Hologram seen on the Voyager, has arrived on the station to make Bashir the model for the new Long-Term Medical Hologram program. In the process Zimmerman conducts a number of interviews and we get to hear what everyone hears about Bashir and it is quite funny. Bashir’s parents arrive on the station against his desires and it is clear something is fishy here. Through an accident the parents confess that Bashir is the product of genetic engineering because he was a disabled child and the parents wanted better for him. This is illegal and to avoid getting anyone else in trouble Bashir’s father accepts a two year sentence on Earth for breaking Federation Law. On a side story Leeta is in love with Rom and he is in love with her but neither one admits it. Leeta uses Dr. Zimmerman as a way to make Rom jealous and in the end it works out and Rom and Leeta become an item.

In Purgatory's Shadow & Be Inferno's Light

I posted last week to my Facebook, “Ever get the feeling something really positive is starting to happen?” Life has just been on a great trajectory these past few months/weeks and things are looking up. Late last year and early this year I went through a series of setbacks, physically, financially and emotionally. Now a few months post all of that life is on a big upswing and i’m feeling truly happy. There is a lot to be said about taking time to do some of that tough introspective work on yourself so that you can get your brain together and life together. Part of that process was setting goals for myself and thought I won’t be sharing what my goals were here because I need a little bit of privacy, I am happy to report that things are progressing.

Today I worked my hind end off to get a college class completed and I succeeded! It has been my goal for the last few years to work my butt off to reach a higher level on the pay scale by year 10 and I am going to accomplish that feat a year early! I Have one more class to complete now and then I will be done taking college classes… for now! There is still that big dream some day of pursuing a doctoral degree, but i’m going to take a few years off to enjoy life before I start looking at the adventure more seriously.

workout-

13 miles on the bike at the gym. The weather was suspect so I was stuck inside today :(

In Purgatory’s Shadow & By Inferno’s Light (2 parter)

first off… what an amazing two part episode this was… WOW! I am getting to the point where I stopped watching Star Trek for a while as a teenager. I think that is because other people thought it wasn’t cool but ya know what I say now.. Fuck Peer Pressure! So really from now on out for the most part these are episodes of Star Trek that I have never seen before.

The episode opens with Garak being called to Sisko’s office to translate a Cardassian message sent from the Gamma Quadrant. Garak says it is nothing but an old planetary survey but then he attempts to take runabout and go into the wormhole. Garak reveals that it is a distress signal from his old mentor Enabrin Tain. Sisko agrees to the rescue mission with Worf going along to accompany and assist in the rescue mission. Once in the Gamma Quadrant they are found be the Dominion and sent to a prison planet where they are held with a number of other prisoners including Tain, General Martok and Dr. Bashir. It turns out that Bashir on DS9 is a changeling and has been for over a month. On the planet Garak begins working on sending a signal to the runabout so that it can rescue everyone. It is a slow and tedious project. Tain is about to die and for another big shock it is revealed that Garak was his son all along. Back on the station Sisko finds out that the Dominion is coming and sets up a plan to collapse the wormhole. When Dax and O’Brien attempt to close the wormhole permanently it fails because the Bashir on the station sabotaged the device. As the episode closes a huge fleet of Dominion ships are seen pouring out of the wormhole.

As the second episode starts Deep Space Nine prepares for battle with the Dominion but before any fighting begins they head towards Cardassian space. Dukat takes off after the fleet and reveals that he has negotiated for Cardassia to join the Dominion, with himself as the new leader of the Cardassian government. Back in the Gamma Quadrant Garak continues to slowly work on modifying the transmitter while Worf is subjected to numerous fights with the Jem’Hadar troops. At the last minute before Worf is killed the entire group is beamed to the runabout to head home. Meanwhile on the station a large Dominion/Cardassian fleet is on its way to the station to take back what is theirs. “Bashir” has stolen a runabout and is headed for the sun to destroy the Klingon, Romulan and Federation fleets, Bajor itself and the Station. The DS9 crew catches on and he is captured and destroyed before he can do any real damage. It is revealed that the whole thing was a ploy by the Dominion for the Alpha Quadrant to be severely weakened for a larger scale invasion and attack.

This two parter really kicks off the dominion war which will now dominate the majority of episodes for the rest of the show’s 2 ½ seasons.

For the Uniform

I absolutely love having a Monday off! Today I was able to stay in bed until 8:30 and then make a nice healthy breakfast at my own pace and watch a little TV on the couch. The biggest victory of the day so far has been a 5 mile run at the gym. It proves that I am ready for this five mile run I registered for a few months ago. I may not be as fast as I once was but I finished it in a solid 10 minute mile pace, which isn’t bad when you take into account my injury only three months ago. The only real bummer about the run was that I had to do it on a treadmill at the gym due to the weather outside. It is April and snowing… I am seriously wanting to move somewhere a little warmer.

At the gym today I encountered a new gym person that I always feared I was but am delighted to say that I am not. Singer Guy! OMG there was a gentleman on the elliptical machine having a great time singing, dancing, air guitaring and air drumming. He was having a grand time of it though I am not sure he was getting much of a workout in today.

workout-

5 miles in 50 minutes

For The Uniform

Sisko is on the hunt for the treasonous Michael Eddington and during an encounter Eddington warns Sisko not to go after him. Eddington manages to cripple the Defiant with a virus and Starfleet pulls Sisko off the case. This infuriates Sisko but he ends up having to come to the assistance of the Captain in charge of the manhunt now. Sisko and the Defiant crew are thwarted by Eddington time after time and spirits are low. Eddington shares his favorite novel with Sisko, Les Miserables. Sisko uses Eddington’s fascination with the book against him realizing that Eddington views himself as the glorious hero willing to do anything for his cause. Sisko pushes Eddington to the edge by bombarding a Maquis planet with a deadly toxin, much like Eddington did to a few Cardassian planets. In the end to save his cause Eddington surrenders himself and the manhunt is over.

The Begotten, The Ascent, The Darkness and the Light, Things Past, Rapture, Let He Who Is Without Sin, Trials and Tribble-ations, The Assignment

I continue to work out and I continue to binge watch Star Trek, as long as I am doing my workouts I am good. I have been training the last few weeks to get back to shape enough to run a race next weekend. I am able to run 4 miles pain free and that makes me feel just fine for doing a 5 mile race!

Today I spent the day with my whole extended family for Easter. I love spending time with my family! Every time we are together we laugh, joke, drink, play games, talk, remember the good times from the past and just enjoy each other’s company. Everyone today wished each other a “Happy Easter” but I really didn’t. There are two holidays a year that people all around me celebrate and I don’t. I have a hard time with religion and it has never really been a part of my life. Not to offend anyone out there but I just don’t feel a connection or need for a “god” in my life or a community based upon that. I don’t believe the whole story and I really do fully believe it is a story. Possibly based upon some good things that happened but also based upon a lot of tall tales. I guess my biggest problem is the way religion is used by some people as a weapon or a means of organize bigotry. So there is my two cents on religion for the day. Maybe not a popular view but my viewpoint.

The Assignment

Keiko O’Brien comes back to the station and tells O’Brien that she is really an alien who has taken over her body. She wants him to make several modifications to the station’s array so that she can send a message. The Chief must aqueous to her demands but ends up fooling her and all is set back to normal. This episode introduces the Pah-Wraiths, basically the Bajoran equivalent of the devil. These Pah-Wraiths will come to play a larger part in the series in the future episodes.

Trials and Tribble-ations

The crew of the Defiant end up back in time at Space Station K-7 during the Enterprise’s first encounter with the tribbles. Arn Darvin the Klingon agent has escaped and gone back in time in hopes to kill Kirk and the tribbles aboard the station. Worf, Odo, Dax, Bashir and O’Brien need to find Darvin and not interfere with the events of the timeline. This is a rollicking fun episode that paid tribute to the series’ 30th anniversary.

Let He Who Is Without Sin

Star Trek Deep Space Nine- The Romantic Comedy. Worf, Dax, Bashir, Quark and Leeta are on Risa to have a little fun. Worf, of course cannot pull the stick out of his ass to have fun and gets caught up in a movement that hopes to rid the Federation of the pleasure seeking attitudes that have made it soft. Worf eventually pulls his head out of his ass and turns around to have some fun and get these essentialists out of the way. Bashir and Leeta break up too.

Rapture

Sisko becomes obsessed with an ancient Bajoran artifact and after an accident he stops at nothing to find an ancient city and speak the words of the prophets. At the same time Bajor is trying to get membership to the Federation, because of Sisko’s actions Bajor backs out of the entrance.

Things Past

Dax, Odo, Garrak and Sisko are mysteriously sent into the past on Deep Space Nine during the occupation. Things though are not as they should be and it turns out that this whole thing has come right out of Odo’s mind. He was the chief of security at the time and the time jump centers around three men who Odo convicted and had killed that he has always regretted. In the end all is worked out and everyone wakes up on the station alive.

The Darkness and the Light

Someone is hunting and killing the members of Kira’s old resistance cell on Bajor. One by one as the members of the group are killed Kira becomes more agitated and scared. She manages to track down who is killing her friends and she steals a runabout and goes to find the killer. The killer is a crazy Cardassian who wants revenge because he was injured in an attack. He plans to kill Kira and steal her baby. She is rescued just in time and all is okay.

The Ascent

Quark and Odo are stranded on a planet and must make a dangerous climb up a mountain to regain communications and get help. The two are put through hell in order to get a signal out including cold and well their love/distaste for each other’s company. The two manage to get saved in the end.

The Begotten

Kira is ready to have her baby but she can’t get enough peace and quiet to have it between O’Brien and Shakar’s fighting over her time and attention. One because he loves her and the other because she is having his child. In the other story Odo obtains an infant changeling and wants to help it to learn how to become the creature it is supposed to be. Odo gets the help from Mora Pol, the doctor who raised him long ago. The changeling ends up not living but it fuses itself into Odo’s body and he is once again a changeling.

A string of some not so great episodes to be honest! The tribbles episode is great but the other ones in this workout are not the greatest moments from Star Trek history.

The Quickening, Body Parts, Broken Link, Apocalypse Rising, The Ship, Looking for par'Mach in all the Wrong Places, ...Nor the Battle to the Strong

What a busy weekend but somehow I have managed to watch 7 episodes of Star Trek but only worked out to 2 of them. That is ok thought I have needed a little bit of Star Trek time in my life these days.

In Elk River, a town close to where I live there has been some crazy shit going down. Well ok one crazy thing but it has me pissed of beyond belief. There is a billboard on the highway with a contact for "reparative therapy" also known as anti-gay therapy. The advertisement suggests  that just because you have gay feelings doesn't mean you were "born gay." Reparative therapy has been banned in several states and formally discouraged by nearly every psychiatric and counseling agency in the world. This form of "therapy" is hateful and hurtful and has a history of destroying people. I am always appalled by this level of hatred and it makes me worry for the children that I work with at school each day. I found the hasthag today and it is perfect so lets all share it!

#BornPerfect



The Quickening
Bashir and Dax have beamed down to a planet with a distress signal for a medical emergency. The people of this planet have been suffering from "the blight" a disease that was given to the planet by the Dominion. Bashir sets himself to the task of curing this disease but finds road blocks in a society and culture that has started welcoming death and can't change their ways. In the end Bashir finds a way to inoculate but it only helps to make the newborn children healthy. The episode ends with Bashir on the station still working on a cure.

Body Parts

Quark finds out that he is about to die and in order to make some money he agrees to sell his dried remains on the open market. Brunt shows up and lets Quark know that he is not dying but that he has also bought Quark's remains and expects them to be delivered. Quark now must get himself out of the deal with Brunt before he gets killed. Luckily Quark survives the ordeal to swindle another day. The only problem is that now Quark is broke and exiled from the Ferengi Empire. 

Broken Link

Odo has taken ill and the only way to cure him is to take him home to the Founders. Once in the Gamma Quadrant the Founders find Odo and take him back to the great link to be judged. He is being judged because he killed a fellow changeling. He is taken into the link and judged; the verdict, guilty. His punishment is not death but that he is transformed into a solid person. While in the great link Odo did learn that Gowron the leader of the Klingon Empire is really a changeling. 

Season 5

Apocalypse Rising

Now that Starfleet knows that Gowron is a changeling, Odo, O'Brien, Worf and Sisko are off to the Klingon Empire to kill him. They are disguised as Klingons and set to the task of being initiated as special warriors but first must endure a party designed to weed out the weak ones. Through a series of events it turns out the General Martok is the changeling and he is killed. Relations with the Klingons are starting to get better by the end of the episode but it is not perfect yet. 

The Ship

Worf, Sisko, O'Brien, Dax and Muniz(a random officer) are on a remote Gamma Quadrant planet to survey the mining potential. A Jem'Hadar ship crashes and they decide to salvage it for intelligence research. Another ships shows up and the 5 are stranded in the ship under attack. The tensions raise and the Jem'Hadar and Vorta try to mess with the crew to get them out of the ship. Sisko figures that there is something special in the ship but they cannot locate it, eventually the find out that it is a Founder. The Founder dies and the Vorta appears to collect the remains of the dead "god". In the end Sisko struggles to weight the cost and benefit of the situation. 

Looking for par'Mach in all the Wrong Places

Quark's old wife of convenience Grilka shows up on the station and Worf is in love, but so is Quark. Worf spends the whole episode trying to help Quark bed this Klingon beatuy, with a little help from Dax too. In Addition Kira and O'Brien are feeling shall we say a little romantically heated and confused but nothing comes of this. In the end Quark and Grilka end up together and so do Worf and Dax. 

...Nor the Battle to the Strong

Jake Sisko is with Bashir on a mission while he is supposed to be writing an article. The two get a distress call from a near by planet that is under attack by the Klingons. Jake pursuades Bashir to go the planet to help out. He does this for selfish reasons because he wants a good story. While on the planet Jake works the hospital to help with patients. He becomes traumatized by a number of situations and in the end everything works out but he is very shaken and needs time to recover. 

Shattered Mirror, The Muse, For the Cause, To the Death

This week has very simply been extremely challenging and I really feel no need to talk about it any further. I know that makes for a very boring blog post but that is where I am at. This blog post will cover two workouts but four episodes of the show.

Workout:

Friday- Mini-Triathlon: swim ⅕ mile, bike 9 miles, run 1.5 miles

Sunday- Ran 3 miles

Shattered Mirror
Jennifer from the mirror universe has come to DS9 in hopes to meet Jake Sisko and spend some time with Sisko. The captain leaves them alone for just a little while and finds that Jennifer has kidnapped Jake to the other side. When Sisko arrives on the other side he is taken into custody. It turns out that the rebels have taken over the station and have built themselves their own Defiant. They need Sisko to get it up and working before the Alliance shows up to retake the station. In the end the rebels win, Jennifer is dead and Sisko ends back home where he belongs.

The Muse

Two stories for this show that really don’t relate at all which leaves this one a bit of a shaky episode. Jake Sisko meets a mysterious woman who helps him to unlock his talent. It turns out that she is some kind of alien that unlocks people’s brains but then it ends up killing them and she ends up living forever. In the other story Lwaxana Troi arrives on the station pregnant and running away from her husband who wants to take the child and raise him only with men, as is tradition on his homeworld. As a great friend Odo protects her and eventually marries her so that her child isn’t taken away from her. In the end all is well on DS9.

For the Cause
Some important technology is on its way to the Cardassian Empire but making their way through DS9. Odo and Eddington have suspicions about Cassidy Yates, Sisko’s girlfriend. She is followed and it turns out she is smuggling for the Maquis. Eddington sets up a plan to follow her but at the last minute changes the plan. Sisko goes out to catch Cassidy but they soon realize that they have been taken away from the station for a reason. Eddington reveals that he is a Maquis operative and that the whole thing was a plan to get ahold of the technology.

To the Death

The Defiant returns to the station to find that it has been attacked by the Jem’Hadar. Sisko, Odo, Worf and Dax leave to track the Jem’Hadar into the Gamma Quadrant. Them come across a damaged Jem’Hadar ship and find the crew alive. The two crews meet on the Defiant and the Vorta leader Weyoun reveals that they were tracking the rebel Jem’Hadar who had attacked the station. The two crews work together through much tension to eliminate these rebels. In the end they are eliminated but things seems tense as the Jem’Hadar kill their leader and the Federation crew leaves for home.

Hard Time

Any of my regular readers know that I really try not use curse language very often but to be completely blunt today things are kinda shitty at the moment. Sunday night/Monday morning I was awoken to the sounds of my 2 year old cat Tagg howling. I looked around for him thinking he was stuck in a closet, which surprisingly happens quite a bit. He was under the bed but couldn't get himself out so I pulled him out and into my arms. He began to walk away from me and I noticed that his back legs were not working. I called my amazing sister who is a vet tech and she said to get him to the emergency clinic and before I knew it I was on my. It was quite the long 40 minute car ride with an agitated cat, tears and a lot of howling. The second we entered the door they brought me into a room and really confirmed my worst fears. This was a terminal condition caused by a blood clot. His chances for recovery were less than 20% and his chances for a reoccurrence of the problem were well over 80%. It was a very tough step to take to put him down but I can only say that it was a very easy decision to make. It was best for him to be put to rest and I knew that, even though it sucked.

My home now is quiet. I still have my 10 year old female cat, Twitter, but it is incredible how much noise a 2 year old kitten can make. I'm sad and I know this will take time to recover from. I was asked by a few people "if I needed anything" and I only gave the truthful answer to one person. It has been very soon after and a family member so I don't feel so bad for this but the truthful answer to that question was "I need my cat back!"

Why do we keep animals in our lives when we know that there is a great deal of pain involved in the parting of ways. At the moment getting another cat seems like an impossible suggestions and I don't think I will get another cat. Who knows though maybe in the future a second cat or a puppy is in my future. But all I know right now is that Tagg will be missed and can never be replaced.

HARD TIME

Chief O'Brien has apparently committed a crime on a planet in the Gamma Quadrant and his penalty is 20 years in prison. The sentence is carried out as a series of mental implants to make him believe he has served the time but in reality only a few moments passed for him. O'Brien returns to the Deep Space Nine a broken man with a secret. He has a tough time readjusting to his life as a family man and chief of operations. He also has a secret that comes out during a moment with a phaser pointed at his own head. During his "virtual sentence' O'Brien killed his cell mate and once that secret is shared he is able to start moving past the events and get his life back in order. 

Accession & Rules of Engagement

And so the Star Trek marathon has continued throughout the weekend. I have watched a few more episodes of Deep Space Nine and now I'm watching Star Trek The Motion Picture. I know the motion picture is not great but as I've gotten a little older I appreciate it a bit more than when I was a child. It is by far one of the weakest entries in the series yes but the design of the picture, the casting, the effects and the score are all very strong elements. It is a bummer that the script could not have been a bit more action packed along with the cerebral nature of the story. Instead though we are left with a two hour film that feels closer to three hours in length. One would think that they would have learned their lesson after the TV series shaky start. The pilot episode "The Cage" is light on action and very heavy on the higher level thinking which works but is not a great way to start a show. In contrast the second pilot "Where no man has gone before" is much more action with a little thought placed in the story. In a similar fashion when Star Trek 2 came around the heady thinking was left out of the picture for a more straight forward sci-fi action picture, to great results I might add.

Gym workout: Swam 20 lengths of the pool, Biked for 30 minutes and elliptical for 15 minutes.

Accession
A man comes through the wormhole in a very old Bajoran light ship and it is found that he has lost about 200 years. He proclaims that he has met the prophets and is the Emissary. Sisko willingly steps aside but begins to feel uneasy about this man's plans for Bajor. Quickly he rushes to reintroduce an old caste system that was thrown off when the Cardassians occupied Bajor. Sisko warns the government that this will mean Bajor being denied Federation membership but no one seems to care. Sisko convinces the "emissary" to enter the wormhole where the prophets essentially say they sent this man to challenge and strengthen Sisko's role as the emissary. He resumes duty and all things are back to normal on Bajor.

Rules of Engagement 

Worf is under a hearing for destroying a Klingon freighter while on a convoy mission protecting Cardassian supply ships. The Klingon government is seeking to extradite Worf and try him on the Klingon home world for war crimes. The Klingon advocate seems to be doing a pretty good job of twisting everyone's truth and knowledge into pretty condemning evidence against Worf. Worf himself doesn't do any favors for his case when he engages in a fight with the advocate. Sisko feels something is up and with Odo, discovers that the Klingon government has set this up as a sham in order to weaken the Federation and Starfleet in the quadrant's eyes. 

Live Long and Prosper Leonard Nimoy

I really cannot express how utterly sad I have been the last 24 hours since I found out about the passing of the great Leonard Nimoy. He was a great man with many talents and has touched the lives of countless numbers of people since the world was first introduced to Mr. Spock in 1966. I have never met the man and really never knew that much about him outside of his involvement in Star Trek but he has always been a hero of mine. Spock was an outsider on the show but he was utterly important to the Enterprise and it just showed that you could be different and still a part of the action Spock was always my grandmother's favorite character as well and that meant a lot to me. She is the reason I began to love Star Trek and I guess Leonard's passing reminds me of things that are gone.

After this sad news I have been binging on Star Trek. Since last night I have watched 4 episodes of the original series and I am currently on my fourth episode of Deep Space Nine for the day. I'm loving every minute of this marathon, despite its reason. 

CROSSFIRE

The Bajoran first minister is on the station to complete negotiations with the Federation for Bajor's admittance to the Federation early. There has been a threat against the minister so Odo and Worf are stepping up security. The minister is making it difficult for his security to be ensured and that is made even more difficult when Kira falls for the minister. Much to the dismay of Odo who secretly has fallen for her too over the past few years. In the end Odo silently gives up and just isolates himself more than he already was. 

RETURN TO GRACE

Kira has been ordered to attend a conference between Bajor and Cardassia to discuss strategic issues with the Klingons. Kira is shocked to see that Dukat is the one transporting her to the conference. While on the way Kira and Dukat learn that the Klingons have destroyed the conference site and killed all of the members of the delegates. Kira and Dukat turn rogue and eventually capture a Klingon Bird of Prey. Dukat plans to continue his campaign and Kira persuades him to let his daughter live on DS9 for her safety. 

SONS OF MOGH

Worf's brother Kern has arrived on the station and requests that his brother conduct a ritual Klingon murder. Kern and Worf's family has been disgraced and Kern feels that he has no place in the world anymore. Worf is stopped at the last moment and Kern lives. Kern continues to try find a way to die either at his own hand or at the hand of someone else. He even joins the Bajoran militia as a security officer but this does not work out. In the end Worf has Bashir wipe his memory without his knowledge and performs plastic surgery so that Kern can rejoin Klingon society as a new person. 

BAR ASSOSCIATION

Rom and the rest of the employees at Quark's Bar are fed up with the horrible conditions and treatment! From a recommendation by Bashir, Rom forms a union and the employees go on strike. The Strike causes a lot of friction on the station and eventually the Ferengi FCA get involved. The Union continues forward and the FCA has the shit kicked out of Quark. In the infirmary Quark agrees to honor the demands of the union but not officially. In the end though Rom becomes a technician working for the Bajoran Militia. 

Paradise Lost

Today I decided it was a good day to kick my ass at the gym and I did it! I opted to complete my planned lifting routine which I am enjoying a lot more than I thought that I would. After that I ran three miles on the treadmill. My reward for the whole thing was some time in the sauna at the gym. The people at my gym are good people if not a little different and well just small town. It was a fun day at the gym!

Paradise Lost

At the end of the previous episode the power went out on Earth and Starfleet was set into a state of military control by the president of the Federation. A few pieces of information are brought to Sisko’s attention including the Red Squad being deployed and returned around the time of the blackout. Through some digging he discovers that Red Squad was sent out by Admiral Leyton in an attempt to overthrow the Federation on Earth in order to more solidly fortify the safety of the Alpha Quadrant. Leyton has a plan in place to form a coupe in the misguided belief that he is helping the Federation instead of destroying it. In the end the plot is foiled and Leyton is removed from command. The suspicion on Earth of the Changelings still runs high though so not all is right in the world.

Homefront

I witnessed a new level of douchery at the gym this evening.  A man was standing in the bathroom and shaving.. HIS CHEST! Are you fucking kidding me dude? Really? Shaving your chest in a public space? Why don’t you just drop trow and wax your pubes while you are at it bud! I do continue to be shocked and appalled by the behaviors of the other patrons in the gym that I go to on a regular basis.

In other news I was called a Fucking Bastard by a kiddo at school today so that is sweet. The worst part is I didn’t even deserve but really who does deserve to be called that, except well Hitler.

Workout: Run 3 miles & Biked 15 minutes

Homefront

27 people are killed at a Romulan/Federation peace conference and a Changeling is found responsible. Sisko and Odo are called to Earth to meet with Starfleet Command and the President of the Federation. Earth is found to be in a slight panic and increased security is on the rise around the planet. Sisko is placed in command of Starfleet Security and measures to screen out Changelings are put into place, much to the dismay of the President. throughout the time at Starfleet Odo discovers that a Changeling has been impersonating an Admiral at Starfleet and things become much more serious. An added benefit of the trip home means that the Sisko and Jake get to visit the aging elder Sisko who runs a restaurant in New Orleans. Joe Sisko’s health is declining and tensions among the family are high because of the stubbornness of the old man. Nog also shows up and talks about a mysterious group at the Academy called Red Squad. Things are all sorts of suspicious and then the power goes out planet wide leaving Earth defenseless.

Our Man Bashir

Happy President’s Day everyone! I’m not sure how I am supposed to celebrate this holiday so I spent it on the couch in my sweats watching Netflix. I had the day off of school today which was fun but I still had to go to my second job. All in all it was a really fun day capped off with a visit to the gym. I actually ran two miles today and it didn’t hurt! I am really starting to feel so confident and happy about my running! Running makes me smile :)

Workout: Biked 7 miles, Ran 2 miles

Our Man Bashir

Sisko, Dax, Worf, Kira and O’Brien are on their way back to the station when there is an accident on board and the runabout blows up. Luckily, the station was able to get them out of there in time but they are forced to store the crew in the computer banks of the station until they can figure out how to rematerialize the five officers. Meanwhile Bashir and Garak are on the holosuite enjoying Bashir’s new favorite program where he is a British spy in the 1960’s. The characters in the holosuite take on the appearance of the five crewmembers trapped in the computer. Bashir and Garak must outwit the evil plans of Dr. Noah while managing not to kill anyone or else their patterns will be lost forever. In the end Bashir beats the computer program and keeps everyone alive so that they can be restored to their normal selves.

This episode was released 3 days after the James Bond movie GoldenEye, the first bond movie after a six year hiatus. The look of the episode is pure Connery era Bond and it is a lot of fun! The best part are the names of the women-- Mona Luvsitt and Honey Bare! I loved it but I guess that is because I’m a huge Bond fan.

The Sword of Kahless

It is Valentine’s Day and I’m single.. is that enough information for the world? Actually it is not because this year I am trying to make the conscious decision not to get pissy, drunk, or moody on this meaningless holiday in the middle of February. Yes I am single but I am going to treat myself as my Valentine this year because I’ve kind of been in a relationship with myself the last 32 years and I’m not even getting that right the entire time. So I’m celebrating me this year!

On a fun side note I am so very happy, thrilled, relieved and just plain giddy! I went to the gym this morning with the intent to start running again after my PCL tear last month. I got on the treadmill really hoping that I could just do at least ½ a mile but I was able to get through an entire mile without pain. Granted the pace was an abysmal 13 minute mile but I ran the whole time and it didn’t hurt at all! I have not run a single step in the last month and I really had no clue how today would go. I also knew that running had become part of my “sanity” routine that helped me to feel better and to brighten my spirits but I guess it is a bigger part than I thought. I now just need to add another four miles before the middle of April when I have my first race of the year.

Workout: Ran 1 mile, Biked 15 minutes and Elliptical for 20 minutes

The Sword of Kahless

Kor is visiting his friend Dax on Deep Space Nine and is entertaining the crowds at Quark’s Bar with stories of his gloried past in battle. During the story Dax takes it upon herself to introduce Worf and Kor. The two hit it off over a story about the Sword of Kahless, an ancient Klingon artifact similar to the fabled holy grail. The three set off on a journey to find the sword on a remote planet in the gamma quadrant. Upon arriving there and finding the sword the three are ambushed by members of the House of Duras looking to claim the sword for themselves in order to reclaim their glory. Dax, Kor and Worf now are on the run through a series of underground mines. While trying to escape Worf and Kor begin to distrust each other and want to claim the sword for their own purposes. In the end Dax gets the three out of their and forces Worf and Kor to beam the sword into open space. This way no one has the sword and therefore it won’t turn the empire against itself.