Star Trek Themed Thanksgiving Dinner?

Wouldn't it be fun to theme your Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) feast to your favorite Sci-Fi franchise?  A Star Trek themed Thanksgiving dinner is easy enough.

First off, you can serve turkey- it's canon!  In the TOS episode "Charlie X", Captain Kirk tells the ship's chef "On Earth today, it's Thanksgiving. If the crew has to eat synthetic meat loaf, I want it to look like turkey."  Later in the episode Charlie uses his powers to transform the meat loaf into real turkeys!   To make this episode part of your meal, just serve turkey with a label that says "meat loaf" but cross that our and write in "turkey".   :)

The fun doesn't stop there-- you can also invest in Ethan Phillips's Star Trek Cook Book and serve dishes like Ocampa Potato Salad & Klingon Gagh!   Which go well with Romulan Ale (any blue drink will do).

Here's a complication of Thanksgiving references I found on Youtube that might help inspire you. :)

What to Wear & Carry in WDW

In today's blog I discuss how to take care of yourself in Walt Disney World.  In order not to get over heated, dehydrated, blistered, and miserable I take extra steps to wear comfortable clothes and pack a bag of must-have items.

The Best Star Trek Podcasts (IMHO)

In this video I break down what I think are the  best Star Trek podcasts. 

First up is Roddenberry endorsed & produced http://www.missionlogpodcast.com/ which takes a look at the original series one episode at a time.

Next up, I talk about the library of podcasts at http://trek.fm/.  These include some of my favorites like:

• http://trek.fm/the-ready-room/- Both a Trek news and discussion show.  
• http://trek.fm/the-orb/ - A Deep Space Nine podcast
• http://trek.fm/to-the-journey/ - A Voyager podcast
• http://trek.fm/warp-five/ - An Enterprise podcast

Finally, I recommend http://www.trekcast.com/ the #1 rated Star Trek Podcast!

What do you think?  Do you have a favorite podcast that deals with the world of Star Trek?

******UPDATE May 2014******

I feel I must go back and edit this blog entry with an update.  There are two new shows on the trek.fm network that are basically my new favorites.  The first is Earl Grey, dedicated entirely to Star Trek The Next Generation.  Hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx take a fun casual look at the show that revitalized and helped make Star Trek the phenomenon it is today.

And then, the newest show on the network is Standard Orbit, which focuses on the original series.  While not quite a light hearted (read silly) as Earl Grey, it's a great listen for my commute to work.

So, you won't hear me talk about either of these great shows in the below talky-blog.  Bu here are their links:
https://trek-fm.squarespace.com/earl-grey
https://trek-fm.squarespace.com/standard-orbit

*****END EDIT*****

Throwback Thursday Disney Style!

The internet has introduced a number of traditions.  One of these is "Throwback Thursday".  Most people celebrate this by uploaded an old photo of themselves as their Facebook profile picture.  Or some folks will tweet an old picture from their past in a "remember when" kind of way.

I'd like to take this a moment on this "Throwback Thursday" to talk about the Disneyland and Walt Disney World of yesterday and share with you several web links and blogs on the topic.

First, let's look at the Walt Disney Company's own official department dedicated to looking back thru time.  The Disney Archives and Collections Department has a great web page full of images from the company's past.  Plus, D23 The official Disney Fan Club, produces a series of videos called the Armchair Archivist.   I can get lost watching these on YouTube!  Here is an embedded video link to the whole playlist.


Then there are fan created webpages, blogs and photograhy collections all dedicated to the Disney. Here are some of my favorite:

• Yesterland is a great website all about closed Disneyland and WDW attractions.  Ever wonder what Cranium Command was like in the Wonder of Life Pavilion at EPCOT?  Want to take a trip back in time to see the original Dumbo ride before it was replaced with the new version?  Then this is the website for you!  

• Walt Dated World is similar to Yesterland but it's not as easy to navigate.  Still, it's worth checking out all their photos of what WDW was like in the 70's and 80's. 

• Daveland's Disneyland.  Dave DeCaro is a talented artist & photographer who also has created this treasure trove of vintage & current photographs and research all about Disneyland, the Disneyland Hotel and Walt Disney World.  Trust me, you can get lost in there! 

• BoingBoing is calls itself "the web's favorite zine devoted to the weird, wonderful and wicked things to be found in technology and culture".  But, thanks is large part to Cory Doctorow, the site often covers Disney history.  :) 

• The Original EPCOT webpage is less about what was and more about what might have been.  So it almost doesn't fit on this list.  But still, it's worth checking out.  

• Imagineering Disney is my most recent discovery.  I just spent hours clicking around this blog and reading all about Disney's involvement in the 1964 World's Fair, the new closed Discover Island and River Country in WDW.  Also make sure to check out the extensive
  "Friends of the Blog" list on the right side of the page for hours and hours of more entertainment. 

What if Disney Owned Star Trek?

Check out my latest video blog where I ask the question "What if Star Trek was owned by the Walt Disney Company?"   It's not that hard to imagine, especially since Disney currently owns both Star Wars & Marvel.   Let's look at what they've done with those other geeky franchises.  :) Also-- I give three examples of Star Trek that you can find at Walt Disney World today. :)

My Love/Hate Relationship with the Subway

Sometimes I have trouble sleeping.  It's like I can't make my brain stop-- I can't just relax and slip into blissful slumber.  Instead I have hundreds of thoughts racing thru my mind.  Tonight I've decided to silence my mind a bit by blogging.

This evening's entry is about the subway system in my home city of  New York.  You see, even though I'm miles away working, my heart and my mind are both in the big Apple.  So maybe if I blog about NYC I'll be able to get it off of my mind and I'll fall asleep.  We'll see.

So anyway, I kind of hate the subway.  I hate it for lots of reasons like:

• It's crowded.
• It often makes me motion sick and/or dizzy.  This is especially true if I'm not facing forward or if I try to read.  
• The trains & stations are usually too hot or too cold.  
• It's dirty, smelly, and run down.  Many stations have pealing paint, water damaged tile, etc. 
• There are few bathrooms in the stations and most of the ones they exist are pad locked and no longer for public use.  
• "PLEASE SWIPE AGAIN"
• Buskers, musicians, pan handlers, homeless people--- basically anyone who want's money is in my way.  
• It's full of rude people who take up more than one seat, clip their nails, litter, talk LOUDLY on their phones, etc.  
• The terrible subway "art". 

On the other hand, there are reasons to like the Subway as well.  These include things like:

• It gets me where I need to go.
• It allows me to avoid driving in NYC traffic. 
• I can wear a Star Trek costume on my way to/from an event (like the movie premier) and no one cares. At all. 
• It gives me a chance to listen to podcasts on my iPod.
• You can actually get in some good people watching.
• It's better for the environment than cars!  

So, in conclusion, do I like the Subway?  Not really- but its not all bad.  I am guilty of letting a bad subway experience ruin my day, however, and that's just silly.  I need to work on that. 

What do you think of the subway? 

Who is the Best Star Trek Captain?

It's a subject that is certainly up for debate!  As I described in a previous entry, it's hard to compare Kirk and Picard.  However, I now propose that there is a compromise.... 

Back to Blogger!

I've decided to separate my professional web page (www.themikejones.com) from my blog.  Basically, my web page has one goal and one goal only-- to get me a job.  It's just a place for me to put my resume, post information about current projects, and help me showcase myself as a Stage Manager who YOU want to hire!  The page is hosted on wordpress.com, which is a blogging platform.  So naturally, it was also host to my geeky pop-culture blog.  Until today, that is, when I asked myself: do I really want prospective employers to read about my visit to Star Trek The Exhibition or to watch a YouTube clip of me talking about my favorite Disney podcasts?  Not really... so thus I've decided to make my blog home here on Blogger.  It will be a lot easier to post my YouTube clips here too, since both sites fall under the Google umbrella. :)

Walt Disney World in 1977

Here is a quick video blog that I did where I share some of my family's home footage from Walt Disney World in 1977.  Check out my YouTube Channel for more.

My Favorite Disney Podcasts

My Favorite Disney Podcasts!

WDW Radio with Lou Mongello: http://www.wdwradio.com/
Inside the Magic with Ricky Brigante: http://www.insidethemagic.net/
The Unofficial Guide's Disney Dish with Jim HIll: http://jimhillmedia.com/p/podcasts.aspx
Wedway Radio & Wedway Now: http://wedwayradio.squarespace.com/
Moustalgia: http://www.mousetalgia.com/
Disney Hipsters: http://www.disneyhipsters.com/

For more Disney podcasts go to:
Touring Plans.com Podcast Network: http://blog.touringplans.com/2013/06/27/introducing-the-touringplans-com-podcast-network/

Trying to Video Blog Again....

Tim's Blog: http://timdodonnell.blogspot.com