Busy busy busy!

I have just been SWAMPED lately with my work. I'm currently Stage Managing a show up in Auburn, New York at the Merry Go Round Playhouse in their Downtown Series. It's called Cooking With The Calamari Sisters: Mangia Italiano! We just opened last week and run thru August 20th! So while I haven't had much time for my Star Trek addiction lately, I do think about Star Trek every night when we do the show. Why? Well.... if you come see the show (and please do!) watch for one of the main characters to bust out the Vulcan Nerve Pinch on her sister! And if you're really paying attention, there's even a quick reference to Lt. Ilia.

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I Met Uhura!

I'll blog more about this later, but I just had to share the pictures now. I met an idol of mine-- and the Queen of all us Communications Officers-- Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura)!

Blast From The Past!!

I just stumbled onto this video blog I did back in 2009 (on my 30th birthday) when the J.J. Abrams Star Trek film came out! Enjoy. :)

Captain! There be whales here!!

Tim and I went on a whale watch today! It was loads of fun. The whales were very active and seemed happy to come up and give us a show. This one beautiful whale named Hornbill came up along the aft side of the ship and made a dive showing us all his fluke or tail fin. I got some shots of him (below). The whale watch guide (who looked so much like Zac Efron he had the same name) told us that Hornbill is a humpback whale! Of course I immediately thought of Star Trek IV. Seeing one of these amazing creatures up close gave me a whole new perspective on the movie. I never really understood how massive these animals really are. They can grow up to 52 feet long!

Here are a few photos I thought I'd share. If you ever get a chance to go on a whale watch I highly recommend it! I also highly recommend sunscreen and Dramamine. ;)

Happy Captain Picard Day!

Today is Captain Picard Day! How will you celebrate?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPpOGTuMoig]

Star Trek Sightings!

There's a little game I like to play-- Find the Star Trek! This happens when you're out running errands or doing something completely not related to Star Trek and you find some fun bit of Star Trek merchandise or memorabilia. For example, finding Captain Kirk pez dispenser at the grocery store. I mean, a grocery store is the logical place to buy candy. But still when you walked into Stop & Shop you didn't expect to see James T Kirk's head in a bin along side Tweety Bird, right?

I recently had two fun findings at the movie theatre. Tim and I when we went to see Bridesmades at the local theater near his Mom's house in Danvers, MA. The halls of this particular multiplex are decorated with older movie posters. For example, you might walk past a poster for Free Willy on your way to see Thor. I knew this but I didn't know they had a Star Trek IV poster! I was very excited when I saw it! (photo below)

But the fun didn't stop there. They also have the Star Trek Voyager Arcade Game! I'd never actually played this first person shooter game before. I wasn't very good at it and died pretty quickly. It's basically a zombie game with the borg standing in for the living dead. You have to shoot them right in the chest several times. As soon as they adapt to your phaser you re-modulate by shooting off of the screen. Ok-- I made that up. In reality it's not a phaser. It's totally a gun and when you run out of bullets you reload by shooting off the screen. But... it's fun to pretend that the game designers knew something about Star Trek. :) I did a YouTube search and found a vid of the game to share with you. :)



[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAWMyrImuVw]

G'Morning!

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog entry about how Captain Janeway is OBSESSED with coffee. In that entry I said " I'm not a slave to caffeine." But since then I've had to re-examine myself a little. I drink a lot more coffee then I'd like to admit. I often pop into Dunkin Donuts for a "medium iced coffee with french vanilla, skim milk and two equals" when I'm out in the city. It gives me energy. Perks me up when I'm out running errands. I'd say I do this maybe twice a week. I also tend to drink coffee when I'm in rehearsal for a show. If I have 6 rehearsals in a week I'd say I go thru maybe 3 cups. And since getting the Keurig coffee pot at home (thanks to Gail) I'd say I brew a cup of my own a couple times a week as well. That puts me up to like 7 cups a week! This is a dramatic increase compared to a couple of years ago when I never drank the stuff. If I continue to increase my coffee intake I may soon be as addicted as Janeway herself! Then what will I be capable of?! Stay tuned to find out!!

Marina Sirtis Should Be the New Voice of the Computer!

Ever since the passing of Majel Barrett Roddenberry in 2008, there has been talk of who should voice the computer in in Star Trek 2012. Often called the First Lady of Star Trek, Ms. Roddenberry voiced the computer in every version of Star Trek dating back to the original series. She even recorded the computer voice for the J.J. Abrams film shortly before her death. Here is a You Tube movie with a compilation of her Computer Voice work:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJfkYjrbPS4]

But who should take over where she left off? Who should be the new voice of the computer in the upcoming movie! For me there is an obvious answer. MARINA SIRTIS! She is best known for playing Counselor Troi in The Next Generation and Voyager. And Majel played her mother, of course. Not only would Ms. Sirtis do an amazing job-- it would keep the computer voice sort of "in the family". :)

I'm not the only want who wants Ms. Sirtis to be the new computer voice. There are online polls addressing the matter and Marina herself is talking about it! check out this recent interview from OMGWire.com:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epCQR9QEdBg]

My Star Trek Birthday Party!

Sunday was my 32nd Birthday! Tim threw me a fun Star Trek themed birthday party and really went above and beyond! He made a kick-ass Enterprise Bridge Birthday Cake for me. :) Check it out below. He even added "Happy Birthday Mike" to the main viewer display. :) Very cool! BTW- there are Star Trek figures and playsets from the 2009 movie on clearance at Toys R Us in Queens right now. :)

In addition to eating delicious cake, my friends and I watched some of my favorite fun episodes of TOS and TAS, played some Star Trek Scene It and enjoyed some food even Neelix would approve of-- 5 different kinds of nachos! :)

I also got some pretty cool gifts including comic books like Star Trek: The Motion Picture Trilogy. It's a fascinating look at the three films. I also got a Star Trek bathrobe! It's gold and looks like Captain Kirk's command division uniform. Check it out over at thinkgeek.com.

My Birthday!

My Birthday is the day after tomorrow! To celebrate, my partner

Blinking Lights & Glowing Diagrams

There's a great Star Trek screensaver out there called System 47 from the folks over at mewho.com. It's been around for years and simulates a computer display on the U.S.S. Enterprise E circa Star Trek: First Contact. The graphics and animation are really nice (video below). I've had it on my Macbook for... well... as long as I've had my Macbook. (The program is also available for Windows for you PC lovers.) System 47 has served me well but I'm kind of bored with it now a days. What I really want is a TOS era screen saver! True, the special effects on the bridge of the original Enterprise aren't all that great by today's standards, but a screensaver that shows the computer displays from Lt. Uhura's Communications console would be pretty awesome! It can be animated more like the graphics on Star Trek: Phase II and have sound effects-- the whole works!

I've searched the net but no one has made this yet. I don't really understand how to but it wouldn't be too hard I think for someone who understands programing. I did find some pretty cool photos of the original bridge on Greg_Weir's Flickr Photostream. Below is a shot of Uhura's station from one of the Star Trek: The Exhibition. Come on computer people! Somebody make this! :)


Photo (c) Greg Weir


System47 Enterprise E Screensaver Demo:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaCP-sTXMlc]

"There's coffee in that nebula"

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm introducing Star Trek Voyager to my partner Tim. We're currently in season 6 of our marathon and Tim has come to love 7 of 9 (of course). Jeri Ryan is really talented and really ads a lot to the show. BTW- Ms. Ryan is obsessed with twitter (@JeriLRyan).

But getting back to our Voyager marathon, one thing sings out to me more now than it ever did before. Janeway is OBSESSED with coffee. It seems like she always has a cup in her hand. "Keeps you sharp" she says. Maybe she's right. We just got a Keurig coffee maker as a gift. Maybe I should pop in a pod whenever I watching an episode of Voyager. It can even be a drinking game. Take a shot of espresso every time you see Janeway drinking... or something like that.

It's obvious that our favorite Captain (in the delta quadrant) has an addiction. It's made me look at myself and ask if I have any similar crutches. I'm not a slave to caffeine. I don't take afternoon tea (earl gray. hot.) I do have quite a sweet tooth, however. Ice cream. THAT is my addiction! Summer will be here soon and I can't help but want a bowl of ice cream on a daily basis (at least). Still, it's no match for Janeway's need for coffee. Do you have any addictions?

Star Trek Slots in Atlantic City!

Even during a short escape to Atlantic City I somehow manage to Trek-out! We recently spent a night at the Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino in Fabulous Atlantic City and had a great time. We played the slots, had an nice walk in the boardwalk, and even enjoyed a "free" buffet. Our room had a cool ocean view too. It was a great get-a-way. But the highlight of the trip for me was playing a Star Trek slot machine!

These Trek themed gambling machines were first released in 2008 by the WMS company. I actually got a chance to play one in a recent visit to Las Vegas. It's loads of fun! The machine is based on the original series and incorporates sound effects, audio and video clips from the show. You can even create a profile and then print a ticket to scan at the next Star Trek slot machine you come upon and it will remember you and let you pick up where you left off. There are bonus rounds where you get to fight on multiple Klingon battle cruisers (each one you defeat has a different bonus $ amount. It's a penny slot machine so you can actually play for a while on just $20. According to Trek Movie the company is releasing a new Star Trek slot machine system this summer.

I'm sure you want to know how I did. Well.. let's just say it was a kobayashi maru kind of situation. But still- I had fun. :)

I did a little Youtube search and found this video. It gives you an idea of what the slot play looks like.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ounyd_n5RKE]

Star Trek Phase II

I have been a big fan of James Cawley and his online Star Trek fan series Star Trek Phase II for a long time. It's an all volunteer, all fan produced & fan acted TV show that's available for free download online. In my opinion, it is by far the best most professionally produced Trek fan series out there! Not only have they worked with veteran Trek actors like George Takei, Walter Koening & Denise Crosby, but they have also collaborated with great Trek writers and directors like David Gerrold and D.C. Fontana. Their production values, sets, costumes & CGI are top notch! It's really unbelievably well done.

Phase II has also pushed boundaries that the Paramount produced shows never have. Their last episode "Blood and Fire" featured an openly gay couple-- that of Captain Kirk's nephew Peter Kirk and a new character, Freeman. It's a simple love story that's is an integral part of the plot but doesn't detract from it. I highly recommend watching "Blood and Fire" as well as the other Phase II episodes here. Did I mention that IFT is also the official fan club of Phase II?

Now another episode is almost ready for download!
Here is the official press release from the Crawley folks:

Senior Executive Producer for Star Trek Phase II Mr. James Cawley has set a release date for the latest episode, "Enemy: Starfleet!" The episode is scheduled to be released via the Internet on Friday, April 22, 2011 ("Earth Day") at 5:01 pm (1701) Eastern Daylight Time.
"Enemy: Starfleet!" (written by Dave Galanter and Patty Wright, based on a story by Galanter and Greg Brodeur) is the seventh full-length episode produced by the Star Trek Phase II production team.
Veteran actress and Star Trek alumnus Ms. BarBara Luna ("Marlena Moreau" in the Star Trek original series episode "Mirror, Mirror") joins the cast of "Enemy: Starfleet!" as "Alersa," a space terrorist leading a faction of alien agressors who steal a starship and reverse engineer it, to create a marauding fleet--an "enemy Starfleet."
More details about where exactly to view this episode (streaming web sites, download websites, international mirror websites, YouTube, etc.) will be announced soon at our Facebook page and at:
http://www.startreknewvoyages.com/Episodes.html
In the meantime, the opening teaser and the first portion of Act I have been available for some time now. So if you're interested in viewing (or re-viewing) this first portion of "Enemy: Starfleet!" in the interim, you can find it here:
http://videos.startrekphase2media.com/Enemy/
Gregory L. Schnitzer
Co-Executive Producer
Star Trek Phase II

Here is the teaser from this exciting upcoming episode:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKQ0WtfDTJU]

Enterprise Coming to New York!!

All Star Trek fans who can track their obsession back to the 1970's knows that back in 1976 NASA named their first prototype space shuttle "Enterprise" after our favorite starship. This real world fact was quickly incorporated into Trek history. You can see a photo of the shuttle in an "Enterprise Legacy" display in Star Trek The Motion Picture when Decker and Ilia are on the recreation deck. You can also see a sketch of the shuttle in Captain Archer's ready room and catch a glipse of the Enterprise in the opening credits of... Enterprise.

Some BIG NEWS came out yesterday that the Enterprise will soon be a part of the Intrepid Air & Space Museum's collection right here in New York City! If you haven't been down to the Intrepid, I highly recommend it. It's a fun educational experience! But I'd wait until the Enterprise arrives if I were you. I'll be sure to post more info about the Enterprise's voyage to the big apple as I learn it. :)

From the Wallstreet Journal:

"The NASA prototype used for test flights in the 1970s will arrive sometime next year at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on the Hudson River — likely on a mammoth Boeing 747 airplane, then a barge up the Hudson River, said Intrepid president Susan Marenoff-Zausner."

Twitter Trek

Some guys start their day with a cup of coffee and reading the morning newspaper. I start my day with a bowl of cereal and reading Star Trek News! I always check the news feed at the official CBS web page as well as checking a few blogs like Trek Movie. But what if that's not enough? I still have half a bowl of cheerios left and I'm all out of Trek news. Luckily some of my favorite Star Trek actors are active tweeters! It's a lot of fun to read actual thoughts and messages people like George Takei, William Shatner and others. Twitter makes these celebrities seem a little more "real". Unlike some famous people, these tweets aren't written by a PR firm or a marketing department. When you read Leonard Nimoy's tweets you're reading Leonard Nimoy's actual words. I think he likes connecting to his fans so directly. Spock isn't the only one either-- at last year's NJ convention Jeri Ryan told everyone in the crowd to follow her on Twitter.

Here are some of my favorite recent tweets from some familiar friends:

@GeorgeTakei

Family Guy gave me a hilarious "shout out" last night. Have you seen it? http://ow.ly/4y2g9 #TheSuluShow

@TheRealNimoy

Working on Transformers. Isn't it about time ??!! LLAP

@WilliamShatner

Another pic of tonight's stage in Auckland NZ. Show begins in a couple of hours. My best, Bill http://twitpic.com/4i6q5q

@JeriLRyan

7 of 9 Doctors agree you should be watching #bodyofproof tomorrow: http://bit.ly/dPSWnI The other 2 couldn't be reached for comment. ;)

@RealNichelle

Roses are also in bloom all over my neighborhood. I took a long walk just to admire the beauty that Spring brings.

@BrentSpiner

Now following @sarahksilverman She makes me laugh.

Here is a list of Star Trek related Twitter feeds:

Star Trek News/Blogs
@StarTrek
@TrekMovie@roddenberry

TOS Cast Members
@WilliamShatner (William Shatner)@TheRealNimoy (Leonard Nemoy)
@GeorgeTakei (George Takei)@RealNichelle (Nichelle Nichols)

TNG Cast Members@BrentSpiner (Brent Spiner)
@levarburton (LeVar Burton)@wilw (Wil Wheaton)

Voyager Cast Members
@JeriLRyan (Jeri Ryan)

Star Trek 2009 Cast Members@ZacharyQuinto (Zachary Quinto)
@simonpegg (Simon Pegg)@zoesaldana (Zoe Saldana)

If you want to follow me, I'm @themikejones. :)

Voyager thoughts..

First, let me say HAPPY FIRST CONTACT DAY!

Now on the main topic-
I've had the exciting experience of introducing Star Trek to my partner Tim. He had watched some Next Generation (TNG) as a child but didn't really remember much of it and he certainly didn't really consider himself a fan. However, since being with me we've watched all 176 episodes the TNG, all the feature films, and a few original series and animated series episodes. Now we've moved onto Star Trek Voyager. We're about 3/4 the way thru season 3. It's fun watching with Tim because has an outsider perspective. He's always making interesting observations and comments. Let me share a couple of them here:

1. Before diving into Voyager Tim warned me "I might not like it". He loved TNG but would make no promises about Voyager. Once we did start watching Voyager he realized "Well, this is just like Next Gen! Why didn't they just keep making that show?". Ya know, he's really right. There are a number of Voyager episodes that could easily be TNG stories. In some cases, the Voyager writers took unused TNG scripts and adapted them. What am I talking about? Well, Take the season 3 episode "Remember". A group of telepaths come on board and one of them forces his/her thoughts onto Torres. Wait a second... doesn't that sound like the TNG episode "Violations" where a group of a telepaths come on board and one of the forces his thoughts onto Troi? I know the similarities end there. "Remember" is ultimately about the Holocaust and "Violations" is about.. well.. violations. But still- the set up is very similar. There are other examples. Just take compare the Voyager episode "Ex Post Facto" with the TNG episode "A Matter of Perspective". Sometimes the "This is just like that Next Gen episode..." problem can be annoying when watching early episodes of the Voyager. Of course, TNG had this problem too. Do we need to talk about "The Naked Now"?

2. "Roxann Dawson is talented actress! Why haven't we seen more of her?" I totally agree with this observation! Upon some research, Ms. Dawson had a nice theatre career before Voyager. She must be a good dancer too because she was on Broadway in one of the most difficult dancing shows in the history of musical theatre-- A Chorus Line. But where is she now? Well, a little digging on IMDB shows that she's moved into the world of television directing. She's even directed episodes of Caprica and Lost. :)

Like I said, Tim and I are heading towards the end of Season 3 and you know what that means. The world is about to change! Voyager experienced a change in producers around season 4. Michael Piller left the show in 1996 and Jeri Taylor left in '98 just as Brannon Braga came onboard. Kenneth Biller joined the show in 2000. These changes really influnced the show. I think Voyager evolved nicely over it's run and just got better and better. TNG experienced a similar evolution. Oh! And we're just around the corner from 7 of 9!! Ok.. back to watching DVDs...

3 Fix All Solutions

I'm enjoying a free afternoon by watching some Star Trek. :) I started out with a couple episodes of Enterprise and have moved onto some Voyager. As I sit here and enjoy some of my favorite episodes I've come to a realization. There are 3 "fix all" solutions in the Star Trek world.

1. Reverse the polarity.

2. Initiate a tachyon beam.

3. Re-modulate.

If only real life were this simple!


- Lt. Jones

Star Trek Live: Review

The touring version of Mad Science's Star Trek Live came to New York City this weekend! (Please click those links and read more about the producing organization and the show!) As soon as I learned of this stop on their tour I made plans to go check it out! They performed at NYU's Skirball center as part of a children's programing series. The house was pretty full for this afternoon's performance. There were a lot of families with smart kids there along with a nice turn out of Star Trek fans. There were even several fans in uniform. I almost felt like I was at a convention!

The show was great! It basically uses Star Trek as the background for a science based educational program. It's set today, in 2011. Starfleet Academy has just been founded and the audience finds themselves enrolled in the very first Starfleet Academy class. They are met my Commander Sean Christoper, a Starfleet Academy trainer. But before the training can begin a Vulcan named Voula arrives from the future to warn us of a dangerous threat. A Romulan has traveled back in time from the late 24th century to destroy one of the 21st century's greatest scientific minds thus undermining our future. Commander Christopher and Voula must defeat this foe with the help of the new cadets in the audience. Along the way they have a lot of fun and teach the audience lots of things about NASA and science. It's really a very well written well planned production. It entertaining and educational. There's plenty for the hardcore Star Trek fan to latch onto as well! Everything from the accurate costumes and props to the pre-show Star Trek trivia fed my Star Trek loving heart!

From a production perspective it's a pretty simple show. For those of you who don't know, I'm a Stage Manager in real life and have done my fair share of touring educational theatre. The show has a unit set with a larger "hanger door" (that opens to reveal Voula's ship), another door, 2 flat screen TVs, what looked like two larger projection screens and several hatches to hind away the science equipment. The cast is small- just two actors. I'd bet they travel with no more than 5 people (2 actors, a stage manager, a company manager, and a technical director). The show is a bit prop heavy including a several pieces of scientific equipment for experiments, some familiar little furry creatures and Starfleet equipment like a tricorder and phaser. One nit-picky thing I noticed. Although Voula is wearing a Starfleet uniform from the 29th century she uses a Mark X Tricorder from the 24th century and a type 2 phaser from the 23rd century (from the new movie). Maybe Voula has an affinity for antiques.

Here is a little preview I found on YouTube. This video wasn't taking at the performance I attended today and the cast members are not the same. Actually I think the cast we saw in NYC today was MUCH better-- but you'll get some idea of what the show is like.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P6rL1a6lnA]


Signing off--

Lt. Mike Jones
Communications Officer
U.S.S. Atlantia NFC-1846

I'm going to "Star Trek Live"!

I just purchased tickets to Star Trek Live: Starfleet Academy which will be playing at NYU's Skirball Center later this month. I can't wait to go see this educational and, I'm sure, entertaining show! I'll make sure to fill you all in with a complete report after the show.

Click HERE for the official web site. More info:

"Star Trek Live is an action-packed, interactive adventure based onone of the most popular science fiction franchises of all time. Members of the audience join the newly formed Starfleet Academy only to be unexpectedly whisked into an exciting adventure steeped in the grand tradition of Star Trek. With the help of a surprise visitor from the planet Vulcan, Starfleet Commander Sean Christopher and his team of rookie cadets must save planet Earth and stop a shocking invasion of Romulan forces from the future. The cadets will have to quickly master the intricacies of modern communications, space travel and NASA technology as they draw on 21st century achievements to try to defeat advancing alien adversaries.

With cutting-edge special effects, unmatched audience interaction and on-screen appearances from Captain Kirk and Spock themselves, Star Trek Live is an exhilarating and unforgettable journey through the universe. Be a part of Star Trek Live and boldly go where no one has gone before!"

Ensign Jones

Brannon Braga Speaks on the Topic: Why are there no gay characters in Star Trek?

I just came across a fascinating article on After Elton.com, a lgbt new blog. They interview Brannon Braga - one of the main writers and creative minds behind Star Trek TNG, DS9, & Voyager asking him why we never saw any gay characters in Star Trek. The author of the article points out that "in 1991 Gene Roddenberry told The AdvocateThe Next Generation would at least show gay crew members as part of ship life. Unfortunately, Roddenberry died that year and none of the subsequent episodes featured gay people at all."

Here is more of the fascinating interview:

AfterElton (AE): I'm very much a fan of Star Trek but unfortunately none of the series ever included a gay character. You were involved with writing two of the movies and produced or executive produced for The Next Generation, Voyager and Enterprise. Can you speak to why that never happened?

BB: It was a shame for a lot of us that ... I’m talking about the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and there was a constant back and forth about well how do we portray the spectrum of sexuality. There were people who felt very strongly that we should be showing casually, you know, just two guys together in the background in Ten Forward. At the time the decision was made not to do that and I think those same people would make a different decision now because I think, you know, that was 1989, well yeah about 89, 90, 91. I have no doubt that those same creative players wouldn’t feel so hesitant to have, you know, have been squeamish about a decision like that.

AE: Why do you think science fiction, given that it’s so much forward looking, has done so poorly when it comes to being inclusive on American television?

BB: You know what’s funny is it was dealt with more metaphorically. Next Generation did a couple episodes you could say ... I worked on one for Deep Space Nine with Dax. I don’t know if I can speak to the whole genre of science fiction, certainly the Star Trek franchise as it existed at the time.

AE: Do you think 20 years ago there was a reluctance to do it because science fiction, wrongly or rightly, is perceived as being for young straight males? Were you guys concerned about that?

BB: I think it was, not so much a young man’s [issue], it was a syndicated family show, showing at six o’clock, you know, in Salt Lake City, so you had to deal with each separate affiliate rather than one network. And things like that.
It was not a forward thinking decision. Knowing the players involved, knowing the decision makers, knowing it was that they felt reluctant about, you know, we’re not saying “yes,” we’re not saying “no,” we’re not just not going to touch that right now.

AE: Do you think if the next iteration of the series or movie doesn’t go there, do gay fans have a right to be really upset at this point? After all this, if it still doesn’t go there in 2011 0r 2012...

BB: Well, I mean, the movie is such a different bird. If there were a TV series, I would agree with you. But for a movie, I personally wouldn’t. With a TV series you’re creating a whole world, you’re creating a whole. You were saying, if this is going to last for five years, and if you don’t go there, then yes you got some questions. A two-hour movie and you’re sitting there and you’re eating your popcorn, if doesn't fit ... if it’s not part of the story, it’s not part of the story. There are many things that aren’t part of the story, you know? That's my personal opinion.

Read the entire article here.

Thoughts On A Lost Doctor

Being sick has its bonuses. For example, recovering from this cold I've been able to marathon Star Trek The Next Generation on DVD. We started with season 2 on Saturday and now we're most of the way thru season 3. You may ask why we didn't start with Season 1-- this is because we already marathoned thru that last summer.

This look back at season 2 has given me the opportunity to reconsider a somewhat forgotten character in the Star Trek canon. Dr. Kate Pulaski as portrayed by Diana Muldaur. From what I understand, when the show as picked up for a 2nd season the producers failed to reach an agreement with Gates McFadden to reprise her role as Dr. Beverly Crusher. This left the Enterprise without a chief medical officer and the cast incomplete. The producers then reached out to veteran Star Trek actor Diana Muldaur who had appeared more than once in the original series. They wrote the part of Dr. Katherine Pulaski to serve as the new Chief Medical Officer. She's an interesting woman. She hates the transporter- much like Dr. McCoy did. She's stubborn- much like Dr. Crusher is. She also is given a chance for character growth. She starts off with a prejudice against Data, seeing him as a machine only and not a true lifeform. It takes a couple episodes but eventually she comes around and respects and cares for Data like the rest of us do. Muldaur does a great job playing Pulaski. To be frank, I didn't really find myself missing Dr. Crusher. It does seem strange that Wesley remains on board even though his mother has transferred to Starfleet Medical.

My biggest problem with Dr. Pulaski is how the writers wrote her out of the series. You see, they didn't. Her last episode is Shades of Gray-- an embarrassingly bad clip episode that focuses on Riker. Why couldn't Dr. Pulaski have appeared in the first episode of season 3, Evolution. We could have seen her transfer off the Enterprise with some exciting opportunity or promotion while welcoming Crusher back on board. But instead we are given NOTHING. They acknowledge that Crusher is back from her "year at Starfleet Medical" and that she missed her son Wesley while away. But there is no mention of our dear Kate. We are left wondering whatever happened to our lost Doctor, Kate Pulaski. Where oh where did she go??

Book Club!!

I'm not much of a reader. I never have been. I tend to start books and not finish them. I certainly like books. I mean I like shopping for them. I like buying them. Flipping thru them. I carry books around in my shoulder bag. I display books on my bookshelves. I dust them. But do I actually READ them? Not usually. But occasionally I find a book that really speaks to me-- a book that I want to do more than dust. When this happens I suddenly I transform into a reader for the duration for the piece. Suddenly you can find me sitting at the laundromat with my nose buried in a paperback. I read thru lunch breaks. I might sneak in a few pages while waiting for rehearsal to begin or on the train on my way home. I have to knock out a chapter before bed time. What kind of books might hold this power over me? Mainly GEEKY books! I'm hoping that Night of the Living Trekkies will fit the bill. I picked up a copy today. In the same vain as Pride, Predjudice & Zombies comes this little tale of a zombie outbreak in the most likely of places: a Star Trek convention. Perfect. Now I have my airport/beach/laudromat for the next few weeks. :) I'll have to let you all know how it goes! Stay tuned!

Oh-- and if anyone else wants to pick up a copy and read along (like Tommy is going to do) feel free to join our little book club! :) Once we've finished the book we'll have an online group chat about it! :)

Vintage Star Trek Comics!

Friends of mine stumbled onto a set of Star Trek comic book volumes at a local thrift store. Knowing that I would love such a fun pop culture find, they quickly snatched them up for me. I'm now the proud owner of the first 4 volumes of Star Trek: The Enterprise Logs published by Golden Press. Each volume contains 8 original Golden Press comic books. According to Ebay, these volumes are going for as much as $50-$60 now-a-days. Seeing as Jon & Amanda paid a dollar for each of them, I'd say they got a great deal! I read a few Star Trek comics growing up when DC Comics held the rights to publish Star Trek. I loved the movie era Star Trek TOS (The Original Series) comics back then. I've never read any of the old original comics from the 60's and 70's though. Now's my chance!

I dove into volume 1 with the eagerness of a school boy! Right off the bat I could see the differences between the comics and their on screen counterparts. The introduction was an "Identi-Fax Psycho File" on James T. Kirk. Right away I could tell Gene Rodenberry didn't have creative control over this comic. The "Identi-Fax" was drawn to look like a file folder with a paper clip in the upper corner. Roddenberry would have insisted that computers had long since replaced paper files. But moving onto the story-- the Enterprise crew are exploring "Galaxy Alpha" and report that so far they haven't found any life in the galaxy. The terminology immediately makes me cringe a bit. In Star Trek intra-Galactic travel isn't really possible. But, whatever. It's a comic book. So, let's move on. The crew goes on to explore a hostile planet ran by plants. These plants feed on animals and keep them as livestock. They see our heros as food and treat them accordingly. They also have the ability to take animals and transform them into more plant monsters-- maybe it's how they reproduce.

The idea of sentient plants is also addressed in the Star Trek Animated Series episode "Infinite Vulcan". However there the plant race, known as the Phylosians, are highly intelligent and communicate easily with the Enterprise crew. Kirk and company treat them with respect. However, in the comic book the enterprise crew see the walking plants as simply dangerous. They make no attempt to communicate with them or determine their intelligence level. They just.. well.. they kill them. They kill them all. (See image to the right).

Um.. WOW. How could this be Star Trek? The Enterprise crew's mission is to seek out new life. Well they found it! And what did they do when they found it? THEY KILLED IT! How could Gene Roddenberry have let this happen? Well, I can only assume that money had something to do with it. Paramount/Desilu owned Star Trek and could basically do what they want to with it. I bet the studio sold the comic book rights to Golden Press and gave no additional input. I did some quick wiki-reasearch on this topic and found this:

The first Star Trek comics were published by Gold Key between 1967 and 1978. Originally they were illustrated by Alberto Giolitti, an Italian artist who had never seen the series and only had publicity photos to use as references. These comics were highly stylized and diverged wildly from the TV series continuity. Writers included George Kashdan, Arnold Drake and Len Wein. (Wikipeadia)

So THAT explains it! This guy didn't know ANYTHING about Star Trek! And no wonder some all the terminology was off. Just check out this technobable:

"Laser Beam Destruct Ray"??? Don't you mean "Phasers".  "Materialize us aboard"???  Don't you mean "Beam us up". And why is Captain Kirk talking into his tricorder instead of his communicator??  It's like I'm in some kind of weird Bizaro-world where everything is slightly wrong!

*Breath*



Ok. So it's not really "Star Trek". But it is fascinating! It's a total 60's kids comic book take on the Star Trek franchise. And I love classic comic books. I mean, the Dick Tracy comic strips from the late 60's were full of "ray guns" and fun 60's pop culture ideas. The bright "POW!" "WACK!" style Batman books from the 60's gave us Batgirl (my favorite comic book heroin). So maybe if I get over the non-Roddenberry ideas in these old comic books I can really enjoy them. I mean, Star Trek can use a little of this fun child like adventure, right? After all, look how cool the transporter room (sorry, I mean the teleportation chamber) looks!

 **UPDATE**
More info about the comic: http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Planet_of_No_Return

White Christmas!

IT'S A WHITE CHRISTMAS!!

"I'm dreaming of a White Christmas"... and I got one! Popular culture will tell you that Christmas = Snow. I've known this all my life-- ever since I was in kindergarten and the teacher decorated the bulletin board with white paper snow flakes and a Santa Claus cut out for December. This was confirmed with TV specials like the Rankin Bass Christmas features. Santa, Rudolph, the Grinch and all my favorite characters seem to exist only in snowy Christmas wonderlands. Plus, the only time it snows in Bedrock, Garfield's backyard, or Smurf village is on Christmas. So yes- as I a kid I always associated snow with Christmas. But in East Tennessee it hardly ever snows on Christmas. Each year I would dream of a White Christmas and was always sadly disappointed. UNTIL NOW! I woke up this morning to find that Santa had left something in my stocking and the world outside is a beautiful winter wonderland! The snow is clinging to the trees and glissining in the Christmas morning sun! IT'S AMAZING! Just look at the view from our hotel window:

USS Yorktown

Today my parents and I visited the U.S.S. Yorktown which is docked near Charleston South Carolina as a naval maritime museum. It was great! I'd highly recommend an afternoon exploring this "Fighting Lady" if you ever find yourself in Charleston.

Here's a fun fact-- The USS Yorktown was the name of the central starship in Gene Roddenberry's first Star Trek proposal to NBC in 1964. The ship was named after the USS Yorktown, a World War II American aircraft carrier, which in turn was named after the last major battle of the American Revolution, won in 1781 by a combined Franco-American army commanded by Gen. Ge orge Washington. (Memory Alpha).

I'm not sure if Roddenberry was inspired by this ship or her predecessor-- destroyed at the Battle of Midway in 1942. Nevertheless, touring the Yorktown was a fun peak into a fascinating world. Unfortunately the museum is in peril! Here is some more info:

Carrier Going Down In A Sea Of Red Ink

October 26, 2009: The U.S. Navy has long been willing to donate old ships to groups that were willing to maintain the retired vessels as museum ships. But the navy attaches some very expensive strings. That is, the navy expects the ship to be kept in decent shape. This is a problem with many old metal ships, as they rust. And eventually they rust so much that the hull is breached, and ultimately will collapse. For example, one museum ship, the World War II era, Essex class carrier USS Intrepid, in New York City, recently returned to its display berth after a two year refurbishment, costing $120 million. The entire hull was examined, in dry dock, for decay, and over a hundred square meters of hull had to be replaced. A sister ship of the Intrepid, the Yorktown, requires a similar refurbishment. Since 1975, the Yorktown has been on display in Charleston, South Carolina, with several other museum ships. The Yorktown, which entered service four months before the Intrepid, needs the same kind of work. The navy is insisting on it, with the alternatives being sending the ship to the breakers (to be broken up for scrap) or a lawsuit. The naval museum in South Carolina is in a bad situation, as $120 million is hard to find, even when the economy (and wealthy donors) are doing well. The big donors are much harder to find these days.

But even sending the ship to the scrap yard is not a viable alternative. For a long time, unneeded ships were "sent to the breakers" (a shipyard that broke the ship up for scrap and reusable parts). However, this is now considered environmentally harmful if done the old fashioned way (as it is still done in countries like India), and too expensive if it is done in an environmentally (and politically) acceptable way. In other words, it could cost more scrap the Yorktown than to repair her.

So what's to be done? A popular option these days is to use old ships for target practice. For example, of 31 recently decommissioned Spruance class destroyers, 22 were used for target practice. Some old warships are sunk closer to the shore, to provide reefs for fish and scuba divers.

But the museum would rather not lose the Yorktown, to the breakers, scuba divers or friendly fire. But unless the money can be found, the Yorktown will go down.

source: http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htmoral/articles/20091026.aspx

Star Trek TNG Episode Reviews

Editor's Note: This entry is copied from my personal blog.

I've been watching a lot of TNG lately. Since Tim got me THE ENTIRE SERIES for Christmas last year (THANK YOU!!!) it's been at my disposal 24/7. This is a dangerous concept-- but I've held off the temptation to completely give over my life to sitting on the couch watching Picard and Company. I tend to marathon a disk or so about once a month and that's it. Since the convention last weekend, however I've been watching it pretty much nonstop. It's really amazing to compare as season 7 episode like "Eye of the Beholder" and a 1st season episode like "Home Soil". I watched these two right after each other last night. You can certainly see the influence of the original series more in "Home Soil". I mean, it's basically a re-telling of "The Devil in the Dark" from 1967. The miners are replaced with tera-formers and the big blob/rock like horta is replaced with a small crystal like glowing intelligence.
But-- leaving the original series aside for a minute and comparing "Home Soil" with the 7th season episode "Eye of the Beholder" again you see how far the series really came by the end. In both the crew must play detective and unravel a mystery. However, "Eye" is by far a better episode. The characters are more fully developed and the story seems more character driven. Even the new characters who are introduced in the episode are fascinating! We immediately want to know more about Lt. Kwan and why he killed himself. The credit goes to writer Brandan Braga. Gene Roddenberry was never interested in Star Trek being a character driven drama. It was always really just his media for telling morality plays about right and wrong, human rights, and other heady stuff. While I love Roddenberry's work, I'm glad that the focus turned to the characters in the movies of the 1980's and then TNG. At its best Star Trek tells a story about character relationships while also teaching us a lesson. I think the show had more potential than Roddenberry ever really intended and was more fully realized by his successors. That being said, the "powers that be" eventually led Star Trek down the wrong path. Enterprise was largely a disaster in my opinion, as was Nemesis. But there was a moment-- in the last few seasons of TNG when Star Trek had the best of both worlds (no pun intended). On those DVD's we have the treat of watching great characters who we love with fully developed relationships and hear a good story with a nice lesson thrown in to boot.

Star Trek in Jersey!

Captain's Log
Stardate: 08152010
Time: 10:30
Commander Adkins and I are on a diplomatic mission visiting the the Star Trek Convention in Parsippany New Jersey. Unfortunately the transport has landed us in Morris Plains and according to the tricorder we're 3.7 kilometers to the Hilton where the convention is held. There doesn't seem to be another transport or shuttle so we're setting out on foot. For some reason the New Jersey transit buses don't seem to run on Sundays. FAIL.

Captain's Log: Supplemental
Time: 10:45
The side walk has ended and we're now venturing the true unknown wilds of New Jersey. According to our instruments we're still on the right track but it's looking like less of a stroll and more of a hike.

Captain's Log: Supplemental
Time: 11:15
Still no sign of the Hilton but we've spotted a Wendy's ahead. A slight course correction is in order! We need diet coke and chicken nuggets STAT!
Captain's Log: Supplemental
Time: 11:30
After braving the walk across the Freeway on-ramp and almost walking into the Hampton Inn (which was cleverly disguised as the Hilton) we've FINALLY found the Hilton. It seriously look us an hour but we got here! The line isn't bad and they haven't opened the doors yet. We made it in plenty of time. It already looks like it will be fun day as the lobby is full of interesting characters. (more photos on facebook)

Captain's Log: Supplemental
Time: Unknown
We've completely lost track of time! It's the end of our day at the convention. There are many federation representatives here and lots of various species from other worlds. We encountered several Klingons (see below), some Borg, a Ferengi, and many Star Fleet personnel. Several celebrities in attendance spoke to the crowd and answered questions including 7 of 9 (Jeri Ryan), Martok (J.G. Hertzier), and Neelix (Ethan Phillips).

It was great! Tommy and I had SUCH a fun time and really got a chance to "nerd out". I even competed in a Star Trek trivia competition and got down to the final 2 questions but sadly lost. It was a DS9 episode title questions that did me in. :( But it was still lots of fun. Oh- and I bought a vintage 1988 Thermos brand Star Trek TNG Lunch Box!!! I'm sure it will be all the rage in the officer's mess. :)

I think we need to go on more of these diplomatic missions in the future. Maybe the Las Vegas convention next year? Comic Con? Maybe we can get a big landing party together! That would be lots of fun!

Until then- this is Capt Mike signing off. llap

My Photography is all over NYC!

I had the privilege of attending graduate school with some pretty tallented people. One of whom is Afton Williamson. She made her Broadway debut a few months after we graduated in August Wilson's play Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Now she's featured in the new cast of David Mamet's Race. I learned of her latest gig when I saw this commercial on TV the other night:


Cool right? They flashed her face across the screen and I thought "Oh my God! That's Afton! I'd recognize those eyes anywhere." Then I thought "Wait a minute. Not only do I recognize her face but I think I know that photograph. Did I take that picture? Is that one of the headshots I took of her back in school??" So I dragged out my external hard drive, searched thru my files and sure enough I found it! You see, I'd offered to take free headshots for all my classmates before we left Alabama. It was sort of an graduation present and several of them took me up on the offer. So now one of my photographs is plastered on subway posters, displayed in front of a Broadway theatre, being aired on TV all over the NYC area and is on the website for a Broadway show! I'm so proud!! :)

I'm hoping to do some more headshot photography this summer while I'm in NYC. If you anyone who needs new photos please feel free to pass on my information. My rates are vary reasonable starting at just $50 (!) and I'm more than happy to create a custom package to suit the client's needs. You can see a small gallery of my work over at my smugmug page here: http://themikejonesphotos.smugmug.com

Only in Florida

Only in Florida (otherwise known as God's waiting room) can you fine 2 dicarded empty tubes of Bengay on the sidewalk. If only I'd snagged a picture of that. Instead look at this: These are everywhere I look down here. It's begining to look a lot like Christmas ALREADY!!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Independent Dr,Jacksonville,United States

Hello muddah, hello faddah...

Here I am at.. Camp Granada

HELLO FROM JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA!  Today was the first day of Camp Broadway and my dogs are BARKIN'! It was a crazy day and I learned a lot.  I feel much better prepared for tomorrow and beyond. :)

Working for Camp Broadway and temping at the Fresh Air Fund a few months back has given me food for thought.  Why did I never go to camp when I was a kid?  I never went swimming in a lake full of other campers or  slept in a log cabin full of bunk beds.  Why not?  Ultimately I think it's because 1) I didn't really want to go to camp. I was too shy.  2) We lived in rual Tennessee and we would go "camping" as a family and 3) we didn't go to church so there were not "youth group" organized camping ventures or Christian camps in my life.  If there was ever a camp I did want to go to it was Space Camp!  Of course, I still want to go to Space Camp.  I wonder if there's a program for adults?  Hmm.

In any case, I'm totally in camp now.  It's not Space Camp.  It's not wilderness camp (although I could go swimming in the hotel pool).  I'm totally immersed in theater camp it's pretty amazing.  Watching the kids discover their own talents and have fun singing and dancing is a lot of fun!  Don't get me wrong- it's not a stress free work environment but it is certainly a rewarding one.  

Great weekend!

I had a great weekend! It all started Friday night with a delicious dinner with friends at Yum Yum too. Mmm. Then Saturday we got up and drove into upstate New York to visit Diane. It was beautiful! I learned that a horizon line with the Catskill Mountains looks shockingly like the Smoky Mountains. I felt like I as back home. :) We knew that the Woodstock site is somewhere up there too so we set out to find it. We did! It was VERY cool! There was a museum and everything. :) We ended the day back at Diane's roasting marshmallows over a camp fire. What a wonderful day! Thankfully we didn't see any coyotes. Sunday was much less dramatic-- filled with Puppy Kindergarten & mall shopping. :)

Talky Blog

themikejones's webcam video April 09, 2010, 07:51 PM

Shameless Self Promotion

My first NYC show is closing this weekend!  Make sure you all come check out The Crucible at The Gallery Players before it's too late. :)

Details @ http://galleryplayers.com/plays/crucible

Back To The Ole Blog

I posted a Facebook status yesterday asking my friends if I should start blogging again.  So far the response seems pretty positive.  I've enjoyed blogging in the past and I think I should keep up with it more.  So- I sat down at my computer and opened ScribeFire (the program I use to blog) and I found a blog entry that I'd typed back in January.  I'm not sure why I never posted it.  It's not terrible- just a little random.  Here it is:

                                                                                   
Written in Early January:

"I Love These Spoons"

I'm back in Cincinnati Ohio after 3 months of working out of town.  I'm happy to be back here-- though the apartment seems empty without Tim (who's visiting family and friends in Massachusetts.)  We spent some time at my parents house in Tennessee last week.  I was there for a total of one week- just the right amount of time for me to get cabin fever and want to be in my own apartment again.  It's weird sleeping in your childhood bedroom on an air mattress.  

A few minutes ago I was unpacking some groceries left over from tour and I saw that Mom had packed some homemade chili in with them.  The sight of it made me smile.  I popped it into the microwave to heat it up.  It took me a second to remember which drawer in which to find a spoon but as soon as I picked it up the tactile memory was perfect.  I love these spoons.  They have a great weight to them.  Nice and solid but not too heavy.  These are our spoons.  :) I like being home. 

Of course "home" is relative.  Soon Tim and I are moving to THE city.  I can't wait to call New York my new home!  More on that soon. :)


                                                                                   


"More on that soon"??  Not exactly, right?  I'm not sure why I abandoned my blog.  I guess I got caught up in the move-- which was EPIC by the way.  And then I've spent the last couple of months getting acclimated in our new home.  New York City is amazing.  It's kind of everything at once.  It can be absolutely inspiring to walk thru the theatre district and see how much is happening here.  I love that I can go see shows like The Adamms Family in previews and see something that none of my friends have had the chance to yet-- a new Broadway musical that hasn't even opened yet!  At the same time it can be frustrating as it's a difficult theatre community to really break into.  I'm doing my best, however.  I'm working Off-Off Broadway right now on a production of The Crucible.  It's going quiet well actually.  And I'm sending out my resume constantly for the next gig. 

The other thing about New York City that I love is the food!  It seems like everything I eat here is AMAZING!  From the cheap diners & corner delis to the kitchy burger joints and authentic ethnic places it's all DELICIOUS.  And it's all available at any time-- and for delivery.  Thank god I'm poor-- otherwise I'd be gaining a lot of weight here.

I guess that's all I have to say for now.  I need to go call half hour. 

Update

This blog entry is LONG overdue.  I think the video below sums it all up-- but I just wanted to make sure I shared all my great news with you.   Next month I'm flying to South Carolina to go into rehearsal with the world famous Radio City Rockettes.  I'll be working on the Nashville leg of the National tour of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular!  I'm even more excited because the show plays in the Grand Ole Opry House for over a month.  When I was a kid growing up in Tennessee, I dreamed of being on the Opry stage!  Now I'll be working behind it. :)

And even BIGGER news-- after the Christmas show closes, Tim and I are planning on moving to New York City!  I can't wait to base myself in the theatre capital of the world. 

Talky Blog!

OOT

I'm leavin on a jet plane!  I head to Boston in the morning for Tim's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!) and then on to Disney World Friday! YAY!!

So look for photos on facebook and twitter but no blogs (I won't have my computer with me--- shocking I know!).

Peace!

Quiz (why not)

1. What time did you get up this morning?
11am.  I need to start getting up early to train myself for Disney though!

2. How do you like your steak?
Medium-Well

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Star Trek!

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Oh... that's a hard question.  Star Trek? Family Guy? Something geeky for sure.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
With Tim.

6. What did you have for breakfast?
boiled eggs & toast

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Italian or Southern American

8. What foods do you dislike?
I only like fish, onions, peppers in moderation

9. Favorite Place to Eat?
I always enjoy Applebees.  Does that make me generic?

10. Favorite dressing?
Ranch (Wow- I AM generic)

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?
2002 Ford Focus ZX5

12. What are your favorite clothes?
Shorts, Star Trek T-shirt, Croc Flip Flops

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
London

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
1/2 full

15. Where would you want to retire?
Retire?  I'm afraid I don't understand.

16. Favorite time of day?
Morning, when the day is full of possibilities (and by morning I mean noon-ish)

17. Where were you born?
Maryville, TN

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Men's swimming or beach volley ball --haha

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?
I don't know

20. Person you expect to tag you back first?
It doesn't really matter

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
As these questions are riveting, I'm just so curious about anyone...

22. Bird watcher?
Haha. Not really.

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Night.

24. Do you have any pets?
Ophelia, a long haired Tortoise Shell Cat

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
I'm going to Boston & Disney World with Tim soon!! :)

26. What did you want to be when you were little?
A Teacher. I used to sit my stuffed animals down like students and turn my bedroom into a classroom.

27. What is your best childhood memory?
Riding my bike in the yard with my nifty Mikey Mouse wallet ID in my pocket and pretending I was him. 

28. Are you a cat or dog person?
Both

29. Are you married?
Not yet

30. Always wear your seat belt?
Yes

31. Been in a car accident?
Yes

32. Any pet peeves?
Parents who don't control their children in public

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings?
Pepperoni or ham & pineapple

34. Favorite Flower?
I'm not really sure.

35. Favorite ice cream?
Hmm... It's hard to choose. Death by Chocolate?

36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Arby's or Wendy's

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
None

38. From whom did you get your last email?
Tim

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Apple

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
This quiz...

41. Like your job?
I love being a Stage Manager.

42. favorite veggie?
Corn

43. What was your favorite vacation?
Florida with my family as a kid.

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
Andrea

45. What are you listening to right now?
The kids upstairs jumping and thumping and making the walls rattle

46. What is your favorite color?
Purple or Red

47. How many tattoos do you have?
0

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz?
0

49. Coffee Drinker?
  Occasionally

50. Ever sing Karaoke?
Occasionally.

Cropping it down to size

With all this technology (google docs, iphone notes, word, excel) that I use to keep my life in order, sometimes I get overwhelmed.  In times like these I take out my the little pocket notebook from my bag, grab a pen and start making lists.  Once this begins I have to keep this little notebook with me at all times (even in the bathroom as you can see above).

I'm not sure why I'm blogging about this.  I guess I just wanted to talk about how when life is getting crazy and stressful a nice bullet point list can make it all seem very manageable. 

I'm entering into a transitional period over the next few weeks.  My summer job at the Opera is ending soon but I'm still in the THICK of it now.  I don't want to delve into the details here, but I'll say this of being a Super Captain: I learned a lot about myself and about human nature.  I'm also going into prep for our season the Ensemble Theatre and looking forward to getting back behind a prompt book.  But enough about work.

Next week I fly to Boston for Tim's birthday!  I'm VERY excited about this trip.  There are birthday celebrations planed, fun touristy things to do in Salem MA (yay witch history!) and I finally get to spend some time with Tim. It's been way to long.  I'm only in Boston for a couple of days and then Tim and I fly to Orlando Florida for our Disney vacation!!!  WAAAHOO!!  I'm SO EXCITED!   A real vacation with someone I love!  It's like a dream still-- I don't really believe that it's happening on some level.   I'm sure it'll sink in when I'm on the plane-- or maybe when I'm on the monorail with Tim and see the Magic Kingdom come into view for the first time-- or maybe when we meet Mickey Mouse-- or maybe when I buy my Mouseketeer Ears with "Mike" stitched on the back!!  EEEEEE!!

Then, when Tim and I get back from Disney we're going to Andrea and Scott's fabulous wedding and THEN we have our big move into the new apartment.  Well- Tim has his BIG move from Massachusetts but I'm only move 5 blocks from my current apartment.  I can't wait to post pictures of the new place once we get it all decorated and settled.  We're also planning a house warming party! :)

So-- if I can just get thru the stress of these next  few days (Carmen tech/dress, my own to do list like packing etc, prep for 33 Variations) then I get to see Tim and have a nice vacation. And THEN we get to start our living together life together in a new apartment!  :)

Life is good.

Trek Links

I read two fascinating Star Trek articles this morning. 

The first asks the question "Is Star Trek a Religion?"  This is a fascinating question (Spock joke intended).  The minister at the Unitarian Church back in Knoxville Tennessee lectured on this topic a while back.  In some ways it certainly fills the bill.  There's a believe system, a "text", and an idolized founder in Gene Rodenberry.  I'm not sure where I stand on this question. I mean-- I don't worship Gene Rodenberry or anything but would I judge someone who does harshly? It's like that episode of The Family Guy where Peter starts the Church of the Fonz. In the end we have to find faith where we can, right? I'm also reading a book Star Trek and Philosphy: The Wrath of Kant which also looks at Star Trek through scholarly eyes. Perhaps Star Trek isn't so much of a religion as it is a philosophy.  In any case, the book is worth a read-- but I warn you that it gets a little heavy.  If you're already having a "my head hurts from stress at work" kind of day, it might not be the best escape plan. 

The 2nd article I read this morning made me think of Tim. :)  You can find it over at The User's Guide to the Universe Blog and it's titled Star Trek: Fun with Time Travel.  It mainly focuses on the new JJ Abrams film and how his time travel plot fits in with accepted theories of time travel.  The idea is that the universe can branch off into different realities caused by time travel.  So when you back in the past and change things- you create a parallel universe where those changes have happened-- but your universe is unchanged.  This is different from the Back to the Future theory (or as I call it, the "Tim Approved Theory") of time travel where you can change the present by going into the past.  I can't say I agree with the blogger. He doesn't even really delve into the Back to the Future model deeming it unscientific. Pretentious much?

Aurora

I've settled on a name for my car! Meet...

Aurora

Her name has many origins. Aurora is the Latin word for dawn and the name of the goddess of dawn in Roman mythology. This is perfect! I feel like I'm the dawn of a new day in my life right now. My car is a small part of that. Aurora is also the name of the Princess in Disney's Sleeping Beauty-- one of my favorite Disney Animated Classics! As if that wasn't geeky enough there is also a starship named Aurora in a classic episode of Star Trek.

Peace!

**UPDATE**

I should add a note about Jane, my 1994 Ford Escort. I got Jane in 1999. We were together for an entire decade! She was a great car but sadly, her transmission went out... TWICE and I just don't have the money to keep her up and running. But Jane will make a difference in someone else's life soon. I'm donating her to the National Kidney Foundation! Thank you, Jane! You'll be missed. :)

Horoscope!

Wow- check out my horoscope for today.

Finally, your travel plans are set! Now the fun part begins: Shopping!
If you're asked to make a donation, buy something whose proceeds will go to a nonprofit organization, or contribute your time to a worthy cause, you'll be only too happy to do it now, and you really should. You'll be happy with what you've done and who you've helped, and you'll feel good about it for days to come. Just be sure someone who sees a soft heart -- and a bank account -- does not take advantage of you.

The crazy thing is that our plans for Disney are solidfied and and coming up soon. I'm also shopping for a car and am thinking of donating my old one to the Kidney Foundation (or another charity). Amazing right?