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Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Star Trek TV ends

Stardate 58051.8 (5-18-2005)
Enterprise is over. No more new Star Trek. I admit to having mixed feelings. The show, for the most part, did not live up to what I thought it was originally billed as. I was hoping for more contact with the races seen and, to the TOS crew, well known. The fourth and final season did live up to it. 

I read a week back about Carl Stark’s mini-crisis of faith over the fact that everyone has a different opinion of the various series, and some folks tend to trash the series they don’t like. It’s not in the spirit of IDIC, or Gene Roddenberry’s creation of a tolerant universe. Personally, when asked which series is my favorite, I usually answer TNG. However, I am not telling the full truth. There are parts of each series I absolutely love, and other parts I cringe at. 

The outrage over Orson Scott Card’s comments about how Star Trek ruined Sci-Fi was interesting. I have read many of the authors he mentions are shafted, and each one has had bad stories or whole series. Asimov himself mentions some stories he wished he never published. He is entitled to his opinion, but I would be a little more tolerant if he took in some other opinions as well. He does have a fan base, so his word does carry more weight with them than other voices. I do get the feeling he is miffed because no one asked him to write a story for Star Trek.

The show actors have come out to say that they were unhappy with the way the show ended. In this, I would agree. I have nothing against Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis, but it was a slap in the face to the regulars of Enterprise to bring them in for the final show. If this was the last show of the season, and it was coming back, it would probably have been fun. As it is not coming back, this tells the regulars that they were not good enough. It seems the producers think of TNG as the deity. I’m trying to remember what other sci-fi shows were one when it premiered. Max Headroom and possibly The Flash. Not much in the way of competition. Not the case today.

On a positive note, Star Trek has passed the magical 700 episodes. Few TV shows even come close to that mark, and of the ones that have done so most are daytime soap operas. 

Last note: Before Enterprise moved to Fridays, I used to watch Joan of Arcadia. I saw a couple of reports today stating this show was also canceled. I did not watch at all this season, but the season before was fun. The Amazing Race is over for the season (and Rob and Amber from Survivor did NOT win!). 

End of Entry

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Washington D.C. trip

Stardate 58051.5 (5-15-2005)
Guess I should write up another blog entry, considering it’s been more than a month. It’s been a busy time. 

Rachel and I had a great time in Washington, D.C, a couple of weeks ago. It was a lot of walking. We had a hotel a couple of blocks from the Capitol building. The first building we walked by was the Taft memorial. We did not find out until later what it was.

Rachel spent a lot of time with the Hope diamond. She also took pictures of all the gems. She also got to hold some insects. 


Museum Of Natural History























The big cockroach
















































The cherry trees were in blossom





















Air and Space Museum
















The National Zoo













































































Atop the Washington Monument







The bad part of the trip was the security. We could not get into the capitol, and it would have been nice to show Rachel the House of Representatives. She also wanted to see a sculpture of three women suffragettes. You could get tickets for a tour, but that was just not the same. When I was there in 2000, we wandered the building, looking at a lot of the statues and memorials. Everywhere there were metal detectors, and I was wanded twice. I tend to get tired of being looked at as a potential criminal. 

My dad was finally sent home Thursday of this week. He is happy about that, but I think he assumed that life would go back to the way it was before he broke his hip. He is restricted to his home except for a few hours a week. He is not to drive, which really bothers him. But he is home, so we are making more progress. 

I was shocked, along with a large number of other people, to learn that a friend, Ray Graham, passed away last week. The funeral on Thursday hit hard. I will miss him. It was good to hear the number of people whose lives he made brighter with his good humor, and I was pleased to hear how he made each one feel unique. I feel a very bright light has been dimmed.

We purchased two new (but used) cars this week. A Ford Taurus, and a Mazda MPV. The old Mercury Villager was developing a few problems. The Altima was fine, but it was over 200,000 miles, so it was time. 

Another person turned in his notice at work this week. We did have one more start as I went on vacation. He came from another healthcare company, so he understands the industry terms and business pretty well. He is doing good so far.

End of Entry