Why Star Trek is Great

I know this isn't typical of my other posts, but it's good to branch out and explore other areas. For example, a short article about why I like Star Trek.

First, it's sci-fi. I don't really care if the science involved isn't sound. A lot of it probably isn't, but I can't say with certainty that none of it is. My experience is far too limited for that. Storylines? Some of them are thin and tenuous at best. Don't even get me started on some of the Star Trek movies! The first one is one of the most fetid pieces I have seen in recent history. There's so little material there, I doubt they could find enough to riff on over at RiffTrax. I'm serious, it is a major stink heap. Most of the dialog in the movie consists of orders being issued and followed out. Dull, inane, and boring. A major snore, and it was far too long! And who needs to see another episode of Captain Kirk chasing after some new scantily clad woman? I'm sure his conquests must be in violation of the Prime Directive, which is not to interfere with life on other planets. Or am I getting confused here and thinking of Star Ocean? The line blurs somewhere for me there.

So, are you still with me? After all, you just read several things that are certainly weak points in both the television series and the movies. Here it is, what I love about Star Trek: it's about peace and harmony not only within the human race, but among a very diverse plethora of interstellar species. A very progressive idea indeed! It seems we have difficulty achieving tolerance towards people whom we don't agree with, let alone peace on a planetary scale. This is pretty awesome stuff. I know, I know, the Federation is a military outfit. I think we can forgive them for being the galactic police, except with the decisions are entirely political and not to everyone's best benefit.

So, why is Star Trek great? It's about people. It's about peace. It's about harmony. It's about reaching out to other civilizations with an open hand extended in friendship. It's about doing away with exploitation.

And of course, having been a computer geek for far too long, my favorite character is Data from The Next Generation. I think it's his wonderment - if you can call it that - of the human race, which is is designed to emulate, that speaks to me. There's so much purity to his character, it is endearing. It's also interesting to note his desire to feel what a human feels. It's almost like a poetry.

So there you have it, a few reasons why I like Star Trek.

Mega Update - 30 day Vegetarian trial post-mortem, miscellaneous updates

It's been quite some time since I've updated my blog. I apologize for my lack of updates. It's been a very busy couple of weeks - I have some major projects going on at work which have rigid deadlines.

Right now, I'm comfortably lounging on my couch while my wife is busy exercising to EA Active. It's a lot of fun and it keeps you from getting bored by varying the routine. You can also customize your workout. It's nice to see a workout program that doesn't emphasize what your weight on the scale is. Instead, it keeps an eye towards building your fitness. Focus on the keyword "building" - it doesn't start you out in a Biggest Loser-style kick-your-butt-to-Mars workout pattern. You slowly progress to more demanding exercises.

My status update for my 30 day Vegetarian trial is also overdue. For that I apologize as well. I did very well with the trial and I am planning on continuing with Vegetarian lifestyle. The major obstacle has been divining the inspiration for preparing varied meals. I haven't quite found my menu planning groove yet, but I'm getting there. A major difficulty I am running into is what I can only interpret as a lack of adventurousness in the kitchen. I look at the fruits and vegetables in the fridge, then I look at the beans, rice, and canned goods in the pantry and I find myself wondering what I can prepare with those ingredients. Infrequenty, I am overwhelmed with several ideas, none of which has an evident appeal over any other. This greatly adds to the complexity of meal time. If anyone has a strategy they use for planning meals, I would love to hear about it.

This brings me to another object of contention. Tofu. It is so insanely flexible, promising and endless array of possibilities. So what is my problem with it? I have not mastered the block of bean curd. I learned a decent method of draining the block of tofu from VeganYumYum (a blog I follow) which involves wrapping the tofu in a couple of layers of paper towel and then in a terrycloth, and THEN placing a heavy object like a cast iron skillet on top for 15 minutes or so.

Treating the tofu in this way yielded better results than what I did the first couple of times I handled the curd; I just wrapped it in paper towels and pressed it by hand. Not terribly efficient. Like I said, I am a total tofu n00b. If anyone has tried and true methods for draining and seasoning tofu, I would be most grateful to hear about them.

I also recently acquired a Chicago Cutlery santoku for $15 at Wal-Mart. Oh marvel of marvels! I never knew slicing and dicing could be so miraculously easy. I always watched the way hibachi chefs sliced through steaks like they were warm sticks of butter and having a sense of awe come over me. Now I have that same sense of awe as I watch the blade pass through the object of my cutting like silk. Pure delight. That was, of course, until I foolishly tried to use the santoku to cut the stem off of a tomato using it like a pearing knife.

Big mistake.

The knife glided its way through the flesh of the tomato and into the flesh of my thumb. Fantastic, clean cut. It was such a clean cut that it soaked through two layers of bandages within seconds so I had to be find something to use as a styptic. Yahoo answers to the rescue! I found a post by a veterinary assistant suggesting that corn starch will do in a pinch. It worked like a charm. I am pleased to say that the cut has healed nicely.

I'm glad I took the time to make this update, and I am glad you took the time to read it.

Until next time,
Charles