Today is National Pet Day. Truman celebrates by hanging out on the couch.
Voyager.
I’ve been rewatching “Star Trek: Voyager”. I didn’t regularly watch the show back in the mid 90s, so this is my first time watching the series from episode one to its end. I just finished up season one today. I’m looking forward to season two.
Even though I’m not intimately familiar with the series, I do admit, without hesitation, that Captain Kathryn Janeway is my favorite of the Star Trek captains. I’ve always admired her grit, her dedication to science, and her determination. I know many Star Trek fanboys never liked the idea of a female captain, but I’ve never had a problem with it. Even back when “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” came out, I enjoyed the brief scene of Captain Sinclair of the U.S.S. Saratoga. No nonsense, that’s what Starfleet needs.
One starship captain I did not enjoy, though she was seen for a very short time on bootleg videos, was the original captain of the U.S.S. Voyager, Captain Nicole Janeway. Played by Geneviève Bujold for only the first two days of filming of the pilot of Star Trek: Voyager, it was agreed that Federation space was not for Bujold and she left the series. A few short scenes on YouTube are all the exist of the experience.
Kate Mulgrew is a natural for the role.
I’m not a fan of the current Star Trek series, “Star Trek: Discovery”. They lost me at the end of episode two when Captain Georgiou met her demise. From there the show turned into a Mary Sue* affair taking place in a universe with way too much strife. One of the things that I’ve always loved about Star Trek is that it showed a time when human society evolved into something more compassionate, driven by learning, exploration, and seeking to better oneself. The Star Trek universe has always been my escape from whatever we have today, especially in this Age of Chaos, and watching a bunch of strife and chaos in the Star Trek universe in the rebooted movie series and “Discovery” has held little of my interest.
But Captain Janeway and U.S.S. Voyager? I love it. I’m happy the series is available on Netflix and I’m looking forward to watching every episode in original broadcast order.
I might even venture out to a Star Trek convention this year and see if I can shake Kate Mulgrew’s hand. I love nuances she brought to Captain Janeway.
Placement.
If you own a vehicle and live in the City of Chicago you’re required to register your vehicle with the city. As proof of this registration, you’re required to put a registration sticker on the inside of your windshield on the passenger side of the vehicle. This sticker is identical in design as the DMV registration stickers we had back in New York; a laser printer prints the data on an exposed part of the sticker. You peel it off and put it on your windshield. Unlike New York stickers, these stickers stay in place quite well. Also like back in New York, the motorist is required to remove the old sticker and put the next year’s replacement sticker in its place.
A lot of folks in Chicago don’t do this. Instead the start a line of stickers up the windshield. I’d rarely see this in New York State, but it’s all over the place here in Chicago.
I don’t know if the practice warrants a ticket. I know that it drives me insane; it really trips off my OCD.
The sticker indicates where you’re allowed to park in the city, for example, if some streets have permit parking. I don’t know what the thought process is around keeping expired stickers on your windshield, but perhaps a $5 reminder ticket would help motorists follow the rule of sticker placement a little closer while increasing revenue for the city at the same time.
I know, it sounds petty, but with more and more drivers distracted on the roadway, the last thing they need is a row of stickers up the side of their windshield blocking their vision.
Protein.
In attempt to quench some cravings but still tip toward the healthy side of the eating scale, I went on a quest to find something “chippy but protein based”. It was then that I discovered Quest Protein Chips. I ordered a box of the Nacho Cheese flavor.
They are awesome!
My Doritos craving is satisfied and I don’t feel as much guilt as I usually do when I eat chips. I look forward to checking out some of the other flavors they offer.
Mmmm. Mmmm. Mmmmm.
Spring Has Sprung.
Today was my first day wearing shorts in 2019 in The Windy City. The temperature is going to yo-yo a bit in the coming week but today showed promise that spring is finally here.
Whoo hoo!
Coffee. Black.
My maternal grandparents are rejoicing as on Friday their youngest grandson drank coffee for the first time in 36 years. Yes, I was 14 years old when I had an after dinner coffee with Mom and Dad in their green wallpapered dining room. I didn’t care much for the experience and I really never got into drinking coffee.
Our semi-weekly housekeeper stocked up our Keurig supply with coffee pods this week and I noticed that amongst all the flavors of tea and hot chocolate that we enjoy, he had added some hazelnut coffee selections. I’ve been enjoying a vanilla hot tea in the morning from time to time and I decided I’d give a cup of hazelnut coffee a try. It was quite delicious! Oddly enough, it made me very productive for a Friday and I felt a tinge more of focus than usual. And it didn’t taste bad at all.
So today I went to Starbucks and had a cup of their Blonde Roast and it was wonderful. I sailed through some coding I wanted to achieve and again I felt focused. Again, I drank the coffee black, I figure if you’re going to drink coffee it should taste like coffee, not some sort of frappachappawhoowhoo whip cream concoction. No cream, no sugar, just coffee.
“Coffee, the finest organic suspension ever devised.”
I’m thinking a cup once in a while will help avoid that extra helping of diet pop I have too often. I figure coffee has to be better than the artificial crap in the chemically laced pop I drink will similar effects on my focus. Moderation is the key.
I totally get how it helped Captain Janeway beat the Borg.
Twitter Free.
I’ve been enjoying a Twitter Free weekend. An alert of this post will still appear on my Twitter timeline, but I haven’t looked at content on the platform all weekend and I must admit the only thing I miss are aviation related updates and updates from a smattering of folks that I actually like.
Twitter requires constant care and feeding to keep the noise down to a reasonable level. I know some folks like to jump in there and stoke the dumpster fire, but I’ve grown weary of that. It is no longer a reliable source of news; there will always be bad actors trying to pollute any late breaking news with opinion, spin, and disinformation.
I do miss chatting with those that share common interests. I just need to find a better outlet for it, or else determine if the necessary constant curation of my timeline is worth the effort.
But not this weekend.
Shazam!
The family got together to see Shazam! tonight. I haven’t traditionally been a huge fan of the DC movies, but this was very, very good. We had a lot of fun.
I didn’t spot any Easter Eggs from the 70s show; if you see any please let me know what I should have spotted.
One of my favorites from the DC Universe. I liked it better than Wonder Woman and Aquaman. I look forward to any sequels.
Movie Night.
So I’m excited to see “Shazam!” tonight. Here’s my first memories of the World’s Mightiest Mortal.
“Oh power Elders, strong and fleet and wise, appear before my seeking eyes.”
