Bit of a break...

Sorry for the long silence.

Some stuff has come up over the past few weeks that has prevented me from really doing an entry. Mostly spring chores and work, but something is happening this weekend that is making me think about some of the decisions I made earlier in life.

I wouldn't say I regretted any of them, but I do wonder what things would be like if I had made different ones. Would I still be here, who I am now? Or would I be someone else, with a totally different outlook? I like to believe that I would be very similar to who I am now.

I guess it's the whole "Nature vs. Nurture" argument again. Without having a time machine to go back and change them all I can do is conjecture and imagine.

Actually, now that I sit back and truly contemplate a specific period in my life, I do regret one decision I made. While I'm sure you would like to hear about it, it was a pretty private moment between myself and a friend. All I will say is this: The regret is that I was too afraid... afraid to kiss her.

Several years ago I examined this decision, and made a promise to myself. I would not hesitate to do something, even if I thought it might hurt in some way. It's best to make a choice and move forward. Life changes, and then goes one, no matter what you have done.

Until the end of my days, I will remember that moment in sharp focus.... and wonder what could have been.

Star Trek - The New Experience

I just got back from the new Star Trek movie. And wow.

I wasn't sure what to expect. If I was going to follow the past cycle, then I would expect it to be terrible. Now you say, what do you mean by that? Ok, here it goes:

1) Star Trek: The Motion Picture - For a first try in changing a TV series to a movie, not bad. But it certainly didn't seal the deal for the Trek universe.

2) Wrath of Khan - Words can not begin to describe this movie. Ricardo Montalban was at the top of his game when he was in this movie. Ripped, and a great actor, the movie can be identified by even non-trekkies by a single word/phrase: "Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

3) The Search for Spock - Wierd. Kind of lost the Trek feeling. We had a female Vulcan who had maternal feelings for spock as he rapidly went through puberty. It took most of us several years to push through that roadblock in life, and that was painful enough. I can't imagine doing it in 48 hours.

4) The Voyage Home - A great family movie. It came at the perfect time to renew the flagging trekkie interests. It also was the "flagship" hook for "The Next Generation" that started airing the next year.

5) The Final Frontier - Another not so sparkling flick. It showcased some of the fancy new special effects that had been developed since the first episode aired on TV, but was lacking in any major story. Truth be told, it seemed more like a 30 minute TV episode stretched out painfully thin.

6) The Undiscovered Country - Great story, edge of the seat stuff, drama, and action. Classic Trek! Also the last true motion picture to have the original cast.

7) Generations - So-so. This one also seemed like an extra long TV episode. It didn't really have the epic feel that a trek movie should.

8) First Contact - Patrick Stewart made this movie believable. His and the rest of the cast's flawless performance pushed the new franchise into the hearts of Trekkies everywhere.

9) Insurrection - Full of feel good and vaguely "go green" leanings, it was epic, but seemed flat. even the humor employed was just short of slapstick most of the time.

10) Nemesis - The story needed you to some pretty severe suspension of disbelief. The saving grace was how it got you to invest your emotions fully into the characters, and roller coastered you up and down. All of the questions were answered at the end. Great movie.

This brings us to Star Trek (2009). It doesn't have any other name at this point. Breaking out of the typical mold, J.J. Abrams has re-invented the Trek of yesteryear. Without giving any spoilers, I can't go into any more detail. Suffice it to say, a truly excellent movie that I gladly paid the movie theatre cost to see, and will definitely purchase when it comes out on DVD.

Coming to you live!

Well... here you have it. My first post from the iPod! I have to admit...it's pretty cool. The ability to post a blog from anywhere I have wifi is nice. I don't have to wait to get home... I don't have to try to remember what I was thinking about earlier in the day. The only drawback is the slow typing. This really takes me back to the old days of hunt-and-peck typing!

Anyways, I actually have mostly completed my yard work. Only a tiny bit of clean up to finish. This weekend is the start of the improvements!

Now, the magic of trying to type on the iPod has faded to being a bit of a pain in the ass.... I think I will sign off for now.

Return of the Xbox!

My Xbox returned home today. I put it back into it's spot on the entertainment center, and fired it up.

After brushing away a tear, I made sure it was working, and entered the extra month of Live that they had sent with the repaired Xbox.

All is well!