Hot hot hot

Great googly moogly, it's a scorcher today! And tomorrow, when our folks come over for a cookout? Supposed to be even hotter. Our thermometer read 91° this afternoon, but I'm guessing the heat index was close to 100°. We hope it will be pleasant sitting out on the deck tomorrow, under the umbrella, but if not, we have the air conditioner up from the basement, ready to go to work. I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable, and it sounds like it will be pretty steamy tomorrow. Good to have the option of sitting inside if it gets too bad.

Knowing how warm it's supposed to get tomorrow, I'm working on getting everything ready today. I don't want to have to fire up the oven or the stove tomorrow, so the potato salad is done (I'll give you the verdict tomorrow...I've already asked Ken if he's going to ask everyone if his wife's potato salad is the best they've ever had!) and chillin', and the beans are ready to bake later tonight and warmed up in the microwave tomorrow. The place isn't spic and span, but I don't think anyone will be mad at me for not doing a bunch of cleaning. Mom was even a little dismayed that I was cooking with it this hot. I'm cool with it (so to speak), and I just hope everything turns out okay!

I got all my Detroit pictures edited this morning! Yay! At least the ones that are good. Here are a few. (Click on any picture to embiggen.)

On the way up to Michigan, we saw lots of wildlife, including deer, turkeys, a hawk, and a black and white raptor--I'm guessing it was an osprey. At a rest stop in Indiana, we saw wildlife of another kind, although we only saw their mode of transport, not the actual wildlife. Ha!

We stayed in Dearborn, just outside of Detroit. Our hotel was not too far from Ford corporate headquarters, and I think Blacky (Ken's Mustang convertible) was pretty happy to be back on his old stomping grounds. The corporate offices are huge, and it makes you realize what a big operation it is. Since I'm a Ford gal, I'm very pleased to know that they are in decent shape and didn't have to take any of the bailout money. They seem to be fairly forward-thinking, so I hope they'll survive. I would be very sad if Ford went under.

After a fun dinner at BD Mongolian Barbecue, we just took it easy in the hotel room, and on Thursday morning, Mark came to meet us at the hotel. We headed out to have breakfast at a place close by, and chatted and got to know each other in real life! Then it was off to the Science Center for the Star Trek exhibit. Our first stop was a flight simulator (see picture below). Do you think the guys running the simulator were happy to be wearing Star Trek uniforms? I'm guessing not. Ken and I went first (only room for two, unfortunately), and even after seeing the onboard video of us, Mark was brave enough to go it alone. It was actually really cool, and although it was modified to show a Trek space battle, apparently the simulator is exactly the same as what fighter pilots use for training. It did barrel rolls, and backwards rolls, and it certainly gave me a whole new appreciation for what pilots go through in their training. Yikes! Anyone with a tender tummy would be well-advised to avoid a flight simulator. It was fun. I think our main reactions were “Whoaaa!” followed by laughter!

Then we made our way to the elevator for the Trek exhibit. (It's extra admission, besides the usual Science Center fee, so you have to show your ticket to get on the elevator.) I'm sorry to say that photography was not allowed in the exhibit itself, because there were some crazy fun exhibits! I've already written about my favorite, the Guardian of Forever, and there was also a cool replica of a Next Gen hallway and Captain Picard's quarters. Lots of costumes from all of the Trek series, and my favorites were of course from the first season. Lots of great prop replicas, including phasers, communicators, and a Tribble. Great trivia and observations about different series and episodes and actors. Did you know that James Doohan (Scotty) served in the Canadian Army and was at Normandy Beach on D-Day? He lost a finger on his right hand, and always hid it during filming. It was also neat to read about the physics of Star Trek, and how accurate or not the concepts were. The cell phone was conceived by someone watching the original series actors using their communicators. Yes, the cell phone exists because of Star Trek. I also envision a future in which the screaming kid we encountered in one room of the exhibit (he was old enough to know better, but his handlers seemed to not care about his behavior) will be automatically silenced by some sort of sound dampening device. There has to be a way.

As Mark and I agreed, Star Trek wasn't always about pure science. Some of the finest science fiction writers ever worked on the Trek series, and sometimes it was just about the story (as in "The City on the Edge of Forever" episode about which I wrote). I love Star Trek because it shows an optimistic future world in which prejudice is set aside in the cause of the greater good. It's about tolerance, compassion, education, science, and our yearning for exploration. Its 40+ year survival shows that it has always spoken to something deep inside many of us, and the success of the most recent movie proves that many still get it. We are fascinated by the thought of finding new worlds and new civilizations; we still want to go where no one has gone before; and we all want to live long and prosper. To those dearest to us, we can honestly say "I have been and always shall be your friend."

Damn if I didn't go and choke myself up. Argh! It's a remarkable show, a remarkable concept, and I am very proud to say that I am a huge fan of Star Trek. Call me a geek if you will...I don't care.

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We also got to see the new movie on the IMAX screen there, and I was thrilled! It was fun to see Mark's reaction, since he hadn't seen the movie yet. Afterwards, he said what I've heard from so many--the casting was incredible. They really did do a great job, and I think the franchise just might be a phoenix rising. (That one was for you, Mark!)

After the exhibit, we enjoyed an excellent dinner at Mark's favorite Mexican restaurant, Xochi's. (That is its nickname--I can't recall the full name.) It made me want to explore some of the local restaurants here and find something a little more authentic than Hacienda. I'm thinking that we probably have some very good Mexican restaurants in our area, and we just haven't found them yet. Anyone reading from our area who can recommend a place?

More tomorrow!

It would be highly illogical to dislike this movie

We're back from "Star Trek." I'm still trying to get a handle on it, and process it. As I wrote on Facebook, I loved it so much I want to marry it.

If you're planning on seeing the movie, feel free to skip this entry (maybe you'll come back after you've seen it) so I don't color your opinion. I tried to hear as little about it as possible, other than just hearing that people liked it (and I have yet to hear anyone say they didn't like it). I'm weird that way...I prefer not to hear any plot details about a movie I'm really excited about seeing, so I'd hate it if I spoiled it for anyone else. So just consider this entire entry...

One Big Spoiler

Probably the strongest plus in this movie is the cast. They did such a great job picking these young actors to play iconic characters, and Zachary Quinto as the young Spock was especially dead on. Chris Pine also did a great job as Kirk, and it was interesting to see him develop more of the Kirk swagger. (Also cool to see the actual Kobayashi Maru test.) I really can't fault a single one of them, though, as they all did a wonderful job. It was fun to be introduced to each of these characters and to quickly realize who they were: the beautiful young Uhura in the bar, the gruff Bones on the transport shuttle, Sulu screwing up trying to get the Enterprise to warp speed when coming out of space dock (but quickly redeeming himself by saving Jim's life in a cool sword fight with a Romulan), the good-natured but ready-for-a-fight Scotty, and a very young Pavel Chekov talking about "Planet Wulcan." Speaking of Vulcans, everyone's favorite makes a significant appearance in this movie, which results in some very nifty interaction with the crew.

(This “motivational” poster made me laugh.) They struck a nice balance between trying to show the characters' development and staying true to some of their more well-known phrases and mannerisms. We got to hear a "Fascinating" from Spock, and an "I'm a doctor not an [insert other occupation here]" from Bones.

One of the best concepts in all science fiction is that of time travel and the possible paradoxes that could result. I think we all indulge in a little of that in our own lives, when we ask questions like, "What if I had done that differently?" Well, what if you had? Would your life have worked out the same? Or would it have changed significantly? Would it be worth taking a chance to change things, if you had no idea if they'd turn out better...or worse? This movie utilizes that concept and paradox fully and well, and with some surprising (at least for me) results. For example, early on I was certain that someone wouldn't die, because they survived into the later years of the characters. I was wrong, and that established that history had already been altered, so anything can happen. Nothing can be assumed.

At some point, I'm sure I've written here about my love of Star Trek. For me, it is about the joy of discovery...it's fascinating enough to discover new adventures in the here and now. What would it be like to travel to distant planets and galaxies and discover new species and new civilizations? That was their job. Then there's the fine line between diplomacy and encountering a hostile species that doesn't want to talk, they just want to kill you. Fun stuff. The original Star Trek series has always been my favorite because I loved the interaction between the crew, and I loved the characters. It was wonderful to see them revisited.

I'm sure that those who have already passed on (DeForest Kelley and James Doohan) would be pleased that their characters live on in movie franchise history. As Spock would say, "I have been and always shall be your friend."

Star Trek inspirational posters courtesy of The Great Geek Manual.