We're gonna go to space, kid

There, feat for quantum leap Because space is hot and deep And we follow giant footprints As we fall in, falling like the twins Through Saturn's holy rings And if they can't hold us, where it's gonna end up Anybody knows

Wasted, there's nothing gonna ace this

And we're gonna go to space, kid

'Cause I'm leaving with an astronaut

~~ “Astronaut” by Duran Duran

In a stroke of PR genius, Jeff Bezos asked 90-year-old William Shatner to join the latest flight of the Blue Origin spacecraft.

Millions watched “Captain Kirk” finally make a trip to space. He’s now an astronaut for real, although when asked about that, he demurred, saying, “Maybe with a small A. Followed by two S’s.” (I thought that was funny!)

What was truly remarkable was after they landed safely and he tried to articulate how it made him feel. Those of us with an introspective bent understood completely his awe, his difficulty at describing how profoundly it touched him. Who knew that Bill Shatner could be so philosophical? 

He related it to how precious and fragile our Earth is and how we need to take care of her. He wished everyone could have that experience in order to see that. As one tends to do as one gets older (and he’s got a good 30 years on me!), he looked at our atmosphere and saw light and lightness and LIFE, and then gazed into the blackness of space and wondered if that was what death was like. 

I’m not ashamed to admit that it made me cry and I know I’m not the only one. Seeing this typically cocky actor try to explain his profound feelings made so many of us feel his awe and joy. It was apparently a life-changing moment for him and we all experienced his epiphany vicariously. I’ve had the occasional epiphany myself and I know that it can be life-altering. I loved it that he felt that, even at the age of 90. 

It was also special for me because from the time I was in high school, watching “Star Trek” reruns when I got home from school, I loved the show. It still means a lot to me and I’m still a fan. We watch all the shows currently out, always go to see a new Trek movie in the theater, and even still watch an episode of the original series (it will always be my favorite). We’ve even gone to several Trek exhibits over the years.

I’ve written before that “Star Trek” taught me about inclusion and helped me realize that it was important to learn about other cultures. That we don’t always need to fear “the Other.” It also gave me a love of science because rather than the bombastic Captain Kirk, I was drawn to Spock and to Bones. (Although Kirk had his own interesting tactics, including breaking the rules. I liked that, too. Kobayashi Maru, anyone?)

Some talking heads and other science types have said that these flights are the beginning of commercial space travel. I think they’re right. How many people got to fly on airplanes when they first started? It was a rich person’s game. Now they’re accessible to almost everyone. While it probably won’t happen in my remaining lifetime, I think we’ll start seeing more of this. 

There are many critics of these billionaires and their “vanity flights.” I get it. The amount of money they have is obscene. But just as with the NASA flights, unexpected and important scientific findings will come from these. I’m not sure it’s an entirely bad thing that these are being privately funded. Obviously, NASA is still vital to our country and scientific development, but if these people have the money and the passion, I say, “go for it.” 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to pack my bags tonight pre-flight. 

There Are Other Worlds Than These

Planet Claire has pink air

All the trees are red

No one ever dies there

No one has a head

~~ “Planet Claire” by the B-52s

Today we got a special treat, with a visit to the Notre Dame planetarium at the Jordan Hall of Science.

This was especially fun because we had NO IDEA that Notre Dame has a planetarium! They’ve had it for twelve years.

Why wasn’t I informed of this??

Anyway, Ken got the tickets through our local NPR station, WVPE. I haven’t found out yet how accessible or available it is to the general public. It looks like they also do journeys into molecules and the human body. COOL! Can I just hang out there all the time?

So here’s the deal. Notre Dame is a Catholic university. This program blended a journey through our known universe, using actual data and images from satellites and NASA, with theological readings from various scholars. It was way too churchy for me. As I told Ken later (we stopped for a beer at the Crooked Ewe and discussed amongst ourselves), I am in awe of the natural world and don’t feel any need to ascribe it to some sort of supernatural being.

Leaving the theological stuff behind, it was a truly awe-inspiring look into just how vast our universe is and how precious and fragile our pale blue dot is. The program put our place in the universe into perspective, pulling out to show our world, our solar system, our sphere of radio transmission, our galaxy, and the trillions of galaxies that lie beyond our own.

KABLOOIE. Mind blown.

The astrophysicist, Dr. Sakimoto, who runs the place took questions after the program and man, how great is it to be surrounded by fellow science geeks? Pretty damn great, for real! There were some good questions and Dr. Sakimoto had some interesting answers. One that he gave often was, “To be honest, we don’t know.” That was perfect. Science does NOT have all the answers. The reason we science is because we want to learn and figure it out!

There was some discussion of whether or not there are other civilizations and life-forms out there. Ken and I continued that discussion over beers and I wondered how we define life? Maybe there are other life-forms out there that do not jibe with our carbon-based life-forms. Exhibit A: the Horta in Star Trek, a silicon-based life-form. I know it was a TV show, but come on! It’s a valid point! Why do life-forms necessarily need water? Anaerobic bacteria don’t need oxygen. What if other life-forms evolved under different circumstances? What if anaerobic bacteria evolved into anaerobic beings??

KABLOOIE. Mind blown again.

It was a fun afternoon and it really made me ponder. It also made me realize that our little orb is very precious and that we need to protect it. Climate change denial threatens us all.

We are a long way from being able to colonize other planets. Let’s take care of the one we have, okay?

Star Trek Into Darkness

Last evening, after a bite and beverages, we headed over to see the new Star Trek movie. We are both big Trek fans, and always go to see these movies in the theaters. For the 2009 movie, we even went up to Detroit to see that one in an IMAX theater with our friend Mark! I’ve been a fan since junior high, when I’d watch the reruns of the original series when I got home from school. As I was telling my friend Lisa, some of us in school even went so far as to give ourselves Starfleet rankings. Haha! I was First Officer, just like Spock. (Yes, the geek is strong in this one, if I can be permitted another movie reference!)

I loved TOS’s message of hope, peace, and inclusion. I would say that it had a large part in forming the way I look at the world. Better living through science, right?

I won’t go into an exhaustive review of the movie here, because I hate seeing or hearing spoilers for movie franchises that I especially love (Trek and Bond), and some of the best things in this movie are callbacks to the original series and fun surprises. All I’ll say is that I loved this movie so much. It is dark, action-packed, full of TOS references, and a total freakin’ BLAST. At one point, I was sitting there with tears rolling down my face, and I’m getting teary-eyed just thinking about it.

I’ve loved these characters for going on four decades now, and I love J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the franchise, with the development of the young officers and the bonds that they form. The bond between Kirk and Spock is especially wonderful to see forming. “I have been and always shall be your friend.” I cannot watch that scene from “The Wrath of Khan” without just totally losing it. Okay, let me get a grip.

[deep breath]

Ahh, better. I loved this movie. I’m even thinking of going again to see it one afternoon while Ken is at work, if we have a rainy afternoon this week. Of my friends who have seen it, I haven’t heard anything bad about it, and everyone seems to think it’s a ton o’ fun. Probably the first great movie of the summer. All of the actors doing the young characters are just spot on, as in the 2009 movie, and made me love them even more...if that is possible. Fantastic movie. Seriously. Word-of-mouth buzz is “Go see this movie!”

Today consisted of some work outside, including getting some flowers planted in the front flower boxes, and Ken getting some new little pine trees and planting those between the house and the road. Tonight it’s another movie (a DVD this time: “Flight”), T-bones, salad, zucchini, and a nice 2005 Cab. To quote the original Star Trek again, “May you find your way as pleasant.” (Anyone remember which episode that was from?)

The Empath

When I was reading the Sunday paper (a little late in the day, but I did read it...okay, I skimmed it), it really bothered me to read this letter to the editor:

My neighbors' health care is not my responsibility. Engel [a local doctor] can be generous with his money if he will; he shouldn't project his morality upon me.

While I appreciated the author's correct use of the possessive apostrophe, I was appalled at the sentiment expressed.

I was pleased to see the vote in the Senate this weekend, in which it was agreed that the health care bill would move forward for debate. I was honestly perplexed by all the "nay" votes from Republicans. This wasn't a vote to pass the bill; this was a vote to debate it on the Senate floor. I think that's very indicative of the mindset of the GOP right now: don't discuss, don't propose solutions, simply pull a Nancy Reagan and "just say no." (And we all know how well that worked.) I've come to believe that rather than striving for true reform and working on making things better for all American citizens, the GOP simply wants President Obama and our country to fail. That's...that's really kind of warped, don't you think?

To top off my puzzlement at the "nay" votes, reading this letter to the editor appalled and disgusted me. It made me quite sad, too.

There is a practical aspect to it, as pointed out by my friend Tim on Facebook: it is a matter of public health. It is part of the greater good to ensure that everyone receives proper health care. If your neighbor gets sick, you might get it, too. If your child's classmate has parents that don't believe in vaccination, or simply can't afford to get proper care for their kid, your child is at risk of exposure. If there are millions of people who do not get preventive care or cannot pay for a doctor's visit to check out that pesky abdominal pain or to figure out why they have blurred vision or to have the doctor listen to that lingering cough...we all end up paying more for the care needed when the problem has gone beyond the easily treatable.

But even more importantly to me is something that made me think of an episode from the third season of "Star Trek," "The Empath." In this episode, Kirk, Spock, and Bones encounter a lovely young mute woman, Gem. Gem is a rarity, a true empath; when others are in pain or hurt, she can touch them, take their wounds into herself, and clear them. This takes its toll upon her, causing her great pain, but she cannot stop being what she is. (Sort of like John Coffey in The Green Mile, now that I think about it.) As the story unfolds, we realize that this is an experiment conducted by aliens to see if Gem is willing to harm herself in order to help others. They plan on taking care of her, and will treat her well, but Gem proves herself by being willing to almost die in order to save Bones.

Granted, most of us would draw the line at dying to save a stranger, depending on the situation. Notable exceptions would be soldiers serving their country, or the Secret Service agents who will die to protect their charges. I think most of us would die to protect our loved ones. But we're not talking about giving up our lives here. We're simply talking about finding a way to help our fellow citizens; to help them be healthy and not die miserably because they don't have insurance. Help them not lose their home because they receive a diagnosis of cancer; help them live as pain-free as possible if they have a chronic illness. We are talking about having empathy and compassion for our fellow human beings.

I am dismayed by the lack of compassion for others that I am seeing in this debate. I'm getting an attitude of "Hey, I've got my health insurance--fuck you." What has happened to people that they feel nothing for others? Do they really not care if some kid dies of an easily treatable infection because his parents can't take him to the doctor? Do they really not care if a little girl goes deaf because she wasn't treated for meningitis in a timely manner? Do they not care if their elderly neighbor has to choose between a decent meal and their blood pressure meds? Do they not care if their parents have to make that choice?

I have said this before, and I have not changed my feelings on it: I believe health care reform is not merely a financial necessity for our country. It is a moral obligation. We must not forget our humanity and our compassion for others.

We must remember the concept of empathy.

The new Star Trek’s here! The new Star Trek’s here!

I love pre-orders! On the day that the latest Star Trek movie went on sale, it arrived in the mail from the DVD club. Yippee! I think I held it in my hands and did a little chair dance as I waved it around. I've only seen it twice, so I think I'm due for another viewing. In fact, I'm overdue! Probably this weekend.

I still think they did a wonderful job with this one. J. J. Abrams did a fantastic job in walking the fine line between appeasing long-term fans (like yours truly) and taking the franchise in a bold new direction. I also loved the way they threw me off-kilter, as in "Well, I know that character can't die, because they survived to old age in the original." Ahhhh, but when one is dealing with time travel and the space-time continuum, all bets are off, a lesson I should have learned by now.

I've speculated before about the continuing appeal of the Star Trek phenomenon. (I know not everyone feels that way, of course.) I see it as a continued yearning for a future in which many nations (and planets) are united as a force for the common good. A peaceful force, one concerned with contacting and learning from other cultures, not beating them into submission in order to convert them to our way of life OR to any particular religion. The Prime Directive must always apply. (We seem to have gotten away from that a bit here. W obviously isn't a Trek fan.) The world of Star Trek is one in which various and diverse groups of people collaborate for the greater good. It's idyllic, obviously, but...isn't that the whole point? Isn't our goal a peaceful existence with all people working together to achieve a better world? Shouldn't it be?

For me, Star Trek shows us the possibilities of what can be if we all get off this muy macho shit and start working together.

It's also kinda cool to encounter freaky aliens like the Horta, and to try to connect. That's where a Vulcan Mind Meld comes in handy.

I love this clip from SNL. Note the "I'm looking at you" gesture using the Vulcan hand gesture. Still makes me laugh.

Nutwood meets the Motor City: Worlds Collide!

I took a couple of pictures on the way up, but I'm too lazy to download and edit them tonight, so you'll have to wait!

An uneventful and fairly quick trip up--made it in about three hours. I didn't realize we are that close to Detroit! We're staying in Dearborn, and we're right by Ford headquarters. I sensed a smile on Blacky's grill (Blacky is Ken's Mustang) as we drove by his "birthplace." Who says you can't go home again?

Checked in with Mark and made arrangements for tomorrow--we're both excited about meeting him and I know we're going to have fun tomorrow! The only thing better than Star Trek is experiencing Star Trek with friends. :)

We drove down the road a piece and had dinner at BD Mongolian Barbecue. Ken has eaten at one of these before, but I never had, and I'm ready to start a letter-writing campaign to get one in our neck of the woods! Man, that was some great stuff, and although we don't eat out often, we'd go there once in a while. And yes, we used chopsticks, because that's the way we roll. (Haven't done that for Jamie in quite a while.)

Live long and prosper, my friends!

Semi-productive day

As opposed to a semi-conductive day. Or a semi-charmed life.

Ken is off today and tomorrow before he starts his new duties, and we had a lazy morning as he waited for the grass to dry enough to mow. As he's been out mowing, I've been doing some odds and ends around the house. It's getting nice and green outside, and the sun has been shining all afternoon, but it's still not exactly warm. I'm ready for some heat! I got my Vidalia onions all tarted up by putting them into stockings. Ha! I know I've mentioned this before, but I order a 25-pound box of Vidalias from a place in Georgia, and then put them into nylons and tie them up to store in the basement. They stay cool and dry that way, and will last through the summer. I gave Mom and Dad a half dozen of them, because they love them, too. There really is nothing like a Vidalia. Sweet, yummy goodness! Who else loves Vidalias? I sure wish we could grow them here, but the growing season isn't long enough. True Vidalias only come from Vidalia County, Georgia, and a couple of surrounding counties, though.

Thanks for all the comments on "Star Trek." If you haven't seen it yet, I hope you'll let me know what you thought of it if you decide to go. I haven't heard anyone say yet that they disliked it, and the opening weekend box office was $76.5 million. Not too shabby for a franchise that some felt was either dead or on its last legs. I remember when "Casino Royale" came out, and discussing it with our friend Steve. He said, "Wow...way to save the franchise!" I don't think anyone would disagree that Daniel Craig and the new "killer Bond" style has definitely been a hit, and injected new life into the Bond brand. It made me wonder if this new Trek (and the new actors, should they reprise their roles) has saved that franchise? I suppose only time will tell, but it sure looks like it's going to be a huge summer hit. It's only just come out, and I'm ready for more!

We enjoy watching "Celebrity Apprentice," and the three-hour finale was last night. We were both quite disgusted when Joan Rivers beat Annie Duke (the poker player) and won the whole thing. I'm happy for her charity, which sounds like a great cause, but we both got so irritated by Joan and Melissa Rivers' behavior that we really wanted to see them go down in flames. Annie is a poker player, so yeah, there was strategy there, and I don't know if there were some underhanded tactics or not (as was alleged). But Joan sat there in the board room and compared Annie to Hitler at Buchenwald. (I'm not sure how much time Hitler spent at Buchenwald--I'm guessing very little--but that's beside the point.) She also said that Annie's poker friends were in the Mafia. That is not cool and it is not true. Try and haul your ass out of the 1960's, okay, Joan? Not everyone who goes to Vegas or gambles is in the Mafia. When Melissa Rivers got fired, she went on an epic tirade and called Annie and her remaining teammate "pit viper whores," among other things.

Now I have to give credit where credit is due. "Pit viper whore" is one inventive and interesting insult. But such insults spewed by Melissa and her mother (Man, how would you like to marry into that family?) have no place in a professional setting. If someone at work called me a pit viper whore, I'd be all over that. That is just unacceptable behavior.

Interesting TV, but unacceptable behavior.

What do you think? How would you react to being called a pit viper whore? It's making me laugh at the moment, but if I were called that, I have to say that it would be interesting to see how I'd react. I think I might actually laugh, for real, because if someone called me that to my face...well, that's just damn funny. How could you not laugh at that, especially if the person was totally serious and really trying to insult you? I think I'd be like, "Pit viper whore? Are you serious? Really?” Ha!

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.

Happy as a little girl

Ahhh, what a gorgeous day it ended up being! Gloomy this morning, but the afternoon brightened up, and I was able to sit out on the deck for a bit. I also took care of switching out my summer and winter clothes, and I'm looking forward to wearing summer stuff soon.

I'm batchin' it tonight, as Ken is downtown for his convention. It sounds like it's going well so far, but he's pretty busy since he's basically the host. I'll head up tomorrow evening for dinner, and stay up there. We haven't decided if we'll go for the cigar bar, or the Irish pub, after dinner. I think we're leaning towards the cigar bar, because they have some cool jazz on the weekends. Should be a fun evening!

Although I'm on my own tonight, I decided not to do the traditional Ken-on-a-business-trip Eggplant Parmigiana. It's only for one night, so I'll wait until he's gone for a little longer. I'll go with another thing he's not fond of, creamy pasta salad.

Saturday will be a family get-together for various birthdays and Mother's Day. Sunday will be the new Star Trek movie, with an afternoon matinee. I am really looking forward to it. I'm starting to hear good things, and a friend of our British friend Simon got to see it early, and enjoyed it. Apparently the guy playing the young Spock is just perfect for the role, and in the previews I've seen, Chris Pine does a pretty good young Kirk--a brash, cocky womanizer. In the scene I saw, he tries to pick up Uhura in a bar. Ha! I might have to do another ode to Star Trek at some point.

Now, since it's just me and the cat tonight, let's see what kind of trouble I can get into. Heh!

Coolest. Thing. Ever.

Thank you, David Dust, m'dear, for the link to the most awesome application I think I've ever seen. Yeah, baby!

War, huh, yeah. What is it good for?

Last night, Ken and I watched "Windtalkers." It was released way back in 2002, and was one of those movies that we've had for a while but never got around to watching. It's based on the WWII Navajo code talkers and the code based on the Navajo language. The code was never broken, and it is one of the really neat stories of WWII.

It's not a great movie, but it's pretty decent. Some of it was a little cliched, but all in all, I liked it. However, a lot of it was disturbing to watch, because there were some fairly graphic war scenes. Nothing as devastating as "Saving Private Ryan" (I can't watch the opening scene without sobbing and trembling, because it gets to me so much...I've only been able to watch the movie twice.), but still bad. I feel that sometimes it's a good thing to see scenes like that, though, as a reminder of what our military faces in combat situations.

There was a lot of hand-to-hand combat in this movie, as there was in "Ryan," and I made the comment to Ken that it makes me wonder if war has almost become too easy for us. Bear with me while I explain. I was reminded of the "Star Trek" episode (And I do manage to relate many things to "Star Trek." Some truths are universal and timeless.) in which the crew of the Enterprise encounters a planet that is at war with their neighboring planet. ("A Taste of Armageddon," Season One) They speak of the extensive casualties of their war, but Kirk and the others soon find out that in order to avoid the complete devastation of war, the inhabitants are targeted by computers as "dead," and willingly report to antimatter chambers where they are zapped out of existence. Kirk destroys the chambers and explains to the rulers of the planet that in their complacency they have forgotten the horrors of war, and if faced with the reality of it, they will work towards achieving peace through diplomatic solutions.

Our military technology has increased so much that it is a simple thing to kill with a smart bomb, guided by computer systems and launched without seeing the face of the enemy. This doesn't mean that combat doesn't happen up close and personal, too, but thousands are killed without ever seeing who, exactly, is shuffling them off this mortal coil. This is not an indictment or criticism of our military; just the opposite. We have too often put our military personnel into a situation that is so far removed from us and from our sight that we don't understand what they are going through. It is us, back at home, existing happily unaware of what is going on, who are forgetting that war is hell. I also believe that those giving the orders can forget what they are sending their troops into. The men and women who are in the middle of it understand it all too well.

I recently read a column in which the author said that one of the greatest mistakes that President Bush made was sending our troops to war without asking any sacrifice of the American people. I agree with that assessment. We went on with our lives, spending our money, not paying any extra taxes to fund the war, deprived of nothing. We are like the inhabitants of the planets Eminiar and Vendikar: we have forgotten that war is not neat and tidy. It is bloody, gory, messy, and deadly. We have asked our military men and women to sacrifice, sometimes to sacrifice all, while we have been asked to sacrifice nothing.

Do I think that war is a necessary evil? Unfortunately, yes. I'm not so naive to believe that there aren't times when you have to fight back. But I would hope that in the future, it becomes the last resort. I firmly believe in a strong military, but hope and pray that in the years to come, we will be able to better utilize their abilities with peacetime assistance rather than military might.

I remember in high school, we had a debate in our World History class about our use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. My position was that it was the right decision at the time, based on the cost of American lives that would have resulted in the planned invasion of Japan. My late Uncle Ted was on his way to Japan for the invasion when the bombs were dropped. He may very well have been one of the thousands that would have died. I was the head of my debate team for this exercise, and my team won. As you can probably imagine, I can be relentless.

I won't go into the pros and cons here of dropping the bomb. Suffice it to say, I was a high school kid, and I saw things in black and white. I realize now that there is much more to it than saying it was the right thing to do, the ONLY thing to do. Different time, different place, different people, and it is not for me to pass judgement. I can actually see both sides of the issue now, and could probably argue successfully for both positions. However, I wonder if I could have been the crew member on the Enola Gay who flipped that lever to release the bomb? No clean launches from silos in the Midwest...they flew over the city, saw the buildings, and dropped their payload right on top of civilians. I don't believe I could do it.

Is it easier to push a button thousands of miles away? Is it easier to shoot someone from yards away than it is to slip a knife into their heart? You tell me.

R.I.P. Ricardo Montalban

"From Hell's heart, I stab at thee; For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee."

~~Herman Melville

In space, no one can hear you caroling

Our breakfast for dinner last night was yummy! Ken was in charge of the eggs, because we like them over easy and I always manage to make them over hard. Ha ha! Bacon, hash browns cooked in bacon grease (as were the eggs), and 8 slices of buttered toast made for a low fat and heart healthy meal...NOT! We don't do that very often, so might as well really enjoy it. Oh, and we had champagne with it. Not mimosas...Ken said, "Why dilute perfectly good champagne with orange juice?" Good point, although on the rare occasion we go out for breakfast (usually when we're on vacation), it is fun to have mimosas! Tonight will be beef vegetable soup.

We got the tree up and decorated. It's good to have that done, because this week I can wrap Ken's presents and get them under the tree. It's always fun to put the ornaments on, because we've gotten each other some fun ones over the years. I'm heavy on the penguins and I Love Lucy ornaments, and Ken has a lot of golf ones. Other fun ones, too, like this one I got for Ken last year.

It's only logical that you should have a happy holiday, Captain. Ken hung this one low on the tree, and he said it looks like Spock is floating in space! Ha! Can anyone else say that they have a Mr. Spock ornament? Yeah, we're cool that way. That's just the way we roll. (That one was for you, Jamie!)

Here's one of my Lucy ones.

When you press a button, it plays a conversation between Lucy and Ricky, in which she tells him that she told her ladies' group that he'd put on a show for their upcoming benefit. You can hear Ricky on the phone, yelling in Spanish, and Lucy says quickly, "Well okay goodbye dear!" Makes me laugh every year!

Last night, we started watching "The Dark Knight," but Ken started snoozing, so we'll watch the rest later. (Give the guy a break--he got up early for a meeting!) I think Christian Bale is an excellent Bruce Wayne/Batman, and "Batman Begins" is my favorite Batman movie. I was very impressed with Heath Ledger's Joker, and I'd say that the posthumous Oscar buzz is warranted. Jack Nicholson played the Joker role mostly for laughs, but Ledger's take on it is much darker and creepier. I liked the darker tone of "Batman Begins," and they continue that in this movie (although we haven't seen the whole thing yet). Batman is one of our most tortured heroes, after all. And my personal favorite, by the way.

I didn't mention that Friday night we watched the remake of "The Hills Have Eyes." Oddly enough, that's a 70's horror movie that I've never seen, so I can't say if the remake compares to the original, but seeing the remake made me want to get it. I suspect that the original was much more shocking at the time (and it was directed by Wes Craven), much like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," and the remake struck me as a fairly typical and pedestrian desert mutant movie. (There are so many, you know!) Nothing really unusual about the movie, although the mutants were fairly gross. They became mutants due to nuclear bomb testing in the desert, and I found the test homes and mannequins set up by the government fairly eerie and creepy. Don't worry about seeing it if you aren't a horror movie fan. If you are, it's nothing extraordinary. Watch it with the lights off to optimize what little scare factor there is.