Trekkie’s Log, Star Date -314892.30418943544

On Saturday (2/9) Katie, our friend Susanne and I went to the large Dome building at the Queen Mary for Star Trek: The Tour!Finally, a place where I could unleash my inner Trekkie!Yes, I publicly confess that, although I consider myself to be a sci-fi fan in general, I am specifically a Trekkie.No, I have never dressed as a character nor have I taken the time to learn Klingon and vacation at a Klingon language camp, but I have seen all of the movies and almost every episode of the shows (except "Enterprise" of course), and I have attended a few Star Trek Conventions. Star Trek: The Tour was not nearly as geeky as a Convention, in fact it was more Non-Trekkie friendly in that it was more like an interactive museum then a nerd fest.They had all kinds of sets, costumes, and props on display, including a few shows and motion simulators.There was an audio tour available for rent but I assured the girls that there was no need for one as long as I was with them. I proved this by being able to explain just about every prop, costume, and set that we looked at, whether they asked me to or not.I proved my Trekdome even further when we took two different trivia quizzes and I was able to correctly answer every question 100% correct to confirm my status as a starship captain. (And Jesus wept.) But hey, it was more fun than a Jem'Hadar drunk from Romulan Ale on Dabo Night!We had a blast, and I loved being the one who knew more than Katie and Susanne (the honor students) for once in my life.I don’t want to discredit Katie and Susanne, they are Star Trek fans, just not "Trekkies."For about 200 bars of gold pressed Latnum (that’s Ferengi for $17) we were able to buy a photo we had taken of us on the original Enterprise Bridge set.As usual, we needed to dress for the occasion, so Katie made the really cool T-shirts you see us wearing in the photo. And, yes, she does have Vulcan ears! She got them at a costume shop a couple years ago because she played a North Pole Elf at a children’s Christmas party, good thing she never throws anything away! The camera setup is made for group pictures so there is a large gap on the right side of the image. Instead of trimming the image and cutting off some of the set, I decided use my own cheap effects and added some Tribbles to fill in the composition.We also took a picture on the Next Generation/Enterprise D bridge, but we didn’t pay for it so we don’t have any proof that it happened. There was also the option to purchase a holographic beaming up photo that was pretty cool but it was way too expensive for our taste. We also shot a really goofy video where we were "green screened" into a 5 minute scene with Captain Kirk and the original Star Trek series cast. Ours was so fabulously entertaining that we exited the glow of the spotlights to thunderous applause but, again, it was ridiculously expensive to purchase the DVD of said scene so, we passed. We ended the day by watching the famous Trouble With Tibbles episode from the original Star Trek series.

Set a course for the unbridled glorification of hot green alien babes, and the Captain who loved them. Engage!

(Kenfield Trivia: In case you’re curious, yes, that is the correct start date for 2/9/08 10:00AM. Yes, we are that geeky, but not as much as the person who made THIS site.)

T-Shirts!

Josh created a little design piece for our friend Micha Snell, who used it for a T-shirt idea about "Big Tippers."Click HERE to read about it and/or to purchase one if you're interested!

The Mountains Win Again

As you may or may not know, we’ve been getting some rain down here in Southern Cal, and BOY did we need it! Not only is the rain great for the soil but it clears out the haze and smog, making it look a lot cleaner here. For instance, on a Saturday (1/26) there was a break in the rain clouds resulting in a beautiful, sunny, blue sky day. With the thick dirty air washed away, we were able to see all the way to the mountains, and MAN what a gorgeous sight!They were caked in snow creating a striking contrast to the surrounding terrain. We took these pictures from Mountain View Park (which is where I proposed to Katie almost four years ago) on the corner of Bastanchury and State College in Fullerton- across from the Summit House for all you locals. The park has a breathtaking view of the valley below.Believe it or not, on a clear day such as this last one, you can actually see all the way to the cluster of buildings that make up downtown Los Angeles.We actually had trouble finding a parking place near the lookout point because everyone and their dogs were out to get a view of these now rarely seen giants. We spoke to one man who had moved here from out of state last May and didn’t even know these mountains were there until now. There were cars everywhere on the road, many with just their hazard lights on, so people could stop and get a quick snap shot of a side of California that is usually hidden from us busy city dwellers. Sadly, now the curtain of smog is closing and these snow-capped peaks will soon be completely out of sight again. Thankfully, though the photos hardly do the scene justice, we were able to capture some of the beauty before it faded away.