Sick

I'm not spending much time on-line right now. I'm pregnancy-related sick and my house took hurricane-force damage for Christmas. The good news is the pregnancy-related sickness means my pregnancy hormones are *Excellent!* In fact, we had an ultrasound on Monday and the baby and everything is fine.

*This is one of my babies and I after surviving a hard-fought pregnancy and winning. It was worth everything to hold my baby in my arms at last.*

.

Being sick for the duration of pregnancy is normal for me. I'll be very sick for a while, then not-so-sick-but-still-sick for a while, and then back to puking my guts out in a bowl I carry with me always. I'm one of those rare mommies who actually *loses* weight while pregnant. After our third baby was born, I told me husband one more pregnancy and I'd finally be down to my ideal weight! So, if I go silent in the Blogosphere, this is the most likely reason why.

Merry Christmas from the Stars

The following broadcast was made from the Apollo 8 crew orbiting the Moon on Christmas Day, 1968-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EreYmNM0N0s

.

Merry Christmas to all you people of this good Earth.

.

Edit to Add- Here's a contemporary Christmas message from the astronauts on the International Space Station- http://www.spacefreighters.blogspot.com/ This is Laurie's blog.

Pre- Merry Christmas!

I'll be back on Christmas Eve for a special post, but then I won't post here again until January 2nd, unless something really extraordinary happens like I get the complete 1st season of Star Trek Voyager on DVD under my Christmas tree or aliens land and offer to buy all of America's SUVs. So, be brave, only five more days!

Retro Star Trek (kinda) DS9- 'It's Only a Paper Moon'

Star Trek Deep Space Nine is probably my favorite series overall and it's difficult to say that because I love all the ST series. DS9 went into far deeper stories and dimensionalized secondary characters. One of my favorite characters was Nog. A Ferengi, Nog grew up with Captain Sisco's son, Jake, and was expected to go into the family business. However, he saw how hard his father, Rom, worked without respect or appreciation and wanted more out of life. He successfully convinced Sisco to sponser him for Starfleet Academy. His dad, meanwhile, finally gained the respect he deserved by becoming one of the civilian engineers on the station and he happily married the beautiful Leeta who saw past racial differences to the good man that he was. I loved all that! Anyway, in the 7th season the Federation has been at war, trying to prevent Dominion conquest of the Alpha Quadrant. Nog loses a leg in battle and returns to the space station to recover. Physically, he's fine, but emotionally he's still grieving. Having lost a baby, I think the writers totally nailed the whole grief concept. Besides Loss, there is also a Fear component. Nog retreats into the holographic program of Vic Fontaine and the two become friends.

Vic helps Nog work through his grief a lot and must eventually kick him out of the program, because he realizes Nog will never completely heal until he faces the Fear. Of course, Nog doesn't want to leave because in the program he can forget both Loss and Fear. He knows what's going to happen and can control it. In the Real World, anything might happen. His other leg might get blown off. His dad might get killed by a falling beam. But, Vic tells him if stays in the program he'll become as fake as everything in it. He finally accepts it and finds his loving family waiting for him outside.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/It%27s_Only_a_Paper_Moon_%28episode%29

.

Star Trek television episodes and movies are regularly re-ran on television, especially on channels like Spike and the Sci-Fi Channel. You can also check them out for free at a good public library. If you want to spend the money, download them at iTunes or buy the DVDs.

Real Science & Inspiration

Still can't figure out what to get dad for Christmas?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/space_shuttle

.

Watch your step now.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081217/ap_on_sc/sci_earth_breach

.

Dim does not mean stupid.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20081215/sc_space/foundthedimmestbulbsinspace

.

For the storytellers among you, today's inspirational archaeology article-

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081213/ap_on_re_us/schooner_discovered

And a funny story too. Watch out for that cow!

http://gmy.news.yahoo.com/v/11162298

Science Fiction Romance...

...for the younger set. Heather discusses it at her blog, the Galaxy Express.

http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/2008/12/science-fiction-romance-of-my-youth.html

.

If you think Vulcans are than Vampires, you should pop over.

Madison interviews Mari Mancusi

http://madisonlovestowrite.blogspot.com/2008/12/q-and-with-marianne-mancusi.html

.

Read that, then pop back over here to read my review of Ms. Mancusi's new release, GAMER GIRL, a couple of posts below this one.

Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081212/ap_en_mo/memorabilia_auction
Gee, I got my girl's lightsaber at Wal-mart for just a few bucks!

Real Science

No wonder I'm feeling kinda rowdy.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20081211/sc_space/yearsbiggestfullmoonfridaynight
.
Now we know why the British are so smart.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081212/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_ancient_brain

GAMER GIRL by Mari Mancusi

Madeline has just moved from the city to the country, from a private school to a totally different school. Her mother divorced her father for reasons which don't make sense to her and moved them to Grandma's big, unicorn-infested house far away. Then, Grandma embarresses the daylights out of her on the first day of school by making her wear a unicorn sweatshirt and gushing over the most popular boy in school whom she once babysit and knows he had a bedwetting problem. Madeline is in teenage hell.

.

But, things pick up. One of the popular boys doesn't seem to be evil and another kid thinks it's really cool when she punches out a kid who was tormenting her. See, he was a coach's favorite, so there was no way she was going to get protection or justice.

.

Best of all, Dad sends her a new computer game for her 16th birthday. She's wanted it for a long time, but he wouldn't let her have it because she was too immature. Through the game, she can interact with people all over, including her dad. She takes on the persona of Allora, a gorgeous blond goddess-like elf. Running Allora around the game, she can do as she pleases, no one knows who she really is (except her dad who plays the game too,) and no one knows she's a freak-girl in real life. And she meets SirLeo, a Legolas (Lord of the Rings) look-a-like. Together they battle eeevil monsters and find treasure.

.

While her mom talks but never listens, she has to admit Dad's a little immature too. He lies and gets a charge out of putting one over on people. Still, she'd rather them be obnoxious together than apart.

.

Things pick up even more when one of her teacher notices her plight with the Haters clique and encourages her to start a Manga club. And the really cute Hater who isn't all that hateful after all, tells her about a Manga contest. They both noticed her artistic ability. So, the foundation of her life - her family - fell apart. Can she find her own way?

.

We didn't have computer gaming when I was a teenager that I know of. I grew up in a dinky little town time forgot. But, if there had been I would have been a gamer girl too, I think. A lot of parents do stupid, selfish things and end up letting down their adolescent children. Then, they throw them into schools which might as well be snake pits and complain when they have a hard time. No wonder they want to escape it all! Maddy was very lucky to have other people around who cared.

.

This is a good read and a great holiday gift for any gamer girl.

Seen First on Star Trek - the Roll-Out Piano

https://www.buythepiano.com/vcc/allstar/giovanni/332657/

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Lessons_%28episode%29

.

It was a ho-hum episode of Star Trek Next Generations which was supposed to be a romance, but the sparks never really flew. Plus, I still find the archaic idea that star captains can't marry and have children to be seriously annoying. Of course, DS9 changed all that for me when Captain Sisco walked on board with his son, Jake, and walked off seven years later with his pregnant wife, but I digress.

.

The really cool thing about the Next Gen episode, 'Lessons,' was the portable piano and I was delighted to see one has now been invented. It was inevitable and I wonder if anyone else has come up with something similar. Remember, cell phones and laptaps were on Star Trek long before they were in your hands.

.

Long live the Trekkies!

Kimber An's Top Ten Books for 2008

Pop over to my book review blog http://enduringromance.blogspot.com/2008/12/kimber-ans-top-ten-books-for-2008.html
for some great holiday gift-giving ideas.

All I Want for Christmas

Okay, so my husband's crazy schedule isn't the only reason things didn't go as planned yesterday. Pop over to http://starcaptainsdaughter.blogspot.com/2008/12/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-for-my-baby.html for the story.

Techno-Geeks Needed!

Hey, I was thinking it be great to post articles about the latest and greatest technical stuff, but, you know, I don't even have a cell phone and forget how to use my husband's in between the times I borrow it. If anyone wants to talk about it or write a post about the newest gadgets, please submit it as a comment (especially if you're under 18 so not even I know who you are) or email the article to me and I'll post it. This may be especially helpful for anyone still working on their holiday shopping lists!
.
This is NOT an invitation for people to advertise their merchandise on this site. I delete that kind of stuff, along with anything I feel is disrespectful to young people.

More Stuff Coming Throughout Today

Weird schedule today. Such is life when you're a mama married to a pilot, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Star Trek Movie Official Site & Trailer

http://www.startrekmovie.com/ To keep up to date on the new movie and to watch the trailer, pop on over and check it out.
.
Yes, I'm still worried they'll mess up Spock, but I promise to be brave. We miss out on a lot of joy in life when we close our minds.

Truth Stranger Than Fiction

You all probably know about the Mumbai terrorist attacks in India this past week. Our hearts go out to the innocent lives destroyed and made miserable by the selfish idiots who carried out these attacks. What I found interesting, as a Trekkie, is the resemblance of the terrorists to the Jem Hadar from Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Drugs were found in the dead terrorists' bodies. http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20081204/wl_time/08599186404900 Likewise, the Dominion controlled the Jem Hadar through drug addiction. http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Jem%27Hadar
.
Tragedy always ensues when human beings choose not to think with their own minds.
.
But, there is still good in humanity. A young couple was murdered during the attack for having been born Jewish, but their nanny rescued their baby. As long as there is life, there is hope.

Inspirational Article for Aspiring Authors

A young man lost his class ring in 1987 and just found it in a fish!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081203/ap_on_fe_st/odd_ring_in_fish

Real Science This Week

A solar-powered car just finished its around-the-world trip in Poland.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_poland_solar_car

.

Visionaries often go unappreciated in their own time.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081203/ap_on_sc/sci_tycho_s_supernova

And the space shuttle Endeavor came safely home to us.

http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=space-shuttle-endeavor-creates-soni-2008-12-01

Star Trek and Star Wars Official Sites

http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/index.html
I like the Star Trek official site better, actually. It feels more welcoming, more community-oriented, whereas the Star Wars seems to be mostly about selling stuff.
http://www.starwars.com/
There's much to be learned in the forums on both sites. I haven't read the Star Wars forums in a while, but I was just at the Star Trek forum. What's great about these forums for any writer of speculative fiction is that you get candid, descriptive, gut-reaction responses to the movies and television shows. This means you can learn a lot about what readers want. And it's also a lot of fun too.
;)

X Files

Any X Files fans out there? I realize the t.v. show is about a decade before any current teenager's time, but it does live on in re-runs, DVD, and probably iTunes. And there was a movie over the summer. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443701/

.

I watched the t.v. show during its first run in the 1990's and enjoyed it very much. It was one of the only intelligent television shows at the time. Gillian Anderson did an amazing job portraying Agent Skully, the skeptic, forensic half of the team. It was so wonderful to have a show with a strong, beautiful, intelligent woman NOT cast in stereotypical role.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Files

Here's the blurb from Wikipedia-

.

"In the series, FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are tasked with investigating the "X-Files": marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder plays the role of the "believer", having faith in the existence of aliens and the paranormal, while Scully is a skeptic, initially assigned by her departmental superiors to debunk Mulder's unconventional work. As the show progressed, both agents were caught up in a larger conflict, termed "the mythology" or "mytharc" by the show's creators, and developed a close relationship which was often seen as romantic rather than platonic.[3] The complex and more romantic side was explored further in subsequent films years after the series ended. The X-Files also featured stand-alone episodes ranging in tone from horror to comedy, in which Mulder and Scully investigated uniquely bizarre cases without long-term implications on the storyline. These so-called "monster of the week" episodes made up roughly two-thirds of the series."

Not Spock!

Yes, I cried. Didn't you?
.

I'm as excited as the rest of Trekkiedom over the forthcoming new Star Trek movie, but after watching the trailer I've come to the conclusion I will be utterly devestated if they mess up Spock! I try really hard to keep an open-mind, but I already hate, okay, dislike the new Spock. Guess it goes to show, once and for all, who my favorite Star Trek character of all time is. (((sigh))) If they mess up Spock, I will never, ever forgive them. Never!