Aviaphobia

It's no secret I'm a fan of Star Trek. Up to now it's mostly been the movies and the later series. I haven't been very familiar with the original series, so the last few months I've been taking advantage of the fact that two channels are rerunning TOS so that I can catch the 50+ episodes I haven't seen.

It's been educational. As with most t.v. shows, some episodes are better than others, and some are downright boring. But, I've noticed that although Kirk hooks up with nearly every female guest star that shows up, he is very sincerely in love with each of them, and it's almost believable. And I confess that my crush on young Leonard Nimoy is not inconsiderable.

But my favorite TOS character has been and always will be Leonard "Bones" McCoy. He just cracks me up. I love his friendship with Kirk and the way he spars with Spock. I love that he hates the transporter. I find it hilarious (as I think was intended) that he hates space flight and yet works on a starship. His southern accent and gentlemanly treatment toward women is highly attractive. He laughs at his own jokes. His professional knowledge, loyalty, and sense of right and wrong are impeccable, and he isn't afraid to stand up for himself in spite of his equally opinionated co-workers. McCoy is awesome.

Which is why I was so thrilled to see this clip from the new Star Trek movie coming out next Friday.

Dead on. Karl Urban, as I suspected, is perfectly cast. This movie is going to rock!

Blink of an Eye

Monday night at Family Home Evening, my ward had a guest speaker. I had never heard of Brother W before that day, but he told us an incredible story:

Two years ago in February, he and his wife recieved a phone call at 1 a.m. It was the police telling Brother W that his son had been driving drunk, had hit a car, and killed a pregnant woman and two of her children. (Click here for more details). This family was in the teenager's stake, and the parents of the woman killed were in Brother W's ward at that time, so they'd known these people fairly well.

Can you imagine how devastated this father would be? He had to watch his son go through all of this, and he felt tremendous guilt toward the grieving family. It was amazing to hear him talk about the trial, his son's regret, and the surviving family members' forgiveness.

As Brother W described the events after the accident, what struck me most was how quickly and easily life changes. I can't take back my bad decisions. I can't change things that the people around me do. All I can do is my best and be supportive of those around me that are doing theirs, whether family, friends, or strangers. No one is perfect. We're living our lives in order to learn and figure things out. And even "bad" news can be kind of fantastic depending on the way you look at it.

I also thought of the Ceran family -- another who suffered through a similar horrible accident. I knew their family well and loved them. I heard about the accident on Christmas Eve and will never forget that phone call or visiting the survivors the next day. The thing they all said was that they were glad the three who died went together, because none of them could have born the deaths of the others. The three who lived felt very blessed they still had each other. They also forgave the other driver. I see them once in awhile and am always struck by how positive and happy they are. They miss their family and their life before, but they choose not to hold onto anger. Instead, they focus on their many blessings. And when it comes down to it, we never know what is coming. We can only hope for the best, accept the worst, and have faith it will all work out.

It was a really emotional meeting. I am glad the co-chairs put me in charge of the event, because if they hadn't I might not have been there. I had needed that message.

Brother W's son is now surving time in prison. His family loves him and is supporting them through the repentance process. I pray that whenever something unexpected comes to me and my loved ones that I'll be able to be as positive and loving as they have been.

Nothing Bundt Cakes

Today, I and some of the girls at work needed some chocolate, so we decided to take a short break and decided to go find some. It was while driving that Michele S, Emily A and I realized we just wanted chocolate and didn't care much about the details -- place, form, or price. Therefore, we couldn't decide if we should go to Tin Roof Grill, Chili's, Kneaders, Paradise Bakery, Cold Stone, Harmons, See's Candies, or Red Mango. There is no group so indecisive as women who want chocolate in whatever form!

We finally decided on a place I'd never heard of: Nothing Bundt Cakes. It's such a cute little shop! The display was geared towards weddings and baby showers. You've got to love a place where the main decorations are bundt cakes with flowers in the center... and the frosting dripping over the sides... mmmm... cream cheese frosting. They even had little onsies with silly "bundt" slogans, frilly aprons, and rubber gloves with fancy gingham cuffs. Everything about the place said "girly". I didn't see a single man while we were there (or a married man either -- high-o!). Quite a few pregnant women and their friends, though.

They had free samples of red velvet cake. It was so perfectly moist and the chocolate chips added just the right touch -- I had to eat two!! (I've mentioned how I don't have any self-control lately, right?) In spite of our earlier indecision and all of the different cake choices, Michele and I settled on sharing a single serving chocolate-chip cake. I tell you what: it was good. Good enough that if that place were closer to work or my apartment I'd probably go once or twice a week. Fortunately, it isn't close to anywhere I go with any regularity. My waistline is greatful.

It sure was what I wanted today! Hooray for chocolate cake on a rainy turned sunny day!

Nonsensical

I am not, in general, a fan of poetry. I don't really get the symbolism. I like to be told outright "this is what I'm saying."

But, I like this poem. Specifically, I like reading it out loud. The rhythm and sounds are lovely! They make me want to make up a crazy little dance, or a slap game, or jump rope routine like we did in elementary school... maybe that's the point of this poem. That's what I get from it anyway...

The Symbolic Poem
by Fred Bremmer and Steve Kroese

< > !* ' ' #
^ " ` $$-
!*=@$_
%*< > ~ #4
&[ ]../
|{,,SYSTEM HALTED

When read aloud, it says:

Waka waka bang splat tick tick hash,
Caret quote back-tick dollar dollar dash,
Bang splat equal at dollar under-score,
Percent splat waka waka tilde number four,
Ampersand bracket bracket dot dot slash,
Vertical-bar curly-bracket comma comma CRASH.

(A poll conducted among readers of InFocus magazine, where it was originally published, established "waka" as the proper pronunciation for the angle-bracket characters, though some held out resolutely for "norkie".)

A Plea to Drivers

The last couple of months while driving, I've nearly been creamed by other cars at least once a week. It's starting to make me afraid to drive! SUVs, sedans, trucks -- none of them seem to see my little red car. They like to merge into my lane while I'm still in it and they haven't passed me, yet, or pull out of their parking space while I'm driving up behind them. Yesterday it happened while my mom was with me, so I know I'm not just imagining things.

It's a good thing I'm paying attention and have managed to avoid disaster thus far, but I start to wonder: is it me, or is it all them? I generally avoid talking on the phone while driving, but I am not always 100% successful (I am very aware that my driving skills suck when I'm on the phone). Sometimes when I sing I stop noticing exactly where I am, though I try at least to always notice where the other cars are in proximity to me. And if I start to get mad when someone drives like a jerk, it takes a minute to remind myself I've probably done the same thing to someone else.

So, I'm not saying AT ALL that I'm a perfect or even a great driver, but it bothers me how casually people act when operating a 20000 ton vehicle/weapon. Really, you have to pay attention every minute. I keep hearing stories of little kids being run over in the driveway and drunk drivers who hit and kill passengers in other cars but aren't injured themselves. I generally like to drive, but I think I've used my horn more in the last few months than I have in the whole rest of my 13 years of driving, and the recipients still don't acknowledge me! They just keep doing whatever it is they're doing!! My nerves are shot.

Don't even get me started on road rage.

Please people, pay attention**! Even when you're not on your cell phones (though you usually are) you're still doing stupid things! What is the priority here? I'm sorry if you forgot to get into the right lane in time to catch your exit, but it is probably more convenient to just go to the next exit than risk getting in an accident.

If you'll all promise to drive more defensively, I promise to continue to try to improve, too. Driving is a privilege and a responsibility. Please take it seriously.

**Directed to the general public, not any of my friends specifically, unless you've almost run into any little blonde drivers in little red cars lately.

A "Popular" Play

I got to see Wicked last night and it was wonderful! I decided to drive downtown a bit early so I could find a somewhat nearby parking space and grab some dinner before the play. Of course, everyone else had the same idea, so the wait at the Olive Garden was ridiculous. I ended up grabbing some minestrone salad and soup to go and just eating it outside the restaurant. It was such a lovely, warm, breezy day I was grateful to spend a few minutes in it! I ended up not eating the salad which meant I had to walk it back to my car. That's okay; it was another excuse to stay outside as long as possible.

Since I didn't want to have to stop at home between work and the play, I wore my dress and pretty new peep-toe shoes all day. This meant that walking back to the car with my leftovers was a bit torturous as I was starting to get blisters from the new shoes, but it was worth it for the leftovers. Besides, the shoes make me strut a little, and I love feeling all dressed up and classy! I just don't understand why someone would pay $90 for a ticket to a play, and then wear ratty jeans and flip-flops. I guess I'm a bit of a snob. Nice pants and flip-flops maybe, but jeans and a t-shirt? Really? We're not tourists in New York and seeing a show at the end of a long day of travel (though if I have the option I personally like to go back to the hotel and change for the show anyway). If you're not going to dress up for an anticipated event like this, what in the world would you dress up for?


As luck would have it, Elisha and her parents were there, too. Their seats were a couple of rows behind mine, but Elisha came over and chatted with me until the patrons with the tickets next to me showed up. It was nice to have the illusion of sharing the play with someone I know! I hope you enjoyed it, too, Sister!

As soon as the house lights dimmed -- even before the orchestra started -- everyone started cheering. This is a show where I really believe all of the elements -- spectacle, music, and story -- all blend together. No one aspect is more important than any other (as opposed to, say, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, which is another show I love and has gorgeous music and spectacle but is weak on character development). I admit, my eyes teared up every time anyone started singing! The costumes were gorgeous, the dancing was effortless, the stagehands and lighting crew were fantastic -- the whole production was just flawless. Elphaba's voice was powerful and her chemistry with Fiyero palpable -- man, was he handsome! My favorite was Galinda -- she was hysterical! I saw the actress, Katie Rose Clarke, in The Light in the Piazza on Broadway a few years ago and she was great there too. Her antics during the song "Popular" and the scene surrounding it were my favorite part of the show. I want to be like her! I wished I had been able to get tickets for all of my loved ones so they could share the experience. I almost wished I hadn't seen it before so the ending could be a surprise once again -- I am always delighted to see how it all comes together. I am pretty stingy with standing ovations, but I was happy to give one to this touring production of Wicked. Oh, how I love this play!

Now that the experience is over, I'm disappointed that I don't have it to look forward to anymore! The result was totally worth the aggravation I suffered on Halloween. It was a lovely, long six months of anticipation.

I need to plan something else to agonize over and look forward to...