Captain's Log: Stardate 9508.06

Last night I finished a book that had me deciphering the last clue using morse code.  It was really quite enjoyable and reminded me of a time when I was much younger when my extensive knowledge of morse code saved many of my friends lives as we traveled through the outer realms of space.   So last night I had to fess up to something to Sarah.  This little memory brought a great deal of laughter from Sarah and a great deal of questions.  So I bet you are wondering what I revealed to Sarah.  You will have to decipher it( ..   .-- . -. -   - ---   ... - .- .-.   - .-. . -.-   -.-. .- -- .--.   .- -. -..   .-.. --- ...- . -..   . ...- . .-. -.--   -- .. -. ..- - .   --- ..-.   .. - .-.-.- ).  Give up.  Okay, I will tell you.  I went to Space Camp and not just any Space Camp.  It was a Star Trek themed Space Camp.  It is probably the geekiest thing I have ever done but before you make any assumptions about me let me make it quite clear on how I stand about the experience.  First,  it was a scout trip so I had no say in whether I went or not.  Second,  I absolutely loved and love Star Trek.  I remember as a kid sneaking out of my bedroom to go watch episodes of TNG (The Next Generation) when they would come on after 10 every night.  I could not get enough and I have never been as devout to a show as I was to Star Trek.  I dreamed of being able to be apart of the Star Trek world and flying around in space aboard the Enterprise.  Matching wits with Data as we played Tri-Dimensional Chess with his cat Spot nuzzling up to my leg.  Hanging with Geordi and Guinan in Ten-Forward swigging on a warm glass of Rokassa juice.  Being trapped in the holodek with Picard and Worf because of some computer glitch is preventing us from leaving. Q must be up to his old tricks again.  And I still want a replicator in my house.  I would watch until I fell asleep and this is too part of the reason that I established a long habit of sleeping on the couch.   I received the Trekker merchandise magazine which I never bought anything from but secretly wished I could at that age.  I was a member of the official Star Trek Fan club and had the membership card to prove it.  I owned action figures, the USS Enterprise,  toys that a reminiscent of Polly Pockets for Star Trek, and the Ultimate Star Trek Encyclopedia.  I even put together models of the ships from Star Trek.  I was obsessed.  So now with that perspective you can call me a geek and not make any assumptions.  Needless to say, I was stoked to be going on this trip.  It was young trekkers dream come true to be experiencing this.  I still remember the my first experience of being teleported up to the ship.  The strange whirling motion as the molecules of my body were transformed to energy and back again and I arrived on the ship.  It was so awesome.   As we made our way to the bridge, we passed countless rooms.  Engineering, the Mess Hall, the Crew Quarters, the Infirmary, etc.  I was given the assignment of Communications Officer hence the morse code.  My primary duty was to relay and decipher incoming hails and inform the Captain of any developments.  It was not the ideal job in fact it w very boring for me but I was in space so I didn't care.  I had hoped that I would be in engineering because it was by far the coolest part of the ship I thought at the time.   I only remember a few things about the whole trip.   First, I took part in several away team experiences one of which we encountered resistance from Romulan forces to retrieve some sort of relay beacon that was in the Neutral Zone.  I had a minor encounter with a Klingon upon the ship who decided to eat a piece of paper that I was told to give to him by the captain.  The Klingon gave me the nickname Mop because he threaten me that if I ever gave him such bad food again he would clean the floors with my head.  And I remember having the worse night sleep because I had the top bunk in my quarters and no matter where I turned to get sleep that night I had a light in my eyes.  But all in all it was an awesome experience and I really did enjoy it.  I am also proud that I was able to experience a little bit of my dream to be a part of the Star trek world if but for a moment.  If anyone wants to join me in the ranks of being a geek, the camp is still in business in Pleasant Grove, Utah.  I hear you getting excited.  Here is the link.  And adults can participate as well.  http://www.spacecamputah.org/.   And just to give you a glimpse of it I have included a video.  Enjoy.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7WDJkaTyqw    

O' catalyst, where art thou?

SUPER HERO: A TYPE OF STOCK CHARACTER POSSESSING "EXTRAORDINARY OR SUPERHUMAN POWERS" AND IS DEDICATED TO PROTECTING THE PUBLIC.
I have long known that I have a secret ability to pick up radio signals some how in my head. I hear (Yeah that's right I hear) the cuckoo bells going off in your head but believe me it is so. Sarah is my witness to it. I have on countless times started singing a song out loud and turned on a radio only to find that surprisingly that song is playing or is the next song to play. I know or rather hear what you are thinking, the songs are just overplayed and I could easily just have the song in my head from earlier on that day. But I don't listen to the radio that much. In fact, I seldom listen to the radio because I feel it interferes with the internal songs bouncing around in my head and I can only listen to one song at a time and more often than not I prefer the song in my head. Much to Sarah's dismay.  But these songs are not from overplayed groups like Nickelback or Wilson Philips. I swear radio stations have a quota for how many times they have to play "You're in Love" or "Rockstar". But these mind songs seem to be forsaken songs that I haven't heard in years. It can't be just some random event. My claim to have this ability has to be legitimate. Either I can hear the radio waves or I have to ability to call upon some force so that I hear exactly what I want to hear. I could also just be crazy which is also very likely.  But either of the former ways make it so I have a special ability and the latter makes it so I can still think it and that makes it reality.  The only problem with this ability is it is not nearly strong enough.   So I looked up on Wikipedia what I need to have to become a superhero.
1- There has to be a presence of the ability whether it be natural talent or supernatural talent. Check.
2- Most heroes were apart of some catastrophic event or a catalyst that will bring their abilities to the next level. Peter Parker got bit by a radioactive spider, all the X-men and Kal-El are exposed to radiation changes and their DNA morphs, Bruce Wayne wants revenge on his parents death, Captain America beefed up on Vita Ray treatment, and Bruce Banner has a little mishap with his gamma bomb invention. So I, too, must find a way to be part of a one of these events so that my full power can be realized. I am hoping that is not the event where I have to reap revenge on those who have killed my loved ones. I can't bear that.  But I am in luck I work in a lab and surely that has increased my chance of one of these other strange events occuring. Maybe some stray radioactive rat or rabbit from the oncology lab will attack me in the hall someday. Or all the machines in nuclear medicine go haywire and start a cataclysmic event that I somehow don't escape because I can't hear the overhead speakers to evacuate (I occasionally work in a room with 13 freezers and can't hear any of the fire alarms or alerts that are broadcasted over the PA).
3- Most super heroes have a strong moral code, which includes a willingness to risk one's own safety in the service of good without expectation of reward. This one is self explanatory. And I do think my actions tend to be for the good so I think I am on track with this.
4- Most super heroes are independently wealthy. Oh dear.  I am not but after my full powers are realized I suppose that I could go figure out a way to make money.  It is not really gambling if you know the outcome of a race or match that you place wager on, is it?  Even goody two shoes Peter Parker used his powers in the beginning to make a little money.  I am entitled to a cut as well.
5- Every hero needs a lair or a hideout.  I am thinking that I will just construct a rudimentary structure on a radio tower and set up base there.  Easy one. 
6-A distinct costume-  This one is tricky.  I want to be taken serious so I don't think I can have a huge antenna on the top of my head.  It is cliche and ridiculous.  I think I will just walk around in a big ear costume.  So much better.

7-An Archenemy-  This too is hard.  I know that my ability can help me with petty criminals (intercepting police scanner waves and all) but the only archenemy I can think of would be Photon: the villain of light.   He would travel at the speed of light.   I would have to travel at the speed of sound which means he is a great deal times faster than me.  So I would get to the scene of the crime well after it is happened. This is a problem.  Solution:  I would have to use my wits and my ability to hear into the future his plans and devise ways to slow him down (with water)  or trap him (in opaque box).  He will torment me with irksome songs that I will be forced to listen to over and over.  It will definitely be a challenge but I will be able to handle it.  Good will always win out in the end.

So the plan is set and I am waiting patiently for that primary event to happen.  Unless someone else out there knows another way to become a super hero.

Blood Will Keep Us Together

Whoa, has time flown. My last post was nearly a year ago and I think it is just sad. I blame Facebook mainly for this but that is another matter. A great deal has happened since last October. First, I am no longer in Logan. I now live in Salt Lake. Another change is that my career focus has switched at the present moment from dealing with plants to medical research. Hence the blog title switch. It has been quite a switch and I still am trying to learn all the new terminology that comes with working in the medical field. I am still dealing with genetics so not much has changed procedure wise but there are just so many medical acronyms. I feel like I am working with the government all over again. It has taken a great deal of getting use to. But Salt Lake has been good to Sarah and I. Sarah has enjoyed the change of working as an academic advisor. It offers the chance to still help students but not have to deal with the stress of teaching. She is much happier for it and so am I. We have really enjoyed being here and experiencing city life. It has been an interesting change. I think for the first few months I was in constant road rage just from the going-ons on the road. I still get the occasional frustration when I discover a median is standing between me and my destination or some jerk does something squirrely. But other than that it has been nice having more things to explore. In Logan, we would sadly drive around looking for stuff to do and end up a hour later back at home feeling dejected. We miss all of our friends up in Logan and sadly have not found replacements to some of our favorite places to eat but we are quite happy.  Well, I will close at this time. I just wanted to get myself going on the blog again so I will close with the promise that more is to come. And, yes, that can be taken as a threat and a promise.

Halloween Appetizer

Here is my Halloween Treat for all my family and friends who care to watch.  This is a compilation of a bunch of shows that I loved when I was a kid on Halloween.  Some are from when I was not a kid but that doesn't matter.  I hope you enjoy.  Sorry about some being blurry but they are good so you watch.  Happy Halloween. I removed the video player but you can still access it through the link.

Are you Scared of the DarK?

Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society.

Since it is the week of Halloween, I thought it appropriate to talk a little about fear.  We had a game when I was growing up called "Nightmare" in which the players try desperately to go around the board and collect their character keys all while trying to avoid the wrath of the Gatekeeper.  I hated being called a maggot. The game is controlled by a video tape that is playing in the background.  Players race against time in order to beat the Gatekeeper.  At the beginning of the game all players write down their fear on a card and place it in the middle of the board.  Then if you collect all the your keys you are suppose  to go to the middle of the board and face your fear.  Well, actually to win you didn't want to get your fear you wanted someone else so I never really got that part.  The game was rather suspenseful as I recall and I never really liked the paranoid feeling that I got whilst playing it.  But it was a Halloween tradition and in the long run I generally realized I had a good time after it was all said and done.
The reason I bring this up is as stated before is in part because it's Halloween.  It's suppose to be a spooky scary time.  A time when people are suppose to face fear in some respect.  But also I have been think about in great detail lately why I fear the things that I do and how I came to have the fears that I do.  So I thought I would share three.  I have many others but I think that these three are the ones that have caused me the most anxiety.

Did you ever get the feeling that someone was following you?  I think most people feel this way at least once in your life.  The adrenaline starts pumping and you feel your heart will never slow down again.  When I was a younger kid I enjoyed thinking that the moon was following me.  It was a magical feeling that some how you were significant enough to have the moon follow you.  Out of the countless amount of people that it could follow it chose you. That's an amazing feeling. But then I had an experience where I was riding around my nieghborhood on my bike and a car followed me.  I still can remember the eery feeling I had as the car matched pace with my blue bicycle.  I had to lay low in an alleyway for a couple on minutes until they were gone and I could continue my way back home.  I knew they were following me because I went around the block two times in order to check whether they were actually stalking me before I ducked in the alley.  From that time forth, night was no longer a magical time .  The moon was no longer following me and in its place was a dark menacing figure that was after me.  I ran home at night ever since. Even now to this day I make haste when I am walking at night.

I use to love going in Kaybee toys in the mall.  I could get lost in that kingdom of toys and never get bored.  There was a new thing around every turn. My mom would be out shopping which I hated to do with her so I would persistently ask if I could go to Kaybee toys where I could peruse the aisles and just be in toy heaven for a few brief moments.  Again this was a magical time that was soiled by the acts of another.  On one particular day I got an over-zealous employee who creepily announced over the intercom such phrases as "I know what you're doing." and "it's not worth it."  It took me a couple of minutes to recognize that he was addressing me due to the mesmerizing aura permeating the action figure aisle.   In my Teenage Mutant Ninja delirium I left the store way too quickly to not at least appear guilty of his accusations.  But I had done nor thought nothing of the sort.  Kaybee toys was my haven from a tedious day of shopping with mom and now it was ruined.  I don't think I ever went in to the store again without at least my brother with me.  Another incident occured where a store manager followed me out of a gas station and proceeded to question me as to shoplifting from his store after I had just come from paying for some penny candy at the register.  I was angry about this one because he made me empty my pockets and scrounge for a receipt that was not there for my recent transaction.  I got so flusters searching for it which I hadn't recognized that the cashier had not given me one because I spent less than ten cents. He eventually believed me and apologized and I angrily rode my bike off to home.  I can't go into a store anymore without the persistent thought that I somehow might be designated as a shoplifter.  Those cameras are always watching.  I hate those black little objects.  I have never nor never will be a shoplifter.  I'm much to smart to waste my time stealing petty things from stores.  But because of this paranoia I desperately don't want to leave a store without at least having purchased something.  If I happen to leave the store without purchasing anything I have this fear that I will be chased down by some security guard in the parking lot who will try to make me unload my imaginary ill gotten gains.  And if the security alarms on the front doors go off my heart just starts to race regardless of whether I have bought something that he cashier forgot to swipe or it goes off on someone else.  I often have to make it into a joke in order to coup with the anxiety.

My all time fear is pyrophobia.  I have lost so much sleep oer this and if it wasn't for conference talks being on tape and my sister Teri some nights I would have got no sleep as all. I would cringe when the firefighters would come to our school because I knew that for the next little while I would be getting very little sleep at nights.  I wish I could have skipped those assemblies.  What is a new problem spot for me to be on alert about with regards to my house and fire safety?  I watched in horror as the fire crew presented a movie of fires sweeping through a house overtaking all in its path.  I picture my family being consumed by the flames when ever I would close my eyes at night.  I started a nightly routine where I would check the fire danger spots in the home before I would go to bed.  Clear those clothes from around the water heater and while you're at it don't let them be near the furnace either.  Is the oven off?  The list became longer and longer as I my paranoia grew.  Now there can't be clothes on a vent either.  I even got to the point that I was checking each spot more than once per night just to be sure and on especially bad nights I would never stop checking until I crashed some where from sheer exhaustion.  Also if  it was winter outside I would have blankets ready to throw out the window so my family wouldn't freeze in the cold.  It never occured to me that the fire would be plenty of warmth.  My main worry with a fire is that somehow one of my family members would be caught in its blaze and I just couldn't have that.  I had to make sure that everyone was safe.  It was much too big of a job for me at the age that I was to take on.   It also didn't help that Bryan use to light matches right in my face.  Siblings just like to torture each other.  I don't think he ever knew I had such an aversion to it.

So here's the recap.  I hate fire.  I could be type casted as a shoplifter.  And someone is following me.  My fears have wained in their intensity over time which I am grateful for.  I don't think I could subsist on as little of sleep as I sometimes got when I was younger.  The shoplifting one probably will not go away.  I think stores want you to fear shoplifting so those cameras will never stop watching and employees will always be on the look out for the next Bonnie and Clyde.  I don't run as much when it gets dark anymore either.  This is in part because I am quite big and I think I can take care of myself it worse came to worse.  I think we just gradually realize over time that somethings are irrational and we no longer have to fear them quite as much as we did. 
I declare this meeting of the Midnight Society closed.

Riding Refinement.

I have, as of late, joined with my fellow "green"iacs and financially downtrodden individuals to taking part in the local public transportation system. It has led to many some what frustrating and interesting situations. Today, for example I learned that a house near our neighborhood has a secret cock fighting ring. This can not be proven but why on earth would I hear multiple roosters bellowing from a person's garage. I know what Sarah and I are doing this coming weekend. I don't know why this secret excited me so much but I also don't know why Sarah and I spent an hour in my car once with windows cracked, watching three cop cars converge on the apartments across the street to catch some underage drinker or me sitting in the shadows at midnight watching the cops over at naked kid's house solving some domestic dispute. Why is this so fascinating? Why can't I stop myself from trying to find out what is going on? But I'm off topic now.
On these treks up to campus, I have also caught a small taste of what Logan is. The bus has such a conglomeration of individuals that ride the large and ungainly vehicle that many may not expect. Where else can one sit next to your professor or boss, converse with an old high school friend that you haven't seen in years, get verbally assaulted by the twelvies wearing the latest digs from Hot Topic (since when is the president a pop-culture figure), or receive sage advice from bumper stickers plastering the back of an electric wheel chair.
I feel connected with Logan more now that I take the bus on a regular basis. I am now more aware of what is going on in the community because within the walls of the bus not only is there countless gossip to eavesdrop on (as stated before I just can't help myself when it comes to other peoples secrets) but there are multiple signs reminding all to "Vote Today" or invitations to explore other local events. I also witness the driving habits of my fellow Loganites. I just don't know what it is about buses but ever since our honeymoon, I can't help but get mental images of cars careening into the side of the bus. It's a bit terrifying and suspenseful.
Okay you may be wondering what has caused me to decide to ride the bus. Was it money or environment? Come on and take a guess. Both are excellent reasons to switch but I have to say it is principle that caused me to change. With USU charging more for a parking pass this year than they did last year, I just couldn't take it anymore. The B lot parking is already exorbitant. There isn't just a Fall semester pass for the economy lot. And not to mention that USU now is one B lot less this year due to the move of the tennis courts. It's ridiculous. Parking is a precious commodity that was already limited and I just did not wish to take part in their game anymore. So it's the walk to the closest bus stop, drive to Smith's and getting on the bus, bike (Please don't ask. I had derailleur problems that led to a lot of pain), or coax Sarah into being a peach and giving me a ride on up.
I have come to have a fondness for the local bus. It fills my days with rays of sunshine when I take it. I can't help but get off and smile at the experiences I just took part in. Yes, it is frustrating when your bus driver is standing outside the bus making a pass on a girl but it is alright. Bus drivers need love too. Sure the bus should have left ten minutes ago. Maybe we passengers could be more understanding of the bus drivers needs instead of banging on the windows and shouting out profanities to get the bus drivers attention. That is the lesson I have gained while riding the bus.

Flipnote

This weekend I decided to take a stroll in the Nintendo DSi shop to see if anything new was available. I haven't checked it in a long time and was delighted to see that they had added a new free application. It's quite a nifty little application that allows you to produce your own flip note animations. Here are some of the ones that I have done in the past couple of days. Enjoy.

This is my first animation that I did in the program.




Here's a shout out to our friends in Cleveland.




And finally since birthday month is coming up I thought that this would be appropriate.



And finally since birthday month is coming up I thought that this would be appropriate.