Alaska Day 10: Long Days Journey into Flight

Mindy woke up at 7:30, and we got a last opportunity to enjoy the hot springs. We're going to look for other hot springs for future vacations. I noticed the top of the shower door is below my sight line--at first, I thought maybe people were shorter when the lodge was built, but the architecture screams the 70's.

(Fun fact--Greg Brady? Five foot two. The sets were built like dollhouses to make it look normal.)

Last breakfast at Chena--omelette and a pancake. Mindy packed us up, and we took the shuttle back to Fairbanks without issue. Mindy found another dogsled race--this time, a sprint race at the Musher's Hall. We got there just in time to see the last sprints of the day, which included a moose on the track (not sports slang--an actual moose on the track). He got out of the way just in time for a musher to make it through. We had a meal at the local brew pub, then back to the hotel to hunker down for the shuttle to the airport--7 hours later...

Beard Day 10. Look for this same shirt tomorrow.

Alaska Day 9: Mush!

Awoke at the crack of 9:30. Quick shower, then breakfast at the dining room (bacon, eggs, toast, home fries--hey, it's a vacation). We managed to get in the 11a trip to the "ice museum", a permanent building made of ice. There's a shell around it with an evaporative cooling system to keep the ice solid in the summer. There are two world-class carvers on site, and they have several permanent installations there--themed bedrooms, an igloo with an ice-xylophone, a wedding chapel, and a ice bar with martinis--you can keep the ice glass. The museum is kept at 20°, so we went to the room to warm back up.

Later we bundled up for that day's big event--a ride on a dogsled. The Bettles dog sled tour (which we skipped) ran 1-2 hours, so when we heard the Chena tour was 15 minutes, we started to feel gypped. However, the actual event was just the right amount of time. We got a running commentary from the musher, who was right behind me--we were all on the same sled, smushed together. I got some great video of the tour...

Before dinner, we geeked out at the Geothermal Tour. Chena is off the electrical grid, so they use the heat from the hot springs to run turbines which power and heat the facility. They also power and heat greenhouses where they grow produce served at the restaurant. We also took a quick side trip to feed their pet goats (not used for their milk--yet).

 

I had salmon at dinner, then another trip to the hot springs--this time, Martha came along.  We were bushed by that time, so it was lights out early. Then, around 1a, we got a knock on the door--the lights are starting! (how would you like that job--running to each building like a cosmological Paul Revere?) We wrapped up and went over to take a look. While it was a little better than what we saw in Bettles, I still think it's mass hysteria. We hung out for an hour, then called it a night.

Beard Day 9: Bundled up for the day.

 

Alaska Day 8: Off to ChEEna

65°03' N, 146°03' W--Chena Hot Springs, AK

Slept in today, then took a long shower and had a big breakfast. Mindy took some time doing laundry while we waited for the shuttle to the Chena resort (with a long E). We found a restaurant across the street that was actually open, with a proprietor who was gregarious to the point of desperation--it was a little creepy.

Then back to the hotel and the shuttle van for the 60 mile trip across ice covered roads--there were storms in November, and when it's this cold, the ice doesn't go away until late spring. We saw two moose on the way. The resort is what you might expect--a cluster of rustic buildings in a valley. We checked in and found two rooms with their own bathrooms and even a TV--yay! We also signed up for various activities over the next two days. George is still a bit under the weather so Martha, Mindy and I went over to the hot springs (Martha just wanted to look). There are indoor pools, hot tubs, and then there's the "rock pool" with a sandy bottom--all of which use the mineral waters. You have to cross through a sheltered walkway to get to the outdoor pools--I wish we had brought flip-flops. They warned that you would get dehydrated (the waters leach your toxins) and they were right--I was woozy for a few minutes afterwards. I guess I have a lot of toxins.

 

We hung out in our rooms, then it was time for the "aurora snow coach".  Imagine if a tank and a shipping container had a baby. We took a very bumpy 30 minute ride up the mountain trial--Mindy described it like one of those virtual simulator rides without the virtual. I felt like I was in a paint mixer. Then we moved over to the yert--yes I said yert--a 30 foot in circumference tent with a raised top. We hung out there from 10p-2a, hoping to see the aurora. I chatted with a retired advertising exec, did some reading, and dozed a bit. I also availed myself of an outhouse--suffice it to say there was steam involved. It was overcast the whole time, so no northern lights. Back in the snow coaches for the return trip.

So, today's score: 

• Rode a new form of transportation - check
• Sat in a new type of building - check
• Got to see the aurora - sorry, but thanks for playing 

Beard Day 8: I've reached hipster stage.

Alaska Day 7: Return to civilization aka Fairbanks

Up at 7:30a. We hear there were "spectacular" lights around 2:30 last night, but I'm taking that with a large grain of salt. Breakfast is apple waffles and reindeer sausage. We pack up, then go over to the old lodge to pick out some things from the larger gift shop there--Arctic Circle t-shirts and toques.

Some laying about, then lunch--potato soup and beer bread. More chatting with the guests--they are impressed with Mindy and Martha's prowess in cooking (as I always am). We hear that the next group consists of 19 Asians with a couple of guides, although not the ones we were with previously--it will be a full house, even using the older lodge. Then, we hear we will go out on the 4p plane later in the day. So, more chatting and laying about.

Sven, the dogsled rider and guide, drops by and does his shpiel--he's the Henny Youngman of Bettles, and is apparently fluent in Japanese.

We wandered back over to the visitors' center, and Martha bought a small musk ox plush. She and Mindy have mentioned how expensive musk ox wool is--I would guess so, since they are all in the wild. Apparently, the fur from their bellies comes off in the undergrowth, and is collected that way.

We finally leave at 4:30 for a one hour flight, saying goodbye to Hazel (the manager) and Anna (chief cook and bottle washer). Flight is uneventful but pretty. Two planes were needed to clear out the place--at one point Mindy ominously texted "I think someone is following us". Waited at Wright Air Service for the hotel shuttle--30 minutes later, a cab arrived to hold all six of us (Sarah and Gavin were with us) as well as our luggage. Apparently, the hotel shuttle is down for repairs, and hotel management has never heard of renting a replacement. We got ourselves wedged in and made it to the hotel, only to find that Fairbankians (Fairbankites?) have dinner at 5p, after which the restaurants close. We got a pizza place on the phone and 90 minutes later we were eating. "Fairbanks--Bring Your Own Food!" 

Beard Day 7: Running out of beard references.

Alaska Day 6: Still above the Arctic Circle

Woke up around 7a--Mindy was already up. Made myself presentable. George has a sore throat. Breakfast is bacon, eggs, hash browns, and toast.

We suited up (including George) and went out to learn how to snowshoe. The hardest part is getting them on--it takes another person (who preferably isn't already wearing a pair) to strap you in. We were all expecting a variation on tennis rackets, but like all sports, it's all EXTREME and day-glo metal. The actual walking part was easy--think walking in huge flip-flops--but exhausting. George and Martha dropped out quickly (I thought it was game of them to attempt it at all) while Mindy and I and another midwestern woman went down a trail. We went about 10 minutes more, thought we might get lost if we went further, and turned back. I was drenched with sweat by the time we got inside.

Lunch was a salmon burger and bean soup. After some rest, we went over to the visitor's center run by the Park Service. Ranger DaleLynn told us that the "Gates of the Arctic National Wilderness Park" is the second largest in the system--8.4 million square miles, no roads, structures, trails, or paths, formed in 1980 due to the pipeline. We watched a Nova video on the park--kept falling asleep after the morning's exercise. Went back for a nap, then dinner--chicken and pasta. 

We thought we would get another nap, but then someone shouted--lights!  We rushed around, got our gear on, and ran out to see--not much, although there was definitely something there. Some people were oohing and ahhing in what had to be positive thinking or hallucinating. We went back in to wait for better lights--at least it was clear. A second attempt yielded about the same level of success in about half the time. We hunkered down in the lodge, checking every half hour or so. The guy running the weather station dropped in--he works midnight to 8a, and downed two mugs of coffee while taking back two more in cups. He had just come in that day with a new snowmobile, dragged behind another one on a sled. He's got another one still at the depot, 30 miles away--you don't want to be without transportation here. Mindy went to bed, and I checked in with her every hour until 1a, when it became clear we had seen what we were going to see--imagine a rainbow going from horizon to horizon, then turn the rainbow dark grey. Well, we will get two more chances in Chena.

Beard Day 6: Me am clean shaven (comic book joke).

Alaska Day 5: Above the Arctic Circle

66°54' N, 151°31' W--Bettles, AK

We went to bed too early last night, so we were up by 5a. Some signs the the dog sledders were near, but not at the finish line yet. We packed (well, Mindy packed) for the next leg of the trip. There's a 40 pound limit on the plane, so we consolidated and left two bags at the hotel--we'll be back.

We went down to breakfast, then I thought we should have the coats handy for when the mushers came in. Of course, I saw flashes from our room's window for the first place finisher while I was doing so. We ran out and saw his team leaving the field--then it was time for the shuttle.

We were told to be there by 9a to check in at the airport, and the shuttle was on the hour, so we arrived to find Bettles Air Service closed. The others were dropped off at the airport proper, then we returned--no luck. Mindy went over to see what the hours were, and found the door unlocked. So, we hung out until the staff arrived--they thought it was an afternoon trip. We also met Sarah and Gavin, a young couple from Australia on a long trip. Mindy played in the snow with the son of one of the staff while we waited.

Then, we were off in the 6 passenger Piper. We loved this--I rescind my comment on the train, THIS IS THE WAY TO TRAVEL. Took lots of pics.

Took about an hour to get to Bettles Lodge--35 miles north of the Arctic Circle. A cozy lodge with multiple structures and a very nice staff. We went through a quick orientation, then got our winter rental gear worked out.

A quick lunch (soup and a sammich) was followed by a tour of the facility--we took a van around with two dogs that alternately rode inside or raced beside us. Bettles is there because of the airstrip--a combination fueling stop and lodge. It's owned by the federal department of transportation--as soon as you leave the road, you're in surrounding Evansville. Everything they need comes via air or the ice road--the latter only available a few months a year.

A nap followed, then dinner--pot roast, rice, and Asian slaw. It was time to fully bundle up for the bonfire. It was -11°F when we exited the building, but with the exception of the part of my face that was uncovered, I was fine. The weather did not cooperate--clouds moved on. We hung out by the fire until 11p, then I stayed up for an hour past that before crashing. Mindy kept checking every 90 minutes--no luck seeing the Northern Lights tonight.  Maybe tomorrow.

Beard Day 5--Flintstones, meet the Flintstones...

Alaska Day 4: Fairbanks!

We got to sleep in--well, 7:30, since the time change is playing havoc with our rhythms. Big breakfast in the lobby--Mindy made herself a homemade egg mcmuffin. Then we suited up and took a walk. We had made major plans (and acquisitions) for the weather--multiple gloves, balaclavas, heavy boots, long underwear--and so we managed to handle the bone chilling cold of...wait for it...17° F.

Where's the cold? Reports say that Alaska is seeing 20% of normal snow, and some of the qualifying trials for the Iditerod dog sled race have been shortened or cancelled. Fortunately, there's a trial ending in Fairbanks--just outside our hotel. It's supposed to end the next morning, so we'll listens for cheers in the middle of the night. 

While we waited for that, Mindy and I walked over to the visitor's center and got this pic.

Did I mention the Asians? We met them--about 50 of them--on the train, and they ended up at our hotel. They have a full-sized bus at their disposal, and they travel in a group. They seem nice but apparently speak no English.

Shockingly, there wasn't a lot going on in Fairbanks on a Sunday, so we mostly hung out at the hotel, except for a trip to a restaurant via taxi. We also packed for tomorrow's flight...

Beard Day 4--surprising how fast it went from actor perma-stubble to the ol' prospector.

Alaska Day 3: All Aboard!

64°50' N, 147°43' W--Fairbanks, AK

Another early morning. The hotel wasn't great, but we had a surprisingly good continental breakfast there. Then a two minute shuttle to the Alaska Railroad station at Anchorage. This is the way to travel--plenty of room, a dining car, and great views on the way to Fairbanks.

Went through Wasilla--saw neither Sarah Palin nor Russia. We're on the lookout for moose--when someone shouts "moose!", everybody rushes over, usually too late. Mindy coined "moostyria" for the phenomenon. Suddenly, a herd (well, five) moose appeared. Martha spotted them-she really wanted to see wildlife on this trip, so--check!

Dining on a train is interesting--4 cars worth of people want to eat in the single dining car at once, so Mindy and I scouted it out and saw a table empty out. She grabbed it and I tipped off the in-laws. Sandwiches were pretty good. 

Took more pics, this time of mountains and landscapes. You generally have .0001 seconds to snap it before your view is obscured by trees; speaking of them, here's where Christmas trees go after the holidays...

Reached Fairbanks around 8p local time. Our hotel didn't seem to remember that a TRAIN FULL OF PEOPLE arrives once a week, and thought a small van would suffice. Mindy got them to send a taxi with a driver who seemed to be from the cast of Gomer Pyle USMC--nice guy.

The hotel apparently hosts a lot of sports teams, to the point that the posted a sign in the elevator--"no horseplay or jumping". Their restaurant was hosting a bridal shower with My Super Sweet 16 of Fairbanks--short skirts and skin tight dresses--so we did takeout then crashed. 

Tomorrow we will end the day in the same place for the first time. 

Beard Day 3--I'm sporting the perma-stubble all the movie stars have.

Alaska Day 2: Like Flying in a Cattle Car With Wings

61°13' N, 149°53' W -- Anchorage, AK 

5 AM came early, but we had to get up and ready for the shuttle. Milwaukee's General Mitchell airport is okay, but most of them are rather generic. I took some pics--see if you can guess which airport is which.

 

We had to get back to the airline hub at Chicago's O'Hare, so we proceeded to taxi longer than we were in the air via Embriar puddle jumper. Then, a 2.5 hour layover until the leg to Seattle. Of course, the connecting gate was less than 50 feet away. I lucked out on the flight--aisle seat with an empty middle. I did agree to swap with George in the other aisle during the flight. I lost some weight since my last long flight, and I don't have the posterior padding I used to have, so I was ready to move anyway.

The Seattle airport is larger than I remember--it was looking like a long hike before a guy on a cart offered us a ride. Then. Came. The. Flight. Somehow, it takes almost as long to go from Seattle to Anchorage as it takes to go from Chicago to Seattle. Of course, two screaming babies were just in front of us. The dad seemed to be as annoyed as we were. I got through the last hour with some Frank Sinatra on the iPod.

We made it to the hotel, and what was on the TV? University of Fairbanks hockey vs...Ohio State! We just spent 16 hours in airports and airplanes, jumped 4 time zones--and still can't get away from the Buckeyes!!!

Tomorrow, we complete the triumvirate of transportation...

Beard Day 2. Mindy referred to me as "scruffy".

Alaska Day 1: The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Trip to the In-Laws

42°54' N, 87°55' W -- Oak Creek, WI

After some frantic (OK, mostly me) packing, we left at 8:02a. Packing had to be optimized, since we're taking heavy cold weather gear--long underwear, sweatshirts, boots, etc--and one of the upcoming legs of the trip has a single bag, 40 pound limit. From Columbus to Lima to Ft. Wayne to Merrillville to Chicago to Milwaukee to New Berlin; Mindy's hometown and where my in-laws George and Martha still live. Driving days are generally boring, especially when it's a drive you've taken many times.

It was a bright, shiny day most of the way as I drove us over. The weather went south as we went north--just as Mindy took over driving duties, unfortunately. It went from rain to freezing rain to snow very quickly. Mindy called it "snowman snow"--huge flakes since we were so close to the lake. Mindy always drives the Chicago run--I just can't handle the traffic. I did offer to drive in the bad weather but she was resolute (whew!). I took some pics of the snow...

We pulled into the hotel at 4p central--about 8 hours driving time plus breaks. We then picked up the in-laws, went out for some pizza, then back to the hotel. The airport shuttle picks us up at 5:50a--gotta get some sleep.

One last thing--Beard Day 1. Mindy referred to me as a ragamuffin.

Day 0: North to Alaska

Mindy and I are off on an Alaskan vacation (actually, I'm planning to post the whole thing after we return--so let’s hope there's no horrible accident, or these entries will be rather ironic). Why go there in the winter, you might ask? It's the Aurora Borealis aka the Northern Lights. We will travel by road, air, rail, and snow. Dogsleds and snowshoes may be involved. At one point, we will cross the Arctic Circle. We're going with my in-laws (George is a computer geek like me, and Martha is into crafts and sewing like Mindy, so we work together well). I am also planning to grow a beard--we'll see how that goes.

Mindy and I have been prepping for months (she did most of the work)--getting cold weather gear, working out travel details, and coordinating with the in-laws and our work.

Tomorrow, we ride!

Star Trek DS9: Season Two Continues

Let's move on...

• After the excitement (and cost) of the last three episodes, we've gone to a bottle episode--"Invasive Procedures". There's a technobabble storm battering the ship, so most of the crew is evacuated (offscreen, to save costs). A damaged ship is rescued, only to find terrorists onboard that quickly take over the station (thanks to Quark, of course). One of them is a Trill, played by John Glover. He wants Dax's symbiont--he didn't make the grade at the symbiont trials, and wants a second chance. They threaten to kill the others, so Bashir reluctantly agrees to perform the operation. It's a success--but without the symbiont, Jadzia will die within hours. One of the terrorists (Megan Gallagher) is in love with the Trill, so Sisko plays mind games with her--he's not the same Trill she knew. She realizes he's going to leave her, and she agrees to help. They manage to stop the rogue Trill and save Dax. By the way--one of the terrorists is a Klingon, played by future Voyager star Tim Russ.
• Garak the "Tailor" returns in "Cardassians". He and Bashir are having a nice conversation on the Promenade (there are two alien extras with what appears to be blocks of concrete on their heads) when a young Cardassian (Vidal Peterson) bites Garak on the hand. The kid is with an adult Bajoran--he's an orphan. Gul Ducat gets involved. The foster father (Terrence Evans) has been teaching the kid to hate his race, and they consider him to be Bajoran (message coming in...). Another alien (with what appear to be cell phones festooning his cloak) tells Bashir that the kid is being mistreated, and an investigation begins. The O'Briens take custody of the kid temporarily. Ducat calls--the kid's father is a Cardassian bigwig. Garak and Bashir go to Bajor to find out what happened in the adoption process--and find more Cardassian orphans there. Bashir demands to know what's going on. Garak explains a political battle between the real father and Ducat. The real father (Robert Mandan) arrives, 'Brien explains the situation, and the kid rejects him. Ducat shows up just as the hearing begins. Bashir and Garak arrive--and drops a bomb. The Cardassian military dropped the kid off at an orphanage knowing he wasn't an orphan. The real father is allowed to take the kid home.
• We get another "message" episode in "Melora". Bashir greets alien cartographer Melora (Daphne Ashbrook) from a low gravity planet--she uses a wheelchair on the station, and her quarters replicate low gravity. Apparently, the Cardassians never got around to ADA rules, or she would have a much easier time on the station. Of course, Melora's the "I don't need any help" chip on her shoulder type. Bashir sees right through it, and like all female guests, he falls in love with her. Unlike the others, she reciprocates, and they end up doing the low gravity mambo in her quarters. Later, she and Dax have some girl gab time on a shuttle. Bashir comes up with a technobabble treatment to help Melora move around normally--it's like a Love Boat episode with Doc Bricker. She starts to debate if she wants to leave her old life. In the B-story, a stranger arrives at Quark's bar, and enigmatically tells him he's there to kill Quark. Attempts to mollify him are wasted. He attacks Quark in his quarters, and he bribes the would-be killer. The two storylines combine when the killer kidnaps Quark and the girls. Sisko, Bashir, and O'Brien teleport onto a shuttle and follow them through the wormhole.  Melora saves them all by turning off the gravity and taking out the killer. She decides to stop the treatments and says goodbye to Bashir.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.

Star Trek DS9: Onto Season Two

Let's move onto the season season of the series:

• We start with a three-parter--let the plot padding begin!. In "The Homecoming", Quark gets an artifact from a freighter captain, and Kira freaks out when she sees it. It's from a resistance fighter, and now she wants to rescue him from a Cardassian labor camp. While Sisko decides whether he will let her go, O'Brien finds graffiti on the station from political extremists "The Circle"--it looks like the mission to stabilize Bajor is falling apart, and this fighter might be the one to unify them. Sisko sends O'Brien along with her on the mission. They manage to break in and grab their leader Li Nalas (Richard Beymer) as well as a few other prisoners. Bajoran minister Jaro (Frank Langella) arrives, and he grandstands in front of a crowd about Nalas' escape. He's a hero to the Bajoran people, and Sisko asks for his help--but he's hesitant. It turns out Nalas' heroic story is more legend than fact--he was just in the right place at the right time. However, based on the legend, the Bajorans make him the new DS9 liaison--putting Kira out of a job.  Onto...
• ..."The Circle". Jaro tells Sisko that Kira's reassignment is a "promotion", but he doesn't buy it. The rest of the cast drops by Kira's quarters to check on her (it's like the Marx Bros stateroom scene), then Vedek Bereil arrives and offers her time at his monastery. Tearfully, Kira leaves the station--Sisko promises he will get her back. Down at the monastery, Bereil shows Kira one of the celestial orbs, and we get a dream sequence--a SEXY sequence--with her and Bereil. Meanwhile, The Circle is causing havoc on Bajor, and Quark tells Odo they need to leave--the Circle is ready to stage a coup due to weapons from another race. Odo responds by making Quark his deputy.  Sisko calls out a Bajoran military leader--they seem to be retreating from The Circle. He also wants Kira back. Nalas holds up a ship from the alien race while Odo sneaks on as a mouse to find out what's happening. Kira gets nabbed by The Circle, only to find out that Jaro is leading them. He wants to know what the Feds will do once the coup occurs. Fortunately, Quark aka "Deus Ex Machina" found out where they are hiding, so Sisko, Bashir, Nalas, and some red (well, brown) shirts beam down and back up with her. Odo returns--the Cardassians are arming The Circle. Vedeks Jaro and Wynn do some scheming, The Bajorans are about to kick the Feds off the station, and Starfleet plays the Prime Directive card--they are to leave. Sisko's not giving up without a fight, so onto...
• ..."The Siege". Sisko uses Starfleet officers on the station we've never seen or heard of before and their associations with Bajorans as examples to get the others to volunteer. Of course, it works, and they all stay. Most of the non-Starfleet residents and the families are sent away. Quark tries to sell seats on the transports, and ends up with no seat for himself. Kira and Dax go to a Bajoran moon to get a ship that will be allowed back on Bajor. The Bajoran military board the station, only to find it empty--Starfleet is hiding in the ducts (why are ducts always made big enough for people)? There's various skirmishes on the ship while they battle for control. Meanwhile, Kira and Dax dogfight over Bajor, then crash. Bereil's monks save them, and they go to the government to plead their case. Vedek Wynn changes sides once she hears the evidence. Just in time, the Bajoran military gets the word, and Starfleet is back in charge of DS9. Of course, Nalas is killed by one of the military, so Kira gets her job back.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.

House of Cards: Netflix's Big Gamble

This past weekend saw the release of "House of Cards", an original series from Netflix and Kevin Spacey's Triggerstreet Productions. In order to recoup the estimated $100M production, Netflix needs to add over 500K new subscribers. While the immediate goal is fairly easy to meet (they have 30M subscribers today), there's a bigger battle to consider--Netflix vs. HBO. The latter has the content to crush Netflix, but to really move into online (I'm sorry, but requiring a cable account doesn't cut it), HBO would have to bite the content companies that feed it--rather unlikely, especially in the short term.

For now, 13 episodes of House of Cards are available--posted simultaneously by Netflix in a bold move. We watched the first two, and this is not the cheery world of The West Wing--it's amoral and dark. If that's not your bag, you may want to steer clear. Spacey gives a great performance as an ambitious congressman, if possibly a bit too Tennessee Williams-esque for me. When he wants to present his thoughts, he turns to the camera and just speaks up--a gimmick, but it works. His supporting cast, especially Robin Wright as his wife, do a great job as well.

If you have Netflix, check it out. If not, this may be a good reason to sign up.

Bob: Drawing a Blank

From Newhart's early 90's TV series "Bob" (see my recent entry)--

The second episode of the series really establishes Bob's new comic book partner and antagonist Harlan Stone, plated by John Cygan. Harlan is essentially playing Todd McFarlane who led the charge for "grim and gritty" comics in the 90's.  He's an egomaniac and bi-polar at the same time.  I'm surprised Cygan never went on to bigger things (he's doing voice work for Pixar, Warner, and video games now).

The episode spends most of it's time in their office as they try to hammer out the first issue of the new "Mad-Dog" comic. They run into writer's block and come up with various excuses to avoid working, including repairing an air conditioner. At one point, Bob has to literally talk Harlan off the ledge of the building. In the end, they are forced to improvise a story when Bob's wife and daughter arrive to see how things are going.

The Complete Series DVD is available on Amazon.

Star Trek DS9: Rounding Out Season One

Let's review the three remaining episodes in the first season of Deep Space Nine--

• It's the old "cast gets possessed" bit in "Dramatis Personae". Kira's angry that a Valerian ship is going to dock--they helped the Cardassians in the war. A Klingon ship comes thru the wormhole then explodes, with a single survivor beaming over before dying. Odo talks to Quark to get info on the Klingons when they first came through, then suddenly has an attack. Quark calls Bashir, and when Odo comes to, the doctor is very interested in the station politics. Sisko and Kira have an angry exchange on the Valerians, O'Brien becomes paranoid, and  Dax becomes preoccupied and removed from his duties. Kira tries to get Odo then Dax on her side, while Sisko has stepped away from his duties and is working on a clock in his quarters. Odo seems to be the only one unaffected. A recording from the Klingon ship is retrieved, which indicates a mutiny was underway before the explosion. They found a set of telepathic "energy spheres" in the Gamma Quadrant which caused the mutiny and change in personalities on the station. Odo manipulates Bashir into shutting down the field and sucks it out the airlock (how is energy affected by a vacuum?). The cast gets a chance to play against their regular roles throughout the episode.
• Kira gets another big role in "Duet"--it's a "message" episode. A man is beamed onto the station with a disease that only occurred at a Bajoran forced labor mining camp. The patient is Cardassian Marritza (Harris Yulin), which means he must be a war criminal--it's an Auschwitz parable. Odo nabs Marritza, but he's not a known criminal, and he denies he ever was on Bajor. Bashir confirms Marritza has the disease, and that's the only way he could have gotten it. Kira gets the Bajoran government involved--they want the Cardassian handed over. Sisko hesitantly allows Kira to run the investigation. It becomes a psychological exercise between Kira and Marritza, and "audition scenes for young actresses" follow. Marritza finally admits he was the leader of the mining camp, but Odo determines that isn't the case. He actually is Marritza, a file clerk at the camp, who went insane and decided he was the leader there--even undergoing cosmetic surgery to look like him. He wanted to be punished to bring the issue to the forefront, but Kira lets him go. Another Bajoran knifes him on the station, killing him.
• Keiko O'Brien stars "In the Hands of the Prophets". A Bajoran religious leader Vedek Wynn (Louise Fletcher) objects that Keiko is teaching science vs. Bajoran beliefs on the wormhole. It's creation theory vs. evolution in SPAACE! Keiko goes to Sisko to help, but Kira suggests there needs to be a change in schooling--or possibly separate schools. Sisko talks with Wynn with no luck. Wynn plays passive-aggressive against Keiko, and she resists in return. Wasn't Keiko a botanist when she arrived? Why is she so passionate about this? Sisko talks to another Vedek, Bereil (Philip Anglim) on Bajor. but he's a candidate to be the next Kai--and doesn't want to make waves. Meanwhile, Miles is working with new assistant Neela (Robin Christopher). He's on the lookout for a tool that could be used to break ship security, and finds it melted down--the result of a fatal "accident". Miles is not convinced, and Bashir proves the death was the result of phaser fire. The school is blown up, and Sisko blames Wynn's religious rhetoric. It becomes clear Wynn is doing this to gain favor and become the new Kai. Neela turns out to be the attacker, and Wynn the mastermind. Neela tries to take out Bereil on the Promedade but misses the mark. This leaves Kira shaken in her beliefs and the relationship between the Federation and Bajorans in tatters for season two.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.

Bob!

I've always loved the work of Bob Newhart. A missed gem is the appropriately named "Bob" series (1992-93), and the Complete Series DVD finally came out late last year.

Bob plays a greeting card artist who once published comic book "Mad-Dog", and gets a chance to do it again. It's actually a critique of the comic book industry of the 90's, when heroes were turned into gritty vigilantes, and sales were at their zenith with gimmicky covers and "events" such as the "Death of Superman". Of course, it's also a Newhart series, with Bob trying to relate to bizarre characters. 

I think it's interesting that almost none of his supporting cast (at least for the first season) went onto bigger things. I really thought Cynthia Stevenson (who played his daughter) was a revelation and would make it big, but despite starring vehicle "Hope and Gloria" and steady work since then, never became a household name.

Bob's classic bit is the "telephone call", where Bob relates both side of the call in his halting manner. This is updated as a speakerphone call from the unseen "Mr. Terhorst" character, played by Michael Cumpsty.  He's the CEO of the AmCanTranConComCo corporation that owns the comic book company, and apparently has time to personally OK all creative decisions.

Industry legends Jack Kirby, Bob Kane, and Sergio Aragones have cameos on the series.  

The show never got great ratings, and the second season reversed the whole point of the show--the comic was cancelled, and he went back to greeting cards and a mostly new cast including Jere Burns and veteran Betty White.

I'll cover a few key episodes in future entries. The Complete Series DVD is available on Amazon.

Star Trek DS9: Season One Rolls On

We're getting close to the end of the first season...

• Kira gets a chance to shine in "Progress". There's a Bajoran moon set to be tapped of magma as a heat source, and she has to convince farmer Mullibok (TV veteran Brian Keith--Unca Bill!) to vamoose. He tells her about his time fighting the Cardassians, and now she's somehow become the enemy. She ends up bonding with the old guy, even joining him there. The end is rather abrupt--Kira decides he has to move on, so she burns down his hut and beams them up. There's also another stupid storyline with Nog--this time, he's trading "yamok sauce", and Jake tries to help out. They go through a series of trades, each worse than the last. The pathos of the main story keeps colliding with the wacky subplot.
• In "If Wishes Were Horses", it's normal life on the station--O'Brien is telling his daughter Molly (who can now speak) a bedtime story. Suddenly, she sees "Rumplestilkskin"--and he's there. Bashir dreams of Dax--and she attacks him in his bed. Back on the bridge, the real Dax shows up--oops! Quark's losing his shirt--everyone is winning "Dabo". Of course, some technobabble anomaly is to blame, and they fight it with more technobabble. In the end, they figure out the anomaly is all in their minds, but the apparitions are actually enigmatic aliens. There's an amusing scene with Quark and Odo at the start--he wants to get into "family entertainment" with the holo-suites--a commentary on amusement parks?
• Perhaps anticipating the need to jack up ratings with TNG cast members, Lwaxana Troi drops by the station in "The Forsaken". She's part of a Federation delegation there to see the wormhole, and Bashir is trying to handle them. Troi is impressed with Odo--which is never a good thing. Meanwhile, the delegation keeps getting underfoot, bugging the whole crew. O'Brien is fighting with the Cardassian computer, when an unknown probe comes thru the wormhole, and Dax and O'Brien try to figure it out. It starts knocking down systems, including the turbolift with Odo and Troi inside. O'Brien realizes the computer is changing--starting to "need" him. Odo finally breaks down to Troi and we get some backstory--he also reaches his regeneration period (when he turns into liquid). Troi ends up collecting him in her skirt (eewww!). Bashir plays the hero when an explosion puts the delegation in danger. O'Brien figures out the rogue code is like a puppy that wants attention, so he builds a "doghouse" to save the station.  A lot of varied plotlines that don't work together very well.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.

Plug-ola!

I'm going to shamelessly plug our...FIRST VIDEO PODCAST! 

After a lot of planning (and spending), "From the Pop Culture Bunker" went live on iTunes yesterday. Mindy and I will talk pop culture every week--TV, movies, media, whatever.

You can check out the first episode here, or just click below. Please subscribe on iTunes and leave your comments.  Enjoy!

Classic Commercials: Merry Christmas Son, Here's an IOU

If you were a kid in 1977, this might put you in a cold sweat.

Star Wars was such an unexpected hit that Kenner (the toy company with the franchise) wasn't ready to ship them by that Christmas. The answer was a piece of cardboard under the tree.

Enjoy!