Betty sighting, David Trek.

I saw and spoke with Betty today. Just like last Tuesday, I encountered her in the stairwell. This time, she was returning from lunch. I asked her about her Christmas, and she said enjoyed most of it, except for a travel delay over the weekend. And now, "David Trek" :

Personal log, 210812.30--Antares is larger than I expected it to be. As a result, we will not be able to do an equatorial aligned orbit like I had originally hoped in the time I allotted for this stop. After some discussion with Gene, I decided it would be better if we altered course to allow us to do scans from a higher and narrower orbit. He worked with the ship's computer, and they managed to map out a new, higher orbit that maintains our current distance from the red giant. The ship is doing a circular orbit in an orientation that makes it seem (from our perspective) as if the giant is beneath the ship instead of beside it. If all goes according to the new plan, then we will be leaving for our new destination (Betelgeuse) sometime after 2200 hours tomorrow evening.

The One, LEGO Batman.

I started watching my video copy of The One. If you haven't seen it or don't remember the story, then it's an interesting sci-fi scenario: a man travels to parallel universes, killing the other versions of himself in those universes. Each time he kills a version of himself, he and the other surviving versions of himself become stronger, faster, and smarter. Multiverse agents from his home universe are chasing him, in part because of the murders and in part because he is travelling illegally. Finally, they catch him right before he goes to the last alternate version of himself. In his home universe, he is put on trial, but escapes custody with help from his girlfriend. Free again, he goes after the last version of himself.....

Besides watching that, I have also been playing more "LEGO Batman." I did some free play today, as well as completing another chapter in the Villains' Episode One. In that chapter, Riddler and Two-Face are after a laser in Wayne Tech. They have to fight through the security guards and find their way around lasers and toxic waste. I repeated the chapter in free play so I could get all of the Mini-Kits and the red brick for that chapter. Next weekend (or maybe New Year's Day), I plan to start Batman's Episode Three ("Return of the Joker" or something like that).

Days after Christmas.

On Friday, Pat was sick, so Diana gave me a lift to work and picked me up later. I did some reading and watched more of my Iron Man DVD.

Today, I kept busy. I finished watching Iron Man. I did laundry. I played "LEGO Batman" for a few hours. I duked it out with Man-Bat, the Penguin, and Catwoman. On the villain side of the game, I played as Poison Ivy and the Riddler as we raided the botantical gardens.

And now, "David Trek" :

Personal log, 210812.27--The away missions went fine yesterday. Three more teams visited three more moons (one team per moon)--Halimede, Larissa, and Thalassa. Today, we had two of the shuttles do some close orbital scans around Neptune itself: the Bradbury scanned above the rings during the first shift of the day. Later this evening, the Critchon scanned below the rings. Tomorrow, we'll do some final scans from orbit, then leave the Sol System for Antares.

Merry Christmas!

Well, this has been a pretty good holiday for me, aside from Sixy being killed by the smaller spider on Christmas Eve. The smaller spider is the one at the top of the picture below.

Here's a pic I took of Sixy last week:

I saw Betty on Christmas Eve. I was running something upstairs and happened to see her through the window of her department. I waved, and she waved back. I also e-mailed her, wishing her a Merry Christmas.

After work, I got together with Diana, Gwen, Norman, and Wanda. We ate chili for dinner and played Wii Bowling. I came in 2nd (Gwen got a number of strikes). We also communicated with Cosmo, Timmy, and Trixie via webcam. I got The Dark Knight on DVD for Christmas and some cocoa mix, as well as lots of cookies from Wanda.

On Christmas, I hung out with Wanda. We watched The Christmas Story on TBS. We had lasagna for lunch with Diana. I showed Wanda my "LEGO Batman" game. I read Iron Man (the movie novelization I borrowed from Harry). I also started watching the DVD version that he got me for Christmas.

And now, "David Trek" :

Personal log, 210912.25--Yesterday's escape pod test was a success. At 0900 hours, Lt. Burton and one of the security officers got in the starboard escape pod on B Deck. At 1500 hours, Lt. Commander Sawyer and one of the engineering officers took the Peretti to retrieve the pod. They returned with it in tow using the newly installed towing beam around 2230 hours. After Burton and his companion left the pod, it was towed back out of the shuttle bay and carefully reinstalled. It hasn't been completely refurbished, but I trust my crew will complete that after the holiday. Speaking of the holiday, Commander Gene and I decided to let the crew work in half-shifts today. For example, Gene worked from 0800 hours until 1300 hours. We adjusted the schedules so at least one senior officer would be on duty at all hours today. After 2359 hours tonight, the shift schedule will return to normal. Tomorrow, we have three more away missions to three more of Neptune's moons. On Saturday, I plan to have the Bradbury and the Crichton do some close orbit scans of Neptune.

Spider pet news, Betty, David Trek.

In spider pet news, the six-legged spider I caught over a week ago (Sixy) is now a three-legged spider. I caught a smaller spider on Sunday morning and put him in with Sixy. Yesterday morning, I discover that the smaller spider had somehow removed three of Sixy's legs, so now Sixy has two legs on one side and one leg on the other side. Sixy seemed to be alive this morning, but he is hunkered (but not crumpled like Peter IV) down in the bottom of the jar.

Today, I saw and spoke with Betty. I was coming down the stairs when she entered the stairwell. When I saw it was her, I asked how she was at the same moment she asked me something. Her back was to me when she asked, so I didn't catch what she said (especially since I was talking at the same time). She turned and looked at me for a moment, then asked, "Are you ready for Christmas?" I told her I was done with my shopping, and she said she still had to get some stuff. She was bundled up (probably leaving for lunch), so I didn't detain her any longer. And now, more "David Trek" :

Personal log, 210812.23--We arrived at Neptune the other night and did some orbital scans. I was surprised to learn that Neptune has a ring system, though it was a bit on the faint side. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that Neptune has over a dozen moons. I picked three for us to send away teams to today and three for us to send teams to on Friday. Gene took a team to Nereid this morning. This afternoon, I visited Triton with Nurse Gates and a security officer. The moon was dark, icy, and rocky. We all did scans with our portable scanners, and Gates got a soil sample. Tonight, Lt. Commander Collins is scheduled to lead a team to Proteus.

LEGO Batman.

Today, I played more "LEGO Batman." I finished Episode 1, beating the Riddler and Two-Face. I went back and did some Free Play (like what I could do with "LEGO Star Wars") using a character I created in Arkham Asylum (it was avaible to me after I finished Episode 1). I created two characters: one was Batgirl in a black costume, and the other was a man in a suit with a black cape and a gun. I used the black costume Batgirl in the Free Play for awhile. I also used the cheat codes for Invincibility (since I finished the story mode of Episode 1) and to unlock the Bat-Tank. I used the Bat-Tank in the vehicle level where you chase Two-Face around. I got Super Hero status on a few levels. I picked up a lot of Mini-Kits as well. I used most of the LEGO studs I collected to buy some characters, including Bruce Wayne, Alfred, Nightwing, Batgirl, and some of the villains' henchmen. I looked around in Arkham as Clayface and discovered the villains also had levels you could play. I went to Episode 1 and played as the Riddler and Clayface. Basically, the mission was to break into some bank and get a gold key. In the cutscene, Clayface spots a huge pile of gold bricks and plays with them. He even makes himself a house of gold bricks. After completed that chapter, Clayface and Riddler were unlocked as playable characters.

Betty sightings, LEGO Batman, David Trek.

Well, I saw Betty from a distance a few times on Friday. I don't know if she saw me, but I saw her. I really want to tell her how I feel, but I rarely see her close enough to talk to her.

I decided to re-use one of my memory cards and start a game of "LEGO Batman." I also decided I wouldn't use the "invincibility" cheat code until I had beaten the first episode ("The Riddler's Revenge" or something to that effect). I got through most of the first episdoe today, fighting with Clayface, Mr. Freeze, Two-Face (during the vehicle level), and Poison Ivy. Gwen came over for awhile, and I showed her the game. I jumped ahead to the first chapter of the second episode (it must have been unlocked by me when I completed the first chapter of the first episode) so she could see some of the cutscenes and watch me duke it out with Catwoman. I had some trouble with the level featuring Poison Ivy, so I consulted the online walk-through I found for information. After beating her, I decided to stop playing for the day.

And now, "David Trek" :

Personal log, 210812.20--The last few days have been busy and productive. A few days ago, I paid a visit to Enceladus with Ensign Brent and one of the security officers. Just like Titan, there seemed to be a significant amount of water on the planet (frozen, of course). Yesterday, we had a few shuttles (Bradbury and Crichton) do some close orbits and scans of Saturn. The Bradbury checked out Saturn above its rings, while the Crichton (a few hours later) checked out Saturn below its rings. Today, one of the engineers was teleported to a spot close to the rings themselves and took a sample of the material there. Commander Gene and the other science officers should be pretty busy with all the samples we have taken on the journey so far. Tomorrow night (ship's night, that is), we set out to our next destination: Neptune.

Betty sightings, David Trek.

I saw Betty a couple of times today. First, I spotted her in through the door to Accounting. I said "hey" but I don't think she heard me. This afternoon, I saw her at a company meeting I was attending. She didn't sit by me this time, and we didn't talk. Finally, I saw her walking through the parking lot as Pat and I were driving away from work. And now, "David Trek" :

Personal log, 210812.18--So far, we have sent away missions to six of Saturn's moons: Titan, Rhea, Iapetus, Dione, Tethys, and Mimas. I am planning to lead an away team to one more moon today--Enceladus. From my research, I have learned that it is one of the few moons known in the Sol System (besides Europa and Titan) to have water. Tomorrow, I think a few of our shuttles should do some close orbits around Saturn itself to do some intensive scans of its gasses. I also plan to have one or two members of the crew attempt to get a sample of Saturn's ring material for analysis.

David Trek: Titan

Personal log, 210812.16--We began our away missions to the moons of Saturn today. Comm. Gene led a team to Titan (Saturn's largest moon) . Later, I led my own team (Ensign James, Lt. Auber, and myself) to Titan. Unlike Mars, Titan has large quantities of water, though it exists mostly in frozen form. Both teams took soil samples for later analysis. Lt. Comm. Collins is scheduled to lead her own team to Saturn's second largest moon, Rhea, later tonight. I plan to send another team to Rhea tomorrow, as well as some teams to a few more of Saturn's moons.

David Trek: Saturn.

Personal log, 210812.15--We arrived at Saturn last night. Today, we have been orbiting the planet and doing scans. Tomorrow, I hope to start sending away missions to several of Saturn's moons. We will use the same protocols as we did with Mars, except the missions will be twice as long. Fortunately, our teleportation device should allow us to reach any of the moons without moving the ship out of its current orbit. I am also thinking we should attempt to obtain a sample of material from the planet's rings.

The spiders, Rampage.

Over a week ago, I captured a spider. A few days later, I captured a second spider, which looked nearly identical to the first spider, except that it only had six legs (two legs on one side were missing). Both spiders were alive on Wednesday. The first spider I named "Peter IV" on Monday. The second spider I named "Sixy," since it only had six legs. Peter IV (the spider in the upper right corner of the above picture) died Thursday morning, appearing to have drowned in the water I put in the bottom of the jar. Sixy (the spider in the lower left corner of the above picture) is still alive today. I threw a silverfish in the jar this afternoon so he'd have something to eat. I don't think he will eat Peter IV since spiders prefer to feed on live prey.

Today, I did the usual Sunday stuff, then played "Rampage: Total Destruction." I started out as Natalie (the nautilus monster I was using last Sunday) in London. Using the rules I discussed in the last entry where I mentioned playing "Rampage," I switched to Kyle (a Cyclops) after finding him. After destroying London as Kyle, I moved on to Los Angeles. I found Cal (the giant squid), so I switched to him. Finally, I found Amanda (a giant armadillo), so I switched to her and finished trashing Los Angeles.

Betty sighting, the weekend, and David Trek.

I got a brief long-distance glimpse of Betty on Thursday. She was walking around in her department and happened to pass the door while it was open. I didn't see her at all on Friday.

Last night, I celebrated Christmas early with Harry and Liz. They had family stuff going on the next few weekends, so we decided to exchange gifts early. I got them some movies on Blu-Ray, and they got me Iron Man on DVD and two PS2 games--Superman Returns and LEGO Batman. I tried both games last night, and I did better with Batman than Superman.

I also spent time with Harry and Liz today. Harry picked me up, and we went to see The Day the Earth Stood Still (the new version). Afterwards, we picked up Liz and went to a discount book store. I didn't see the book I was looking for, but they found some stuff they wanted. And now, more "David Trek" :

Personal log, 210812.13--The past few days have gone smoothly. We did more shuttle flight tests on Thursday. In the interests of being prepared, I had the crew replicate and store emergency food and water rations throughout the ship--in the escape pods, the shuttles, the crew quarters, and in the guest quarters. We also did some testing with our matter/energy conversion beam yesterday, siphoning off the matter in the asteroids and converting it into energy to use in our food/object replication devices. I had the engineering staff modify the energy storage pods for the devices to ensure that we could switch them out and swap them with the shuttles' pods. The pods in the ship's devices are connected to the matter/energy conversion beam, allowing them to be recharged directly. The pods for the shuttles aren't, so it might be necessary to swap the pods to ensure that a shuttle's replication device doesn't run out during a long flight after being used during other long flights. Today and tomorrow, we are completing our sub light maneuvering tests while moving into position for tomorrow's trip to our next destination--Saturn.

Betty, David Trek.

I saw Betty twice today: once in my dreams, then at work. In my dream this morning, I saw her watering something with a garden hose near a metal work shed. We talked, and she playfully sprayed me with the hose. I grabbed a hose and sprayed her, then we both laughed. In the real world, I spotted her in the parking lot as she left the building. I was about to get into the car with Pat, and I looked up and saw Betty. I waved, and she saw me and waved back.

And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210812.10--Today we conducted some weapons testing in the Asteroid Belt. I had Commander Gene pick out some targets (space rocks less than 20 feet wide), then Lt. Commander Sawyer (manning the operations position) fired on them. Gene did some scans of the debris from the science position, and I was pleased at the destructive power of our energy cannons and quantum orbs. I also discussed with him the possibility of us doing a test of one of the escape pods after we reach our fourth stop--Neptune. In preparation for the test I have proposed, I had the engineering staff install towing beams on the shuttles.

Betty sighting, more David Trek.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised to pass Betty today as I was entering the stairs while she was leaving the stairs. I didn't realize it was her initially--I was spacing off or something--and she said, "hello." I reflexively said, "hi," then looked over and saw it was her. She had people behind her, so she couldn't stop to chat with me.....And now, more "David Trek:"

Personal log, 210812.09--We did some shuttle flights in the Asteroid Belt today. I spent some time myself flying the Crichton, then let Ensign James take the pilot seat. I sat in the back with Nurse Gates for awhile, then took the copilot seat. I blasted a small space rock with the energy cannons. The security officer with us blasted one earlier while I was piloting the shuttle. The shuttle's shields and weapons worked perfectly. I felt the only improvement needed was some screens in the passenger compartment to allow people outside the pilot compartment to see what's going on around the outside of the shuttle. The screens could also be used for watching movies or reviewing recorded orders during a long flight.

David Trek: Asteroid Belt

Personal log, 210812.08--We left orbit around Mars last night and headed to our second destination: the Asteroid Belt. Today, the helm has been practicing maneuvering the ship at sublight speeds around the asteroids at the upper edge of the belt. Tomorrow, I hope to spend time in one of the shuttles dodging and even blasting at some of the asteroids. We also plan to test the ship's energy cannons and the projectile weapons (quantum orbs) on some of the smaller hunks of rock during our time in this region of the Sol System.

Transporter 3, Rampage.

Harry and I went to see Transporter 3 on Saturday. It was pretty good, though the Ukranian gal riding shotgun with Frank was a bit strange. We saw several trailers before the movie, including Race to Witch Mountain, the Unborn, and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.

I spend a lot of time this weekend playing "Rampage: Total Destruction." The rule I followed was that I would switch to whatever monster I found during the course of the game. For example, I started out as George (giant ape) in Las Vegas today. Then, I found Leon (mutant lion), so I switched to him. After that, I found Kingston (mutant cobra-man) and switched to him. After Kingston, I went to San Francisco and found Marco (mutant shark-man), then switched to him. Finally, I found Natalie (giant nautilus) and finished San Francisco as Natalie.

No new sightings, David Trek.

Well, I haven't seen Betty since Wednesday. I had hoped to see her at lunch or at my afternoon break today, but no such luck. And now, more "David Trek" :

Personal log, 210812.05--Today is a third and final day of away missions to Mars. Most of the crew has gotten a chance to teleport to the surface with one of the senior officers leading the team. We have collected soil samples from over half a dozen sites so far and sensor data on several square miles of surface area. Tomorrow, we will run some test flights of our two remaining shuttles, the Verne and the Peretti. The ship's day after that, we will do some final scans from orbit, then leave orbit to travel to the next stop on our journey: the Asteroid Belt.

Betty sighting, more David Trek.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Betty today. I was waiting in line to buy a sub for lunch, and Betty showed up. They had run out of soup earlier, so she came back to see if they had gotten more. They had, so she stuck around. She asked me about my Thanksgiving, and I told her where I had gone. I asked her about her own holiday, and she mentioned going to some obscure little town in the neighboring state.

For your reading entertainment, more "David Trek" :

Personal log, 210812.03--We sent our first away missions to Mars today. I teleported down in my space suit alongside Lt. Dorn (a security officer) and Lt. Burton (an engineer). We spread out, doing some sweeps with our portable scanners. At my request, Burton collected a soil sample. After my team returned, we were checked out by Dr. Reko (the Chief Medical Officer). We all checked out fine, and our suits were examined and our gear was processed to ensure there was no lingering radiation or any sort of contamination. Commander Gene led the next team, and his group explored another region of the Martian surface. Lt. Commander Collins is scheduled to lead a third team in another region later this evening.

David Trek

Well, I still haven't seen Betty. I'm hoping I get to see her on Thursday if I don't see her tomorrow. A vendor is coming on Thursday, and Betty and I are scheduled to see the vendor around the same time....

And now, for your reading entertainment, "David Trek"--a series of science fiction fantasies inspired by the classic "Star Trek" series and movies:

Personal log, 210812.02--Thus far, the test flight of the new ship, the Venture, has gone well. Lt. Commander Collins (my Second Officer and Communications Officer) and I were the last ones to board yesterday. Lt. Div (the Teleportation Chief) teleported us aboard, then we proceeded to the bridge. I gave a speech about this flight being our shared dream, and Lt. Nemo (helmsman) got us underway. We left the orbiting dry dock, then I had Nemo accelerate us to 1/4 Drift, then half Drift, and finally full Drift (76% light speed). After we got a comfortable distance from Earth, we tested our faster-than-light drive for the first time. To everyone's relief, it worked: we arrived at a point a short distance from Mars (less than two million miles) in less than five seconds. I had Collins and Nemo work out an orbit plan, then met with Commander Gene (my First Officer and Chief Science Officer) in my quarters. We discussed the duty roster and some other details, then returned to the bridge.

Today, we did some scans of Mars from orbit, then I had Lt. Commander Sawyer (the Chief of Security), Lt. Commander Arnold (Chief Engineer), and a few others take the Bradbury (one of the shuttles) for a test flight. After they returned, the shuttle was looked over by the engineers. It checked out, so I had Gene, Nemo, and a few others take the Crichton (another shuttle) on a test flight. That flight also went well, and we also completed scans on the Western hemisphere of Mars. I worked on some ideas for what we could do these next several days at Mars, including writing up a schedule for away teams to visit the surface.