Snowed in.

Well, due to the snow we got on Christmas and yesterday, I didn't go anywhere this weekend. I haven't heard from Harry since Christmas. I uploaded my snow pictures and edited them, sending some to my relatives (some of them live in warmer parts of the U.S.A.). I did laundry yesterday.

Today, I did my usual Sunday stuff. After lunch, I took a nap. I did some reading and called a few people, including Pat (a former coworker).

Merry Christmas!

Due to the bad weather on Christmas Eve, many of my coworkers left early. Harry called and offered to pick me up if I got to leave early. Since I was running out of things to do at the office, I took Harry's offer. We stopped at my place so I could change and put together an emergency bag (in case I got stranded at his place). We went to his place and checked on his dogs. Liz was with us, and we decided to go see Avatar. After the movie, the weather seemed to be getting worse, so they took me back to my place.

Today, I found myself snowed in. I could get outside the door, but there was a huge drift in front of the garage. I took several pictures of the snow. I did some reading and checked out some of the holiday movies on cable. Diana and I talked to some relatives on the phone, including Cosmo, Wanda, and Clark. I also talked to Harry, who was in a similar situation with the snow at his place. Depending on how things look tomorrow (in terms of the snow and roads), I might get together with Harry and Liz.

The weekend before Christmas.

Well, I made it through another week at my new job. I got paid on Friday, and I put most of the check in the bank on Saturday.

Harry and Liz were busy this weekend with family, so I spent most of the time at home. I did the vacuuming. I ironed some shirts and did laundry. I did a lot of reading. I worked on a picture for an art contest at work. I wrote up my book list for the first half of 2010.

Today, I went to Gwen's graduation from a local school where she received her Master of Arts degree in Teaching. Norman, Cosmo, Wanda, Diana, and some family members were in attendance. Most of us went to eat lunch at the Old Country Buffet afterwards. Wanda gave me some socks to wear and some snacks to much on before I went home.

Job, Star Trek.

Well, I made it through my first full work week at my new job. The weather made things difficult on Wednesday, but I still made it in. On Friday, I learned I had another week before I would receive my first paycheck.

This weekend, I got together with Harry. We checked out a book store and picked up some lunch. We ate lunch and watched Star Trek (2009 version). I watched him play more of "Batman: Arkham Asylum." Afterwards, we got together with Liz and went to another bookstore. We had dinner, and they took me home.

Today, I got some things done. I got my hair cut, then did some ironing. I also did some reading and started the laundry. Harry called and invited me over to watch Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan.

New job, the weekend.

Well, I finally got a new job. I'm working in the HR department of a major telecommunications firm. The pay isn't as high as when I worked at the broker-dealer, but at least I'm working again. Plus, the office is only a few miles from where I live.

On Friday, I finished my second day at my new job. I also finished watching my DVD of Spider-Man 3. I did some vacuuming and some reading.

On Saturday, I did some more reading and vacuuming. I bought a new belt and some dress shoes for work. Harry and Liz picked me up in the evening. We ran some errands, then watched a football game on TV. Harry showed me his newest game, "Batman: Arkham Asylum." We ate some take-out, then he drove me back to my place.

Today, I did the usual Sunday stuff. I took a nap, then started the laundry. I did some more reading.

Thanksgiving weekend.

On Saturday, I got together with Norman, Gwen, Diana, Cosmo, and Wanda. We ate a late lunch at Cosmo and Wanda's and talked with Clark on the phone. The above pic is what I had on Thanksgiving Day for lunch, not on Saturday. I started watching my DVD copy of Spider-Man 2.

Today, I ate some leftovers from Saturday and watched more of Spider-Man 2. I did some reading and worked on the laundry.

Movies, Harry's birthday, Thanksgiving.

I spent a lot of time with Harry and Liz this week. We got together on Tuesday and saw New Moon. It was a lot more exciting than Twilight. We ran some errands, and Harry tried out a game he rented called "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". It was exciting, but rather gory.

On Wednesday, Harry, Liz, and I celebrated Harry's birthday. We went to see Planet 51. We went to the local comic book store, and Harry bought some stuff he wanted. We ran some errands, then went back to his place. Harry and I read some graphic novels he had, then played "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance" on his XBox 360. As usual, I played as Spider-Man, and Harry played as Thor. We had a late dinner with Liz, then he took me back to my place.

Thanksgiving was pretty good. Diana picked up some stuff on Wednesday for us to have for lunch. I ate turkey, mac'n cheese, cheesy potatos, and apple cobbler. We watched What about Bob? on DVD. I did some reading and watched some streaming video online.

Today, I took things easy. I applied for a job online. I did some reading. I played "Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows," but I couldn't get past the Great Troll (the Sixth Sorrow). Perhaps I need to consult the online walk-through for some clues on how to beat it.

Response, the 5th Sorrow.

I finally got word back from one of the places I interviewed with. They sent me a letter that arrived on Friday. Basically, they were impressed with my accomplishments, but decided to look at other candidates. I'm still waiting to hear from the other place I interviewed with.

On Saturday, I kept busy around the townhouse. I played "Gauntlet: the Seven Sorrows" and defeated the Grand Magistrate (the 5th Sorrow). I did laundry and watched parts of Alien, Aliens, and Sphere on various cable stations throughout the day.

Today, I did my grocery shopping. Harry called and suggested getting together to celebrate his birthday this Wednesday. We're planning to check out Planet 51 with Liz.

Interviews, 2012, the Prisoner.

I had two interviews last week. The first one was on Thursday at a company only a few blocks from the townhouse. The second one was on Friday at a company much farther from where I live. I talked a lot more at the second one, but I would much rather work at the place close to home.

On Saturday, Harry and I went to see 2012. It was pretty intense: California crumbles, then slides into the sea. Yellowstone National Park blows itself apart. Las Vegas and the Vatican crumble in on themselves. Emotionly, it was intense as well. There were scenes where people call distant loved ones, only to have a natural disaster cut them off. There were scenes where you thought someone was dead, only to have them pop up alive moments later.

Today, I checked out the remake of "The Prisoner." Basically, this guy wakes up in the desert. He doesn't know how he got there. He wanders around until he finds this small town: "the Villiage." Everyone there has a number for a name, and they all call him "Six," even though he's sure he hasn't met them before. He tries to escape, only to be frustrated by the villiagers and their leader, Two. At one point, he gets attacked by a huge, white balloon-like thing that swallows him whole....

Aliens and Cal Thomas.

On Saturday, I got together with Harry and Liz. We watched Aliens in the Attic and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra on DVD. Harry showed me an ending cut-scene from "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows."

Yesterday, I kept busy. I did my laundry and some reading. Cal Thomas (the famous columnist) spoke at a local church, and I went to see him with Diana. Cosmo, Wanda, Gwen, and Norman were also there.

Poker.

I was at a birthday party with Diana, Gwen, and Norman last night for Norman. Norman and myself played some poker (Five Card and Texas Hold'em) with some friends and male relatives of Norman's. I won three hands all together, two of the former and one of the later. Norman won a few hands.

Today, I kept busy. I did some vacuuming and some reading. I got my hair cut. Later, Diana and I went out and picked up a frozen pizza.

Gauntlet: 4th Sorrow.

Today, I played "Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows." I continued with my game from last month, sticking with Prosper. I took on the Fourth Sorrow: the Stone Golem. This time, I used the Manna Blast to take out several of the Golem's sorcerers. I only died two or three times during the fight, which was better than the last time I played this level.

Tomorrow, I'm getting together with Gwen, Norman, and Diana to celebrate Norman's birthday. I wonder if there will be any games......

Halloween Weekend.

I had a pretty good weekend. On Friday, I watched my DVD copy of War of the Worlds (the Tom Cruise version). I did some ironing and watched parts of various horror movies throughout the day.

On Halloween, I got together with Harry and Liz. We had lunch at KFC, then ran some errands. Back at their place, we put up some Halloween decorations. We ordered pizza for dinner and took turns giving candy to trick-or-treaters. Harry and I tried a video game he rented called "Super Hero Squad." It was tricky, but kind of interesting. I did pretty well as the Silver Surfer, and Harry did well as the Hulk. Later, we watched a movie he rented: Kiss of the Vampire. It had an interesting storyline (the Illuminati trying to use a vampire to become immortal), but the acting was bad. The ending was kind of corny.

Today, I kept busy. I helped Diana swap printers with her office. I worked on laundry and edited some photos I took last week (including the above pic of the jack-o'lantern I carved last week).

Gauntlet, Cosmo's birthday.

Yesterday, I decided to try a different character at the 2nd lowest level of difficulty (I already beat the game in the lowest level as my wizard character, Prosper) in "Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows." I played as the valkyrie, a female warrior carrying a sword. She was good in close quarters, but her range attacks were kind of weak. After beating the Scarecrow (the 2nd Sorrow), I loaded my saved character, Prosper. I did pretty well as him, using a flame-thrower like attack against the Twisted Man (the 3rd Sorrow).

Today, Diana and I got together with Cosmo, Wanda, Gwen, and Norman to celebrate Cosmo's birthday. We met at Norman's place and ate a take-out barbeque lunch. We ate cake, then gave Cosmo his gifts. We had a pretty good time.

Surrogates.

The week was kind of peaceful. I finished watching my "Heroes" (Season 1) DVDs. I spoke with Larry on Friday, but he wasn't sure when he would have more stuff for me. Saturday, I did most of the laundry and some reading.

Yesterday, I kept busy. I did the usual Sunday stuff. I talked to Pat for a short while. I did some reading and finished the laundry. Harry and Liz called, and we went to see the movie Surrogates. It was an interesting movie about people living their lives through androids.

The Final Sorrow.

On Saturday, I finished my game of "Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows." I fought my way through the Deep Fortress and Caldera. In Caldera, I faced off with the Master of the Caldron. Strangely enough, this battle was a lot easier than fighting the Great Troll. Like the Great Troll, I had lots of creatures attacking me. This time around, the Master's attacks helped me take out the creatures, and I also tried some of the spells/powers I purchased to keep them clear of me. I discovered that the ballistas that I fired at the Master (there were four of them) were great cover when he/it would spit a huge fireball at me. The Master would also rain fire on me from time to time, but this attack hurt my attackers more than me (I would run in zig-zig patterns to dodge the fire). After I fired the last ballista, the Master roared in pain and defeat and sank into the lava (as you can see in the above pic).

Besides that, I didn't have too much going on. I did some cleaning around the townhouse during the week. On Saturday, we had snow, so I didn't end up going to see Harry and Liz. Cosmo and Wanda stopped by on Saturday and hung out for a few hours. Today, I worked on finishing the laundry and did some reading.

Weekend with loved ones.

On Saturday, Gwen called and wanted to know if I had errands to run. I did, and she offered to have me over for dinner as well. Norman joined us for dinner, and we watched K-9000: a 1990's movie about a washed-up cop who helps an attractive female scientist rescue a dog with enhanced DNA and a computer-implant in its brain....

Today, I got together with Harry and Liz. We ran a few errands, then went to their place. We played a game they rented for the week--"Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2." It had great graphics, but I think I like the original "Alliance" game better. Afterwards, Harry and I had a late dinner before he took me back to my place.

More Gauntlet this week.

I played more of "Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows" this week. On Wednesday, I beat the 5th Sorrow--the Grand Magistrate. He was much tougher than the last Boss: he used magical attacks on me. I used a few of my own to beat him, then I moved on to the Dungeon Deeps.

Today, I took on the 6th Sorrow--the Great Troll. He was even tougher than the Magistrate, mostly because his minions (the regular Trolls) kept swarming out at me while I tried to fight him. In retrospect, I should have used the strategy from my fight with the Stone Golem (manna blasts) against him. The Great Troll kept setting me on fire with flame-thrower attacks, besides occasionally hitting me with his club on the occasions he got close enough to me to use it. I used my range attacks and lured him onto fire grill traps to take him down. I played a while longer until I reached the Underworld Crossing.....My character (Prosper) is now at level 18, and I have one last Boss to beat.....

Gauntlet weekend, week activities.

I had a pretty dull week this past week, except for Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. Cosmo was in town, and we had lunch at a local pizza buffet. Afterwards, we went to Best Buy, and I got a memory card with a gift card I got for my birthday.

After a few days of thought, I decided to use my new memory card with a used game my friends Harry and Liz had given me months ago: "Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows." I had played this game with Harry before and really enjoyed it, so I thought I would start a solo game with it using the memory card to save my progress. On Friday, I created my character, a wizard I named Prosper (after the Shakespeare character Prospero in The Tempest). I fought my way through the first levels, stopping after I beat the first "Boss", the Scarecrow (the 2nd Sorrow).

On Saturday, I played the game for a few more hours. I managed to beat the 3rd Sorrow, a tree-like giant called the Twisted Man, though I died a couple of times in the process. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be a limit on lives in the game. I did better against the 4th Sorrow, the Stone Golem. I looked at the online walk-thru and discovered the key to beating him was to do a "manna blast" every time I got him to destroy a pillar one of his wizards was standing on. Once the wizard fell off the pillar, the manna blast would toast him and weaken the Golem. After the last of the Golem's wizards died, the Golem itself fell to pieces.....

Besides played "Gauntlet", I did other stuff this week. I did some cleaning and laundry. I watched a few of my DVDs of the first season of "Heroes." I haven't heard from Harry at all this week. I talked to Larry and Pat on the phone. I did some online job hunting and applied at a place a few miles from the townhouse on Friday.

9, LEGO Batman.

This weekend was pretty good. On Saturday, I got together with Harry and saw 9. It wasn't quite what I expected, but it was interesting. Afterwards, we had lunch and went to a few bookstores. We met Liz at the second one. I was able to finish up a giftcard from my birthday I used most of the last time we were there. Later, I went with Diana to a party at Norman's folks' home for some of their clients. Norman and Gwen were there, and Gwen hung out with us. There was a fireworks show, and we left after it was over.

Today, I did the usual Sunday stuff. I took a nap, then did some reading. I worked on the laundry and played "LEGO Batman", a game I haven't played in months. I worked my way through a few of the Villian Episode 1 chapters (Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy).

Lazy weekend.

It was a lazy weekend for me. On Friday, I vacuumed and played a few levels of my PS2 game "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance." I also watched most of my DVD copy of Justice League: the New Frontier. On Saturday, I finished watching the DVD. I played the first levels of "Ultimate Alliance" again.

Today, I did my usual Sunday stuff. I did some reading and took a nap. Watched TV for awhile.

Labor Day Weekend.

I had a pretty good Labor Day weekend. I worked at Larry's for less than two hours on Friday evening. I played "Rampage: Total Destruction" a couple of times--destroying New York as Shelby (giant turtle) and Las Vegas as Cal (giant squid).

On Sunday, I got together with Harry and Liz. I helped them plant some trees and bushes around their house. Harry and I picked up some pizza, and we watched Twilight with Liz. The movie was pretty good, though a bit dull at times.

Today, I kept busy. I went to a birthday party for the daughter of one of Diana's friends. I talked with Diana's friend's father-in-law about photography for awhile. I got some pictures around the property. I took a nap after I got back, then did some reading.

David Trek.

Personal log, 210908.30--We are nearly finished with our second mission. The probes we sent obtained several samples from Gliese 581 d's vast ocean. The modifications on the shuttles allowed us to do some excellent underwater surveys. After our final orbital scans are complete this evening, we will return to the drydock near Earth's moon and get some much needed rest. While this planetary mission wasn't all that I expected it to be, I think it was still time well spent. Perhaps I will find other adventures in other places in the future where my skills as captain of a starship will be more tested.....

David Trek.

Personal log, 210908.28--Gliese 581 d has proven far more interesting than the other extrasolar planets we've been to. I visited one of its two moons (G581dPS2) and found it was like Earth's Moon: barren and rocky. Yesterday, I flew one of the shuttles (the Verne) into the ocean of the planet itself. The water was dark, a blue-green in color. There were some creatures visible, resembling Earth's jellyfish. As far as we could tell in our initial surveys (there have been three shuttle trips so far), there are no sentient beings in the planet's ocean. However, it is a vast ocean, and there may be creatures in it so deep and so alien that we could easily miss them......

David Trek, District 9, Picnic.

Personal log, 210908.24--The last few planets (Gamma Cephei A b and 55 cancri A d) have been rather dull, but our latest (and last) planet has a lot of potential. We arrived last night at Gliese 581 d, a planet less than 25 light years from Sol. Our scans indicate the planet is larger than Earth and covered by a vast ocean. There are two rocky moons in orbit, which we plan to send away teams to. Today, we will be sending some probes to obtain water samples and get more detailed readings. If all goes well, then we may even be able to send shuttles down into the planet's ocean. I am discussing the possibility with our Chief Engineer (Arnold).

I had a pretty good time this past weekend. Saturday, I bought some DC animated movies, including Green Latern: First Flight, using a gift card I got for my birthday. In the afternoon, I went to see District 9 with Harry, Liz, and Liz's brother. The storyline itself was great, but I didn't care for all the gore and foul language. I also did a few loads of laundry.

Yesterday, I did the usual stuff, then went to a picnic near a lake. I took a lot of pictures and tried to catch a fish. Sadly, the fish were too sneaky for me, biting the worms off the hook before I could reel them in. At least I got some great pictures, including this one:

Busy at Larry's, G.I. Joe.

Well, last week was another busy week at Larry's. I logged over 45 hours there. I hope I can get at least half as many hours this week as well (though 40 hours would be good, too).

Yesterday, I spent time with Harry. We went to eat at Valentino's for lunch, then went to see G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra. It had great special effects and lots of action. The only downside to the movie was the Baronness' back story. I won't spoil it for you, but it wasn't what I remembered from the animated series. Afterwards, we stopped by a Barnes and Noble Bookseller, and I used most of my gift card (from Clark for my birthday) to buy Jumper. Afterwards, we picked up Liz, and they took me back to my place.

Die Hard, Rampage, David Trek.

The rest of the week was okay. I had a few more busy days at Larry's last week. I left with Pat after 10 pm on Wednesday night and after 9 pm on Thursday night (Central Time). I had Friday and Saturday off, so I finished watching my DVD copy of Die Hard. On Saturday afternoon, I was briefly started by a spider in the dryer. I captured him and released him outdoors, then went back to my laundry.

I played "Rampage: Total Destruction" yesterday and today. Yesterday, I played as Venus (giant mutant plant) and as Rojo (giant minotaur), wrecking Chicago. I ran out of time on Chicago, too busy trying to wreck the Boss' saucer on the last section of the city to finish taking down the buildings. Today, I played as Marco (giant mutant shark), wrecking Chicago and Hong Kong. And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210908.09--We are nearly finished with our survey of Iota Draconis b. It had similar issues as our last stop in terms of temperature, but we found a way around it. We visited four of the eight moons we detected around the planet, but only when they were hidden from the Iota Draconis star by the planet itself. I paid a visit to IDbPS3. Tonight, we head for our next stop: Gamma Cephei Ab.

David Trek, visit to the zoo.

Personal log, 210908.04--Our time at Mu Arae c was uneventful. The temperatures on the planet's moons were too high for away missions, so we just did orbital scans from the ship and the shuttles. A few nights ago, we arrived at our current location: Iota Draconis b, located about 100 light years from Sol. We have discovered some moons around the planet, which has a mass over eight times that of Jupiter.


On Sunday, Harry, Liz, and I went to the zoo. I hadn't been there since the work on the Butterfly and Insect Pavillion was finished. We rode on this ski-life style ride before checking out the Pavillion, and I took several pictures. I took some pictures of the butterflies, as well as some pictures of spiders (which aren't insects, so it seemed a little strange for them to be there). One of my last pictures at the zoo was of a sloth I saw in the jungle exhibit:

The weekend, David Trek.

I had a pretty good time with Norman and Gwen on Friday. We had dinner with Norman's folks and watched The Kingdom. On Saturday, Gwen and I went to the reunion. While I was away, Peter V (my pet spider) died. I had a pretty good time at the reunion, taking lots of pictures. On Sunday, I did laundry and watched Sleepy Hollow. And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210907.27--Things were uneventful at Upsilon Andromedae c. We only found four moons to visit, myself visiting the first one we found, UAcPS1. Last night, we arrived at Mu Arae c, a gas giant smaller than Jupiter nearly 50 light years from Earth. The planet is one of the hottest extrasolar planet we've encountered thus far, due in large part to its proximity to its star, Mu Arae.

Sky Captain and the week after my birthday.

This week has been okay. I watched my DVD copy of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. The special effects are amazing, and the interactions between Joe (Jude Law) and Polly (Gwen Paltrow) are hilarious. I worked a couple of days at Larry's with Pat. We didn't get as many hours as we would have liked, but a few hours of paid work is better than none. Later today, I am getting together with Gwen and Norman to spend the evening at Norman's folks. On Saturday, Gwen and I are heading to a reunion in Northern Iowa.

My birthday weekend.

Yesterday, I spent time with Harry and Liz. Their dogs were with us, and we ran some errands after lunch at Hector's (a local Mexican food restaurant). Afterwards, we went to their place. Harry and I tried "Overlord II" in split screen mode, but it wasn't that great. Harry started a new game of "Overlord II" in single-player mode, and it was much cooler. Later, we went to the mall and had dinner in the food court. We walked around a little, then they took me home.

Speaking of home, above this paragraph is a picture of a spider I found floating in my toilet Friday morning. Lucky for the spider, I spotted him before "doing any business," so the water was clean enough for me to remove him. To get an idea of how big this spider is, note the lip balm box (about three inches long) on top of the scoop the spider is trapped under. Later that day, I let him loose outside.

Today is my birthday. I got together with Cosmo, Wanda, Diana, and Gwen. We went to this pizza buffet/arcade place in town for lunch. After eating, we played minigolf and skee-ball. Back at the townhouse, we had cake and ice cream, then I opened some cards. We talked for awhile, then everyone left. Most of the evening, I have been doing laundry. I got some calls from Clark and Timmy, both wishing me a happy birthday.

Busy week, David Trek.

Well, I got in a couple of days of work at Larry's. The gal I used to carpool with (Pat) was there as well. I had recommended her to Larry, and he interviewed her a few weeks ago. I have also been busy doing some cleaning around the townhouse. Today, I'm getting together with Harry and Liz to celebrate my birthday. And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210907.18--We have kept busy this past week at Fomalhaut b. We found half a dozen good-sized moons, and I paid a visit to the one we designated as FbPS2. We also harvested material for our food/object replication systems from the dust ring around the planet. Yesterday, we completed our close-orbit shuttle scans of the planet. Tomorrow evening, we leave for our next destination.

David Trek, the weekend.

Personal log, 210907.13--Last night, we arrived at Fomalhaut b, a planet similar to Jupiter and about 25 light years from Earth. There is a ring of dust and rocks around the planet, but we should still be able to get some decent scans. Hopefully, we will find some moons to visit. At the very least, we plan to harvest some of the dust to replenish our food/object replication systems.

This past weekend, I went with Gwen and Diana to a friend's wedding in central Iowa. I took lots of pictures, including this one of a wind turbine I saw near the road:

David Trek.

Personal log, 210907.10--We have detected over a dozen moons at Epsilon Eridani b. A few days ago, I went with a team to one of the larger ones, a moon we designated as EEbPS2 (Epsilon Eridani b Planetary Satellite 2). The other senior officers each led teams to seven other moons. There were some close orbit shuttle missions as well this week. In a few days, we leave for the 2nd of the eight extrasolar planets selected for this mission.

The Fourth, David Trek.

I had a great time with Harry and Liz on Friday and Saturday. Harry's folks' had a Independence Day party at their home on Friday night. There was grilled burgers and hot dogs to eat, and we lit some fireworks afterwards. On Saturday, I got together with Harry and Liz again and ate dinner at their home. We lit off fireworks, including these mortars (in the pic above) Harry managed to light simultaneously.


Here's a pic of the spider I caught in the kitchen and again in my room (mentioned in my last entry):




And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210907.05--We have completed our work at Pluto and have left the Sol System. A short while ago, we arrived at Epsilon Eridani b and have assumed a standard orbit. The planet looks a lot like Jupiter, but is roughly 50% bigger.

David Trek, spider sightings.

Personal log, 210907.02--The past few days at Pluto have been busy. I visited the surface myself on Monday. Yesterday, I led a team to Charon, Pluto's largest moon. The other senior officers have all lead teams to Pluto, and a few have lead teams to Charon as well. Since Pluto has two smaller moons as well (Nix and Hydra), we will send one team to each of those moons. Hopefully, the crew will have time to catch their breath before making preparations to leave the Sol System in a few days.

Meanwhile, I have been seeing spiders a lot this past week. Earlier this week, I caught a fly for Peter V to eat. Sadly, this fly was hardy enough to avoid getting caught in Peter's web and died before my spider could make a meal of him. While working on my laptop Monday night, I saw a small spider descending from a silk line attached to the ceiling to a spot next to me. On Wednesday morning, I spotted a gray jumping spider with black specks crawling on the kitchen walls. I caught him in the scoop I use to catch stuff for Peter, but I didn't cover the top of it well enough. The jumping spider escaped in my bathroom, but I think I re-caught it this morning in my room after seeing it on my wall. I saw a similar jumping spider outside the townhouse last night. This morning, I also spotted a tiny reddish-orange spider crawling around on the floor of my bathroom.

David Trek, the weekend.

Personal log, 210906.28--Having completed our mission assignments for Uranus, we have moved on to Pluto. We are currently orbitting the dwarf planet and doing scans. Tomorrow morning, Gene will take a shuttle (probably the Asimov) and do some closer scans, as well as scout out some sites for away missions. I plan to have all the senior officers lead away missions to the surface, reserving the first mission for myself tomorrow afternoon. I also plan to have the top four officers (myself being one of them) do away missions to Pluto's moon, Charon....

The weekend went pretty well. Harry, Liz, and I went to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on Saturday morning. They had to go to work afterwards, so we picked up some Fazoli's to go before they dropped me off at my place. Saturday afternoon and evening, I did a lot of laundry. Today, I did my usual Sunday stuff and acquired a present for Harry and Liz's anniversary this week. I have also been watching some episodes of "Smallville" that I taped from last season.

David Trek, Transformers.

Personal log, 210906.26--Things have gone well at Uranus. Most of the senior officers (except our Chief Medical Officer and our helmsman) have lead teams to various moons. Three days ago, I visited Umbriel. It reminded me of Earth's Moon--lots of craters and a barren landscape. Yesterday, Lt. Commander Arnold visited Miranda, and Lt. Commander Sawyer visited Puck. We also had some shuttles fly along the rings and conduct scans. In a few days, we are scheduled to head to our final destination in the Sol System: Pluto.

I am pretty psyched about the new Transformers movie. I watched my DVD of the first live-action movie in preparation for the film. I hope to see it this weekend with Harry and Liz.

Father's Day weekend, David Trek.

I had a pretty good time this Father's Day weekend. Clark was in town for his 20th anniversary class reunion. We went out with Gwen and Norman on Thursday night. On Saturday, Clark and I went to see Terminator: Salvation. It was definitely better than Rise of the Machines and almost as good as Judgment Day. On Sunday, Clark, Diana, Norman, Gwen, and I went to Cosmo and Wanda's for a late lunch. After we got back, Clark and I hiked to the local Burger King and had dinner. And now, "David Trek":

Personal log. 210906.22--Last night, we arrived at Uranus. As with Jupiter, we are doing some orbital scans first, then we plan to do some away missions to several moons. I also plan to have shuttle missions do some surveys of the rings.

David Trek: the Moons of Jupiter.

Personal log, 210906.17--The away missions to the moons of Jupiter have gone well. I paid a visit to Ganymede yesterday afternoon. Gene and Collins have visited Europa and Io with their teams. Gene also did a close orbit scan of Jupiter's rings today in the shuttle Asimov. Later this evening, Div (our teleporter chief) is leading a team to Callisto. Tomorrow, we plan to send teams led by other senior officers to three more moons.

The weekend, David Trek.

I put in a few hours at Larry's on Saturday, then ran some errands. I did laundry and some reading.

Yesterday, I kept pretty busy. First, I did the usual Sunday stuff. Then, I did some reading. Later, I played my PS2 game,"Spider-Man: Friend or Foe." I got together with Harry and Liz. We had dinner at Fazoli's, then I helped them move some things around at their place. Harry showed me the progress he's made with "Overlord," then we played "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance."

And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210906.15--We arrived at Jupiter last night. We have been doing some scans from orbit. We are planning to do some away missions to the larger moons over the next few days.

Two spiders.

Well, I haven't been as busy with Larry this week as I had been last month. I have been watching my fourth tape of "Heroes" episodes. I have also been reading The 4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferris.

Today was kind of interesting: I saw two spiders crawling across my bedroom floor. The first spider was tiny (maybe 1/3 of an inch long), so I gave it to Peter V. The second spider (appearing about over an hour after the first one) was much bigger: a wolf spider, over an inch long. I scooped him up in a clear plastic scoop (I use it to catch bugs in my bathroom) and let him loose outside.

The weekend, David Trek.

On Saturday afternoon, I got together with Harry and Liz. We ran some errands, then hung out at their house. I watched Harry play "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows," then played it myself. I did okay, but I probably won't get myself a copy of the game. Later, Harry and I ate out before he took me back to my place.

Sunday, I did the usual stuff and laundry (since I didn't get to it on Saturday evening). And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210906.08--Last night, we left Venus and arrived at the Asteriod Belt. This will be the only scheduled non-planetary destination on the mission. We are using our matter-energy conversion beam to fill up our replication systems. Next week, we are planning to visit another planet we have not been to before....

David Trek.

Personal log, 210906.05--Things are rather dull at Venus. Fortunately, the science and engineering officers have found ways to keep busy. The probes were completed on Wednesday, and we tested them yesterday and today. We managed to get some great readings close to the surface, and the probes made it back to the ship without incident. Our big fear was that the atmospheric conditions would damage the probes, so we attached "dead-man" switches to them. If a probe was damaged in a way that it couldn't return to the ship under its own power, then it would signal the teleportation room for immediate retrieval. The probes proved tougher than we expected, scanning the inner atmosphere of Venus and returning to the ship with virtually no damage.

David Trek, today.

Well, I decided to start my "David Trek" adventures again. This time, I thought it would be interesting to write about planet missions instead of just writing about visiting various stars:

Personal log, 210906.02--We arrived at Venus the other night and did some orbital scans. Today, Collins, Gene, and myself went on three separate shuttle missions to do close orbital scans. All our scans had the same results--the atmosphere of Venus is too turbulent for incursion by shuttle. Not only that, but the surface is too hot for any away missions. I am pondering having Arnold design some disposable probes so we can get a better look at the planet without risking any personnel.

Today, Larry let me have the day off. I have kept myself busy: I did some sweeping in the kitchen and living room area. I hiked over to the local Menards (a home improvement store) and bought a surge protector to plug my laptop into. I read some books and played "Spider-Man: Friend or Foe" on my PS2. I also did some online job-hunting. I saw an interesting ad about working at home, so I responded to it. It would be nice to do something job-wise that didn't require me to dress up or commute.

Terminator.

In preparation for seeing the new Terminator movie, I have been watching the special edition DVD version of Terminator 2: Judgment Day this week. I hadn't watched it for awhile, though I had seen the edited-for-TV version of the movie a couple of times before. One of the things that stuck out in this DVD version was the swearing by Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton). Personally, I find the sound of a woman swearing (especially if she's using "f-bombs," like Sarah was in the film) unattractive. Aside from that, the movie is great: the action, the special effects, and the suspense.

I was hoping to get together with Harry and Liz to see the new movie (Terminator: Salvation) this weekend (they have been busy with family stuff the past two weekends), but I haven't heard back from Harry yet today. They had some stuff out of town to do this morning, but he assured me he'd call me when he gets back into town to let me know what is going on. If they are unable to go out with me to see it tonight, then I will probably just watch Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

Work continues, computer troubles.

Well, Larry has been keeping me busy. I put in another full week last week, even getting in some overtime. Hopefully, I will only need to put in 40 hours this week.

Friday night, I had computer troubles. A key component on the computer wasn't working right, causing it to shut down minutes after being turned on. Diana also needed a new laptop, and we found a sale in town this weekend. On Saturday, we went to the sale, and I got a laptop. I'm still working on plugging in the websites and downloading the software, but things are looking quite promising.....

Resident Evil 4, More work.

On Monday, I tried out my new PS2 game: "Resident Evil 4." The graphics were amazing, but I think it will take me some time to get used to the controls. I still need to get a memory card for it, but I can still enjoy the game without one (and I need the practice shooting zombies).

The rest of the week, I have been busy working at Larry's. He cut me a check yesterday, and I was able to deposit it this morning. I have been working alone or with Larry most of the time, probably because most of the work can only be done by one person at a time. Hopefully, we will have more help next week.

Not much else to report. I am planning to attend a graduation party tonight for a friend from the church I went to in high school. Harry and Liz have their own graduation activities to attend the next few weekends, so I probably won't get to see them again until the end of the month. I fed Peter V some ants I found in the kitchen. I am strongly leaning toward purchasing some bug spray in hopes of killing (or at least repelling) these bugs.

Busy week, Star Trek.

Well, I kept busy helping Larry most of last week. I put in so many hours, he let me have Friday and the weekend off. I hope to get paid for all this time soon. I got my last regular paycheck (deposit, technically) from my last job on Friday.

Saturday (yesterday) was fun. I saw Star Trek with Harry and Liz. Afterwards, we had lunch at our favorite Mexican place. We ran some errands, then I hung out at their place. They had to have dinner with family, so I played "Gauntlet: the Seven Sorrows," while watching their dogs. I played as Legolas again, fighting my way through three of the "Sorrows" (bosses)--the Scarecrow, the Twisted Man, and the Stone Giant. I had trouble with the Stone Giant, but Harry got back from dinner and helped me finish the level. They took me out to eat to thank me for watching their dogs and got me a collector's Star Trek glass (Kirk) from Burger King. We ran one more errand, then they took me home.

Today, I was busy with stuff I meant to get done last week, as well as calling some people. I did my grocery shopping (the usual Sunday errand), then vacuumed my room. I did some bathroom cleaning and the laundry. I updated my resume and registered with some job search websites. I called Pat and talked with her for awhile. I called Wanda and did some reading. I called Larry, but I only got his machine (I left a message).

Downsized, the past few days.

Well, I probably won't see Betty again any time soon. On Friday (May 1) morning, I was called into a meeting with my supervisor and informed that I was being let go as part of a workforce reduction due to the bad economy. I was initially upset, but I realized later that the company's managers were trying to keep the place in business so that at least some of the people there would still have jobs. On the upside, I am getting severance pay for a couple of months.

Fortunately, Diana found me something to do in the short-term. A mutual friend of ours (Larry) has a home-based office support business. When he learned of my situation from Diana, he said he had an immediate need of my services. Friday afternoon, I found myself doing some training with one of his employees. I came back and worked again on Saturday and today as well. I'm planning to come over again tomorrow to help finish a project Larry has been working on this past week.

Besides that, I have been doing other things. I played three more levels of "Doom II" on Friday before going to Larry's. I had Sunday off, so I taped some stuff and did laundry. I also did my grocery shopping and got a long overdue haircut. I called Pat and was sad to learn that she had lost her job as well. I told her I would keep her posted on my progress finding a new job.

Betty sightings, David Trek.

I have seen Betty twice so far this week. On Monday, I saw her in the afternoon in the lobby by the elevators talking to some guy in a suit (probably an executive from the top floor). Today, I saw her heading toward the ladies' restroom while I was heading for the break room. And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210904.30--We have nearly completed our orbital scans of Wolf 359. In a few hours, we will be Leaping back to Earth. After the ship docks at the construction station, the crew will offload. The ship will undergo post-mission maintenance, then the crew (myself included) will take a much needed vacation before our next mission, which is scheduled to start the morning of 210906.01.....

Saturday, David Trek.

Yesterday, I spent time with Harry and Liz. First, we went to this dog event in a park North of where I live. Second, we went to lunch at Hector's (a Mexican restaurant). Third, we ran a few errands. Finally, they dropped me off at my place. And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210904.26--Last night, we arrived at the last stop on our first mission before our return to Earth: Wolf 359. Sadly, the place wasn't as interesting as I had hoped. It is a red dwarf star with no indications of planets or moons less than 8 light years from Earth. We are doing our standard high orbital scans at full Drift speed, then we will Leap back to Earth later in the week.

Betty Sightings.

I didn't see Betty on Monday (had the day off) or Tuesday, but I did see her on three other days. First, I saw her on Wednesday morning as Pat and I were heading toward our area. She had just left the ladies' room, but I'm not sure if she said hi to me or to Pat. I said, "hey," when I saw her.

On Thursday, I saw her from a distance going into her department's area. I saw her going in twice, but I don't know if she saw me. Finally, I saw her today in the parking lot as she was heading for her car. I don't think she saw me, unless she saw me through the windows in the lobby after I left the building.....

David Trek, the weekend.

Personal log, 210904.19--The last few days at Araneus Prime went well. Gene and Collins did their away missions to APS2 and APS3 on Friday. The moons were similar in size and composition to the smaller moons of Saturn. Yesterday, Sawyer (our Chief of Security) took a shuttle (the Peretti) to do close orbital scans of the planet beneath the rings. Last night, we Leapt to Vega, one of the brightest stars in Earth's night sky.

The weekend has gone pretty well. I spent most of Saturday with Harry and Liz. We went to see Dragonball Z: Evolution. It was pretty good, though some of the plot points were a bit hazy to me. Afterwards, we ran a few errands and went to their home. I ate dinner with them, then we worked on cleaning their garage. After that, I hung out with Harry and watched him play "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows." He's really good at it.

Today, I was tired from yesterday (I got back late), so I took things easy. After lunch, I took a nap. I did some reading, then started working on the laundry.

David Trek: Planet Discovered.

Personal log, 201904.16--We arrived at our final stop in the Spiderweb Galaxy last night. It was a medium yellow star, very similar to Sol. To our delight, we immediately detected a planet in orbit around the star. I have named the planet "Araneus Prime." It appears to be a ringed gas giant similar to Saturn, but about 50% larger. Further scans identified three moons, all of which are suitable for away missions (using spacesuits, of course). This afternoon, I visited the first moon (designated APS1) with two other members of the crew. Earlier in the day, Commander Gene took a shuttle (the Bradbury) to do some close orbit scans above the rings. Over the next few days, we plan to send Gene and Lt. Commander Collins (each leading a team of three) to the other two moons. On our final day at Araneus Prime, I will have another shuttle do a close orbit scan beneath the rings.

David Trek, the Island, and Easter.

Personal log, 210904.12--Last night, we arrived at our third stop in the Spiderweb Galaxy: a red giant near the galactic core. As with the other giant stars we have visited, we have positioned the ship so that the star appears (from our vantage point) to be beneath us. For the next few days, we will be tracing a circular path "above" the star as we scan it. After that, we will Leap to our final stop in the Spiderweb Galaxy.

Yesterday, I went with Diana and Gwen to spent time at Cosmo and Wanda's. We had lunch, then hung around for awhile. I picked up some books they had stored for me and Clark, as well as some other items. After I got back, I did most of the laundry and some reading.

Today, I started watching my latest DVD purchase, The Island. It's about a facility where clones of rich people live believing they are the last survivors of the human race after some bio-war. Every once and awhile, there is a lottery where the winner (a clone) gets to go to "the Island--the last paradise on Earth." One of the clones, Lincoln Three Echo, is dissatisfied with his life and begins to suspect the people running the facility are keeping secrets....

Today is Easter. For us Christians, it is a day to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. I spent a fair amount of time today reading and recalling the encounters people had with Jesus after the Resurrection. First, Mary Magdalene sees Jesus near the empty tomb. Second, two disciples (probably part of the group of 70 Jesus had sent out in pairs) see and walk with Jesus on the road to a town seven miles from Jerusalem. Third, ten of the Apostles see Jesus in a locked room where they were hiding from their enemies. Fourth, eleven of the Apostles see Jesus in the same room over a week later. Fifth, the Apostles see Jesus on the shore while they're fishing, then eat with Him after coming back to shore with a net full of fish. Finally (there were probably other encounters, but these are the ones I remember reading about), the disciples see Jesus on the Mount of Olives before He ascended into Heaven.

David Trek, more Betty Sightings, and Good Friday.

Personal log, 210904.10--We arrived at our second of four stops in the Spiderweb Galaxy the other night. Since then, we have been scanning a medium-sized blue star in the middle of the outer ring of systems. Soon, we will be Leaping to our third stop, bringing us further into this galactic oddity....

I didn't see Betty on Wednesday, but I did see her yesterday and today. Yesterday, I caught a glimpse of her through the window of her department. Today, I saw her in the parking lot as she was heading for her car while Pat and I were leaving work for the week. We (Pat and I) were both amused to see her talking on her cell phone as she was heading for her car.

Today is Good Friday. For us Christians, it is a day of reflecting on the death of Jesus. I had to be at work today (tax season), but I still found time to think about the events leading up to Jesus' death and the events following His resurrection. I was thinking about how let down (by other people) Jesus had to have felt the day of His Crucifixion. First, His disciples kept falling asleep while He was praying in the garden the night before. Second, His disciples fled when He was arrested. Third, Peter denied knowing Him three times mere hours after insisting to Jesus that he was willing to die with Him. Fourth, Jesus' own people (the Jews) chose a rebel/robber (Barabbas) over Him for release from Roman captivity. Finally, the Jews insisted on Jesus being crucified, despite Pilate's repeated claim that Jesus had done nothing worthy of death.

Betty sightings.

I have seen Betty twice this week. First, I got a glimpse of her through the window as she was headed for the ladies' restroom on Monday. Today, I saw her in the parking lot as I was leaving work with Pat. I'm not sure if she spotted me today, but I don't think she saw me yesterday.

David Trek, Betty sighting, etc.

Personal log, 210904.05--Last night, we arrived at the first of four stops in the Spiderweb Galaxy. Like the structure it's named after, this galaxy has caught a variety of bodies--stars, in this case. Our first stop is a white dwarf star, which we'll be orbiting and scanning for the next couple of days.

I finally saw Betty last week. I was waiting on my ride home from work on Friday, and I saw her as I was looking out the top floor windows at the parking lot. She was heading out to her car and didn't notice me (as far as I could tell).

I've had a pretty peaceful weekend. I gave Peter V the other silverfish that I caught (see previous entry), but he hasn't caught it yet. I also found ants in the townhouse, so I gave him one of those as well. Harry and Liz were working on Saturday, so I didn't get together with them. Today, I finished watching the 2nd disk of the "Weird Science" TV series (seasons 1 and 2). Throughout the weekend, I've been reading a book on starting a business on eBay, which I think may be the key to escaping the uncertain future I'm facing at my current job.....

David Trek, Misc. Stuff.

Personal log, 210904.02--A few days ago, we Leapt to our last stop in the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy: a medium-size yellow star, similar to Sol, about midway from the galactic core to the edge of the galaxy. Nothing unusual about it. Soon, we will be moving on to the Spiderweb Galaxy....

Misc. stuff: I haven't seen Betty since last Friday. The past few days, I have been watching my 2nd DVD of the "Weird Science" TV series (this DVD has the 2nd part of the first season). I found two silverfish in my bathroom yesterday. I caught both bugs and gave one of them to Peter V. He got to it pretty quickly. If the second one is still alive tomorrow morning, then I will throw it in. Last night, I called Clark to wish him a happy birthday and left a message on his machine. Gwen stopped by, and I chatted with her briefly.

Peter V, Monsters.

Late Friday night, I was disturbed (but also amused) to see Peter V (pictured above) trying to escape from his jar. Apparently, when I moved the jar on Thursday night to clean my bathroom mirror, I hadn't put it back in quite the same spot as it had been in. The result was that the edge of the lid (left slightly open to allow air in) wasn't as close to the top edge of the jar as I usually have it. Fortunately, the larger-than-usual gap wasn't big enough that Peter noticed it right away, allowing me notice the problem before he could exploit it. I was able to slide the jar farther back in its corner and the lid farther over the top of the jar. Still, he had been moving his legs around near the gap as if attempting to move the lid so he could get out....

Yesterday, I got together with Harry and Liz. We went to see Monsters vs. Aliens at the local AMC. Afterwards, we had lunch at Fazoli's. They had some cleaning to do, so we parted ways after lunch. Afterwards, I did some reading and laundry. Clark called me last night, and I talked with him for awhile.

Today, I did the usual Sunday stuff. I had some BBQ for lunch, then took a nap. I did some more reading, then swept the laundry room. I almost squished a spider similar to Peter V (but smaller), but I spotted it in time and moved it into the "spider preserve" area in the corner.

Betty's back, David Trek.

Well, Betty is back from her vacation. I got an uncertain glimpse of her yesterday morning (it was dark, so it might have been someone else). Today, we passed each other in the area between our departments. I said "hey" and she asked me how I was doing. I said I was "doing okay," and we headed to our separate departments. I take this as a good sign, since it is more like the interactions I'd had with her before I told her how I felt about her last month.

Not much else going on. I was bummed to learn that "Spectacular Spider-Man" is moving to a digital cable station, which means I won't be able to tape it off the CW anymore. I found some episodes online, though, so I will still be able to see the new season. I called Liz today and wished her a happy birthday. I've been doing some cleaning around the townhouse all week. And now, "David Trek:"

Personal log, 210903.27--We arrived at the second of our three destinations in the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy last night. We are orbiting a white dwarf star near the galactic core. We will be here for a few more days, then we plan to Leap to another star between the core and outer edge of the galaxy. I plan to confer with Commander Gene and see how many stops we can make in the next galaxy we visit.

Bowling and today.

I had yesterday off of work, but I found plenty of things to keep me busy. First, I went out and got my hair cut (the last time I got it cut was Valentine's Day). Second, I hiked over to McDonald's and had lunch. Third, I watched the last episode on the first disk of my "Weird Science" (TV series) set. Fourth, I played my copy of "Strike Force Bowling" on my PS2. Check out my 2nd best score ever (facing off with the computer) and my best score on Monday:

That's right: 286, with ten strikes in a row and the computer player only scoring 171. I played a perfect game back in November of 2006, as shown below:

Last night and tonight, I watched portions of Resident Evil on DVD. Work was okay, though I was bummed to see Betty was still on vacation. Hopefully, I will see her again soon.

No Betty sightings, the weekend (so far), David Trek.

Well, I haven't seen Betty in over a week. I know from the company's phone net work that she has been on vacation since last Monday (the day after my last entry). Hopefully, she will be more talkative to me the next time I see her.

I have tomorrow off of work. I don't have any medical appointments or family events going on, I just wanted to take a day off in March to maintain my streak of having at least one weekday off of work every month. Fortunately, I don't always have to ask for a day off each month since we have days off for New Year's, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I think my streak (at least one weekday off every month) started in July 2007 or so, and I'd like to keep it going.

The weekend has been going pretty well. I got together with Cosmo and Norman on Friday night for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Yesterday, I got together with Harry and Liz and saw Race to Witch Mountain. It was pretty good, and it had lots of funny parts in it. We ran some errands, and I gave Liz her birthday gift. I also got the last book in the "Star Trek: Invasion" series (there are four books, one for the original series and one each for "Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine," and "Voyager") in the mail. Today, I used a gift certificate I got using credit card reward points to buy a book that I hope will help me start an online retail business. And now, "David Trek" :

Personal log, 210903.22--We arrived at the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy last night. I have decided to add two extra Leaps to this visit so we can study more than one star in this region of space. Currently, we are scanning a red giant star on the edge of the galaxy. Later on, we will Leap to a white dwarf further in. I think we will probably add some more Leaps for the next galaxy on our itinerary.

This past week, David Trek.

Well, this past week has been kind of dull. I saw Betty from a distance a few times between Tuesday and Thursday, but never up close and not at all on Monday and Friday. I didn't get together with Harry this weekend. I got a ride with Pat on Wednesday to the grocery store (I was running out of food). Yesterday, I took another shot at "Superman Returns" for my PS2, but I didn't do any better with it. I played "LEGO Star Wars II" in Free Play for awhile. I did the Jundland Wastes chapter in Episode IV and the final chapter of Episode VI (where the Falcon flies inside the second Death Star and takes out the core).

And now, "David Trek" :

Personal log, 210903.15--We have been at Regulus for the past few days. I was surprised to discover that it is multiple star system composed of four stars which are organised into two pairs. Gene and Nemo plotted an orbit between the pairs that would allow us to do moderate level scans of each star. The first pair consists of a large blue-white star and a white dwarf. The other pair consists of dimmer dwarf stars. Next weekend, we plan to visit the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy. With any luck, we will find some planets to visit....

Thoughts on Betty, the weekend thus far.

I saw Betty from a distance on Thursday. I was heading for the break room, and I saw her through the window to the elevator lobby as she was heading for the ladies' room. We looked at each other, but there was no waving by either of us. I'm kinda bummed that I haven't seen her close up in awhile. The times I have seen her close up (since that call on President's Day), she hasn't had much to say. I'm worried that she's avoiding me or at least being less friendly to me in response to my revelation to her a month ago. I'm tempted to call her (I still have her number), but I don't want to aggravate her or make her regret giving me her number.....

Today, I got together with Harry. We went to see Watchmen, which was very graphic in many ways. First of all, one of the main characters spent most of his onscreen time nude (granted, he was CGI, but I still didn't want to see male privates). Second, there was a lot of swearing. Third, there was an unnecessary sex scene that must have lasted at least two minutes. Finally, there was some pretty graphic violence--people have bones broken, people getting splattered via the nude guy's "touch of death", and lots of scenes of people being knocked around into stuff. The overall story was good--what happens when above-average people are corrupted by their own power--but they could have told it with less nudity and gore.

David Trek: Final Days at Pollux b.

Personal log, 210903.05--Later tonight, we leave Pollux b for our next destination, Procyon. The last few days have gone well. On Monday, Gene took the Bradbury and (later on) Sawyer took the Crichton to do some close orbit scans of Pollux b. On Tuesday, Div took the Peretti and (later on) Arnold took the Verne for more close orbit scans of the planet. All the trips revealed the same thing: this planet is like a super-sized version of the Sol System's Jupiter--mostly gas with a super-dense metallic core. Yesterday and today, we did some final scans from the ship.

The Prince of Egypt, games, and Betty.

Yesterday, I finished watching The Prince of Egypt (I started it on Saturday night). I also tried playing "Transformers: the Movie" on my PS2 again (I tried it before after I first got it, but didn't do very well). I still had trouble with the Decepticon drone chase, so I think I will probably sell the game the first chance I get. I played "Spider-Man: Friend or Foe" for awhile, completing the first setting (Japan) and getting about half-way through Tangaroa (spelling?) Island. I used a cheat code to unlock the New Goblin, then moved to having the Black Cat as my partner after I unlocked her in Japan.

Today, I got a brief glimpse of Betty. I didn't see her all day at work, but then I saw her in the parking lot as I was leaving. She was a long ways away and moving away me, so I couldn't wave to her. Maybe I see her at a shorter distance away tomorrow.

David Trek and the last few days.

Personal log, 210902.28--The away missions to the other moons went well. The teams collected samples from PbS3 and PbS4 on Thursday. Both of the moons were like the small moons we visited during our time at Neptune. Next week, I have decided to have our shuttles do some close orbit scans of Pollux b.

The last few days have been okay. I glimpsed Betty from a distance early Thursday morning shortly after I arrived at work. I saw her through the windows of my area and her department as I was heading for the break room. On Friday, I finished filling my third tape of episodes of "Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles." I did some vacuuming, some reading, and watched an episode of the "Weird Science" series online.

Today, I did some more vacuuming and more reading. I watched some funny stuff on a site called "RiffTrax" that I found today. It is like the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" series, except that you purchase some audio recordings of the guys making jokes during a movie and listen to the recordings while watching the movie the jokes go with. I might buy a track sometime, assuming I find one I really want to hear with one of the movies I have.

David Trek: Pollux b's Moons.

Personal log, 210902.25--Today, we sent away teams to the second moon (PbS2). Lt. Commander Collins led one team, and Lt. Commander Arnold led the other. Meanwhile, we located two more moons, both smaller than PbS2 (which itself is about the size of Dione, one of Saturn's moons). We have designated them PbS3 and PbS4, and I plan to send an away team to each of them tomorrow.

Betty sightings, David Trek.

I saw Betty a couple of times this week. Yesterday and today, I spotted her as I was in the parking lot after work. Today, I spotted her leaving the ladies' room as I was heading to the men's room on my afternoon break. She spotted me and said, "Hey, David" and I said, "Hey."

And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210902.24--We arrived at Pollux a few nights ago and made our way to the first extrasolar planet we've encountered on this mission--Pollux b. We did some orbital scans, and Lt. Comm. Collins found a moon. Today, Gene and I both led away teams to this moon, the first away missions we've done since we leave the Sol System. Since Collins found it, we named the moon "Collins", but we have also designated it PbS1 (Pollux b Satellite 1). Gene recalibrated the ship's sensors to make it easier for us to detect moons, then he found a second moon. We plan to send away teams to it (designated PbS2--Pollux b Satellite 2) later tonight and tomorrow morning.

Betty sighting, movie weekend.

I saw Betty from a distance on Friday. She was heading for the ladies' room, and I waved to her from inside my department. She looked my way, but didn't wave back....

This has been a weekend of movies, especially Saturday. I have been watching my VHS copy of Predator, starring Arnold S., Carl Weathers, and Jesse Ventura (two of these guys became state governors years after this movie came out), on Friday and today. On Saturday, I went to see Push with Harry. Later, we rented some movies to watch at his place with Liz. We watched Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Quarantine.

Besides movies, I did other things this weekend. Saturday, I found a large spider that reminded me of Peter under my bathroom sink. I relocated it to my "spider preserve" in the laundry room (it was too big to put in the jar with Peter V). I went with Harry and Liz while they ran errands on Saturday. I watched Harry play "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows" on his PS3.

Today, I went to Cosmo and Wanda's to have lunch with them, Norman, Gwen, and Diana. We introduced Cosmo to Pandora, a free online service that allows you to pick out songs/artists that you like and stream them from the Web. After I got back, I worked on the laundry.

Recent Betty sightings, Underworld.

I saw Betty twice this week, both sightings being the same in format. On Monday, I was walking towards to the stairs, and I saw the door opening. I paused, and Betty emerged. I said, "Hey, [Betty]," and she said, "Hey, David," as she entered her department (its door is right next to the door to the stairs). Today, the same thing happened, except that she said, "Hey, David" before I said "hey" back to her.

Monday night, Harry and I went to see Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. It was an exciting movie, with much less swearing than the other Underworld movies. There was one love scene and lots of violent scenes with spurting blood. I was disturbed when I heard a kid talking near the front of the theater about halfway through the movie. Who brings their kid to an "R" rated movie on a Monday night? Especially one featuring werewolves and vampires?

Valentine's Day Weekend.

Well, it was a fairly quiet Valentine's Day weekend. I played more "Rampage: Total Destruction" on Valentine's Day. In the game, I trashed New York as Crock, completing my tour of the cities. I went back to Las Vegas and decided to try some monsters that didn't make my initial tour: Venus (the giant plant monster), Bart (a wingless mutant bat that can jump super high), Nick (a demon--it had a flaming skull like a goat or a bull and a body covered in red skin), and Bubba (a fat blob with feather-like things on its head). I also got my hair cut, did my taxes online, and did laundry. Today, I did the usual Sunday stuff, then took a nap. I ironed some shirts and watched TV.

The Call, Friday the 13th.

Well, the call to Betty last night went well. She liked the flowers, but was concerned about me giving her gifts like that since she's "in a relationship." I told her I had ordered the flowers before we had talked last Friday, and that I had chosen yellow roses (since they symbolize friendship) in case she was seeing someone. I assured her there wouldn't be any more surprise gifts and that it was okay with me if she kept the flowers. I also told her to feel free to call me if she ever wanted to talk. All in all, it was a more pleasant experience than I thought it would be and may have brought us closer as friends.

Today, I had the day off to see my orthodontist. I had the appointment in the morning, so I was free to get caught up on stuff the rest of today. I did my vacuuming, as well as some cleaning in the laundry room. I also did some fun stuff: I watched a rerun of "Batman: the Brave and the Bold." I played "Rampage" for the first time since last December. I started as Amanda (the giant armadillo) in Chicago. I released Rojo (a giant minotaur), then switched to him. I moved on to Hong Kong, where I released Crock (a giant crocodile). I finished off the city as Crock and quit for the day.

Possible problem, David Trek.

Well, I received a note at work today from Betty. Today is the day I had scheduled the flowers I ordered to be delivered to her, but I'm guessing from the note that she didn't like them as much as I had hoped. She asked me to call her later this evening because "we need to talk." I've seen enough television and read enough books to know this phrase isn't a good sign. I will do my best to smooth things over if she is angry about the flowers, and I hope to remain friends with her. If I can't resolve this, then I will disavow my feelings for her and give up trying to befriend women who catch my eye or to win their affections (at least for a while). I will keep you (the reader) updated on the situation.

Ever since I was a teenager, I have had trouble forming relationships with women I was interested in. The women friends I have had were mostly women I didn't have romantic feelings for. Or else they were women I wouldn't allow myself to have feelings for because they were engaged or married when I met them. I'm not sure if I scare the women I'm interested in somehow, or if I just lack the social skills to initiate friendships with women.

And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210902.12--Things have gone average at Messier 79. On Tuesday, we used some of our robotic sampling containers to harvest material from the edge of the cluster. Today, we are continuing our orbital scans. Given the size of M79 and our variation of Drift speeds, I don't expect us to do a complete orbit before we depart, but I still think the trip here will provide us with useful scientific data and material for our replication systems.

LEGO Batman, David Trek.

Well, I got another data corruption error yesterday when I tried to play "LEGO Batman." I entered a bunch of codes, then completed the first Episode of the Heroes' Story. I played the first chapter of the first Episode of the Villains' Story. To my disappointment, this did not unlock the rest of the Villain Episodes. I think I will quit playing this for awhile, then try again once I get a new memory card. And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210902.08--We arrived at M79 last night. I am concerned about our sublight engines, so I requested the crew to vary our Drift speeds so the engineers can perform maintance on Drift Drive. We are planning on staying at this cluster for awhile, so I am sure we will get plenty of data (as well as matter for our replication systems) without travelling at full Drift the whole time.

Betty Knows.

Well, I finally told Betty how I feel about her. We met in the hall twice (like the dream I had last night), and the second time, I said, "There's something I need to tell you." *deep breath* "Oh, boy." *ran my fingers through my hair as I looked down at my shoes* Then I looked her straight in the eyes and said, "I really like you." (Which didn't happen in the dream.) She responded by saying she had a boyfriend. I grimaced and said, "I figured that might be the case." We talked for a few minutes after that, and she seemed okay with my revelation and willing to be friends with me. She doesn't know about the flowers I'm sending her, but I hope we get to talk a little more next week. I'm also hoping I can give her my cell number, so she can call me outside of work and talk more.

Betty sightings.

Well, I had a couple of Betty sightings this week so far. First, I saw her from a distance on Monday afternoon. I waved, but she didn't wave back (she may not have seen me). Today, I saw her in the larger break room as I was buying a sub for lunch. We said hi to each other, and bye as I headed out. I was kicking myself later because that would have been a good time for me to tell her how I feel about her (she was still in the room as I left).......

David Trek, other weekend activities.

Personal log, 210902.01--Last night, we Leapt to Kajam, a star about 235 light years from Earth. It has no planets, so we will do our standard high-orbit scan before Leaping to our next destination, Messier 79. We will be spending a lot of time at the globular cluster (like we did at the Crab Nebula). I hope to harvest material there for our replication systems as well. Some of my research on our future destinations gives me hope that we will find an extrasolar planet to study, at least from an orbital perspective.

Besides the "David Trek" stuff mentioned above, I did some other things this weekend. I fed Peter V a small spider I found in my bathroom yesterday. I did the usual Sunday stuff and watched more of Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl. I ordered some flowers online to be sent to Betty at work next week. Diana and I went out to eat with Gwen at Ruby Tuesday's. I decided to be adventurous and ordered chili (something I have never ordered at a restaurant before).

Batman and Pirates.

At work, I pigged out on pancakes and got a fleeting glimpse of Betty on Friday. After work, I did some stuff around the townhouse and watched "Batman: the Brave and the Bold."

Today, I found other stuff to keep me busy. I watched half of Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl. I played more of "LEGO Batman": I completed the Villains' Episode 1 did the first two chapters of Episode 2. I also did some free play using various villains, including Poison Ivy, the Penguin, and Man-Bat.

Betty sighting, David Trek.

I saw Betty on Tuesday. She was talking with someone outside her department, and I waved to her. She smiled and waved back. I didn't see her at all yesterday or today.

And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210901.29--Things have been pretty uneventful these past few days. We arrived at Gacrux on Sunday night. Since then, we've been doing our typical giant star routine: scanning the star from above (our perspective) in a orbit while travelling at full Drift speed. Hopefully, our next stop will prove more exciting....

Betty sightings.

I saw Betty twice today, but she didn't appear to notice me on either occasion. First, she visited the break room while I was at lunch. I tried to wave to her, but she didn't seem to notice me. Later, I spotted her in the elevator lobby talking on her cell phone. She seemed kind of down (not crying, but gloomy), so I didn't linger.

Inkheart, LEGO Batman, and Peter Pan.

Yesterday, I kept busy. I played "LEGO Batman" and completed two more chapters in the Villains' Episode 1, as well as doing some free play. I also got together with Harry and Liz and saw Inkheart. When I got back to the townhouse, I did some laundry.

Today, I did the usual stuff. I played "LEGO Batman" in Free Play. I started watching a DVD I bought with a gift card I got for Christmas--the Platinum Edition of Disney's Peter Pan.

Betty sightings, David Trek.

Well, after not seeing Betty all week, I finally got to see her a few times today. First, I spotted her leaving the women's restroom as I was heading for the men's room. I don't think she saw me, since I was in my departments' room when she first came out. I thought about calling to her to get her attention, but nature was shouting at me at this point (if you catch my meaning), so I ducked into the men's restroom instead. Then, I spotted her while I was on my lunch break. She came in the break room while I was eating, and we talked briefly.

And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210901.23--Things have been a bit boring this past week. We arrived at Deneb late Sunday night and have been doing a high orbit at full sublight (Drift) speed ever since. I did some research on a few of our upcoming stops and was pleased to see one of the stars we're heading for has a planet. It will probably be a Jupiter-type planet, which rules out away missions to the surface. Still, we can orbit it much faster than the star it revolves around and get some good scans. Perhaps we can even do some shuttle-based scans as well.

Spider update, David Trek dream, and LEGO Batman.

I gave my spider (Peter V) another small spider on Saturday night. By the time I went to bed, Peter V had captured the spider and was feeding on it. This morning, the remains were in the spider's garbage pile.....

I had a "David Trek" dream last night: I went with a group of my crew in a shuttle to an Earth-like planet. Shortly after our arrival, some military people showed up and took us into custody. We didn't put up a fight, and they took our weapons and communicators. They loaded us and the shuttle onto a flatbed and took us to a secret prison-like facility. They put us in a large room with several beds in it, most of the beds in alcoves in the walls. While we familiarized ourselves with our new surroundings, Gene found a way to free us. I don't remember how he did it, only that I found myself teleported back onto the ship. I expressed my gratitude to be back, and there was an argument on the bridge about what we should do next. After all, the people who captured us had less advanced technology than we did, and they did have our communicators, weapons, and one of our shuttles in their possession.....

Today, I played more "LEGO Batman." Having finished the Heroes' story, I decided to start the Villains' story. I played the first two chapters of Episode 1: the first chapter had Clayface and the Riddler. The second chapter had Mr. Freeze and the Riddler. I also did some free play using my custom Batman (Batman in a black costume). I was pleased to discover that some characters I bought (the Mad Hatter and Man-Bat) were also available to me in free play. The Mad Hatter has mind control gear like the Riddler, and Man-Bat has the ability to glide and super strength. Below is a pic I took of my two custom characters that I made in Arkham. The resolution isn't great, but they are Batman (on the left) and Batgirl (on the right) in black costumes. The yellow things they're holding are Batarangs.

LEGO Batman.

Well, I finished the Heroes' story today. I completed the last two chapters of all three episodes, which also unlocked the Arkham Asylum access (technically, I only needed to complete one episode to do that). In Episode 3, I fought with the Killer Moth as Batman and Robin. The final battle with this insect-themed villain involved a giant light bulb and a couple of turbines.

In the final chapter of Episode 3, I (as Batman and Robin) faced off with the Joker and Harley Quinn. First, I fought with Harley outside the cathedral where she and the Joker had been cornered by the police. I used a water cannon to knock her around a little before going inside. I chased her around the inside for awhile, then fought with her and the Joker. The Joker used a remote-controlled helicopter (life-sized) to shoot at me, but I shorted it out with a water cannon I built inside the cathedral's bell tower. He came at me, shooting a gun at me when I was far away and zapping me with a powered-up joy buzzer when I was close. He zapped me as Batman and as Robin a few times, but I finally beat him down as Robin. In the cut scene, a swarm of bats attack him and Harley, then Batman and the cops take him into custody.

Afterwards, I accessed Arkham from the Batcave and used the "create-a-character" feature to make black-costume versions of Batman and Batgirl. If I find the time and don't have any more memory card issues, then I will start the Villains' story next week and mix in some free play with my custom characters.

Betty sightings, David Trek.

I have seen Betty a couple of times the past few days. Yesterday, I saw her in the break room during my afternoon break. There were a fair number of people in there, and she didn't appear to notice me until she got up to leave. She said "hi," and I said "hi," and then she left the room. Today, I spotted her as I was running important documents to the lobby. I wasn't sure it was her initially (she was in front of me and walking away), but she spotted me when she turned around after she had entered her work area. I waved to her, then entered the stairwell.

And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210901.16--We are nearly done at the Crab Nebula. Earlier this evening, we teleported about half of the robotic sampling containers to the edge of the supernova remnant to collect more material for the replication systems. In a few minutes, we will begin to move away from the Crab Nebula so we can move into position to leap to our next destination--Deneb.

Betty sighting.

I saw Betty this morning. Like some other recent Tuesdays, we ran into each other (not literally) in the stairwell. She was leaving for lunch, and when she saw me, she asked me how I was.....

David Trek, the weekend.

Personal log, 210901.11--The last few days have gone well. We arrived a point about 45 million miles from the Crab Nebula on Thursday night. On Friday night, we narrowed that gap to about 35 million miles and began a parallel course along the edge of the supernova remnant. On Friday and Saturday night, we teleported the robotic sampling containers to the very edge of the nebula and collected enough material to refill all of the ship's replication systems, including the energy pods for the shuttles. Tonight, we continue our scans of the remnant.

Meanwhile, in this world, I have kept busy this weekend. On Friday, I caught a glimpse of Betty through the window of her department as I was heading for the stairs. After work, I did some ironing and finished reading a book Harry had loaned me a few weeks ago. On Saturday, I got my hair cut and went to the wedding of the son of one of Diana's friends. That evening, I got together with Harry and Liz at their place. We got carry-out pizza and watched two movies: Eagle Eye and Horton Hears a Who. Today, I added another movie on DVD to my collection: Peter Pan (Disney's Platinum version). I played my "LEGO Batman" game and completed the third chapters of Episodes 1, 2, and 3. In Episode 3, I took turns using the Batwing and the Batcopter to take on the Scarecrow (he was in a biplane).

Glimpse of Betty, David Trek.

I got a brief glimpse of Betty on Tuesday as I was leaving work. I saw her through the window of her department and waved as I was heading for the elevator. And now, "David Trek":

Personal log, 210901.07--Things have gone well with our orbit "above" Betelgeuse. I have been pondering our next destination, the Crab Nebula. My research on the place revealed it to be a supernova remnant in a state of expansion. Clearing, entering the Nebula is not feasible, though I am sure the ship's shields would give us some protection. I have discussed the matter with Gene, and we decided it would be ideal to enter normal space about 45 million miles or so from the remnant. Moving at full sublight speed, we get the ship about 10 million miles closer, then travel roughly parallel with the nebula for several days before moving back out. Another issue that has risen is the need to restock our replication systems. I pondered having the ship move as close to the edge of the remnant as possible and use the matter/energy conversion beam to harvest material. The problem is that we would have to get too close for comfort to use the beam, plus the edge would be moving toward us the whole time. After some deep thought and discussion with Gene, I came up with a solution: we will teleport special containers to the edge of the remnant. The containers will automatically draw in the excess helium from the edge, then signal the ship once they're full. We can teleport the containers back and use the ship's smaller version of the beam to re-absorb the containers and their contents. The ship's engineers are currently busy designing and building the containers. They assure me the containers will be ready by the time we reach the nebula.

LEGO Batman.

I had some troubles with my "LEGO Batman" game. Apparently, the data in my saved game got corrupted, so I had to start over. I was so frustrated about this that I dug up a bunch of cheat codes online and entered them. Most of the codes I entered were suit upgrades, though I did unlock a few characters like Batgirl, Nightwing, and the classic version of Catwoman. I went through the first two chapters of all three Heroes' Episodes. Right now, I am thinking I might just play the game that way: no free play until I get to the end of the story--I will just work my way through a chapter or two for each episode. The new chapter for me today was the 2nd chapter of the third Episode. I got to fight Harley Quinn as Batman and Robin after fighting our way through a circus.

Batman stuff, misc. items.

Well, I finished watching The Dark Knight on Friday evening. It was as dark as I remember from when I saw it in the theater, and I find myself wondering when the third Bale-as-Batman movie will come out. I have heard rumors about Poison Ivy and the Riddler being the villains in it. Hopefully, they won't as Jim Carrey to be the Riddler again.

I played more "LEGO Batman" today. I started Episode 3 on the Heroes side. I got to duke it out with the Mad Hatter after fighting my way through a toxic waste plant(?) as Batman and Robin. I did it again using my black costume Batgirl in free play so I could get the red brick and most of the mini-kits. I also did the 2nd chapter of the Villains' Episode 2: the Penguin and Catwoman stealing a large gem (possibly a pink diamond?) from a museum. I was intrigued to see that Catwoman, like Poison Ivy, also has a kissing attack.

Some other items: I didn't see Betty at work on Friday, though I did see her car in the parking lot. The spider that ate Sixy is still alive, so I have dubbed it "Peter V" (not intended to rhyme). I saw another spider similar to the original Peter in my room last night, but I decided to put him in the "spider refuge" in my laundry room instead of putting him in the jar with Peter V.

Happy New Year!

Proof that I had a white Christmas last week (unlike the time I was in California for Christmas):

I saw Betty from a distance on Wednesday afternoon at work. Hopefully, I'll see her from a much shorter distance away on Friday (since I had the day off today).

Speaking of today, Batman seemed to be the theme. I watched an hour of more of The Dark Knight today. I also played my "LEGO Batman" game for a few hours. I completed the Villains' Episode 1: the Riddler and Two-Face raiding Gotham's Gold Reserve was the final chapter. I started the Villains' Episode 2: Penguin and Bane stealing a radar/transmission dish from the docks. I did some free play as well, finally getting the rest of the minikits in the first chapter of the Heroes' Episode One. I also picked up some minikits on the Villians' side in free play, utilizing my black costume version of Batgirl.

Besides that, I did other things today. First, I watched "Mythbusters" for awhile on Discovery. Next, I wrote out my resolutions for the year (something I haven't done in awhile). Then, I did some reading. Later, I ironed some shirts for work. And now, "David Trek" :

Personal log, 210901.01--We arrived at our second stellar stop last night: the giant star known as Betelgeuse. For once, Lt. Commander Collins got to be on the bridge during our faster-than-light "leap" to our destination. Normally, we've been doing the leaps around 2100 hours, which is about an hour or so before her duty shift starts. Using what we learned at Antares, we are doing orbital scans with the ship oriented so that the star appears below us from our perspective. The ship can do a wider orbit this time since we plan to be here for about a week before we move on. The next several days should be fairly relaxing compared with the last few weeks. No away missions, no shuttle flights, and no "are we going to make it around in time?" issues. Just a high orbit scan....