Cheese-its Star Trek Uniform

At long last the wait is over! For the past four months, everyday I have gone to the mailbox with excitement in my heart and growing anticipation each day. After all those weeks spent waiting, I was beginning to fear that my T-shirt had perhaps been sent to the wrong planet and some distant Klingon was using my T-shirt to dress his combat training practice dummy.But my fears were unfounded. Last week I finally received the beautiful Star Trek T-shirt I sent away for using a cheese-its box so long ago. I'm very impressed with the quality (I was worried that it might be cheaply manufactured) and when I put it on, I feel like a noble Starfleet officer ready to save the world. I'm sure everyone has that one piece of clothing that instantly boosts their confidence. Maybe it's a little black dress that highlights your curves in just the right way or a baseball hat you've had since highschool that's been stained with tons of memories. For me, this shirt brings out all of my best emotions and gives me the feeling that I can conquer anything. Today is a good day!

A New Birthday Tradition??

Well tomorrow is my birthday and the day after is America's birthday. I'm not really getting any physical presents, but I'm still going to get some cool stuff. Tomorrow I'll be having a fun barbecue in the back yard and this fills me with joy. Also I'm asking my parents for money to help pay for the English as a second language certification course I'm taking in August. This is even more exciting than the barbecue because it moves me one step closer to Japan. As for myself, I've decided to make a video time capsule for the Jeff who will be around 5 years from now. Youtube must be having difficulties because after I uploaded my video I discovered the sound was out of sync. According to their "know problems" page they are currently aware of this problem and working to fix it. For now if you want to watch it, I guess you'll just have to deal with the 1970's kung fu movie feel of my time capsule.




So maybe I'll make a video time capsule every year on the eve of my birthday. I can't wait to watch this again in five years and see how differently I see myself or more accurately, my past self. Time is such a funny thing. We exist only for a moment and then change into somebody else. Our struggle is to constantly progress, to always keep changing into someone better, someone who you will make us proud and happy. Here's to the future!

Cutting Back

When I started this blog 77 days ago I made the decision to write a post every single day. I started a blog to help hold me accountable for taking pictures daily and to see if I would enjoy writing publicly. I no longer need this blog to help remind me to take pictures. I carry my camera with me everywhere and almost always find something picture worthy in my day.
I do enjoy writing this blog, but I've found with increasing frequency that there are sometimes other activities I must sacrifice or forgo in order to post an entry for a given day. So I've decided that I would be happier posting less frequently, probably once or twice a week. I hope this isn't too disappointing to my dozens of "fans", but as usual I must follow my heart. I've really enjoyed this experience/experiment but for now my heart and mind are asking me to focus on other activities like talking with my wife or writing Star Trek stories or volunteering. So if you're interested, check in next week and see if I've received my Star Trek uniform from Cheese-its yet.

Pick Me Up

There are good days and there are bad days, such is life. What I find interesting is how people deal with life's setbacks and difficulties. Personally, I view most of my life as a sitcom. So most of the awkward, painful situations I run into seem humorous and enjoyable. I'm sure this doesn't work for everyone, but it makes my life quite fun.

The Enterprise and Uhura in waffle form

But there are some situations that even American sitcoms have to treat seriously. For these moments I try to find small moments of beauty to help lift me up as time works its magic and eventually heals all pain. Today, in need of such beauty, I turned to something I've been stockpiling for such an occasion, Star Trek waffles! They're a bit like the evil witch in Snow White, beautifully stunning on the outside, but completely inferior inside. But just this once, it only mattered that they were beautiful on the outside. The fun of eating Star Trek waffles greatly outweighed the waffles' below par taste. This is one of the greatest benefits of having a deep passion for something. When things get bad, you can turn to your passions for a dose of joy and distraction.

Fleet Week in New York City

This week a few thousand brave Navy men and women took a brief respite from defending our nation and descended upon the busy streets of New York City. Every year, Fleet Week not only allows sailors to explore the landmarks and people of New York, but in exchange the military gives the general public a chance to tour their boats and get a brief view of life as a navy sailor.

aboard the USS Iwo Jima

While aboard a Navy aircraft carrier which was much larger than I had expected, my wife felt like she was in a different world. The life of a Navy sailor is very different than the life we lead. Touring the navy ship felt like that brief moment when you forget yourself while reading a book or watching a movie and feel as if you're an elf or superhero in a strange world. St. Augustine believed that, "the world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page."
I agree with him, but I also believe there are many ways to travel. There is more to travel than physically exploring new places and seeing new sights. We can briefly travel to a new culture by eating its food. Or we can travel to space with a good sci-fi movie like Star Trek. Especially in this economy, we might not all be able to travel to foreign lands, but there are still ways to explore new places and people without leaving your city. This week I was lucky and the Navy came to me, giving me an opportunity to live just a moment as a sailor and explore the seven seas.

The Definition of Success Part II

I've already discussed that I believe all success is achieved by reaching two goals, happiness and changing the world for the better. It seems obvious that when making career decisions, these two goals must always be met. I also believe that almost every decision we make should be made with these goals in mind.

conflict

But what do you do when these goals conflict? If creating change in the world means sacrificing your happiness or pursuing happiness means maintaining a, questionable at best, status-quo? Spock would say that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or one. So we should sacrifice our own personal happiness for the greater good. And he is right, but we're not all Vulcans, and we can't ALWAYS put the good of the many ahead of our own personal needs and comfort. I can't put the world ahead of me all the time without going crazy or burning out. I admire Mother Teresa but I can't be her, at least not yet. Yet I still try to analyze every action and decision I make to see if i'm meeting both goals. And if I have to decide between personal happiness and world betterment, then I try to make sure the overall balance swings toward the greater good of the world. If I can do that, in the end it makes me happy and so ultimately successful.

Traveling makes me sick.

Traveling is fun. What I mean to say is that seeing new places, exploring different cultures, and visiting far away family and friends is fun. Flying on an airplane and traversing freeways in a car, however, sometimes makes me sick. Ground transportation isn't so bad, usually it just makes me tired and prevents me from reading vomit free. Air transportation is the worst. Dozens of strangers, if you're particularly unlucky some of them children, are stuffed in a tiny tube of metal with two port-a-potties and a vomit bag for every seat and then hurled through the air just one mistake away from plunging to the earth in a fiery ball of death.But, man, there is nothing like coming home. Home is the best feeling there is, especially when you've just survived a plane ride and brush with death. And for the delicious chocolate icing on the cake that is today, I just discovered that my check for a Star Trek uniform from a cheese-it box was cashed! Which means a glorious Starfleet uniform is on its way to my doorstep as I type. Today was a GREAT day.

A Star Trek Movie Review.

GO! Go Now! Go tomorrow and go the next day. Go see Star Trek as fast and a frequently as you can. It is the single greatest movie I have seen in my entire life. In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention I'm a lifelong "Trekkie", former Starfleet costume contest winner, and perhaps a little biased. But if you love action, comedy, drama, romance, green women, or life then you will enjoy this movie.

Mr. Abrams has given hardcore fans everything they could ask for in a Star Trek movie, yet done so in such an accessible manner that even someone who's never heard of Klingons can enjoy this movie. If I were a polygamist, this movie would be my second wife. An example of perfect pacing, the action is non-stop, the laughs are non-stop, and the sense of adventure and joy is so concentrated that it explodes from the screen to fill the audience with wonder. You will fall in love with Captain Kirk and his unfailing belief that all problems can be solved by man. Spock will help remind you how lucky we are to feel life's kaleidoscope of emotions, and Scotty will make you laugh till the movie ends. I walked away from the theater with the sincere knowledge that our future is just as bright and exciting as the universe of Star Trek. And I must do my part to make that reality happen, lest I disappoint the great James Tiberius Kirk. This movie will inspire you to approach life more Boldly, please go see it.

Stuff.

I'll admit it, I used to LOVE stuff. Well not all stuff, I loved a very specific set of stuff. Comic Books, superhero action figures, and anything stamped with the words "Star Trek". Owning cool things was an ego boosting reassurance I counted on from time to time. This was a great consternation to my wife who greatly dislikes stuff. She especially dislikes the spending of money which is closely associated with getting stuff.Lately, however, I've become less materialistic. It began as a necessity, the American east coast is a much more expensive place to live than the middle of an Arizonan desert. But on a recent trip to Target I passed a sweet new Star Trek toy and walked away empty handed. I was sad at first, because I want to own cool stuff, who doesn't? But as I returned home, about the time buyers remorse would have set in, I realized that "owner of cool things" is an attribute no longer consistent with the kind of lifestyle I want to live. The life of international adventurer or photographic nomad does not allow one to carry many permanent possessions. When we leave the country, we won't be taking much more than a suitcase or two. I haven't yet decided if giving up most of my possessions is a positive or negative side effect of the lifestyle I want to live. On the plus side, giving up my attachment to cool things has forced me to venture outside of my apartment more often and find beauty and fulfillment in the outside world. But on the negative side, I have LESS cool stuff! And some of that stuff is definitely great for creating lasting friendships and social interactions, like games and movies. I guess I'll have to wait and see what life is really like without a room full of cool stuff. On thing is certain, it will be an adventure.

The Whole World Smiles With You

Today was a great day. Everywhere I went, I was surrounded by the things I love. Not only did I get FREE comic books, but at Burger King they've decorated for Star Trek Day! It's like Christmas in May.For a few glorious weeks, Star Trek is mainstream. There are Phasers for sale in Target, Captain Kirk is in the grocery isles plastered to Cheeze-its, and at Burger King they're selling Star Trek glasses and Star Trek kid's meals.It feels like the world is celebrating with me. This must be what football fans experience on Superbowl Sunday or the Irish on St. Patrick's Day. I think we should all take turns celebrating the interests and cultures of all kinds of different minorities. It feels great to see the things you love in unexpected places. Like the whole world has suddenly become a Star Trek convention. What a glorious day.

The Importance of Being Aware

I went to the grocery store again. And as usual I had a great time. Every time I go it seems like there is something new there. That's what I love about the grocery store, it is full of unlimited possibilities for culinary creation. But are they content to merely sit back on their great haunches? No! Every time I go in there, they've got something new! Remember green ketchup? The grocery store is the most amazingly innovative store on the planet.
I've never bought anything from the back of a box before. But now I can finally check that off the list. The only reason I bought these cheese-its was to get that sweet, sweet Captain Kirk T-shirt. Little kid Jeff (and frankly adult Jeff) would be extremely proud of this decision. Man is that thing gonna be awesome! Quick, what's wrong with this picture?
Yeah, Raisin has 2 i's. It's important that you be aware of the world around you. Otherwise you might miss a totally wicked offer for a Captain Kirk T-shirt or accidentally buy Raisin Bran without real raisins. At least the guy who designed the front of the box got it right.

Robots Invade the Super Market

Today's trip to the supermarket left me feeling, as usual, conflicted. But today's conflict was not caused by the usual culprits of unruly taste buds and health conscience brain cells battling it out. No, this day's conflict was fueled by technology. It seems our local grocery store has installed hand held scanners that let you scan your food as you shop, thus outsourcing the checkout clerk's job to the customers.
I won't lie, it was certainly fun running through the aisles pretending to scan alien life forms and shouting Captain Kirk quotes. Checking out after our trip was also quite speedy. But as computers expand into every aspect of my life, my love/hate relationship with technology grows larger.

Set phasers to stun!

How many years do we have left before the coming robot revolution? They can already beat us at chess and build our cars. Now they follow me through the grocery store showing me digital coupons and begging me to buy more Oreos while I do the same job the use to pay a person to do. Not to mention I almost accidentally stole four items when I forgot to scan them. I've seen the Matrix enough times to know what happens next. All too often we seem to be blinded by the coolness of new technology to notice it's downside until it is far too late. I guess I'll just go home and blog about it on my computer.