“Oh, home, let me come home Home is wherever I’m with you.”
Shameless Plug of the Month: Consider supporting THE KICKSTARTER OF THE APOCALYPSE. You won’t be disappointed, unless the world ends first.
Interstellar News: In February 2020, in the “before times”, I attended Pensacon. It was an interesting show in a very strange venue with a super cool hotel RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET. Two weeks later the U.S. shut down and most cons didn’t happen or went virtual.
Hoping Florida would re-open, which it did, Pensacon was moved to May 21 – 23 this year. I went again, though this time to help a dear friend sell some books, and it was insanity. My brain is mushy but I am home and heading to bed soon. However, I wanted to chime in that the folks who run Pensacon do their best for the guests, vendors, and fans – well, except at the charity auction which made me want to do very illegal things to other humans.
“Read this book, unless you are an illiterate schmuck.” “Stay away from cheap plastic, it will attack you.” “Make sure to put the poles in just the right way and wrap them up tight.” “Jinkies.” “For every three books, you get $5 off… yes, I know I’m evil.” I loved spending time with good people, I enjoyed the hard work, and the food was mostly wonderful.
As the U.S. begins to reopen remember to be kind, safe, and stay hydrated!
Interstellar News: I went to a nail salon for the first time in over a year and it felt wonderful. Tonight we also continued in our MCU movie marathon and watched Iron Man 2.
TL;DR: Paris and Kim enter a race while Torres thinks she and Paris are over. Kim likes one of the other pilots, but the curse of Harry Kim continues as she winds up being one of the bad guys. Paris and Torres are adorable, fight, almost get themselves killed, avoid getting everyone else killed, and then get engaged and married all in the same episode!
Favorite Quote:
Torres: Seems like the entire crew has come down with race fever.
Seven of Nine: Maybe you could persuade the Doctor to develop a vaccine.
Seven tries humor and it’s wonderfully delivered!
“She’s not a Borg, she’s not a hologram, and she’s not dead. Looks like you might have finally found yourself the perfect woman.”: There are parts of this episode I really enjoy. Paris and Kim get themselves into a road race but then there’s the added plus of the other pilot being someone Kim fancies. Torres trading in every favor she has, Paris realizing he’s about to be killed because he forgot their special trip, and how he pulls over to tell her how he feels. This is a really good episode in terms of the Torres-Paris relationship, Kim always being the bridesmaid, and even Voyager making friends with other species. Neelix becomes the crazed announcer when Seven doesn’t do it “right” and the whole ship is really enjoying themselves and getting a break from being years away from home. I love how Janeway tells the boys she thinks the race is a great idea and they weren’t expecting that reaction. The reveal that Kim’s “love” interest is the one causing problems was one I didn’t see coming, but probably should have.
It’s the podracing episode!!!
What I dislike is that Torres and Paris never really communicate with each other until it’s almost too late, and that you don’t even realize they’re married until the very end if you pay close attention. Where’s Neelix gushing over Klingon wedding preparations? Where’s Paris asking Kim to be his best man? Where’s the EMH practicing for singing at the reception? Where’s the bachelor party on the holodeck where some shenanigans happen? I get why that’s not in this episode, but knowing it won’t happen in future episodes makes me sad. I don’t understand why he didn’t ask Torres to be his co-pilot from the get go. That would have changed the whole tone of the episode for me. For all its faults, I didn’t hate this episode. It earns itself 6 tubs of strawberries.
Interstellar News: Sorry I’ve been MIA again. In 2020 it was my new year’s resolution to write a post for every day. I had never kept a resolution all year and I was determined last year. This year, I realized time was more precious and I didn’t want to spend it all behind the computer. I’m still watching Trek, Mavel’s MCU, and I’m almost at the end of Sports Night… but a dear friend thought I should right about Sports Night tonight.
Favorite Quotes:
Jeremy: It’s the 49th anniversary.
Dan: And deserving of a tribute.
Jeremy: A 49th anniversary tribute?
Dan: What, there’s a law it’s got to come with 5s and 10s?
Jeremy: Well, none that I know of.
Dan is his usual excited and passionate self while Jeremy is, well, a Vulcan.
Dare to “look left”
Dan: You never saw Thomson’s home run?
Isaac: No.
Dan: You were at the game.
Isaac: I was washing my hands.
Dan: Never wash your hands.
Isaac: If only you’d been my mother.
This did NOT age well in the 2020’s.
“According to the dictionary, momentarily means for “for a moment” and “in a moment.””: Casey runs into Pixley, Dan is obsessed with a game that happened almost 50 years ago that Isaac happened to be at, Dana finally realizes the dating plan was stupid, and Isaac shares his “big secret” to Dan. Dan being super, extra excited about something is not new, but it’s disheartening to see Isaac so sad and embarrassed. One of the wonderful things about watching TV and movies at home, and streaming, is I can always pause it to use the restroom or take the pupper out to potty. Isaac, unfortunately, did not have such an option and missed out on a piece of sports history.
“There’s this famous announcer’s call, maybe the most famous ever. “The Giants win the Pennant! The Giants win the Pennant! The Giants win the Pennant!” His name was Russ Hodges and he– he just kept going.”
The whole Casey/Pixley/Howard scene at the top is fantastic because Howard is played by Tom Cavanagh and he’s just always fantastic and because Casey is at his best. WHY Pixley gives him her number and why he’s flirting with her is beyond me, I guess it’s because Casey wants what he can’t have. However, it shows him that he’s moved on from Dana and it helps Dana to see that she missed her opportunity because Casey has the attention span of a goldfish. I hate that this is done, though, because Season 1 was all “will they won’t they”, and then they have this epic kiss, and then it’s put on hold because of the stupid dating plan, and then it just abruptly ends. Not one of my favorite episodes, but also not a terrible one.
My mother’s favorite song to dance to at a wedding.
Interstellar News: In May 2018, my husband and I drove up to NJ to pick up my Mom and move her down to NC to live with us. We had no idea how long she had left, but knew she couldn’t live alone. She lived with us in our new-to-us house for 7 months and passed away in January 2019. 2018 was the years of lasts for us… her last birthday, last Mother’s Day, last Thanksgiving/Christmas, and last new year. It’s been an incredibly difficult three years, mostly due to the pandemic, but I have not been without mother-like people in my life.
My Mom and me, sometime around 1988 in Brooklyn.
There’s my step-mother, Roberta, who has never tried to be my mom and does her best at keeping my dad in line. She thankfully does not take after any Disney step-parents.
There’s my mother-in-law, Debbie, who is the kindest soul on the planet. Her prayers are so sincere and genuine, and she loves my cooking.
There’s my work mom, Jasmine, who has been the best mentor I’ve ever had. She is probably the only reason I was accepted into graduate school and will probably the only reason I pursue a PhD.
There’s my NY mom, GraceAnne, who has warmly accepted me as one of her children. She gives the best hugs, shares the most beautiful pictures on social media, and is the biggest champion of her son’s many accomplishments.
There is my godmother, Linda, and my Aunts, Dolores and Virginia, who all check in on me from time to time.
There are countless other moms in my life: my cousins, my close friends, my sorority sisters, my co-workers, my single mom friends, my fur mama friends, and all of the other folks who identify as a mom in some way or another. The teachers, like me, who call their students their “kids” and can’t imagine ever leaving them. Today is a day to celebrate mothers of all kind, be they were birth moms or adoptive moms or just feel like a mom.
All of these wonderful and strong women have helped me to be the person I am today. Happy Mother’s Day to them, and to all who read this today.
Music Video of the Day: In fitting with the “captain” theme…
Interstellar News: Happy belated “May the 4th be with you” (and also with you) and Happy Cinco de Mayo. Tuesday night was movie night and the continuation of our chronological MCU movie marathon. Since it was Captain Marvel, it inspired me to discuss both it and Captain America: The First Avenger.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
“I finally get everything I wanted, and I’m wearing tights.” I completely adore this movie, and more so now that I’ve watched it a few times. Steve starts out as this scrawny kid from Brooklyn (I know, not really in the comics) who just wants to be useful and he goes from “zero to hero” thanks to Dr. Erskine. Every single time that Steve throws himself on top of the grenade gives me goosebumps. Stanley Tucci is amazing as Erskine and I cry every time he dies, even though I know it’s coming. Unfortunately Erskine’s demise causes Steve to become nothing more than a pretty face until he’s able to free the men who were captured and bring them back. Bucky has the best lines when Steve rescues him (“I thought you were smaller“, “Is this permanent?“) and just has so much admiration for his best friend. I mean he’s out of his mind on drugs and was probably tortured and he’s asking Steve all these questions… it’s wonderful.
Steve Rogers, showing us that he can “do this all day” and has for quite some time.
When Bucky “dies”, I’m an absolute mess because Steve doesn’t know what he’s become. Having just finished The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I know it will get better for them both… but that’s a whole long way away and they both go through so much in the intervening 70 years. Peggy is amazingly bad ass and I can’t wait to start watching Agent Carter since I haven’t gotten around to it before. She holds her own and isn’t just there to kiss Steve. I absolutely lost it when she shot his soon-to-be shield made of vibranium, it’s just such a boss move. Tommy Lee Jones is crotchety old man goals (“I’m not kissing you“), Red Skull is absolutely nutty, Howard Stark gives us a good picture of where Tony comes from (“Fondue is just cheese and bread, my friend“), and Dr. Zola totally comes across as the guy who plays for whoever is winning (“Hail Hydra“). When Cap needs to put the ship in the water and he and Peggy say goodbye, I also cry like a baby, and totally love how bummed he is about missing his date when he’s woken up by Fury.
Some things I found interesting in light of all I know now…
Red Skull says he’s seen the future and there are no flags. Almost 80 years later, enter the Flag Smashers.
When Red Skull bare-hands the Tesseract, we see he kinda goes off into space… which foreshadows him heading to Vormir.
Phillips tells Steve that he’s “not enough”, but then Steve goes off on his lonesome and rescues ALL THE PEOPLE.
This gem from Howard Stark: “The moment you think you know what’s going on in a woman’s head is the moment your goose is well and truly cooked.”
Erskine almost forgetting Rogers is having a procedure the next day, never getting to share the schnapps with each other, and then Rogers not being able to get drunk is too much irony for one movie.
Dugan, Morita, Falsworth, and the rest of the team are just wonderful.
Finally this gem from Bucky: “Oh, you’re from Paramus now? You know it’s illegal to lie on the enlistment form. And seriously, Jersey?”
Captain Marvel (2019)
“I’m kind of done with you telling me what I can’t do.I have nothing to prove to you.” This is may be the second or third time I’ve watched this movie, and it does get better with every viewing. It’s a total love letter to the 90’s, from the wardrobe to the soundtrack, and I dig it completely. I grew up in the 90’s and this movie makes me nostalgic but also shows me how far we’ve come. Women can do more things, like fly in combat, and technology has come SO MUCH further. It’s a story about discovery, about always getting up (hmmmm, someone else who doesn’t know when to quit), and about knowing who you can trust. I love that we get more backstory on Fury(“You know anything about a lady blowing up a Blockbuster? Witnesses say she was dressed for laser tag.”), we get to see baby Agent Coulson (“You think you can find others like her?“), Maria Rambeau (“And you were the most powerful person I knew, way before you could shoot fire through your fists.”) gets to be a bad ass mom to Monica (“I just think you should consider what kind of example you’re setting for your daughter.”), and we find out the truth about the Skrull/Kree war.
“Species: Flerken. Threat: High.” “It’s a cat, not Hannibal Lecter.”
Danvers and Fury have such an amazing chemistry while working together, and it’s clear that Yon-Rogg is the bad guy much earlier than she realizes. I love Talos and how creeped out he is by Goose, who turns out to be not so pretty of a kitty after all but completely steals the show in every scene he’s in. The Fonz lunchbox, the Nirvana t-shirt, and the Blockbuster all bring me such joy. The biggest downer is when the movie opens with the tribute to Stan Lee, though his rehearsing lines for Mallrats helps balance things out… knowing he lives on in our hearts and minds. I may not love Captain Marvel as a character or as a movie more than Captain America, but she is a strong female role model who takes a different approach to making a difference. This movie helps fill in some of the gaps, like what happened to Fury’s eye and how the Avengers initiative got started, and also helps set up Endgame. One thing that bugs me is they use the S.H.I.E.L.D acronym here but not in Iron Man, which supposedly happens later. The Kree may be boring to me and Ronan the Accuser is totally lackluster because he’s just there to get his ass kicked, but it’s still a fun movie with lots of awesome action scenes and shapeshifting.
I’ll likely do more posts like this for the Iron Man movies and whatever else comes along when I have a gap in watching Star Trek and Sports Night.
To Boldly Go Where Everyone Has Gone Before 