Exciting? Nah ...

I don't have much of interested to report. Yesterday afternoon I was the first time off I've had in a while. I don't much like working Friday afternoons and Sunday mornings anymore. With the time off I was planning on preparing for my Sunday afternoon game of Star Trek, but instead I just vegetated playing Roller Coaster Tycoon. It's an old game, and fairly lame, but it's simple, not to challenging and occupies my mind when I want to rest. Today I'm off to conquer the world again.

At the grindstone

Yesterday was a full day as well. I started around 7 am (late for me) because I'd been out until 9 pm the night before. In addition to my usual routine work, I am currently burdened with a little on-going professional training. I'm taking 45 hours of course work related to broker law.

The evening was spent at the Huntington Club. My clients seem like really nice people: a young marine artilleryman and his wife. They were supposed to meet me at the office around 6:30 pm, but they were running way late. By the time we got to the Huntington Club it was approaching and after dark.

I actually then came back and showed them a vacant unit at River Towers afterwards, so we didn't finish until 10pm. It's days like that where you have to love what you are doing or you will go completely bananas.

The life of a real estate agent

Yesterday at around 5 pm, Julie and I were going to go swimming at the pool at River Towers at our office. We work very hard, usually 7 days a week and so I like to take at least one break per day. Just as we were about to change into swimming clothes the phone rang. A young couple wanted to look at available properties at the Huntington Club.

So, we dropped our plans, ordered a 10 minute delivery from Magic Wok, and quickly ate in the office. As soon as we finished eating the couple showed up. I ended up showing them several properties in Huntington Club, but I also drove them through Woodstone and Bucknell. We came back to the office and I worked with them until 9 pm. All that, and I'm appreciative that they gave me the opportunity to work for and with them.

Being an agent is very hard work, but it's a lot of fun and can be rewarding if you persist.

NFL Football

Last year I "played" my first season of fantasy football. A good friend of mine, Therone Wesley, is a huge Eagles fan. As a Redskins fan myself, we obviously have our differences. I talked to Therone about fantasy football and he said he couldn't get into it because he only liked Eagles. I got around this dilemma by picking mostly Redskins, including the Redskins defense, Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, Antawn Randle El, and others. I capped them off with Tom Brady, who went on to have a monster year.

Over the Winter, Joe Gibbs retired and Dan Snyder ticked me off. He passed over Greg Williams and brought in an outsider. This seemed to kill the stability and shake up the direction of the 'Skins. After 10 years in the Wilderness, I've no tolerance for Snyder's idiocy. I had hoped that he would promote Williams. I was disgusted that he didn't even think of interviewing Russ Grimm. I vowed to never be a Redskin fan again. Afterall, I could use the extra time and football in general is not as fun as it was in the eighties and nineties.

But, I have to admit, that day by day Jim Zorn is winning me over. He seems to have the stuff it takes and I have a feeling that he might do something with the Redskins. (Don't believe me, I always have that feeling at this time of the year. Dan Snyder isn't very good at delivering, but no one is better at setting ridiculous expectations.) Here's my rationale:

Jack Pardee was a pretty good coach in the seventies. By the time he was at the Redskins in the very early eighties, he had seen it all. He took the Redskins from the cellar and gave them a little dignity. He proved that if they scrapped and stuck together, they could post a winning season. But, Jack, being a little older, lacked the creativity, energy and disaversion to risk of a younger man. Joe Gibbs, much younger than Pardee, came from nowhere to take over Pardee's work and craft the team into a Superbowl contender and winner.

Now, Joe Gibbs is the old coach. He put the Redskins back in some semblance of order. He built discipline, instilled confidence and righted the ship. Jim Zorn is in the position that Joe Gibbs was in when he took over.

Boldly Going Where Others Have Gone Before

I watched an episode of Star Trek Phase II yesterday. Star Trek: Phase II (formerly known as Star Trek: New Voyages) is a fan-created "TV" series set in the Star Trek universe. The series was created by James Cawley and Jack Marshall in April 2003. The series, released exclusively via the Internet, is designed as a continuation of the original Star Trek, beginning in the fourth year of the starship Enterprise's "five year mission".

I'll start with what I didn't like, so I can finish on a positive note. First let me say that I fully realize that the actors are not doing impersonations ... nor should they. But the actors should remain true to the spirit of the character.

Firstly, I could barely stomach the performances of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. The actor playing Spock was sort of a weird-looking fellow, and he was perhaps the most tolerable of the three, mainly because he had so few lines. John Kelley bears some resemblance to McCoy, but the similarities end there. He lacks the zest and punch that Deforest Kelley brought to the role.

James Cawley, the show's producer as well as it's Kirk, is clearly in need of a director. Both he and Kelley seem to indicate that they have the capacity to act, but the emotions they are projecting need refinement. In Cawley's case, his character is so far off the mark that it is at times painful to watch. Shatner's Kirk was confident. Cawley's Kirk is arrogant. Shatner's Kirk was playful and had an affection for his ship and his crew. Cawley's Kirk is all business and at times seems disdainful of his underlings. It's as if Cawley is portraying the worst of Shatner as described in Takei's tell-alls rather than Kirk as seen by millions. And, I know this is minor, but I would have also preferred it, if he could have combed his bangs back as well.

That said, I think Cawley seems to possess the ability to act, but his performance is focused in the wrong direction. I really wish I, or someone, could focus his energies in the right direction. I think Kelley suffers from the same lack of focus, but seems to have potential.

Scotty's accent was a bit of an annoyance. It sounded a bit more like Michael Myers than a Scot, and was punctuated with perhaps one too many "laddies". Worst of all, it seemed to fade to the point of disappearing. When the accent disappeared the character was particularly off-key and was an abrupt reminder that this is a fan-created work.

Uhura, as played by Julienne Irons, was not Uhura as I perceive her. Uhura was a strong black woman. Phase II Uhura was a little safer. She came across as the black girl who works in the otherwise Caucasian office. Nichelle Nichols was tough as nails, even with only a few lines of dialog. I didn't see this in Uhura.

The high point of the episode, buy far, was Chekov. The role was played (I think the credits are a little tough to figure out) by Andy Bray and then later in the episode by Walter Koenig. Bray was spot-on perfect at all points. He captured Chekov's character right from the opening and were it not for his performance I probably would not have watched the entire episode.

Walter Koenig picked up the part in the later half of the episode, and gave a tremendous performance. I really came away with a new level of respect for Walter's talents after watching this episode. I hope somehow he sees this review, because he needs to know that was a brilliant piece of acting, even though he was surrounded by dinner theater actors.

Although the outcome showcased Keonig's talent ... I actually thought the story (written by DC Fontana) really stunk at the end. All in all, despite my criticisms, this is probably the best piece of fan created media I've ever seen.

My highest marks go toward the production quality. They do not exaggerate when the blurbs claim that the production meets or exceeds the standards set in the original series. The sets are perfect. The costumes are perfect. I truly love the use of the soundtrack and for the most part, this was spot-on. The effects aren't quite at the level of the remastered series, but they're pretty darn good.

If I was closer to the production site, I would probably try to find a way to elbow into this project. I think Cawley is doing great work and I commend him and thank him for his efforts. As fan-created media, what he has is awesome. As compared to fully professional work this is short by only a very small measure.

Historicon

Yesterday Julie and I went to Lancaster PA to attend Historicon. We visit Lancaster about twice a year for several reasons. Years ago, I first attend Historicon, which is held at the Lancaster Host Resort and Conference Center, to publicize my game Battlestorm. (Stephen Ambrose played my game at Historicon.) Later, I brought Julie back with me to have fun.

Historicon is a miniature gaming convention which attracts modelers, gamers and vendors from all over the country. I have no idea what the attendance numbers are but I would imagine that over the course of this four day event there are at least 5000 gamers in attendance. When I attend these days I rarely play a game. Rather, I just mill about from room to room to look at the gaming spectacles.

You see, miniature gamers aren't just gamers, they are also modelers. (If you know absolutely nothing about miniature gaming HMGS has a "newcomers page".) Their games are set pieces in miniature, designed to depict the terrain and combatants of a particular battle. Historicon (as the name implies) favors historical miniatures. As such, Historicon always has a theme, and although there are many and notable exceptions, most of the games relate to the event's theme.

This year's theme was "The World on Fire: The Seven Years and French & Indian Wars, 1754-63." From the events website: " No less an authority than Winston Churchill called this period of conflict the, 'first, first world war.' This period was the height of the lace wars, when kings took the field of battle, formal siege trains followed every army, gentlemen's courtesy was extended to enemy officers, and the age of linear warfare was almost at its peak. Navies sailed the world over, and formal European armies marched in strange and exotic lands, from India to the Caribbean, and great empires were won and lost."

There were many rooms filled with enormous battles set in various conflicts around the world during this period. There were also many sea battles set-up. In addition the usual favorites, WWII, Battletech, Games Workshop, etc. were available. But for me, I don't play at this con. Rather, I just like to see the models and the tables, so I explore---going from room to room to ogle the work of others.

While I'm at the convention center, Julie headed off (as she always does) to the Tanger Outlet just a few doors away. We then met up and I loaded up on a few of my needful things. I don't enjoy shopping, so rather than pick up a few items every weekend, I load up twice a year here when we attend a convention.

We then drove through Amish country, sticking to the back roads. It's sad to see just how much the area has grown up and I pity the Amish when the endure motor vehicles flying down their two lane roads. We stopped this year at the Great Corn Maze but we didn't go in. We didn't have anyone to watch our little dog Foxcroft, so she was with us. They didn't allow pets on the farm. Oddly, they loved Foxy at the Outlet Stores, but she was banished from the area with sheep, llamas, goats and cattle.

We drove past several other touristy type destinations but off the beaten track, we stopped at a handwritten sign for "Homemade Root Beer" and antiques. There were many tools there that reminded me of my grandfather's tools. The young man, Daniel, who greeted us was clearly Amish and he surprised me with how strong his accent was. I asked him if the root beer was carbonated. He was confused and a bystander assisted by saying, "Is it fizzy?"

The young man said, "Not so much."

Julie and I feared that it might be something like a koolaid, so we only bought one bottle. We got in the car and drank it. It was carbonated, but naturally carbonated, and not quite as fizzy as a typical soft drink. It was also delicious and very refreshing, so we bought one more bottle before driving off. Later, I regretted not buying every bottle he had for sale. It might have been the best soft drink I've ever had.

We finished off the day, as we always do, by visiting Miller's Smorgasbord. Miller's combines locally grown produce, traditional favorites and Amish country cooking to serve up one of the best meals you'll find on the East Coast. The place is always rocking and rolling, so expect a brief wait at peak hours. It's hard to know where to begin when describing the food because there are so many dishes (and I won't mention them all) and they are so good at everything they do.

I'll start with the fried chicken, a Yankee version of Southern fried chicken. It's lightly salted and very crunchy and delicious. The crust is neither dried out like Popeyes nor greasy like KFC. The chicken is juicy and tender.

The breads and rolls are baked on the premises. They are so good that we always buy a loaf or two of bread from the adjacent bakery when we leave. The chilled shrimp is big enough to be worth peeling. Julie loves the Amish style corn chowder and I like the Swedish meatballs. They always offer turkey, sirloin beef and ham.

The turkey is delicious, but I rarely eat any. (There is only so much room in my belly!) The ham is just about the best ham that you can eat anywhere. The sirloin is not cooked to my tastes. It's gently seasoned and thoroughly cooked. I prefer sirloin seared with a bit of pink.

The traditional Amish sides are wonderful, including basic garden vegetables such as corn, beans and carrots. The freshly shucked corn was especially good this year. The macaroni and cheese is, again, a Yankee take on a Southern favorite. It has a bread crumb crust and doesn't have the pepper that is found on my side of the Mason Dixon Line. Yet and still, I love it and it is delecious. There is of course Amish style bowtie pasta and gravies to compliment the meats described above.

The salad bar is as fresh and good as one will find anywhere. It is all so tempting and delicious, but save some room! The deserts are truly gourmet and you may want more than one! The homemade pies (sold in the bakery for about $12 a pie) include pecan, apple and shoo-fly. Each of these pies has a little twist on the basic recipe and they share a soft flaky crust which is made the way pies are supposed to be made.

The cheesecake is good, but not as good as the basic three pies. I grabbed the tiniest nibblet of brownie and found the texture and flavor perfect. There are also baked apples, pumpkin napoleons and other desserts, but again, there is only so much room in the belly!

Miller's and Lancaster: we'll be back.