STUPH 2.0

A Year Without* Sugar

2011-10-21T19:35:00.002-04:00

This time last year I was coming to grips with a new diagnosis; if I
wasn't careful, I'd be diabetic.

I had just earned my CDL and was out on the road as a
trucker-in-training when it hit me.
Long story short, I hadn't been eating well.
I was taken off of that truck and sent to the company's doctor.

Next thing I know I'm being medically discharged due to "hypoglycemic episodes".

Not sure what was going on with my body, I saw my parents doctor in Dallas.
Diet induced hypoglycemia. Cut out sugar and caffeine.
(He said a lot more than that, but that, like eating healthy foods...)

No sugar?

I'm the guy that lived on Snickers and Dr Pepper during my late night
courier runs.
Which is why my body finally failed me.

But really, no sugar?
More importantly, no Dr Pepper?

I wasn't sure I could do it.

Cut out sugar from my diet cold turkey.

I'll admit that I had some Halloween candy.
But less than 5 pieces.
And not all at once.

I snuck a few Christmas cookies as well.
After they were stale. So not worth it.

But by and large, I've been good.

But this time last year, it was still a scary thought.
I knew that finding Caffeine Free Dr Pepper in Dallas would be easy.
The Dr Pepper offices are in Plano.
I've been there.

But back home in Indiana?
It's hard enough to find regular Dr Pepper.

((I have no idea what the aspartame does to my system, but it doens't
feel like sugar))

Amazingly, when I went to Walmart when I got back home, Caffeine Free
Dr Pepper was on the shelf.
Phew!

And I drank it, and drank it.

And I started eating sugar-free Jello chocolate pudding.

Recently I've added sugar free maple syrup to my SF mix.

But those are the only three SF products I specially buy.
Anything else I just avoid.

I still have the mind set that "sugar free" on a label means that it's gross.
I feel the same way about "low fat" and "fat free" labels.

At first, Caffeine Free Dr Pepper took the place of anything sweet.

It was MY sweet thing.

If someone else was having a cookie, or ice cream, or lemonade, or
juice; I'd have a Caffeine Free Dr Pepper.
And for the most part, it worked.

Like I said, I slipped a couple of times, but by far the amount of
sugar in my diet has dropped 9?%.

I still eat sugar.
Milk has sugar.
Cereal has sugar. I avoid the SWEET stuff and stick to more "adult"
cereals; but I still read the labels first.
The sweetest thing I eat is jelly. Yeah, I know.

On July 11th, I joined my family in celebrating FREE Slurpee Day at
our local 7-Eleven.
That was a mistake.

I had a 7.11oz Coke Slurpee with a pink straw in it.
That 7.11oz was way, WAY, too much for me.
I could feel the sugar as it made it's way to my brain.
It wasn't an experience I feel like repeating.
If there was ever any doubt in my mind that I needed to avoid sugar,
it was gone now.

I think I've been rambling throughout this whole thing.
And that's okay, it's my blog.

Sugar bad.
Caffeine Free Dr Pepper good.

Work will be 100° colder today

2011-10-20T13:00:00.000-04:00

Over the summer, I was working in the Lawn & Garden department at the local Walmart.
I was accustomed to working outside in the heat. Indiana summers are mild compared to summers back home, and so the cool 100°F days were welcome.

And then one day, I was told that I wouldn't be working in my department; I'd be helping out in Frozen Foods.

Frozen.

The first thing I had to do was get stock out of a 0° freezer.

That's right, I was expecting to be working in 100° heat.
I was dressed to work in 100° heat.
And I was standing in a 0° freezer.

I had my family bring my coat.

I ended up catching a cold.

I'm refusing next time. A 100° difference in a work environment is just insane.

Why do we teach kids the color pink?

2011-10-10T11:45:00.001-04:00

For some reason, the color pink is considered a basic color.

We learn about it from birth from board books.

But why? What makes it so special.
If you think about it, it's not a basic color.

Red, yellow, and blue are our three primary colors.
They're the building blocks of color. Gotta have 'em.

Every other color is made from these guys.

If we combine two of them, we get secondary colors.
Those would be green, orange, and purple.

If we combine all three, we get brown.

And to round it all out, we add black and white. The presence of all color, and the absence of color.

But pink?

Pink is simply light red.
Red + white.

We don't talk about light blue, or light yellow.

In fact, without consulting a box of crayons, I'm don't know what else to call light blue and light yellow.
But pink isn't light red, it's pink and we all know it.

But why?

HP Veer; size

2011-05-27T21:56:00.009-04:00

I am now the proud user of the world's smallest smartphone, the HP Veer.

I'll be using this blog and my twitter account (@roneyii) to talk about this nifty little phone on an on going basis.

First disclaimer: The HP Veer is an AT&T phone and I'm on Sprint.

So most of my usage will be over Wi-Fi.

I don't think you can talk about the Veer without mentioning that it's small. A lot.

And I don't think you can truly comprehend just how small this phone really is without holding it.

And the size is the first thing I'm going to talk about.

A lot of people on various sites and forums have been trying to list the size as a negative.

Or when they do list it as a positive, they claim it's for other people like teenagers and women who have small hands.

Well I'm here to tell ya that I'm a man and I'm just under 30, and the size isn't a problem.

The phone actually fits in my hand better than my Pre.

I've been using a Palm Pre since June 6, 2009, before that I used a Palm Centro, and I had no problem transitioning to the smaller keyboard of the Veer.

I've used all of the webOS devices, and the Veer is probably my favorite keyboard so far.

It has a nice clicky-snappy feel to it.

I can two-thumb type on it with the same skill as my other webOS devices.

Alright, so the keyboard isn't cramped and I say that it's usable.

But what about the screen?

Isn't it small?

Well it's the same size as a Palm Pixi.

So if you've used a Palm Pixi, you've used a Veer as far as the screen goes.

And it just so happens that I have a Verizon Palm Pixi Plus.

The screen on both the Pixi and the Veer is usable.

Would I watch a two-hour movie on it? Probably not.

Can I surf the web and check my e-mail on it? Certainly.

Okay, so lets say that I believe you.

The keyboard works, the screen works.

Why would I want a small phone? Isn't everyone using big phones now?

Yes, big phones seem to be on the rise.

But you don't always need a big phone.

Let's say you're in the market for a tablet.

Like the HP TouchPad for instance.

If you have a 9.7" tablet, do you really need a giant phone?

And if you really do have a Veer and a TouchPad, you can do cool things like touch-to-share.

Just tap your Veer on your TouchPad and all of a sudden the web page you were viewing on your phone is now on your tablet. Size problem solved.

Out and about

So lets say that you're going out.

Where do you normally keep your phone?

Purse? Pocket?

Maybe you have one of those phones that's too big to fit in a pocket so you just hold it all the time.

My Veer fits inside my change pocket. It's that small.

That just freed up my entire left pocket.

How cool is that?

So now we go back to the comments of women wanting a small phone.

Women do tend to have smaller pants pockets than men.

If this thing fits in my change pocket, it'll fit in your pants pocket; regardless of gender.

It'll also fit in your purse, clutch, change purse, or bra.

I can slip this thing in a suit pocket and no one knows its there.

My keys make a bigger impact than this thing does.

That's all for now.

Next time I'm going to talk about power.

Did I mention that it's small?

Dream Job in the 24th Century

2011-05-06T10:49:00.001-04:00

The other day on Twitter, @novacharter and @lilcutegirl86 were talking about money in Star Trek.

@lilcutegirl86 wondered why anyone would be a waiter in Ten Forward for free.

It just so happens that being a waiter in Ten Forward on the Enterprise-D is one of my dream jobs.

Let's accept for a moment that there is no monetary compensation for the job as @lilcutegirl suggests.
(We see Starfleet officers use and refer to money lots of times…)

What then would persuade someone to take on this job?

The benefits.

The Enterprise-D is the flagship. The best of the best.
Starfleet officers work really hard to be assigned to that ship.
But first they have to go through four years at Starfleet Academy before being assigned anywhere.

I've decided that you could skip college and go straight to the Enterprise; as a waiter.

As a waiter on a starship, you're a civilian.

You get all of the benefits of the Enterprise with only a fraction of the responsibility.

You get to chat with people of every rank and every department.
You can bring Riker a drink and find out what's going on in the ship; a newly assigned Ensign wouldn't dream of being so bold.

You get to boldly go…

You get access to the holodeck.

When the ship stops off at Risa, you get to say "I'm with the Enterprise".

Your job is pretty easy.
I've been a waiter before. Being a waiter in Ten Forward would be totally different.

You see, people go to Ten Forward not so much for the food, as for the people.
There are replicators all over the ship that will give you food. So most big meals will be eaten in private quarters.
We normally see desserts and drinks being served. No big orders.
(Yes, there is the rare exception)

You don't have to worry about money.
Waiters here in the 21st Century have to worry about people skipping out on their bills. Have to worry about earning tips, and having people stiff them on tips.

If there is no money, there's nothing to worry about.

And dishes? You just recycle them in the replicator.

Basically your job is to help provide an atmosphere of relaxment and be there when they can't afford Guinan as a guest star.

And you know what? You can probably pick up some skills here and there too.
I mean look how far Wesley got before he entered the Academy.

All My Friends Say... #DrPepper

2011-04-08T23:32:00.006-04:00

So there's this country song about this guy who went out drinking with his buddies and had this crazy night, but he doesn't remember any of it because he was drunk.

But his friends fill him in on all of the crazy things that he did.

Well, "all my friends say (yeah, yeah, yeah)" that I was involved in the recent Texas Dr Pepper incident.

This is what I've managed to piece together:

During my time off from my job up here in Indianapolis, I met up with Arthur Thornton and Rich Dunbar in Texas ~1,000 miles away.

While there, I defeated a trucker in honorable combat, and then I fired a disruptor on the body; vaporizing it.

Then the three of us hot-wired the Dr Pepper-filled semi-truck.

Since I don't know how to hot-wire; I'm guessing it was either Arthur or Rich who did that magic.

I really need to remember to vaporize bodies after I take the keys off of them...

Anyway, once the truck was up and running, I would have been the driver as I have my CDL and am fully trained and qualified to operate such a vehicle.

After emptying the precious cargo, we left the trucks behind undamaged (to be re-filled again...).

According to the news article, this happened three times in the last two months.

Five trucks total.

As I've only been employed for about a month, I guess that seems feasible.

I should note that I'm hypoglycemic and only drink Caffeine Free Diet Dr Pepper (and it's really hard to find).

I gave up sugar and caffeine in October.

Apparently my body is craving the sugar and the caffeine that it has been deprived of, and I've been driven to a life of crime. Withdrawal symptoms are never pretty.

Now, after drinking 1/3 of a truckload of Dr Pepper; my system would have overloaded and sent me into a sugar-induced coma. Or a manic spree.

At any rate, I eventually blacked out and lost all memory of the events.

Somehow I managed to make it back home to Indiana.

And then we rinse and repeat.

And as I type this, Google just sent me an e-mail. I think they're accusing me as well.

Opening scene for Star Trek XII - My idea

2011-03-29T12:48:00.001-04:00

[Ext. Space]

We open to an empty starfield.
The camera slowly moves to show a object in the distance.
An ancient space ship looms into view.
As the ship approaches, the camera majestically circles and then focuses on the words "SS Botany Bay" emblazoned on the hull as the music begins to swell.

[Int. Botany Bay]

The camera explores the ship showing numerous humans in cryogenic sleep.
Focusing in one of the "pods", we pause on the face of their leader.
The camera slowly pulls out to reveal a plaque labeled "Khan" as the music reaches it's zenith.

[Ext. Botany Bay]

The camera pulls away from the Botany Bay as a D-7 Klingon ship swoops into view.

Disruptor fire screaches out of the D-7 causing the Botany Bay to real.

A few shots later and it's destroyed.

[Int. D-7]

The smooth-headed face of Kor fills the screen as the music reaches its true climax.

Fade to black.

Roll opening credits.

A Small Linguistic World

2011-03-15T07:54:00.000-04:00

Last week I was contacted by a University in Russia to translate some text into Klingon.

Apparently they are going to give said texts to students without telling them what language it is and see if they can translate it.

Sadly, they sent me the message through LinkedIn and I wasn't notified of the message.

By the time I replied, they had already moved on with the project.

Yesterday (and then again just now), I got a message from a student at a Russian university who was given some text that they recognized as Klingon to translate.

Wow, small world.

They provided me with the image you see above.

It's not the ideal text to use, in my opinion.

After checking with others, it turns out that it's an attempt at a Jabberwocky translation. http://t.co/SXzLqGI
(thanks to loghaD for finding it)

So far I've been contacted by two students. We'll see who else needs help.

I am Now a Professional Model

2011-01-17T12:35:00.004-05:00

"What's the difference between an amateur and a professional?

A professional gets paid."

I'm not just any model; I'm a Klingon model.

This is how it all went down.

A few Thursdays ago my family and I went to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis (TCM).

After we saw the Barbie exhibit and traveled to Egypt, I commented that TCM needed a Qo'noS exhibit or a Klingon exhibit. Just something with Klingons. "Who do I need to talk to to get some Klingons?"

After all, they have had Star Wars exhibits before.

And then on the 10th (or so) Dalyn opens up Facebook.

The first thing on the page was a post by Starbase Indy (our local Star Trek convention).

URGENT -- Got a call from the Indpls Children's Museum & they are looking for a Klingon. The costume & makeup would need to be dead on but they have an exhibit coming up and they are looking for someone interested in doing publicity stills. If you are interested, call Kim's cell.

A few phone calls and e-mails later and I was scheduled to show up at TCM for a photo shoot with my daughter (you really can't resist a 4yo Klingon).

Around Spring Break, TCM will have a display of sci-fi costumes. They'll be using the pictures of me in their promotions for the exhibit.

In order to meet TCM's requirements for the picture, we had to make a new forehead. And find some dark makeup.

Dalyn outdid herself.

Not only did the ridges compliment my natural forehead lines, but she added brow bones as well.

This is also the first time that I've had eyebrows attached.

We arrived at TCM a tad late with the latex still a bit tacky.

But it was dry in time to be make uped.

Our TCM contact was very happy to see a full head of hair attached to the forehead when we arrived (my own hair is still recovering from trying to join the Army).

I don't know how long the transformation took, but I looked every bit a Klingon warrior when she was done. And per their request every inch of my face and neck had been darkened to a more Klingon-like tone.

I blew everyone away.

Not sure what they had expected, but we met and exceeded those expectations.

The shoot went well. They took several pictures.

I think my neck and head were positioned into every possible angle they could conceive.

And of course they took pictures of Ireland, too.

I'm pretty sure that my face is going to end up on a billboard around town.

And Ireland will end up on their Facebook page.

If you happen to see my image somewhere, tell me.

And if possible, take a picture too.

And tell your friends you know a professional Klingon model.

Sure, that's my phone...

2010-12-10T16:04:00.008-05:00

So I was on the Palm site today looking at the Palm Pre 2.

My son was on the lap and asked me if the picture on the screen was my phone.

Normally when pictures of Pre's show up, I agree that it is my phone.

But how can I tell him that my Sprint Pre is the same as the Pre 2 in the picture?

So I told him that it wasn't my phone; it was the Pre 2.

"It's the pre too?"

Hrm...

So I decided to show him the differences and picked up my Pre from the desk.

Skipping over OS versions and processor speeds, I tried to keep it simple.

See? Mine has a circle button. That one has a white line.

And without missing a beat, he pointed over my Pre Plus sitting on the Touchstone.

"It has a white line too!"

Guest Post: "Promo"

2010-11-09T11:53:00.001-05:00

Today's Guest Post is by Constance Woods.
-=-=-

So I go to Babies "Я" Us to buy two cases of diapers, and when you buy two cases you get a free $15 gift card.

So I go to check out and they ring me up and then add $15 to the total for my gift card.

I'm like no it's a free gift card.
They said it's a promo to get wipes or soap later, and I'm like well I could do that now if I need it.

So I return it, but they couldn't even give me all my money back because of the gift card, so they gave me my money for the diapers and I bought a $15 gift card.

Promo; sure it is.

The Changing Face of Sugar

2010-11-02T16:37:00.000-04:00

As many of y'all know by now, my Doctor has taken me off of sugar and caffeine.
And as most of you know, I really enjoy Dr Pepper.

Hrm…

Amazingly, the adjustment has been quite smooth.

Normally, I would drink regular Dr Pepper. It's good stuff.

My parents shipped me up some Dublin Dr Pepper that I've been rationing. And I drink that on occasion.

Regular Dr Pepper is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.
Dublin Dr Pepper is sweetened with Imperial pure cane sugar.

Mmmmmm…

So I'm used to two different sugars.

And then I went to Australia…

I'm not 100% on what type of sugar they use down under. But it isn't what I'm used to up here in the states. But it is sugar, not corn syrup.

When I got back to the states, my local Walmart was selling anniversary edition Dr Pepper "Made With Real Sugar". Woo!
Wait.
It was certainly not Imperial sugar. But it was also better than corn syrup.

I call it mid-grade Dr Pepper.
Not as good as Dublin, but better than regular.

And now I have to avoid sugar; cane and corn syrup alike.

So I switched to the Diet. And, well, it tastes more like regular Dr Pepper than I expected.

My taste buds knew that it was the sweetner that had changed; and I've spent the past year changing sweetners.

Before I was done with my first can, I had adjusted to the aspartame.

Sugar? Sugar. Sugar!

2010-10-26T15:19:00.000-04:00

To clarify and expound on my recent status update.

I was just medically discharged from my job.

I seem to have a problem keeping my blood sugar level up.

Yesterday, with a simple test, they were able to see that my "monthly blood sugar average" is 2.

2 what? I don't know.
But that's low. Really low.

Today I was informed that I can't drive a big truck (Oh, I'm a trucker. Or at least I was) with this blood sugar problem.

And so they let me go.

I'll be seeing a Doctor tomorrow to figure out what's up with my blood.

Best Buy Mobile on webOS

2010-10-17T18:34:00.005-04:00

So I found this "Best Buy Mobile Guide to Mobile Phone Apps" pamphlet at my dad's house.

And, naturally, I flipped through until I found webOS.

I found the page labeled "Operating Sytem Overview: Which OS is right for you?"

I skimmed past RIM, Android, Windows Mobile, and found webOS (right above Symbian).

This is what Best Buy has to say:

webOS is comparable to the Linx OS for computers. It is belovved by many Palm users, who appreciate its synergy with multiple information sources, over-the-air updates and its touchscreen-specific graphic interface.

Ah, "beloved by many Palm users". Yes, webOS is certainly beloved.

A very powerful fan base. So powerful, in fact, that we're a feature of the OS.

I'm a size 0

2010-10-13T23:36:00.000-04:00

On the last day of trucking school, we all got company T-shirts.

They went around the room and asked everyone for their shirt size.

3

2

4, no 5

1

Everyone tossed out a number of X's.

XXL, XL, …

The instructor didn't miss a beat calling out names and marking responses.

Until he got to me.

Large, I said.

He paused.

He looked up at me.

He seemed confused.

And eventually marked his paper and moved on.

I was the only Large in the room.

No X's.

I wear a size 0.

More on Trucking

2010-10-09T08:31:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I graduated from trucking school with a 96!

Woo!

So, now what?

Now that I have my CDL and am done with school, I need to get some on-the-job training.

Today is my first day as an employee (not student) of Stevens Transport.

As early as today, I will be assigned to a trainer and their truck.

Then for (at least) 35 days, I will be traveling all over the US and maybe even Canada learning the ways of the road warrior.

((Bring on the foursquare mayorships! ;-) ))

After that, I'll come back to Dallas for a few days. ((Ah, paperwork…))

I don't know what day I leave, or who I'll be stuck with.
I just hope my developer phone arrives before I ship out.

I'm Truckin'

2010-09-14T19:16:00.001-04:00

The keen-eyed observer may have already seen the changes I made to Facebook and LinkedIn.

For the rest of you; here's the news.

I'm going back to school!

and

I got a job!

This upcoming Monday, I will begin trucking school--I'm getting my CDL.

The school, through Stevens Transport, is in Dallas.

After I get my CDL, I'll be officially hired by Stevens and begin over-the-road training.

Yay, job!

Neat little Service Bell app #webOS

2010-09-10T22:20:00.001-04:00

So the other day I downloaded this little app called Service Bell (you can get it here: http://developer.palm.com/appredirect/?packageid=com.haui.bell&applicationid=4871 )

It's simple. You hit the bell and it dings.

But am I really going to use it?

Well, I used it today.

I was at the Target pharmacy and I couldn't find a pharmacist.
So I opened this app, placed my phone on the counter, and Ding!

Not five seconds later the pharmacist walks quickly up to me and asks how she can help.

She didn't even question the fact that they don't have a bell of their own!

This app is a keeper.

Fun with a Mobile Hot Spot

2010-08-29T10:21:00.001-04:00

So my Palm Prē can act as a mobile hot spot, providing internet to other devices.

I got bored at DFW this morning waiting for my flight (they broke the first plane. I've been here for over 5 hours!).

So I activated my MHS app and re-named my SSID "Free Network" (it's normally "Infected Network").

It wasn't long until a laptop connected to it.

I felt kinda neat providing free Wi-Fi to a random stranger.

A minute later, an iPhone connected.

Wow. If only that guy knew where his internet was coming from.

After the laptop disconnected, I shut down my MHS.

And then I noticed a very confused looking iUser.

Darth Vader, Legos, and webOS

2010-08-14T15:22:00.000-04:00

Last night while I was at Target; I came across a giant Darth Vader Legoman.

With a push of a button, Darth's lightsaber ligts up and he moves.

Sadly, there was no audio.

But wait!

I had just downloaded two apps that morning on my Prē.

So I pulled up the "Darth Vader Breath"
http://developer.palm.com/appredirect/?packageid=com.demosoft.darthvaderbreath&applicationid=4586
app and added the needed audio to the display.

It was much more effective.

After that got old, I opened up "Saber Ultimate"
http://developer.palm.com/appredirect/?packageid=de.draegerit.app.saberultimate&applicationid=4195
and had a ligtsaber duel with Lord Vader.

It's about this time that my brother walked away…

Australian Coke and Waco Dr Pepper

2010-08-07T15:47:00.001-04:00

I drink Dr Pepper.

It's good stuff.

And if you read your can of this good stuff, it'll say "Plano, TX" on the side.

That's where I grew up.

Last month, I went to Australia on business. I couldn't find Dr Pepper anywhere.

For most of the week, I drank water.
And I never drink water.

I tried drinking Coke, but something tasted... off.

I found out that they don't use corn syrup down under; they use sugar.

Huh. I've had Dr Pepper made with sugar several times. This Coke should taste better than this.

It didn't.

And I just found out why.

After returning to the States and drowning myself in Dr Pepper; I came across the last two cases of "Made with Real Sugar" Dr Pepper in my local Walmart.

Woo!

But something was... off.

It tasted almost like that Australian Coke.

The "off-ness" wore off and I really enjoyed my 24 cans.

I eventually studied the can long enough to realize that the words "Imperial" and "cane" were not present.

The reason that both sodas didn't taste like the nectar of the gods was because they failed to use Imperial® cane sugar.
They used some other sugar instead.

So between the random sugar-of-choice, and my unfamiliarity with Coke; the combination was almost un-palatable.

Then I opened my first can of corn syrup Dr Pepper less than an hour ago.

What the heck is this stuff‽

If Imperial® cane sugar is the good stuff, then "Real Sugar" must be mid-grade.

Which leaves corn syrup as the cheap stuff.

Which it is. And that's why we use it.

As I take another sip from my soda, I realize that my taste buds have some adjusting to do...

San Diego Recognizes Klingon as Official Language

2010-07-21T00:08:00.008-04:00

In a bold move, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) has traded all of the English signage posted at Gaslamp Trolley Station for those written in Klingon.

Some may view this as a simple publicity stunt for the annual Comic Con held at the San Diego Convention Center, but others think it has a deeper meaning.

As mentioned, the English signs at the station have been removed. This forces transit users to either learn Klingon, or remain in the dark. Anti-Spanish language groups have been supporting this approach for years (although, with English signs).

By having Klingon as the only language at the station, San Diego has declared that Klingon is not only an officially recognized language, but one that it feels enough of its citizens and visitors are fluent in that it is the only one needed.

And since the United States has no official language, there is nothing forcing the MTS to post English signs.

As a San Diego native, I find this approach refreshing.

This is a major breakthrough for not only Klingon, but all conlangs. This is a major step down a very long road.

With official backing from the State, local California businesses can't be far behind.

Klingon translations were provided by Steven Boozer, Chris Lipscombe, and Michael Roney, Jr.

My Australian Adventure - Thursday

2010-07-19T12:19:00.000-04:00

Last day.

I met James and Tracy for my last breakfast down under: cereal and muffins.

Tracy was staying a few extra days on her own, so we said our goodbyes (and wrote a post card to Marc Okrand) and James took me to the airport.

SYD is setup differently than any other airport I have observed.
Instead of letting each airline have a permenent presence, they set-up shop just long enough to take care of business at any one of the identical ticket counters available.

So, three hours before my flight, I watched the Chinese airline take down their cardboard flight attendant, and United put up their signs.

Not armed, I made it through customes without a problem.

I had a random pizza, and picked up some final souvenirs.

Including a boomerang and a didgeridoo. Apparently wooden weapons and heavy, blunt objects are allowed.

During my 13 hour flight back to LA, I discovered thw the port for my headphones was busted.

Thanks, United

Without sound, I didn't feel the need to watch any movies.

Going through US customs at LAX was a breeze. And oddly, instead of keeping us in the airport, we ended up outside.

When I realized that I was about to exit the building, a rush of emotion washed over me; I was in California.
I was home.

I slowly stepped into the Californian air, taking in everything.

And then I saw it: sunshine. I saw the California sunshine on the other side of the road.

I couldn't resist.

I made my wa across the street and out of the shadows.

The light spilt over the buildings and onto my face. Oh! It was glorious.

It felt so good to be home. To feel the sun. To see the palm trees.

I wanted to stay. It was painful to leave. I had to rip myself away and force my body back inside the airport.

Standing in queue for security (again), it felt cruel to trap us inside, denying us the sensations just beyond the wall.

These thoughts were soon replaced by the realization that I could find Dr Pepper.

And eventually, I found some. At McDonald's... Um, sure.

That's all I purchased.

A few gate changes and slight departure delays later, I was on my way to Chicago.

With a working port, I plugged into the planes music stations.

The first few songs were quite appropriate.

An in-flight movie later, and I was almost home.

Starving, I found food and Dr Pepper.

And I finally figured out how to get a mobile boarding pass.

So for my last flight, I handed my Prē to the gate agent, she scanned it, and I boarded the plane.

The flight was only 30 minutes, not even enough for a drink service.

Which was fine by me. I was ready to be done with planes.

IND was almost empty when we arrived. And my bags were almost the first ones to show up.

My wife picked me up out front, and we went home.

My Austrailian Adventure - Wednesday

2010-07-19T12:07:00.000-04:00

The day we came for.

The two main reasons for the trip:
1) Tour the cave--make script revisions
2) Record the script

I met Tracy and Dan for breakfast and enjoyed some corn flakes (with sugar) and some chocolate muffins.
(The muffins at Jenolan were better...)

Then we were off to the studio.

"We're in Austrailia. At a recording studio. About to record in Klingon."

Yeah, I spent a large portion of the trip in absolute amazment or disbelief.

Tracy did a fabulous job on the recording.

I was on the other side of the glass following along with the script to catch any slips of the tongue.

We made a few alterations to help the recording flow better.

When Tracy got to the section on Cave Rules, she really hit her stride.

((Dan likes listening to the rules in the different languages. He says that the French almost sounds apologetic, while the German means business. Our goal was to beat the Germans.))

Tracy really got into character during the rules, and just kept on going.

But when we got to Maryanne's section, she asked that it be calmed down.

After Tracy made a very weak-sounding recording, I made sure she punched it back up for the next session.

After the recording was done, we listened to it all the way through.
I wasn't listening for much beyond pronunctiation at this point, and was focusing on the script one syllable at a time.

Why does she sound so weak? I think I'm going to be sick. Oh, it's Maryanne's section.

Luckily, the weakness fades quickly.

But Marryanne is happy with it.

Amazingly, we finished hours ahead of schedule. Apparently even the English version took longer and had more mistakes.

So we went to lunch by the beach.

I had french toast, covered with powdered sugar and syrup.

And since we had extra time, we toured the Sydney Opera House.

That night, we had our celebration dinner.

At a steak & seafood restaurant.

Unknown to our hosts, I eat neither.

So I had the burger. And this time, the tomato sauce was perfect. Nice and rich.
And the chips? Just the way I like 'em, thick.

My Austrailian Adventure - Tuesday

2010-07-19T11:19:00.000-04:00

A side-effect of inviting me down, was the ability to have a Klingon on-site for promotional photos.

Despite my efforts, I was unable to gather a group of local Klingons.

(Rohan, regardless of wether or not you own a KDF uniform, I apologize for not remembering you live in Austrailia.)

Fortunatley, mIl'oD, my ship's moral officer and mascot, also attended.

In uniform, I proceeded to breakfast.

Chocolate cereal again.
((Oh, and the morning before I also had two chocolate muffins.
They were out of such things this time.))

Then we caught up with Dan, Domino (Dan's wife), and James.

We headed back out to the Cave, audioguides in hand (promotional pictures for an audio tour need to include the audio guide...).

Mid-tour, Dan presented us with the Jenolan patch.
Domino pinned it to my cloak,
and James proclaimed "You are now a member of House Jenolan."

A great honour, indeed.

At one point, I jokingly lifted my audio guide and shouted "matlh, HIjolchu'!". This somehow resulted in the photo shoot turning into a video recording.

After Domino was done taking pictures, Tracy and I took over Dan's office to add our script revisions to the soft copy.

Lunch in the bistro was a ceaser sandwich. It was nothing like I expected yet totally deliscious.

Our time at the Caves was coming to an end, and so we hit the gift shop.

And then it was back to Sydney.
We had a Wednesday morning appointment at the recorsing studio.

The drive was extended due to scenic detours and stops--well worth it.

After checking into our hotel in the city, we walked to dinner.

Not sure what the place was called, but it was near the water.

Daring to be adventourous, I ordered the kangaroo.

And well, either the meat itself, or the sauce it was under doesn't like me.

It tasted okay--a bit too chewy. But my body refused to take more than two bites.

Eventually, I ordered a salad.

It was the most disgusting salad I have ever had--but it made me feel ten times better. I was grateful.

After choking down as much salad as I could, I had a wonderful slice of chocolate cake.