I was sitting on the sofa surfing through the TV channels and came across the original series Star Trek. Of course I had to stop and watch. Few things will stop me dead in my TV tracks like Star Trek. The original series and the Next Generation series are tied at number one of my favorite ST series — the other series, I can pass on.

I’ve seen every episode of both series, more than once, but they still thoroughly entertain me. I can identify an episode (not by name, but by plot) within 10 seconds, at any point in the show. This talent amazes Cowgrit, but “real” Trekkers would say I should be able to name the episode title. I must admit I am just that bit short of ubergeekiness.

Anyway, this episode I was catching had me stumped. I watched several minutes of it and realized that I had never seen this particular episode. How is that possible, I thought. Really, I was stumped over not knowing this show. There’s only around 80 original episodes — not as many as it sounds, when you consider I’ve had almost 40 years to catch them all — and I watch them any chance I get, so to have missed one in all this time, well, it surprises me.

Then, as I’m watching this one, I notice the obvious computer generated space and ship scenes. The original show didn’t have CG — no 1960s show had CG. What the hell is this? I commented on it to Cowgrit. She listened to me, but I don’t think she really understood what I was meaning.

The show was good, but I was almost discombobulated by not recognizing the episode and by seeing the non-original graphics. Is this a trick? What was going on? I could feel the little brain cells in my head frying from the confusion — which is ironic considering the episode’s “villain” and plot.

After finishing this post, I’m going to search the Web for information on what the hell I just saw. I was excited to get to see any episode of Star Trek, and I was surprised to find one I hadn’t seen before, but I’m also unnerved by the new graphics. I don’t know whether to say “Cool!” or “The hell?”

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com

Calfgrit7 is studying fairy tales in school this week, and a homework project he had was to create a magic wand. We had two weeks notice, so we had plenty of time to discuss and plan what kind of wand he wanted. We also included Calfgrit3 in the project.

I explained the magic wand concept and asked them both what they wanted their wands to do. They wanted the wands to summon a dinosaur pet. Calfgrit7 wanted a meat eater pet and Calfgri3 wanted a plant eater pet. So I took their desires and went to The Home Depot and A.C. Moore for the supplies.

We spent an evening and a morning creating the wands, and I ended the construction by gluing the dino toys on as they directed.

The one on the left is Calfgrit7’s Allosaurus wand, and the one on the right is Calfgrit3’s “dinohorse” wand (CG3 pronounces “dinosaurs” as “dinohorse”). The colors on CG7’s wand is a volcano scene wrapped around the stick.

When I procured the wand materials, I made sure to get enough for Cowgrit to create a wand of her own, too. She did a great job with constructing and painting hers, but the magic she chose was not dinosaur related. Hers is supposed to make boys and men clean the house. Sadly, for her, so far, she has to imagine the magical results as much as the boys have to imagine their pet dinos.

Special Note

Happy birthday, brother!

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com

I stopped in a public restroom to blow my nose — residual flu effects — and I noticed this ball of toilet paper on the floor. It was a tightly packed sphere bigger than a golf ball.

It mesmerized me for a few moments. Who did that, and why? Someone pulled out a length of toilet paper and rolled it up into a tight ball. It wasn’t a loose ball, it didn’t look like something done absentmindedly. It wasn’t just squished up by closing a fist. It was tightly rolled, round and firm. And then dropped in the corner beside the bowl.

Now I could imagine someone sitting on the toilet, bored, and playing with the only thing available. But what kind of personality puts that much effort into rolling a ball of toilet paper? And then they just dropped it on the floor. Were they afraid it might stop up the plumbing? Were they proud of the project and didn’t want to flush it away?

Why does this little rolled up ball of paper in a restroom stall fascinate me so? No, I didn’t touch it or kick it, but as you can see, I did take a picture of it. And now I’m writing a blog entry about it. Does this make me more strange and weird than the person who created the “art” to begin with?

Or does this just mean I don’t have crap to write about, and . . . I didn’t mean to make a pun, but that sort of was . . . and I’m grasping at straws (paper)?

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com

I’ve mentioned before, in a previous World of Warcraft post, how I failed in numerous attempts to defeat Arazzius the Cruel, in Outland, with my orc hunter. Arazzius is a level 63 elite, and I couldn’t beat him even at level 70. I don’t feel so bad about those failures now.

Playing my human priest this week, I had the quest to kill him. I put out a call for a team on General and I immediately got invited to a party: my 62 priest, a 61 warlock, and a 70 paladin. First, we easily pulled and killed the two six-armed she-demons on his platform. Then after a brief refreshment pause, to regenerate mana, we went after the big A. The paladin tanked him, the warlock put in the DPS, and I kept everyone healed. As my priest is shadow specced, I threw in some Pain, too.

The fight was intense, although no one went below half their health, and it took a long time to drop that big demon. Plus, he summoned two big infernals to make the whole event complicated.

I thanked the party and we all went on our way. A few minutes later, another player contacted me, asking if I was still looking to do the quest. I told him I had just completed it. He asked if I’d help him. I said I was still in the vicinity, so I could help him, but we’d need at least 3 to take him on. “He’s very tough,” I warned.

Soon I was in a new party: my 62 priest, a 61 priest, and a 61 paladin. I directed us to pull the she-demons first, and we did that easily. Then we tried Arazzius. The paladin tanked him, and the other priest, in shadowform, put in the DPS, and I again tried to keep everyone healed. Unfortunately, the big A was dealing damage faster than I could heal, and the paladin died. So there was and his two infernals coming for the other priest and me. Sorry, buddy, I thought, there’s no way I can keep you alive. If A and his boys can pound a plate-armored paladin into paste like that, our cloth armor wouldn’t do us any good.

I started running for the exit a second before the other priest was killed. I ran right into one of those green demons that hang out around A’s platform, and so I had four big, bad, killer demons chasing me. I jumped in the water moat around the platform and swam for my life. Big A and the infernals gave up on me, but I had to fight the green demon to the death. I survived with no mana, and very little health.

I rested and drank and ate to recover mana and health before going back to the platform for a look-see. Arazzius was standing alone, and the corpses of my two comrades were laying on the floor before him. I rezzed the paladin from a distance, but the other priest had already released his spirit to run back from the graveyard.

The three of us stood on the ramp to A’s platform and discussed the situation. The paladin called in a buddy of his. When the buddy showed up, we had a stronger party: my 62 priest, a 61 priest, a 61 paladin, and a 70 paladin. Two priests and two paladins. It would take us a while to kill this bad guy.

The next round with big A ended much better for us. I managed to keep everyone alive, and they managed to take down the big demon and his infernals. After neither victory did I get any loot from Arazzius. But loot wasn’t necessary — I felt good for having beat him, finally. And I don’t feel so bad about my orc hunter, now, because even other level 70 characters need a team to take the demon down.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com