Last Friday Ary and I went down to Atlanta to spend the weekend with the lovely oropher_777. Originally we had chosen this weekend because there was a fencing tournament that Ary wanted to participate in, but that got canceled. We decided to come anyway, since we were rather hurting for Oropher's company, and she may have been hurting for ours.

Due to my weird schedule of late, I got home from work an hour before Ary and was able to get stuff ready so we were pretty much able to jump in the car and go as soon as he got home. That combined with no real traffic issues along the way meant we got there about 10:30 Eastern time, which has to be some kind of a record. We stayed up for a little while chatting and drinking beer (Oropher and me anyway), then off to bed.

Next morning had a leisurely breakfast, showered, and went out to do a little shopping for the big Father's Day dinner. Also went to Hobby Lobby cos Oropher wanted some beading stuff and I ended up getting a bunch of things myself (no surprise) including a couple skeins of red self striping wool for a pair of socks I plan to make for Mimi (since she expressed an interest). Actually, the colour I picked I had already gotten to make a pair for myself, and I probably didn't really need to get more, but I am helpless in the presence of pretty wool it seems.

Had lunch at the storied Taco Mac, where I was relatively good: I had a veggie wrap...but I also had fries, and a beer, and I got water but barely sipped at it. Then after that we went to the Cold Stone Creamery...that might explain why I didn't lose this week. Came home and hung about for a while, then went out again to see the new Star Trek movie. I being a disenchanted Star Trek fan was a bit wary, but the movie was executed brilliantly and I came out wanting more of this new Trek. I swear, any Trek fan who comes out not liking it is clearly a stick in the mud who has missed the point of Roddenberry's vision. The premise whereby they essentially wiped the slate clean to start anew was really well done, even if the "changing the timeline" premise is a bit overdone, esp in Star Trek. But it gave a nice hook to hang any potential inconsistencies on, "Well, it's because we're in a different timeline that McCoy's eyes are brown and Kirk's eyes are blue." ;~p Speaking of, nearly all the actors they chose were absolutely perfect for the roles. Scotty and Chekhov actually had authentic accents (Thank goodness!) and were both extremely charming. I esp liked how they breathed new life into Chekhov by making him the wunderkind he was intended to be (instead of the cute buffoon with the ridiculous accent, with all respect to Walter Koenig). Sulu did not suffer for being played by a non-Japanese Asian, and George Takei had given his blessing for this, saying that Roddenberry had intended Sulu to represent all the Asian nations, not just Japan, just as Uhura was meant to represent all the different African nations. I *loved* Karl Urban as McCoy; so nice to finally see him as something other than Eomer. And Spock...well, I have always had a crush on him, so getting both the old and new versions was quite a treat.

Kirk...was good enough I suppose. I had never been much of a Kirk fan, due to my dislike of Shatner himself, so I had no high expectations. He still came across as very cocky and above the rules, but his back story kind of excuses him, just a little. And then there was Uhura. At first I liked her very much, and was delighted with the romance between her and Spock. On reflection, though, I realized this was because the romance that occurred did not involve Kirk for a change. And when I compare this Uhura with Nichelle Nichol's version, I am afraid I find her lacking; I feel the character has been cheapened somewhat. Perhaps in future efforts her character will be developed more and I can revise my opinion. I hope so; it'll be so nice to love Star Trek again.



After the movie we came home and after consulting with the Munchkin put in an order for takeout from Mellow Mushroom. Had pizza and beer for dinner, no doubt another reason why I didn't lose. Had hoped to maybe play games with Oropher and the Munchkin, but Oropher was too tired, so the adults went to bed.

Next morning breakfast, shower, and then to church. Then back to the house to prepare for the whole gang coming for dinner. Ary cooked steak strips out on the grill, and this was supplemented with green beans, squash, and french fries. I managed to discipline myself a little and drank mostly water, which is likely why I didn't gain. Hung around socializing for a while, then finally had to hit the road. We had a lovely time, and look forward to having Oropher (and whoever she cares to bring) join us to go to the Kentucky faire next month. I'm afraid I still don't know which weekend, Oropher, as FM is still trying to get her schedule finalized. If you need to know now, though, I can arbitrarily pick a weekend. Just let me know.

This weekend I should be free to post at length about the faire experience; I am not on call, I have nowhere to go, and Ary is going to be helping his uncle out with stuff around the garden. Wow, actual free time, can you believe it?!