Revival

I'm returning to old projects these days. I've started posting to this blog again and now it looks like I might start reviving my old web design stuff. I've just been contacted to build a website for a non-profit foundation here locally. Looks like this could be kinda fun... we'll see if it lasts though. I don't really have many contacts for doing web work, and I'm not going to really be actively advertising my stuff so I don't expect it to really go too far. :)

Hidden Frontier

I have a new addiction. Since Star Trek is not on TV except in reruns and syndication, several fan-based productions have started popping up all over the web. But there is one that really deserves to be mentioned and that's "Hidden Frontier". Now in it's 7th and final (damn it) season, "Hidden Frontier" has "boldly gone where no fan film has gone before"... and embraced an openly gay Starfleet officer. Actually several if you're up on current episodes.

I've been a fan of Trek since around 1990, when TNG was still on the air. I'm not that big of a fan of the original series, but I love the movies and have watched the later shows, with the exception of Enterprise. I never really could get in to that one too much.

"Hidden Frontier" takes place shortly after the movie "Star Trek: Insurrection" and takes place in and around the "Briar Patch" that was featured prominently in that movie. All the races make an appearance... Humans, Klingons, Bajorans, Cardassians, Romulans, Vulcans, and on and on. The list includes such historical figures as the Tholians from the original series all the way to the Sona, the baddies from Insurrection. The production team uses green screens to digitally put the actors into familiar sets from the TNG universe. The Enterprise-E's Bridge, the D's Captain's Quarters, Ten-Forward, and Engineeering all make an appearance in the series. They've even gotten creative and digitally animated some of the graphics on the bridge scenes. A nice touch. Yes, the actors all have a green halo, and at times the acting can get hokey... but this is Trek...and Trek with Gays...who cares? :)

Perhaps it's shining gem in production values is the CGI scenes. The team has managed to use Lightwave to create computer models of the majority of the starships we've seen in recent years. The Sovereign-class, the Defiant, A variant of the Galaxy Class that they've dubbed the Galaxy-III Dreadnaught, and the Intrepid-class all make promenant appearance in the Federation's fleet. Also along for the ride are a multitude of crew designed ships including one Federation ship design that I think I read a fan had submitted.

Unfortunately, this is their last season. With nearly 50 episodes usually averaging 30 minutes without commercials, and with them not being able to make a dime from anything they produce, you can imagine why they're getting ready to move on. Still, it's allowed several people to get some experience both in front of and behind the camera. I'll be sorry to see it go, but I'm hoping there will be other production companies brave enough to go where "Hidden Frontier" has gone... tackling mainstream problems and doing it with honor and integrity. Gene would be proud.

Check out the "Hidden Frontier" website and download their episodes at http://www.hiddenfrontier.com

It's About Time

I never post to this thing. Ever. I really should get more on top of things because I really do want to maintain this journal so I can look back and see how lame my life has always been.

I've been in a weird mood this last week or so. One of my old flames has come back into my life...Well I should say is "attempting" to come back into my life. I'm not sure about letting him in or not. If you haven't read past entries in this blog I highly recommend reviewing the situation with Boys #1, 2, and 3. Boy #1 is back... actually e was boy #1... my first boyfriend, if you could call it that. I honestly don't know what he thought of me as... a fling, an experiment. In the beginning, that's all it was suppose to be. But you know what happens when the heart gets involved.

Now I don't know what I'm going to do with him. I was hurt badly by him...more than once. Sometimes it wasn't even directly his fault, but it wound up being because of him... I doubt he even knows about that. Yet after all the pain, the heartbreak, the abuse...my heart just doesn't want to let him go. I still have very strong feelings for him, some good and some bad. So while I'm wanting to see him again... I'm also HATING that I want to see him and HATING him for what he's done in the past. It's started to affect things both at home and at work. I'm tired all the time, but can't sleep. I'm just bored with everything, and I just don't really care about anything anymore.

I thought I had gotten over him.
I thought enough time had past.
I thought I didn't need anyone anymore.
I thought I was happy alone.
I thought...