SPOILERS BELOW!!!
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS
IN DEFENSE OF LINDELOF'S INFAMOUS UNDIES SCENE

I am a shameless Geek.

I really am.  

I wear a Batman belt buckle out of irony. 

I quote Vonnegut.  

I Grok.

I've been to Barsoom.

I've said So Say We All after "Galactica Actual".

I lost my Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot action figure on Southie's Carson Beach when I was a sunburned-backed kid.  

I got two remaining lightsabres from the Episode I "daze"...I'm thinking about giving them to @DelDrum's boys and dub them True Padawans of the Republic.  A great fate for a toy but iDigress...

I am a Geek.  

And I got my virtual heart broken because I spoke my mind about a Hot Nerd Subject.  

I got BLOCKED on Twitter!  

ME???

Well I can be a complete jerk at times, yeah.  This I know.  But that wasn't my intention!  

Awwww...sheeeesh.  It's like getting dumped in High School.  This kinda sucks...kinda.  It's not making me reach for the pills.  

Yet it's got me reaching for my ChromeBook.

Hey...I'm not saying I'm Right.  But I got a great argument & I am very well-intended.  

I mean you no harm by supporting the notorious "Underwear in Star Trek Into Darkness" Scene.
@briantruitt Eve's scene happened for no reason, with no context. Straight up "look at her."

— Jill Pantozzi (@TheNerdyBird) May 22, 2013

I can't disagree with this on Twitter...
I'll become a Nerd Pariah!!!
Yet...
I completely disagree with this.  Totally.  Completely.
And once again based on Robert McKee's "Story".

So this is my context.  

And I just saw Star Trek Into Darkness twice in 4 days.  

I think initially the underwear shot was lost on me.  Just another sexy image in a bevy of other sexy images...heck even the Enterprise is sexy!  As Scotty said in the 2009 movie "I'd like to get my hands on her ample nacelles if you'll pardon..."

And in hindsight of all this 

Okay the Hubbub if you don't know is this!!! 

"Star Trek Writer Admits to 'Gratuitous' Strip Scene..."

Damon Lindelof, of LOST fame and other things got Both Barrels about this scene...

He's one of the screenwriters.  The character is CAROL.  She is a Science Officer aboard the USS ENTERPRISE on this mission, a "new" character & the "Love Interest" for KIRK.  

Just because I feel unfairness about this level of judgement on me & the film...

I gotta say something.  

I have the utmost respect for Bloggers & Twitters like The Nerdy Bird above but I need to say I think this scene has a place in the movie.  I respect feminism as well.  I am a fan of Camille Paglia if that says anything about my Orientation on Feminism & Raised by my Single, Working Irish-Catholic Ma in the Projects of South Boston (and my aunties & Irish grandparents :) 

OK...

I'm just going to spit out my theory.  Then take my exile onto the IntrePoop version of Seti Alpha V in the NerdWorld.  

ok...

in ACT I, a scene opens to see a turntable playing a 20th Century Hip-Hop album.  it is KIRK's bedroom, and he's waking up between feline-alien twins.  

This is an establishing scene.  This is Who JAMES KIRK Is.  Is he not?  

This scene suggests he's like a Rock Star.  He's the youngest captain in Starfleet history, of the Flagship of all things.  

KIRK is "in & out of Deep Trouble" for all of ACT I...then we meet CAROL, the ship's newest brilliant Science Officer on the shuttle to the ENTERPRISE before the mission starts in ACT II.  CAROL is KIRK's "Love Interest".  KIRK is going through a stage of EMOTIONAL MATURITY as an INTERNAL STRUGGLE (EXTERNAL would be the BIG BAD, MINIONS, et al).  

In Act I, part of the trouble when KIRK's mentor, PIKE was "dressing down" KIRK for impulsive yet heroic actions.  (And to prove this THEME of KIRK's Emotional Maturity, to opposite SPOCK is tested & put through a Stage of EMOTIONAL ACCEPTANCE for his Internal Struggle)

Now come to ACT II when the "Strip Scene" happens.  

The reason for the Stripping is an Away Team mission.  

CAROL tells KIRK to NOT PEEK as she's changing into her spacesuit.  

KIRK peeks ANYWAY.  

CAROL tolerates the look briefly then closes this scene by ordering KIRK to look away.  

Now...I truly believe these two things.

1.  KIRK Sexually Harassed a Junior Officer by doing that.  Damon Lindelof might be the writer yet all writers know our characters have lives of their own and move the pen with their own words.  it's a unique relationship between Muse & Scribe.  Why aren't we mad at "KIRK"???  CAROL is a Junior Officer.  I mean in the 21st Century, the US Military had the "Tailhook Scandal".  What about a Captain giving a Junior Officer a "look" during those circumstances.   

2.  The reason for the camera angle & the duration is Simple.  KIRK fell in Love.  That sensation of Time Stopping.  Man...ever fallen in Love?  Ever seen Him or Her?  Seriously?  Fans of the property know that CAROL & KIRK are "Love Interests".  And their fate is up them them in this new timeline.  This is How They Met.  Look at this Jock.  This Rockstar.  This un-serious, cavalier hero.  

This is a SCENE in ACT II of the movie.  The actions of these two soon-to-be romantically-inclined characters is called a BEAT, an action beat within the scene that moves the story along.  

Further along in ACT III at the end of the movie, CAROL & KIRK have suffered tragedy TOGETHER & SURVIVED.  CAROL loses a father & becomes ORPHANED.  Ultimately CAROL becomes part of the ENTERPRISE's infamous crew for their 5 YEAR VOYAGE of EXPLORATION.  KIRK says "welcome to the family" and CAROL responds "it's good to have a family".  

This is thematic.  Now like KIRK, CAROL is lost a parent yet now part of a surrogate family of peers & friends.  KIRK & CAROL now have the promise of the future with hope & expectation.  

So that's the thought.  I'm sorry Geeky Ladies are offended by not only the "gratuitous" shot of CAROL but my defending of it.  

I'm a 40-year old dude.  I might not have a problem with CAROL in her undies ;)  

Yet that "controversial" scene was there for a reason.  It was meant to move STORY along.  

And it is a PG-13 movie with sexiness included.  

I dunno...I hope my spacesuit doesn't come with a chastity belt.  

And how this doth pisses on the age-old question: "Who got more ass: Riker or Kirk?"

C'mon.  Don't be a Herbert!  

Why interpret something negative?  

Thank you.  

Hi There!
Thanks for not only reading Blogs...but reading my Blog! :)

Real People
Real Stories
Real Experiences
with Real Interpretations

I've been blogging now Ten Years.  Why do I do it?  I must truly believe I have a story to tell but iDigress...
Yet in the past few months, two very good friends have not only shared with me their experience...
they shared with the World.
I find them amazing people and their stories equally fascinating.

So if you'd like a reading suggestion...
What's the Angle?  Well...they're around my age and I just turned 40.
So these are two very unique experiences from other 40-Somethings with Something Important to Share with Their Minds, Words & Stories.

Mama's Mixtape.  It's about a woman in the USA with a 12-year old daughter. And all this post 9/11 shit that comes home.  And put through the lens of a true geek who makes Buffy references & Spotify playlists to her girl...Mixed Tapes to We Who Made Them!!!...to do the mother's duty of explaining this wacky world to a growing mind.

and Diving Into Depth.  Peter, one of my best friends in the world, had a procedure done that has changed his life.  I welcome you to share this with us.  Seriously.  It's a wonderful voyage and I hope to take him to a 3-D movie before his wife does!  Come "see" why this pun matters.

Come, Read, Live, Share.

Then write your own Blog.

xkcd

"Interstellar Memes"

xkcd
remember to click link for the Best Largest Image and to get the in-joke of the Hovertext (for the mouthbreathers, hover the mouse over the image & read the caption box that appears)

The Smoking PUCK

May 14, 2013

Living to Burn Another Day, The Smoking PUCK is proud to "go to" the 2nd round of the Playoffs with my hometeam the Boston Bruins.
Last night's Game 7 Overtime Victory, a 3rd period, come-from-behind match was the stuff of Legend.
The Thematic Opposite to phrases like "Too Many Men"
New Ideas such as...

From Sully's Brand Tee-Shirts!  No relation as I know of but I'll plug another Sully (seeing I got a few shirts already ;) )
Patrice Bergeron tied Game 7 with 51 seconds remaining then scored the Game-Winning Overtime Goal.  I watched the whole game.  I kept Calm.  In the 3rd period I really did.
It was coming down to "this", the score was 2-1 Leafs entering the 3rd period but 2 quick Toronto goals made it a stomach-sinking 4-1 score.  Yet the usual suspects stepped up.   Nathan Horton.  Milan Lucic and then...
I Kept Calm & I musta Bergeroned but iDigress...

The 2013 Playoffs are matches made in Hockey Heaven...
On the West Side in the Song of Ice & Stanley we have "California Dreaming" starring the perpetually playoff-worthy San Jose Sharks looking to make it their year versus the defending Stanley Cup Champs the L.A. Kings.
Also the #1 ranked Chicago Blackhawks face their Original Six rivals The Detroit Red Wings.  Hockey does not get better than this bill!
Here in the East, the #7 Ottawa Senators face the seemingly-Juggernaut #1 Pittsburgh Penguins...one of the best teams in hockey going up against a crew of hard-working pluggers
and the Boston Bruins face-off against my least-favorite hockey team on Planet Earth.  The New York City Rangers, another Original Six matchup & 2 in a row for the Beantown Bees after the dramatic Game 7 OT heroics over the Toronto Maple Leafs.  This is the first time these two teams have met in the Playoffs since 1973.  Cool.  And NYC has one of hockey's best goaltenders in Henrik Lundqvist with a pretty decent team & coach to back that up.
Here's a really good series preview compliments of NHL Dot Com.

And I want to take this opportunity to thank Toronto; the city, its team & the fans.  I've been to Toronto, I love the city.  It's a great place and whenever the Leafs come to town to play the Bruins, I love sitting with and chatting it up with anyone in Blue & White.  The Maple Leafs really came out to play...sure the Bruins made them look like All-Stars with lacklustre play here & there but I feel the Real Phil Kessel finally showed up and goaltender James Reimer really shone.  And has a really hot wife :)  With a decent defensive corp anchored by the tenacious Dion Phaneuf, this Leafs team has arrived.  Toronto is crazy over their Leafs and watch out world & Bruins Fans...they gotta get through US to get what THEY really want.

"Good Game!"

now THAT...was #BostonStrong. WTG @nhlbruins

— Eric O'Sullivan (@revsully) May 14, 2013

Kriya Shakti,
Rev Sully
Boston, MA USA

Get In My Belly

May 11, 2013
The Secret of My Sauce-cess*
*I'm full of food puns.  Seriously.

This special edition of "Get In My Belly" is going out by Long-Distance Dedication to Yuri Herminia Trevino, the little sister of my ex-girlfriend & awesome friend Deedee (whom I may have mentioned a few dozen times over the past pert-near decade but iDigress...)
I've been asked a few times for this but since I was making it this afternoon, I thought it a perfect time to share the love.  Yuri married Omar.  And they're expecting their first baby any week now.  So a little good home cooking goes a long way.  Yuri asked for this a long time ago so sorry for the wait.

Sully's Tomato Sauce
I use this Two Ways:
One: as a Pizza/Pasta sauce, Straight Up.  Or...
Two: as a base of Tomato Soup, just add Chix or Veggie* Stock and/or heavy cream for "Cream of Tomato" better than the Campbell's Can!

*for an hearty vegan soup
I hope this recipe comes in handy.  Sorry.  It's not a recipe, Yuri.
It is a Technique.  It's a skill in cooking.  And I'm sharing it with you.
I'll tell you the simple ingredients with every picture.  To puree into sauce, I use my handy Stick Blender which you'll see soon.  It's the best $30 spent at WalMart you could think of.
This doesn't take too long at all.  30 minutes.

2 smallish or 1 large white or Spanish onion.  And a few cloves of fresh garlic.  Slice all and add to deepest pot with cover.  Remove the Top & Bottom, Half, Skin the onion and slice it into strips.  I crush the garlic clove with my palm then run my knife through it a few times.  

 My deepest small pot with lid.  Other ingredients: Kosher salt & a 2 lb can of peeled roma tomatoes.  The other thing is one of my secret weapons: roasted garlic in its oil :)

Technique Time: I put this covered pot on a very low heat (simmer, 1 or 2, never 3 'cuz it's too hot) for about 20 minutes.  I added a few good pinches of Kosher salt and a few teaspoons of the roasted garlic oil (canola or vegetable oil will do fine...I rarely ever cook with olive oil but it would work here since we're not really tempting it's Smoke Point).  Sometimes I shake the pot feeling the onions move around on the bottom or occasionally stir with a wooden spoon.  Keeping the cover on as long as you can creates the most steam.  

The secret is this: the technique is called Sweating.  Cover the pot over a very low heat and the intended result 20 minutes later is a milky opaqueness with lots of steam & lots of "Onion Water!".  This is the intended result.  We're not looking to sizzle or brown here at all (if it happens so what, start over or work with it)

The essential ingredients here are the 2 lb. can of Tomatoes & the can opener.  For me, my stick blender.  You can use a Magic Bullet or a regular standing blender, totally...you just gotta follow the Finishing Rules.  Let's skip ahead and come back to blending when we blend it...okay ;)  

The non-essential ingredient here is the twine & the cheesecloth.  If you want to let your sauce simmer for over an hour, developing exquisite flavors & aromas, make a Bouquet Garni!
**My Bouquet Garni includes fresh thyme sprigs, 1 bay leaf, steams from a bunch of basil & the rind of a Parmasian Reggiano cheese wheel (imported only).  When the essential oils of the cheese rind bead up on the surface and you can smell the cheese...the sauce is done.  Dispose of the bouquet before blending; this takes under 2 hrs to get that "cheese scent" out of the sauce,
FYI: Use the Parm Rind and it eliminates this product as being Vegan.  Thank you.  :)

Add the can of tomatoes to the pot. I then wash out the inside of the can with about 4-6oz of water or chix stock, then add to the pot.  It'll only boil off & add flavor.  Place Bouquet Garni on top of sauce (don't let it drift off to the bottom, it could burn down there!) and leave uncovered.  I raise the temp to high, bring to a boil then drop to a low "flame" to let simmer.

After 30 minutes or when I can smell the notes of that real Parmesano Reggiano on the sauce, I then move the pot to the sink.  I then puree the pot with my stick blender.  I dropped several cloves of that roasted garlic into it at this point.  What can I say?  I like to be a Stinky bastard.  And it tastes great too.  Have a clean spoon handy.  Taste the sauce.
Now is the time.  Does it need more salt?  Add it now.  Too salty?  Add a pinch of normal white sugar to it at a time until you're happy.  That's how it work's and that's how it's done too.
BTW: I hope this NEVER happens to you yet it happens to us all! Nothing can be done to fix a burnt bottom of the pot.  If it ever happens please Rescue It with this: Without scraping the bottom of the pot with a spoon at all, pour the contents into another pot, add a little sugar & hope for the best.

I then pour the contents of the pot onto a sheet pan to quickly cool.  Give the sauce time to cool a bit before we stow it.  And a little hint that gets the most out of my cooking is this.  I turned my sauce & soup not only into an event, but an everyday pantry item by freezing it into ice cubes using an ice tray.  Less than 2 oz. per cube and I stow in a gallon Ziplok bag in the freezer.  Perfect portions are minutes away.  No waste.  This lasts for about 6 months in the freezer.  Great knowledge.
Now! IF! You don't have a stick blender, use a bean or potato masher.  It'll be chunky & rustic but still sauce.  And if you only have a standing, classic blender...wait until the sauce cools a bit...then only fill the container half-way.  Hot liquids really have a mind of their own....and when you blend them welll gosh.  Lemme tell you... ;)  So we call this Batch Cooking.  Taste it from the blender, pour into a bowl then fill the blender half-way again until you're done with the sauce.  Magic Bullet, even smaller batches.  Half of the container or less depending on how hot the liquid is.

So Yuri, feed that little one the best freshest delicious food you can!
Huzzah and Congrats!

-Sully

Dig...

Shatner calls out Star Trek writers in hilarious Twitter exchange

http://www.blastr.com/2013-4-26/shatner-calls-out-star-trek-writers-hilarious-twitter-exchange

The Smoking PUCK Playoff Edition!

May 4, 2013

Today is some bullshit holiday.
As is Tomorrow!
Pretty soon, the calendar will be filled with nothing but days of remembrance, holidays and observations.  Perhaps "Nothing Day" will be a Day Off in the Future but iDigress...
Today is a Geek Holiday.  And I've never heard of it until today.
Tomorrow is another type of holiday, based in history yet exploited by Dionysus Himself (perhaps it's a secret Holiday for him and I'm just figgering it out...)

May the 4th.  Or Star Wars Day for the simplicity of it all.  May the Force Be With You.  May the 4th be with you.  If you haven't got this by now, it's a wonder you can read at all...
May 5th is Cinco de Mayo.  Since I was a kid in the 1980s, people want to drink shitty Mexican beer, margaritas, sangria and eat Tacos.  The holiday is to commemorate the Battle of Pueblo.  It is not Mexican Independence Day which falls on September 16.

I can't be bothered with all this holiday spirit!
It's the Playoffs!
The Bruins are playing tonight and the Second Season is all on!
Huzzah.  A good time to watch the great sport of Hockey.
So sorry to all my friends.
I mean I really wanted to go to that party, dressed in a brown robe and Drink Every time Jar-Jar says "Meesa!" or every time a Human Missed Eye Contact with a CGI Character during Episode I.
And tomorrow, the spiritual cousin to St. Patrick's Day.  I mean...Why?  We already have a Drinking Holiday with One Lovable American Import Culture.  Do we need anymore?  And if "Yes" on the Latter, may we have One-A-Month based on a different American Melting Pot Culture?

My Jedi Knights wear a Spoked B and carry hockey sticks, not lightsabres.
Real clashes of warriors.  Real drama.  Real storytelling.  All unfolding in real life.
No CGI Space Bunnies stepping in Bantha doo-doo*
Just a bunch of professional athletes competing for the Championship.
Hey, everyone else in their workplace is golfing...watching Summer movies...or BBQing.
You know, not playing Hockey.

So here's to Hockey over Hokey.
I'll drink to that.  May the Force Be With You...

*To Matt, Leah, Bryan, Peter & Anyone Else a True Blue Star Wars Fan Like Me Reading This...
I don't hate Star Wars. I've just come to certain conclusions as an adult about the movies as Movies.  Everything else is Superfluous or Expanded Universe...Dig?  ;)

Checking in...

I have been away from the ocho... more than a year since my last post. I hope you're all well!

In short, my kids are getting big, my robotic monster suit was a year-long project that, in the end, worked great, and I've been making huge strides in guitar skill... travis picking, delta blues, and scales.

I can't promise increased presence here, but I miss the interaction.

Matt