Star Trek Renegades news and some randomness

Star Trek Renegades will not be picked up as a series by CBS. My source on the production team discussed a little about what's going on and it is all red tape stuff. But, it will be a crowd sourced web series. Walter Keoning confirmed he would be back for at least two more episodes and then he would retire his iconic Russian character. Since I am pretty sure Russians invented the internet this makes sense that he would be on board. I will post the kickstarter information as soon as I have it.

I posted before that my son will be a ring bearer. I am going to the bridal shower tomorrow. So excited for the bride sn and groom.

This pregnancy has me unbelievably thirsty all the time. I am kind of nervous since I had Gestational Diabetes with my son. I also can't get over the vivid movie quality dreams I keep having. I forgot about those. The Midwife ordered prenatal vitamins for me last evening and I have to pick them up at the hospital's pharmacy.

Don't know if I mentioned it, but my new job is walking distance from my house. My last job was an hour away. Not only is it incredibly nice to be home by 3:40 everyday, but I have the added benefit of being able to walk home for lunch everyday. Life is good.

STAR TREK RENEGADES IS ON YOU TUBE! I am sharing the link with you all.

Have you seen Star Trek Renegades yet?

You can watch it here:Star Trek Renegades on YouTube

I saw Renegades and thoroughly enjoyed it. You can read my review here: http://momlovesscifi.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-secret-can-be-told-spoiler-free.html and if you want to know why I am so happy about Renegades, I talk about that here: http://momlovesscifi.blogspot.com/2015/06/why-i-am-so-excited-about-star-trek.html

Jessleecreations on Etsy

I would like to share this ETSY store with you all. Jess makes adorable crocheted items that are reasonably priced.  These make great gifts, or even presents for yourself.   I really like the bottle holders.  She even makes lovies for children.

I should soon be receiving this Yoda lovey:


I will be reviewing the Yoda lovey when I receive it.

Here is the bottle cozy:


She even makes bags:


You can visit her Etsy store at:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Jessleecreations?ref=search_shop_redirect

May 2015 Bluum box 25 month old boy

Hi all.

I have been extremely under the weather yet again. Same as before, a high fever and can't talk. This time; however, I can't swallow either.  Of course the fever hit 102 and I lost my voice around 11:00pm on Saturday night, the night before Sunday, before a holiday.  If I still can't talk/swallow tomorrow, I am going to get this checked out.  This is why posting has been light as of late. I have had an extreme sore throat for the past several months that comes and goes and I have been feeling stressed out and fatigued.

Because I can't talk, there again won't be a video unboxing. Hopefully next month.............

Could they have stuffed this box anymore?

This box looks really exciting. Let's dive right in.

This seems pretty cool.  We haven't started toilet training yet, although my son has been put on the toilet.  Actually starting next month when it will be hotter, and he will be wearing less clothing, I was going to start introducing the potty with more frequency.

Green Sprouts Disposable Compressed Wipes--I added this item to the box. We got this item last year and I absolutely love it in the summer time. They are compressed wipes made from plant fibers and are naturally antibacterial.  

This says it it suitable for ages 2-6 on the box, but my son is developmentally disabled.  He sadly won't be able to play with this for quite a while.  I like the concept though.

I added this to the box as well. Melissa & Doug My First Sidewalk Chalk Set. Since activities based on age don't work with my son, we go for activities based on ability, or activities that will enhance motor skills and/or help with sensory processing issues.  I like the grips on the chalk because if he doesn't like the texture of it, he can hold the grip. Also, since he has small hands, I think the grip will make using the chalk easier. 

We can always use more ice packs.  Actually, I like these because they are small and a regular ice pack takes up a lot of room in my son's small cooler. Also, space ships!

This is another Paragon Book! Dear Bluum, please keep sending Paragon Books! As I have stated in the past, I love this publisher.  

This is an adjustable wide brimmed hat. Sadly, me and my husband do like camouflage print. This will end up being a gift to someone. I would have loved this hat in any other print. 

Review of Star Trek Renegades

This is the post that I was very excited to put up.  Hope you enjoy the review, and the movie itself.

This is a spoiler free review.

“Always be true to yourself and the rest will follow.” –Pavel Chekov

The full cast and crew can be found here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2621446/fullcredits/

The website can be found here:  http://startrekrenegades.com/home/

I have seen the trailers and although they looked amazing, I was very wary of Adrienne Wilkinson’s acting. She seemed to overact in all the trailers. It was a very pleasant surprise that watching those scenes in context her acting is very strong and powerful, not over the top.  Manu Intiraymi reprises his role as Icheb, and he has been through some things.  I did not always enjoy Voyager, but I really always liked the character Icheb. Manu Intiraymi flawlessly slips back into his old role.  I don’t want to give away too much, but he appears to have had some upgrades.   There were several cameos Trek fans will enjoy including Gary Graham as Ragnar, the shape shifter first seen in Of Gods and Men. Another cameo of note was Clint Carmichael who played a Nausicaan in the TNG episode Tapestry. He again plays a Nausicaan, Moordenaarr, in Renegades.  It was actually a nice moment when I remembered him from his previous character. There are a few established Hollywood actors in the movie as well. Edward Furlong is excellent as Fixer, the mechanic.  All I could think while watching him was how much he reminded me of Kaylee from Firefly (which is fitting since the Icarus is the same set as Serenity).  I really would have liked to have seen more of the character on screen. The entire cast delivered a powerful performance.   One nitpicky question I had was, were Sean Young’s Dr. Lucien’s glasses an affectation, like Picard’s books or an anachronism?   Either way, as a glasses wearer who will never get LASIK or wear contacts, I thought they looked cool.

The special effects are outstanding.  There are plenty of well done space battles. The CGI on Icheb’s tech is incredible.  Looking at the special effects it is hard to believe this was done on a small budget.  A scene I especially liked was seeing Icheb’s hands take on what I can only describe as a Green Lanternish effect during a climatic fight scene.  The only thing I thought was, although the makeup is relatively flawless, some of the masks are incredibly rubber looking.  One more brief thought on the makeup is that Larissa Gomes plays T’leah a Romulan, and based on her makeup, her race had to be pointed out to me.  It isn’t poorly done, but I did not recognize her as a Romulan.

This movie was done by the same team that brought us Of Gods and Men.  They stay true to the feel of Star Trek, but this definitely doesn’t have the heart that Of Gods and Men had.  This movie is decidedly darker toned, which is not a bad thing. There was a blink and you miss it tribute to Leonard Nimoy that was added post production that will resonate well with fans. I think that as of today the future of Renegades is up in the air. Will it be a TV show, a web series, or a stand-alone film? As a show pilot, it works, as a fan film, it lacks something. As a stand-alone TV movie it has potential.  You can tell that the production team put a lot of hard work into Renegades.

The story is excellent.  Who are these so called Renegades? Who has infiltrated Starfleet? Who is Lexxa Singh? What is Sean Young’s Dr. Lucien hiding? What does Fixer finally understand?  What will be the fate of Admiral Paris? It seems that the main suppliers of dilithium crystals are getting harder to find. Planets are being engulfed with a mysterious energy that cuts them off from the rest of the universe.  Will the Renegades accomplish their secret mission or will Starfleet be torn apart?  Will Earth be destroyed by an evil the likes of which we have never seen before? Who can you trust when anyone could be a double agent?

As I said, this movie does have a very dark tone. It almost has the same dark tone as Nemesis.  There are some violent scenes and implied sexual violence against one character.  I would use discretion when allowing young children to watch this movie.   This movie only gets 7 out of 10 stars from me.  It was good, not mind blowing. Definitely see it if you get the chance because it is good, and fan films need our support.  This movie is far better than anything from JJ Abrams.

And to the production crew, I am but a humble blogger but if there is ever anything I can do, I am a fangirl. It has been my lifelong dream to contribute to my favorite fandom. I would love to contribute in any way I could to this or any future projects, as most fans would.

After watching Renegades a second time, I had a little more to say about it.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (As spoiler free as I can make it)

     I saw this movie today. Yesterday morning my son and I watched this: https://youtu.be/AHPn5d7wRtk because obviously he is way too young to see the actual movie.

     Before I talk about the actual plot, let me just say Joss Whedon, I love you.  I have been a fan for a long time now.  Dollhouse, Firefly, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., you are the man. I understand you must move on from the MCU and I am going to miss you. I look forward to your next project. Thank you for the fun ride.

     It's actually sort of hard to review this movie because I don't want to spoil anything.  I will digress one more time to discuss the twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff.  Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. I think their superhero names are alluded to with visual clues more than once although I don't think they are ever actually said.  I like the rebooted storyline for them, but they will always be Magneto's children to me.  Scarlet Witch has always been my favorite Avenger.  I will admit her "Hex power" is the ultimate deus ex machina, but it is an awesome power.  I don't like later in comics where she becomes an actual witch like character.  Ever since the first Iron Man movie I have been waiting for her to be onscreen.  Her character was excellently portrayed.  For those of you not familiar with Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, they originally started off as villains of the X-Men where they were working with Magneto. It was revealed he is their father. The two then join the Avengers, then they find out their father is the true villain, and eventually join the X-Men.  Scarlet Witch though, she was just too cool when I was a kid.  I wanted to be her.  She was not as straight forward as Wonder Woman, who I also liked. She had some baggage.  Also, her and Vision have some interesting adventures in the comics.  It was hard not to giggle when she first sees him. I wonder if Elizabeth Olsen was aware of this and tried to convey it on screen.

     Second diversion, while I was watching this movie I had a few side thoughts.  I again realized why I like comic books and superheroes so much.  We all have our strengths, but we all have our secrets, or in other cases our weaknesses.  In particular I thought about Reggie Lewis.  There are of course, several other examples.  Stephen Hawking comes to mind as well. He is awe-inspiringly smart, but suffers from ALS.  Some of us have suffered losses so great that they are like millstones around our necks to us, but we keep moving. It is extremely hard to see Captain America on screen and not think of soldiers affected with PTSD or other afflictions.  Maybe we don't have green giants impervious to pain in us, but maybe we live with guilt over ways we have brought pain to others in the past.  The comic books touch upon this, but these new movies really bring it home to me. Superheros are just like us. They are people who have been through the fire, or carry secrets, but still do good.

     Disclaimer: I am not terribly familiar with the Ultron storyline or Ultimates storyline. I am going to try to keep this as focused just on the movie as I can. I have read Avengers and Nick Fury Man from S.H.I.E.L.D comics as well as watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  If I stray too far off course, please forgive me, and if I don't come close enough please also forgive me.

     Let me not keep you guys in suspense, I loved this movie.  I have read mixed reviews of this movie and went in with a negative outlook.  I have read reviews that rated this movie from okish to skip this movie.  I loved the banter, the action, the storyline, the costumes, the everything.  What I thought was lacking was the fact that there is a few cut scenes and you can tell where the scenes where cut.  It is almost distracting. There should have been more background given as to what happened then just "Avenger disappears, then is somewhere weird doing a strange thing, HEY look now he is back!"  There are some scenes that are definitely rushed and/or oddly edited.  It is not very distracting, but it is noticeable.  All in all though, the main plot progresses in a timely pace.  There are some surprises which is always nice.  There are some cameos of characters from other movies, but then oddly some probably key side characters are missing. Again, not distracting, just noticeable.

       Tony Stark wants to use technology to help improve the world around him.  Sometimes our actions however noble they seem can be quite detrimental.  Tony Stark inadvertently creates Ultron who quickly goes from a global peacekeeping system to "KILL ALL HUMANS". This is a familiar trope, but always entertaining.  There are shades of a division, an internal war almost, between the team, but they manage to fight together against Ultron.

     Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has shown us that Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker who we saw in the mid credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier has been experimenting on people.  Oddly two people volunteered, and survived his experiments. They are Russian twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.  As Maria Hill states "He is fast and she is weird."  They work with Ultron to defeat the superhero team.

     I am not sure what direction the MCU is headed in, but we see the Mind Stone, one of the Infinity Stones.  We saw the the Space Stone in Captain America and the first Avengers movie. The Reality Stone was featured in Thor:The Dark World. The Power Stone was seen in Guardians of the Galaxy.  We have not seen the Time Stone, or the Soul Stone yet..............or possibly have we? Are these a McGuffin or essential plot point?

     One more note, there are an insane amount of in jokes. If you are a comic reader, or watched the other movies, or the TV show, you will be rewarded for your efforts.  Some references were over the head, under the feet for me, but some I got.

     In a very fast paced movie filled with satisfying action sequences and witty fast paced banter as both sides seek to reach their goals.  The movie is incredible.  I can see why some won't like it, but I loved it and will watch it again as soon as it hits Netflix.  I deliberately left a lot of the plot out of this review because sometimes the internet is too spoilery.  I can tell you there are a few things you will be disappointed if I come right out and say.  I will not address the deaths that I heard about myself before seeing this movie because only one is sort of on screen, but I have frankly seen worse injuries in action movies. If you like comic books, witty banter, action movies, Guardians of the Galaxy or the X-men, I highly suggest this movie.  There are scenes of violence, as well as mild language so use caution with allowing young children to see this movie. 10 out of 10 stars.

   

"Rise of the Empire" (Star Wars) fan film

     First of all, thank you Beth Vickers for letting me know about this amazing project.

     I just found out about an amazing new Star Wars fan film serial called "Rise of the Empire".  The website is here http://www.riseoftheempire.net/.  You can find them on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/riseoftheempirefanfilm?ref=hl. It is being hailed as the ultimate fan film.  The trailer looks incredible.  I am very excited and will definitely be reviewing and watching this every week.

     What I like about the look of this is the producer believes in practical photography, using sets and live locations instead of green screen.  I actually really miss the feel of movies like the original trilogy that use actual locations and sets. The just look better.  The production team wants to film in Death Valley in the same locations the original trilogy was shot at.

    The episodes should be available in the fall.

     Being a fan film they do need funding, which can be done here:
 https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rise-of-the-empire-the-ultimate-fan-film--2

Since there is no writing prompt on weekends, here is what we did today.

http://www.valleybreeze.com/2014-07-23/cumberland-lincoln-area/monastery-trails-are-treasure-heart-town#.VSBs2fnF8wM

    I grew up in Cumberland, RI and do not live that far from there now. One of my favorite things to do was to walk on the grounds of the Cumberland Library. The library now sits on the former site of a monastery that burned down in 1950. The town converted the ruins to house a playground, and walking trails.

    When I was younger there were horses and one of the walking trails had "exercise stations". Sadly, the horses are gone and most of the exercise stations have disappeared.

    There is a bit of history in the woods as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Men%27s_Misery
I do have to say I know nothing about this war. I do have a very exciting looking scholarly tome that talks in depth about the war, but I haven't gotten to it in my reading pile yet.

     When I was younger, my mother used to take me and my brothers there in the summer and we were allowed one VHS movie each week. This was such a treat. I am eight and ten years older than my brothers and most of the movies we owned were "baby" movies. Of course, I was not allowed to rent say "Hellraiser" but this afforded me the opportunity to see movies that I would enjoy more than say watching "101 Dalmatians" for the 5555th time.  ("101 Dalmatians" is a fine film. But when you are 12 and you have watched it so many times you realize that Pongo has about four more spots than Perdita and you can recite the whole movie because you watched it 4 times a day for the past five years, it grates on you.)

     When my husband and I started dating, I took him walking on some on the longer trails. Now, it is a solo experience. I used to take my dog, but she had to have back surgery and can no longer do the trails.  I love walking for hours deep into the woods. It is so incredibly peaceful. You actually can walk out to a point where you cannot hear cars or see houses. It is so therapeutic to leave your phone behind and just walk with your water bottle and enjoy clean air.  I cannot wait to take my son out on some of the shorter trails this summer.  You can see rabbits and turtles, which for a kid who lives in the city, are pretty exotic. I have never seen deer, but you can hear animals running away from you as you walk and I imagine deer are watching us.

     This is where we went today. I was hoping we could actually walk, but there is a storm brewing off Cape Cod that made it quite windy in Cumberland today.

     Instead we went to the Cumberland Library. Well, first we went to the Friends of the Library Bookstore. We got quite a good haul.

Some of the books are for me. Wilkie Collins and Agatha Christie are for me to pour over and relish. I figured he can "grow into" The Little Prince, Bridge to Terabithia and Trumpet of the Swan. The Golden Fleece is to fuel his imagination. The Paddington book of course, is for now. No book is over a dollar and they have quite a good selection of books.

     Walking around the library was more of a chore than it should have been. He decided after the bookstore that we were kinda done.  I knew that I wanted to read some Kate Morton books so I took all they had. We went to the children's section where I selected, Is Your Momma a Llama, Daddy Kisses, and What's Wrong Little Pookie (I love you, Sandra Boynton). My son was going to get a DVD, although the library still has a healthy selection of VHS tapes, I want to restrict use on my VCR. I don't know if I can still buy head cleaner for it.  At the moment I tried to shepherd him over to the movies, he spotted some table toys for kids. He thought grabbing Lego bricks and hurtling them to the floor was a fun activity so we had to cut our visit short.

    We actually go to the library a lot. We try to go every three weeks because that is how long you can take out books for.  I like that in the winter it is a safe, quiet place that my son can walk around.  We just haven't been to the Cumberland Library in a while because it was a nasty winter and we have libraries closer to the house. Do you take your children to the library?

Comfort Food Recipe: Beef Stroganoff

I wanted to share a modified version of one of my favorite foods. My mom makes this a lot and when I was younger I thought it was gross. When I became a teenager and had a more sophisticated palette,  I appreciated it more. This recipe is not the sane that you will find in most cookbooks. Full disclosure,  I don't measure when I cook. I eyeball everything.  I have been cooking a while now and it is a bad habit I fell into.

You will need beef or chicken.  I made it with both. I use stew meat or stir fry beef but you can use any kind you want. The other ingredients are sour cream (16 ounces), mushrooms (I prefer to mix 12 ounces of crimini with 12 ounces of button but I have also used shi take and oyster), one yellow onion,  butter, one pack of onion soup mix (I experiment with regular,  beefy onion, mushroom and onion.), thyme and garlic to taste, 1 pound egg noodles,  and flour, oh and water

Cook the beef, mushrooms,  and onion to your preference. Cook the noodles, drain. Now comes the complicated part. Put 2 or 3 tablesppons butter in a saucepan over low heat.   Add the onion soup mix. Add a few tablespoons of flour,  and a cup or two of water. Add thyme and garlic to taste.  You are making a sauce. The more flour,  the firmer it will be, the more water, the juicier it will be. Stir, I prefer to whisk, the mixture until it boils. Let simmer a few minutes, then remove from heat.

Mix sauce, noodles,  sour cream, meat, and vegetables.  Enjoy :)

In Praise of Melissa & Doug

We have a collection of Melissa & Doug toys as you can see from above. We also have this:



But when my son realized that the point was to pound the pegs through the hole, he went to level two by removing all the pegs, tossing them under the loveseat, and hammering the floor. We had bought the peg pounder on the recommendation of the pediatrician to hone his fine motor skills.

I have previously written about this puzzle, also not pictured:

I love Melissa & Doug toys. They can be pricey. I did not pay full price for any of our toys. Most were hand me down, and I bought some on sale. The rest came from Bluum boxes (http://bluum.me/16QJhAC).

I love them mostly because they are durable. They are made from wood and whatever paint is being used has lasted for years on the hand-me-down puzzles and almost two years on the turtle, giraffe, and penguin. The colors are very vivid and enticing. My son is not gentle on his toys. They get tossed everywhere and they lasted. The puzzles were gifts from his daycare so they have seen many years of rough play.

The other reason I like them is, they help with motor skills. So many toys now are electronic it is disheartening. All you have to do is push a button and the toy plays with itself. We even have an electronic toy that all you do is turn it on and it never shuts off and it  plays without being touched.  Having a child who needed help with motor skills it was hard to look for toys. The giraffe in particular is one of my favorite toys. It is easy to manipulate and you can move it into several different poses. My son has some problems with the lock puzzle, but it is helping him to move his hands correctly. Children like looking under things which make the lock puzzle, and the farm puzzle particularly fun.

The toys are pricey, so if you want to purchase them, I suggest sales and yard sales. Benny's often has the toys on sale and from time to time so does Toys R Us. They are worth the price and they will withstand anything your child puts them through.

In Praise of Sandra Boynton

I wanted my son to have a good collection of books. Being a bit of a bibliophile,  I know that there is no end books being made. It has been a while since I had exposure to children's anything and I didn't want to just nilly willy aquire stacks of books. He has Jules Verne and Dickens and Tolkien for his teenage year.  The Monster at the end of the Book is waiting for him when he is just a little older. Dr. Seuss and the Bearinstein Bears are always appropriate,  but you have to wait for your little one to have a bit of an attention span before you can introduce them. He likes Mr. Brown can Moo, Can You? and There's a Wocket in my Pocket but most Suess is just too long.

We were actually at the pediatrician when I discovered Sandra Boynton. There was a well loved copy of Are you a Cow? in the waiting room.  I was giggling while reading it.  I fell in love instantly with her simple yet goofy style of writing.  Did you know rhinoceros snort and snuff? Have you ever seen a vicuna violinning?

He books are cute without being sappy. They are goofy without being insipid. The illustrations are simple,  yet enjoyable to a young reader.

I am a llittle offbeat and although I enjoy time tested classics, its nice to have an alternative.  We enjoy reading her books together and hope you get the chance to discover her writing. 

Some of our favorite toys.

I wanted to share some of my son's favorite toys. It is so hard for me to pick toys for him because it has been a long time since I was a child. (I am in my mid-30s) It has also been a long time since I have been around children. (My youngest brother is in his mid-20s). Also, I am pretty tomboyish but I don't really know what boys like to play with. What are your children's favorite toys?

 Why yes that is a sock. I undressed him the other day and he took the sock from me and has been playing with it non stop for over a week now.

So for this toy, its the ears and string he likes. He likes to spin the ears and fiddle with the end of the string. I keep telling him its a doggie, but he looks at me like I am nuts.

 These are Kohl's Cares stuffed animals. He sings to them.

This toy was what the physical therapist and early intervention coordinator played with when they came this week. Melissa & Doug toys are amazing, I will write about them soon. I paid $1.00 for this because yard sales are awesome.

This is from Ikea. He plays with it for hours.

This is his Little Man. He calls it Daddy. My husband has dark brown hair and olive complexion and we both love he calls the toy Daddy. This guy came with a car but the car is forgotten in the toy box for right now.