LLAP

This post is overdue. It still feels unreal because I heard about Leonard Nimoy while on vacation, and by the time I got back, all the news stories and tributes had already quieted down. So I can’t really wrap my head around the fact that he’s actually gone. :( Maybe it’s like a Wrath of Khan/Search for Spock situation where he’s just resting in a capsule on another planet and we’ll bring him back in a while? Maybe?

Bye for now, Leonard. I will miss your adorable tweets and your big heart.

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Happy Spocktober!

Ok, so I know it’s already a few days into the month…and I only just discovered that Spocktober was an actual thing (me: “Ha! Spocktober! That’s clever, I wonder if anyone else has thought of that. *google search* …Yes. Yes, everyone has thought of that.”), but I thought in celebration I would do some more Top 5’s (are you sick of these yet?):

Top 5 Vulcans (and half-Vulcans) – from TOS
1. Surak – the Vulcan equivalent of Abraham Lincoln, apparently
2. T’Pau – pretty baller, I mean just look at her
3. Sarek – Vulcan ambassador and Spock’s dad
4. Saavik – she saved Spock’s life (in a very awkward way)
5. MR. SPOCK

Top 5 Spock Quotes
1. “What does it mean, exact change?” – mostly I like this quote because it’s referring to Muni
2. “Sir, there’s a multi-legged creature crawling on your shoulder.” *nerve pinch*
3. “I have been and always shall be….” – y’all know the rest
4. “I am preparing to toast…a marshmelon.”
5. “Fascinating.”

Top 5 Spock Moments
1. Spock + cat
2. That look
3. Italian
4. Accidental excitement
5. SPOCK UP A TREE

Just realized that all my favorite Spock moments are actually Kirk+Spock moments. What can I say, they’re my OTP. :P

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spock out.

When Starship Captains Tweet (and other Internet adventures)

Disclaimer: I never wanted to write a blog post about Twitter. It just kind of happened, after I realized there were some real “tweet gems” out there, many of which come from my favorite famous people. End disclaimer.

Sometimes (read: most of the time) I feel like the Internet is just one big timesuck. People are spending all their time arguing on YouTube, sharing awful Buzzfeed articles, trying to create the perfect Pinterest board…all of which are pretty pointless ways to spend your time when you think about it. Unfortunately that doesn’t stop me from spending a gross amount of time staring at my computer screen, although I’m working on beating the habit.

Twitter can be especially/surprisingly addicting, whether you’re tweeting about what shampoo you just bought or searching #shampoo hashtags or reading about what shampoo your favorite celebrities are endorsing. The most mundane subjects can become hot topics in the Twittersphere. But then when Diane Keaton tweets to you about where you should get married, you can’t help but admit that Twitter (and social media in general) is a pretty cool thing. I mean, one of my idols acknowledged my existence! And liked the picture I shared! And gave me life advice! I generally don’t follow too many celebrity accounts, but I do really respect those who regularly engage with their fans. And it’s amazing that probably 10 years ago that interaction was much less common. In honor of this, I wanted to share some of my other favorite celebrity Twitter accounts (currently, 40% classic rockstars, 60% Star Trek actors):


@DrBrianMay Brian May tweets about a lot of random things, including nerdy space posts, concerns about wildlife/environment, and epic concert selfies. Occasionally he gets offended by someone saying Adam Lambert isn’t talented. Kind of a wild card, and a truly fascinating/educational rockstar Twitter account:


@RingoStarrMusic Oh myyyyy gosh, I only recently discovered the phenomenon that is Ringo’s Twitter account. I’ve never seen someone embrace emojis so sincerely:

There’s something delightfully endearing about old rockstars embracing the art of the selfie. Please never stop tweeting, Brian and Ringo.


@WilliamShatner If you’re looking for detailed live tweets about TV shows and a reliable source for National Food Days, William Shatner is your man. The man loves social media (reading material: his surprisingly insightful Tumblr post about G+…keep in mind that Shatner is 83 years old!), and I’m pretty impressed by his dedication across different sites:

Also, love his interactions with NASA and ESA:


And in the Impossible Not to Love category… @TheRealNimoy Leonard Nimoy has the most adorable tweets. My favorite thing was when he declared himself grandfather of everybody who wanted to be his honorary grandchild:


@SirPatStew And finally, a one stop shop for Patrick Stewart’s awesome pics, especially all those with Ian McKellen:

I also love how most of them have a Twitter signature: Bri, R***, MBB (My Best, Bill), LLAP (Live Long and Prosper). A little something left over from the days of more formal communication, perhaps?


PS, speaking of social media: I did in fact spend part of my weekend creating new Pinterest boards about space, midcentury houses, and trivia (picture rounds in trivia are surprisingly tough – I’m determined to get better at identifying flags, state quarters, and 1940s actresses). I like to think that at least some of these boards are educational, and not all of my Internet surfing is mindless. Point of this post: the Internet is cool (except when it’s sucking away your life), and reading famous old men’s twitter accounts can be hilarious. Now go read a book or something.

Happy birthday, Bones!

Sometimes Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner’s tweets are incredibly silly (well, mostly Shatner’s)…but today among the silliness they also paid tribute to DeForest Kelley, which I thought was sweet.

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LONG LIVE THE TRIUMVIRATE!
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DeForest Kelley was the rare kind of celebrity who was shy, attention-averse, owned a pet turtle, wrote poetry, and stayed married to his wife for 54 years. It’s pretty obvious why I love him. Happy birthday, De!

*PS – I considered making a tag called “aww” just for this post.
*PPS – This all started when Alex showed me this photo album, which made my heart melt. <3
*PPPS – Please go to Leonard Nimoy’s twitter and read his 15+ grandpa-themed tweets before it’s too late.

On self-restraint (and Star Trek movies)

There came a point a few weeks ago when Alex and I decided that we were wasting our lives away on the Internet. I think it came about on a Saturday night, after realizing we’d spent the latter half of the day on Reddit/YouTube/Tumblr/etc., without even stepping foot outside. Normally I’m ok with nights like that after a long work day, but it’s inexcusable on a perfectly beautiful San Francisco weekend. At that point we vowed to not use our computers for anything other than work, and in an amazing display of self-restraint, we managed to stay away from mindless web-surfing for a week (don’t laugh; for us it’s a long time). It actually felt like being on vacation/staycation, because without the Internet, my mind was suddenly opened up to doing things like exploring the neighborhood, making (slightly more) elaborate meals, and decorating the apartment. You know, real-life things.

Of course, we made no rules about Netflix-watching and video game-playing. So that meant that Star Trek marathons were most definitely on.

And marathon we did.

That week, whenever we were not exploring and dinner-making and decorating, we watched all 6 Original Series movies, and it was marvelous. It’s probably a good thing I wasn’t tweeting/blogging after every movie (you’d hate me, I’m sure). Instead I frantically jotted notes in my paper journal, which I will now present to you complete with YouTube supplementals:

[SPOILER-FREE]

Star Trek I: The Motion Picture

  • “How much time can we use up with really drawn-out shots of the Enterprise?” Answer: at least 20 minutes.
  • Bones’ first appearance in the film was probably my favorite part. Crazy cool medallion!
  • The Big Reveal at the end was also pretty sweet. I’m a bigger fan of science than I thought.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

  • Maybe, just mayyybe, my favorite parts of this movie were the ones where everyone seems like normal people, e.g. when Kirk puts on his glasses or when Spock gives Kirk a book for his birthday.
  • Khan’s manboobs are impressive.
  • The Khan yell was largely disappointing. I think Into Darkness gave me unrealistic expectations.
  • I’ll go ahead and say it: I cried at the end. The last 20 minutes are basically an emotional rollercoaster.
  • Seriously though, Kirk’s glasses are my new favorite thing. I’m glad someone on YouTube thinks the same.

Star Trek III: The Search for Sass Spock

  • In which the crew of the Enterprise goes rogue (and Sulu finally gets to kick some ass!)
  • Who knew that Christopher Lloyd was a Klingon lord???
  • Favorite Scotty quote (of all time?): “Up your shaft!”
  • What happened to Kirk’s glasses? :(

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home a.k.a. The Best Movie Ever Filmed In SF??

  • Spock’s mom is the bomb.com.
  • I could tell you the main plot of this movie, but you probably wouldn’t believe me. Luckily, it’s all explained in less than one minute here.
  • Everything about this scene is gold, but the music is really the icing on the cake.
  • The only one with a blooper reel. Leonard Nimoy is just the best.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

  • First Kirstie Alley, then Kim Cattrall? Who else got their start playing a Vulcan?
  • Not a fan of whenever there’s two Kirks. It makes me so uncomfortable.
  • How does everyone have such beautiful signatures?? (I’m looking at you, DeForest Kelley)
  • I’m so sad it’s over. :(

And just like that, we’re now onto The Next Generation! We’re three episodes in and I’m loving the new crew (I can’t wait to meet Data’s cat!!). But something tells me that I’m always going to have a soft spot for Kirk and the gang…and the original theme song…and the original Enterprise.

I can’t believe how (much more) nerdy I’ve gotten since starting to watch Star Trek. And the great thing is, the fandom is pretty much endless. I could go on but I’ll leave it at this, because it’s 12:21AM on Christmas morning and I should be getting to bed.

Nikki out.

KHAAAAN!

Welp, just when you thought I couldn’t get any nerdier, my new goal is to watch the entire Star Trek franchise from beginning to end.

Current status: Episode 3 of The Original Series
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It all started when Alex convinced me to see Star Trek Into Darkness last weekend. Having never seen any Star Trek in my life, ever, I was skeptical. Sci-fi/space isn’t really my thing, but since it’s one of Alex’s *favorite* things, I went along with it (plus, the trailer did look pretty good).

Halfway through the movie I had the realization that I was super into it. I wanted to stand up and yell to the theater, “THIS IS AWESOME” but decided to let the movie do the talking. Seriously though, I was blown away. I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews from hardcore fans, but for a non-Trekkie like me, the movie was a really cool introduction to the world of Star Trek. How badass is Spock, by the way??? Hate to jump on any bandwagons right away, but he’s totally my favorite character.

 Zachary Quinto was great, but of course there’s no comparing to…
Leonard Nimoy, the OG Spock
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So, after that we decided we would start watching Star Trek….from the beginning. Lots of sources (read: Reddit and Alex’s coworkers) said to start with The Next Generation, which is apparently the best of the series. But in order to fully appreciate the later incarnations, we’re starting at the very beginning, when the show first aired in 1966. (Fun fact I learned: the vibrant colors used in The Original Series were deliberate, because most people still had black and white TVs. That way audiences could tell the difference between uniform colors, etc. Thanks Reddit!)
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Anyway, if we can keep up the marathon, it’ll probably take years to get through all of the TV series/films. But I’ll keep you posted, dear reader(s)! And I’ll leave you with this, a collection of Spock moments from the first season of the first series (I haven’t watched this all the way through because I don’t want spoilers):
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