Talking With Extraterrestrials

In response to the unexplained 'Wow! Signal' received in 1977, tweets are being collected to be rolled into a response that will be sent out on August 15.  The details from the Huff Post article tell you how you can participate.  To read the full article, click HERE.

All tweets composed between 8 p.m. EDT Friday (June 29) and 3 a.m. EDT Saturday (June 30) tagged with the hashtag #ChasingUFOs will be rolled into a single message, according to the National Geographic Channel, which is timing the Twitter event to coincide with the premiere of the channel's new series, "Chasing UFOs."

Whether the signal came from aliens or some other source, this is a rare opportunity.  I would encourage anyone who dreams of meeting aliens to add their words into the mix.  Why not?  It may seem like the stuff of science fiction, but science fiction often turns to science fact.

Versatility Is A Virtue

The always wonderful farawayeyes at Far Away Series has awarded me with the Versatile Blogger Award.  I will graciously accept and do my best to follow the rules.  In this instance, at least.

Here are the rules:

 1. Add award to your blog

 2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you

 3. Mention 7 random things about yourself

 4. List the rules

 5. Award to 15 bloggers

 6. Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.

The first two steps are done already, so on to the 7 Random Things.

1. For an anti-social person, I am on a lot of social networking sites.
2. 15 is my lucky number.  My other lucky numbers are 3 and 5.
3. Friday the 13th has historically been a lucky day for me.
4. I met my husband on a Friday the 13th in May 2005.
5. I hate it when people grind their teeth.
6. I love French Onion soup, especially from Panera Bread.
7. I wish the following was an option on all forms we had to fill out.

Now you know more about me.  The rules have already been listed.  That means I now have to award this to 15 bloggers.  I might have to cheat on this one.  Having given out awards between my two blogs has left me paranoid that I might come across as stalker-ish to certain people who I've inundated with awards.  It can also be difficult to keep track of who I've already given certain awards to.  So I'll pass this award on to 10 bloggers instead.


If you want to call me lazy, go right ahead.  It's a Thursday, and I've never been able to get the hang of Thursdays.  It seems like as good a lazy day as any.

1. Laura @ My Baffling Brain
2. Mina Lobo @ Some Dark Romantic
3. Alyssa @ Life is Good
4. .jessica. @ .a sort of mental squint.
5. Kellie @ Delightfully Ludicrous
6. S. L. Hennessy @ Pensuasion
7. The Geek Twins
8. Andrea Teagan @ The Enchanted Writer
9. Laura @ Stranger Than Writing
10. Writer's Do Laundry, Too

That's all I have in me for right now.  Have a nice day everyone!

Tag, You're It!

I've been tagged by Melanie at Mel: The Positive Pessimist.  This is a great blog, and I love the title!  In a life that is crazy and full of the nonsensical, it makes perfect sense to be a positive pessimist.

This tag doesn't come with any badges or images, but it nevertheless comes with several requirements, each of which will take some considerable thought.  So, I beg you all, stick with me.

1. Each per­son must post 11 things about them­selves on their blog.
2. Answer the ques­tions the tag­ger set for you in their post.
3. Cre­ate 11 new ques­tions for the peo­ple you tag to answer.
4.You have to choose 11 peo­ple to tag and link them on the post. Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her. No tag backs, and you legit­i­mately have to tag 11 people.

I guess 11 is a theme that goes along with this one.  That's alright.  I have no qualms with that particular number, so here we go!

Here Are 11 Things About Me You Probably Weren't Dying to Know

1. I have a tendency of saying really random things at inappropriate times.  I think it's a defense mechanism, but it's gotten me some good laughs over the years.  It's also alienated some people, but you can't please them all.
2. I'm a lover of science.
3. The biggest downfall of modern internet communication and text messaging, for me anyway, is the loss of sarcasm.  Astute readers can still spot it, but for the most part, you're more likely to offend people who don't get it.
4. To save money, I will sew any piece of clothing until it falls apart to the point that you cannot wear it anymore (underwear excluded).  Sewing is a very useful skill.
5. I'm stingy.  I rarely spend money on myself.  I cut my own hair.  It's never fancy, but I do manage to cut it straight.
6. Coffee is what keeps me going through the hectic life of being a mother and writer.
7. My favorite things to buy are science fiction books and office supplies.
8. I rarely wear makeup.  It's something I do for special occasions.  I'm just a simple person, I guess.
9. I love music!  Though I love to listen to music while I write, it also distracts me a lot of the time.  
10. I hate it when people say I'm short.  I find myself wanting to say "Really?  Thanks for pointing that out.  I've never noticed it before!  I just thought the whole world was too tall!" (That's sarcasm, by the way.  I didn't want to risk a misunderstanding.)
11. As a kid, I collected everything.  Keychains, rocks, postcards, coins, figurines, pogs.  Wow.  I wonder how many people remember what pogs are?

Okay.  Now it's time to answer the questions posed to me.

11 Questions and 11 Answers

1. Would you travel to outer space if you could? Why or why not?  Yes, I would.  As a lover of science fiction and the space program, I can't think of a more amazing thing to do.  There are so many things out there I'd love to see with my own eyes.
2. Are you as happy in your current relationship as you could be? What could make you happier?  Overall, I'm very happy with my husband.  It would be easier if we didn't have issues with finances, which does cause some tension.  I also wish he'd take a more active interest in my writing goals and learn how to encourage and support me better.  I know he tries, though.
3. If you could have any animal as a pet (and the accommodations for this pet were included) what would it be?  I'd love to have a T-Rex, but other than the impossibility of finding one in the local pet shop, it would be a little risky and expensive to feed.  However, if this were a fantasy world where I could be absolutely sure it wouldn't be able to hurt anyone and I could afford to feed it, I would totally have a T-Rex.
4. If you could find out the day you were going to die and how, would you want to know?  No.  If there were no way to avoid it, knowing would just make life a big countdown to the last day.  And as messy as life is, I doubt I'll ever have everything organized for my demise anyway.
5. Would you rather jump out of an airplane or jump off a cliff into deep water?  Jump out of an airplane.  I love looking at the world from up high.  That's what it feels like to be a writer as well, and I love that feeling.
6. What event or events in your life helped build your belief system (religion)?  I'm not a really religious person.  I'd say I'm more philosophical.  I've been that way as long as I can remember.  I grew up with a fascination with science, and I loved looking through my telescope as a kid.  I was never good at reading religious texts without questioning them.  However, when I look out at the universe and all the amazing things there are, I feel an overwhelming sense of awe.  My belief system is basically that we're all children of the same universe, and we'd all do better if we learned to cooperate and get along.
7. What is your biggest regret in life? Would you change it or has it helped you become a better person? I regret not being more prepared for the world after graduating from college.  I graduated in 2008, and the economy was beginning to really fall apart.  It was a scary time to be entering the world.  Maybe all the preparations in the world wouldn't have made a difference, but it might have made things easier.  In the end though, I think the struggles have ultimately made me stronger, and maybe I wouldn't have had my children when I did if I did things differently.  I'll keep my past as it is and just try to make life better now.
8. What is your best quality that other people notice, remark on, obviously enjoy, or say defines you? Why is it so important to you and do you work on it or is it natural (examples: humor, sexiness, easy to talk to, verbally astute, etc.)?  People often say I'm a geek, or smart.  These designations seem to be treated as interchangeable labels.  I take pride in being a geek.  Whether I believe that I;m as smart as others say I am is another matter entirely.  I simply know how to use words effectively.
9. If you could re-live one full day of your life, what day would it be and why?  I think I'd pick the day after I married my husband.  We didn't have the money to go on a big honeymoon, but we did get a nice hotel room with a hot tub for a couple of days.  After the frenzy of the wedding, it was nice to have a relaxed day to ourselves, and we had a great time.
10. If you could visit with one deceased person (that you actually knew), who would it be and what would you talk about?  My mom.  I'd just talk about my kids and my goals.  Nothing out of the ordinary.
11. Would you rather argue/debate religion or politics and why?  Both are touchy subjects, but I think I'd choose politics.  Though political beliefs run about as deep as religious ones, there are real world, concrete examples to draw from.  Religion, being based on faith, is almost impossible to debate most of the time, and people tend to get really heated.  These are the types of debates I avoid when possible.

11 Questions For Others to Answer

1. Are you a morning person or a night person?
2. Which famous figure from history would you meet if you could, and why?
3. If you had a time machine, would you visit a specific time in history, or would you go into the future?  Why?
4. Do you like your name?  Why or why not?  If not, would you consider changing it, and if so, what would you change it to?
5. What is your favorite kind of music?  Does your music listening depend on your mood?
6. Do you prefer a good book or a good movie?  Why?
7. What is your belief system?  How does this influence your outlook on life?  How does it get you through your day?
8. What kind of humor do you prefer: physical comedy, stand-up, satire, etc?  Which comedian or comedy show best illustrates this preference?
9. What cause do you feel passionately about?  Why?
10. What is your favorite quote?  It can be from a famous person in history, a book, a movie, or it can even be from someone you know.  Why is it your favorite?
11. What is your favorite color?  What does this color remind you of, and how does it make you feel?

Now, time to play tag.

The 11 Who Will Experience My Tagging Prowess Firsthand

1. Christine Rains
2. Cherie Reich
3. Karen Elizabeth Brown
4. Spacerguy
5. Some Dark Romantic
6. Michael Offutt
7. Tobi Summers
8. Cassie Mae
9. Julie DeGuia
10. Melodie Wright
11. Chelsea Kelly

This is a lot to do, so for those of you who I tagged, take your time with it.  That's all I have to say for now.

A Delicious T-Shirt Concept

Thank you George Takei for sharing this!

Seeing these little things on Facebook really makes my day sometimes.

Star Trek Fan Talk

We all know Trek fans can be a dedicated bunch.  I too am dedicated, but not to this extreme.

Star Wars and Escher, A Beautiful Pairing

It's being called "Nerd Nirvana."  This very well may be the case.  M. C. Escher is known all over the world for having created images that defied logic.  The impossible came to life before our eyes.  I grew up with an intense love for his works.

And now my love for Star Wars and Escher have been meshed into one glorious thing.  Click HERE to see it.

Now there's a little more beauty in the world.

Now You Really Can Say Your Dance Moves Are Electrifying!

Tiles that are designed to generate electricity from foot traffic! Not only is that a step in the right direction environmentally speaking, it may give people more incentive to walk. I know if I had a similar tile in my kitchen, I'd be dancing all day to reduce my electric bill!

Awards!

This is the first time I've received blogging awards for this blog.  My other blog, Writing Off The Edge, usually gets them.  So yay!  Now I'm officially all around awesome.  At least, that's what I'll choose to believe.

Thanks so much to The Geek Twins for giving me all three of these awards!  This blog is undiluted awesomeness, so if you've never seen it, you must change that now.  Resistance is futile!  I was also double tagged for the Kreativ Blogger Award, so a shout out to CaptainSciFi as well!

This is the first time I've ever heard of this particular award, but it looks like fun, so I'll give it a try.  For this one, I need to choose posts that I feel best fit into a list of given categories.  No easy task, but let's have a look.

• Most Beautiful Piece: Time Lapse View Over Planet Earth
• Most Helpful Piece:  The Size of the Planets (Perspective is always helpful, right?)
• Most Popular Piece: ROBOTS!
• Most Controversial Piece:  The Enterprise Lands in Illinois!  (No Shatner!)
• Most Surprisingly Successful Piece:  It Takes a Rube Goldberg
• Most Underrated Piece:  Star Trek Tribute
• Most Pride Worthy Piece:  Our Spectacular Solar System

Given that this blog is largely a way for me to share the work of others that I enjoyed, I can't take credit for any of the videos or images I listed here.  So when I list pride-worthy, I mean the person who made this should be dang proud of themselves.

I also fell in love with this video when I saw that The Geek Twins had a post featuring this video listed as most beautiful.  I'd have to agree on that one.  So, sorry, but I had to put it here for my own enjoyment!

Now for the next two awards.  Since they both require me to share information about myself, I'll condense them and only share 7 facts about myself.  Who wants to listen to me drivel on longer than that anyway?

1. I've seen every episode of Babylon 5 more times than I can count.
2. I fall asleep watching Star Trek on Netflix almost every night.
3. My husband has been begging me to get a costume of Princess Leia's slave girl outfit.
4. I think almost any story can be improved by setting it in space.  Bring on Romeo and Juliet: The Actual Star-Crossed Lovers!  (Hmmm, I could totally write that!)
5. I love almost every vegetable this world is capable of growing.
6. I really, really, REALLY want to go into space someday.
7. I think my children will know the names of all the planets before they know how to write the alphabet.

Now for the nomination process.  There are supposed to be anywhere from 7-15 people tagged for these, but since I gave some of these away from my other blog recently, that makes it harder for me to come up with that many.  So I'll do 5 for now.  If I think of more, I may add to the list later.  So thos eof you listed here, you're free to take all of them.  If you don't, that's cool too.  Just wanted you to know you're awesome!

1. Belle @ Tales From a 1960's Flower Child (Otherwise Known as Grandma)
2. Michael Offut
3. G @ Satirical Blog
4. Karen Elizabeth Brown
5. Christine Rains

That's all for now.

The Enterprise Lands in Illinois!

What a fitting flight!  With the popularity of sending inanimate objects into near space, why not send an Enterprise equipped with Captain Kirk and Captain Picard?

Hmmmm.  I wonder who took charge of this mission.