Variety #5 - Dustballs

Today, I was doing something that I don't usually do: the cleaning of my room. Actually, I wasn't really cleaning, I was just reorganizing, get all my paperwork out of the way. During this time, I opened the drawers under my bed, and started pulling out old letters.

It's amazing what thoughts and feelings go through your head when you are reading those old letters. Laughing at some of the dumb mistakes you've made, crying over good-byes, smiling at the recollections of old friends. Watching the past replay back in front of your eyes- with all the pain, and all the pleasure.

How often do we examine our pasts? How often do we relive all the pain, all the pleasure? It's weird, at times, the strength we can draw from things past; even if they are filled with embarrassment. The old saying goes: "It builds character", and that's the truth. Your relationships with all those people who wrote all those old letters help define what you are. All those memories help define what you are. Learn from the bad ones; so you don't make the same mistakes. Smile at the good ones; and nobody can ever take those away from you.

It's just something to keep in mind, I guess. People don't stop and take a look at themselves often enough these days. Maybe that's why we always get into so much trouble.

Speaking of watching things- I was doing something else I haven't done in a long time- watch my turtle eat dinner. It's cute, in a weird sort of way, you know? My turtle reaches out, stretching out his neck all the way out slowly to the surface of the water. Then he snaps up the food, and then pulls his head down to chew it.

Then he sometimes just sticks his head out of the water, and just stays like that. Staring about at everything. After a year, you would expect that he would get used to the mess my room is in. After all, I'm used to it, and I've been affected by it for a lot longer than him.

Right now, he's staring at me through the glass. I just hope he doesn't think my nose is some sort of turtle treat or something! (I have nightmares at times, of waking up and finding a 30 centimeter long snapping turtle chewing at my nose.)

Do you know how annoying Writer's Block is?

Here's an interesting thought for you- how many of these columns have actually dealt with Star Trek in some form? Not very many, I fear. It seems rather ironic that the show that deals a lot with the issues that affect us today seems to produce so few ideas in my mind for articles. Maybe it's because Star Trek deals with these issues in such a nice way.

But how long can this continue? I've been hearing rumours about trouble between Paramount and Star Trek Cast and Crew. Without the force of Gene Roddenberry, can the spirit of Star Trek be preserved? Remember that the job of any business is to make money- and will that drive to make money compromise Star Trek?

So far, everything seems fine. However, the real test will come with Deep Space Nine, and the possibility of a seventh feature. If the Deep Space rproject works out, and if they DON'T come out with a Seventh Feature with the old crew, then, maybe everything is alright at Paramount, and the torch has been passed on, properly. If something goes wrong; then maybe everything is not well. (I say DON'T with the Seventh Feature because they pretty well wrapped up everything in Six. To come out with a seventh with Kirk in command of the Enterprise as a part of Starfleet would pretty well destroy Paramount's integrity.)

It would be rather disgusting and horrifying if the dream the Roddenberry pioneered is lost under a mass of bureaucracy and greed.

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Changed: Fri Oct 3 12:12:43 EDT 1997

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