Astronomy

Act 25:

“It’s never too late… To Look At The Stars

The promise so much. They show us perspective. We look at them and dream. And hope. And Wonder. At their unlimited possibilities.” – Patrick Lindsay

Quote in book: “Ye stars which are the poetry of heaven” ~ Lord Byron

I could’ve easily turned this Act on it’s head and talk about celebrities, but I chose not to. I like star gazing. It’s really hard to do that here in LA, but I do like looking up at the stars. I always wanted to date and/or know someone who knew a lot about the stars. I distinctly remember watching the scene in Back To The Future III where Doc Brown and Clara are talking about the stars and thinking… Man I wish I knew someone like that.

There are only a few constellations that I can actually recognize, so that’s probably why I usually don’t look up at the stars. I looked tonight and it was overcast, so couldn’t really see anything. I’ve been to Griffith Park, but not the observatory. I think maybe I’ll check it out.

I was trying to get inspired to write something tonight, but nothing is coming. Probably cause I really don’t know much about the stars. Other than the Sun, I don’t know the names of any stars. I don’t really know any facts about stars. I’d have to consult The ORACLE on everything related to the topic. Believe me, I did a lot of searching and nothing interesting came up.

So, the closest thing I can talk about tonight that has anything to do w/ “stars” is Star Trek! It’s a little known fact that I’m a Trekkie. Well, a “Next Generation” Trekkie. I’m not old enough to have watched the original series, but I’ve seen every other Star Trek series... The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. As like almost anything in my life, this fascination w/ Star Trek comes from my dad. (yes, I was a complete daddy’s girl). I remember watching Star Trek: The Next Generation every week. I KNOW I’ve seen every episode of all the series (except the Original series). My dad used to tape every episode too (on Beta Max!!!). This was before DVD or DVRs, so it was really cool that we could watch every episode over and over again. He would catalogue the shit out of it and was so organized. Every once in a while, I’ll watch an episode of the Next Generation on the Sci-Fi network or on KCOP, cause it’s on.

My favorite of all the series is The Next Generation, probably because I loved ALL the characters of that show. I loved Geordi, Data, Captain Jean Luc Picard, Commander Riker, Deanna Troi, Warf, Dr. Beverly Crusher, Wesley Crusher (btw I love the fact that Shelon on Big Bang Theory hates him haha). Even the secondary characters like Tasha Yar, Chief O’Brien, Guinan, and Q. For Deep Space Nine I didn’t really like Jake and I didn’t like that Jax ended up marrying Worf, but I loved Quark and Odo! For Voyager, everyone hated Janeway’s voice, so that’s a minus right from the start. I liked Chakotay, B’Elanna Torres, and of course 7 of 9, but Tuvak and Nelix I could’ve done w/out. I did like the fact that the Doctor was a hologram. Finally Enterprise, it was kinda lame and disappointing cause here we were in the 21^st century w/ awesome digital effects and it was supposed to be BEFORE the original series, which was made in the 60s… it just felt like a step backwards. Anyway, I loved Scott Bakula in Quantum Leap and he was OK as Archer. I liked most of the characters, T’Pol, Trip, Travis and Sato, but I wasn’ts too fond of Dr. Pholx.

As you can see… I love Star Trek. My mom and my bro can attest to the fact that I can even make my neck look like a Cardassian (no not Kim, Khole, or Kourtney) the alien species in Star Trek, without make up or prosthetics! It’s hilarious when I do it, but it’s pretty scary cause I’m always afraid my muscles will get stuck like that. Here’s a pic of a Cardassian (Gul Dukat) to let you know what I’m talking about.

However, I’m not one of those Trekkies that dress up or go to conventions… so I wasn’t obsessed w/ it like I am GLEE (haha). Although, I’d say I’m a more than average fan. So, come on... admit it. Who else out there is a Trekkie?

Who remembers their constellations??? Trivia Time! I threw some songs in at the end.

10 Points: Name the constellation known as the ‘Hunter’

10 Points: Name the constellation known as the ‘Winged Horse’

10 Points: Name the constellation known as the ‘Little Dipper’ (Give the Latin and other English name)

10 Points: Name the constellation known as the ‘Twins’, Pollux and Castor (Hint: It’s my astrological sign)

10 Points: Name the constellation known as the ‘Crab' (Hint: Also the name of a deadly disease, one that took my dad)

10 Points: Name the constellation known as the ‘Table' or 'Table Mountain' (Hint: It’s also the name of a High IQ society)

10: Points: Easily recognizable by the backwards ‘?’ that forms the head and chest. What is the name of this “Lion” in the sky?

10 Points: She was the wife of Cepheus and the mother of Andromeda. She was a vain queen and boasted about how beautiful she was. Name the constellation. (Hint: This constellation has a “W” shape)

10 Points: Name the artist who has Underneath The Stars on her "Daydream" Album (Hint: She just had twins and named them Moroccan and Monroe)

10 Points: Name this song and the Musical this song comes from

There, out in the darkness
A fugitive running
Fallen from grace
Fallen from grace
God be my witness
I never shall yield
Till we come face to face
Till we come face to face

He knows his way in the dark
Mine is the way of the Lord
And those who follow the path of the righteous
Shall have their reward
And if they fall
As Lucifer fell
The flame
The sword!