Letter

Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall.

Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:

Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special?
Any response would be appreciated.

The response:

Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt Jeremy Fresques. Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.

At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured..

A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.

The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning airshow?' The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.

Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Air Conditioner: DOA

I went to the grocery store to pick up a few items to make a farewell-to-summer lasagna and came home to a very warm house. The air conditioner appears to have taken a dump AND on the eve of my first day back to school.

The rental agency says they cannot get anyone out until between noon and 3 tomorrow and it is supposed to be about 104 degrees. Piper starts to vomit if it gets above 80 or so and in the last hour the temperature has crept up to 81.

I venture that tonight is going to be a very warm, uncomfortable, and grumpy night with an even hotter and uncomfortable day to follow.

Scholarship and New Classes

I earned my scholarship back. This will be the only semester, so it won't cover my last and final semester in the spring, but I will take what I can get. It has been a long road and I am grateful that of the six semesters at UA, three of them were tuition paid. Hey, guess what...I graduate in 9 months!!! Yeahhhh!!!

My Second to Last Semester Classes:

The Archaeology of Food
Paleoanthropology
Primate Behavior and Ecology
Egyptology
Conservation Biology

I didn't really realize it before, but this schedule is quite the smorgasbord of knowledge. A little bit of everything that I find interesting.

Star Trek Podium: Proof

When we were at the convention we heard about a company called DigitalProperties (http://www.digitalproperties.ca/exp/). Before The Experience closed, photos and 360 degree virtual tours were created. When we got home we took a look at the site and found a couple images which show the podium we purchased at the Propworx sale. It is nice to have proof positive that the little piece of Trek history we purchased was the real deal!

These images are the property of DigitalProperties, Paramount Pictures, and or CBS Studios. No infringement is intended and photos will be removed upon request.

See posts from April 12, 2010 and July 7, 2010 for podium pictures.

Jerry Doyle

Before Hubby and I left for Las Vegas, I emailed Jerry Doyle (he lives and broadcasts in Vegas):

Hi Jerry,
My husband and I are going to be in Las Vegas August 4-8 for a convention. If you aren't up for making your own dinner one night we hope you will agree to let us take you out. If you are interested, please give us a call at 520-___-____.
P.S. I promise we aren't stunods or loonitrons, just fans of your television and radio work!

You will never believe my surprise when we returned home to an email in my in-box from Jerry:

Kristi - thanks for the offer but my mom is in town & leaving this Sunday. Only have a few days left with her and we've got a lot on the schedule.

Maybe we'll cross paths @ the airport Sunday morning. Her flight leaves @ 6:30A

If you need any show or restaurant ideas - let me know.

Hope you guys have a great trip.

I am still giddy with excitement!!! I never expected him to call but I am floored that he emailed back. I have met a lot of celebrities but he is by far the nicest!!

Favorite Convention Memories

Hubby commented the other day that my posts regarding our time at the convention, were...well...boring. I apologize to those of you who read my drivel, I try to keep it light and to the point but in my haste it appears I made it quite a snoozer!

So, in an effort to redeem myself, I thought I would regale you with some of my favorite memories from our vacation:

6) Tour of the Hoover Dam. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the tour. If we ever go that way again I hope we will be able to take the longer, expanded tour.

5) Yoda was a huge hit! Starting at the Dam until we returned to Tucson, we were accosted everywhere we went (including the bathroom). People wanted to know where we got him and some just simply wanted to strike up a conversation. I am used to remaining anonymous so the notoriety was nice but I admit that I was glad to return Yoda to his spot above the china cabinet when we got home.

4) Mmmmm, buffets! We ate 4 buffets in the 4 days we were in Vegas and I liked all of them. The buffets we went to were at Mandalay Bay (Bayside Buffet), Planet Hollywood (Spice Market Buffet), South Point (Garden Buffet), and the Rio (Carnival World Buffet). Hubby and I disagree on our favorites but that is simply because of food choice and dietary restrictions. I miss eating at much as I want...now back to the diet!

3) Hubby meeting Jeri Ryan was one of the highlights of the entire weekend. She was so gracious and lovely, and he was so very excited which made me so incredibly happy!

2) Seeing Sir Patrick Stewart is not simply one of the highlights of the weekend, but actually one of the highlights of my life!! All of the convention goers were told to not speak to Sir Patrick when getting his autograph, but I bucked the system and said "thank you". Sir Patrick lifted his head, looked at me square in the eyes, and said "You are so very welcome", and smiled. I met Captain Picard!! AHHHHH!!!

1) Meeting Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek) from Battlestar Galactica was probably the most memorable event that occurred the entire weekend. He was so amazingly kind and gracious. He was willing to chat and genuinely seemed interested in the conversation, even going so far as to ask us questions about our lives. What a lovely man! I cannot say enough about him, such a rapid difference from his character on Battlestar. And to think that I almost did not want to talk to him because I hated him so much on TV. I guess that goes to show what a good actor he is!

Hoover Dam Bridge Almost Complete

This pic is for my dad, who is probably the only one who will care:

Star Trek Convention: Day 4

People we saw:
* Sir Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean Luc Picard from The Next Generation)
* Brent Spiner (Data from The Next Generation)
* Michael Dorn (Worf from The Next Generation)

People whose autographs we got:
* Sir Patrick Stewart
* Brent Spiner
Events we attended:
* None today!

Star Trek Convention: Day 3

People we saw:
* Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine from Voyager)

* Chase Masterson (Leeta from DS9)

* Voyager Cast Reunion including Ethan Phillips (Neelix), Scarlett Pomers (Naomi Wildman), Garrett Wang (Harry Kim), Robert Picardo (The Emergency Medical Hologram or Dr. Zimmerman), Tim Russ (Tuvok), and Jennifer Lien (Kes).

* William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy (If you don't know they are Kirk and Spock, you are a lost cause!)

* Jonathan Frakes (Commander William Riker from The Next Generation)

People we met:
* Jeri Ryan
* Virginia Hey (Zhann from Farscape)
* Claudia Christian (Ivanova from Babylon 5)
* Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek from Battlestar Galactica)
* Aron Eisenberg (Nog from Deep Space Nine)

People whose autograph we got:
* Jeri Ryan
* Jonathan Frakes
* Robert Picardo
* Claudia Christian
* Richard Hatch

Events we attended:
* The Most Star Trek Costumed People in One Place: World Record Attempt (which was successful!! Now in the Guinness Book of World Records!!)
* Remembering Star Trek: The Experience

Star Trek Convention: Day 2

People we saw:
* Deep Space Nine Dominion Panel with Casey Biggs (Damar), Marc Alaimo (Gul Dukat), Andy Robinson (Garak), Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun), and Salome Jens (Female Changeling).

* Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko from DS9)

* Deep Space Nine Promenade Panel with James Darren (Vic Fontaine), Armin Shimmerman (Quark), Rene Auberjonois (Odo), Nana Visitor (Major Kira), and Aron Eisenberg (Nog).

People whose autograph we got:
* Armin Shimmerman (Quark)

Events we attended:
* Star Trek From a Fan's Perspective with Anthony Pascale
* Star Trek and Genre Collectibles No Minimum Bid Auction
* Comedic skit called Q vs. Janeway performed by Dean Haglund (Langley on The X-Files) and Claudia Christian (Ivanova from Babylon 5).

Star Trek Convention: Day 1

People we saw:
* Walter Koenig (Chekov from The Original Series)

* John de Lancie ('Q' on The Next Generation)

* Panel of Guest Stars from The Next Generation including: Patti Yasutake (Nurse Ogawa), Jerry Hardin (Mark Twain and from The X-Files), Eric Menyuk (The Traveler), and Stephanie Beacham (Countess Barthalomew and also from Seaquest DSV).

People whose autograph we got:
* John de Lancie ('Q' on The Next Generation)

Events we attended:
* Vegas Rapid-Fire Star Trek Trivia Challenge (Hubby won a prize!)
* Star Trek Collectible & Sci-Fi Genre No Minimum Bid Auction (too expensive!!)

Official Star Trek Convention 2010

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know that we returned safely from our trip to Las Vegas for the Official Star Trek Convention. This officially closes out what hubby and I lovingly call "The Summer of Geekdom". Over the next four days I will be posting descriptions and pictures of our adventure. I am trying to break it down into four categories:

People we saw: These are people that we saw on stage but never talked to
People we met: These are people we actually spoke to in person and had a short conversation with
People whose autographs we got: self explanatory
Events we attended: throughout the weekend there were numerous other pavilions being utilized for the convention, this area will tell you what other events we attended in-between the guest speakers

I am hoping to not make it too boring for all you none Trek fans out there but interesting enough for those of you that are as hard core as us! I look forward to your comments!