Apple Foot

From the ashes

Yesterday I gave platelets. This is an excellent opportunity to sit around eating snacks, chatting with phlebotomists, watching satellite TV, and feeling virtuous for my trouble.

It happened to be "Enterprise" marathon day on the SciFi Channel--I don't have cable at home, so I jump at the opportunity to watch SciFi whenever it presents itself. I sat down just in time for "Azati Prime," one of Enterprise's finest hours. I came away more convinced than ever that Manny Coto is a god. It's one of those hours of television that you can't believe is only an hour long--in a good way. How the hell did he fit all of that into one hour (or however many minutes it is when you remove commercials)? Another plus for "Azati Prime" is that Hoshi and Travis both get lines. More, they actually are shown to have expertise contributing to the greater mission. In season three, that was sadly unusual.

So I'm fully enjoying myself, getting teary-eyed and excited and anxious, and we get that final close up on T'Pol's eyes as Enterprise is reduced to shrapnel around her... cut to credits and commercial... Klingons. What the hell? I was wearing an old pair of glasses, and of course bird-of-prey sets are dimly lit, so I thought maybe it was some Xindi Arboreals and I just couldn't see properly. Nope. SciFi followed the tremendous cliffhanger of "Azati Prime" not with "Damage", but with "Borderland". You could hear my mental gears grind.

When I left Red Cross (about where Tucker beams Archer and Soong down to the Orion processing facility), I realized that I really miss Enterprise. I miss Star Trek generally, but I still mourn Enterprise.  Today I checked my feeds and remembered I'm not alone.

Trek United announced it is bringing SaveEnterprise.com back online in support of their continuing campaign. You wouldn't be wrong to roll your eyes at this news, but I--I like to think there are always possibilities.

Shoe Shopping

I needed new sneakers.

This presented a problem, since I have for years bought my sneakers at Filene's Basement's original store at Downtown Crossing, which is currently closed for renovations. I decided to suck it up and visit the Boylston Street store. Like many of the Baby Basements, Boylston Street is not actually in a basement. It is also not grungy. The thing that makes the store and its bargain-hunting potential most suspect, however, is the doorman.

What kind of Filene's Basement has a doorman?

So I bought my sneakers (I didn't think the price was all that great, but it was in the realm of what I'd be willing to pay) and headed down the street to Borders. When I walked in the door, the alarms shrieked, and the nice fellow at Borders told me to go back to Filene's and have them remove their security tag. Despite the fact that there's an actual doorman and a loss-prevention system in place, they didn't catch me leaving the store with tagged merchandise.

I was always doubtful that the alarms worked at Downtown Crossing. Maybe Boylston Street is a member of the family after all.

Thanksgiving

Things I am thankful for:

• CPAP
• The Twenty-Second Amendment

Restaurant Chain Grateful

The Ninety Nine Restaurants have reason to be thankful to the Boston Globe today for a lengthy, front page (below the fold) article. Globe writer Sacha Pfeiffer explains that the chain is remodeling, and it's customers are paying to take home the old decor (the money goes to charity). In this article, the 99's loyal customers talk about their affection for the place, the chain gets credit for charitable works, and the company promotes its "brighter, less cluttered, and more contemporary" new look. Plus, no company PR flak could possibly write better promotional copy than this:

"The reasonably priced, family-friendly chain is popular for its folksy ambience, casual bar, and something-for-everyone menu, where offerings range from sirloin tips to Caesar salads to cedar plank salmon."

On the down side, the 99's bête noire, the Steak-Tips Massacre, gets mentioned, but comes across as part of a colorful history.

The online version of the article also has a handy gallery of some of the signage for sale.

You can't buy this kind of publicity, or so I'm told.

(Whatever you do, don't make the mistake of going to the 99 Restaurants web site--pop-up window and embedded, unstoppable music.)

Recently Misinterpreted: Too Much Sci Fi

From a story about a sinkhole in Dorchester:

What it said: "State police say eastbound traffic on Gallivan Boulevard will be restricted..."

What I saw: "State police say EARTHBOUND traffic on Gallivan Boulevard will be restricted..."