I've seen it!

I did go and see the new Star Trek movie and I loved it! I thought it was fantastic. It was different to the book in some aspects (ie the Admiral Archer's dog incident) but it was very enjoyable.

*Spoiler Alert* just in case I tell you stuff about it you didn't already know...and *Geek/Nerd Alert* because I'm probably going to discuss the whole AU-ness (alternate universe-ness) of the movie.

I really enjoyed the opening sequence of the movie where you met George Kirk. In fact, I almost think that Chris Hemsworth (who plays George) should nearly have been James T Kirk. He is (IMHO) better looking than Chris Pine (who was James). Anyway, that part of the movie was really well done. (It was very definitely AU, as George and Winona Kirk were potato farmers in Idaho in the Shatner Kirkverse. )

My favourite character in the whole movie was...Scotty. He was funny and I just enjoyed his whole situation; punished by being sent to the middle of nowhere for being too smart. I also really liked Dr McCoy. Ben thought that he was almost more Bones than the original. Karl Urban really nailed it. At least he still had the same reason for going into Starfleet as in the original universe, as we found out when he meets Kirk for the first time. (The dialogue in the movie novelisation was much wittier for this scene than in the movie.)

It was a surprise to see Real Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in this universe, but it worked well in the plot development. A nice touch, and I think that this picture at the top sums it all up, tongue-in-cheek... (thanks to roflrazzi.com for the caption!)

All in all I loved this movie and I would see it again and own it on DVD. (If only for the entertainment value of irritating my husband...*smirk*)

Movies

I am so very excited. This Saturday I might finally get to see Star Trek! I can't wait. I've read the movie novelisation and I loved it. I just realised that there's kind of a bittersweet bit in it for me. Most of you who know me, know that I adore Star Trek: Enterprise. Especially the character of Captain Archer. Well, he at least gets a mention in the new movie, and one of his pets appears in the movie, right at the end. I realised the other day that he never gets to see his favourite beagle again because of *insert spoiler*. That made me kind of sad. :'( However, I still want to see the movie. I can't wait to see Scotty! Woohoo for Simon Pegg.

Cars. *sigh*

As many will know my husband has a hobby. Cars. Restoration and racing, although both may not apply to the same vehicle.

At the moment I have six cars in my driveway. Six. There's my little, everyday car (a Peugeot 306), Ben's work car (a dual cab Hilux, supplied by his employer), Ben's old work car (a Ford Falcon RTV ute), Ben's restoration project ( a 1967 XR two door Ford Falcon, left hand drive), his racing car (a white Peugeot 405 Mi16) and the new car, a donor car (a black Peugeot 405 Mi16).

As for how we came by so many cars, I really don't know. It just happens. I should never let the man look on ebay motors! That's where we (and yes, it was partly my fault) found the XR and the black Peugeot.

On Sunday Ben went down to Phillip Island and took his toy for a spin. He did okay, he wasn't the fastest, but he wasn't the slowest either. He was really happy with the way that the Pug cornered and braked, but he just didn't have enough get up and go for the straights.

On Monday, he was trawling Aussiefrogs (an Australian Peugeot site) and various other motoring sites for parts to correct this problem. I said: "Let's have a look on ebay motors." So we did and I found a 1992 Mi16, just like his toy except that it was black. It was going cheap, and the sale ended the next day at about 9pm. So we kept watch on it.

On Tuesday, we checked out the auction and it was still cheap, so we placed a bid on it. Then we had to go out to dinner (see previous post) so it was down to Mike to keep an eye on it. And he did. And he placed bids for his father. And we won! Oh joy! Another car!

(Really, I do not begrudge my husband his hobby. At all. He can have as many cars and parts as he wants, as long as he still loves me at the end of the day. )

So yesterday Ben went to collect his prize. He says that the car body isn't as good as his toy's, but the engine is better. So hopefully, soon, I'll have five cars in my driveway, not six.

Tuesday Night

As many of you know, we've had some communities devasted by bushfires over here in Victoria. A lot of people will have heard of Kinglake and Marysville but less about Callignee and Traralgon South. There were fatalities there too, just nowhere near as many as Kinglake and Marysville.

Well the local Rotary groups decided that the people who fought the fires there in Callignee and Traralgon South and the people and groups who are helping to rebuild these communities deserved some public recognition. So Rotary went and caught up with Max Walker and asked him if he would come and be the guest speaker at an awards night for these people. And Max said yes, and he wouldn't charge them an appearance or speaker's fee. So on Tuesday night Ben and I went off to dinner, dancing and Max Walker.

It was a really good night. The band was great (loud, but great) and both Mike's music teacher and Gabi's music teacher were playing; the singer was an impersonator who did really good impressions of Dean Martin, Tom Jones and John Lennon (we left early, so we didn't see if he did anyone else) and Maxie was really funny. Everyone who got a certificate of recognition (or thanks) also got their photo taken with Max. It was a good night.