Squid Eats: Zaytoona

There's a new halal restaurant in South Burlington, Vermont!  We're big fans of Middle Eastern cuisine.  Unfortunately, such dining options in Vermont are limited so any new place is well worth checking out. 

(Don't feel too sorry for us.  Nearby Montreal offers plenty - plus my wife is pretty damn good at cooking her own.) 

We went to Zaytoona for the first time this past weekend and I'm confident in predicting it will become part of our regular rotation.  The chefs are Jordanian and the owner is Yemeni so the Arabian peninsula is the focus.  The space is small, sparse and simple.  Service is prompt and very friendly.  Prices are reasonable.  Informal, too.  The staff were enthusiastically following a football match on the television.  PSG v Bayern Munchen.  I appreciate a place that feels human.

Right, the food.  I got the lamb & beef shawarma bowl, my wife the kofta bowl.  As you can see, there's a lot on there.  There's rice under the meat, salad and hummus you can see in the photo.  It was both tasty and filling - quite filling.  I almost couldn't finish mine.  As is often the case, I think my wife ordered better.  The pomegranate lemonade was lovely, too.  The restaurant is BYOB so it's nice they have satisfying non-alcoholic option.

We'll definitely be back.  Unfortunately, the mixed grill options - kababs, ayares, tawook - are not available for lunch.  So, dinner next time.  Based on this one visit, I'd say I still prefer Istanbul Kebab House in Burlington but it's good to mix things up.

I also may feel differently once I've tried the kababs.

Star Trek: Lifesigns

Episode: "Lifesigns"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 2, Episode 19

Original Air Date: February 26, 1996

via Memory Alpha

The Doctor falls in love.

In responding to a distress call, our heroes encounter a lone, Vidiian traveler, dying from the phage.  While working desperately to save her, the Doctor creates a holographic clone of her to help in the treatment.  A healthy clone.  A beautiful, kind, intelligent, vulnerable clone.  Honestly, he never stood a chance.  

I'm going to take a risk here and say that this is not only the best episode of the series so far, it is the best of the first three seasons (pre-7 of 9).  I have been through most (but not all) of Voyager a few times now and "Lifesigns" sticks with me.  Obviously, it's wonderful development for the Doctor.  Who knew he was even capable of falling in love?  He sure didn't.  Plus the deeper examination of the pain and awkwardness of first love cuts deep.

If anything, the awkwardness is even more obvious for Danara (the Vidiian) than it is for the EMH.  She must overcome her own insecurities, having been shunned by society from a young age.  Much as Halle Todd's performance as Lal makes TNG's "The Offspring" one of Trek's all-time greats, Susan Diol's turn as Danara brings the magic to "Lifesigns."  Of course, in both cases, the exploration for the principal character is the whole point.  But it's the guest stars who make it work.

Acting Notes

via Quantum Leap Wiki

Susan Diol was born May 25, 1962 in Marquette, Michigan.  She's a Yooper!  She graduated from Otterbein College.  "Lifesigns" is her second of three Trek appearances, first of two as Danara.  

Most of her work has been on television.  Beyond Trek, she's made guest appearances on Night Court, Seinfeld and Quantum Leap among others.  Films include Reality and Loqueesha.

On the Coffee Table: Saga Five

Title: Saga, Volume Five

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Artist: Fiona Staples

via Amazon

The adventures of Alana, Marko and Hazel continue, though now in separate threads: Alana and Hazel in one, Marko in another.  By the end of Volume Five, Hazel has been kidnapped but Alana and Marko are reunited.  Everyone's on the run and seriously, I think I'm going to need to create a character map to keep track of everybody.

If you wish for more info on the basic premise of Saga, my previous post is here.  This installment covers issues #25-30.  The energy is relentless.  Death is frequent, instantaneous and brutal - don't get too attached to anyone.  The material is often disturbing, including bad drug trips.  It is often disgusting - dragon sperm plays an important role.  Yet, through it all, even with all of the bizarre scifi trappings, the basic tale of the family is one of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.  It's downright masterful.

On the Coffee Table: The Sculptor

Title: The Sculptor

Writer and Artist: Scott McCloud

via Amazon

Struggling professional sculptor David Smith makes a deal with Death.  Over the next 200 days, his hands will create - as if by magic - anything his creative mind can conjure.  However, at the end of 200 days, he will die.  To complicate matters further, soon after, he falls in love.

I first became aware of Scott McCloud through his extraordinary non-fiction work.  His books Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics and Making Comics offer a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of the sequential arts medium.  They were an essential part of my own orientation to the comic book world.  The books themselves also reveal a great deal about their creator.  McCloud is as fascinated by the artistic process as he is by the product.  

The Sculptor reflects this, too, though rather than focusing on the technical aspects - especially since with his new "powers," David instantly creates whatever he wants by simply touching the material - the story follows the artist's emotional journey.  The narrative itself, particularly the love story, is engrossing.  But the deeper explorations of inspiration, motivation and the relationships between creator, consumer and critic are the more interesting drivers.  

A few years ago, I had a memorable conversation with an art teacher colleague about the role of "the audience" in creating art.  I asserted, naïvely as it turns out, that one should always consider the perspective of the consumer in the creation of a piece.  She furrowed her brow at me and responded, "No.  Some of the most important work you'll ever do as an artist is what you create for yourself - only for yourself."

I can say from decades of experience that musicians, like me, hardly ever see things that way.  Our training is built entirely around what we project to the listener.  Yes, we should internalize the work as much as we can so we embody it.  But still, that is for the sake of the performance.  Until that conversation, I took for granted that everyone in the arts felt the same way.  

While The Sculptor doesn't explore this matter explicitly, much of David's journey revolves around reconciling what is meaningful to him with what is meaningful to the consumer.  He is, after all, trying to make a living so finding buyers is important.  But as the literal deadline approaches, the financial motivations fall away.  It's the legacy that matters.  How will he be remembered?  Eventually, even that becomes less important than the honesty of his work.  

My own visual art talents don't extend very far past stick figures.  I envy anyone who can convert a mental vision into a concrete reality.  McCloud's talents are considerable.  He's a master of black-and-white, bringing rich depth and texture to his drawings.  The Sculptor was published in 2015 and I haven't seen anything new from him since.  His work is so detailed that I'm not surprised he doesn't crank out books more quickly.  Still, I hope we see more from him before too long.

On the Road: Montreal 2025

Montreal is one of our favorite getaway spots.  We visited recently for a few days to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  It had been a couple years since our last trip and we stayed in a different part of town from our usual. Typically, we stay on the Plateau, a relatively residential area with ample dining and shopping opportunities.  This time, we stayed in Vieux-Montréal (Old Montreal) which, largely because of the Notre-Dame Basilica, is considerably more touristy.  Still lovely, of course.  Just a different vibe.

Our first full day was spa day, our morning spent at Scandinave, just down the street from our hotel (described in this post).  For me, few things in the world feel more self-indulgent than a long, hot bath.  It's wonderfully freeing to be in a place where your only purpose is to relax.  Electronics and even conversation are taboo.  While my wife went for a massage, I enjoyed three full hot/cold/relax cycles.  I wish we could afford to do it everyday.

We spent the second day at art museums, primarily the Musée de Beaux-Arts.  It was also my best day for photographs:

Paysage by Albert Gleizes

Le port (Marseilles) by Gleizes

Le port de Bordeaux by André Lhote

La Vierge attentive ou La Vierge à l'étoile by Louis Cattiaux

Forme dans l'espace by Alfréd Réth

Evening on the Terrace (Morocco) by Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant

The Main Path at Giverny by Claude Monet

The Pitchpoling (D-27, 2X) by Frank Stella
Stella created a mixed media piece for each chapter of Moby-Dick.  "The Pitchpoling" is chapter 84.

"Tower of Songs", a street mural portrait of Montreal native Leonard Cohen by Gene Pendon and El Mac

As we were packing up our car to leave, our valet joked that we'd "had enough of Montreal."  Not true.  While I'm definitely not a city person at this stage of my life, I find Montreal to be as dynamic and accessible a city as any I've visited - and I've been to quite a few of the world's greats, even lived in a couple.  We'll definitely be back.

Star Trek: Accession

Episode: "Accession"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 17

Original Air Date: February 24, 1996

via Memory Alpha

A traveler appears at the opening of the wormhole, 200 years after he first entered it.  That's just the beginning of the surprises.  The man, Akorem Laem, experienced the passage of centuries in minutes.  What's more, he claims to be the Emissary!  Funny, Sisko had just been complaining about the burdens of his own sacred role within the Bajoran religion.  Here's his chance to pass it on to someone else.  

Apparently, neither the viewers nor the studio execs were fans of the religion-themed episodes.  I say the topic is fair game and inherently interesting, even essential if you're going to spend meaningful time exploring a culture.  For Bajor, religion and politics are deeply intertwined.  I'd say we have some experience with that here on Earth, too.  If anything, the lines have become even further blurred in the 29 years since "Accession."

This week's story is one of several in a series-spanning arc about Benjamin coming to terms with his role as Emissary.  The resolution of this particular installment is interesting - and somewhat surprising.  In his brief term as Emissary, Akorem promotes a more traditional position, particularly in regards to the Bajoran caste system, an structure abandoned during the Cardassian occupation.  While the Bajorans seem (mostly) ready to fall in line, Captain Sisko takes great exception as reverting would compromise Bajor's chances for joining the Federation.

What sets up as a political conflict is ultimately resolved by spiritual means.  Sisko challenges Akorem's claim as the Emissary and the two return together to the wormhole to confront the Prophets regarding their intentions.

We still have over three seasons to go in the series so it should be easy enough to guess what the Prophets tell them.

In the long run, Sisko fighting for a title he'd previously made clear he didn't want is a big deal.

Acting Notes

via Mork and Mindy Wiki

Richard Libertini (Akorem Laem) was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, January 7, 2016.  He graduated from Emerson College.  Films included All of Me, Fletch and Fletch Lives.  TV credits include a regular cast role on Soap, multiple guest appearances on Barney Miller and voice work on Animaniacs.

Libertini passed away in 2016 from cancer.

Squid Flicks: The Hunt for Red October

Title: The Hunt for Red October

Director: John McTiernan

Original Release Date: March 2, 1990

My Overall Rating: 5 stars out of 5

via Amazon

A nuclear submarine has been stolen.  Soviet navy legend Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), in defiance of orders, is heading towards North America with his nation's latest technological marvel: a submarine which evades radar detection.  Moscow calls Washington for help in capturing and perhaps even destroying the renegade captain and his vessel.  The CIA brings in analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin in the role that catapulted him to superstardom) to find their man.  Everyone thinks Ramius is a madman - everyone but Ryan, that is.  Ryan believes Ramius is trying to defect.

My wife suggested The Hunt for Red October (based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name) as a good Father's Day movie this year - a solid choice.  It's an excellent example of the cerebral action movies that Hollywood used to make a lot but not so much in the age of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe).  The narrative appears at first to be a straight-forward cat-and-mouse chase but the cleverness lies in sorting out who, exactly, is chasing whom at a given moment.  Writing, visuals and sound are all outstanding.  The acting especially is exceptional and it all began with perfect casting.  Ramius is the third best role of Connery's career (after Bond and Jimmy Malone in The Untouchables).  Baldwin is leading man handsome, yet geeky enough to be believable. I don't think Kevin Costner, the original choice for the part, could have found that sweet spot.  Scott Glenn is in the Scott Glenn part.  James Earl Jones brings just the right blend of wit and gravitas.  Tim Curry is somehow always the perfect choice, no matter the character.  Then Sam Neill breaks your heart with the "I would have liked to see Montana" line.

My two favorite moments are relatively subtle ones.  I love when the camera zooms in on Lieutenant Putin (Peter Firth) and the dialogue on board the Red October switches permanently from Russian to English, then zooms out again. 

That scene is famous.  I'm guessing most people wouldn't notice my second one.  Well, everyone remembers the Red October crew singing the Soviet national anthem.  It's an important plot point.  But did you ever notice there's a moment when the singing suddenly gets a lot better?  It's at about 4:24 in this video:

It's obvious - to me, anyway - that a professional chorus was dubbed in for that bit in post-production.  

In March 1990, the fall of the Soviet Union was just a year away.  The Cold War was nearing its end and the geopolitical landscape was on the brink of dramatic changes.  As such, the movie is a bit of a political relic.  But a world on the brink of catastrophic war doesn't seem so far distant these days.  Even out of context, The Hunt for Red October tells a profoundly compelling story.  It still holds up 35 years later.  The best movies do.

One ping only...

Star Trek: Bar Association

Episode: "Bar Association"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 16

Original Air Date: February 19, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Quark's bar is suffering through the month-long Bajoran Time of Cleansing.  With profits down, the proprietor cuts wages by a third.  Rom and his colleagues have finally had enough and they go on strike, an egregious violation of Ferengi law.  Brunt returns as an agent of the Ferengi Commerce Authority (FCA) with orders to quash the labor action by any means necessary.  In the B plot, Worf's struggles in adjusting to life on the station continue.

Full disclosure, I'm a labor man - deeply involved with my local union.  As such, much of the material in this episode speaks to me on a personal level.  Labor relations are also a major driver in the entertainment industry.  The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) are still among the most powerful unions in the country.  Armin Shimerman (Quark) himself has served on SAG's executive board.  It's surprising stories like these don't pop up so much on screen.  There aren't many TV shows in which the good guys quote The Communist Manifesto.

The two plots intersect when Worf crosses the picket line and the pro-labor O'Brien takes offense.  The two engage in an off-camera bar brawl with Bashir caught in the middle.  That storyline ends with Sisko berating the trio in the bridge, the scene an homage to the John Ford 1948 film, Fort Apache.  I'm not a huge fan of this side-narrative - it feels like they did it for the sake of the homage rather than adding anything meaningful to the story.  Filler.

For the long-term, "Bar Association" offers the first suggestion that there might be romance potential for Rom and dabo girl, Leeta.

Acting Notes

via Transformers: Robots in Disguise Wiki

It's time to give Jeffrey Combs (Brunt) his proper due.  In 2025, Combs is a social media favorite for playing several different recurring Star Trek characters across multiple series - over 20 appearances in all.  As Brunt alone, "Bar Association" is his second of seven appearances.

Jeffrey Combs was born in Oxnard, California, September 9, 1954.  He trained at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and the University of Washington.  On the big screen, horror films have been his wheelhouse, especially the work of director Stuart Gordon.  He has appeared in the Re-Animator trilogy, From Beyond and The Pit and the Pendulum.  Beyond Trek, his TV credits include Babylon 5, The 4400 and Masters of Horror.

On the Coffee Table: Herman Melville

Title: Moby Dick

Author: Herman Melville

via Amazon

Pull up a chair.  We have a lot to talk about...

Captain Ahab leads the crew of the Pequod, a 19th-century whaling ship.  Most are just trying to make a living but Ahab is out for revenge.  A white whale - THE white whale - chomped off one of his legs.  Ahab means to make him pay.  If ever there were a story to convince you that genius is often wasted on the maniacal, this is it.

Moby Dick is, of course, on a short list of Greatest American Novels - indeed the finest works in world literature.  Melville's masterpiece is a profound reading experience: global in scope, richly detailed, lingually dazzling, expertly cast and ultimately unforgettable.  There are brief-candle caliber passages: Ahab throwing his lit pipe into the sea, for instance.  You read them once and you know they'll be with you for the rest of your life.

I finally made it all the way through for the first time.  It took me six months.  I didn't skip any of the chapters about whales - so many chapters about whales!  There are individual chapters about their classification, their spouts, their bones, their heads (two: one for the right whale, one for the sperm whale), their tails, etc.  There are three separate chapters about whales depicted in art. 

So many damn whales...

And I didn't skim over a single one.

The biological details aren't 100% accurate by 2025 standards.  Little was known in the mid-19th century, for example, about the blue whale - identified by Melville as the sulphur-bottom whale - as it was too fast to be hunted.  Furthermore, the author frequently refers to whales as fish.  That said, there's no denying the whaler of his day had far more intimate knowledge of the animal than most 21st century biologists ever get.  

And boy, was Melville eager to share everything he had learned.  Expertly written though it undeniably is, there is a notebook-dump feel to the prose for hundreds of pages at a time.  I get it.  Like all of his serialized contemporaries, Melville was paid by the word.  If the reader of 1851 was willing to stick with you through all of the minutia, more power to you, Herman.  The action of the story could probably have been told in 150 pages.  Maybe even fewer.  But then it wouldn't be Moby Dick.  This is a book the reader has to earn.  At last, I have.

On one of my childhood visits to The Philosopher's Island (read here), The Philosopher's dad brought a copy of  Moby Dick along to read on the trip.  I have fond memories of this kind, quiet man reading by lamplight with a delighted smile on his face.  The story begins in that part of the world, you see: specifically New Bedford, Massachusetts, then the ship launches from nearby Nantucket.  As a family, we've been to NB - even visited the whaling museum and the famous chapel described by Melville.  Having read the book, I'd love to go back.  The novel makes me curious about Nantucket, too.

The monomaniacal Ahab has become a character template all his own.  After reading, I'm also curious about the legacy of his first mate, Starbuck.  The world's largest coffeehouse chain is named for him, of course, but I wonder more at the literary legacy.  Every stubborn leader needs someone to talk them out of the crazy shit they want to do.  Every Ahab needs a Starbuck, even if he ultimately ignores him.  

Frequent visitors might remember my challenges in pinning down the narrative purpose of Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation.  I see now, he's Starbuck.  Of course, Picard is no Ahab.  In Star Trek, Khan is the best equivalent.  But Riker is clearly a Starbuck, perhaps best demonstrated in "The Pegasus."

Without a doubt, Moby-Dick is one of the most extraordinary books I've ever read.  However, I'm not eager to read more like it (not that there are many).  At six months per, who has the time?  Even so, I can see myself picking it off the shelf from time to time for a quick fix: "Oh, lonely death on lonely life!  Oh, now I feel my topmost greatness lies in my topmost grief."

So many damn whales...

Squid Eats: Halvorson's

Over two decades ago, now, my wife and I were at the hospital.  My wife had been hooked up to a pitocin drip all day, intending to induce labor for the birth of our first and only child.  The doctors told us we could keep going with the drip through the night or take a break and get a good night's sleep.  My wife chose sleep.  My job was to run out to get some real food for dinner so we wouldn't have to settle for hospital grub.  I went to Halvorson's, one of the few places on Burlington's Church Street that was still open and taking orders.  I came back with cheeseburgers.

They were the best cheeseburgers we've ever eaten in our lives...

If hunger is the best sauce, exhaustion runs a close second.  That last night of our pre-parenting lives, we had plenty of both.  The story itself is one I still gleefully tell expecting parents, particularly those preparing for a planned inducement.  A return visit to Halvorson's seemed as good a way as anyway to celebrate Father's Day, our first without the kid - they have an internship in Massachusetts for the summer.

My cheeseburger was still damn good - a reasonable medium rare but with a respectable sear on the outside, as if fresh off the grill.  I'm not sure it was worth $17 but that seems to be the going rate at restaurants these days.  My wife was less impressed with her fish tacos, essentially deconstructed for her to put together at the table.  The mud pie for dessert was nice.

We haven't been to Halvorson's much in the intervening years.  That's mostly because of ample preferable alternatives on Church Street.  Apart from sentimental value, I don't know if I'd be inclined to go again.

But the classic cheeseburger really is pretty good.

Star Trek: Death Wish

Episode: "Death Wish"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 2, Episode 18

Original Air Date: February 19, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Our heroes encounter Quinn (Gerrit Graham), a member of the Q Continuum.  Quinn wishes to be allowed to die and suicide is illegal among his kind.  Our usual Q (John de Lancie) turns up to bring Quinn in for punishment.  Quinn requests asylum, giving Captain Janeway a decision to make.  Q agrees to abide by her choice, though he dangles a bribe: bringing Voyager home.  

The right to die on one's own terms is a relevant moral question for any society and not entirely new turf for Star Trek.  The philosophical debate aside, "Death Wish" earns praise from critics for the acting.  Graham, de Lancie and Kate Mulgrew are all wonderful.  Plus, we get a brief cameo from our old pal Will Riker.

The series's strong run continues.

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Gerrit Graham was born in New York City, November 27, 1949.  He attended but did not graduate from Columbia, though he did meet Brian De Palma, a fortuitous encounter in the long run.  "Death Wish" was Graham's second of two Trek appearances.

Graham has been in several of Brian De Palma's films, including Greetings, Hi, Mom, Home Movies and Phantom of the Paradise.  Beyond Trek, he had a principal voice role in The Critic and a recurring role in Parker Lewis Can't Lose.  He was one of the finalists for DS9's Odo along with René Auberjonois and Andrew Robinson.  He also wrote the teleplays for two Twilight Zone (80s version) episodes.  

Squid Plays: Solo

Solo is a card game produced by AMIGO, a German company.  It's been described as "UNO on steroids."  It's basically the same concept: play a card, next player matches number or color, lots of other cards you can play to mess with your opponents.  Solo has some additional fun cards which involve swapping hands with another player, gifting two cards, everyone passing cards to the left (or right), etc.  The biggest change, and the most fun, is that you can play a matching card - color AND number - anytime, effectively stealing the turn.  So, you've gotta pay attention all the time.

Left to right: Protection, Gift, All Swap Cards, Swap Cards with Another Player

Our game group fell in love with Solo during COVID as it was one of several games we discovered on Board Game Arena during social distancing times.  We've since played a few times in person and it loses none of its appeal offline.  I might even go so far as to describe it as addictive.  Simple, well-designed games often are.

How does AMIGO produce what appears to be an UNO knock-off without getting sued?  Well, the more famous game itself is simply a marketed version of the much older, public domain game of Crazy Eights.  You can't really sue someone for stealing the same thing you did.  And it's not technically stealing if it's public domain.

Star Trek: Sons of Mogh

Episode: "Sons of Mogh"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 15

Original Air Date: February 12, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Worf's brother Kurn is back - his final Trek appearance and his only turn on DS9.  Worf got off pretty easy for opposing Gowron (see "The Way of the Warrior").  Whatever personal distress he might have experienced, at the end of the day, he was able to just go back to his life in Starfleet.  For his brother, the family disgrace has not been so easy to bear.  The story begins with Kurn (Tony Todd) asking Worf to kill him in the Mauk-to'Vor ritual in order for Kurn to recoup his honor.  Fortunately (from the human perspective), Dr. Bashir is able to save Kurn.  Predictably, Captain Sisko is none too pleased...

Meanwhile, this is the first episode that makes direct suggestions of romantic possibilities between Worf and Dax.

Obviously, this is a big development story for Worf, opening up new, fruitful narrative paths.  However, the end of the Kurn thread is a shame.  I can understand wanting Worf to move on but I love that Kurn shows up from time to time to try to draw him back.  Especially in light of future attempts to bring Alexander back into the fold, one can't help but think how much better a Kurn story should have been.

Even now, nearly 30 years later, Worf is easily one of the most fascinating characters in all of Star Trek.  A Worf-centered series would be an easy sell.  Goodness knows, Michael Dorn has aged better than anyone else from the TNG cast.  Just imagine how much they could have done with a return for Kurn before Tony Todd passed away.  Cutting him out of the saga in 1996 was a huge mistake.

Mind you, it's still an enjoyable episode.

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Robert DoQui played the role of Noggra, a friend of Worf's father who helps Kurn start a new life.  DoQui was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, April 20, 1934.  He served in the Air Force before embarking upon an acting career.

Films include Coffy, Nashville and the first three RoboCop movies.  Television appearances include The Jeffersons, The Fall Guy and Family Affair.

DoQui passed away in 2008.

On the Road: Paul F. Tompkins and Gnome Houses

We took a swing through southern New England this past weekend.  The main excuse was Paul F. Tompkins's Varietopia tour stop in Westerley, Rhode Island.  We also visited our child in western Mass and our dear friends the Mocks in eastern Mass - quite a lot of territory for one weekend.  

Tompkins's tour is essentially a traveling variety show.  He himself, of course, is the comedian.  He also has a four-piece band, a singer and a magician along for the ride.  Tompkins sings, too, and he's surprisingly good.  I don't mean to imply that I'm surprised he's talented as he certainly is.  I just didn't know singing was among his talents.

The show's a lot of fun.  Tompkins's comedy is the highlight, though the singer (Medusa) was also quite good.  The magician (don't remember his name) was a good showman but the tricks themselves were pretty basic: card tricks I've seen friends do.

As ever, a stop in Northampton requires a visit to The Botanic Garden of Smith College.  At the moment, they're featuring a student-initiated and -created exhibit of Gnome Houses, hidden among the other plants for visitors to find, scavenger-hunt style:

A few other highlights:

Star Trek: Dreadnought

Episode: "Dreadnought"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 2, Episode 17

Original Air Date: February 12, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Voyager encounters Dreadnought, a Maquis weapon of mass destruction programmed to hit a Cardassian target.  What's it doing in the Delta Quadrant?  It's assumed to have gotten there the same way and at the same time as Voyager.  Why is it targeting a non-Cardassian world instead?  Well, something seems to have gone wrong with the programming.  Okay, who programmed it in the first place?

B'Elanna Torres

The set up is a bit contrived but the story that unfolds from there is outstanding.  Wouldn't you know, after a turkey like "Threshold," Voyager would offer two of the strongest episodes to this point one right after the other. "Dreadnought" is 90% Torres.  Roxann Dawson-Biggs played both her own usual part and the voice of the Dreadnought ship computer.  She's wonderful in both roles.  Her performance is more than enough to carry the piece, then Captain Janeway adds a star move of her own to seal the episode as one of Voyager's best.  

Our captain realizes the best way to stop the Dreadnought from destroying its target is to sacrifice her own ship, and herself along with it.  It's a moving moment for all involved, audience included.  Solid Trek.  Thank goodness Torres saves the day and everyone survives.

Acting Notes

via Criminal Minds Wiki

Michael Spound played the role of Lorrum, the new Kazon contact for the treacherous Michael Jonas.  Spound was born in Santa Monica, California, April 8, 1957, then grew up in Concord, Massachusetts.  "Dreadnought" was his first of two Voyager episodes.  He graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Theatre and Film.

In 1983, Spound won a principal role in the series Hotel which ran for five seasons.  Guest appearances include Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Family Ties.  Films include Must Love Dogs, The Ring and Bye Bye Love.  He also has a co-writing credit for 1981's Wacko.

Squid Eats: The Hive Cafe

We drove out to the islands this weekend.  The Lake Champlain Islands are, in a way, the least Vermonty part of the state in that the terrain is relatively flat.  Because the landscape is dominated by lake shore rather than hills and mountains, there's a different feel to the place culturally, too.  Businesses cater to boaters and fishermen rather than hikers and skiers.  The islands are still pretty, though, and a fine destination for a drive on a beautiful day.  

Our primary target was the Kraemer & Kin tasting room in North Hero.  K&K has emerged as one of my favorite Vermont breweries - no small triumph.  We live in beer heaven.  Their Extra Special Bitter is reminiscent of a good Bass Ale draft.  

The beer is good.  The real treat is the labels:

I adore naturalist drawings and these are gorgeous - fun facts included.

Food was provided by The Hive Cafe food truck.  Hive Cafe is based in South Hero.  I can't say my burger was particular exciting but it paired well with the wonderful beer.

Star Trek: Return to Grace

Episode: "Return to Grace"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 14

Original Air Date: February 5, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Once again, Major Kira and Gul Dukat are compelled to work together.  Dukat, recently disgraced because of his newly discovered half-Bajoran love child, has been abandoned by the rest of his family and demoted within the Cardassian militarily to the role of freighter ship captain.  He has been assigned to transport Kira to a conference.

All goes horribly wrong.  The conference itself is attacked by a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, all attendees - both Bajoran and Cardassian - are killed.  Though our two leads hate each other (at least Kira hates Dukat), they are temporarily united in their thirst for vengeance against the Klingons.

"Return to Grace" is one of a series of episodes (including "Indiscretion") intended to soften the character of Dukat.  Unfortunately, he just comes off as sleazy and gross.  Or is that the idea?  It's hard to tell.  

Dukat does his best to ingratiate himself to Kira.  Clearly, he admires her combatant skills earned as a member of the Resistance.  He's direct.  He wants to work with her more, to draw on her experience as he seeks to regain his former status.  However, every attempt he makes to flatter her also comes across as an unwelcome sexual come on.  

It's not the actor's fault.  Marc Alamo played the part to the hilt.  It's the writers', directors' and producers' fault.  Having recently learned more about head honcho Rick Berman's persistent sexual harassment of Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax), I'm less inclined to be forgiving of the Trek machine here.  Yes, we are reminded by the end of the story that Dukat is thoroughly evil.  But the fact that they seemingly saw nothing wrong with him speaking to a woman this way before that revelation is problematic.

A happier development is the return of Tora Ziyal, the aforementioned love child, to the series.  Even better, at the end of the episode, with Kria's encouragement, Ziyal decides to live on the station.  It's the last appearance for Cyia Batten in the role, though.  It will be Tracy Middendorf in the part next time.

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Casey Biggs plays the role of Damar, Dukat's second in command.  At first, Damar seems like an incidental character but as we shall see in time, the creatives had big plans for him.  For Biggs, "Return to Grace" was the first of 24 Star Trek appearances.  Biggs was born in Toledo, Ohio, April 4, 1955.  He graduated from Julliard and studied acting at the Toledo Repertory Theatre.

Star Trek is probably his career highlight but he also made appearances on Ryan's Hope, General Hospital and ER.  Films include The Pelican Brief, Broken Arrow and Dragonfly.  Biggs was married to Roxann Dawson (Voyager's B'Elanna Torres) but they divorced several years before either was on Star Trek.