The World of Scott Mindeaux

Even If You’re Not a Trekker or Trekkie…

If you like Lost, Alias or Fringe you should see Star Trek. Abrams, Orci and Kurtzman have done such a great job on “rebooting” Star Trek that you have to see it.

I saw it last night at the Irvine Spectrum IMAX and it was AWESOME! From beginning to end there was action and you won’t get bored. If you’re new to the Star Trek world, its ok that you don’t know the show, the movie speaks for itself. The special effects in the movie were outstanding. It was alot to fit into a 2 hour and 6 minute timeslot.

Abrams has masterfully rewritten the original story so well, you can’t wait for the sequel. One can almost say that with this movie, he could easily spawn off new movies with the direction this movie went. I felt the actors portrayed their roles well, especially the actors playing Spock and McCoy. But Scotty and Chekov were a hoot to watch as well!

I was seated a bit too close for my comfort level in the IMAX theatre. All the good seats optimized for IMAX were taken. I was to the left of center zbout 4 rows below optimum. So I felt like there were things on the right side of the screen that I may have missed. I want to see it in a regular theater this weekend to compare the IMAX version against the regular screen.

Yes, I am wholeheartedly a Trekker – no doubt about that, so I would have seen this film regardless! The lines for the showtimes after ours were filed already for the 9:40 and 12:30 showings. Then let’s talk about the lines for the regular screen version. It was a madhouse at the Irvine Spectrum last night.

American Idol 8 – Top 4

I have 10 minutes to get this entry in before the results show comes in. I’m sorry I haven’t blogged the last two Idols, but I had a little something called pneumonia.

Anyway, last night was Rock night and Slash was this week’s mentor.

Adam Lambert was up and all I have to say is that after his performance, the other 3 should have just sat it out. Nothing came close to Adam’s performance last night.

Allison did an ok job, but she has never been one of my favorites and has been in the bottom 3 several times now. Even tho it was rock night, I felt she held back and this was the night she could have shined.

After that we had a somewhat bland performance by Kris Allen. This isn’t his genre and though he has a huge following, he could have taken a rock song and made it into his own style. However, I think with Slash’s band playing backup and think they all felt compelled to rock it out last nite. I don’t think Kris rocked well…

Now we come to Danny. Way out of his element. It was an interesting performance and that last note was kinda kewl…but not as kewl as Adam.

Kris and Danny performed a duo as well as Allison and Adam. I admit, after listening to the performances today that Adam and Allison did a pretty good job and they fit well together. Kris and Danny however was like oil and vinegar.

My guess for who is going home tonite is going to be Allison. Yes she is the last girl standing, but I don’t think she has enough of a following to help her. Compared to the other three, she doesn’t have the votes.

Let’s see how America judged last night. Stay tuned for the results show…

A Little Sister Act, A Little Band Camp, A Little of Glee

I’ve been seeing the ads on Fox for their new upcoming show, GLEE.

It was the music program in high school that helped changed my life. I wasn’t in the “Glee” club, I was in orchestra. Then I joined marching and concert band, jazz band and I was on the technical crew for the theater department. It was joining the band that started me on my change. I can honestly say I would have been a different person today if it wasn’t for three very supportive music teachers.

Seeing the commercials brought back some memories! So after the Idol finale on May 19, watch a special episode of Glee!

Feeling Better and Moving On

Hey everyone. I’ve been out with a bout of pneumonia and have disappeared for a bit. I have been in bed for over a week and it is nice to be getting out of it. I’m still coughing, but the doc says the fluid in my lungs appear to be gone. Now time to get my energy level back and back to work on Monday. I miss everyone at the office and being alone at the house for over a week can make you a bit stir-crazy.

I got some news from my property manager and it looks like I’m going to be allowed to upgrade to a one-bedroom unit!! This is awesome! My lease is up at the end of May and unless I found a place, I’d have to pay higher rent. Some of the neighboring apartment complexes have had one bedroom units for cheaper than what I was paying for my Studio. While I have enjoyed living in my studio for the last two years, its time for something bigger.

One thing I regretted about having a studio is that I could never have friends over for dinner. I love to entertain and now I can! I always felt weird that my only place to eat was n a bar counter right over the sink. I now have a dining room that should be able to fit a table for six. My little galley kitchen is now bigger with a tad bit more counter space as well as twice the storage space. You couldn’t have more than one person n the kitchen, now you can have at least two! But the biggest prize?? I have a dishwasher! You have no idea what that will mean for me!

Having a bedroom that I can actually close the door on means alot too. I could never really have friends from out of town over or if the kids (my nephews and nieces) wanted to come over and stay over I had wished I had a door I could close for privacy.

The bedroom also has a big walk-in closet which means I’ll have more room for a real desk in my room instead of a makeshift table and no tabletop space. I can keep the room open for the bed and desk and put the bureau in the closet. The actual bathroom space is the same but the “vanity” area is twice the size and I have additional linen space.

I get to move in about three weeks, so I have alot of packing to do. The property manager will be putting in new carpeting as well as new flooring in the kitchen and bathroom. They are also be enameling the bath/shower. A fresh coat of paint and a thorough cleaning and the place will be like brand new. Apparently the tenant who is moving out has lived there for years.

Did I tell you where it’s at?? It’s directly across the parking lot from me, I can see my new balcony from my apartment, how sweet is that!