Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: The Enterprise crew is unknowingly caught in a time loop, replaying the same day over and over again. Each time the ship begins a new cycle, the crew members forget the previous events but experience feelings of deja vu. The end result is always the same, however, the Enterprise is destroyed and all onboard are killed. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/star-trek-the-next-generation-episode-review-cause-and-effect/

I get it's for fun/show school spirit during Homecoming week. But, to be honest, I was a bit surprised the schools still elect to do this when there is such a strong anti-bullying movement going on. As my oldest daughter suggested, they should update this to "Dress Like a Stereotype" Day and let kids dress up as nerds, dumb jocks, stuck up popular kids, etc. rather than just pick on one.

Synopsis: The Enterprise receives a distress signal from a Federation ship that went missing 200 years earlier and is drawn to a planet that is inhabitable because of cosmic storms. Following a failed mission to search the planet for the wreckage, Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Data (Brent Spiner) and Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney) return to the Enterprise under the influence of disembodied entities claiming to be the ghosts from the lost ship and quickly take hostages in an attempt to force Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) to rescue the rest of the crew. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/star-trek-the-next-generation-episode-review-power-play/

Here are some of my thoughts from yesterday's game: 1. I used to watch a lot of pro wrestling when I was younger and I remember countless matches that ended with a seemingly clear-cut winner only to have the referee reveal the time limit expired, there was a disqualification, etc. I felt that way when Clay Matthews got his sack on Alex Smith only to have it overturned with yet another questionable roughing the passer penalty. The NFL needs to get that corrected sooner rather than later. 2. I think my biggest problem with the roughing the passer controversy (besides the fact they seem to be picking on Matthews) is I believe, at some point, the over enforcement will result in the opposite of what the league is trying to do. If accidentally landing on a quarterback is going to be treated the same as hitting them helmet-to-helmet or slamming them to the ground, there's really no incentive for a defender to avoid the latter. I think it's only a matter of time before defender...

After about a two year wait, my dad is going on the Badger Honor Flight today (a free flight/tour of Washington D.C. for Wisconsin veterans). My brother is flying with him. So, tonight, we get to head down to Madison to welcome him and the other veterans home. It's going to be a late night but it sounds like a pretty big event with Bucky Badger, Uncle Sam and a live band. I plan on taking my camera with me to get photos.

Synopsis: While tracking a stellar core fragment, the Enterprise crew discovers the fragment will pass by and destroy a previously unknown colony of genetically engineered humans. When the colony's leaders refuse to evacuate, LaForge (LeVar Burton) works with the colony's top scientist (Dey Young) to save the day. However, the Enterprise's interaction with the colonists may result in the destruction of their perfect society anyway. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/star-trek-the-next-generation-episode-review-the-masterpiece-society/

Synopsis: The Enterprise is scanned by an unknown alien ship and the entire crew is left with no memory of who they are or what their mission is. The computer also seems to be affected and the only information they can retrieve gives evidence they are in the middle of a decades-long war and on a mission that will bring the conflict to an end. You can read the review here:  https://wizzley.com/star-trek-the-next-generation-episode-review-conundrum/

I was just reading this morning astronomers discovered a "super-Earth" orbiting a star Gene Roddenberry referred to in his Star Trek creation. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-find-planet-vulcan-from-star-trek/ar-BBNxGv9?OCID=ansmsnnews11 I just thought it was intriguing that they found this planet in basically the same place he said the planet Vulcan was. So, either he was really lucky about that or he knew something we didn't know. Makes me wonder if maybe he was secretly a visitor from another world.

There was a time when I would watch professional wrestling religiously. However, by the late 90s, I grew bored with the "sport" and, other than an occasional match or two (when nothing else was on) had pretty much abandoned it. However, my wife and I recently discovered Lucha Underground on Netflix and, thanks to that, I am regaining my love for pro wrestling. Here are the three main reasons why. Read the rest of the story here:  https://wizzley.com/three-reasons-why-lucha-underground-made-me-a-pro-wrestling-fan-again/

Synopsis : A British wizard, Newt Scamander, arrives in New York City while en route to Arizona to return a thunderbird to its natural habitat. When magical suitcase he uses to transport a variety of magical beasts accidentally falls into the hands of a non-magical cannery factory worker, some of the creatures are released into the city and he, with the help of a demoted investigator, must track them down. At the same time, the City of New York is being terrorized by a dark magical creature. Is it one of Newt's beasts? Or, is there some other creature on the loose? You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them-2016/

The thing that is going to kill the National Football League isn't players kneeling on the sidelines. It's going to be ridiculous rules that make quarterbacks virtually untouchable.  When Clay Matthews was flagged for roughing the passer on Sunday (pretty much costing the Green Bay Packers a win over the Minnesota Vikings), I took it in stride because I figured the NFL would review it, see the error of its ways and correct it going forward. That, however, was not the case. Instead, the league ruled the call was the correct one ,  Look, I'm all for player safety and taking precautions to give them protection against unnecessary injuries (especially to the head). But, these new rules (or, actually, newly-emphasized enforcement on old rules) are going to make the games look more like a scrimmage, when the quarterbacks wear red shirts and are off limits. The only difference is, these games count. I understand quarterback is the most important position/highest p...

Some thoughts from yesterday's game: 1. The big discussion will be, of course, Clay Matthews' questionable roughing the passer penalty that negated an interception and ultimately allowed the Minnesota Vikings to tie the game. But, the Packers had plenty of other opportunities to win this game prior to that. A Jimmy Graham touchdown was negated by a holding penalty, for example. And, let's not forget the poor clock management on Green Bay's possession before that. Kirk Cousins should never have gotten the ball with that much time on the clock and two time outs. 2. One thing that makes the decision not to run the ball on that previous possession is the running backs were having a surprisingly solid day. Jamal Williams and Ty Montgomery combined for 90 yards on the ground. That's not something I would expect to see against a talented Vikings defensive front. 3. I'm willing to bet the Vikings spend part of the week auditioning new kickers. Daniel Carlson...

The weather has been nice enough to go for a walk at lunch. However, thanks to all that rain we had, the mosquitoes are pretty much unbearable right now so, other than a failed attempt yesterday (I lasted all of 10 minutes), I haven't been going. I have, however, been still getting the occasional photo before heading into the office in the morning. Here is a selection of those (as well as one I did manage to take before giving up on my walk yesterday).

The photo is a little blurry (probably because my eyes were at the time too) but here's a photo of Echo as he was lounging around in the kitchen this morning after a long night of pestering us and keeping us awake. And, I'm sure he's wondering why my wife and I were a bit grumpy this morning as a result.

Just a few thoughts after last night's exciting but exhausting game. 1. I don't think you will ever hush those who criticize the Packers for not landing Khalil Mack. But, last night's game and Aaron Rodgers' heroic performance showed an elite quarterback will ALWAYS trump an elite pass rusher. 2. I know I only got to see him for about a quarter, but I'm still not convinced Deshone Kizer was really an improvement over Brett Hundley. If there's going to be that much of a talent difference between Rodgers and the #2 guy, then maybe Green Bay should just promote Tim Boyle to #2 and free up a roster spot. 3. I do have some serious concerns about the Packers' offensive line. Bryan Bulaga seemed kind of slow on his feet and unsure at times so I'm wondering if maybe he came back from his injury too early. If the Bears gave them this much of a problem in this game, the Vikings are going to be trouble next week, especially if Rodgers is still hobbled. 4...

Synopsis: It's Halloween night and Art the Clown, armed with a bag of weapons, is ready to start a killing spree. When he encounters two young women on their way home from a Halloween party, he decides to terrorize them while killing anyone else who happens to get in his way. Who's in it? The movie stars Jenna Kanell , Samantha Scaffidi , David Howard Thornton , Catherine Corcoran and Pooya Mohseni . Review: I haven't had much success picking out horror movies lately and, as a result of that, I was a bit hesitant to watch this one last night. But, since you really can't go wrong with a killer clown movie, I figured I would give this film a shot. And, as it turns out, it was better than expected. Art the Clown (Thornton) was pretty much everything you could ask for in a horror movie clown. He was creepy looking, had a definite violent streak and was surprisingly unpredictable. As a result of that, along with his way he always remained silent, he managed to m...

I kept hearing this hawk in the morning but could never find it. Saw it yesterday morning as it was perched on one of the wires outside my house. Could be why the squirrels haven't been in the bird feeder lately.

Just some pelicans I saw this morning before heading into the office. Fortunately, I had my camera with me this time.

Synopsis: Celebrating both their new home and her pregnancy, Matt and Sarah invite their friends to stay with them. When Sarah's twin brother, Eric, shows up unexpectedly, it creates tension between her and Matt, especially when the perpetually unemployed Eric once again asks her for money. When Eric talks about ghosts and recounts a story about him and Sarah interacting with one when they were kids, Matt is skeptical and, along with their friends, agrees to go on a ghost-hunt in a nearby burned-out prison that once housed a cannibal. Who's in it? The movie stars Chelsey Crisp , Riley Smith , Michael Steger , Lyndon Smith , Elimu Nelson and Raj Kala . Review: My wife and I came across this film a couple nights ago and, even though we ultimately decided to watch it, it was with some reluctance. The description made it sound interesting but we've been burned by low-budget horror movies before and had our doubts. And, as it turns out, those doubts were not unfounded...

Synopsis: The young and beautiful Mary Gerrard is dead from morphine poisoning and authorities blame Elinor Carlisle, the wealthy heiress with an apparent score to settle against the woman who unwittingly came between her and her fiance. With Elinor on trial for murder and facing certain conviction, Hercule Poirot is asked to conduct an independent investigation for the defense in an effort to find another plausible suspect. He reluctantly agrees and quickly finds every scrap of evidence points toward Elinor's guilt. Review: I started reading this book about three weeks ago and, since weather and finances kept us from doing anything over Labor Day weekend, was able to finally finish it. Overall, I don't think it was a bad book. But, I'm not sure I liked it as much as some of Agatha Christie's other novels. On the surface, this book had a great plot. Elinor had plenty of motive for killing Mary and the other woman happened to die of morphine poisoning shortly a...

Synopsis: Dan and Joyce Thompson have plans to celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary but their babysitter, Maggie, is unavailable. Fortunately for them, Maggie's friend, Anna, is able to watch their three kids. What they don't know, however, is Anna is dead and the young woman they left with their kids is actually named Emelie and she seems to have an unhealthy obsession with their youngest son, Christopher. Who's in it? The movie stars Sarah Bolger , Carly Adams , Joshua Rush , Elizabeth Stillwell and Thomas Bair . Review: My wife and I recently got hooked on Lucha Underground and have been watching it regularly. However, we were both in the mood for a movie the other night and decided to pick out a thriller. This one looked somewhat interesting so we decided to give it a chance. As it turns out, it fell well short of our expectations. The film's premise wasn't a bad one. After all, hiring a new babysitter only to find out she's not who she says...