Dan Antion

You Had Your Chance – #1LinerWeds

“Where have you been? I need to be brushed.”

If you’ve visited this blog before, you know I am a fan of Star Trek. I’ve been watching Star Trek Next Generation on BBC America. It’s weird, I can watch STNG on Hulu. I can watch it on the DVDs I own. Still, there is something about watching it when someone else is putting it in front of me. It’s like watching the Twilight Zone Marathon on New Year’s Eve. Anyway, what I’m watching, where I’m watching it and why, are not the point. The point is I have a one-liner.

This comes from Star Trek Next Generation, Episode 49 – “Evolution” when Paul Stubbs is speaking to Wesley Crusher:

“You will never come up against a greater adversary than your own potential.”

Dr. Stubbs offered this as a warning. I could blather on about various personal attempts to achieve some aspect of my potential, but I’m going to turn this on something else. I’m going to go back to when I was watching that Twilight Zone Marathon and suggest that old man 2019 is giving some advice to baby 2020. Despite the fact that we are only two-thirds of the way through, I’d say 2020 isn’t going to make it.

I’m picturing 2019 advising 2020 – it’s not going well.

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you have a one-liner, If you would like to join in on the fun, you can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

The double rose of sharon is enjoying its second shot this summer.
“It doesn’t look like you got much done. Are you sure you’re working here?”
Shingles and preparation for more shingles. Hopefully, we can say goodbye to the last remaining brown shingles.
We don’t have many more days like this. I’m going to keep enjoying them.
Companion and pillow – hey, at least I have a job.
What do you say, Maddie. Time to head home?”
“It’s OK bunny. We won’t bother you.” Rabbit Rabbit.
Dog’s eye view of the crosswalk
Trying to see what Maddie finds so interesting about this corner.
We’re still walking early, but the sun is rising later.
This is our last week for early morning walks. School starts next week, and we won’t be able to walk until 8:30.
“Don’t play in the street!”
Sammy, eating his peanut.
Maddie decided we should sit first last night and take care of business later.

77 comments

  1. Amazing the camouflage nature provides animals with. That Rose of Sharon is still gorgeous. Love the shots of sunlight filtering through the trees.

    And should you ever be filling out a job application again, be sure to include you are a companion and pillow extraordinaire!
    Ginger

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    • Ha! I’m now picturing being interviewed for a dog watching job. “Pillow parts?” “Legs, ankles, arms, chest…”

      Looks like rain today. The RoS, is sucking up new moisture and unfurling to greet the day.

      I hope it’s a good one for you, Ginger. Give Murphy a scritch from the girls.

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  4. Hi Dan – Rivergirl’s comment applies to me too … still the idea is to enjoy life, stay tuned, and learn more … you are busy with your ‘shed’ … and enjoy the time watching in peace. Yes … the world is getting busier – our schools go back today I think … all the best – Hilary

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      • I’m fine – in a better condition than many … and do what I can for others … and keep my brain occupied as well as the walks by the sea along the seafront. I’m lucky I’m in the win column and grateful for it … so thanks for your thought … Hilary

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    • Thanks Judy. I think the Editor would stop them in the driveway. She has a list…

      Maddie seems to know how to get what she wants. Normally, we take care of “business” and then she tries to get me to sit with her on the little deck off my shop. Lately, she just plops on the steps from the back porch. I can’t say no if we’re already sitting.

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  8. I love the Star Trek quote, Dan, but potential is such a tricky thing, especially when applied personally, because it is hard to distinguish between potential potential, i.e. potential that is at best theoretical, and actual potential. Not all of us have the physical potential to become Olympic athletes or the mental potential to become nuclear physicists. In a sense, it is a one man competition in which I am competing against myself to become the best possible version of myself. In that sense, we all establish our own benchmarks and it doesn’t really matter what others think. How do we know if we have realized our potential? We will probably never know, but I think that if we have made honest efforts in what we do, we can look back without regrets. (Unrealized potential definitely comes to mind when thinking of 2020, but I would rather not go there because it quickly becomes political.) Returning now to the photos, I can get a sense of the changing seasons. Are the kids in your area physically going back to school? Here in Northern Virginia, they are all doing virtual learning. I loved the shot of Maddie curled up next to you–so sweet. I initially looked at your post in Reader and noted the captions are double-spaced. Is that something that WordPress does deliberately?

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    • It is a tricky issue, Mike. I think, as long as we are happy with what we do/have done, we’re OK. We are the only person really capable of gauging our achievements. As I understand it (no firsthand knowledge) our kids are going back to school. Half will be in person for a week, while half will be remote and then they will switch. I’m not sure who long that will last. CT has a very low number/% of cases right now, so maybe it will work. I also don’t think the approach our town is taking is uniform across the state. As for the double-spaced captions, I really don’t know. All I do know is that when you are choosing a new theme, you have to be really careful. The preview they offer you only shows you about 10% of what you need to know. Missing, of course, is how your blog will look on all the devices you don’t own and how it will look in the reader, in email, etc. I liked what I saw in the preview, but there are aspects of this theme I don’t like. I don’t know how many of those aspects I can affect with CSS, and, to be honest, I don’t know if the same CSS styles are used in a browser and by the reader. To be even more honest, I’m not sure I want to take the time to try and figure it out. In many ways, the suggestion by the Happiness Engineer – to embed captions in my own photos – looks like the only way to have the images look the way I want them to look on every device, and that is way too much work.

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      • Thanks for the detailed response, Dan. I kind of went off on a tangent on “potential”–sorry. We were planning to do the half/half option for school and then decided it was not worth the risk. As for WP, I am reluctant to switch my theme for the reasons you cite. How I long for simpler times. :)

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        • I wasn’t sure about the potential this post had, Mike. In the “2020 problem we didn’t have as kids” column, our schools have agreed that students with different last names in the same household can attend school in person during the same week. They are trying to make it easier for people to schedule work and child care.

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  9. That is something I have always loved about the Star Trek franchise writers: their word have meaning even today. That is a profound statement and it was a simple line in series more than 30 years ago…….

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    • The “where do you go from up?” theme also showed up in the original series. I like that they brought social issues to the surface, but also personal issues like this. Also, it’s interesting that this line goes to a guest star. It is why I keep watching, 30 and 50 years later.

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  10. Dan that’s a profound quote. It goes both ways too, that potential. While some strive to achieve their best potential (not to mention the ones who don’t try), others are finding new heights in the bad they can achieve. (Of course that reminds me of TDS Telecom — my Internet is already bad at 6:30 AM today…)
    Love the gallery today — all terrific. The shadows really capture Maddie’s energy, very cute. I particularly like the dog’s eye view. Hugs on the wing.

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    • Sorry about the internet issues, Teagan. It’s too early for technical problems. You’re right about potential existing in all directions. We don’t get credit for not becoming as bad as we could be, but we are often criticized for not being as good at something as we could be. We have to judge ourselves. I hope things get better and you start a nice ride into the end of the week.

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  12. I don’t even remember how many times my parents would come home from a PTA meeting and tell me the teacher said I was not working up to my potential. Really? And what might be the potential of a 3rd grader? I just wanted to have fun. Still do. Oh–does that mean I have achieved my potential?! :D I like seeing Maddie’s eye view of your morning walk. A whole different perspective. Enjoy your day, Dan.

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    • Oh my goodness, Lois, I think that remark was on every report card I ever had. How did your 3rd grade teacher know what your potential was? I’m glad you like the Maddie’s eye views. I’ve been trying to see what she finds so fascinating.

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  13. 2020 is in a fiery tailspin. The best we can hope for at this point is that enough eject safely and it crashes at sea where it does minimal structural damage yet obliterates sea life for centuries.

    I got to the end of that analogy and now I don’t know whether to laugh or cry…

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  14. Ah rise to your potential. Reminds me of the discussion of the dough and the yeast. Then the cracker jumped into the discussion. I think even when we are directly competing with others or with a challenging situation we are still mostly competing with ourselves. And to put it in current terms it would be not so much can I get down there to discover and comprehend Maddie’s view of the world. The rising to potential would be ‘can I get back up again afterwards ?;’ Because the gravity of the situation is part of the equation of the potential. Now to prepare for the switch to the post noon beverage… more potential.

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    • Hahaha – I love your comments, John. On a serious note: I think your hobby is one of judging potential on a regular basis, and then updating us as to whether such potential was achieved. It’s raining here today. The potential for five o’clock to arrive on the three o’clock train is high.

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  16. Ha! One more thing you and the hubs have in common. I have hundreds of movies and boxed sets of our favorites series on dvd, but if the tv is on and one of them is randomly there, he gets more excited than a kid at Christmas. However, if he walks in the room and said favorite is playing, he will-9 times out of 10, ask if it was on tv or a dvd. Something about that planned watching ruins it for him.
    I think in the history books 2020 should be tagged ‘the lost year’. Hopefully it is the last and only one of its kind. 😔

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  19. Enjoying the feeling of “chill” in the air via your blog, although it is a bit cooler (feel that I really should still put that in quotes) here are well. Today I enjoyed reading the comments as much as I did your post, Dan. 2020 certainly hasn’t been the same as other years but our part of it has, thankfully, gone fairly well and been quiet. We got our move in, are enjoying time with my parents, my husband loves it here even with bike riding in the heat, and there’s the potential (see how I worked that in?) for lots more to do and see at some point in the hopefully not-too-distant future. In that way, there’s more potential to upcoming months, don’t you think? It would be horrible if things continued to go downhill, although it depends on whose downhill it is, I guess. Anyway, on that cherry note, I hope there’s a high potential for you having a wonderful week, weekend, and Labor Day.

    janet

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    • I think there is much potential, Janet. I have had a pretty good year. I like the fact that museums are opening and I might be able to visit some of the places I had planned to visit in the spring. Then again, we’re lucky. I was already retired when this started. Our needs are simple as are our desires. Most of what we want to do, we are able to do now, I hope some of those new opportunities open up for you.

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    • I’m glad you liked it. I had been meaning to write it down the last time I heard it. This time, I did. 8:30 will be late. I’m going to try to ease her into it. If we get another heat wave, we will be skipping the walk. It is really nice to see the doubles come back.

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  23. I watch STNG on BBC, too. Even if I’ve seen an episode 10 times, it provides comforting as background noise. I haven’t seen “Evolution” as often as some. I think they have a limited stash of episodes. Still, a lot of them are about potential, encouraging us to be better. One of the reasons I love Star Trek.

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  24. I think I’m finally ready for my personal potential – the one that doesn’t have an agenda and where I don’t have to brush my hair until 10 am. ;-)

    As for 2020, there’s still the possibility of potential in November. Adding that to my daily prayers…

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  26. The Saturday Evening Post cover is a classic. Love the photo of your morning walk with the sun rising later. How do you remember lines from Star Trek? That’s impressive. I was a fan of Outer Limits. “There’s nothing wrong with your TV. Don’t adjust the dials…” Happy long weekend, Dan.

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