130.5 (The Unseen DS9 Episode Between 130 And 131)

Remember how, at the end of "Sacrifice of the Angels" everyone got to come back to DS9. Sisko stares meaningfully at his baseball and everyone says things like, "It's sure good to be home..." etc etc. The next episode is "You Are Cordially Invited" and by the time we see all our DS9 friends again they've settled back into their lives and everyone's super excited about Worf and Jadzia's wedding.

What we didn't get was the super-boring episode in between those. We didn't get Odo and some Bajoran security officers roaming the corridors changing the locks and checking for Cardassian booby traps. We didn't see Miles shouting obscenities at some jumble of wires in a jefferies tube or Dax and Kira sleepily catching up on everything that happened while the Cardassians/Dominion were in charge. We didn't see anyone sleeping off the last six months in several marathon nap sessions only to drag ass to Quark's to eat a huge plate of food and try to figure out where the hours have gone. In short, we didn't see all the boring stuff that had to take place in order for life to keep going after a long time away from home. You'd call that episode something like, "The Crud," because that's how everyone sort of feels.

The entire episode would look just like this. 

And, in case you haven't noticed (and I'm extremely flattered that some of you have and inquired after me) I've not been around quite as much the last week or so. Life leading up to my Shakespeare Camp was hectic and crazy. The camp itself was exhausting and amazing and terrifying all at once. I was deliriously tired the whole way home. Then, a few days later, I packed up my Starfleet uniform and headed to Vegas for the Star Trek convention which was a completely short notice, last minute thing. It was awesome and there were thousands of people there and, as amazing as it was, I got super peopled-out. Then we got back. When I came in the door and set my bags down I said, "Man, it's good to be home," cracked open a Coke Zero, watched five episodes of DS9, and went to bed.

But, like my DS9 friends, I have a love-hate relationship with my current home. I'm thankful we have it and we're lucky to be out here doing what we're doing but this apartment is awful. Between loud neighbors, shoddy construction that means we can hear EVERYTHING they do, and recent changes to the landscape (namely the cutting down of the tree that had been providing our place with shade, a noise barrier and much needed greenery) we can't stand it, we can't sleep, and we're overpaying for all that. So I'm glad to be back but I'm still exhausted, a little sick, and sort of overwhelmed with all the "home stuff" that has to be done after a long absence. Basically, the last week of my life is "The Crud" and I spent most of it looking like this: