We delve into science fiction fandoms, starting with the big two: Star Wars and Star Trek. Tom saw Star Wars in the theaters when it first came out in 1977. Melody's first experience was limited to the VHS tapes of the original trilogy. Tom's first lightsaber, back when the first movie came out, was an officially licensed black flashlight with a white tube attached that emitted white light. The toys got better after Empire Strikes Back, and then again after the prequels. Tom eventually got a combat lightsaber to play with Melody's nephew, but Melody thinks they're so expensive and should not be banged up in battle. Star Wars is big in Tom's family and he and his dad bond over it. Tom's dad has had many different and interesting jobs, but when he was an Air Traffic Controller in the 1980's he was so good at it that his coworkers nicknamed him Luke Skywalker. Melody and Tom took his dad out to see the prequels and sequels, and would love to take him to visit Galaxy's Edge at Walt Disney World. Tom has read some of the expanded universe, and is partial to Timothy Zahn's "Heir To The Empire'' Thrawn trilogy. He bought the books at the store at the exit of the Star Tours ride, and would read them while sitting next to the tank in The Living Seas at Epcot while listening to the dolphins. Melody and Tom attended several cons, including Celebration V where they saw Jon Stewart interview George Lucas and Melody almost ran into Carrie Fisher as she rushed by. Melody used to role play Star Wars with her elementary school friends. Her brother had a cardboard cutout of Darth Vader that she valued more than he did. Also, Han Solo was her first crush! Tom is a big Trekker. He really enjoys Gene Roddenberry's vision for the future, and likes that it's a show that makes you think. Melody can appreciate Star Trek but is not a fan (yet). However, she has only seen up to the second season of The Next Generation, so she hasn't seen the better episodes. Tom got deep into Star Trek in college, but unfortunately there had been no sci-fi conventions in Puerto Rico. Close to the time he left the island however, some company did a test con. It was a tiny, intimate gathering with two guests, Jonathan Del Arco who played Hugh Borg and one of the writers, and a few merch tables. He attended both nights and got his first Star Fleet pin and pips, and a Bajoran earring and nose prosthetic. We give a YouTuber Shout-Out to Nasser, who started doing Harry Potter content but has gained a following doing first time movie reactions. His reactions to watching the Star Wars original trilogy for the first time were very entertaining, and Melody loved his reaction to the Luke & Leia relationship.

After completing her first two weeks on the full elimination stage of the Auto-Immune Protocol (AIP), Melody can't say that she notices much of a difference in how she feels. She believes this is due to the gradual transition that she made to this stage, and having already reaped much of the benefits. Currently her Crohn's symptoms are barely noticeable, and she feels her skin condition is improving. We celebrated Valentine's Day early and Melody overindulged on AIP junk food, which she found out is possible. The silver lining to the repercussions of overeating is the motivation you get to refocus on healthier choices. Melody has always been a picky eater and has found it is important to have a positive experience when trying new foods. She makes a point to have a good recipe in order to try foods that intimidate her. Having successfully integrated bone marrow into her diet with a marrow cheese recipe, she will next attempt to outgrow her distaste of seafood by trying a recipe called "nomlette" for an egg substitute made with whitefish.


*** YouTuber Shout-Out ***

Nasser
https://www.youtube.com/user/acciohorcrux100