An update on customizing my power wheelchair.

[ThomCat]

You probably remember that right after all of you contributed to buy the Powerchair for me last spring 2 art directs at work offered to "pimp it out" for me. Well, it's finally going to happen. They've scheduled the third weekend in August to borrow my chair and work on it.

They're going to cover it in markings to make it look like a starship. The call letters will be NCC-1701-DU. The name will be the Starship Enterpoop. There will be warp nacels mounted on the back of the chair somehow. There might be a horn that sounds like a phaser or photon torpedo (they're still working on how to do that). And if possible, there might be a removable desktop that mounts on it that looks like a saucer section.


That's the weekend of the NYC meetup so I'll be making due with just crutches that weekend. None of you will get to see it at the meetup. Sorry.

But when it's all done I'm going to get lots of pictures and post them here. I'm definitely going to include pictures of the artists and give them a lot of credit, but you all deserve credit too.

One of the possibilities we've discussed is that the names of the donors who paid for the powerchair might be painted on in slightly different shades of gray and silver so that you're all listed on there, but blended into the surface of the starship. How cool is that?

[flvegan]

1. Starship Enterpoop??!!

[ThomCat]

3. Can I take it that you approve?

[flvegan]

5. Thom

you've got a blank check approval from me.

Hope I get to see Enterpoop someday in person.

[ThomCat]

8. That would be awesome.

Once I can travel any kind of distance again hopefully there will be a DU meetup somewhere in the middle. I've been hoping to head south for a trip at some point.

[flvegan]

9. I'm hoping

Next January will be a BIG ASS DU meetup up towards the northeast. One which I'll be at.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

2. Gonna have to start calling you Cutter John!

[ThomCat]

4. I'm sure I'll hear that name now and then when I'm out in public.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. My dear ThomCat!

That is very cool news, sweetie!

I hope the crutches won't hurt you, though...

And I am very much looking forward to talking with you this weekend...

And seeing you on that one!

[ThomCat]

10. Hi Peggy!

If I can't manage on just the crutches I'll rent a loaner chair for the weekend. One way or another I'm not missing events that weekend.

I'm looking forward to talking to you too, so we can work out some ideas for your trip to make sure you are near people and can have a good time.

There are a lot of good hotels on the east side of manhattan, which is very easy for everyone to get to, and it's right near my office so I know the area. I hope you don't mind that I'm checking out hotels so I can make suggestions. We definitely want you nearby and in a convenient location while you're here.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. You are a sweetheart!

I am in your debt forever!

Mind? Hardly!

I want to be in the thick of it too, sweetie!

I cannot fucking wait!

[DarkTirade]

7. Heh, just on a whim I downloaded the first episode of Enterprise to watch for the hell of it.

Just closed that window to check DU and saw this.

[ThomCat]

11. Have you ever sat in the Captain's chair?

[DarkTirade]

18. After seeing that first episode, the thought crossed my mind...

... oh, you mean the actual command chair?

Funny how when T'Pol was parading around in her underwear, it looked like the ship was really cold. Yet when the captain was in his underwear, the ship most certainly did not appear to be cold. At all.

[ThomCat]

21. Yeah, that life support seems to work very well

at adjusting temperatures as needed.

Enterprise really outdid the other shows when it came to skimpy clothing and highlighting sexuality. The original series might have had aliens wearing less, but nothing as revealing, and they certainly didn't have the crew dressed in anything that revealing.

[DarkTirade]

31. I didn't catch it the first time around, just in reruns.

Thankfully most of that was during the time when I was living with The Animator and he'd just gotten a big-screen TV...

[SeattleGirl]

12. I love it!!

The Starship Enterpoop!

And I can't wait to see the pictures when they're all done with it!

[ThomCat]

13. I might even go all geek and get a uniform to go with it.

Probably Next Generation style. But I'd be open to suggestions.

[SeattleGirl]

14. Next Generation, definitely!

You'd be a total hit if you ever went to a Star Trek convention!

[Gormy Cuss]

16. Oh noes!

You need a uniform to go with that chair. May I suggest late Captain Kirk?

[ThomCat]

17. I don't know if I could pull off a Captain Kirk.

I can pull off the semi-academic seriousness of Picard, but not the arrogant confidence and sex appeal of Kirk.

[Gormy Cuss]

27. You can be Kirk.

All you need is a good girdle and a toupee.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

19. Captain Pike?

was that the guys name

[ThomCat]

22. I don't know. I think I take after Captain Sulu a bit more.

[DarkTirade]

32. Oh my!

[Robeson]

20. Can't wait to see the pics, Thom...

...and wish I could fly up for the NY meet-up...

[ThomCat]

23. If we can all meet in DC in January I hope you can make it.

[Crabby Appleton]

24. You definately need a uniform

and a phaser.

[ThomCat]

26. I hope they come through with the horn that sounds like either a

phasor or photon torpedos. That would be totally wonderful!

[LeftyMom]

25. A Star Trek wheelchair must beep one for yes and twice for no.

Or the other way around. I don't feel like looking it up on Memory Alpha.

[ThomCat]

28. Or maybe I can get audo clips ot the computer's voice on an MP3 player

and build a soundtrack of responses, announcements and warnings for the chair.

I forget the name of Gene Rodenberry's wife, who was the voice of the computer. Having something in her voice would be totally iconic and immediately recognizable.

[LeftyMom]

29. Majel Barrett Roddenberry.

She was also Nurse Chapel and Lwaxawna Troi (I know I'm spelling that wrong, again, don't care to look it up.) She cracks me the hell up in the latter role, especially the DS9 episodes where she's trying to seduce Quark.

edited for coherence- I'm tired.

[ThomCat]

30. However her name was spelled,

she was hillarious as Troi's mother.

That was definitely one of the better background supporting characters.

[TZ]

33. Thats great!

Combining two of my favorites..Star Trek and Bloom County...
Can't wait to see the pics...

[ThomCat]

43. Me too!

I'm so excited about this.

[Greyskye]

34. Cpt. ThomCat of the USS Enterpoop!

Hmmm, I wonder if that's Novak's 'Vette in the 'toon below?

[ThomCat]

42. That is absolutely awesome

that you found a Bloom County strip online with Cutter John, the Starship Enterpoop and the crew.

Can I lob a few photos torpedos at Novak's 'Vette? Please?

[Greyskye]

48. Heh.

I was looking for one that I remembered from one of my Bloom County collections at home, but this is the closest I could find. The 'Vette was a bonus.

And please, fire at will!

Hey, maybe they can rig up a 'Red Alert' sound effect for when you need to clear the way in front of you!

[lost-in-nj]

35. HI sweety!!!!

hope its MORE wonderful than before!!!!!!!!



lost

[ThomCat]

44. Hi LiNJ!

They have given me a lot of chances to give suggestions and guidelines, but I've tried very hard to give them free reign to do whatever they want with this. They'll do a better job if it's their baby than if they're just following directions. So even though I know basically what they're going to do, I'm expecting to be surprised.

Whatever they do, I expect it really will be wonderful.

[Writer]

36. Dude, that is totally trippin'.

Like waaaaaaay.

[ThomCat]

45. It's far out...

where no one has gone before...

[arcadian]

37. I'd forgotten about that from Bloom County

Thanks for the reminder.

[ThomCat]

46. You're very welcome!

Bloom County and Calvin and Hobbs are two strips that should not be forgotten.

[Pierre.Suave]

38. That sounds like it will be one very cool chair Thom

I can not wait to see the pictures.

[ThomCat]

47. I hate to think about the pressure of expectations those two

must be feeling. But as Art Directors I image that's a common pressure to feel. I hope they have fun with this.

[Pierre.Suave]

53. I am sure they will

and it sounds like it will be one awesome chair when they are done.

[puerco-bellies]

39. Way cool Thomcat

Can't wait to see it.

[ThomCat]

49. I can't wait to share the pictures.

The first time I attend a comic or sci-fi convention after getting it back is going to be an interesting experience.

[Blue-Jay]

40. ?

[ThomCat]

50. I have no idea which episode that photoshop was taken from

but it was clearly the original series.

I dearly hope that contraption is not the model for what they're going to do to my chair.

[Callalily]

41. How wonderful of your friends

to customize your power-chair. And I simply love the name.

Ummmmm *blushing* you haven't forgotten about my drink up holder suggestion, have you?



Will patiently wait for pics!

[ThomCat]

51. The saddle bags that I had on the arms ended up coming off.

They kept sliding off and were not practical. And I found out that drink holders would be no good once I got outside on bumpy sidewalks. So the arms on my chair are bare.

It's not like I ever carry drinks anyway. A phaser will be more important.

[Callalily]

63. That's okay about the cup holder.

Totally understandable.

So here's my next big idea. You can easily mount this to the arm, but be sure that the mount has a quick release mechanism. I'm confident this will come in handy.

[bettyellen]

52. Babydoll! You wizzed past me on 6th Avenue Wed morning!! I was half asleep and...

i was like... he's cute! hey!!! I KNOW him... it's it's ThomCat!! By that time you were gone!!
This was about 5 feet north of the Dunkin Donuts. I was wearing a green gingham shirt and khaki skirt.
I wish I'd been more... awake. Good to see you!

[ThomCat]

55. Wow! I wish you had shouted out to me.

I would have been very willing to be a bit later to work to stop and talk to you.

I has scheduled the morning off for some medical tests anyway, but they went quickly, so I had extra time.

[bettyellen]

64. Sweetie. I was choking on your dust! I can't holler that loud. ;-D

[Inchworm]

54. Thom!

Don't trick your ride out so much it takes anything from who Thom is.

Yer teh shit, remember?

[ThomCat]

56. No matter how much they do to the chair,

I'll still be the one riding it.

[Inchworm]

57. Rock on dude!

I'll be in your big city soon. Be prepared lolz.

[ThomCat]

58. Tell me when and I'll be there any time you have free.

How much damage are we causing while you're here?

[Inchworm]

62. My damage is like lights in a rainbow

all good

[zabet]

59. ..

[ThomCat]

60. That's pretty much my thought about this too.

Your signature is Funny! What inspired you to create that.

[zabet]

61. GD effing Primaries...

there was poop to the left of me and poop to the right of me!