Gift mail deadlines in Trekland—there's all kinds & prices

Happy holidays! Here's a quick note for you Trekland shoppers and celebrants:

I don't often cross over here from the blog to The Trekland Trunk, the colletibles/gifts outlet for my archival artifacts and oldie/funky retail items. But as the gift season for Christmas winds down, here's a couple of reminders that there's more stuff out of the Trunk than ever before right now, and that some deadlines are fast upon us:

—This week's Sunday-ending "regular" eBay rounds and the "live-n-local" Sunday items on Facebook will be the last that can be mailed in time for easy Christmas receipt. I will catch up all mailings by that next day—Monday, Dec. 21. That hopefully means arrivals by Dec. 24 at the latest. (These photos of TNG door label, James Doohan autograph, Nemesis crew jacket and 2x3x2 TNG Stage 8 stage plan are but a few of what's up this week)

—I"m putting a few other 24/7 items up, both studio collectibles and routine-but-old retail items, as well. They may run through Monday, but I will also get them out the next day.

—For those who are looking for tax-deductible "office decor" or the like, I'll have some items up even through Christmas and until the first of the year.

—Of course, anything can be grabbed at any time if you are so moved.  No need to wait til bid closing dates! I've been putting up a few more "smaller" and yet collectible items, too.

Oh, and one more note: PORTAL 47 has grabbed a lot of my bandwidth this season, but don't forget Trekland: On Speaker remastered archival CDs when you need a great stocking-stuffer for the hungry background Trekfan on your list. The last 3 annual titles are all in stock, and there are multi-disk specials—check it out!

Just order by noon Monday to ensure domestic US arrival by Dec. 24!

Last two days! Gift my deep-dive Trek audio awesome

If you have a hardcore Trekfan on your gift list who's seen and heard it all, I'd humbly remind you of a great idea: my "On Speaker" CDs of remastered Trek creators' voices from back in the day, each annual edition keyed to a theme. You can see all about the latest here, with Ira, Ron, Dan, Gary, Brannon, Rick and Michael.

BUT MAIL NOTE: If you want it where you need it for US delivery by Christmas Eve, I need the order by NOON PST this SATURDAY, DEC. 20. (I'll ship from SoCal, obviously, and if your addressee is west of the Rockies, that deadline could stretch til noon Monday, Dec. 22. )

We still have our two-fer discount: buy both available Trekland: On Speaker CD editions—Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 (left), with interviews from back THEN from the makers of TNG's finale on its 20th anniversary, and DS9's on its 15th. If, as gifts, you want two 2's or two 3's, check the two-fer box and then leave me a BIG NOTE as to what you want. And happy to sign them for gifts, as you'd wish.

(Vol. 1 is still destined for downloading on iTunes, et al. Thanks as always to Chris Jones of the trek.fm network for the incredible remaster and graphics job, too.)

FYI, we're having one more go through Sunday of some of my archival items from The Trekland Trunk (get notified via on Facebook or Twitter) in time for Christmas, and one more Sunday four-hour Facebook "live bid" at 11 a.m. PT— barely in time for U.S. arrivals on Christmas Eve Wednesday, if that's a concern. Just check the Facebook...

Even wihtout bidding, please stop by and check out the wonder of all that is odd and beautiful from the  in-studio and behind-the-scenes world of Trekland, like the Voyager cast's S2 1995 Christmas gift blanket... or the DS9 mill's 1994 S3 company-wide gift.

One candle on the birthday cake for the Trekland Trunk!

It seems as if we can't get through a week without at least one or two fun anniversaries around Trekland from somewhere... but today marks one pretty close to home.

We announced it in October, but It was just a year ago on Nov. 20 that we actually opened the Trekland Trunk up to lighten our home storage load and share a whole spectrum of Trek goodies, mostly in-house and studio items, with an unaware fandom out there. (There's a pre-holiday big, varied batch up this week, in fact.)

We use the T-Trunk Facebook page to notify those interested, along with the Trunk's Twitter, and —as I'd hoped—it's mostly allowed me not to have to be Mr. Snake Oil Salesman about getting the word out. You can always just subscribe on the treklandtrunk page at eBay, too...

But just knowthat without Facebook  you'll miss out on  the "local" bids we do right on my message threads. Those go just 4-6 hours, usually on Sunday afternoons, with anyone who signs on...and we even have a core group of regular Trunkers who have a lot of fun with the banter. It's hardly a standard auction...but we do get newcomers all the time, depending on the item.

And hey—the Trunk is not just for hard-core collectors, unless you want to be one: A lot of items go for around $50 or less. Of course if you like all things about one given series, or you like scripts most, or crew gifts in general, you can always check in just for that.

If fact, don't get cozy about WHAT to expect. You might guess you'd see the draft scripts and set plans, the cool graphics, even the crew gifts...

But stay alert for the oddball things, like special event show T-shirts ...



















 --or  wrap party table decorations ...

...or even really obscure promo items.

My thanks: The Trekland Trunk has been open six months!

With everything else going on at such a crazed pace this year, I realized today I needed to stop and say something.

THANK YOU.

It's been about six months since I first opened the Trekland Trunk for my mostly studio archival pieces... and for something that is supposed to be so cut-and-dried simple, I just wanted to say thanks to all who have bid or bought a piece. Unfortunately for me, I think everyone has found things to wind up being pretty affordable!

Actually, I was never one who enjoyed the whole huckster vibe, as I proclaimed when I started this ... and so, set up the Facebook page and Twitter lists... not random posts and emails, ack... as the way to let those interested (and only them) know. Forgive me for when I sometimes try to cast a wider net, but if I do so it's for good reason.

It's not a page for the hard-core collectors—almost no big-ticket items. In fact, I think it's more for fans of a given show, or character, or ship... who'd like a really unique or rare  memento of their passion when one pops up .... than about collecting for it's own sake.

So, given that, the response has been gratifying — and especially from those of you who are able to come back as regulars. And a special shout-out to those various "aliens" who chime in on our weekly "local" non-Ebay sessions on Facebook group message thread. I'm just glad to see things get a good home...even if it is to a Breen, Borg, Ferengi or what-have-you.

Right now, in this calm between April and June-July con madness when the Trunk had gotten bare, I'll be restocking with more of the pieces and trying to keep the variety up as well. Right now, there's FIVE items up —the most since the holidays.

There's plenty more to go—and, shock the Prophets, there's even a STAR WARS studio gift up! With a couple more fun and old things of theirs coming soon.

But no worries—I work in Trekland, and that's where the Trunk's heart will stay.  If you are new to this realm, why not go Like the Facebook page to keep up, or follow the Twitter? And, of course, share with your buds who might be interested.

I've still got the info and/or pics archived, believe me... but the real stuff taking up space is now out and in good homes.  Thanks again for being good adopters!

Or—maybe it's time for that first visit? C'mon, take a peek ... :-)

2014 in Trekland: A bevy of crazy-busy new biz... and bub-bye Bones

You remember Janus, right?

No, not the mutual funds per se*, but the Roman god of time and passages, with dual "front and back" faces who could see into both the future and the past—and thusly the namesake of January, when we naturally catch our post-new-year selves doing the same thing: planning tomorrow, reflecting on yesterday. (I love it when I remember something like this from my fourth-grade language textbook.)

And looking ahead to the coming year I already know there's a boatload of things headed right at me—exciting things! I have three brand-new projects staring me in the face—two of them Trek, and the third a long-term date with a mic—but as usual I can't talk about them until they bloom or launch, hopefully by midyear. (Sorry, no links. Yet. And not a lot of fancy logos to break up this one: There's too many! I just want to get through all the words, okay?)

Now, that doesn't even count maintaining the Trekland Trunk after a fast start—I could use an assistant just for that—much less growing this blog and videos with some big overdue plans, and most of all getting our "Con of Wrath" documentary back on the front burner. It  took a back seat when 2013 turned crazy-busy—the long-planned home and office move, coupled with the unexpected joys of writing "Stellar Cartography" and stepping into the McCoy smock for Star Trek Continues.

I'm also proud of serving on boards for new exciting non-profit missions—and for one, I urge you to check out science-based Enterprise in Space project.

Toss in the LA2Vegas Trek film site tour for Geek Nation Tours, some big con trips including Germany's FedCon, another Trekland: On Speaker archival theme CD to come, and my column for Titan Trek mag....and again, it's an overloaded blue-plate special of a year.

But while my three new prospects are exciting, they are half or wholly all on me—meaning a ton of blood, toil, tears and sweat ahead in solo development work, otherwise known as "git'erdone." I'm excited for the challenge, and can't wait to talk about them when ready.

But thanks to Janus, I can learn from a 2013 look-back—and I can also learn from a fourth-grade textbook in another subject. Because, simply, the math "don't add up" when you tally up all this time and energy required—even more than it didn't add up in 2013. Many of my Vegas friends know the big cons were just a blur to me last year, and you readers know the blog has certainly taken a hit here at year's end as the Trunk got established. Well, there'll be even more like that unless we make a few adjustments and shifting of commitments—making way for some bold business ideas that have been long overdue around here... and, in fandom's case, an exciting addition or two to the Trekscape.

So, in the big mix of things, that's why for starters I have agreed to step back from playing Bones in STC as of now, and let that be the first relief valve. Just as it's no surprise that the opportunity was a dream come true for this McCoy/De Kelley fan, so too is the truth that the "gym time" I wanted to put in for the role took a big squeeze, in a production that had such a high bar to begin with. McCoy deserves better, the company deserves better, and *I* deserve better for work like that—but time is the fire in which we, uh, can't clone ourselves.

At the same time, STC has asked me to stay in the family as a creative consultant producer—and be involved in stories, Trek-vibe consulting, and a return to camera at some point when it can be done right (and when the big Tellar Prime script finally comes calling!) And nothing can take away the thrills of the great cast and crew, a jaw-droppingly beautiful Sickbay set on my very first day, and playing the good Doctor in these two episodes—one of which you still have to wait to see until Feb. 8-9!

And nothing can top the memory of our incredible Phoenix world premiere reaction—or that of the honest reviews across the spectrum, and much love shown to me from all the STC fans as I stretched muscles that hadn't been hit in a long time. A lot of work, a lot of love, a lot of good people: I support all the fans films, but Continues is a special group, and its product and my relationships there just got started.

I may make more shifts on my palette like this, as everything new before me is not only a creative challenge but a final product I can't wait to unveil in the case of the Trek plans—solo or not. You Con of Wrath supporters and donors have been patient as well, and I promise some new updates too—and there may even be an all-new newsflash on that score, as well.

Finally, an apology—for there was a time when anyone in creative development kept all their cards close to the vest... no jinxes! Knock on wood! But the revolution in 24/7 social media and crowdfunding has changed all that... leaving folks like me to be coy when I try to explain what the heck is going on right now over coming months. So my regrets, then, if this has sounded more like a fizzbin lesson than a log entry.

Meantime, among the fun Trek stories like this one and that famous backlog of vidchats I haven't really shared since April, I'll use Trekland The Blog keep you posted about my own headlines here first, as well via my newsletter—while also telling tales to those podcast hosts who keep having me on, for some reason. Fans keep asking me about doing my own podcast, but.... really? WHEN? Didn't we just have this discussion?

Stay tuned! It's going to be an incredible 2014... and I'm glad you are aboard.


________________
*OR the primary star to Horta home on its planet VI.
YES, me of all people—I get it.

Trek collectors, buffs: come peek in the Trekland Trunk

Are you a collector who loves the nuts-and-bolts of Star Trek's modern TV era? Well, listen up.

A lot of my Trek archives are pretty bulky, and now can be easily digitized. I care about the information, not the collectible value. I'd like to find good homes for it all. Major Trek auctions are far less common than they used to be. And most of all, I detest feeling like a huckster.

And so, voila—welcome to The Trekland Trunk. It's really just a Facebook page—go there right now and "Like" it!

It's one reason why I've been so distracted since the summer cons—and so quiet the last few weeks when there's been plenty to talk about.

Very simply, The Trunk is a new Facebook page of mine for any Trekfans interested in owning rare draft scripts, set plans, call sheets, paper graphics, memos, and occasionally some 3-D props or even an autograph or the odd commercial item. It's simply a notification alert system: "Like" the page, and YOU will hear when I have something new up on eBay—or even, collecting names for a small-scale auction in a private group message thread, if we can get it to work. Follow the Twitter account for @treklandtrunk for the same reason, same parameters.

I won't post these on my personal page or even my regular Trekland page—I hate being the barker, and hawking things even some Trekfans may not care about. THE TREKLAND TRUNK will be the only place where we'll list the notice and link. Just a handful of items every week or two.

So if you are a collector, or even a writer or a super fan of a particular series or even episode—these kinds of Trek collectibles and their insights may be right up your alley. If not, no one will bug you about it anywhere else.

No extra fees, no promise to buy, no being peppered with FOR SALE ads unless you WANT them... not even a thumbprint on Quark's Ferengi PADD. No muss, no fuss.

It's just 3T.

So "Join" the page list and jump in when the first items go up in the next week.

Deal? Deal.




And thanks again to my old bud and graphic artist extraordinaire, Kevin Hopkins.