HUGE Geek Alert!!

I just found out something so cool and it is about me and a Star Trek personage, so all my geekier friends will really appreciate it.

A little background: about 15 years ago my aunt, Bernice Morgan, wrote a novel called Random Passage which became a bestseller here in Newfoundland because it's all about early settlers here on the island, etc. About six years ago, a TV miniseries was made of the novel. It was filmed here in Nfld, in a remote outport where the film crew recreated an early 19th century settlement. Although many of the actors were local, a lot of the major roles were played by actors from away, including, in the lead male role, a certain Irish actor who appeared in not one but two Star Trek series. Out of our whole family, only my husband and I appreciated how cool this really was.

During the summer of 2000, while the movie was being filmed, my aunt was invited to tour the movie set, so of course (being the kind of family we are) we all came along -- me & Jason, our two kids, my mom and dad, as well as my aunt and uncle, their daughter & her husband and two kids.

Now, at this point you're probably thinking this is going to be a story about how I met Colm Meaney. Wouldn't that be cool? But no. He wasn't on the set that day. Remember I said the cool thing is something I JUST found out? If I'd met him 6 years ago, I would've remembered that.

Anyway, we had the site tour, watched the miniseries when it came on TV later that year, etc etc. Just this year I was teaching the novel Random Passage to my class and decided I should own the miniseries on DVD, so I bought it and for the first time checked out the Special Features disk. One of the features is "Random Passage Author Tours the Film Set," and it turns out to be footage of that visit we all made six years ago. The camera mainly focuses on Aunt Bernice, of course, but there are glimpses in the edges of the frame of me with Emma in her Snugli, and Jason with Christopher up on his shoulders, as well as (poignantly) shots of my uncle who has since passed away ... it was a very cool little blast from the past to see it.

So cool in fact that it took me awhile to grasp the full geek significance of the moment. But now ... hold your breath in awe when you speak of me, because ... I appear in the very same DVD boxed set with Colm Meaney!!!!!

This is about as close as I'm ever going to come to fame ... Chief Miles O'Brien and me, conveniently packaged in the same slipcase for your viewing pleasure. Don't miss it.