Pets help us understand our own mortality in ways that continue to surprise me. When I was young, the first pet I lost was a young cat, just a few years old. I raised her from a kitten that was probably too young to ween so we had a close bond. She was indoor/outdoor and was attacked by a neighbor's dog during the day when I was gone. Holding her and watching her die broke me, like she waited all day to die in my arms. She was mine and I felt like I let her down. Woof, it hurt. Still does.

But while I was holding her, our family dog (Allison) was next to me. She was older than I was, a feisty Lhasa Apso that had lost her ability to hold her bladder. We diapered her: we'd cut a hole in human diapers to pull her tail through to keep the hardwoods from getting ruined. She died a year later, after living a full life.

I buried both of them in the front yard, under a couple of pines that bordered our neighbor's pet cemetery. Both times, digging those holes gave me the time I needed to be able to return them to the earth and say goodbye. I learned so much from their passing. It is the last gift our pets give us, their final act of love.

Now, older, with kids of my own, we have Sadie, who I am looking at as I write this. She's a rescue, probably a golden mixed with some border collie, at least 16 years old. Her sister died last year and it was the first close death my kids experienced. Her passing taught my kids the alchemy of aging gracefully, the privilege of old age. Now, they find charm in Sadie's rickety hips and excuse her incontinence. Getting old is okay; we are lucky to be able to do it. Watching your loved ones get old is a privilege we should cherish.

Edit: I wanted to thank OP for posting this. Reading your observations of your aging cat brought It all forward.

What zone are you in?

So, we are continuing the 'is it legitimate that an elite Red Squad exists in egalitarian Starfleet' argument? All signs point to no. Still, Nog, you go on with your bad self.

The smoothening virus, as per Phlox, would eventually be bred out of the Klingons. Kang, Koloth and Kor had plastic surgery to restore their ridges. From this, I could only assume that the writers might show a smooth forehead Klingon and give a character, probably a young one, a throwaway line to pay a little fan service.

I really enjoy the lengths that the writers go to connect the many decades of Trek. It just proves that they are nerds themselves, as it should be.

The underboob reptilian dabo girl! Vedek Bareil! Leeta! DS9 is sex and war; what else is there?

When we talk about time travel in fictional universes, almost all of the narratives follow one of three "truths:"

1. Time is one linear thread. What you do now will have consequence X and if you do something different it will have consequence Y. A simple illustration is the movie Sliding Doors. But the same can be said for Back to the Future or Bill and Ted's. If you make a change to the prime timeline, it will ripple into the past/future. Your cousins will disappear from the 3x5 photo!

2. Time has branches, a truly infinite number of universes and possibilities. Really, as far as I'm concerned, the best example of this idea is Rick and Morty. That show has the freedom to both cook our brains about the concept and also hold a mirror to its ridiculousness. You also see it more famously in the MCU, with their multitude of Lokis and such, though the TVA is still hell-bent on a prime timeline. But the multiverse is the natural order, with only 80s inspired bureaucracy to keep it in check.

3. Time is a combination of the two, which leads us to Trek. Time is linear, so Jake Sisko can tell his dad to dodge a beam that travels at light speed. But time is also non-linear, so... I dunno... most of Voyager. When Seven came aboard with her temporal node all bets were off as far as what could even be considered a prime timeline.

Moreso, the mirror universe is a parallel to our own, marching along at the same pace and whose characters are developing at the same rate as the prime timeline. So, there is no prime timeline, and no multiverse. Just the clean-shaven and the goatee universes.

And to answer your question: yes, I think Trek trends toward a "prime" timeline. It's honestly the way our brains work. With all the posturing of the wormhole aliens, we just don't work in a non-linear fashion. And maybe more importantly, good stories don't work that way either, Kurt Vonnegut aside. Time travel is wearing plot armor in EVERY movie and show because no one has a handle on it.

Thank you for bringing this up. It's something I think about too much.

I'm proud of you! I'm proud of you for creating a space to heal yourself and others. I'm proud of you for reaching out within that space to connect with other people that need the support of a father AND the fathers that want to help (me).

Your emotional vulnerability in this space shows a maturity of character that will be necessary to confront the absence you've felt from your parents. Whether you know it or not, you are doing the work! You've already taken a stand against letting your abuse ripple throughout your life and the lives of those around you. Keep it up, kid!

Shit rolls down hill? Not in your watch!

I'm boldly going to drink an ale and hope for what's to come.

"How is our young doctor?" ..."Young."

I know what you mean, but I immediately heard it different. It's something we should be asking daily, just to make sure they have what they need. Are trans women okay? Are trans men okay? What do you need? I have a sympathetic ear and bourbon; how can I help?

Pickles and nuts are standard charcuterie staples. You've got salty and savory and a little bit of fat. You need sweet to round this out. I would take your pickles and peanuts and spread them onto a whole wheat cracker (Ritz) or toast. Another option would be to add a jam into the mix and eat with a more neutral rice cracker.

Or, if you want to continue to be a degenerate, M&M's would be good. Or hollow out a Cadbury egg and stuff it with the pickles/nuts mixture.

Just beaming down to a new planet and raw-dogging the atmosphere is bad science! Makes me crazy!