Hello all! I really do still exist! I swear!

Once again I have to thank everyone here at Airlock Alpha for being so supportive during what has been the most challenging year or so in my life.

However, I do have time to talk a little Star Trek with you all, so here goes:

OMG what?! What do you mean CBS and Cryptic have created a contest to design the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-F?! You read that right : the U.S.S. Enterprise-F!

Cryptic Studios, the same company that operates my favorite massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (Oh, OK, I admit it, the only MMORPG Ive ever played) has announced that it is a co-sponsor of a new contest to be revealed Dec. 9. That's when players of the game can access a creation tool to design the new canon U.S.S. Enterprise-F.

Now what Cryptic may be calling canon and what most Trekkies would call canon are likely two different things here. However, still : this is freaking cool!

The winning design will be used as a ship within the game. Runners up will have a crack at a gaming laptop and other Star Trek Online products and game items.

This excites me. Why? Because, while I may not have a chance in the flaming pits of doom of winning this, the fact is Star Trek Online really is some of the only new Star Trek we loyal Trekkies have gotten since the early demise of "Star Trek: Enterprise."

Sure J.J. Abrams and gang are moving forward with the 12th film, but that movie isnt even due to be released until 2012. Besides, as fun as the Abramsverse crew is to watch, it still isnt my Star Trek - - the Trek Ive come to know and love.

Star Trek Online, along with some of the official fiction, is as close to a new show that moves forward in the Prime Timeline as I think were going to get for awhile. So the idea that a new Enterprise will be created - - even for a game that most of us consider non-canon, just tickles me to no end!

I also love the fact that theyre opening the design up to the fans. Some of the most amazing designs Ive ever seen have been produced by fans, and Im confident beyond measure that whatever design wins will be the target of love, affection, hatred, fury and wrath of the Trekkiedom. (Were nothing if not utterly consistent!)

What else is going on with Trek? Well, I made my reservations at the Rio Hotel and Casino to attend next years official Star Trek Convention. Does that count? Yeah, I think it does too.

You see, as much as The Husband and I adored attending San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year, it is downright expensive. Not the actual tickets mind you, no. But the costs of getting there and worse -- staying at a hotel thats within walking distance was just insane. While it was really wonderful to see the stars from "Warehouse 13," "Castle," "Eureka" and others : well : Im a Trekkie! I want to see Trek stars dangitol! (Thats my own word. I use it all the time. Its sometimes interchanged with dammitol.)

So, were going to go to our first official Trek convention in Las Vegas in August 2011 to celebrate Star Treks 45th anniversary!

I am so excited!

Now, Im off to try to think of ideas of what the new Enterprise should look like and dream of a day when we might actually get to see her fly in a new show.

Yeah, I know : wont keep me from wishing though.