Greetings,

It’s been a while since I posted here. My work has been quite busy, and the last week has been very intense.

What have I been doing?

Apart from work, I’ve been keeping myself busy with reading and watching some TV.

William Shatner

I was thinking a few weeks ago about William Shatner[i] and how old he must be.

I’ve seen much of his television work, including Star Trek and T.J. Hooker. A program that I’ve never really watched was Boston Legal. I found it on a streaming service and started watching. I’d like to finish watching all of the seasons before Shatner dies.

I think the characters William Shatner played in all three TV series were memorable. I will be sad when he dies.

Ron Swanson

Someone at work suggested I have a personality similar to the character Ron Swanson from the show “Parks and Recreation.”

My friend’s description:

Ron Swanson is someone with a highly individualistic personality, valuing self-reliance, privacy, and independence. He’s likely to be seen as someone with a strong internal locus of control, who avoids emotional expression, and prefers structured, predictable environments. He’s got a deep aversion to bureaucracy and superficiality, which might reflect some rigid personality traits but also a deep commitment to his core values. That mix of stoicism, libertarian philosophy, and a certain guardedness would be key aspects of his psychological profile.

Recipe

Ingredients

• Lamb shanks
• Lamb broth
• Potatoes
• Butter
• Cream
• Cream cheese
• Blue vein cheese
• Spinach leaves
• Pomegranate arils

Equipment

• Slow cooker
• Saucepan
• Frypan

Instructions

1. Slowly cook the shanks with lamb broth for 6 hours.
2. Cook the potatoes in salted water, then mash with butter.
3. Create a blue vein cheese sauce with butter, cream cheese, blue vein cheese, and cream.
4. Wilt the spinach leaves in a frypan and stir through the blue vein cheese sauce.
5. Place the mashed potato in the centre of a dinner plate.
6. Place a shank on the potato.
7. Serve the “creamed” spinach alongside the potato and lamb.
8. Pour the remaining sauce over the lamb and potato, and then garnish with pomegranate arils.
9. Be careful. The pomegranate arils stain.
10. Eat with a fork and spoon.

Photographs

 

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[i] William Shatner: A Brief Acting History for Context

Early Life and Training

William Shatner was born on 22 March 1931 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Shatner was raised in a Jewish family, with a father who worked as a clothing manufacturer and a mother who taught elocution.
Shatner studied at McGill University, graduating in 1952 with a Bachelor of Commerce, while simultaneously performing in student theatre and radio.
After graduating, Shatner trained extensively as a classical stage actor, including work with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario.

Early Screen Career

Shatner began working in Canadian television and theatre in the early 1950s before transitioning to American television.
Shatner’s first major film role was in The Brothers Karamazov (1958), opposite Yul Brynner.
Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, Shatner appeared in numerous anthology television series, including The Twilight Zone and The Defenders.

Star Trek and Captain James T. Kirk

Shatner achieved international recognition portraying Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series, which aired from 1966 to 1969.
The role of Kirk established Shatner as one of the most recognisable figures in science fiction television.
Shatner appeared in all three seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series and later reprised the role in Star Trek: The Animated Series and seven feature films between 1979 and 1994.
The character of Kirk is often remembered for leadership, moral certainty and a distinctive performance style that became central to the franchise’s identity.

Below is a clear reference table of the starring cast of Star Trek: The Original Series, using Australian English spelling and date formats.

Actor	Character	Starfleet Rank (TOS)	Actor – Date & Place of Birth	Actor – Date & Place of Death
William Shatner	James T. Kirk	Captain	22 March 1931, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	—
Leonard Nimoy	Spock	Commander	26 March 1931, Boston, Massachusetts, USA	27 February 2015, Los Angeles, California, USA
DeForest Kelley	Leonard “Bones” McCoy	Lieutenant Commander	20 January 1920, Toccoa, Georgia, USA	11 June 1999, Los Angeles, California, USA
James Doohan	Montgomery “Scotty” Scott	Lieutenant Commander	3 March 1920, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	20 July 2005, Redmond, Washington, USA
Nichelle Nichols	Nyota Uhura	Lieutenant	28 December 1932, Robbins, Illinois, USA	30 July 2022, Silver City, New Mexico, USA
George Takei	Hikaru Sulu	Lieutenant	20 April 1937, Los Angeles, California, USA	—
Walter Koenig	Pavel Chekov	Ensign	14 September 1936, Chicago, Illinois, USA	—

Post–Star Trek Television Work

Following Star Trek, Shatner continued working steadily in television and film, though the role of Kirk initially led to industry typecasting.
Shatner’s career experienced a resurgence in the early 1980s when they starred as Sergeant T. J. Hooker in the police drama T. J. Hooker.

T. J. Hooker

T. J. Hooker aired from 1982 to 1986 and starred Shatner as a veteran police sergeant mentoring younger officers.
The series ran for five seasons and helped reposition Shatner as a contemporary television lead rather than solely a science‑fiction icon.
The physical, action‑oriented role contrasted sharply with Captain Kirk and broadened Shatner’s television persona.

Boston Legal and Later Career

From 2004 to 2008, Shatner starred as eccentric lawyer Denny Crane in Boston Legal.
The character of Denny Crane became one of Shatner’s most critically acclaimed performances.
Shatner won two Primetime Emmy Awards for portraying Denny Crane across The Practice and Boston Legal.
Boston Legal is often cited as a late‑career renaissance that demonstrated Shatner’s comedic timing and dramatic depth.