"Bimming Up" (Spaceballs?)

Last night on The Big Bang Theory, the best new sitcom, and one of the best ever, they discussed the impossibility of the one thing of which everyone has always dreamed. I once had a colleague who called it "The Instant There," and on Star Trek, it was "beaming up."

From time to time, I ask first born if some of those ubiquitous scientists are working on it, and she keeps telling me it can't be done. On Bang, this depressing fact was brought home again. Some nonsense about breaking up the molecules and reconstituting them elsewhere? Why not? Isn't that like TV itself? People perform, and the pictures are transported thousands of miles and magically appear in our homes.

Think of how this would improve romantic and family relations, if we could be reunited with far-flung loved ones in moments. Even that dreaded Thanksgiving trip to grandmother's house in Fresno would be more tolerable if we could also leave instantaneously, before she served the green bean casserole. Even the offer to me to join the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which includes a year of free visits, could be a reality. But at this time, a trip to New York seems as remote as a visit with Klingons.


EXTRA: Research reveals that in 1966-67, Star Trek's peak season, it placed #52, behind The Iron Horse and Mr. Terrific. The Iron Horse featured Gary Collins, with whom I once appeared on stage. I have never heard of Mr. Terrific, or its star, Stephen Strimpell.

Happy Tax (and "Stimulus") Day to those who can file, and welcome, Pope Benedict.