New Novel Concept

Sorry I have been so absent recently - I have fallen into a bad routine of not doing anything, going to work in the evening, going over to Tyler's for a couple hours after work (don't get excited - he's one of my best friends from college - no romance) and then spending hours on tumblr before passing out. Repeat.
Well, maybe I can change that - my cousin gave me an idea for a novel yesterday, that I'm kind of excited about. It's been the concept of a Neil Gaiman novel and an episode of Supernatural, but I would like to take a crack at it.
I don't want to jinx it by talking too much about it (besides, I only have the bare minimum decided at this point) but if you haven't guessed what it is by now, suffice it to say - what would happen if your favorite deities were thrown together in a room?

tVD vs BtVS

***SPOILERS FOR BOTH THE VAMPIRE DIARIES AND BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER***

I have recently been rewatching The Vampire Diaries because the fourth season is premiering on Oct. 11 on the CW.While I was watching last night, I noticed several parallels between Stefan and Damon Salvatore and Angel and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Stefan is incredibly similar to Angel while Damon is the Spike equivalent.

Angel/Stefan were the sons who craved their respective fathers' approval and did not get it before they were turned. Their fathers turned out to be their first victims (the difference being that Angel went back for revenge and intentionally murdered his father while Stefan went back to try again for the approval and accidentally killed his). They each went on to become the cruelest and most evil vampire in their respective histories, but then something changed. Whether it be the return of a soul (Angel) or a choice made (Stefan) they both began striving to be better and atone for the misery they caused. They each meet a high school girl (Buffy, Elena) and fall in love with her, but their Good Sides are very tenuous and eventually their cruelty resurface. Angel sleeps with Buffy and Stefan drinks human blood/chooses to turn off his humanity, but once evil they both end up betraying the girl they love. Meanwhile, Buffy/Elena team up with Spike/Damon in order to stop Angel/Stefan from becoming too evil - and succeed. However, once Angel/Stefan become good again, things have changed between them and Buffy/Elena. The girls simply cannot forget what Angel/Stefan did to their loved ones.

Spike/Damon were the sweet, sensitive men who, once turned, embraced their new lives. They may be considered evil, but they aren't really - they're just following their nature. They don't try to change anything about themselves, until they meet that same high school girl. When Spike/Damon meet Buffy/Elena, they realize that they can bring their humanity into their vampire identities - though they don't want to change anything about themselves fundamentally, they do strive to make better choices and become better men (though Spike does end up going to get a soul, he does that because he feels he is failing by himself and needs the help of a soul - and it's HIS CHOICE, not something that is forced upon him *coughANGELcough*). They are the second choices to the "Good One" - Angel/Stefan - but they are considered choices nonetheless. When the relationships between Buffy/Elena and Angel/Stefan are ruined, Buffy/Elena find themselves drawn to Spike/Damon, who end up being the support systems through all the drama.

I am definitely a Spuffy and Delena girl (if you couldn't tell already) because, especially in The Vampire Diaries, Elena/Buffy fall in love with a version of Stefan/Angel but reject them when their full natures come to light (granted, Angel was really evil, but still...). However, Elena/Buffy have always known the real Damon/Spike and eventually come to love them - flaws included.

Dragon*Con 2012 - Celebrity Stories

I just had the best weekend of my life. Here's a quick list of all the people I met this weekend: Nathaniel Buzolic, Patricia Quinn, Colin Ferguson, Niall Matter, Rob Paulsen, Billy Boyd, Katee Sackhoff, Lee Arenberg, Anthony Michael Hall, Aaron Douglas, Chloe Dykstra, Chris Hardwick (SQUEEE!!), Tara Strong, Jamie Bamber, Nichelle Nichols, Kenton Duty, Michael Trucco, and Adam Baldwin (yes, he actually made it to a Dragon*Con!). The definition of "met" here spans from quick introductions to conversations several minutes long.

Missi and I found Nathaniel Buzolic (Kol in The Vampire Diaries) in the Hyatt lobby walking the floor and he was kind enough to let us take a quick picture.

We also had a substantial conversation with him, and he was totally flirting with us

Patricia Quinn (you know, the original Magenta?) had a table in the Walk of Fame, but she also went to the Lips Down on Dixie shadowcast of Rocky Horror Picture Show on Saturday night (well, Sunday morning - it started at 1:30a) and helped to introduce the movie. We couldn't afford a picture with her, but she hugged Missi in the Walk of Fame.

A little further down the table from Patricia were Colin Ferguson (Eureka's Sheriff Jack Carter) and Niall Matter (Zane Donovan from Eureka). We weren't able to get a picture with Colin, but our friend Scott had partied with them last year and we talked to Colin for a couple minutes - he's an awesome person. I did manage to get a picture with Niall thanks to some generosity from  Scott, though. Niall was really nice, if maybe a little overwhelmed.

Can I just say, I HAD ZANE'S ARM AROUND ME (and my arm was around him)

As we continued going around the Walk of Fame, I noticed that Rob Paulsen didn't have a line at his table, and we were able to walk right up to him. If I had kept my wits about me, I would have gotten a picture with him, but I have to admit this was the one celebrity over whom I completely fangirled. Missi and I shamelessly squeed right in front of him, and he totally went along with it. I imagine that being the voice of Yakko, Pinky, the original Raphael, the new Donatello, and countless others will often inspire that reaction.

At the end of that table was Billy Boyd (Perregrin "Pippin" Took from the Lord of the Rings trilogy). Again, we couldn't afford a picture with him (not to mention an autograph) but we did talk to him for several minutes. Missi asked him if he was actually singing on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, and he said yes, then told us to check out his band Beecake. He was then kind enough to write the band name on a post-it and put it ON MY BADGE. Not only did I shake his hand, but Billy Boyd pretty much touched my stomach. I was very proud of the lack of shit flipping that happened.

I may not have his autograph, but I got his handwriting for free!!

After Billy, we got in line to see Katee Sackhoff (Kara "Starbuck" Thrace from Battlestar Galactica). She is AMAZING - I wish I could have afforded a picture with her to show you, but she has lost weight since Starbuck and was really sweet too.

We got to talk to Lee Arenberg (Pintel from the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies and Grumpy from Once Upon A Time) twice - once on Friday in our first tour of the Walk of Fame, and again on Monday when we went back. The second time we went up to him, Missi got a picture with him.

He may play grouches, but he is such a sweet man!!

Just before we left the Walk of Fame on Friday, Missi and I noticed that Anthony Michael Hall (the Geek from the Brat Pack movies - The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, etc) didn't have a line at his table. Now, he looks NOTHING like he did in the 80s - it's not that he looks bad, because he doesn't, but with aging his appearance has completely changed. We talked to him for a couple minutes about how much we enjoy his John Hughes movies, and as we walked away I mentioned his episode on Community (he was the bully who beat Joel McHale's character up). He is a very nice guy.

On Friday night, Missi and I were walking around the Marriott lobby and happened to see Aaron Douglas (Crew Chief Galen Tyrol from Battlestar Galactica). With a little coaxing from Missi (I hadn't wanted to interrupt his conversation) I went up and talked to him. Again, I forgot to get a picture with him (which I regret) but at least I met him! And he's a really cool dude.

On Sunday night, Missi talked me and our friend Matt into going to an Adult Themes in SciFi panel. While we were waiting in line, I happened to notice Chloe Dykstra (host of Just Cos on the Nerdist YouTube channel) coming down the escalator. I didn't get a picture with her since she was a panelist and had to get in to the room to get ready, but she was sweet enough to stop, say Hi and shake my hand.

And, since Chloe was a panelist, guess who showed up midway through the panel and sat in the back of the room?? CHRIS FUCKING HARDWICK. Chloe mentioned him a couple times, but only referred to him as "my boyfriend" - that, and the fact that he stayed in the very back of the room and didn't say anything (he would text Chloe when he had an opinion) led me to believe that he was trying to keep a low profile. He wasn't there as a celebrity, and I'm positive he was only there for Chloe. Nevertheless, after the panel, I went  up to him and said, "Hi, I know you're trying to keep a low profile, but would you mind taking a picture with me??" And, in brilliant Chris fashion, he replied, "Oh, yeah! Of course!"

I HAVE A PICTURE WITH CHRIS HARDWICK!!!!

Even though I kept very calm, cool and collected while I was talking to him, as we walked away I noticed I was shaking, and kept flipping my shit whenever I thought of it the rest of the night. It took me a full extra hour to fall asleep because I was so wired.

On Monday morning before we left, Missi and I went back to the Walk of Fame. Since a lot of people had gone home Sunday night and we got there right as it opened, there was not a huge crowd inside. Missi and I got to say hello to Tara Strong, another amazing voice actress - she's really popular with the Bronies right now (don't get me started on THAT term) but you may also know her from Powerpuff Girls (Bubbles), The Fairly Oddparents (Timmy) and hundreds of others. She is a genuinely sweet, caring person and I am so honored to have met her.

After Tara Strong, Missi and I went to get in line to see Michael Trucco, but I noticed that Jamie Bamber didn't currently have a line because he had just arrived. As we were waiting for him to get settled and finish talking to his people, I realized that I had the opportunity to be an awesome best friend. When we got up to the table, I paid the price of a photo and then filmed Jamie asking Jenna why she wasn't at Dragon*Con (she had had a myriad of unfortunate situations which prevented her from coming). I then posted it on her FB wall when I got back to internet that afternoon.

The texts she sent me as she was watching the video

After we left Jamie, Missi noticed Nichelle Nichols (Uhura from the original Star Trek). This woman has aged BEAUTIFULLY - Missi got a headshot that was taken years ago, and she looked exactly the same. Such a gorgeous woman, and very sweet.

Missi then noticed Kenton Duty on the other side of the room. I know him as Young Jacob from LOST, but she's a nanny and recognized him from the Disney Channel show Shake It Up! She then got her turn to be a hero and got an autograph for the two little girls she takes care of.

We then went back to Michael Trucco's line (which was very short) and met him. Though he is most known for his role as Samuel T. Anders on Battlestar Galactica, I also remember him from an episode of Tru Calling - in the first season, he plays a firefighter who failed to save a little girl (and himself) so he asks Tru to help him. She thinks he is asking for himself and gets attached to him, but he was asking for the little girl and ends up dying anyway. That episode always breaks my heart, and that is what I chose to talk to him about. Which I think threw him off a little bit (which I love doing). One of my favorite things to do with celebrities is talk about one of their lesser known works, because they just don't expect it. But he was a really really sweet guy, and I am so glad I was able to meet him.

Oh, and did I mention I got a picture with him too?? SO AWESOME.

After Michael Trucco, our last stop was ADAM BALDWIN. For those who don't know, Adam has a really bad habit of announcing that he's going to be at Dragon*Con, and then having to cancel at the last minute for one reason or another. This has happened for years. So when we heard that he actually WAS at Dragon*Con, we knew we had to meet him. He unfortunately wasn't doing pictures and we couldn't afford an autograph, but he did seem to be hitting on Missi. She told him that we would love to get an autograph, but that we were poor and just couldn't afford it. So he offered to gift her one!!

The quote he used just convinces me further that he was hitting on her...

All in all, Dragon*Con was an amazing experience, and I fully plan on going every year from now on - come hell or high water - and each year I'm going to make sure it is even better than the last one.

{Also, I am going to have multiple posts about Dragon*Con, because I saw a lot of awesome cosplay and went to a couple really great panels, and if I tried to fit all of it in one post, it would be WAAYYY too long. Stay tuned!}

Upcoming Schedule

So, here is what I am thinking. I am going to follow this schedule, but I won't necessarily post every day. Each day is assigned a topic, and I am going to do my best to post at least three days a week. You may notice that I have not included the weekend - I work at Target, which means I will almost definitely be working a lot every weekend, and I know better than to try to post anything.
My schedule will be as follows:

1. British Monday (this will give me the opportunity to review the weekend's episodes of Doctor Who and Copper while they're still fresh in my mind, but I will also discuss Torchwood and anything else British that strikes my fancy)

2. Fantasy Tuesday (where I will discuss Tolkien, Paolini, Martin, etc)

3. Whedon Wednesday (all things Whedon!! I will probably be posting on Wednesday a lot)

4. Supernatural Thursday (This is the day where I discuss anything to do with vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, etc. (except for any Whedon stuff, of course) It's also convenient to review the week's Supernatural and Grimm episodes)

5. Sci Fri (I couldn't help the pun, I'm sorry. This is all things Science Fiction - Ender's Game, Battlestar Galactica, etc)

Also, once a month, I will be contributing to the Good/Evil series in the last week of the month, on the appropriate day. Since this is the last week of August, I will be writing about the Cylons of Battlestar Galactica. However, since I will be at Dragon*Con on Friday, I am hoping to get it posted tomorrow {the entry has been postponed. It will be posted, but I don't feel I can adequately give it the attention I feel it deserves today. Check back next week -- 8/29/12}. Stay tuned!

A Quick Note to You

Dearest of Readers,

You probably noticed my updates slowing down considerably once I was again employed. I want to apologize for this...I don't really have a reason, only excuses. I was running out of material to write everyday, so my new job gave me an opportunity to cut back. I've also gotten very lazy at home since I've started at Target, and have found myself sleeping or watching tv when I should be working on all the important things I should be doing, like writing and improving my Self. I'm sorry that this blog has been negatively affected.

I don't know that I will be going back to a daily post (as it was very taxing, toward the end) but I do want to update a bit more regularly. I originally didn't want to do the following, but if I create a schedule where I post about particular topics on certain days, maybe I will get more content out. Please give me a little leeway this week as I am preparing for Dragon*Con (expect a nice long post about that when I get back, pictures included) but I hope to create the schedule this week and then begin it either next week or the week after.

I again thank you for your patience with me, and ask for just a bit more. I know I ask this of you often, but if I am able to get everything I am planning off the ground, you will thank me for it one day. Maybe when you see me at a Con ;)

With Love, Respect, & Gratitude,
Jessa

Dragon Week!!

Shark Week is one of my favorite weeks of the year - I have been obsessed with marine biology (to varying degrees) since I was six years old, and sharks were always my favorite. My mother knows this about me, and it's kind of hard to ignore my love for fantasy, so a couple days ago she posted this picture on my timeline:

The caption read, "This isn't a real thing...but it should be" and I agreed with it. So I decided to make it a real thing - Dragon Week is the seven days leading up to Dragon*Con, which start today. Sadly, I don't have a tv channel with which to celebrate Dragon Week, and my YouTube channel is not functional enough yet (just wait til next year though). So for now it will have to be personal, and however you want to celebrate dragons in your own home. For me, I plan on watching a dragon movie each night. Here's my list so far (in no particular order):
1. Dragonheart (one of the best dragon movies out there - if you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and find it. I mean, Remus Lupin plays an evil king!)

2. Eragon (unfortunately...I really hate that movie, but it is centered around a dragon - I may replace it though)

3. Reign of Fire (I haven't actually seen this movie yet, but Christian Bale fighting dragons? I have to check this out)

4. How to Train Your Dragon (again, haven't seen it yet, but I've heard it's adorable and awesome, and I mean, dragon is in the name)

5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Norbert)

6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (the Norwegian Ridgeback)

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, pt 2 (the Gringotts dragon)

As always, if you have suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below or tweet me and let me know what I should be watching.

Since I only came up with the idea of celebrating Dragon Week yesterday, this year is not going to be a big deal, but that also means I have a full year to plan next year's Dragon Week. I am going to get my YouTube channel up and running enough that we can dedicate the entire week to celebrating Dragons and Dragon*Con. Stay tuned.

It's a Period Piece

With the premiere of BBC America's Copper less than an hour away, it got me thinking - why are we so fascinated with period dramas? Copper is a crime drama set in 1864 New York City, from Five Points to Fifth Avenue, and follows an Irish Catholic cop as he tries to solve crimes in a corrupt city. I am so excited to see how this turns out; it has been described as a grittier Gangs of New York.

So, Copper, Gangs of New York, Titanic, Downton Abbey...what's the intrigue? I believe the attraction of period drama is our fascination with our own history. Sure, the costumes are usually beautiful and mildly mindblowing, so add to the awesomeness that is a period piece, but I find myself drawn to historical projects because I love the glimpse into how life used to be (however Hollywood-ified it may be). I love imagining myself in the costumes and in the society - upper class, of course ;)

I love history. I prefer certain periods more than others, of course, but I like knowing where we've been and - as pessimistic as this may sound - what mistakes we're repeating. As the saying goes, "Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it" and I find it all fascinating.

I would love to get immortality just so I can go to school for years and years and study everything I would love to study. But for now, I'll just have to settle for my period pieces.

Obsessions - Unhealthy, but Fun

Obsessions are different from addictions....an addiction is caused by a chemical something-or-other in your brain, where an obsession is something you really really like and don't have the desire or willpower to avoid thinking about all of the time - no chemicals here. Nerds seem to be especially adept at it, too; we have "an unnatural ability to obsess and focus when others would be content with 'letting it go'" (yes, I'm quoting Chris Hardwick's The Nerdist Way again - page ix). Later in the book, Chris goes on to write that "a 'Nerd' is someone who homes in on a topic to an almost quantum detail, much of the time at the expense of healthy social interaction. Nerds get caught up in minutiae because there is a tremendous and fulfilling sense of control in understanding every single detail of a thing more than any other living creature" (p4). So, really, our obsessions actually define us as nerds! Think about it - there are Star Trek Nerds, Science Nerds, Book Nerds...all named after the subjects they obsess over. I refer to myself as a nerdy fangirl because I belong to several different nerd groups...I'm a Book Nerd, I'm a TV Nerd, I'm a little bit of a Movie Nerd...so, to include everything that I enjoy and am a fan of, I'm a nerdy fangirl. I've discussed some of my obsessions on this blog before, so I'm just going to go through the highlights...

My nerdiness first manifested when I was introduced to Buffy in 1998. I began watching in the middle of the second season, and have been obsessed with Joss Whedon's work ever since. I have seen the Buffy movie, the entire Buffy series, the entire Angel series, all fourteen Firefly episodes, Serenity, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog, both seasons of Dollhouse, The Cabin in the Woods, and I will even count Captain America: The First Avenger (barely - Joss had final rewrite and edit rights) and The Avengers. I am not a major fan of horror movies - mostly the gory ones, I just don't understand the need for everything to be covered in blood and guts - so the only reason I even thought about going to see The Cabin in the Woods was that I heard Joss Whedon had co-wrote and produced it (and Drew Goddard - a writer/producer on several of Joss's shows - co-wrote and directed it). I am one of the diehard Whedon fans who will buy/see anything he does, because I know I will enjoy it.

Once I was hooked by Joss Whedon - and had the Lord of the Rings trilogy for my bedtime stories as I was growing up - I started exploring more scifi/fantasy. Supernatural, Doctor Who, Misfits, The Vampire Diaries (the show and the books - which I consider separate universes), the Inheritance series (the books, NOT the movie)....they are all thanks to Joss Whedon.

I do have to talk about my latest obsession, which I don't think I have mentioned before. Earlier this year, I discovered TeeFury.com...it was the best and worst thing to happen. The best, because I now have a pile of awesome, nerdy shirts, but worst because of the impact has on my wallet - sure, each shirt is only $12 (shipping included), but eventually that adds up. I have to try to space it out across paychecks (which I can do now that I have a job again!!) I would recommend it to you, but honestly, you may not thank me for it ;)

A sampling of my collection

"Whovian Crest" by WinterArtwork, "Galactic Battle Crest" by Bamboota,

"Imagination Mash-up" by MightyRain, "Bride" by khallion

Oh, Companions...

**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**

The BBC America  "Women of Doctor Who" special was tonight, which got me thinking...who is my favorite companion of the Doctor? I can't say much about classic companions - except a little about Sarah Jane, who made appearances in the modern series - but I can speak about the modern companions; Rose (and Jackie), Mickey, Captain Jack, Martha, Donna (and Wilfred), Amy, Rory and River.

I often group Rose, Jackie and Mickey together...Rose Tyler was the main companion, but her mother Jackie was very important to her and Mickey Smith was the ex-boyfriend who stuck around and became more of a family friend. I have to admit I got attached to Rose. Whenever I watch Doomsday (when Rose is forced to leave), Journey's End (when the Doctor leaves Rose with his Biometacrisis - think human clone) or End of Time (when, as he's regenerating, the Doctor goes back to the Rose who didn't know him) I always cry like a baby. Billie Piper and David Tennant are so skilled at making me care for Rose and their relationship, that every time her heart breaks, so does mine.

Captain Jack Harkness is a unique character. He came into the story line while Rose was the primary companion, had a few recurring appearances, then starred in his own spin-off, Torchwood. A time traveler in his own right, Jack simply liked the Doctor (and Rose, then Martha) enough to keep coming back.

Martha Jones was, to oversimplify it, the Doctor's rebound after Rose. Though he had already met Donna (more on that later), and Donna made him start to heal, it was Martha who helped him move forward. She was strong, confident, and studying to be a doctor herself. Unfortunately, she fell in love with him and left after one season, though she did reappear a couple times as a member of U.N.I.T. (Unified Intelligence Taskforce). She's also the only modern companion to leave of her own volition, when she realized she was going to waste her life pining after the Doctor if she didn't "get out".

Donna Noble is unique in that she's the only companion to come back. She was the companion in the 2006 Christmas Special, between Rose and Martha, and then left. A year later, she and the Doctor accidentally crossed paths again, and this time she didn't let him leave her behind. Donna speaks her mind, won't take his crap, and becomes his best friend (with NO romantic tension). Their season has been described as "a buddy cop movie through time" (Jonah Ray, "Women of Doctor Who", BBC America) and in fact, the first episode in which Donna returns is titled "Partners in Crime" and that is truly the best way to describe them. Unfortunately, in the most heartbreaking farewell of the companions, Donna experiences a biometacrisis that makes her part-Timelord. Because her physical brain is still human and unable to handle it, the Doctor must erase EVERY SINGLE memory of everything the two of them did together. Wilfred is Donna's grandfather who becomes friends with the Doctor, and accompanies him on Ten's final adventure before he regenerates into the Eleventh Doctor.

To round out the Companions within the Tenth Doctor's time period, we come to River Song, an archaeologist who spends most of her time with the Eleventh Doctor (so far). We meet River in season four, while the Doctor is traveling with Donna, and she has obviously known the Doctor for years and has been very very close to him. We don't really know who she is until later, so we'll come back to her. However, this is when River physically dies. The Doctor is able to digitally save her onto a hard drive, but as far as we know, River has passed on. Though we've only known her for two episodes, we get the sense that this is someone very important to the Doctor's future and I always cry. Especially knowing what I know now. But again, that's for later.

The next companion after he changes into his eleventh regeneration is Amy Pond, followed closely by Rory Williams. For the fifth season, Amy was the primary companion, but about halfway through, Rory joined them. Amy and Rory grew up together and were engaged to be married when Amy ran off with the Doctor the night before their wedding. The unique thing about Amy is that she has known the Doctor - and waited for him - for most of her life. He crashes into her backyard when she is a child, returns 12 years later (on accident. he meant to come back in five minutes) and then finally comes back for her fourteen years after they initially met. Amy is a brazen Scottish girl who is incredibly strong willed. Rory is her sweet, incredibly loving boyfriend/fiancee/husband who seems to have a bad habit of dying. A lot. He's come back every time so far, but he might want to try to stop that....

Finally, River Song comes back as a true companion in the fifth season. In the sixth season, we finally learn who River is. She is the daughter of Amy and Rory, Melody Pond. She and the Doctor get married in the season finale of the sixth season, so we are left with the feeling that her story is no close to over yet.


So, who is my favorite Companion? I'd have to go with Idris. We meet her in the sixth season episode, "The Doctor's Wife" and find out that she is the human incarnation OF THE FRICKIN' T.A.R.D.I.S.!!! The soul of the T.A.R.D.I.S. was stolen and put into a human body, so for the very first time in the 700 years that they have been together, the Doctor and the T.A.R.D.I.S. are able to SPEAK WITH WORDS. And they portray it absolutely beautifully. I'm not going to try to describe it - you need to see the episode to understand it. But she has to be my favorite companion, because even though we only meet her in human form once, no matter what happens, no matter who comes or goes, it will ALWAYS be the Doctor and his T.A.R.D.I.S. Because, of course, he is in fact a madman with a blue box.

I also really love Donna and Rory, if I have to pick humans.

I Haz a Job!!

For those of you who don't follow my Facebook, I am officially employed...sort of. Target has offered me a job, and Orientation is tomorrow. I'm not exactly sure what that entails, but at least they have agreed to pay me to walk around the store and take people's money!!

Yes, I meant to word it that way. The piece of paper I was handed reads, "Sales Floor Hardlines/Softlines" which I think translates to cashiering and walking the sales floor.

Unfortunately, I accidentally applied to the wrong store (which is easy to do when you don't have to go to the physical store to apply, and they just list the stores close to you when you go online) so I will be looking at an hour drive for early morning weekday shifts, or 30 minutes on a good day when there's little traffic and no school (I have to get through the local high school traffic to get to my store, and having gone to that school for four years, I know what a MESS it can be). Especially since I will be sitting in traffic at least half that time, I am not looking forward to the toll this job is going to take on my gas tank.

BUT THERE MAY BE A SOLUTION!! If I move in with my dad, it will cut the distance I have to drive in more than half...the only unfortunate side to that is the six people currently living there. (That number can be bumped up to nine if you include the kids (like me) who have moved away.) Now, it's not a tiny house, but it's not a mansion either, and I would venture to guess six people is just about what it can comfortably hold. On top of that, the only room available to be converted into a bedroom is a small library, with no closet, in the basement. And the basement bathroom? Down right scary; it's very likely to be infested with spiders on any given day, and it is only used regularly by two teenage boys, so you can imagine how well they keep it clean.

Whereas I currently have a very spacious bedroom on the second floor, with my own bathroom - I know I have it good where I am right now. Not to mention, my grandmother's house is a mere ten minutes from the community college where I plan to finish the twelve credits outstanding on my degree. If I had managed to get a job at the Target nearer to her house, I would be on (relative) easy street. As it is, I have a dilemma I must solve as soon as possible.

What I think I am going to do, is "live" with my grandmother, but stay with my Dad whenever I have multiple days of work. For example, if I have shifts from Monday morning to Wednesday afternoon, I will stay at my Dad's house from Sunday night until Wednesday evening. Hopefully this will help my gas consumption just a little bit. And then, once I am established at the company, I plan on trying to request a transfer to a store closer to where I am living.

But nevertheless,
I HAZ A JOB FINALLY!! YAY!!!!!

I'm Not Just Cult

I know I tend to talk more about cult favorites on this blog...Buffy, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, Supernatural, etc...but I don't only like things in the science fiction or horror comedy genres, and I have found other - more "mainstream" - favorites as well.

For example, the movie Waitress. Now, yes, I first saw it because it stars Nathan Fillion, a scifi/horror comedy sweetheart, but I watch it repeatedly because it is a cute movie and Nathan does what he does best - plays adorably awkward and imperfect to a T. Keri Russell is an unhappily married woman, Jenna, who becomes pregnant when she accidentally sleeps with her husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto) after he gets her drunk one night. Nathan Fillion is Jim Pomatter, the young, attractive, married doctor who is taking over Jenna's doctor's practice. The two begin an affair that they must hide from their spouses, the nurses at the practice, and Jenna's friends and coworkers at the local pie diner. With a delightfully colorful cast of characters brought to life by Andy Griffith, Cheryl Hines, Adrienne Shelley, Eddie Jemison, Lew Temple and others, this movie illustrates one woman's struggle for independence and asks the question, What is happiness?

I'm also a big fan of the USA and TNT channels. On USA, I enjoy Covert Affairs, White Collar, "old" shows like In Plain Sight, and the new limited series Political Animals. On TNT, aside from the fact that they have a syndication block every weekday morning called "Primetime in the Daytime" where they run Angel, Charmed, Supernatural, Las Vegas and Smallville, they have shows like Leverage, Franklin & Bash (which I keep meaning to watch - they look SO good) and  Perception (I'm also interested in the reboot of Dallas, but since I wasn't quite born yet for the first run, I feel a bit less attached to it than I feel like I would if I remembered the original). Covert Affairs and White Collar have been around a few years and are both pretty popular, so I'm not going to go too much into them, but I don want to make sure to mention the new shows, Political Animals and Perception.

Political Animals follows the Hammond family, who are very clearly fashioned after the Clintons (though, this is an original story and they aren't exactly the Clintons). Sigourney Weaver plays Elaine Barrish, the Secretary of State who ran against the current President in the previous Democratic primary, and who divorced Bud Hammond (Ciarán Hinds), the former President, when his philandering got to be too much. However, they are still in each other's lives both professionally and personally, because they have adult twin sons, Douglas (James Wolk) and T.J. (Sebastian Stan). Doug has ambitions to become White House Chief of Staff, and T.J. is a homosexual drug addict who just wants something to call his own, and is currently fixated on owning a night club. Also in the cast are Ellen Burstyn as Elaine's mother, Carla Gugino as the cutthroat journalist who has ingratiated herself in the Hammond inner circle, Brittany Ishibashi as Doug's finacee, Dylan Baker as Vice President Fred Collier, and Adrian Pasdar as President Paul Garcetti. Creator Greg Berlanti (Dawson's Creek, Dirty Sexy Money, Everwood, Brothers and Sisters) perfectly balances political intrigue with family drama and keeps me coming back for more.

Perception stars Eric McCormack (y'know, Will from Will & Grace?) as Dr. Daniel Pierce, a professor and expert of neuroscience - coincidentally, a sufferer of schizophrenic hallucinations - who helps his former student turned FBI Agent Kate Moretti (Rachel Leigh Cook) solve cases involving the mentally ill. For the Trekkies out there who aren't quite convinced, LeVar Burton has a recurring guest role as Dean Paul Haley. Filled with humor and true science, this is a brilliant "mainstream" show that is sure to bring in the nerds with the real facts utilized.

Shameless Promotion

JENNA IS WRITING A BLOG!!!!

Ok, yes. I am her best friend and slightly biased, but I just read the first post in her food blog, Faux-Vegan, and it's totally something worth checking out. (There's a link to the right if you don't feel like clicking the link I embedded above)

I suck in the kitchen. My idea of cooking is throwing some noodles in boiling water and dumping a jar of spaghetti sauce in a pot. There, delicious spaghetti!! Jenna, on the other hand, owns a catering business. She and her mom together own Southern Comforts Catering, and make amazing food (you can learn more about Southern Comforts in her first blog post).

I have known that Jenna can cook for years now. When we were in school and I would stay with her for a few days, we always had home cooked meals that she made herself, and they were always delicious.

Faux-Vegan is a blog where, infused with humor, Jenna provides tasty vegan recipes, even though she's not vegan (don't worry, she addresses it [boom! paraphrased-Community-quote-no-one-will-recognize!])! The writing is funny, the food is delicious, and you won't regret giving it a shot. Trust me, there's a reason I've been friends with her for almost five years (take that as you will).

Siffee

For the most part, I really love the SyFy Channel. I even remember back when it was the SciFi channel, instead of today's Siffee (who decided to change it to SyFy?? I mean, c'mon people). They had these really cool bumpers with fantastic images that either came from or became everyday things, and then the word iF would come up and turn into the SciFi logo...SO cool. They have a little too much ghost hunting for my taste, but that is really my only negative feedback for this channel.

Even the SyFy Original Movies make me love it all the more. SyFy is the channel if you want awful special effects, campy acting and a not-quite-there script - it is the ultimate trash tv for a science fiction nerd. Dinocroc vs. Supergator, Frankenfish, Anonymous Rex... I'm not making this up, these are actual movies that they have made. (Wikipedia has a full list if you don't believe me.) There's even one called Bats: Human Harvest. It seriously does not get any better than the SyFy channel B movie selection, it's just junk food for your brain.

Another thing I love about the SyFy channel is their (usually) better quality miniseries. The full series they produce are usually pretty good - I was addicted to Eureka and have plans to watch Warehouse 13 - but every once in a while they come out with a brilliant miniseries. The first one I remember getting attached to was in December 2002; Steven Spielberg's Taken. Over ten episodes (each lasting an average of an hour and half, or two hours with commercials), five decades and four generations, we follow three families (the Keys, Crawfords and Clarkes) as each family member must deal with the repercussions of a genetic experiment aliens are trying to conduct with the Keys and Clarkes. It all culminates in the birth of Allie Keys, whose biology holds some genetic key the aliens want. I found myself attached to each and every generation, even though I knew they were going to get old and pass away before the series was over. They even made me care about the Crawford family, who are the antagonists! It's Steven Spielberg, so it's no surprise, but this is such a well-made miniseries that I have been searching for an affordable copy for a decade now.

Two more miniseries I fell in love with were both directed by Nick Willing; Tin Man (2007) and Alice (2009). I have not had a chance to see his miniseries Neverland (2011) yet, but I hope to soon. Tin Man is a modern take on The Wizard of Oz and stars Zooey Deschanel in the Dorothy role. Although it is beautifully shot, well written, and well acted, I have to admit I have not seen it as often as I have Alice.
 Alice is a modern take on Alice in Wonderland. It is set one hundred and fifty years after "Alice of Legend" came to Wonderland and caused the upset with the Queen of Hearts. In that time, the Hatter has started running a Tea Shop (think investment trading for emotions) and the Queen of Hearts owns the Hearts Casino where human people are kept in a catatonic state and sapped of their emotions, which are very valuable to natives of Wonderland. The Queen has basically created a supply-and-demand economy for instant gratification. It has a semi-complicated plot with hidden identities, political intrigue, and legends becoming truth so I'm not gonna go too deeply into it, but suffice it to say it is an excellent miniseries and well worth the three hours it takes to watch completely.
Like I said before, I have not yet seen Neverland, but it is a four hour interpretation of Peter Pan and I am rather excited to finally sit down and watch it.

So, although SyFy has it's flaws (how many ghost hunting shows do there need to be?? I mean, honestly....) overall it is an awesome channel with programming for pretty much any taste. I recommend looking into it.

Why You Should Watch Battlestar Galactica

A couple friends asked me several months ago to explain why someone should watch Battlestar Galactica. The husband is a fan like me, but his wife could not see the appeal. When I asked her why, she responded with, "Why would I want to watch something where people always die and everybody is depressed all the time?"

I have to admit, I had no answer. After all, she had a very good point; Battlestar Galactica (or, BSG) is a very dark show. It follows the 50,000 survivors of an attack against humanity by the Cylons, which were the man-made robot servants who became aware and rebelled. Twelve colonies (planets) were invaded, and human civilization was absolutely destroyed. Only those who were already on the Battlestar Galactica, the Battlestar Pegasus or on a few civilian ships that had been mid-transport survived. Galactica had just been ceremoniously retired and was about to become a flying museum, Pegasus had used the Faster Than Light (FTL) capability to "jump" away before the Cylons could destroy it, and the civilians were just plain lucky. They had very limited supplies, very limited crew, and no idea about where to go after the attack (though they eventually decide to find a mythical planet called "Earth"). Initially, those on Galactica did not realize the Pegasus had survived; they thought they were alone with a fleet of civilian ships...it is not until the second season that the Pegasus finds the Galactica.

But the point is that it's a struggle. They are racing against time to find supplies and Earth. They are racing the Cylons, because the Cylons are trying to finish the job they started on the colonies. They are flying through space, so if they are to replenish any supplies, they must find them on unknown planets, moons and asteroids. Though there is a fleet of ships, they all live in tight quarters and have very little privacy. The show mostly centers around the military on the Galactica, especially the Viper pilots (think fighter pilots in space) who have very specialized training and limited replacements when they are tired or run-down. Like I said earlier, it is a dark, heavy show. So why would you want to go through that every week?

Because no matter how hard it gets, no matter how exhausted or frustrated or beat-up they get, the people keep fighting. They show us the frailty of humanity, and the strength. When they fall, they pick themselves back up and try to make it better, because what other choice do they have? Yes, it may be an emotionally tasking television experience, but that's because no matter how sci fi it is, it's real. They are relatable, and they show us that there is always hope, in any situation. And that is why you should watch Battlestar Galactica. Because when you realize how much humanity is capable of, you realize just how possible your own goals are.

Cosplay!!

We have four weeks until Dragon*Con 2012. 27 days to the largest gathering of nerds in the Southeast, and if they're cosplaying, they are busy getting their costumes together. Cosplaying is basically roleplaying; you wear the costume of a known character (to varying degrees of success) and pretend to be that character as long as you are in the clothing. For more details, you can watch the Nerdist Channel show Just Cos. I am not cosplaying this year, since it is actually my first Con, but I already have five costumes planned for D*C 2013 and D*C 2014. One things I really like about cosplay is that you can often find a fellow nerd who wants to get in on the fun with you, creating a Group Cosplay. This is what is going on with all five of my costumes - I have two other girls (Jenna and my protégé Missi) who are coordinating costumes with me.
It started with me and Jenna. We started planning costumes for this year back in the winter, but things just didn't come together in time, so we are pushing them back to next year and the year after and adding Missi.

The first costume we decided on is "Our Celebrity Doppelgängers". Jenna bears a striking resemblance to Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) from Battlestar Galactica, while she insists I look like Codex (Felicia Day) from The Guild. We have not yet found Missi's doppelgänger, but we still have 13 months so I'm not worried.

The second costume is "Batman Villainesses". Jenna and I are using Arkham City inspired costumes for Harley Quinn (me) and Poison Ivy (her). Missi is still deciding between White Rabbit and Matilda. You can comment below and cast your vote for which one of the two is your favorite!

The Villainess costumes got us inspired for our next costume, "Gendershifted Batman Villains". Missi wanted to do a "corseted Joker" which got Jenna thinking about doing a female Bane. And to round out the cast is my female Riddler. This might be one of my favorite costumes we came up with; I'm really excited to figure this one out.

The next costume is something I have not often seen in Dragon*Con pictures; "Disney Princesses" (all three of us are Disney people). I am going to be Pocahontas (which means I pretty much have to start tanning now), Jen is Snow White, and Missi is going to live out her dream and be Belle. We might do something more than your typical princess, but you'll just have to stay tuned for that.

Finally, the stereotypical D*C costume category, "Firefly". For this one, we are hoping to get a larger group, but since we have only been talking about these for a couple days, we have not built one yet. Jenna will be Kaylee Frye, Missi will be River Tam, and I will be Inara Serra. Like I said, we are still looking for a Zoe, Wash, Mal, Jayne, Simon and Shepherd Book (as well as any tangential characters - Badger, anyone?) that you may be interested in. Please let one of us know if you would like to join!

So as you can see, cosplay can be a fun, interactive part of Dragon*Con...or any Con, really. It gets the nerds engaged and gives the celebrities something fun to watch (and take part in). So if you ever the fortune to go to a Con, start planning in advance and make it count. See you there!

Doctor WHO?

His name is not Doctor Who. His name is the Doctor, and the show's name is Doctor Who. Trust me, Whovians can get pretty peeved about that innocent misconception. I will correct someone if I hear it, but I do understand how one could get confused. The trailer for the seventh series (or, in America, season) came out this morning at 6am Britain time/1am Eastern time and you can see it here if you haven't had the pleasure yet. I was able to see it only 20 minutes after it was released (I'd have seen it sooner if I hadn't been watching Battlestar Galactica right as it was available) and I have to admit, I kind of screamed once I saw it - it was a well-made preview that made the season look HELLA INTENSE. And just think, this isn't actually the seventh season. It's the seventh season since the series was revamped in 2005 (there was a period in the 1990s when there was only a tv movie - no weekly episodes), but this is a show that has been running since 1963. That's forty-nine years.

So what is it about the Doctor that makes fans so attached? I can't say much about the classic series, as I regrettably haven't seen any of the episodes or the 1996 movie, but I can talk about the new series. Since 2005, we have had three incarnations of the Doctor; Christopher Eccleston was the Ninth Doctor, David Tennant was Ten and Matt Smith is currently the Eleventh Doctor...we tend to talk about them as if they are separate entities since his personality does change ever so slightly with every regeneration, as the actors bring their own unique spin to the character. My favorite way to explain this is a quote from Lynne M. Thomas: "Eccleston was a tiger and Tennant was, well, Tigger. Smith [is] an uncoordinated house cat who pretends that he meant to do that after falling off a piece of furniture." Not only is this a fabulous - and accurate - description of the three different Doctors, it helps show that though they are all the Doctor (a cat), they are different variations of the Doctor (a tiger, Tigger, a house cat). The fans get to keep the character throughout the forty-nine years, but the show gets refreshed every time the actor gets replaced. And then there are the companions.

In the seven years since the revamp the Doctor has had five main companions; Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, and Amy Pond and Rory Williams. In addition to them, there have been "fringe" companions (those who came in and out of the story, but were not proper companions) - the main ones were Captain Jack Harkness (who went on to his own spinoff, Torchwood), Mickey Smith (Rose's ex-boyfriend), Jackie Tyler (Rose's mother), Wilfred Noble (Donna's grandfather) and River Song (you'll just have to watch to figure out who the hell she is). The companions are also a major reason the fans keep coming back, because they provide the emotional connection to the show. While we the fans do care immensely for the Doctor, it's the humanity the companions bring out in him that allows for our devotion. In Tennant's time, he and Rose fell in love, Martha had unrequited love and was kind of a rebound, Donna was a best friend who provided perspective. Then he regenerated, became Matt Smith, and met Amy who married Rory. Amy and Rory give him an excuse to keep fighting, but also tend to highlight his flaws.

Simply put, even though Doctor Who is a show centered around an alien who travels all over time and space, it is a show about human relationships and human flaws. It gives us an escape while showing us how to adjust to our own shortcomings. And that is why it has survived nearly fifty years.

It's Mostly Their Dad's Fault

Supernatural started out as a horror show. The first season premiered when I was in high school, and I remember needing to leave the lights on while I watched; it was just too scary not to. But even in the first season, around all the terror, they started establishing the incredibly close bond of Sam and Dean Winchester. As the show progresses, we learn that the strong brotherly relationship is actually unhealthy codependency. Several times, the Boys have tried to part ways, and without fail are ultimately unsuccessful. Even at the end of season five, when Sammy was supposedly sent to hell and Dean was supposedly happy with Lisa and Ben, it took them a year but they ended up back together and Lisa and Ben were forced to literally forget Dean.

Neither of the Boys has ever had a functional relationship; the closest for Sammy was Jessica (who was killed by Azazel) and the closest for Dean was Lisa (though he was still pretty messed up and ultimately he had her and Ben's memories wiped for their protection). Jenna and I have discussed this and we realized that  they never saw a good relationship. When Dean was a toddler, John and Mary were having relationship issues, and then Mary died when Dean was four and Sammy was six months old. Once Mary died, John snapped and, though we know he had flings (thus we get Adam), he never had another relationship. Their secondary father figure, Bobby, killed his wife before the Boys spent so much time with him. The only long term relationship Sam and Dean know is their own, so it's no wonder they're dysfunctional.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching their complete devotion and loyalty to each other, even when everyone else is saying the opposite. It's one of the appeals of the show. But if they were real people, they would have serious psychological issues in connection to their relationship; the lengths they are willing to go for each other are unhealthy. So, yeah, they did some of the damage to themselves, but it's mostly their dad's fault. Because he could have let go of Mary, moved on, met a nice woman, and raised the Boys in a normal life.

Shout-Outs & GBPPs

So, my Princesses entry yesterday sparked some debate on Facebook, which is cool, but I did not mean to upset anyone. To those who have been posting about it - A) thank you for reading!! You may have started reading because it was about the Disney Princesses, but if you're reading this right now it's because you saw something you liked, and I appreciate you coming back! B) I acknowledge your points, and may be writing another post about them to address your concerns.
Having said that, I'm hoping this entry will be a little less controversial, even though I am once again choosing two favorite characters. This time, they are in the Marvel and DC Universes.

I have three biosiblings, so while we were growing up our parents started this concept of  "claiming" characters - I'm pretty sure that's what we titled it, I feel like my Mom would not call it that - so that it was easier to buy toys and stuff for us. For example, in the Hello Kitty world, I got Pochacco,  my sister got Hello Kitty (and Spottie Dottie sometimes...she was way more into Sanrio than the rest of us so she claimed more), one of my brothers got Badtz Maru, and the other brother got Keroppi. Of course, then Pochacco disappeared from the Japanese store in our mall when it shifted from being purely Sanrio...but that's not the focus of this entry. I just wanted to explain the concept of "claiming" because it has followed me into my adult life...I tend to choose one or two characters and focus my paraphernalia on them.

In DC and Marvel, "my" characters are Batman and Iron Man - the genius billionaire playboy philanthropists (yes I just quoted The Avengers). As loyal as I am to Marvel as a whole, I have to admit that, of the two, I prefer Batman. Anyone who has gone into Spencer's or Hot Topic with me will know this first hand - I tend to immediately gravitate to the Batman stuff. They are my favorite characters because they are not enhanced in any way - they are just poor little rich boys who have a lot of money, tons of cool toys, and a moral obligation to do the right thing. Even Steve Rogers had chemical enhancements before he became Captain America (granted, he voluntarily went into the procedure, and he was chosen because he was an exceptionally good guy, but still - he didn't become the superhero until he had enhancements).
Batman and Iron Man are two superheroes who could possibly exist in the real world, and I honestly kinda really wish they would.

Disney Princesses

In an interview, Joss Whedon was asked, "So why do you write these strong female characters?" To which he replied, "Because you are still asking me that question."

Those who know me personally may recognize this blog entry, because I have probably said this vocally, and I believe it was a "Note" on Facebook at one point.
I grew up on Disney Princess movies. The earliest I can remember, the group was Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, and Pocahontas. Of course, now we also have Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida. (Though, if you want to only include the Princesses who are officially inducted into the Royal Court, we have to leave Merida off the list. However, it's only a matter of time until she has her own ceremony.)
I'm not a major feminist, but as much as I love the Disney Princesses, the most classic and well-known of them are not very good role models. Disney has slowly started getting better, but on the whole I do not want any future daughter to take their lessons to heart.

SNOW WHITE is a girl who moves into a house with seven men, and immediately begins cooking and cleaning for them (the "proper place" for a woman). And then, when she is in danger, she is powerless and must depend on the dwarves to help her and then her Prince to save her. Not a strong role model.


CINDERELLA is a girl trapped in servitude by her stepmother, and her only way out is to marry a Prince. She has no thought of simply leaving and living on her own; the man must come and save her. How is that a role model??


AURORA is even more powerless than Cinderella! She pricks. her. finger. on a spinning wheel, which throws her (and the entire castle) into a coma. And the only way for them to wake up? You guessed it! The Prince must fight the dragon and kiss her. And since he must be her true love, she marries him! They barely know each other - they had only met once, in the forest - but since he was her first kiss, they must be destined for each other. Awesome example for the young girls, Disney. What the hell.


ARIEL actually has a special place in my heart; I was born in 1989 (the year her movie came out), I have always had red hair, and my family are River Rats, so I pretty much grew up in the water. However, even with the connection I feel to Ariel, I have to admit that she is a terrible role model. She spends her entire life ignoring her Dad, fantasizing of leaving for a world she doesn't understand. Which, okay, is pretty much every teenage girl, with one big difference - she actually does it. She makes the decision to completely change herself to be what Eric (the Prince actually gets a name this time!!) needs, paying the price of never seeing her family again.Who wants their daughter to learn THAT??


BELLE is the beginning of the stronger females, but she's still not quite there. Sure, she refuses to marry Gaston and dreams of a life outside the small provincial town in which she and her father live, and when her father gets kidnapped, she's the one who rides into the dark forest to rescue him. She makes the decision to stay in the dungeon in order to save her father, but that's where her Good Role Model status pretty much ends. For the rest of the movie, she is an emotionally and physically abused woman who refuses to leave, because she believes she can change the Beast. Though it makes a better movie, what's worse is that she actually succeeds, giving young girls a precedent. That is not something you want your daughter believing!!


JASMINE is a bit stronger, and one of my favorite Princesses. Her father, the Sultan, is trying to force her into marriage since the law states there must be a male Sultan to succeed him.Jasmine doesn't want to get married, however, and so runs away from home to live on her own. This is where she gets a little less awesome, though. A strange, dirty street rat (he had to smell bad, too) saves her from losing a hand, and so she agrees to go with him to his home. Which turns out to be a sketchy, abandoned building, with an admittedly amazing view of the palace. As much as you don't want your daughter to think it's okay to go home with a guy right after meeting him, Jasmine's strength, personal power and overall positives pretty much outweigh that one negative (and to tell the truth, I totally had a crush on Aladdin while I was growing up). She's a pretty good role model.


POCAHONTAS is the strongest of the Princesses so far. She is all about preserving the land she has grown up on, and the love story just sort of happens. Her father has picked a husband for her, Kokoum, who is the best hunter, and a very attractive man. But Pocahontas is not interested in marrying simply because she is the princess; she would rather wait for love. She happens to find that in John Smith, a European settler who is part of an "invasion". She teaches him the beauty of nature and why it must be preserved, and they unintentionally fall in love with each other. However, John's superior and Pocahontas's father do not understand the other side, and because of fear and misunderstanding, become aggressive. John is caught in the crossfire, and must return to England for medical attention. He asks Pocahontas to return with him, but she makes the decision Ariel wouldn't - Pocahontas tells John that, though she loves him, she must stay with her family in the New World. Now that's a role model.


MULAN should not be considered a Princess, in my opinion. She is the daughter of a soldier, poses as a soldier, and then marries a soldier. There is no royalty in there anywhere. However, Disney disagrees with me, and they're the boss. SO, ignoring the fact that she is not a Princess, she is a strong role model. Very early on we learn that she does not impress the matchmaker, and is much more comfortable without makeup and fancy clothing. When her father is called into service even though he is injured, she steals his summons, cuts her hair, and poses as his son in the army. She begins to fall for her commanding officer, but cannot act on it because he thinks she's a man. Even after her ruse is discovered, she returns to the palace - against orders - and saves the Emperor, as well as all of China. She returns home, having returned great honor to her family. And then, almost as an afterthought, her commanding officer appears to ask for her hand in marriage. That's a pretty good role model.


TIANA is the first of the new batch of Princesses. I have to admit, I saw her movie once and then haven't since. But she's a struggling cook who wants to open her own restaurant (or keep her father's restaurant open? something like that - either way, she wants to own a restaurant) but she just doesn't have the funds. She meets a frog who insists he is a Prince, but when she kisses him, she becomes a frog instead. They must then go on a journey to learn the lesson and return to their human bodies. Falling in love along the way, of course. While this pretty much is a love story, Tiana has spunk and ambitions and does not need the Prince to save her. She's an acceptable role model.


RAPUNZEL is one of my FAVORITE Princesses! She is kidnapped as an infant and held hostage by the woman she thinks is her mother. She does not want to disobey her mother by leaving the tower, but she dreams of seeing the floating lights that are in the sky on her birthday every year. One day, a thief named Flynn Rider sneaks into her tower and, after being knocked unconscious and tied up by Rapunzel, agrees to take her to see the lights. The entire movie is Rapunzel following her dreams, saving Flynn's life more than once, and finding her true family. She is an excellent role model.


MERIDA is the newest Princess, even though she is not officially inducted into the Royal Court yet (give her some time - her movie just came out a couple months ago). Her father is the Lord of Dunsborough and to keep the peace among the tribes, offers a competition to the lords' firstborns for Merida's hand in marriage. Merida is not happy with this - she has always been more comfortable riding through the forest and practicing her archery - and so enters and wins the competition (her father had never specified it was for the first born sons). Without spoiling too much, thanks to a shady witch and a spell to change her fate, Merida must save her mother before it is too late, and is able to do so with only the help of her little brothers - there is no Prince or love interest to be found. She is the best role model to date.

So what have we learned? Show your daughters the Princesses from the 21st Century, when Disney realized that the damsel in distress just would not cut it anymore. And make sure they see Tangled and Brave especially - those are just really really good movies.

Podcasting is the Future of Radio

I have never really been a talk radio person. If I was going to listen to the radio, I wanted music. But then music got annoying, and I discovered the Nerdist Podcast. I am now obsessed with my podcasts - they are the only thing I will listen to in the car if I have to drive more than five minutes...I currently follow Nerdist, Pop My Culture, The JV Club, The Nerdist Writer's Panel, Freakonomics Radio, Save It For Air, and Mike and Tom Eat Snacks. Some of them I follow for helpful tips and tricks (Nerdist Writer's Panel, Freakonomics Radio), some I follow for pure entertainment (Mike and Tom Eat Snacks, Save It For Air, JV Club) and some have a nice mix of both (Nerdist, Pop My Culture).

What is a podcast? Basically, a podcast is a talk radio show, but without the restrictions of a corporately produced station, and without a third party time restraint; the shows themselves decide approximately how long they want to run. For example, Nerdist tries to stay at about an hour. However, if they have an awesome guest or have gotten onto an especially enthralling topic, they have run to an hour and half or more before (I don't think they have ever hit two hours, though). On the other hand, M.A.T.E.S. tends to run about half an hour to forty-five minutes, because their concept (Pick a Snack, Eat a Snack, Rate a Snack) just does not lend itself to a ton of material each episode.


NERDIST was the first podcast I started listening to. It is hosted by Chris Hardwick, Matt Mira and Jonah Ray, and has no real structure. They currently release three episodes a week: two of the episodes have guests, one is a "Hostful" where the three of them sit around a table and shoot the breeze. Guests have ranged from Chris's former roommate and good friend of twenty years, Wil Wheaton to Neil deGrasse Tyson, from Nathan Fillion to Alison Brie. Regardless of career or fame, if there is someone they want to talk to, they are usually able to get him or her on the podcast. It is very entertaining, but the guests also often have incredible advice for those wanting to break in to their respective industries.

POP MY CULTURE is also a podcast centered around guests. Hosted by Vanessa Ragland and Cole Stratton, their guests are often in the film/tv industry (mostly actors and comedians, but some writers and producers) and has very minimal structure. For the first half of the show, they talk about whatever they feel like discussing, and this is where listeners can find any advice the guests happen to share. It's a bit more rare than on Nerdist, but it happens every now and then. For the second half of the show, Vanessa and Cole have prepared questions (often ridiculous, designed to be fun and silly more than hard hitting) for the guest to answer.

THE JV CLUB is perhaps the most guest-centered podcast on the list. Janet Varney (JV - see what she did there?) interviews female celebrities about their pre-fame high school and formative years and how that shaped the person they are now. Not many career-building tips and advice, but very intriguing to hear just how normal these famous women are.

THE NERDIST WRITER'S PANEL is extremely structured. This is actually the broadcast of a recorded live panel at Nerdist Meltdown Theater (in the back of Meltdown Comics in LA) moderated by Ben Blacker, and features major writers from the television industry. They often crossover to films as well, but they are on the panel because the write for TV. This is an incredibly helpful podcast for those of us hoping to join writers rooms, because the panelists give an accurate perspective on the reality of being a writer - warts and all, no bullshit. They talk about how hard it is to break into the career, the long, tiring hours, but also the payoff and the wonderful aspects. I absolutely recommend it to anyone and everyone who is interested in that career.

FREAKONOMICS RADIO is an actual 5-10 minute segment on NPR radio every other week, hosted by Steven Dubner. So, on alternating weeks they will have a 5-10 minute episode (which is also broadcast on NPR) then they will have half an hour to an hour long episodes which is often not broadcast on NPR. They will discuss social and economic issues facing America, and I find it absolutely fascinating. It's rather hard to describe, but it is a relative to the Freakonomics book - Dubner was a coauthor.

SAVE IT FOR AIR is my most recent podcast, hosted by Katie Levine and Logan Moy. I have not listened to very many episodes yet, but from what I have heard, it's Katie and Logan sitting at a table, talking about topics they chose beforehand, like TV Shows. Or Childhood Toys. They sometimes have guests, but not very many and the guest isn't the focus of the podcast. It seems interesting and I'm going to keep listening for now. We'll see how it turns out.

MIKE AND TOM EAT SNACKS is like junk food for your ears. It has no major substance and you probably won't learn anything (except we're not viewers! It's an audio podcast, thus we are not viewers) but it's fun to listen to hosts Tom Cavanaugh and Michael Ian Black do what they do (which is the podcast. They are about women's rights, but they do the podcast). And though they do repeat inside jokes every single episode (all the parentheses) it's interesting to hear what they have to say about the snacks they put through their PER system (Pick, Eat, Rate).


I guess what I find most appealing about podcasts (other than the lack of censoring - the Nerdist boys can say whatever they want, and iTunes will just put an "Explicit" tag on it) is the variety of topics. Truly anyone can make a podcast about anything, and it doesn't matter. Just pick something you feel passionate about, drum up the hosting fees to put it online, and go to town. There are no restrictions, and that is a marvelous feeling.

Olympics 2012 (XXX Olympiad)

Today has been a lazy day of procrastination...for the past week I've been very adult (cleaning out a garage! two dentist appointments in as many days!), proactive in the job search (two malls walked through! various websites visited!) and decided to take today as a day off; after all, the Olympics opened last night AND it is BBC America's Sat-Nerd-Day! Except for the lunch break I took with my grandmother and cousin to the local barbecue place, I have spent the entire day flipping between the Doctor Who marathon on BBC America and the Olympic Games on NBC.

When we left for lunch, Kazakhstan won the Gold in the Men's Road Race in Cycling, Ryan Lochte secured the second fastest time in the Men's 400m Medley with Michael Phelps barely sliding into the eighth fastest time (he won his heat by 7/100s of a second and was SIX SECONDS slower than he was in Beijing), we managed to get at least one name in the Women's 100m Butterfly (I honestly don't remember much about the Women's qualifying heats - I really liked the Doctor Who episode that was on at that point...oops) and the USA Women's Basketball team was ahead of Croatia by six points. I missed the end of that game, but I'm hoping we were able to hold onto our tenuous lead.

But what I really want to discuss is last night's Opening Ceremonies. I missed the first half hour, but was able to watch most of it, and holy cow!! I got chills from the pure theatricality of it.
Kenneth Branagh is one of my favorite British actors, and to have him "orchestrating" the transition from the rural England to the Industrial Revolution was absolutely beautiful. I loved the representation of the Industrial Revolution overtaking the green fields and turning the sky black with smoke. And then the forging of the Rings!! Oh goodness, I loved this part. The use of light and pyrotechnics to simulate fire was absolutely brilliant. And then the sparking ring was raised to the sky to meet four other "freshly forged" Olympic Rings and create the Olympic Symbol...oh lord it took my breath away. The rest of the performance bit was enjoyable, I liked the beds with lit mattresses, blankets and pillows during the "Child's Nightmare" section. I also loved the LED screens attached to the audience seats. It was such an innovative way to integrate the audience into the performance...the whole lighting concept behind the Ceremonies actually reminded me why I was so passionate about lighting to begin with.
During "Frankie and June Say Thanks Tim" it felt a bit chaotic and disorganized, but I liked the music. There was a hint of the T.A.R.D.I.S. noise near the end of one section, and my grandmother and cousin thought I was going mad. HOWEVER, it was confirmed this morning that they had planned a Doctor Who segment that had to be cancelled due to time constraints, so, I was NOT hearing things!! I have yet to tell them this, but I doubt they care anymore - it's just my stupid self who has held on to this.

Speaking of the Doctor, I have to admit I was a little disappointed by the absence of David Tennant. I was really hoping that would be their nod to such a cultural staple - have the guy we thought was the final runner stumble, then David Tennant would appear out of nowhere to keep the flame from touching the ground and carry it to the cauldron. How EPIC would that have been?? But I also acknowledge how ridiculous that actually is to anyone who is not an avid Whovian, and so I really liked the reality.
It touched my heart that the next generation of athletes - six or seven teenagers who are hoping to be Olympians in 2016 - were the ones who carried the torch around the stadium and up to the cauldron. And that cauldron concept was mind-blowing. Throughout the entire Parade of Countries, my grandmother was continually inquiring about the the strange brass things that the small children were carrying. No one had explained it, and yet every country had one. Come to find out, they were brass leaves of a tree used to make up the cauldron. It's hard to explain how they did it, but basically when the runners approached the tree all the limbs were fanned out, and once the runners lit their respective leaves, the leaves lifted up and became the cauldron. It was absolutely beautiful.


Also, side note, my cousin Thomas and I were keeping track of athletes throughout the Parade of Nations - Australia brought 441, USA brought 519 and Great Britain has 558. Compared to the countries (some of whom had millions of people in the population - not tiny countries) who brought maybe a dozen athletes...I like those odds. GO USA!!!

READ. THE. BOOK!

One of my biggest pet peeves is sitting in a movie theater of an adaptation and hearing, "Oh, this is based on a book??" It takes all of my self-control not to turn around and very fiercely say, "Yes, you illiterate moron. This is a very popular book, actually, hence the movie. Maybe you should actually pick up a book that doesn't follow a teenager who is emotionally and physically abused and must make the oh so important decision between bestiality and necrophilia" (Have I told you my true feelings about Twilight yet? Don't worry, this isn't the post for that. But if I haven't yet, it'll come). And alright, my response usually isn't quite that strong. But I do get extremely annoyed when someone does not realize that a movie is based on a book, especially when it's a popular novel; I'll forgive more obscure literature (especially self-help books - who decided those would make good romcoms??) because I have been guilty of that too. But once I research the movie (which I almost always do before going to see something) I usually find out.

And, more often than not, the book is better than the movie; that is just a truth universally acknowledged (see what I did there??) The one exception I have found is Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook. It is one of my favorite sweet love movies, and so I decided to check out the book. I could not finish it. I found the ending scene with the older couple boring compared to the young couple, but watchable. I could not finish the books. As soon as I finished the part with the young couple and realized I still had several pages left, I put it down. I attribute that to the fact that it was one of his early works and he hadn't perfected his technique yet.

But other than The Notebook, I have yet to find an instance where I prefer the movie. I think my favorite adaptation is currently the Lord of the Rings trilogy...Harry Potter was very good, but they weren't quite as accurate as LotR. Sure, I was saddened by the absence of Tom Bombadil, but honestly, when adapting, you have to cut stuff out, and LotR is one of the few adaptations I've found which has kept to an acceptable movie length AND been accurate and faithful to the book.

I was homeschooled until 9th Grade, and the rule in the house was that we were not allowed to see a movie until we had read the book; Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, A Little Princess, etc. and I have allowed that philosophy to bleed into my adult life. Because honestly, it adds an extra layer to the movie, and makes me a more well-rounded viewer and reader. So before you go see a movie, go read the book.

The British America

I love watching BBC America. Doctor Who (of course), The Graham Norton Show, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, the new series coming up, Copper, looks really good....it's just a fun channel. And back in December, it started getting even better - there was a Nerdist special after the Doctor Who Christmas Special, and another one in January. And guess what? IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN, ONLY DOUBLED.
BBC America has dubbed this Saturday (the 28th) as Sat-nerd-day. Starting at 6am EST, they will be showing a twelve-hour Doctor Who marathon, followed by the two previously aired Nerdist specials (I'm excited about this, because I missed the Christmas one) and then at 9pm EST is the Nerdist Tribute to Comic-Con followed by Nerdist Tribute to Toys & Games at 10. I am a major follower of the Nerdist Podcast, and I love everything Chris Hardwick has managed to accomplish. (Check out the Nerdist YouTube Channel if you haven't already)

I am mildly obsessed with the British Isles. Jenna and I had started discussing a move to England three or four months after meeting each other (whether that says more about our obsession with the country or our friendship, I'm not sure....but she's still my best friend and we still plan on getting over there somehow). Number one on my bucket list is to spend significant time in Ireland. I'm far more proud than I maybe should be of my Celtic heritage. And if I wouldn't get weird looks (and honestly, judge myself just a lot bit) I would totally walk around with an English accent. However, that doesn't stop me from cursing in British - "bloody hell" is one of my favorite phrases ever.
And all that probably has something to do with my adoration of BBC America, as well as Nerimon/Alex Day and Charlie McDonnell (two English YouTubers) - they give me a glimpse into the culture I wish was mine.

Good/Evil #2 - Castiel

**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**

What is so worth saving? I see nothing but pain here! I see inside you, I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In Paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace.

Castiel is an angel of Heaven. He is completely devoted to God, so you would think that this would be no question - he's Good. But he doesn't necessarily agree with what the other angels are doing, which starts the grey area. Angels are from Heaven, so they must be Good, and yet they are trying to bring about Armageddon and so they are painted as antagonists on the show (I could do a whole entry discussing them...hmm, ideas!!) With that in consideration, in addition to God missing, it seems as though Castiel is still Good. And ever since he was introduced in season four, he has been one of my favorite characters. He and Dean developed an adorable Bromance - at one point, Cas even admitted to Sam that he and Dean do "share a more profound bond". Which made the ending of Season Six all the more heartbreaking.

Season Six is the first season after the Apocalypse has been averted; Sam is in a Cage in Hell with Lucifer and Michael, Dean is living happily with Lisa and Ben, the demon Crowley has taken over Hell in Lucifer's absence, and Castiel has returned to Heaven. However, since Michael is trapped in the Cage, there is a power vacuum in Heaven. Castiel and another angel, Raphael, have started a civil war because if Raphael takes control of Heaven, he will restart Armageddon and bring about the destruction of the world, and Cas is trying to stop that. Unfortunately, throughout the course of the season we learn that Castiel and Crowley have been working together to learn the location of Purgatory, because they can use the souls of the monsters trapped there to boost their own powers. Crowley has the Boys (Crowley has pulled Sam out of the Cage by this point) and the Campbells capturing Alphas (the first monster of a species) so that he can torture them for information. Even Castiel begins using questionable methods, becoming desperate as Raphael is winning the war. The season ends with Castiel consuming the souls of the Leviathan, though he is ultimately unable to handle them and is destroyed in the Season Seven premiere.

For most of Season Seven, Castiel is presumed dead. However, towards the end of the season Dean is sent to a faith healer, who turns out to be Castiel with amnesia. Sam is struggling with the hallucination of Lucifer, nearing the point of complete insanity. At the end of the episode, Cas offers to transfer the hallucination to his own mind, and the Boys reluctantly leave him a dribbling mess in a mental hospital, with Meg the demon as a guardian. When we see Cas again, he has been revived by a Word of God that the Boys have found, so although he is still completely bats--t insane, at least he is no longer nearly comatose. He begins to redeem himself in these last three episodes of the season as he helps the Boys take down the evil Dick Roman, but Dean and the audience find it very difficult to forget Castiel's betrayal in the sixth season.

So is Castiel Good or Evil? Considering he's an Angel, I don't think he can ever be fully Evil. However, he did begin doing some very questionable things, right down to betraying his absolute best friend in the world, so I find it difficult to call him completely Good either. So I think I'm going to go with

WELL-INTENTIONED

Are you there, Agnes?

I believe in ghosts.
The university I went to for four years has a resident ghost named Agnes who provides plenty of stories with which to scare freshmen. The story goes that she was a student in the 1930s who was in love with a professor, had her heart broken, and hung herself in Pearce Auditorium. Details of the story differ, but my favorite is that it was her piano teacher, who claimed to be in love with her as well. Then, one day, a different professor was assigned to her class for a couple weeks. When Agnes asked what happened to the professor she had been seeing, she was told he was on his honeymoon. That night she went to the auditorium in which she performed her piano recitals and hung herself.
Agnes is usually dormant during the day, but gets very testy after 11pm - only the most brave/cynical enter Pearce late at night. Unfortunately, Pearce is in a building which is attached to quite a few dormitories, as well as the dining hall. Bailey Hall is the dormitory directly above Pearce, but Yonah, Yonah 2 and Wilkes are attached next to Pearce and Bailey. I never lived in Bailey, but I spent a year in Yonah, half a year in Wilkes and a year in Yonah 2. Because Wilkes is the furthest from Pearce, I did not have any encounters with Agnes during that semester, but Yonah gave me stories. Yonah 2 really only had bad vibes; I did not have any specific experience with Agnes, but there was definitely something off with that hall. My best stories are from freshman year in Yonah Hall. The two that stand out the most happened to my hall mates and now very good friends Alex (who was actually my suite mate) and Lindsay.

Alex's roommate, Rita, was the first one to notice something. Alex was in their walk-in closet talking to her boyfriend and Rita was on her bed. Rita heard Alex call her name, so she stuck her head into the closet to see what was up. Alex hadn't said anything, so Rita shrugged it off. Later that night, Alex came through the adjoining bathroom and asked what I needed. Turns out she had heard me calling her name, even though I hadn't spoken.
If that isn't spooky enough, a few weeks later, Lindsay and I came back from our friend Ryan's apartment late at night. We went to our respective rooms and I went to bed. She also tried to go to bed, but heard a voice in the main entry downstairs. She tried to ignore it, so the voice got louder and she could distinguish that it was Ryan calling her name over and over. She thought Ryan had followed us home, so she went down the stairs to let him up (especially since, by this point, he sounded very annoyed and aggravated). As she walked, the voice got louder and louder until it stopped when she was halfway down the stairs. She opened the door to the main entry, and no one was there. She looked around for a minute to make sure he wasn't playing a prank, then went upstairs. Once she got back in her room, the voice started up again. This time she called Ryan, and he assured her that he was still at his apartment - he even had all the people in his living room yell toward the phone so she could hear them. He also insisted he could not hear the loud voice still calling her name. She tried to keep him on the phone, since her roommate was still and asleep and the knowledge that someone could hear her was comforting, but eventually he had to hang up....and the voice was still yelling at her.
After this, my knowledge gets kind of fuzzy, but either the voice simply stopped calling her, or she finally fell asleep and by the time she woke up it had stopped.

These women are two people whose opinion I trust; they are not the type of people to make something like this up just for the hell of it. So ghosts exist. I have other personal stories, but I'll save those for a later entry.
Sleep tight!