Tuesday, August 28, 2012

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!

Monday, August 27, 2012

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

Thursday, August 23, 2012

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.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

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.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

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

Saturday, August 11, 2012

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.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

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!!!!!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

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 AffairsWhite 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.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

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).

Monday, August 6, 2012

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.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

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.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

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!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

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.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

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.