Friday Five

1. Even though, I'm still dealing with some terribly awful tech issues - some my fault, others not so much - I've been enjoying scrapbooking my England trip.  I love the way it's turning out.  I'm only half way through the trip, but now it's getting to the Cornwall fun, which is all beachy all the time, so that should be super fun to see come together!

2. I cannot wait to listen to this Podcast.  I love Jonathan Groff and honestly, how could a musical podcast be anything but fabulous?!

3. I love those dreamy Supernatural boys, and I'm always hoping they'll get some recognition from the late night shows.  Of course, it usually doesn't happen.  However, this week is Comic Con and they finally (finally!) appeared on Conan.  They were dreamy, and hilarious.  Jensen's Birthday surprise keg for Jared, with an added Keg Stand on national television will be hard to beat.  

4. Speaking of Comic Con - what about the new casting for the next Doctor.  A woman and a woman as super-talented as Jodie Whitaker?  Fabulous news!  I'm so happy to see the show move forward.  I loved Jodie on Broadchurch, and I think she'll be awesome as the Doctor.  And I'm also so happy to see so many of the fans getting on board - we won't mention the jerks that are actually taking the time to complain to the BBC about it being a woman...

5. Last but not least, I'm going to New York tomorrow to see a show I know NOTHING about.  Apparently it's called Puffs and it's about Harry Potter, other than that, I've got no idea.  One of my friends is a big HP fan, and she's seen it - and loved it.  Now she wants all of us to go see it too.  I was a little taken aback when everyone was planning to wear HP gear, since I have none, but I side-stepped the themed outfit, and now I'm just super ready to see it!

Such a Long Wait....

                  
This.  This right here is what Comic Con was made for and it just so happens to be my most favorite thing to come out of the weekend.  I've been waiting for this to appear since they started filming a few months ago and now that it has, I have SO many questions.  What's with all the nurses?  Who's in the hospital bed?  Why does Sherlock look so afraid of Toby Jones? Did Toby Jones practice that creepy maniacal laugh?  Was that really Moriarty alive and well on a gorgeous Welsh beach ?  And most importantly, why on earth is the lovely Mrs. Hudson calling Mycroft a "reptile"?

You tend to forget just how amazing and cutting edge Sherlock is when you're forced to wait so long between the seasons.  Seeing as the trailer ended with "Coming in 2017, it looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer this time as well.  But having the chance to see little sneaks like this one, and getting the chance to speculate, makes the wait almost - I'm stressing the word almost here - bearable.  

It's going to be a very long 6 months until the premiere, but from the looks of things, Moffat, Gattis, and Vertue have made that wait totally worth it!

Friday Five

1. Maybe the only good thing to come out of this election cycle is the note that Huffington Post places at the end of every story on Donald Trump.  Yes it shows bias, but when dealing with Trump, it's hard not to...

2. Apparently, book stores do bring people together.  But as with everything else, you have to go virtual.  Now not only do I have to browse the book store, but I also have to tweet the book store too.  Well, I suppose I can if I can find a bookish Prince Charming like this woman did.

3. Oh Holy Moly!  Did anyone watch the season finale of Bones last night? I won't spoil the ending if you haven't but needless to say a (much-loved by me) character returned and set us up for one heck of a story-line next year.  I personally can't wait!  And because I can't wait, I'm now spending my summer binging Bones from the beginning, trying to decipher the clues the executive producer dropped after the finale. So far, no breakthroughs, but I'll keep you posted : )

4. San Diego Comic Con coverage has been pretty darn amazing so far.  I've loved all the scoops and photos I've seen over the last 2 days.  So far my faves are the new trailer for Marvel on Netflix (I'm still holding out hope that David Tennant's purple man isn't really dead...) and the sneak peak at the last half of The Last Ship's season.  So good and so intriguing!  Now just to patiently wait for the Sherlock stuff tomorrow and Supernatural on Sunday.

5. I've said multiple times that I'm not really a scrapbooker.  I'm more of a paper crafter that dabbles with scrapbooking.  However, I'm currently working on a book documenting my summer, and for whatever reason, I think I finally found my groove.  Maybe it's just the super cool summery things I've done or maybe it's the fabulous journal and filler cards from In a Creative Bubble I'm using.  Whatever it is, I'm super excited to share once it's all done!

Friday Five: #DCCon Edition

Today's post is mostly what I learned at my first Supernatural event.  Warning: It's mostly a lot of happy sounds because I'm still in awe of this whole experience...

1. The people are all super nice.  Let's be honest, it's about 95% female attendance, mostly because it's a show about 2 cute boys.  And us girls tend to be super sweet.  However, I feel like somehow everyone is just nicer in this fandom.  They yell support when someone mentions a struggle.  They geek out with each other over the same things.  They share stories and laugh. Even the people that were working the convention were super helpful.  It was basically the pot at the end of a rainbow all day long.

2. Vendor area - not so exciting.  I wasn't expecting it to be huge, but I was expecting a little more.  My friend who was hankering for a Tee shirt never found anything that made her happy.  And for the most part, there was a lot of other non supernaturally things which seemed weird to me.  I didn't want much but I did want a book and a SPN Survivors pin - neither of which I saw.  But I have to admit, for an SPN convention, there were certainly some cute Doctor Who stuff : )

  

3. Richard Speight Jr. deserves some sort of award for best host in all of creation.  He's hilarious, quick on his feet (in that he can adlib the heck out of anything that happens not that he runs a lot : ) and just an all around happy go lucky presence all day.  How can you not love a guy that comes out with a patriotic top hat and oversized shades to match his outfit of red pants, white shirt and a blue jacket in Washington DC? Honestly, he's such an awesome dude!

4. Fans are so darn creative!  Between the gorgeous costumes (Rowena complete with a long red wig.  The Impala with a chevy logo hair clip.  Castiel with real feathered wings.)  and all the awesome fan attire, I wasn't sure where to look first.  I just kept ogling at all the people there and thinking about how much time it took to create these works of art.  It was so fun to see that side of people.  The most creative was a woman who hand-painted a Funko Pop to look exactly like Sheriff Mills which she presented to Kim Rhodes at the panel.  It was gorgeous!  I'm not sure who was more excited; the painter to give it to Kim or Kim receiving it. 

5.  How can this cast - and I mean the ENTIRE cast - be so darn charming, kind and all around hilarious?  It would seem that there's not a bad apple in the bunch.  Gabriel Tigerman and Chad Lindberg were up first.  And I didn't know anything about either of them so I wasn't so excited to see them.  But after the first 10 minute story about a 5 legged cow, I was hooked.  They were both very funny guys who really played well off each other, and kept the place laughing for the whole hour.  

Then it was Kim Rhodes and Brianna Buckmaster's turn.  And yes, they are as awesome as you want them to be.  I think every female in the room wanted to be their best friend. They're strong, and opinionated and intelligent, but they're also unbelievably funny and quick-witted.  Brianna had the entire audience in tears talking about how she was when she first met Jensen.  On the outside she was "Hi how are you?" but on the inside she was " ...{faints}" (complete with her actually pratfalling down to the ground.)  She totally gets it!  I think I want to be her when I grow up.  And the best part is that those are just the start.  We still have 2 more days to fill with more amazing people!

Let the Geek Flag Fly

I have a secret.  It involves how I'm spending my weekend.  People I work with and other friends think I'm spending the weekend in DC - presumably seeing the monuments and eating yummy food.  And that's partially correct.  I will be spending the weekend in DC. However, I won't be seeing any monuments.  Unless you count the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill as a monument or Jared and Jensen (of which I totally do!).  

You see, while I'm a big geek.  I try to keep the geek flag hidden when I'm with people who don't know me as well.  I don't want them to think I'm a big nerd.  I know Brainy is the New Sexy and all, but I still think certain types of entertainment have a certain connotation, so I hide my nerdish tendencies and play cool-ish.  Even one of my closest friends thinks I'm attending a "nerd convention." And, honestly, that's sort of what this is.

Wait for it....  

I will be attending the Supernatural convention for the next 3 days.  And, yes, I'm super excited about it. And yes, I've been dreaming about it for weeks. And yes, I've been talking about going for even longer.  Don't be raining on any of my parade!

But still I'm a little worried.  I'm not going to like seeing other non-convention going guests look at us like we're weird.  I hate that!  Because, while I may play it close to the vest (honestly, though, what don't I play close to the vest?), I've made a realization.  Everyone has something they geek out over.  Everyone gets starstruck, or awestruck or just super excited about something.  For a lot of people, the things they love, don't have conventions. Us geeks, are just lucky, we get our own convention circuit that includes SDCC, as well as smaller comic cons and show specific ones like the one I'm going to.  How great is that?!

So while I'm geeking out over the cutest cast in the world this weekend, and you're busy thinking what a nerd I am, just remember that thing you LOVE.  Wouldn't you like to be in a ballroom with a 1000 people who share that same love?  Wouldn't that be awesome!?

Friday Five

1.  After buying it a few months ago at the Used Book Sale, I finally decided to pick it up today to start.  I thought it was appropriate since I'll be in NYC tomorrow and I'd need something to keep me busy on the bus.  Well, that was a terrible idea, seeing as I've already finished it, now I'm out a book to read tomorrow.  But it was so very good!  Loved hearing all the wonderful things about NYC.  I thought it was just me who thought NYC was the bee's knees, but apparently not.

2. There has never been a truer article ever written than this one on the 21 situations people dread.  I've been terrified, annoyed, undone or just plain freaked out by every single one of these situations. Honestly, I do try, but it's difficult.  That's what you have to understand. We want to be clever and sparkling and all around lovely, but sometimes, it's just a bit too hard.

3. Nerd HQ!  I was never a huge Zac Levi fan, but what he's done with Nerd HQ is enough to turn me into one.  The people he compiles for the panels at Comic Con and the ridiculous amount of money he raises for such a good cause is just awe-inspiring.  I wasn't sure there was a way to make Comic Con better, but somehow he found one.  

4. Summer Concerts in Annapolis or other places in MD are becoming a thing this year.  I'm not sure if they've always been a thing and I've just not noticed it, or if it's a new development.  But whatever it is, I like it.  

5. Why you should Like Leverage: This article just made me smile because these are all the reasons why I love, love, love this show.  I'm still in mourning over its cancellation 2 years later.  The cast, crew, and storytelling was perfect!  And I miss it so darn much.

#AlwaysKeepFighting

I could lie and tell you all the fabulously wonderful things I filled my Sunday with, however, let's be honest here.  Today was essentially a day full of sitting and live-streaming all the fabulously wonderful thing others people were doing at Comic Con.  It may not be crazy exciting, but you need one of those Sundays every once in a while and I enjoyed mine greatly.

So, all of that is to say, there's really not much to share about today that can't already be found on YouTube or any other entertainment site.  However, I will tell you the best thing I saw today, because I'm still shocked by the sheer awesomeness of some people, mainly Supernatural fans.  

I know I say it a lot, but there's just something about this fandom.  I'm not sure if it's the type of people that are drawn to the show or that the openness of the other fans just creates kindness or maybe it's the cast that may be the kindest and most talented cast to ever walk the planet. But the ability of these people to band together and help when they're needed is fascinating and something I've never quite seen before.  It's pretty awe-inspiring.

 And at Comic Con, it was no different.  

A group of fans, I'm not sure who to credit this to (I so wish I did!), got together and created these:

Then handed them out to the audience.  At the appointed time, everyone lit their candle surprising the cast who had no idea what was going on.  With most everyone knowing the story behind this awesome movement, I'm sure the entire audience was inspired by the gesture.  You can read about the cast reactions here.  Suffice it to say they were pretty impressed and touched by such an outpouring of love.

Wouldn't the world be a little nicer if we were all just a bit geeky like these awesome people sharing the love with some candles and a heartfelt message?

Friday Five

1. 3 Words to Describe Comic Con: I suppose if I had to describe it, I'd choose, Super Awesome, Geektastic! 
           
2. This is 100% truth.  Though I highly disagree with #11.  It should be Books & Tea - wine is not necessary at all!

3. I'm kinda loving Complications on USA Network.  I was trying not to get interested, because I'm still mourning White Collar (How could USA cancel the best show on TV!?).  But I accidentally caught an episode on repeat, and it's pretty darn compelling.  I'm guessing it's because Jason O'Mara is darn watchable (and adorable, but that's beside the point.)  Oh and Parker from Leverage is playing his wife - how could it go wrong!?

4. A few years ago I found the Almost Better than Anything cake on the back of a chocolate cake box.  And fell in love with it.  It's basically a chocolate poke cake with the holes filled with sweetened condensed milk, caramel and toffee, then covered in whip cream.  Yes, it's as decadent and delicious as it sounds!  I hadn't made it in forever, until last night, and had forgotten just how amazing it actually was.  I do amaze myself sometimes : )

5. I'm in the middle of a little Lunchbox Project.  I've been terrible at taking my lunch to work with me lately, so I wanted to start.  But the problem with taking lunches is that I can never find something yummy to make.  That's when Pinterest came to the rescue.  For the last 4 days, I was able to put together some fairly healthy, delicious lunches that included snacks and goodies.  Oh and they're kinda pretty too!  Plans are to continue at least 4 days a week.  At least one day has to be out lunch fun day : )

Fangirling!

Just about every year at this time, I start dreaming of San Diego.  I mean, honestly, how could you not?  San Diego Comic Con is the biggest gathering of geeks and geek culture in the world, and it's awesome.  I unlike some people, have gotten the chance to experience it. Unfortunately, I realize now, that I didn't get to really grab the bull by the horns and live it up while I was there.  I mean, I didn't even wear a costume or an ironically funny tee shirt.  I don't even have any weird pictures to share. These are about it.

At least I got the shot everyone has to take, going down the escalator into the convention center.  But, since we were there for only one day, we had only one purpose - Sit in line for hours to assure we could get in to see the USA Network panels (White Collar, Burn Notice and Psych).  You see?  We weren't even really geeking out.  We were just wanting to see the dreamy Matt Bomer - which was by no means a bad thing, let me tell you.   If by some magic, he's even dreamier in person than he is in real life!  All I'm saying is that if I were to go this year, there would be about a dozen other geekier things I'd need to see.  I think I'd go full on Fangirl.

At the time that I went, in 2010, I hadn't fully embraced my geekiness.  I was sort of aware of sci-fi, but I was much more interested in other things.  Now I get it.  I've drank the Kool-Aid, and I understand the true awesomeness of these events.  Oh, and I REALLY want to be a part of them :)

So what's a good sci-fi fan to do when she's not at Comic Con?  That's easy - take to Twitter and YouTube of course.  Have I mentioned how much I loved technology lately?  Why, just this afternoon I was able to watch the preview to end all previews for the Sherlock Christmas special, the utterly perfect lead in video to the Sherlock panel, the exclusive trailer for ConMan the series and the trailer for next season's Doctor Who.  How awesome is that!?

And that's not even the best part.  It's only Thursday.  Everyone knows that the REALLY good stuff (though I'm still not convinced that Sherlock isn't the REALLY good stuff) doesn't even happen until Saturday.  I can't even wait!  I still have a Supernatural Panel to catch, as well as all the awesome Conversations for a Cause on Sunday run by Nerd HQ.

It's a good weekend to be a geek - even if I'm not there with all my fellow geeks!

Comically Speaking

I must admit a certain fondness (some might call it an obsession) with watching panels from conventions on Youtube.  One of the fabulous things about living in the future is that everyone has a video camera on their phone these days and everyone uses them.  You don't have to be in San Diego or Toronto or NYC to hear what all the geeky stars are saying.

What always gets me with these panels are the Q&A's from the fans.  Fans have quite the eye and ear for detail so the questions are entertaining to say the least (and sometimes just a bit uncomfortable).  "What exactly were you thinking when you did this in episode 6 of season 2?" or "What happened behind the scenes on August 3, 2011?"  The good guys and girls; the geeky stars that aren't just at the con because their publicist told them to be there, are always kind and accommodating to these fans.  They answer the questions the best that they can and they don't belittle or tease the question-askers.  

But even when being so kind and honest, I start to wonder, what exactly is going through their minds when these questions are being asked.  Being around a production is everyday life for them.  It's a job like we have.  So it's certainly not as exciting or entertaining as we make it out to be.

All that being said, what in the world would people think if they were posed these questions in real life?  Some questions are slightly cringe worthy, afterall.  I have to say I don't think I would have the same patience or tact when answering, not to mention asking. (Full disclosure: I give major props to the people that go to these conventions and let their freak flag high.  I'd be too embarrassed but they let it all hang loose.) And I know for a fact I wouldn't be nearly as interesting or hilarious as the real geek stars answering.  But I can certainly try...

Here's a real question that someone asked and my attempt at an answer.  I hope to do a few more of these in the future, mostly because they make me laugh (if not anyone else).

"What are some silly or embarrassing things you do?" (I'm not sure anyone in my entire life has asked me this question - but for some reason a fan asked it at a convention.)

I talk to myself a little too much.  I have full conversations with the television and answer my own questions out loud.  

I also sometimes forget that people I'm talking to or I'm with, can't hear what's happening in my head.  So sometimes, I will say random things out loud that no one understands because they haven't been privy to the last 6 thoughts that brought me to that  particular epiphany.

Like I said, I'm not nearly as charming as the stars.  Here's how the pros do it. : )

              

So Very Jealous

No thanks to BuzzFeed, and Twitter for articles like these, I've been hearing all sorts of fun things out of San Diego.  At first I thought it wouldn't be a big year.  There weren't many things I was excited about opening or panel-ing, but now that I'm seeing EVERYone there having a blast, including Benedict Cumberbatch, the Supernatural dudes, The Hobbit, Big Bang, Bones, and I could go on and on, I'm so darn jealous of all the fun everyone seems to be having!  A few years ago, I don't think I lived it up enough, at some point in the near future, I'm going to be needing to go back - I feel a costume is even on the horizon.  Now what should I pick - Amy Pond or Mary Morstan? : )

Friday Five: Geeky Edition

In honor of the Geek National Holiday that is occurring in San Diego as we speak (aka ComicCon), this week's Friday Five is dedicated to all things nerdy.  Geek out!

1.  I'm slightly fond of UK's Sherlock and can't seem to get enough of this video.  Even if you have no idea what a Cumberbatch is, there is no way you won't at least giggle at his shenanigans.  Adorable!
  

2. This fairly amazing poster apparently inspired by Wil Wheaton and designed by the folks at Don't Forget to be Awesome.  I'm only certain of a few of the references (some geek I am!) but I love the design and the sentiment.

3. I'm not sure how or when I decided that Matt Smith was all kinds of adorable in a non-lovey dovey more bumbling 5 year old kind of way, but it was most definitely in the last few months.  Of course it's now that he decides to leave.  Let's hope that means we get at least a few more interviews at least half as adorable as this one.

4. As a one-time attendee, I agree with every point on this list.  In reference to point 21, I believe that's the exact spot I sat in for 3 hours waiting for the USA panels to start.  Best vantage point for costume watching if I do say so myself.

5. Also as someone who knows exactly what she's missing - the crazy, enchanting, celebratory, geek-love nerd fest - this list is pretty accurate as well. 

 Happy ComicCon Week!

This Place Thursday: Geek Edition

In celebration of the biggest geek fest of the year starting today, we'll be visiting Comic Con for This Place Thursday.  Up until a few years ago, I had never heard of Comic Con.  It's been around for decades but it's seemed to really explode in the last decade or so.  For those of you not geeky enough, Comic Con International is the largest Comic/Pop-Culture/All things geek convention in the US which is held in San Diego every year.  Hundreds of thousands of nerds, geeks, and all around pop-culture fiends flock to the city to be treated to panels, parties, exhibits, and stars galore.  It's a mecca for a lot of people, me being one of them.

So, in 2010 I got the crazy idea to see what the big deal was.  Tickets are surprisingly affordable.  It's that darn flight and hotel that get you every time!  And of course since I couldn't fly across the country alone, I dragged the bestie along. 

Now I must be honest, I am a certified nerd.  I love The Big Bang Theory.  I have a picture taken in front of a prop Stargate.  The songs of Dr. Horrible are on my iPod.  I'm a Whedon-ite: Go Browncoats!  I wrote an entire post on the Higgs-Boson particle.  I saw the Lord of the Rings trilogy on their opening days.  I know about, understand and LOVE steampunk.  You could say I have the geek-cred but I really didn't want to attend for that reason.  Seeing that stuff was just a happy by-product! No, the bestie and I were much more interested in the USA Network panels that were taking place on Thursday.  For 3 glorious hours we listened as the casts (and semi-casts: BN I'm looking at you!) of Psych, Burn Notice, and my personal favorite, White Collar cracked jokes, told stories and kept every one of the 1500 con-ers in the room rolling in the aisles.  It was fabulous!  We had great seats, which were to be expected, since, to actually get into this particular room we had to sit in line for 4 hours before hand. 

That's the thing about Comic Con.  Everyone else is just as big a die-hard as you are.  You have to do the work and pay the price if you want to see the greats. You need a solid plan of attack, of which we had none.  Due to this pain in the neck, we pretty much spent the majority of the day sitting on the floor twiddling our thumbs and people watching, which just happens to be the other thing about Comic Con.  People watching on a regular everyday street can provide about 5 minutes', give or take, of enjoyment.  Comic Con people watching should be its own sport.  In no other place can you sit and watch Dr. Horrible, Darth Vader, Pokemon, the Ghostbusters, Dexter, the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp was big that summer: Creepy!) and Captain Tightpants himself (not the real one unfortunately) walk by like it's an every-day occurrence.  It's magnificent!  It would be even greater if I wasn't so afraid of getting caught taking their pictures but I snapped a few so I guess that's progress.  I wouldn't say the 4 hours blew right by, but it definitely made them more bearable. (Of course, dreaming of the Neal Cafferey I was about to see didn't hurt either.)

After the panels (which I'm sure can be found on YouTube if you really try.  They are well worth the hour!), pretty much everything good had ended for the day, so we trolled the floor for a while, then left.  Of course, since the convention takes place over 4 days and most of the stars that come, stay the weekend, if you don't have weekend tickets, you can star watch all over the city.  At the hotel I saw Patton Oswalt and Grant Imahara (Mythbusters).  And while having dinner on the water, Deidrich Bader and his family strode by. I was kinda hoping to see Nathan Fillion or at least the other 2 dudes from Mythbusters, but not so much.

Overall, it's an experience of a lifetime if you go into that kind of thing.  Even if you don't, it's shiny (token Firefly reference) and fun and a super cool experience to have.  I would recommend planning your attack very carefully and getting tickets for the whole weekend.  San Diego is a beautiful city but I could have roamed the halls of the SD Convention center for hours!

Below: First set are pics of the floor and exhibits.  The next 3 are the panels.