tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31939826345605597832024-02-07T18:59:05.959-07:00Staying ShinyMy life as a Uber-geek in a Bridal worldFaeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-31859106296305941832012-06-22T21:25:00.000-06:002012-06-22T21:25:29.791-06:00Life UpdateSince it's been a little while since I have posted I thought I'd do a quick update on how things have been going. <br />
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First off, J found a job! YAY!! Not only did he find a job, but it's a great one. Good paying and great benefits. He's just finished his 3rd week on the job and seems to be settling into it now. He was very nervous and frustrated at first because he had a lot to learn in a very short amount of time but I had faith that he would figure it out and he has. It's nice to see him settling in and getting some confidence back. It has been a long 6 months for the both of us. When he came into my work to tell me he got the job I gave him and big hug and congratulated him. What I really wanted to do was break down and cry. I had been trying for so very long to hold it together for both of us and it was like a huge weight had been lifted off me and all these emotions I had been holding in for so long wanted to come rushing out. His new job may mean some big changes in our life, but I am looking forward to that. He is working out in Taber and has to commute to work and back each day. We have discussed the option of moving out to Taber. This is something we have talked about before. To be closer to the farm and be able to help out a little easier. I am all for moving, but with the caviet that we get a new and more reliable car so I can commute back to the city and keep my job. I love my job and am not ready to find something different. The commute for me would be a little easier as my job starts a little later in the day than his. We are thinking that January would be a good time to move. That way he is good and settled in his job and we have time to save up a little money beforehand. I am really looking forward to this as I find myself growing more and more sick of the city. I tried to sit on my deck and read the other day and I found myself getting very frustrated with how noisy it was outside! Construction, cars, sirens, people yelling etc. And I really miss having a yard. I think we have outgrown our little apartment and I look forward to something new.<br />
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I am offically the stage manager for LMT's production of Hairspray this year as well as my duties as Vice President. I was very excited that the director wanted me involved in the audition process. I really enjoy working with this new director so far and I am hopeful for an amazing show. I really enjoyed watching everyone audition and seeing such an amazing group of truly talented people! I am glad that the final decision wasn't mine. I did get the opportunity to call and offer parts to the members of the cast who made it into the ensemble. That was an interesting experience. I was expecting people to be a little more excited I suppose. I was shocked by the number of people who auditioned, said they would accept a role in the ensemble and then turned it down when offered. Two of the people who turned it down later reconsidered and were allowed back in and two more ended up declining after initially accepting the role. But all in all, we have a great group of people and some amazing new talent to work with. I will also be training a new assistant stage manager this year as one of my usual ones has been promoted to production manager. I'm excited to work with her though and I know she will be an asset to me. So, as has become a bit of a tradition with my, my fall will be exceptionally busy.<br />
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Work has been going well, if not a little slowly. This is our first summer since I've worked there that we don't have an alterations department in the store so we are finding ourselves a little bored at times. But all in all, it's good.<br />
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Some sad news to report. The little colt who was attacked by the coyote is now an orphan. Her mother had a heart attack on father's day. J and I arrived at the farm and were in the house for no more than 5 minutes when we went out to help his mom light the BBQ and found her dead. We're not sure what happened but we think the stress of the attack took it's toll on her and she had a heart attack. B said she had slowly been going downhill since the attack. It was so sad. I have been on the farm when a horse has died before but this was way harder to watch. The little filly tried to wake her up and kept pawing at her mom. I was heartbroken. I just hope that she makes it. She has fought an uphill battle since she was first introduced into the world.<br />
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On a happy note, I'm going to be an Aunt again! Ms A and Ms E are going to be big sisters and I'm very happy for my brother and sis-in-law.<br />
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Anyway, there's the update. I'm going to try to to get back to writing a little more regularly on this blog, and maybe my other one too until the fall hits and life goes crazy again.Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-13354528652927198442012-05-22T23:27:00.001-06:002012-05-22T23:27:37.661-06:00Being a Farm Girl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So the last two weeks have been crazy and we've put a lot of mile on our little car. Usually we go to the farm every May long weekend to brand cattle but this year things went a little differently. Friday (the week before the long weekend) I get a text from J while I was at work that we needed to head out to the farm asap as things had gone bad at the farm. We rushed out after I got off work and found that things were a bit of a mess. The cattle where breaking down fences and a new baby colt had been attacked by a coyote. By the time we got there, J's dad had gotten the cattle into the big corral and the colt and it's mom into a stall in the barn. <br />
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We got straight to work. Me, J, B and my nephew T2 went to work sorting the cattle into 3 groups. One to stay in the field at the farm, one to go to the community pasture, and one to go to the west pasture. It was going well until I realized that the list I was working off wasn't divided correctly and we had too many cattle in one pen. It was getting really dark by this point so it was hard to see the tags in the cattle's ears. We had to give up for the night, but at least we got them settled. J and T2 did have to do a little hunting to find one mama that had gotten separated from her calf so they didn't break a fence in the night trying to find each other but they managed to do it. The next day I had to go back to town to go to work. <br />
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After working, I headed back out to the farm and found the J, B, T2 and one of our other nephews W just finishing up with the cattle. The got them all sorted and the cattle for the west pasture hauled away. Everything was ready to go to brand the next day. We headed back to the other farm to check on the colt. It was the first time I had seen her and it broke my heart. The coyote had really done a number on her. It attacked her rear end and had ripped her up very badly. Her right hipbone was visible through the wound but she's a fighter. She was up and walking around and eating well. And she's gorgeous! Thankfully she has a really gentle mama so we get easily get into the stall and clean and doctor her when needed. I love the name B picked for her too. Because the horses are purebred, their names often have a bit of their parents name in it as well making it easy to follow the line back. (ie Silver and Gold to Silver Warrior to Warrior Princess) The colt's mom is names Penny so B named her Penny Many Wounds. I took some pictures of her about 18 hours after the attack. Warning, the images are graphic. The black/dark blue inside the wounds is bactine for pain and to prevent infection. Just remember, she is doing very well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left leg after coyote attack. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right leg after coyote attack</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mama and Baby </td></tr>
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Sunday, we decided to brand. It was a week earlier than we had planned but the cattle were getting restless and hay was starting to run low. Better to get it done early and move them to the pasture with loads of fresh grass. The only bad part with this was that the rest of the family had not planned on being out there until next weekend. They all managed to rearrange their schedules to make it out and by the time they got there we were ready to go. One of the great parts of my nephews getting older (and bigger! Holy have they grown) is that they are more than capable of jumping in to help us now. J and B got se up on the calf table while T2 and I made a plan to push the calves. Usually J and I do this job but it's time for T2 to learn the ropes. I loaded the calves in the chute and moved them forward and then T2 would take them one at a time and load them into the calf table to be branded/vaccinated etc. W learned how to vaccinate this year and did a great job. T2 was so awesome with the calves, who were exceptionally big this year. He took a good kick in the chest at one point but kept on going with a smile on his face. We got done in record time this year. The best part for me was watching one of the dogs work. Kobe is a two-year-old Border Collie. She was bred to work animals, but she has had no training with them yet. The most she has been taught is sit, come and where she is able to wander on the farm and where is off limits (such as the road). I was to busy working to grab my phone and film her working but it was amazing to see. No one told her what to do. She sat in the alley and watched us for the first few calves and then suddenly it was like everything clicked for her. She would lie in the alley with one eye one the calves in the pen that were finished one one eye on the calf in the table. When the calf in the table was finished, she would jump up and lead it into the pen with the other animals. She kept a watchful eye on them and got it in her head that they all needed to stay together in the far corner of the pen. If one began to wander away from the rest, she would jump and and herd it back with the others. She never barked once or nipped at any of the calves. It was amazing to watch really. Pure instinct. She's going to be one heck of a cattle dog.<br />
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After 3 long days of working with the cattle and the horses J and I were exhausted so we headed back to town. That night we got the call that a second colt had been attacked. Thank goodness this one wasn't as bad. It has a fighter for a mama and she beat them off before they could do too much damage.<br />
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Since I already had the long weekend off, we decided to go back out to the farm for the long weekend anyway and do some fix up jobs that had been neglected over time. Everyone came out with their trailers and tents and we had a very productive weekend. Me, J and the kids rebuilt a couple of the corrals and cleaned up a bunch of wood that was lying around. It was so great to get down and dirty and work hard, eat amazing food and sit by the campfire and visit each night. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">J and the boys hard at work on the corral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished corral<br /><br /></td></tr>
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Sunday we decided we had had enough of building fences so we decided to move the horses from the lake up to the other pasture out west. That involved moving them across the road from the lake, behind the house and into the round pen where we could load them up into the trailer to move. In the past this hasn't been the most difficult challenge, but with the attacks this year those mares where high strung and skittish. We made a plan of how to do things and went into action. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few of the herd at the lake before we moved them</td></tr>
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We dropped of J's sister and one of the boys down the road a little ways to keep them from turning and J's mom and I took our post a little further up the road. W haltered Penny and brought her out to the gate by the lake to lead the herd across. That kid was amazing. Here he was holding this incredibly strong animal who wanted nothing more than to get back to her baby and he kept her under control and kept his cool. After a few tries we finally got the herd to follow W and Penny and that kid just took off running to show them where to go. Thank goodness we got them across the road safely as some cars just didn't pay attention to what was going on. One we got them in the pasture behind the house, things fell apart. One of the mares was being very uncooperative and kept breaking away and causing the herd to scatter. Poor W was working so hard to keep Penny under control and she just kept spinning around him and nipping at him constantly. One of the colts took a hard tumble when the herd turned but she got up and kept on running. I watched the poor little one who had been attacked take a hard step into a badger hole and open up it's scab pretty good. As frustrating as it was, it was a thing of beauty to watch. There's something about a herd of horses running that is just beautiful. I wish I could have stopped to take a picture. One of the coolest things I saw was my one nephew outrun a horse. One of the mares cut from the herd and ran towards him full tilt. He waved his arms to try to get her to turn but she wasn't stopping. I thought for sure she would get past him and we'd have to start over but he turned and took off running, got ahead of her and managed to turn her back to the herd and the right direction. After a while, we finally got them moved and into the round pen where they could settle for a bit and have a rest before we loaded them to move. Those poor babies were so tired! They just laid out where ever there was some grass and took a nap. I took the time to play with Jack a bit and pet T's horse Appy. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simple Jack and a baby bunny<br /><br /></td></tr>
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I love it at the farm. I would be happy to stay there all the time! It's so peaceful out there and I love the hard work. Here's a few more pics from the weekend.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our home away from home</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids decided to make Smores by wrapping the whole thing in tinfoil...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The result of the Smore attempt...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">J was playing fetch with the dogs and got the toy stuck on the power line. B got the tractor to help him get it down. Please don't attempt this yourself. They are trained "professionals"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2Pd2aMjMpU2JyfWyQSpztRUSQQGbpGS7AsVWwZYXtOFDgD2t0DGTD6-MdXu4_RL3kO3NpynlYhoiJ7Gh03fQEm80hYTX0QSrdT7el2hH-_OnzhrCG6Af-DqJGndpQts6QK57acUnD8Ck/s1600/IMAG0803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2Pd2aMjMpU2JyfWyQSpztRUSQQGbpGS7AsVWwZYXtOFDgD2t0DGTD6-MdXu4_RL3kO3NpynlYhoiJ7Gh03fQEm80hYTX0QSrdT7el2hH-_OnzhrCG6Af-DqJGndpQts6QK57acUnD8Ck/s320/IMAG0803.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dogs after a long game of fetch...all tuckered out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMkY_BHm90xzHqAFQdN3rlsUw90rXgME-WNS9jgmH3Ikb-3DyfUMtoJENsnRBKD9qH8Ucd8iLdWSlKy4x0C8WXRC8b1mzpl9WGtTmcDY_7SfyF1BC0VwVKwedEMz_3BLeVseT7-aKmuTC/s1600/IMAG0798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMkY_BHm90xzHqAFQdN3rlsUw90rXgME-WNS9jgmH3Ikb-3DyfUMtoJENsnRBKD9qH8Ucd8iLdWSlKy4x0C8WXRC8b1mzpl9WGtTmcDY_7SfyF1BC0VwVKwedEMz_3BLeVseT7-aKmuTC/s320/IMAG0798.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view over the lake every night. This is why I love being a farm girl.</td></tr>
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</div>Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-36942268611709545942012-05-02T19:36:00.001-06:002012-05-02T19:36:59.066-06:00Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo 2012: Day 3I didn't want to take so long to write this post but the con really wiped me out. I guess I should have booked one more day off work so I could catch up on some rest. Lesson learned for next year? Anyway, without further ado, here's my day 3.<br />
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Day 3<br />
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After the bit of a fiasco that was Saturday, we decided it was best to get up early again and head to the BMO center early. I got up around 6 and checked the Twitter feed and saw they were advising people to be there around 9. We got dressed, packed our stuff and checked out of the hotel and were at the grounds by 8:30. (Yes, I remembered to wear my necklaces.) What a difference a day makes! The organizers had really rallied over night and things were way better. They separated the pass holders from those buying/redeeming badges and shuffled us into the autograph/food court area to wait for the main doors to open. The vibe in the room was a million times more positive than the day before. We found a seat at a table with on old University friend and did a little wandering before the main doors opened. <br />
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Once the doors opened it was nice to see they had added signage on where to walk through the congested areas. We headed straight for the Boyce Theatre so we could get a seat for the Battlestar Galactica panel at 11. This was the one thing that D, R, J and I could NOT miss. J and I took D and R to the BSG panel at our first con and got them hooked on the show. It's really a tie that binds us. Plus with Aaron Douglas there again this year we knew we had to be there. Once again the organization improvements were very apparent. They told people at the back of the line when the room was full well ahead of time so that they didn't wait for nothing. Once inside we got amazing seats just on the edge of the VIP area. The labeling on the VIP area was a little misleading and some of the volunteers had to deal with a few snarky people that they asked to move but over all it was ok. There was a woman sitting next to me who was a media member from the US. She had moved down a few seats and lost her Blackberry in the process. It was great to see everyone rally around her and help to find it. Turns out it had fallen in the crack of J's chair and we eventually found it for her right before the panel started. She was so excited and everyone around us clapped when we found it.<br />
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The panel was just as amazing as we thought it would be. Aaron Douglas, Katee Sackoff and Richard Hatch are amazingly funny people and they entertained us. Richard Hatch told a story about having an intimate dream about Katee and it became a running gag through the panel. Aaron talked about how he felt that our little con was amazingly well run and he would gladly come back every year. So say we all!<br />
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Once the amazing panel was over, we decided to go get something to eat. We found a place making wraps and sandwiches that were really good and fast, despite being crazy expensive. I was really getting tired of line ups and decided that as much as I would have loved to see Jim Cummings panel I didn't want to stand still anymore. So we wandered, took a ton of pictures and met some amazing people. J posed for a picture with a 4-year-old who was wearing a "Shiny, let's be bad guys" shirt. J put his hat on the kids head for the picture and the kid was so excited. His dad told J later that his son believed that J was the real Jayne! I love kids at cons. <br />
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We went back to Max Brooks' booth to quiz him on my name and posed for a pic with him. He has got to be one of he nicest people I have ever met. I waited until his line was short before jumping in. He was posing for pictures with his fans behind his table and that's what I expected when I got up there. I asked if he would mind taking a pic and crouched a little so he could stay seated behind his table but he jumped up and came out from behind his booth, pushed through the crowd and posed with me in front of his table. A moment |I won't soon forget.<br />
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I could tell that we were getting to then end of our con experience as we were all getting a little tired and grumpy. After getting separated for a bit, we found each other in the food court and D and I decided that we would head for the Corral for the last panel of the day, Sir Patrick Stewart. J and R decided to join us so we made the long cross of the floor to the panel area and posed for pics on the way. We got there about half way through James Marsters panel and I was totally ok with sitting and watching him. That man looks fabulous! Patrick Stewart was good, but you could tell he was getting very tired after a long weekend. Once his panel was over, the hall was closed so we had to make the long walk back to the car. This was the moment the weight of my skirt really started to get to me. I'm pretty impressed I made it as long as I did in that thing. I still have welts on my sides from it three days later. R ran to the car and grabbed my bag so I could change before the ride home. One of the best moments of the weekend happened at a gas station on the way home when some guys ran up to R (still in his Waldo outfit) and wanted a picture. They hadn't even heard of the Expo and thought they had won a radio contest or something. <br />
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It was, all in all, a fabulous weekend. I am very impressed at how the organizers rallied to fix things after disaster struck. I got some big checks off my bucket list and I can't wait for next year! Now to plan my cosplay....hmmm how to top Lulu. Good thing I've got a year to go! I'll leave you with a few more shots from Sunday.<br />
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<br />Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-85957803011870842622012-05-01T00:23:00.000-06:002012-05-02T19:39:24.653-06:00Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo 2012: Day 2Things were so crazy yesterday I didn't get a chance to post so be prepared for a long one about Saturday and Sunday at the Expo!<br />
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Day 2:<br />
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As tradition dictates, I got up around 6 am to start getting into my costume before everyone else as mine took longer to get ready then everyone else. This year's line up of cosplay included me as Lulu from Final Fantasy X, J as a new and improved version of his Jayne from Firefly that he did last year, R as Waldo of Where's Waldo? fame, and D as Amy Pond from Doctor Who in "The Beast Below" episode.<br />
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We headed down to the Expo around 8:30 and there was a bit of confusion as to where we were supposed to go but we ended up herded down to the corral. I did enjoy the pre-show entertainment in the corral, but I got separated from D, R and J. The were sent up into the stands and I was directed to sit on the floor as it was very difficult for me to climb stairs in my costume. Luckily I was sitting with a really nice gentleman dressed as Doctor Jones who had broken his foot. You could see the cracks in organization beginning to form at this point. People who were there earlier were seated higher in the Corral while those who arrived just before the doors opened got to sit on the floor much closer to the doors than those who came earlier. There was no separation between people who had purchased advanced passes and those who still needed to purchase resulting in a bit of a cluster. We managed to find each other when the crowd just started moving wherever they wanted to. I got the impression there were quite a few people who were upset that they arrived early and were sent to sit higher and farther away from the doors than those who came later. I felt really bad for the poor volunteer who was trying very hard to keep the crowd moving and seated, but he was very young and people just ignored him.<br />
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We decided that since we had done most of our important stuff the day before not to fight the crowds to much and just take the opportunity to pose for some photos and check out other people's costumes until the sea of people parted a bit. We eventually got inside and wandered for a little bit before heading to the Boyce Theatre for the voice actors panel. We waited to long to get in line however and didn't make it into the room. Lesson learned. Get in line for a panel super early or miss out. That was totally our fault and we knew it. So we did what any other cosplayer would do and wandered the floor trying to bring a few smiles to peoples faces. Our plan was to have R photobomb as much as humanly possible the rest of the weekend. People LOVED it. We did get a little tired of hearing "Found You!" constantly all weekend, but it was all in good fun. R even saw someone post on Tumblr later that weekend that the highlight of their Expo experience was playing Where's Waldo in the Corral and looking for him in the crowd. Around noon-ish, J and I stepped outside to cool off a bit as I was overheating and needed a quick break. The crowd outside was enormous! There were thousands of people lined up down the street waiting to get in. We headed back inside and made it to the ticket area at the main entrance to the Corral when they suddenly closed the gates in front of us. Rumors began to circulate through the crowd. "Oversold" and "Over-capacity" were the terms flying around. We heard that we may not get back in. You could feel the tension in the room beginning to mount. I was seriously worried there was going to be a riot on there hands and we were trapped like cattle in a holding pen. There were A TON of people jammed in that room. I totally understand why the Fire Marshall shut things down. My Twitter was blowing up with irate people in the line farther back. We figured if we just waited for a bit and a few more people left we could get back inside. I texted R and told him and D what was going on and NOT to leave the hall no matter what. Then they closed the doors behind us as well. I was really getting overheated now and I had no water (it was with D) and that room started to feel awfully small and really crowded. I began to feel faint. J inched us closer to the wall area where there were some tables set up so we would have left people around us but I was really getting worried that I was going to faint. Just when I was about to declare a medical emergency, they opened the gates and let those of us in the "holding cell" back into the room. We found R and D and had a happy little reunion. Luckily we were only in that room for about 20 minutes. We heard later that many others were not so lucky. There were a lot of people turned away and even more who waited for 3 or 4 hours to get back in. Let me tell you, the mood it that place changed on a dime! People get very grumpy and short with each other. We did our best to brighten each other's moods and those around us but it was crazy!<br />
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J really wanted to go to the Adam Baldwin panel so he and I went to line up (about an hour before it started) We jumped in at the end of the Amanda Tapping line so we would be near the front for the next seating. Everyone was talking about the lockdown. At one point a very nice volunteer came by to let the people in the Amanda Tapping line know that the panel was running later starting. He had a counter in his hand and clicked them all off and let them know that they would get in. More confusion. Her panel was supposed to start at 1 and it was now almost 1:30. Then a lady came by and told everyone that the panel was full. In fact, it seems like it was full and going for a while at that point. I thought there was going to be another riot. They moved us forward for the Baldwin line up. The line started to get really long so they split it off about 15 people behind us and moved the "second line" way down the hall and closer the the Boyce than we were. Then the rumblings started in our line that we were going to get screwed and not seated as they had us father away and potentially would forget about us. Thank goodness there was a woman volunteer there who was very loud and very organized. She made sure that then line was counted off correctly and told people when it was full before we had even been seated so they didn't end up waiting for no reason. Now this is where we are considerate Con-goers. R and D had gone to get some food and it took longer than anticipated. When they came and counted off the line, they hadn't arrived back so they didn't come with us to the panel. No line jumping for us. They went and watched the costume contest instead. That way 2 people father back in the line wouldn't end up without a seat. <br />
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Adam Baldwin's panel was quite enjoyable. He's quite a funny guy and it was neat to see him in real life. We had great seats and i was nice to relax for a bit. After the panel we went to the Costume Contest. I was a little disappointed with it this year as it seemed very short and not many entrants. (From what I heard later there were a few people who had entered but were unable to attend due to the lockdown) There were some great costumes and some pretty awesome skits as well. I really enjoyed the Jay and Silent Bob/Mortal Kombat crossover where Jay and Silent Bob pretended to play the game and the Mortal Kombat guys enacted it. My favorite was the Lego Star Wars Darth Maul whose costume "fell apart" just like in the Lego games. Fantastic! <br />
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After the contest we wandered the floor for a while more and made the decision not to leave. Initially we had intended to leave around 4 or 5 and go back to the hotel, change and eat before the TNG EXPOsed that night, but we were worried about getting back in. We decided not to risk it and stayed there (in costume) through the rest of the evening. I decided to go back to Linsner and pick up my commission. He was so gracious. He flipped to the sketch he had done for me of Dawn and I loved it! He asked me about what got me interested in Dawn and his artwork in general. We talked about how I loved that he drew women "real" I told him that my favorite piece of work was the one that showed a little tummy roll on her and that I appreciated how he made the one woman in comic books who deserved to be perfect, real. He took my sketch out of his book and added color to it while we talked. He didn't have to do that and I didn't pay for color. I was so very impressed by him. I have to admit, I was very leery to meet him. I have loved him from afar for so long I was very worried that he would not live up to my expectations. (They say never meet your hero's right?) Thankfully he exceeded everything I hoped he would be.<br />
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We wandered the floor some more, met some awesome Cosplayers, posed for countless photos and had a good time. I was amazed at how well my costume was holding up, even if my train was getting filthy from being stepped on constantly. Around 4:30 we ran into a volunteer who loved my costume. He asked if he could take a picture and requested that I do the victory pose. That was the moment I came to a crushing realization. I had spent the whole day wandering the con and I had forgotten to put on my necklaces! I was wearing an unfinished piece of work. How did I let that happen!<br />
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The Expo came to a close and we jumped in line for TNG EXPOsed. We had seats way up in the nosebleeds which wasn't an issue until I realized how many stairs I would have to climb in that belt skirt. I got quite the work out! We settled in and waited for the show to start. The pre-show was entertaining with a couple of Trek guests and a cute video of celebs at other cons discussing Next Gen. Once the video ended they told us there was going to be a half hour "intermission" before the show started. Once again, there was the threat of a riot. People were not pleased to wait and I heard plenty of grumbling that they should have started the show later instead of having an intermission. I was inclined to agree, but R used to time to go get me some food at the concession since I hadn't eaten at all that day and was starting to feel it again. The show itself was fabulous. The highlights for me were the surprise appearance of John Delancie and the "sick kid from Vancouver" Aaron Douglas. The exchange between Douglas and Wheaton was priceless. We really enjoyed the show. Once it was over though, I was ready for bed! We headed back to the hotel and called it a night.<br />
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Here's a few photo's of our Day 2:<br />
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Day 3 to come tomorrow...Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-12953143524597666642012-04-27T22:20:00.001-06:002012-04-27T22:22:47.480-06:00Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo 2012: Day OneToday has been an absolute whirlwind of awesomeness! J, D, R and I packed up the car and hit the very rainy road around 10:30 this morning. The rain let up by the time we rolled into Calgary and we headed straight for the hotel to check in and get settled quickly before heading to the Expo. I had a feeling this was going to be a pretty sweet day when Ted "The Million Dollar Man" Dibiase was sitting in the lobby. We got checked in and unpacked and headed straight for the Expo. Just as we were about to get back into the car, J and I ran into Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Let me tell you, that was an interesting experience. The man is, well, kind of an ass. A nice ass, but and ass nonetheless. He asked us where the sketchy area of town is, basically so he could score some drugs and then told us the story of the time he bought 30 bars of soap thinking he was getting crystal meth and ended up smoking 30 bars of actual soap. Interesting fellow.<br />
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We then headed out to the convention, got our weekend badges and ran into an old friend while waiting for the doors to open. Once inside, I headed straight for Linsner's table. Happy Happy, he was there. I paid him for my commision, got my pin up book signed and J got him to sign his Conan comic that Cary Nord had also signed last year. I can't wait to pick up my sketch tomorrow.<br />
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We then did the slow walk/shop of the entire place. J bought me some awesome Doctor Who fridge magnets and finally found the G.I. Joe figure he was looking for as well as a new shirt for his Jayne costume. D found an amazing "Edward" T-shirt (with Edward J. Olmos on it) and R found a sweet Princess Bride shirt.<br />
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It took us a good couple of hours to hit every booth and check out their wares. We finally made it over to the Autograph area and J went to talk to Vance Nevada while I lined up to meet Jim Cummings. I love that man. He is the Voice of my childhood. I brought a copy of Winnie the Pooh for him to sign and he was so gracious. He signed the book with the best autograph ever and then posed with me for a picture. Hearing the voice of Tigger and Pooh come out of his mouth was so cool. While I was waiting in line he actually left a message on one girl's friends voice mail in his Tigger voice.<br />
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I then had one last stop I had to make. I brought my copy of World War Z and headed to see Max Brooks and get it signed. He was an extremely nice person as well and told me that he "will never forget my name". We walked past his booth a little while later and he yelled my name again. J joked that I wanted him to remember my name so he would use it in a future novel. How cool would that be!<br />
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We did another quick loop of the floor and then headed back to our hotel, where we ran into Jim Cummings in the lobby. I think we are staying in a good hotel. We took a walk and found a pub for a quick dinner and then went back to the hotel. J saw Vance Nevada and Ted Dibiase in the lobby bar and decided to stay for a pint and R decided to go for a swim. D and I are just laying here relaxing and exhausted. Time to get some shut eye before getting up super early and getting all costumed up before Day 2.<br />
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Here's hoping it will be as awesome as Day 1!Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-26722334699385261342012-03-28T18:00:00.001-06:002012-03-28T18:00:24.365-06:0050 Books in 2012: Book 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjku1SGZUPJC5zdIquSXed23zbZdBOUKfAb8XgMx1MAMXTda1spEDkToDUSVwYRHPuiZqL31Os2pLV2f0yfjAas-q0wlbPaPfo9ShsDqiIKK9ZKC4WCBqs_BAYzmowMWEmq8pDrf9AzKzpi/s1600/extremely+loud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjku1SGZUPJC5zdIquSXed23zbZdBOUKfAb8XgMx1MAMXTda1spEDkToDUSVwYRHPuiZqL31Os2pLV2f0yfjAas-q0wlbPaPfo9ShsDqiIKK9ZKC4WCBqs_BAYzmowMWEmq8pDrf9AzKzpi/s320/extremely+loud.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
Title: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close<br />
Author: Jonathan Safran Foer<br />
Genre: Fiction<br />
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Synopsis: In the wake of his father's death on "the worst day" in the World Trade Center disaster on 9/11, nine-year-old Oskar Schell struggles to deal with his loss while trying to discover the origins of a key he finds in a vase in his father's closet. His journey takes him all over New York city while simultaneously exploring his Grandparents brief love affair before the birth of Oskar's father.<br />
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Review: Ok so I'll admit, I cheated a little with this one. I've read it before. I was gathering book ideas from the girls at work and told them of my 50 in '12 plan and they all wanted to be a part of it. The next thing I knew we had formed a book club. I like the format of it. We pick a book and everyone reads it at their own pace with and end date in mind. This way we aren't held to each others reading pace and can finish or read ahead with no worries. When everyone is finished, we plan to get together and watch the movie and discuss the book. I had suggested this book to a few girls before and it was decided that this would be our first one. I promise I re-read it.<br />
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I love this book. It is written in a very interesting way. I really enjoyed getting right inside the head of Oskar and even though it can be a bit confusing and jumbled at points, I found that made it better. This is not a story in the truest sense of the word. This book is a journey. It is an examination of the psyche of a child dealing with truly heartbreaking issues and finding a sense of peace in it all. I liked the interjection of the Grandparents story throughout the book as well. I even took the time to translate a bit of the "numbers" chapter. <br />
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I know that this book was panned by a lot of critics on it's release as "cashing in on the 9/11 tragedy" and "not well written" but I disagree. I found it a powerful story that sticks with you. Characters in it can easily be related to. Everyone has met someone like one of the many "Blacks" at one point. It's interesting to see how each person responds to Oskar's quest. <br />
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If you haven't taken the time to read this, please do. I have also seen the movie and I think they have done a very good adaptation of a difficult to translate novel. For me, the flip book images on the last few pages will always inspire and haunt.<br />
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I give this book 4.5 heartbreaks out of 5 and raise it with Hope.<br />
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<br />Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-30863832133752304102012-03-21T22:10:00.000-06:002012-03-21T22:14:35.175-06:00Project Lulu Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I thought I'd do a quick post updating my progress on my cosplay for this years Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. I decided to go with Lulu from Final Fantasy X this year as she is a character I love and I thought it would be a great challenge. I am making this costume mostly from scratch and have been working on it bit by bit since about December. It's taken quite some time to do the planning stages as well as collecting all the materials I need, particularly the massive amount of belts needed. I have also managed to get almost everything I need locally, which is awesome because I love supporting local businesses. The only things I have had to get online are my wig and contacts (currently on order). Here's the progress with just 36 days to go!<br />
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Materials I used to construct the purple necklace. I couldn't find the proper disk beads so I made them from Apoxy dots (for scrapbooking) glued together and then painted with a metallic pearl craft paint.<br />
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Completed Necklaces. The pearls are restrung from a necklace bought at a Thrift Store and each necklace has a magnetic clasp to keep them all properly aligned with each other and prevent twisting and spinning on the body.<br />
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To save time and major headaches I purchase a corset that I could convert to work for the costume. You wouldn't believe how difficult it was to find one! I wanted one with a shorter body so I wouldn't be uncomfortable as I was last year when sitting in panels. I finally found one and even though it's not perfect, I kind of like the grey pinstripe in it. I like how it ties in with the grey of the dress. I added the grey trim with a hand stitch.<br />
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Finished corset and fur wrap. I reclaimed the fur from the lining of a vest purchased at a Thrift Store.<br />
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Rough Draping...just so I could see where this is all heading.<br />
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Constructing the "lace" trim. I debated on how to tackle the edging on the dress for quite some time. Real lace didn't give the look of the picture I'm working off of as it is uniform and generally not the right colors I need. I decided to make my own using a stencil to paint the desired effect on a white muslin and them outline it for more detail.<br />
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Finished sleeves and partially finished overskirt. I just have the lace trim for the train left on this piece and then to tackle the belt skirt. Good news is I still have enough fabric left from the skirt to use as a base for the belts so I shouldn't have any other major purchases in order to complete this one!<br />
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What's left on the to do list? <br />
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<li>paint and attach lace trim to train</li>
<li>cut out belt skirt base and attach belts with glue and zip ties for added strength</li>
<li>add 2 tiers of boning to the belt skirt for added stability, ease of movement and weight distribution</li>
<li>add velcro to edges of overskirt to attach to belt skirt</li>
<li>add belts to sleeves</li>
<li>construct the 4 hairsticks and add to the wig (once it arrives)</li>
<li>find some purple lipstick</li>
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Wish me luck!</div>Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-10421426986721571182012-03-02T20:40:00.002-07:002012-03-02T21:01:57.270-07:00Seeing Inner BeautyIn my job I see a lot of things. Some make you smile, some make you laugh, same make you cry and some break your heart. I think the ones that get to me the most are the women who don't see their own beauty, inside and out. Today was a day that broke my heart but ended in a small triumph.<br />
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Near the end of the day a mom and her two daughters walked in to my store to look for grad dresses. hey noticed the sign on the door on their way in that said "appointments recommended" and were a little worried but I reassured them that we would be able to fit them in in about 10 minutes and brought them to the grad section to start browsing. I went back to my appointment which was just wrapping up and finished everything with them. Just as I finished I noticed that the family was back near the front of the store preparing to leave. I asked the girl if she saw any dresses that she liked and she was very shy with me. She barely made eye contact and gave very short answers to all my questions. With a little encouragement from her mom we convinced her to come back in and at least try on a few gowns to see what she was liking. I went back in to the grad section with them to help her pick out some gowns. She seemed like she really didn't want to be there and really wasn't giving me much help with what she wanted in a gown. Her mom picked one to get us started and I took her back to the dressing room.<br />
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In case you are new to this blog or are unaware of what I do for a living, let me fill you in. I manage a full-service Bridal Salon. If you've ever seen the TLC show "Say Yes to the Dress" you have a very good idea of what I do. I help you pick gowns, and I dress you in them. There are many reasons our store does this, but I digress. I took this young woman back to the dressing area and explained to her that I would be helping her into the gowns. She got a very fearful look in her eyes and nearly bolted for the door. Her sister stopped her and told her it would be ok and how she wished that someone had helped her into the dresses when she went shopping for her grad dress. I have dealt with shy girls before, but her reaction was quite extreme. We provide slips for our customers to wear on their lower body so they don't feel overly exposed when we come in the room with them in their undergarments. I suggested that she pull the slip up over her chest if it made her more comfortable. The first time I went into the dressing room with her and saw her without her street clothes on, my heart broke. She was a very beautiful girl who obviously didn't see that in herself. She stood with her shoulders slumped forward, her hair pulled in front of her chest and her hands clamped tightly across her stomach. Her arms were covered from her shoulders to wrists in scars. Hundreds of small angry white lines. I realized that this poor thing had inflicted each of these scars on herself at one time. She had even carved a small heart into her chest which now shone white with the gleam of scar tissue. I waned to scoop her up and tell her everything gets better and not to give up. My heart melted and it became m mission to help this girl find a dress that would make her see some of her own beauty when she looked in the mirror. It took some time and coaxing to get her to tell me what she liked but eventually we began to narrow things down. Her mom and sister were so supportive of her. Eventually, I pulled a dress off of one of the mannequins in the window and put her in it. For the first time that day, I saw a smile on her face. She began to shine and see herself in a new light. Her shoulders held a little higher and her hair pulled back over her shoulders. She didn't even try to cover herself with her hands but planted them firmly on her hips for a picture. Her mom bought her the dress and they left the store happy.<br />
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I'd like to think that I made a small difference in her life, even if just for a short while. I don't do these things because I want someone to remember me or think I'm amazing. I don't even want to take any credit for finding the perfect dress for someone. I do take a great deal of personal satisfaction in those little moments when I can make a girl see something special when she looks in the mirror. If you have never taken the time to see the inner beauty in a random stranger, try it! Once you see it, try to make them see what you see. Sometimes all it takes is a little smile.Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-43025087789056769242012-02-29T19:24:00.000-07:002012-02-29T19:24:30.371-07:00An Open Letter To...Dear Brad Metlzer's Decoded,<br />
You used to intrigue me with your wild theories and facts but now you just piss me off. Your episode on Da Vinci stated that Da Vinci predicted the invention of fireworks. You do realize that the Chinese invented fireworks in about the 7th Century right? You also know that Da Vinci lived in the 15th Cenury don't you? Have you ever heard of Marco Polo? You do know he brought fireworks home from China in approximately the 14th Century don't you? Please at least pretend to do a little research.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Not a History Buff, but still know more than you.<br />
P.S. I found out the answers to those questions in less than 5 seconds on Google and I didn't even have to leave my bedroom.<br />
<br />
<br />
Dear Fleece Sheets,<br />
You are the best invention ever invented. You keep me toasty in winter and act as a light blanket in summer. Plus you are extra cuddly.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Not a fan of sheets, but a fan of you<br />
<br />
<br />
Dear Cadbury Chocolate Company,<br />
Mini Eggs are for Easter only. My childhood dictates this. Please stop messing with me and pull them from the shelves year round.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Confused by your logic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Dear General Public,<br />
Pajama pants are never an acceptable form of clothing outside the comfort and safety of your own home. Unless you are in the hospital. At least put on a pair of jeans. I might even forgive sweat pants. I will not forgive Pajama Jeans. The inventor of these should be strung up by their toe hairs.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Your Self Respect.<br />
<br />
<br />
Dear Pickles,<br />
You Rock! Never Change. That is all.<br />
<br />
Dear TARDIS Mug,<br />
You are the best mug ever invented. Your tall stature and square goodness hold a an incredible amount of liquid. Your lid ensures that you make me the best cup of tea every time. Please don't tell the yellow "Jesus loves you, you can run but you can't hide" mug that you are my favorite. He scares me and I think he might be capable of violence.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Thirsty<br />
<br />Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-90758081374002494852012-02-26T21:39:00.000-07:002012-02-26T21:50:29.777-07:00Oscars 2012In continuing with our Oscar tradition, J and I will be watching and competing over the winners of each category this year. We went out to get our usual paper with the nominees and a pick your winner slot just a little while ago and, after driving to various locations in order to actually find 2 papers, got home ready to make our picks. I eagerly opened the paper and turned to the entertainment section only to discover that for the first time in about 10 years they did not include and Oscar picks section. Apparently the Calgary Sun has decided that the Oscars are going to be "boring" this year and the winners are a foregone conclusion so they didn't do a special. Boo.<br />
<br />
We are still going to do our tradition, just $2.50 poorer for wasting it on two papers. I must say that although I am not super excited about the nominees in most categories and find this a little bit of a weak year in films, I am very much looking forward to the return of Billy Crystal. I hope he does a fantastic job. I also look forward to the fashions. I'm sitting here watching the red carpet and I've noticed a few trends already. Holy sequins! Tons and tons of sparkly sequined and fitted gowns with heavy beading so far. It's still quite early in the arrivals so I have yet to see anything to wacky and out there. I've decided to blog along with the awards show and give you my thoughts/opinions as well as any gems of wisdom that may drop out of J's mouth.<br />
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I gotta tell you, most of the time the men's fashions really don't show much on my radar as the tux look, while each have their own unique style, is usually pretty boring. With that being said, I just saw Christopher Plumber arrive in a blue crushed velvet tux and I love it!<br />
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Jessica Chastain in a stunning black and gold McQueen looks fabulous as well. I know there may be some people that don't like this, but I find it stunning and unique. Cudos.<br />
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Michelle Williams - I don't understand why people are raving about this one at all. I really dislike everything about this except the color. That weird addition of fabric around her waist/hips is awful.<br />
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Rooney Mara - fashion forward? Please, let's take a step back. The extra fabric on her bust is a little to futuristic sci-fi to be attractive and the deep neckline really shows off how much she needs to eat a few cheeseburgers. I do like the fabric and the overall silhouette but the top is a big miss for me.<br />
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I'm loving all the bow ties I'm seeing on the guys. Shout out to the power of Doctor Who because we all know that "bow ties are cool".<br />
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And our Oscar predictions are done. J ended up printing off the wikipedia page for us to make our pics on since the newspaper sucks this year.<br />
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Ok, take a close look at this next photo...<br />
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No, not George or Stacey...the poor woman in blue is who I'm referring to. She has the unfortunate distinction of being in the background of almost all of the Clooney/Kiebler photos and that dress is just NOT flattering. It's clinging in all the wrong areas. There are plenty of bigger women at the Oscars this year that know how to dress their bodies but this woman is not one of them. In a dress like that, your undergarments are key. The lack of them results in, well, this.<br />
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Dang, Twitter is all lit up about the stunt that Sasha Baron Cohen just pulled and I missed it. I guess he showed up dressed as his "Dictator" character and dumped Kim Jong Il's "ashes" all over Ryan Seacrest. I'm not really a Sasha fan, but that's pretty funny actually. Man Youtube is all over this one fast! They are taking down the video faster than people can upload it. If you really want to see it, you can head over to Perez Hilton's blog. He has it there.<br />
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Ok, I'm getting tired of this pre-show fashion stuff. Can we just bring on the awards now? Please? I want to get back to The Walking Dead's new episode sometime tonight.<br />
<br />
Ok I like this:<br />
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<br />
Best Oscar arrival of the night in my opinion. I hope they have the Muppets do something on the show tonight. <br />
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Showtime. I love the opening montage. Great to see the classic Billy-inserts-himself-into-nominated-films opening. And and opening song! Slightly out of tune a number of times, but overall good. Much better than a few of the past hosts for sure.<br />
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Cinematography<br />
My Pick: Hugo<br />
J: The Artist<br />
Winner: Hugo - score one for me!<br />
<br />
Art Direction<br />
My Pick: The Artist<br />
J: The Artist<br />
Winner: Hugo <br />
J "This is not going well for me. I quit!"<br />
<br />
Costume Design<br />
My Pick: The Artist<br />
J: The Artist<br />
Winner: The Artist<br />
J "I really hope The Artist comes through for me. I picked it for almost everything"<br />
<br />
Makeup<br />
My Pick: Harry Potter<br />
J: The Iron Lady<br />
Winner: The Iron Lady<br />
Dang, now we're tied. <br />
<br />
Foreign Language Film<br />
My Pick: Bullhead<br />
J: A Separation<br />
Winner: A Separation<br />
This one's always a crap shoot because neither of us has a clue what film is what. J said he picked this one because he thought he heard the guy who made it was dead...<br />
<br />
Supporting Actress<br />
My Pick: Octavia Spencer<br />
J: Berenice Bejo<br />
Winner: Octavia Spencer<br />
Yes, I'm back in this one!<br />
<br />
Film Editing<br />
My Pick: The Artist<br />
J: The Artist<br />
Winner: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo<br />
<br />
Sound Editing<br />
My Pick: Hugo<br />
J: Transformers<br />
Winner: Hugo<br />
<br />
Sound Mixing<br />
My Pick: Hugo<br />
J: Transformers<br />
Winner: Hugo<br />
J "I guess I just don't now enough about movie making because I wonder why these are two seperate categories. I mean isn't sound mixing and editing a hand in hand thing? Why isn't it just a best sound category?" I think he's just mad that that put me ahead by two more.<br />
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I Love the Cirque number! That was amazing and worthy of a standing ovation. I could have done without the close up on Clooney during it though. Show me the amazing stuff going on onstage not what's going on in the crowd.<br />
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Documentary Feature<br />
My Pick: Paradise Lost 3 (because I've actually seen it)<br />
J: Undefeated<br />
Winner: Undefeated<br />
I think the award for best presenters should go with this category. Robert Downey Jr and Gwenyth Paltrow were awesome. Loved that Downey Tebowed.<br />
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Animated Feature<br />
My Pick: Rango<br />
J: Puss in Boots<br />
Winner: Rango<br />
Yay me, but come on, what a weak category this was this year. Nothing in this category was really that great. Chris Rock's intro, on the other hand, was great.<br />
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Visual Effects<br />
My Pick: Hugo<br />
J: Transformers<br />
Winner: Hugo<br />
J now officially hates Hugo and has declared it a stupid movie that he will never see and claims Martin Scorsese an asshole.<br />
<br />
Supporting Actor<br />
My Pick: Christopher Plummer<br />
J: Kenneth Branagh<br />
Winner: Christopher Plummer<br />
<br />
Original Score<br />
My Pick: The Artist<br />
J: Hugo<br />
Winner: The Artist<br />
J now believes the Oscars are rigged.<br />
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Original Song<br />
My Pick: Man or Muppet<br />
J: Man or Muppet<br />
Winner: Man or Muppet<br />
Ok while I did enjoy the intro to this I'm very disappointed that the songs weren't actually performed. I was really looking forward to the performances even if there were only two songs.<br />
<br />
Adapted Screenplay<br />
My Pick: Hugo<br />
J: Moneyball<br />
Winner: The Descendants<br />
Ok what the hell happened to Angelina Jolie? While the dress might be stunning she looks like a bag of bones. Her arms are disgustingly thin. I hope it's for some upcoming film role about an anorexic and not that she's trying to make an adopted African baby feel at home with her tribute to malnutrition.<br />
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Original Screenplay<br />
My Pick: The Artist<br />
J: The Artist<br />
Winner: Midnight in Paris<br />
Why is Woody Allen not at the awards? Anybody?<br />
<br />
Live Action Short<br />
My Pick: Time Freak<br />
J: Raju<br />
Winner: The Shore<br />
Throw a dart and both get it wrong.<br />
<br />
Documentary Short<br />
My Pick: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom<br />
J: Incident in New Baghdad<br />
Winner: Saving Face<br />
<br />
Animated Short<br />
My Pick: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore<br />
J: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore<br />
Winner: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore<br />
What can we say, it sounded like an Oscar winning title.<br />
<br />
Director<br />
My Pick: The Artist<br />
J: The Artist<br />
Winner: The Artist<br />
Why was Micheal Douglas interrupted in the middle of his joke by a vitamin commercial? Did anyone else see that? Or have you all begun to lose interest in the Oscars like the rest of us have? Ugh.<br />
<br />
And now...In Memoriam, Thank you for not cutting to the singer during the actual presentation, for not making one person top billed over any other, and for making that a respectful presentation. Well done.<br />
<br />
Actor<br />
My Pick: Jean Dujardin<br />
J: Jean Dujardin<br />
Winner: Jean Dujardin<br />
Cute that he did his little dance. I'm really getting bored now. <br />
<br />
Actress<br />
My pick: Viola Davis<br />
J: Meryl Streep<br />
Winner: Meryl Streep<br />
Meryl is always so classy. I'm happy to see her win. I also think her dress was quite a good choice for her.<br />
<br />
Best Picture<br />
My Pick: The Artist<br />
J: The Artist<br />
Winner: The Artist<br />
<br />
And with that we are finally through this. Final Score: Me: 14, J:10<br />
<br />
Closing Thoughts: Fashions- pretty great this year overall. Host- not bad. Hoped for better, but better than last year. Show overall- meh. It may be time for the Oscars to overhaul their thinking on keeping things entertaining...<br />
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<br />Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-83049942292268159942012-02-08T20:10:00.000-07:002012-02-08T20:10:31.320-07:00Gamer Girls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I have a bunch of posts I've been wanting to catch up on lately but something happened today that has me ranting. I was hanging out at my local games store flipping through the latest Previews magazine and making an order when this guy came in looking for some Dungeons and Dragons stuff. The owner of the shop had just stepped out to pick up dinner so J was running the shop and began helping him out. He was looking for a specific tile set as he was starting a new campaign with a new group. He was starting them off with Fourth Edition of DnD with then intention of getting them into playing Pathfinder as he was not a fan of Forth Edition. I was just sitting quietly on the couch flipping pages in the magazine when I heard one of the most ignorant comments I've heard in a while. He said "I've noticed a demographic change since Fourth Edition came out. The last few groups I've played in have had a lot of...girls" Ok, so it doesn't seem so bad when written out but the malice in his voice when he said it was what got my back up. He was genuinely not pleased with how many female gamers there are and for some reason felt the need to blame it on the game. Here's the thing, I'm a female gamer and I don't particularly care for Forth Edition. I think it's a broken game and I know a ton of other gamers, male and female, who feel the same way. So buddy, don't hide behind the game and say what you truly mean. You don't like the fact that females have invaded your little world. I left the store very shortly after that comment before I blew my top.<br />
<br />
I am female. I play RPG's, video games and board games. I love Sci-Fi and Fantasy. I read comics. I go to conventions. I wait in line for every Star Wars movie every time they release or re-release one. I cosplay. I follow web comic. I love Horror films. I am not alone.<br />
<br />
It is not Fourth Edition that has brought more girls into your little world, it's a general shift in the culture of acceptance at large. Have you ever been to a convention? There are some of the most beautiful and smart women you will ever meet walking the floors. They are there because they WANT to be. Gone are the days when hot girls in costumes at conventions are there because they are paid models who have little to no interest in the subject matter. We know our stuff. There are plenty of women out there who can tell you anything from when Spiderman made his first appearance in a comic to who shot first, Han or Greedo? There are women out there who can rule's lawyer you under the table. We are smart, educated, beautiful, confident and we are here to stay. <br />
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Do you remember when the rest of the world looked down on you for being a gamer? When you got teased in the hallways for being a geek? When you got excluded from a party for being a loser? Do you remember how happy you were when you found fellow geeks who shared your loves and pains? Do you remember when you started to feel at home? Do you remember how happy you were when being a geek suddenly became not a bad thing and you could proudly display your action figures in your living room? All of these things made you happy. Why in the world would you feel the need to pass all that prejudice off on women who have the same interests as you? We female geeks have enough of a hard time talking about our interest outside of the gaming world so why should we be forced to put up with males trying to make us feel uncomfortable in what should be a safe and fun environment? The answer is we shouldn't. <br />
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I will never let a male geek make me feel uncomfortable for doing something I enjoy. You will not outplay me in a RPG. Your leering will not make me go and change out of my costume while walking the convention floor. You will not cut in front of me in line for Star Wars. You will not jack up the price on a collectible because I KNOW what it's worth. I will fiercely defend the right of any other female to enjoy whatever geeky pass time she chooses.<br />
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Don't be threatened by us. Embrace the fact that we have joined your world. There is nothing better than being able to share something you love with someone of the opposite sex. How about a candle lit dinner and a discussion on the last episode of Battlestar Galactica? Invite us to play Three Dragon Ante for the night, you just might be surprised. And for the love of all things geeky, let us play in your DnD group. We bring a different perspective to the table and can greatly enhance your gaming experience. <br />
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I am female gamer, hear me Nat 20.Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-734239482037879682012-01-22T23:32:00.000-07:002012-01-22T23:32:01.330-07:00Beauty and the Beast: Girls Day OutI haven't gotten around to writing about this yet but I wanted to make sure I get it down before I forget. My mom recently too me, D and JH to see the stage production of Beauty and the Beast. I was so excited to go as this has always been my favorite Disney movie. My mom bought a block of 16 or 17 tickets for a bunch of different people to go including my boss and co-worker and their two daughters. We went up to Calgary in the morning and did a bit of shopping and dinner before the show. We first went to the Chinook mall and after spending 45 minutes trying to find a parking spot and losing JH in the process (she got out of the car to save us a spot but we got caught in traffic and lost her). I was hoping to find some bits for my costume for Comicon this year but had no luck with that. I was feeling a bit frustrated with the whole shopping experience by this point (I couldn't find what I wanted, the mall was crazy busy and we had lost D and JH...again) when I came across the most interesting store. I literally stopped in my tracks and yelled "there's a hat store!" It was this amazing little shop called Chapel and it was filled with the most incredible hats. I spent a bunch of time trying on various hats and fascinators (including a $300 feather one) and finally settled on one to buy for myself. We then managed to track down D and JH and then went back to the store and tried on more hats and D bought one for herself as well. This will be a must stop place for me whenever I go to Calgary from now on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fGZ9BmHisDBg9vHlgmYHpFyYlNpSoBF7G3lk2EMXYU0rnqt1t8XqAaZRGW6HLq13aQe2cjd5MoKAX_QsPEdkwFkZSxUhyphenhyphen9iWeNtbY04mRA_0gZFzfvfctQWb8v657GIIITnVTal-ijGM/s1600/Phone+Pics+214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fGZ9BmHisDBg9vHlgmYHpFyYlNpSoBF7G3lk2EMXYU0rnqt1t8XqAaZRGW6HLq13aQe2cjd5MoKAX_QsPEdkwFkZSxUhyphenhyphen9iWeNtbY04mRA_0gZFzfvfctQWb8v657GIIITnVTal-ijGM/s320/Phone+Pics+214.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new hat!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_VOQvrhgJJz04EZhlKd0t3y4WF_i13tLto3rymECQlRYkf2OA7KIvY-dFxF3JkYEnbZJLuq1BWm9pAbwVY3mWXPPrX3t0_ILYyxNJHrfk83jT5DSLDrK8PPrYQQWwBlSVUakRPxWpHPB6/s1600/Phone+Pics+213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_VOQvrhgJJz04EZhlKd0t3y4WF_i13tLto3rymECQlRYkf2OA7KIvY-dFxF3JkYEnbZJLuq1BWm9pAbwVY3mWXPPrX3t0_ILYyxNJHrfk83jT5DSLDrK8PPrYQQWwBlSVUakRPxWpHPB6/s320/Phone+Pics+213.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D's fabulous new chapeau</td></tr>
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We then went for dinner with a bunch of the other ladies that were going to the show and then headed off to the theatre. Dinner took a little longer than we had planned for so D and I ended up changing into our dresses while driving to the show. I would love to say that's the first time this has happened to this family but it seems to be somewhat of a tradition with us. When we got to the theatre we met up with my boss and company. We headed in to our seats and they were quite good. We were on the first balcony first row so there were no heads to obscure our views. Boss lady and the kids were one section over from us and one row up. The kids were so excited to see the show and I noticed after a bit that the 2 seats next to me were unoccupied. Whoever had purchased them (it was a sold out show) had not come for whatever reason so the kids moved down and sat next to me for the whole show. It made it just that extra bit special as they still really see the magic in a show such as this. We shared binoculars the whole show and I answered the odd question they had and the only fight we had was over the binoculars when Belle came out in the famous yellow dress. We all wanted to be the first to see it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHBbB_hYAog6aYM4zRfm22T1Edf7j9f_criXRihswUMI6LZSxxEjiNrdFIYZ3ASsGJc9zKm2Mmk_WzwW8m4xipTTIQKYaoJI8tw4e4AS-pjxpIl16y8SnxgzdrJ_-227W1lbmo0S13LtT5/s1600/Phone+Pics+215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHBbB_hYAog6aYM4zRfm22T1Edf7j9f_criXRihswUMI6LZSxxEjiNrdFIYZ3ASsGJc9zKm2Mmk_WzwW8m4xipTTIQKYaoJI8tw4e4AS-pjxpIl16y8SnxgzdrJ_-227W1lbmo0S13LtT5/s320/Phone+Pics+215.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from our seats pre-show<br />
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</tbody></table>The show itself was great. The costumes were incredible and it did capture the spirit of the movie I loved quite well. I wasn't sure how I felt about Belle at first as she sang the opening number differently than what I am used to, but she soon grew on me. Some of the things I really enjoyed about the show were the set changes. They were so smooth and worked into the show with many of the dancers facilitating the changes and becoming part of the set as the action went on around them. Lumiere was fabulous as was Gaston. They both really stole the show. The design of the sets and use of scrims, particularly when the wolf puppets were being used and during the final battle between the Beast and Gaston were ingenious. I also really enjoyed the final transformation scene as the did some amazing wire work to keep it really close to the movie as well. I think that scene was a little extra special from where I was sitting as one of the kids leaned over to me and whispered "how do they do that?". My response of "magic" was met with wide eyed enthusiasm.<div><br />
</div><div>My favorite number of the show was "Gaston" as it featured some incredible choreography with steel beer steins that I don't know if many others really appreciate how difficult it was. I found a video that shows a bit of what I'm talking about, although it is not the same cast I saw and a shorter version of it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/K_6YA-Va3KY/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K_6YA-Va3KY&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K_6YA-Va3KY&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div><br />
I did love the show overall, but I think that The Lion King was a better stage production. JH and I were both happy that we still liked the Beast better as a beast than as a human in the stage show. It was a nice day out with the female part of my family, even if it was about 2 am before we got home and I did have to work the next day. Thanks to my awesome mom for keeping our girls day at the theatre tradition alive.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOFpJrvL2Jsk9UFr4zO8gNQdvNNQWvTKfmW555GuJ80dqK82wUDskpW8HZlksXZrQS1hN_epZa6FGCroV5AsvxmCocWwVeSdcusVIniVYEuWCajYBK7zRBsrZPvmxuPD7qSFy6tjBdSoc/s1600/Phone+Pics+217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOFpJrvL2Jsk9UFr4zO8gNQdvNNQWvTKfmW555GuJ80dqK82wUDskpW8HZlksXZrQS1hN_epZa6FGCroV5AsvxmCocWwVeSdcusVIniVYEuWCajYBK7zRBsrZPvmxuPD7qSFy6tjBdSoc/s320/Phone+Pics+217.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><br />
</div>Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-4225632757583354942012-01-22T15:12:00.000-07:002012-01-22T15:12:31.467-07:0050 Books in 2012: Book 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0B4vAjg7S_7MIMyC9MLBFvuJ23Wu3RB6E8t4KWStMwO5u835jvRzgHjyf7bDxRCJR7oxNUz9YZvmr1BFZuawdbrYv6XUXpod9aGYPdodwQfOAXoxItUq1EjrLKRrNFwyOherGTvxu69F4/s1600/peter+pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0B4vAjg7S_7MIMyC9MLBFvuJ23Wu3RB6E8t4KWStMwO5u835jvRzgHjyf7bDxRCJR7oxNUz9YZvmr1BFZuawdbrYv6XUXpod9aGYPdodwQfOAXoxItUq1EjrLKRrNFwyOherGTvxu69F4/s1600/peter+pan.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Title: Peter Pan</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Author: J. M. Barrie</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Genre: Classics - Children's Literature</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Synopsis: The three Darling Children, Wendy, John and Michael, are whisked away on a series of adventures with Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up. The travel to the fantastic world of Neverland where they encounter fairies, Lost Boys, Indians, mermaids and a band of pirates lead by Captain Hook.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Review: Ok, let's be serious for a moment. We all know this story inside out and backwards, but how many of us have actually read it? I know this was the first time I have. I am so happy that I decided to take the time to check this one off my list. It's a very easy book to read on most levels, although there are many phrases and words in it that have fallen from common use and can trip up the reader at times. The writing style is so different from what I was expecting. I thought it would be your standard story as told from a neutral perspective but was pleasantly surprised to find that it reads much more like a bedtime story as narrated by and imaginative adult. I could picture myself lying in bed and listening to my great-grandmother tell me the wonderful stories she used to make up. It has a unique flow that must be read to be truly enjoyed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> There were a few things that really stuck me about this book. I found it very interesting how little was actually described about Peter himself, thus allowing the reader to create their own image of the boy. Barrie never tells us his age or even describes much about how he looks other than stating that Peter still had all of his baby teeth and wore clothing made of leaves. I was also a little shocked at how violent the book is at times. When the Pirates, Indians and Lost Boys fight, they kill each other. Not in a make believe way, but in a final that's-the-end-of-that character way. I didn't expect that. I was also a little surprised as how small of a role Tinker Bell actually plays. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Reading this book gave me a better appreciation for a few of my favorite movies as well. I was struck by how many amazing little details from the novel ended up in the movie "Hook" From the two-cigar pipe that Hook smokes to the "silly ass" line that Tink says, they did a great job of little shout outs here and there. It also really made me appreciate "Finding Neverland".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Though this may not be the greatest story I have read, it it truly one of the best stories told. That's how it feels as you read it, as though someone is telling it to you. I hope you take the time to experience it for yourself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I give it 5 out of 5 bookmarks and raise it a solid imagination.</div>Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-69083754899572859572012-01-19T21:36:00.000-07:002012-01-19T21:36:26.766-07:00Gearing up for Calgary Comic and Entertainment ExpoI can't wait for this years Expo! The line up is already huge and we are still months away! I have a feeling that it's going to be insanely busy this year and I hope they are able to keep up with the numbers. I had a look at the tentative layout for the show this year and I'm not sure I like them moving the guest area out of the main hall as I think it may cause some major line jams, but it might work out. We have our tickets in hand and our hotel booked and are currently working on our cosplay for this year. Here's a little run down of the guests so far and my thoughts.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUWw-HO0lWZO2sw2AS27aYU8lgrbYOxlt3AJb-p4z6NdOXE435hjbnVkgOq9b1LKrGS0u3Uip-xMPAwJdykmOqic-N9zPBpDJkxWsHeqvViJjKW0Uh-oNNH71nWVlFqQ8DPzRiWmI8JEr/s1600/Adam-Baldwin_00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUWw-HO0lWZO2sw2AS27aYU8lgrbYOxlt3AJb-p4z6NdOXE435hjbnVkgOq9b1LKrGS0u3Uip-xMPAwJdykmOqic-N9zPBpDJkxWsHeqvViJjKW0Uh-oNNH71nWVlFqQ8DPzRiWmI8JEr/s1600/Adam-Baldwin_00.jpg" /></a></div>Adam Baldwin - Excited about this one, but not as much as J! He's decided to revamp his Jayne costume so he can get a picture with the "hero of Canton" himself. He's currently working on recreating Vera (Jayne's gun) and if it turns out well, wants to get it autographed as well. While I have enjoyed many of Adam Baldwin's roles, my favorite is Jayne in Firefly. So put us down for any panel he's in as well as a photo op and autograph.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfJ1G9631X0fEDQfbr_L9g-CF2dRqLw6z0HuTTn6vM11DiJqAk0h-wXt25CRb_2W8Fyb1L8dZDbAuT9AL0svdYndiZ1aXHlHLp39Gljyyy8MD6pdmsyga14qRVcoz9AV1ihpO0lzd45Eq/s1600/freddy-contre-jason-2003-98-g_00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfJ1G9631X0fEDQfbr_L9g-CF2dRqLw6z0HuTTn6vM11DiJqAk0h-wXt25CRb_2W8Fyb1L8dZDbAuT9AL0svdYndiZ1aXHlHLp39Gljyyy8MD6pdmsyga14qRVcoz9AV1ihpO0lzd45Eq/s1600/freddy-contre-jason-2003-98-g_00.jpg" /></a></div>Robert Englund - I have to admit, I didn't watch the Nightmare on Elmstreet movies when I was young. J bought them all a few years ago and we had a big marathon one day. I loved them! But I'm not ashamed to admit that when I went to sleep that night, Freddy tried to get me. What a testament to a great actor that the character he brought to life can actually haunt the dreams of those who saw his performance. One of my favorite rolls of his was in a short film he did for the Masters of Horror series called "Dance of the Dead" which is based on an amazing short story by Richard Matheson. While it may not be the best film ever made, Englund was fabulous as the creepy M.C. who brought the dead back to dance for the living in a macabre affair. Worth the watch if you haven't seen it. Not sure if we'll do much more than glance at him from a distance, but that will depend on what the schedule of panels looks like.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PIPhTu-4pIutb_E5rPaIlJnrz6ugI7G8juvyIPqtbU5znAzaU_wXe90-ko9F6VUhcIogN-Z_fSvnQZEeQkV4DwB2R9kuq5AVFNuDXw-ZR9yE73gGY7dC72uII0pVddmVLwFtm5Mut4ip/s1600/TomFeltonDraco4_00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PIPhTu-4pIutb_E5rPaIlJnrz6ugI7G8juvyIPqtbU5znAzaU_wXe90-ko9F6VUhcIogN-Z_fSvnQZEeQkV4DwB2R9kuq5AVFNuDXw-ZR9yE73gGY7dC72uII0pVddmVLwFtm5Mut4ip/s1600/TomFeltonDraco4_00.jpg" /></a></div>Tom Felton - Good old Draco Malfoy. I think it's cool that they got him and I did love the books and enjoyed the movies, but I think I'll skip the lines on this one.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPLvOhPsxkO-mDbwdXNfXMEIDPfnrnIly95tISNh6P-oPaqxxgKcFWTQLSnUVwier_HpRNwbYuPxS6P-oHAU3ifUk3YpwAiSI9BJdlIpnp3GWy1m1CFTU6XTNpv75JVsAWbVIjtGRG-CO/s1600/buckrogers2_00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPLvOhPsxkO-mDbwdXNfXMEIDPfnrnIly95tISNh6P-oPaqxxgKcFWTQLSnUVwier_HpRNwbYuPxS6P-oHAU3ifUk3YpwAiSI9BJdlIpnp3GWy1m1CFTU6XTNpv75JVsAWbVIjtGRG-CO/s1600/buckrogers2_00.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Gil Gerard - Buck Rogers! Once again, cool they got him, but not for me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifi6yEXFB7Sf4kVgS5no_liAGWt3eauHoAGuPMlyGvpzj_LHBQXTstq6_sTlacBCGKVQXvPSjJycWX3gcjiRVNSd17jxYpeqZNDicZJc1JwbBr5ib5oaEVCpHzJogp8VZSnM9yP5MK4GVi/s1600/richardhatch2_00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifi6yEXFB7Sf4kVgS5no_liAGWt3eauHoAGuPMlyGvpzj_LHBQXTstq6_sTlacBCGKVQXvPSjJycWX3gcjiRVNSd17jxYpeqZNDicZJc1JwbBr5ib5oaEVCpHzJogp8VZSnM9yP5MK4GVi/s1600/richardhatch2_00.jpg" /></a></div>Richard Hatch - the original Apollo in Battlestar Galactica and Tom Zarek in the reboot. Excited about this one and I never miss a Battlestar panel!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9ccuOM4plqp0DpNc_BtarUbYqwfXXvmakmDYc34G0bwW-BH2pr2-iAAOEZcxUFZTJL7nGPyZ8NPcz7votZaq3gaGxIa0A6JcIgAdHf5EPsDqCqUIBRyDbQHsx-4Dq74uHmzKdzVqdlc0/s1600/marstersphoto_00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9ccuOM4plqp0DpNc_BtarUbYqwfXXvmakmDYc34G0bwW-BH2pr2-iAAOEZcxUFZTJL7nGPyZ8NPcz7votZaq3gaGxIa0A6JcIgAdHf5EPsDqCqUIBRyDbQHsx-4Dq74uHmzKdzVqdlc0/s1600/marstersphoto_00.jpg" /></a></div>James Marsters - SQUEEEEEE!!! In case you couldn't tell, I'm a little excited about this one. I loved him in Buffy/Angel as the bad ass yet lovable Spike. I loved him even more in Torchwood as Captian John Hart. He's sexy, a great actor and has an incredible voice. I've heard rumors of a nightclub performance after the show one night and I might just have to find that one and swoon a bit. Panel- check, autograph - probable<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8blcZ8R_ykFOMWtXUODH343YF8d6Qg2IlcwHMKebMmMFSsdF7IhAd7On5jMMb9puyoPtNgu7O6aiNLmjfLtEgV3lIvRGallXpUvTFoemCYM9yXbCjgD131W0XLUyQ1XZaWpkQgvjWOGx/s1600/Jasika-Nicole-03_00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8blcZ8R_ykFOMWtXUODH343YF8d6Qg2IlcwHMKebMmMFSsdF7IhAd7On5jMMb9puyoPtNgu7O6aiNLmjfLtEgV3lIvRGallXpUvTFoemCYM9yXbCjgD131W0XLUyQ1XZaWpkQgvjWOGx/s1600/Jasika-Nicole-03_00.jpg" /></a></div>Jasika Nicole - of Fringe fame. Believe it or not, I never got into that show...weird because it's right up my alley. I watched it pretty faithfully in the beginning but life got in the way of a few episodes and I quickly got lost in the intricate plot. I'll probably skip this one, but once again, kudos to the Expo for the score.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkAHn27I5bTcH07Xw_MzfR5YKL-7-91tgWLoua1wE3h8oYXmHI_BrotBLHqX64uzcg_Ck136uZBsIDL3eZi5VvxprCzORyrwm8YvpwaKZOD0RmZHmfASMTvBEnZhpPnzPqKEY6WOtXE0I/s1600/Hayden-Panettiere-03_00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkAHn27I5bTcH07Xw_MzfR5YKL-7-91tgWLoua1wE3h8oYXmHI_BrotBLHqX64uzcg_Ck136uZBsIDL3eZi5VvxprCzORyrwm8YvpwaKZOD0RmZHmfASMTvBEnZhpPnzPqKEY6WOtXE0I/s1600/Hayden-Panettiere-03_00.jpg" /></a></div>Hayden Panettiere - Save the Cheerleader, Save the World. I loved Heroes in the beginning like many others did and yet somewhere along the way, I just stopped watching. I don't know how this show went off the rails so far and I still have no idea how it ended. Great score by the expo for all the fanboys! Walk by for me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGF8ktYdBXRiYQZR53xUSbseezN1wbfUNp2U0J2PxUe6nS9J1ptrPkIVTXFvZNgqvH_HJ1xtCCl-u0ZrSSymWTt2XKMMP1ta7qezBQX98kOSB4ieW-QVDe5qSdxtZukniRsYI7zrTwWe_/s1600/DarthVader01_00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGF8ktYdBXRiYQZR53xUSbseezN1wbfUNp2U0J2PxUe6nS9J1ptrPkIVTXFvZNgqvH_HJ1xtCCl-u0ZrSSymWTt2XKMMP1ta7qezBQX98kOSB4ieW-QVDe5qSdxtZukniRsYI7zrTwWe_/s1600/DarthVader01_00.jpg" /></a></div>David Prowse - the man behind the mask. He had to cancel last year so I'm happy they got him back this year. It'll be neat to see him and hear his stories as I'm sure he's got some interesting ones. Panel for me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRTWv_tHbp2IPK3etsGAQAaPBN0T319dqfUvrgfDmFtuqc9KvalCSJmeYvVq51nGVnjT_AYmtCdrDbSpbs-RYeIe_C6tt1Lxld-kY-uK0przBQjWAWPPthGKYviSh5zMRarIXEgzuhqih/s1600/Katee_Sackhoff_Wallpaper_11_00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRTWv_tHbp2IPK3etsGAQAaPBN0T319dqfUvrgfDmFtuqc9KvalCSJmeYvVq51nGVnjT_AYmtCdrDbSpbs-RYeIe_C6tt1Lxld-kY-uK0przBQjWAWPPthGKYviSh5zMRarIXEgzuhqih/s1600/Katee_Sackhoff_Wallpaper_11_00.jpg" /></a></div>Katee Sackoff - Can't miss for me! Glad they were able to get her after last years cancellation. When I first started with the reboot, I wasn't sure how I felt about them changing Starbuck to a woman. After watching her in this role for about five minutes however, I was hooked! She is brilliant. I know she doesn't count towards my Cylon collection, but I think I'll got for an autograph anyway. You'll also find me at her panel. Gotta love Starbuck!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsis_Kan_zlNAAoM4YxR_fFk4clcsI8oc90mq7IZ1MyOaIgmTPUOWDc5PYUpzDaq-ioxbW59JapR0-YvoAdwon_mji5kjX-9hXx_7aTETKgt2261fUOx2dke8FFcFYuQo1XKuPwiQXJ6LT/s1600/arthur+suydam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsis_Kan_zlNAAoM4YxR_fFk4clcsI8oc90mq7IZ1MyOaIgmTPUOWDc5PYUpzDaq-ioxbW59JapR0-YvoAdwon_mji5kjX-9hXx_7aTETKgt2261fUOx2dke8FFcFYuQo1XKuPwiQXJ6LT/s1600/arthur+suydam.jpg" /></a></div>Arthur Suydam - I am a comic lover, but I don't know them well enough often to know the names of artist or creators off the top of my head. This is an exception. I loved Marvel Zombies! I have a zombie Spiderman costume I've been working on for a few years now and one day I'll finish it. (My nephews laughed at this one as the foundation of it is a costume I bought in the children's department and, yes, it fits me) I might have to brave the line ups on this one for an autograph.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelSRlHyIRTrmDC4UKB19eqf31zJ7VbydwO6PL4LetmoHNonxHveeO7Ssl8UzOQbQwA-zyEx9CbPuoQSOVmkfRaG49Rg7CxJBKSUT4Tx1JdXpkazBq489w2w9NCXdMzt57rdgFZk1_-9QV/s1600/amanda+tapping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelSRlHyIRTrmDC4UKB19eqf31zJ7VbydwO6PL4LetmoHNonxHveeO7Ssl8UzOQbQwA-zyEx9CbPuoQSOVmkfRaG49Rg7CxJBKSUT4Tx1JdXpkazBq489w2w9NCXdMzt57rdgFZk1_-9QV/s1600/amanda+tapping.jpg" /></a></div>Amanda Tapping - Another great female guest. While many know her from Stargate, I love her as the no nonsense Dr. Helen Magnus on Sanctuary. I also love her 100% Canadian stance and the fact that she has helped create such a successful Canadian Sci-fi show. Panel is likely on this one.<br />
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Adam West - What a cool guest this is. I don't know if I'm enough of a fan to stand in what is sure to be an incredibly long line, but I will likely take in the panel. I do love how he is more than willing to poke fun at himself and the persona he has created. <br />
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Wil Wheaton - Just announced today and I'm excited about this one. I love that he's just as much of a geek as the rest of us! I follow his Twitter feed and have read his blog and I can't wait to see this panel. My love is this man is not based on his acting, although I have enjoyed much of his work, but rather on how human he is and how much he shares with his fans. I could picture sitting across a gaming table from him and having a great time. The only thing that would make this better was if Aaron Douglas was there as well. I love watching their "frenemy" fights on Twitter.<br />
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So far so good with the guests this year. I'm excited that the Expo has become so successful that they are able to score such awesome guests. It's only up from here I think! My only concern is that there might be too much awesome stuff for me to do that I can't fit it into one weekend.Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-40985516389541863432012-01-09T21:12:00.000-07:002012-01-09T21:12:08.305-07:0050 Books in 2012 :Book 1I am an avid reader, so I've decided to set a goal for this year to read at least 50 books. I am confident I will be able to achieve this goal and I plan to write a review for each book as I finish it. So, without further adieu, here's book 1 for the year.<br />
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Title: The Magician<br />
Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Book 2<br />
Writer: Michael Scott<br />
Genre: Young Adult Fiction - Fantasy<br />
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Synopsis: Book 2 of this series find the twins, Sophie and Josh Newman, along with Nicholas Flamel and the immortal warrior Scathach in Paris where they attempt to teach Sophie fire magic while running from Dr. John Dee who has teamed up with the infamous Machiavelli. They are aided in their quest by Joan of Arc and Comte de Saint-Germain. Meanwhile, Pernelle Flamel finds the secrets Dee has hidden on Alcatraz while trying to escape.<br />
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Review: This is a fun and somewhat campy series. I quite enjoy the interesting take on historical figures that Scott has taken with this series. The basic premise is that the twins, Sophie and Josh are the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy that will either save or doom the world. While this is not anything new, the way Scott has chosen to integrate historical figures and various myths and dogmas makes this a unique take on an old idea.<br />
My favorite new character in this book has to be Joan of Arc. Scott does an excellent take on her character showing her as a small and friendly woman who has developed a love of her annonimity. I'm sure I would feel the same way if the last time I had been well known had resulted in me being burned at the stake. She can also kick some serious ass.<br />
I also enjoyed how the seeds of doubt that Dee plants in Josh begin to work their way in the reader as well. I know that Dee is most definitely bad, but I begin to wonder, much like Josh and Sophie, just what Flamel's true motives are. What does he know that he's not sharing? Was Awakening Sophie really the right call?<br />
My favorite character of the series has rapidly become Pernelle Flamel. She is strong and smart. I quite enjoyed how she used her wits in this to escape the Spinx, solve the mystery of what Dee is hiding on Alcatraz and fight the terrifying Morrigan.<br />
I find myself really enjoying this series. If you have a child who loves fantasy and magic and maybe even has an interest in history, this is a great series to get them in to. I love how there are so many characters that you can actually research and learn more about their lives. It's a pretty good afternoon escape for adults too as it's an easy read and flows quite nicely.<br />
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I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 bookmarks.Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-78005336096904012072011-12-16T20:52:00.000-07:002011-12-16T20:52:17.919-07:00StrugglingI'm feeling at a bit of a loss lately. I find myself struggling with a lot of things in life. It has been a year of ups and downs and the last few days have been quite a roller coaster of emotions. In all of this, I find myself struggling to find he spirit of Christmas.<br />
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Where to begin...well a big stressor lately has been the fact that J is currently unemployed. While this was not a decision he came to lightly, it has been hard. Things got really bad at his job and he became very unhappy. He began having panic attacks each night with the thought of going back there another day. After discussing it we decided the best course of action was for him to give his notice and leave. He felt an instant sense of relief. I started to worry about money. We decided not to exchange gifts for each other this year to save money and we have done very well at living on a tight budget until he is able to find a new job. I think I won't feel that sense of relief until he has a new job in place and it's so hard to find something right now going in to Christmas. I hope the new year will bring a new job for him and bring me a sense of stability. <br />
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About a week ago I lost an old friend. Jo and I grew up together and later she worked for me for a while. We have stayed in touch over the years although I haven't seen her in person in few years, I have spoken with her quite frequently on facebook. Last Friday she let me know she was driving back here from where she lives now to visit with her family. I was really hoping to maybe get the chance to see her and her brother even just quickly before she went home. Sunday morning her brother posted the following on facebook "woke up, dreaming of taking someone to the hospital. Weird" At 11:30 pm the same day he posted this "Need your prayers tonight for my nephews. They are on their way to the children's hospital. They were involved in a car collision. Please, prayers for my boys. For those that knew my sister I'm sorry but she didn't make it. Pls, prayers for my boys." My hand went to my mouth in shock. Jo was such an amazing person with such a great sense of humor. She always made me smile and I enjoyed teasing her brother with her. This hit me really hard. Jo was dead and her boys were in rough shape. Since then, her oldest son has been released from the hospital and her youngest has started making progress towards recovery. Yesterday he was taken off his breathing tube and began breathing on his own since the accident. Today he was released from the ICU but is expected to be months in recovery and may have to undergo reconstructive surgery. My heart breaks for her family.<br />
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Yesterday there was a tragedy involving 5 young people from my city. While I don't know them personally it is still a hard thing to hear about. Four 20 year olds were headed from here to Calgary for 2 of them to fly home for Christmas when the ex boyfriend of one of the girls ended up in a confrontation with them on the side of the highway and he shot and killed his ex-girlfriend and two males in the car, injured the other girl and then turned the gun on himself. It seems like such a senseless act and such a waste of life. <br />
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I find myself very emotional over silly things. Tonight for example, an episode of "Say Yes to the Dress" had me bawling like a baby. There was a bride on the show who had been involved in a bad car accident that had claimed the life of both of her parents. There was a moment in the show when she had found the perfect gown that her aunt hugged her and said "you're parents should be here" For some reason that really got to me. I'm trying so hard to keep my emotions in check. Yesterday an old friend put things into perspective a bit for me with some very kind words. She has been doing this thing on facebook where everyday she writes a Christmas memory. She has always been such an excellent writer and storyteller that I found myself enjoying her trips down memory lane. She wrote a story of a Christmas that I barely remember where I got her a job working the concession at a basketball tournament held during the holidays in our home town. I wasn't so much the story as the line about me in it. She said I (have) always been one of the most loyal and devoted human beings (she) has ever met. I was astounded. Here I was thinking about how I wished I had said some of these things to people I had lost and she is just doing it. Telling people what they mean to her without prompting or reason. It really makes you think. This meant so much for me to hear why don't we tell people what they mean to us and how they have impacted us when we get the chance? I am going to strive to do this. I want people to know these things. I want them to feel the rewards of their impact even if, like me, they aren't aware of it.<br />
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I'm trying to find the positive in life right now. J and I are healthy (for the most part. I have 3 cracked molars from grinding my teeth in my sleep) and have a roof over our heads. We have everything we need in life and even a few frilly extras. I have a happy and healthy family who I love and I get to spend time with them all this Christmas, with the exception of my brother and his family in Ontario. I have faith everything will turn out for the best for us. I just hope that 2012 will be a year with more ups than downs.Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-4364713289824277482011-12-04T21:17:00.000-07:002011-12-04T21:17:19.100-07:00Christmas BakingToday was our annual Christmas bake day with my family. Every year my mom, sister and sister-in-law and I get together and do our best to make our friends and families a little fatter each year. Today we got together and made gingerbread men, sweet n salty (a yummy cereal and nut mix covered in a syrup), cherry and lemon pound cakes, lemon shortbread cookies and oreo truffles. This year went super smoothly and we got all this baking done in just a few hours.<br />
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It was the first year we made these Oreo truffles and let me tell you, they are amazing! They are super easy to make too. Well, after you figure our how to dip chocolates that is. My mom and I started on them before everyone else arrived and after two terrible rounds of attempting to melt the chocolate and ruining some perfectly amazing Bernard Callebaut chocolate we finally got our technique down. My sister showed up in time to help me start dipping the truffles and they turned out pretty great for our first attempt. Plus they are super yummy!<br />
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Once the truffles were done D, JH and Miss A moved on the the gingerbread while my mom worked on various other goodies. I rolled out the dough while D and JH cut out the cookies and Miss A did the decorating and sugar sprinkling. She did a great job and helped through almost all the cookies which is pretty impressive for a 2 year old. Some of her decorating made us all giggle. Particularly the "fig leaf" gingerbread men and generous sprinkling of sugar.<br />
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Some of the fig leaf gingerbread men came out a little...inappropriate. This lead to a lot more giggling and merriment.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKX2rlCHLzm650yqRM-3iIURj-GhWstCYDNKK-7sEZdb8hcDJ_wV0WzV-9NyRTVnYkAvdBbq2leh-V9bRKiAZ8BSP3Lj5zPJ8jeDdQcP-Qq7xqgZQArX4FSI61X_FjCjYSvylUelhBgXZv/s1600/Phone+Pics+144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKX2rlCHLzm650yqRM-3iIURj-GhWstCYDNKK-7sEZdb8hcDJ_wV0WzV-9NyRTVnYkAvdBbq2leh-V9bRKiAZ8BSP3Lj5zPJ8jeDdQcP-Qq7xqgZQArX4FSI61X_FjCjYSvylUelhBgXZv/s320/Phone+Pics+144.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><br />
All in all it was a fun day, even if my tummy is a little mad at me for having too many sweets. Here's the fruits of our labors for the day. Hopefully everyone enjoys them as much as we enjoyed making them!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiC1CoDCN8fzI81VjIEiYxOB0MbaR2xtCIxkJ83f3fqhkKvjosFoRRjGpVa20TUfhnh9KVHxRUILGmRScrO92iXl22ZhvLm1z9893EJnHY4fwzm4Q19K1KyfeZTeO80xXoM-FLRT0bdTMN/s1600/Phone+Pics+145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiC1CoDCN8fzI81VjIEiYxOB0MbaR2xtCIxkJ83f3fqhkKvjosFoRRjGpVa20TUfhnh9KVHxRUILGmRScrO92iXl22ZhvLm1z9893EJnHY4fwzm4Q19K1KyfeZTeO80xXoM-FLRT0bdTMN/s320/Phone+Pics+145.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-7569488381231285922011-12-01T21:28:00.000-07:002011-12-01T21:28:43.440-07:00Oliver Musical - My Last Three Months<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5eH-5Cvz8Jyrhe9ArF4M0zndDI4IeMJD0KlLHGFt28EOdsRUKT0nToo1dgKl4dCm8g6gYp5PkH9TecCfCZbxJwO7ZczfFr2W4QCAIioGLtObYT0ExIjkLlqQroZDR7Ucp0xyfIR6up38h/s1600/IMAG0293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5eH-5Cvz8Jyrhe9ArF4M0zndDI4IeMJD0KlLHGFt28EOdsRUKT0nToo1dgKl4dCm8g6gYp5PkH9TecCfCZbxJwO7ZczfFr2W4QCAIioGLtObYT0ExIjkLlqQroZDR7Ucp0xyfIR6up38h/s320/IMAG0293.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thieves kitchen, or as it affectionately became known backstage "Hell's Kitchen"</td></tr>
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<br />
I have been very quiet in the blog world the last few months because I have been hard at work on the musical Oliver. It was quite the experience. I worked as the stage manager on the show and for those of you who have no idea what that means, let me tell you it's a huge job! I had the privledge of working with a very wonderful Director and his team who made my job just a little easier. I thought I'd share m experience with you so you can understand the job of a stage manager a little better and maybe if you are ever involved in a stage production make sure to thank your stage manager for all they do.<br />
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I got the job with the show just a few days before rehearsals started so I had to play a little bit of catch up at the beginning. Usually I have the script read a few times and my show script prepped to add blocking and calls to it as well as have a contact list for all cast and crew made before the first rehearsal but I didn't have much of a chance to prep on this one. Day one consisted of passing out scripts and compiling names/phone/emails of all the cast members then after a quick sing through of the show I headed home to compile my email list of over 80 names. It took me nearly all night but it made the daily emails much faster by only having to type in one group instead of 80 addresses.<br />
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The next few months consisted of work (my regular job) followed by rehearsal every night and then home to answer emails regarding the show. It made my day last from 8:00 am to about 1:00 am Monday to Saturday. While I was unable to make it to Saturday rehearsals due to my work schedule, I had some awesome assistants who made sure there was always someone there to run things as smoothly as possible. While I was quite exhausted at times, J was super supportive and we had such a great cast and crew that I was able to get through it all without any breakdowns. Even for having such a huge cast (and so many of them related to each other as well) there were no major fights or issues to deal with. Everyone got along pretty well with each other and even the few who had the potential to be "problem kids" turned out to be great to work with and more than willing to help in any area I asked.<br />
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Having 2 casts for a show can be a bit challenging. It's important to have the children's roles double cast in a show like this to keep them from getting too exhausted especially with a 3 week run of the show but it poses more challenges in rehearsal. It was a balancing act to make sure everyone got equal rehearsal time and that nothing was missed. There were a few times that I had to deal with slightly upset parents who felt that it was too much time/too late in the day/issues with changing schedules etc. but for the most part everything was worked out quickly and the kids all seemed to enjoy themselves. It was interesting to watch each cast (Apples and Banana's) develop and see the kids growth. At first the Banana cast was quite a bit stronger, but in the end the Apple's gave them a run for their money! I was so proud of both. Having 2 casts also makes for a slightly different show between the two nights. The Oliver's were both awesome but had much different strengths on stage. Same with the 2 kids that played the Artful Dodger. In each cast the Oliver/Dodger pairing was a boy and girl (Apple cast had a male Oliver and female Dodger while the Banana cast had a female Oliver and male Dodger) They seemed to really click with each other and play off each other very well.<br />
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I was so happy to have things running so smoothly that we even had the set in a week early and the cast had plenty of time to adjust to working on it! The only problem with that was I hadn't arranged for a crew that early so I spent about a week doing a lot of the set changes myself and re-injured my shoulder again, but it was fun! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikz-dY1JHtKS5Ukuurj8LrsJU-8hJ-74LPv16Q6FWMessZGBJ9xbyP23ekLjFCwJzFQQB03ih6JW-YWCN9EFThkViIDFtEszmYR8E4OgICh9vCSAdDzpWEhuFECOg52e5Zrr_HmrT5o4Py/s1600/IMAG0371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikz-dY1JHtKS5Ukuurj8LrsJU-8hJ-74LPv16Q6FWMessZGBJ9xbyP23ekLjFCwJzFQQB03ih6JW-YWCN9EFThkViIDFtEszmYR8E4OgICh9vCSAdDzpWEhuFECOg52e5Zrr_HmrT5o4Py/s320/IMAG0371.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oliver set design</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOgnymIdPf4AXZUyDGEj0Y_ebu3Yq_agy6eMuv_n0iFLF-hnPeUp2_7mTkf4uVPZ99RrSpGd8jZV-wv2qs-UnNlwUQkpjTCpidb1QmqzICg_5196p7CI2QHaFoWzRaTLHkuCS1RKkqGwz/s1600/IMAG0210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOgnymIdPf4AXZUyDGEj0Y_ebu3Yq_agy6eMuv_n0iFLF-hnPeUp2_7mTkf4uVPZ99RrSpGd8jZV-wv2qs-UnNlwUQkpjTCpidb1QmqzICg_5196p7CI2QHaFoWzRaTLHkuCS1RKkqGwz/s320/IMAG0210.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Set, one week before opening<br />
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</tbody></table>Once we got into the run of things it went amazingly well. J was by my side in the booth running the light board every night which was great because we hadn't really seen each other in 2 months (between work and rehearsals for me and work and coaching football for him) Unfortunately on opening night the Director's wife had a stroke part way through act one and they were rushed to hospital in Calgary. (She made an amazing recovery but it was sad to not have them there for the full run) There were other minor disasters here and there (illness in the cast causing one of the leads to not be able to perform one night, family members getting ill, small fights between the kids, someone calling 911 from backstage as a prank) but everyone pulled together and made it the best show possible. <div><br />
</div><div>Closing night the crew even put on a spoof night for the cast (in which I played Bill Sykes and J played Nancy...mostly so he could kill me by throwing me off the back of the set) and it went over amazingly well. It was the first time that LMT has had a spoof night and I hope we started a new tradition. For those who don't know, spoof night is when the crew performs the show for the cast, making fun of things that have happened during the run and some of the general silliness involved in the show. I had to pare down 10 pages of ideas the crew had come up with into a 10 minute sketch but it went pretty well for being a last minute idea.<br />
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</div><div>As a stage manager, my job is to be boss, friend, sounding board, organizer, problem solver, teacher, councillor and many more things. It was worth it! This was one of the best shows I have had the pleasure to work on and the people I worked with really were what made it so special! I can't wait to see what next year will bring.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Here's a few of my favorite pics from the show</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPF5kqh7B8AuvH6M-MTz2TmMrQOhU-Kj-jjCZoSDxg8xW4cO2vqugWsX8hxKNfdqRJ0P-2yTKspQAtwBPeNJMbuxRQ3gizJ4NaLnG64UYQJpc3LgoDv6qClH0FBgTAV5c8VVgj-RvsGts/s1600/Oliver_A_0102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPF5kqh7B8AuvH6M-MTz2TmMrQOhU-Kj-jjCZoSDxg8xW4cO2vqugWsX8hxKNfdqRJ0P-2yTKspQAtwBPeNJMbuxRQ3gizJ4NaLnG64UYQJpc3LgoDv6qClH0FBgTAV5c8VVgj-RvsGts/s320/Oliver_A_0102.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bulletin board backstage featuring the kids homework - a short story of how they became and orphan. And Lionel Richie<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUhCBWGPFseUcUEZAAGIVPW129Ktp87otStfMKOec3ZHVEUca7BaV79ZOhLgVvbsRG95oCkwV40aS-KkMYsR6K_TDzjJf9JN5NmhKLhKpWITCcLZpsQBQQ3Q95rlNYaNT3b-G378wYMIr/s1600/Oliver_B_0073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUhCBWGPFseUcUEZAAGIVPW129Ktp87otStfMKOec3ZHVEUca7BaV79ZOhLgVvbsRG95oCkwV40aS-KkMYsR6K_TDzjJf9JN5NmhKLhKpWITCcLZpsQBQQ3Q95rlNYaNT3b-G378wYMIr/s320/Oliver_B_0073.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana Cast warmup before the show. There's me by the piano<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAGsuvjuMSfkNyAu9KbMbATEYLpjJYocfIzzkTXIFTwtDh43hsX0AWI-OmBE-0hBhmKujWaznTIpwC8PW83MSO3Tvc_Eq1VBkQyLSnv8IHm8zlNyWq6tTlA3aaXiSY9vAKv1atFlws5x2/s1600/Oliver_A_0095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAGsuvjuMSfkNyAu9KbMbATEYLpjJYocfIzzkTXIFTwtDh43hsX0AWI-OmBE-0hBhmKujWaznTIpwC8PW83MSO3Tvc_Eq1VBkQyLSnv8IHm8zlNyWq6tTlA3aaXiSY9vAKv1atFlws5x2/s320/Oliver_A_0095.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana Cast warms up</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnAHUFyO7hCzjwpJ3RRnr26IAr_Dpujap03L2yPZbvEMFMm1WREjxSaqG_QVhLsB7u_dNx-dhkqxTatqI5h1v1m9CNMKRXIHwfGIZTC-1S-iTLeicSul7fGzGw3irN084AzWVdJPWR3QD/s1600/Oliver_A_0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnAHUFyO7hCzjwpJ3RRnr26IAr_Dpujap03L2yPZbvEMFMm1WREjxSaqG_QVhLsB7u_dNx-dhkqxTatqI5h1v1m9CNMKRXIHwfGIZTC-1S-iTLeicSul7fGzGw3irN084AzWVdJPWR3QD/s320/Oliver_A_0012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the Orphans "dirty" feet. This show used a ton of stage dirt every night</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCi18_9YldxImHcIr0nqlL35HBAbFtzf-jKHNv5ym4m974ZfIejv5hQ5H2jr0j4uyI4asF-qPFq9dZd5hfDG0XCgdkqnBdBlrz2VV9qaQheVmfft82veMWTVnOwIgrZ_0lDOwRKWQaSx7/s1600/Oliver_A_0111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCi18_9YldxImHcIr0nqlL35HBAbFtzf-jKHNv5ym4m974ZfIejv5hQ5H2jr0j4uyI4asF-qPFq9dZd5hfDG0XCgdkqnBdBlrz2VV9qaQheVmfft82veMWTVnOwIgrZ_0lDOwRKWQaSx7/s320/Oliver_A_0111.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food Glorious Food</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDJJE2s2nSGoxjLXx0FDCsVA7uTRV8q5ebGYM4r1GCFX05pR6yqwTRPDHevnPN47TZzn8DJZHERSSKIwHypYCSRaMqF5ybJYVU2unu8ae2m4a1qFSq_FMuu7zFRUUozTeH8PHhoiofsOp/s1600/Oliver_A_0401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDJJE2s2nSGoxjLXx0FDCsVA7uTRV8q5ebGYM4r1GCFX05pR6yqwTRPDHevnPN47TZzn8DJZHERSSKIwHypYCSRaMqF5ybJYVU2unu8ae2m4a1qFSq_FMuu7zFRUUozTeH8PHhoiofsOp/s320/Oliver_A_0401.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who Will Buy - Rose seller, Strawberry seller and Milk Maid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8S3AJr5_bdNUPdM9ZCa-M0W37nQ7-bfqWV88MJ9M2Ca5pQjZ6sEWl2-IwBcFWs7HA4ivAAvt93BRFQgVessRHvvK8fdDBEnvCejSwKC8o7Y2AqGAlszXCzNdOExvPbhUSAyTEjKCfMVP/s1600/Oliver_A_0208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8S3AJr5_bdNUPdM9ZCa-M0W37nQ7-bfqWV88MJ9M2Ca5pQjZ6sEWl2-IwBcFWs7HA4ivAAvt93BRFQgVessRHvvK8fdDBEnvCejSwKC8o7Y2AqGAlszXCzNdOExvPbhUSAyTEjKCfMVP/s320/Oliver_A_0208.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sowerberry's - Oliver's escape</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibK6m7C1OithrqJYTB4Qlmb14yz27dVyo4FfUDsXHdeoRMZ2O8M_tresWNTYEfogAaKfdB4FDRVt-vrTbuwSBXPQ_ZAQpfG-9drJJCitDnkxkgfvgWGuuJjif_4hAcrJQFqKsQr0l5eNRJ/s1600/Oliver_A_0218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibK6m7C1OithrqJYTB4Qlmb14yz27dVyo4FfUDsXHdeoRMZ2O8M_tresWNTYEfogAaKfdB4FDRVt-vrTbuwSBXPQ_ZAQpfG-9drJJCitDnkxkgfvgWGuuJjif_4hAcrJQFqKsQr0l5eNRJ/s320/Oliver_A_0218.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Consider Yourself - Oliver and Dodger Apple Cast</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjZpxW0l4grVGuRKBq9FI7xL4yRFe5VDGLzXNnqcnqQe1f6abdOKBkZK3FtsWgQAtr_itGVg8HVlOf3er-cHiTjF5abTpHacclRUYNyZ-NjwqxXW3mVmMFYIalZJamQGRQ0DPwErJxm3z/s1600/Oliver_A_0308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjZpxW0l4grVGuRKBq9FI7xL4yRFe5VDGLzXNnqcnqQe1f6abdOKBkZK3FtsWgQAtr_itGVg8HVlOf3er-cHiTjF5abTpHacclRUYNyZ-NjwqxXW3mVmMFYIalZJamQGRQ0DPwErJxm3z/s320/Oliver_A_0308.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome Stage crew setting "Hell's Kitchen"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ohfehF6qz-GutfypymRDYDfumucnZCXZtEYNxAuHN_TlLH78v8RbSmjWDoQjwNiltW_0w32UwCajwJ4eYfJCsPTE7eaxFQ6wQSwf-E5MnBYaKgGZcrvzbfZ-nhiEvkEJ4WAV0Z4okn5h/s1600/Oliver_A_0332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ohfehF6qz-GutfypymRDYDfumucnZCXZtEYNxAuHN_TlLH78v8RbSmjWDoQjwNiltW_0w32UwCajwJ4eYfJCsPTE7eaxFQ6wQSwf-E5MnBYaKgGZcrvzbfZ-nhiEvkEJ4WAV0Z4okn5h/s320/Oliver_A_0332.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nancy in Oom Pah Pah</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JhqbjXgvau0TsTXmC1ZkNcbYrOPD3kKCQyByDlv4xFyHncV84BmRJgSREsfSBjNh5QWlLRdHyjZm_dB0Uu0oRUAKs8mSItTuSkXgaXJPvet7JyuqE8JkQ7lVxYFrpe2WDXV4DNJkFMDV/s1600/Oliver_B_0218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JhqbjXgvau0TsTXmC1ZkNcbYrOPD3kKCQyByDlv4xFyHncV84BmRJgSREsfSBjNh5QWlLRdHyjZm_dB0Uu0oRUAKs8mSItTuSkXgaXJPvet7JyuqE8JkQ7lVxYFrpe2WDXV4DNJkFMDV/s320/Oliver_B_0218.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fagin with some of his little thieves</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill Sykes falling from the bridge after being shot</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Widow Corney and Mr. Bumble - I Shall Scream</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nancy, Bet and some of the tarts in the Three Cripple bar</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doctor Grimwig - "I'll eat my head"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82-9_lyVkT4hJViTywnMBaSNpirgVh9QEQQqpSw6Av-VNUlPwKZjeEH5mSpXGt6lQaSjNqlnUGm7t1WgW7OG4JBaR7gM5hJVF_BpX7MAnrT3v2EkRoe0iLfk-Sd8_QhELTZLDAqPIsoSo/s1600/Oliver_B_0337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82-9_lyVkT4hJViTywnMBaSNpirgVh9QEQQqpSw6Av-VNUlPwKZjeEH5mSpXGt6lQaSjNqlnUGm7t1WgW7OG4JBaR7gM5hJVF_BpX7MAnrT3v2EkRoe0iLfk-Sd8_QhELTZLDAqPIsoSo/s320/Oliver_B_0337.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill Sykes confronts Fagin</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill Sykes sneaking up on Nancy right before he murders her</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana Cast - curtain call</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green room shenanigans at midnight....every night</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My closing night gift - The "Tony Workhouse Award" for best Stage Manager 2011</td></tr>
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</div></div></div>Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-7883413628268806212011-09-15T00:02:00.000-06:002011-09-15T00:02:53.798-06:00Crazy LifeWow it's been forever since I've even had 5 minutes to update this. Life has been way more than hectic lately. Between work, rehearsal and life in general, I've barely even had a minute to breathe. <br />
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I celebrated my 31st birthday last week and it was pretty good. I'm not sure how I feel about 31, but it's not like you can go back right? J bought me a new cell phone (horay for joining the rest of the world!) and I love it! How did I function without a smart phone before? Just having the calendar app has saved my butt countless times this last week. I had a great birthday though. We went out to see a band play on my actual birthday (after rehearsal) and Saturday we went to dinner with a ton of friends. Sunday, I got together with my family for a little birthday celebration and the most amazing cake made by my awesome sister, D. Thanks D! I loved my TARDIS cake and it was super yummy too! Oh, and I also won week one of my fantasy football!<br />
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I am in the full swing of rehearsals for Oliver now. Stage managing a cast of 74 people is a full time job in itself. Yes, 74 people. The orphans are all double cast in case you were wondering why there are so many as the run of the show is 3 weeks and that's a lot of time for any kid, let alone adult. It a great cast to work with and once we get the scheduling bugs worked out things should run pretty smoothly. As much as I'm enjoying it, I have to admit I'm tired and can't wait for it to be over. Plus the songs are playing on a continuous loop in my head.<br />
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Yesterday was a really tough day. J's uncle Davey was killed the day before my birthday in a really bad car accident. He was a truck driver and was killed by another driver who crossed the center line and hit him. The other driver was later discovered to be texting at the time. Such a waste. His funeral was yesterday and I didn't think it was going to be as hard as it was, but I broke down more than once. It's weird to say, but that was one of the best funerals I've ever been to. Everything about it was just so...him. From the coffin that was the same color as his truck and all chromed out to the funeral procession of motorbikes and semi trucks. His sister and daughter gave the best memorial speeches. They made us all laugh and cry. There was even a guitar solo of Stairway to Heaven. The part that really was the hardest for me was after the graveside service, my feet found their way to J's grandfathers grave. He was such an amazing man and his loss still leaves us all very raw emotionally. I was doing ok until my oldest nephew cam up beside me and put his arm through mine. We stood there in silence for a minute and then I heard him sniff and I realized we were both crying. J's dad came up behind us and put his arm around my nephew and we all just kind of crumbled into each other crying for a few minutes. When I finally had the strength to loo around, I realized that the whole family was standing there and we were all crying. We all miss him so much and losing Davey just made us all break down again. But they are a strong family and we will all get through it. J's mom and sister are amazing in situations like this. They sweep in and make sure that all the things that need to be done are completed and that everyone is taken care of. I admire their strength. I am so grateful to be a part of this family.<br />
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So there's a little update on my crazy life. It's been a week of ups and downs, but through it all, I think I've found a little more strength in myself through it all.Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-30362873643813466052011-08-23T21:13:00.000-06:002011-08-23T21:13:30.231-06:00My Doctor Who BreakIn case you haven't noticed, I'm a big Doctor Who fan. With the severe lack of anything good on television at the moment I have decided to re-watch the new series in it's entirety and blog about each episode. I don't want to bog this blog down though so I have created a new blog that will be strictly Doctor Who based. I will blog about a new episode each weekday and will perhaps have the occasional weekend blog featuring some classic Doctor Who or maybe even a book review. Now don't think that this means I won't be writing about any more Doctor here...on no. You will still find plenty of references to him here, it's just that there will be a second outlet for my geekiness now. If you wish to follow along, you can find the blog at:<br />
<a href="http://timeandspace-faeriegoddess.blogspot.com/">http://timeandspace-faeriegoddess.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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Safe travels everyone.Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-55493215452609113112011-08-22T12:48:00.000-06:002011-08-22T12:48:50.860-06:00Fright Night :A Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfp_7Fg8oDkpULkzsREWu0zfd9TTEbXge3G4ozfFFdtn_CE8Srsu3kAYagZiOmIO0D_htSJLj0acqDp7iSqb4AwXLY7uyFIbf7CNEjjA8cd_RbJF3IPs2v5VEecIV1lcntn-zh563ImL3X/s1600/fright+night.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfp_7Fg8oDkpULkzsREWu0zfd9TTEbXge3G4ozfFFdtn_CE8Srsu3kAYagZiOmIO0D_htSJLj0acqDp7iSqb4AwXLY7uyFIbf7CNEjjA8cd_RbJF3IPs2v5VEecIV1lcntn-zh563ImL3X/s320/fright+night.jpeg" width="212" /></a></div><br />
My girlfriend DG asked me to go see this one with her on opening night. She, like me, is a huge David Tennant fan. Truth be told, that's the only reason we even wanted to see this one, but I'm very glad we did. Fright Night surprised me. It was slick, funny and well done. It's kind of like the Zombieland of vampire flicks.<br />
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I'm not the biggest fan of Colin Farrel but he really surprised me with his portrayal of Jerry the vampire. He was modern and creepy. I loved the scene where he was trying to get invited into the house by borrowing some beer. And the "Hey guy" line was fabulous. Although I wasn't a big fan of the vampire transformation. The shark-like face was unrealistic and really over the top. That aside, Farrel was smoldering, sexy, creepy and funny.<br />
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Anton Yelchin was really great in this film. I loved him as Checkov in Star Trek and he didn't disappoint here either. He was funny and portrayed the growth that his character goes through very well. Yelchin has impeccable timing with his line delivery.<br />
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And then there's David Tennant. My Doctor. I was a little leery that I wasn't going to care for him in this role. However, in true Tennant form, he was absolutely fabulous. The scene where he is being "interviewed" by Yelchin and slowly strips off all the trappings of his Vincent character while musing on how to kill a real vampire was superbly done. It doesn't hurt that he looks pretty great in a tight pair of leather pants either. I loved the break down of his character into a scared little boy and then rebuilding himself into a chicken fighter. <br />
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I am not a big fan of the 3D fad. I think in most cases it's a money grab and does nothing to add to the film. I prefer to see them in 2D unless they are films that the 3D adds to (ie. Avatar or Despicable Me). This film was only playing in 3D at the theatre so we had to go that route. Most of the 3D in the film did nothing to add to it, but there were a couple of small scenes where it did get kind of cool. The ashes of a dead vamp floating around were pretty neat and the paint can that went through the window and straight at my head was well done but I don't think you'll miss anything by seeing this one in 2D.<br />
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Overall, this was a really well done film. They took the original concept, stripped it down and brought it into 2011 fantastically. The entire cast was great. The writing was quick witted. The effects, while over the top at times, were good. I loved the comeo appearance of the original "Jerry".<br />
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I highly recommend this film as a fun, freaky Friday night ritual. <br />
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I give this film 4 out of 5 wooden stakes and raise it with a bit of holy water.Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-26596573379687271612011-08-15T22:16:00.001-06:002011-08-16T23:27:12.562-06:00My VacationToday is the last day of my summer vacation, and it's been great. J and I didn't have any major plans but we had a wonderful time anyway. Last Sunday we spent the day out at my mom's place visiting with the family and spending some time with my Aunt that was up visiting from Arizona. It was a great time and some great food. J still had to work Monday so I went in for a couple of hours to get caught up on some stuff and then went and did some shopping.<br />
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Tuesday was our anniversary - see last post for details on our day.<br />
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On Wednesday J got a call that he had a coaches meeting that night for the football team he's helping with this fall so we headed out to the farm for the rest of the week. The first few days were pretty uneventful just hanging out at the farm with a few of my nephews. My oldest nephew and I did sit outside and watch a pretty amazing thunderstorm on Wednesday night which was followed by a biblical down pouring of rain that only lasted 5 minutes but made me wish we had an ark during that 5 minutes. On Friday, J's sisters both decided to pull their trailers out and we could all camp together. It was so nice to camp out with everyone and not have any major chores that needed to be done. On Saturday it was hot out. One of those sweltering heats that makes you now want to do anything. My youngest nephew was bored so we turned on the sprinklers for the kids to run through. None of the other kids wanted to play with him so I decided to jump in even if I didn't bring a bathing suit with me. I got really tired of the other kids being lazy and just hanging out in their great-grandma's house watching tv and playing video games so I decided it was time to do something about it. J's dad went in the house and yelled that it was time for them all to come outside and play and as they grumbled their way out the door I got them with a bucket of water and an hour long water fight ensued. It was so much fun! After the water fight died down we decided to take the kids swimming in the canal. The water was clear and moving quite fast and was surprisingly warm. Despite dousing myself in sunscreen I still walked out with a super bad sunburn. We headed back to camp and relaxed around the fire while my brother-in-law cooked burgers over an open fire. They were fantastic! We stayed up late around the fire visiting and watching J and the kids play a late night game of "war" running around the fields shooting each other and having a grand time.<br />
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Sunday we were supposed to leave in the afternoon to pick up a friend at the airport but I decided to stay while J went back to town so I could go horseback riding with my sister's in law. Things were going well at first. I caught Jack with no problems and got him haltered and in the round pen with no resistance. He was acting a little funny once I put his bit in but calmed down after I walked him around for a bit. I decided to get on him in the round pen and ride a bit in there before we went into the field just to make sure everything was ok and that's when things went wrong. I got on him and it was ok for a minute and then all hell broke loose. He just started bucking like mad which he has never done before. I tried to get him back under control but I soon realized it was a losing battle. I managed to hang on until he turned away from the fence and then I bailed. I hit the ground hard landing on my right foot and left knee I scrambled to climb the fence quick as he was still bucking and had just reached to top when one of the kids and one of my sister in law's rand around from the other side of the barn. My ankle was hurting pretty bad but I walked around a bit and C and I got Jack calmed and started checking his tack to see if we had done something wrong to make him buck. C got on the phone and called my father in law to come down and help. When B got there he checked things over and thought things were ok so I got back on with B holding a lunge line just in case. Things went good for a couple of minutes and then he started again. I lost my balance and my inner thigh's slammed into the pommel of the saddle hard and down I went. B got him calmed and lunged him for a bit and then back on I went. He seemed much better at this point so B gave me the reins and we went to riding. I screwed up a bit and scared him and he jumped in response which threw me off balance again and scared him even more and he started bucking again. In my head I knew what to do, but in that moment my body didn't respond and he managed to throw me high in the air and I cam down flat on my butt and my wrist. That really hurt and I wasn't able to get back on at that point. My nephew got on him for a bit and I went back to the campsite. I found out later that my nephew got bucked off as well but thankfully he's ok. I, on the other hand, am not. My ankle is bruised and swollen. Both of my thighs are jet black with some of the worst bruising I have ever seen. And I have very limited use of my right arm. I have injured my ulnar nerve which is really making life difficult since I'm right-handed. Work tomorrow is going to suck!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right leg 3 days after.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left leg 3 days post "rodeo" I love how you can still see the seam line of my jeans in the bruise.</td></tr>
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Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-45278542521851917062011-08-10T11:54:00.000-06:002011-08-10T11:54:01.410-06:00Anniversary "Traditions"Yesterday J and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. We also discovered a new anniversary tradition. <br />
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It started last year. We left the house for breakfast and on our way we came across an accident. An elderly gentleman on a bike had been hit by a car. We pulled over and ran out to help. I spent roughly 35 minutes kneeling in the middle if a busy road immobilizing his head while an off duty paramedic checked him over and J directed traffic. We stayed until the ambulance and police showed up and then we quietly headed on our way. (The man was ok. He had a slight shoulder injury but was coherent and has since recovered fine, although I haven't seen him on a bike since.) Needless to say, we didn't make it to breakfast, but we did a good deed.<br />
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Yesterday we left the house and went for lunch and on our way back we came across a guy whose truck had stalled in a very bad place on a very busy street and he was trying to push it uphill to get it off the road. Without even discussing it, we pulled the car over and jumped out to help. 4 other people stopped to help as well and then a truck pulled over with a tow rope and we quickly hooked him up and got him off the road. <br />
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Now J and I are the type of people who always stop to help. If we see a car on the side of the road, we pull over. We hold doors open for people. We boost cars regularly. And now we joke about our new anniversary tradition of doing at least one good deed and then fading into the background like some superhero. <br />
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Here's to many many more years of keeping this tradition alive.Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-71539634959608078862011-07-21T22:53:00.000-06:002011-07-21T22:53:30.662-06:00Light At The End Of The The TunnelLife has been crazy. There have been so many changes with work over the last few weeks that it's a bit mind blowing. I'll call it a "re-invention" of our business, but it come with a lot of hiccups in the road. In the long run I know it will be good and it will hopefully mean a lot less headaches for me, but it's been stressful. In just about a month our alterations department will be officially shut down. Due to a bunch of circumstance beyond our control, we have lost most of our seamstresses and there is a serious lack of qualified seamstresses out there. It has made life tough, but it will take a huge headache out of my life in the future. I have been feeling very overwhelmed lately with everything, but I think I can see the glimmer of the light at the end of the tunnel now. Tonight was my last "crazy" Thursday night of alterations...ever! It was a long day (10+ hours) but it went fairly smoothly and there were no casualties. I got everything done that I needed to and I even had enough time to eat. If you know me, you know how big of a deal this is as I rarely take the time to eat at work.<div><br />
</div><div>I can hardly wait for the second week of August. J and I are both on vacation together that week. We have no major plans and I like it that way. I think we may just head out to the farm so I can spend the week riding Jack.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Here's hoping the light keeps getting brighter...</div>Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193982634560559783.post-23446084863301326462011-07-18T19:18:00.000-06:002011-07-18T19:18:33.730-06:00Turning Back Time With Winnie The Pooh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuWckJtThNuyWbHUDURZM6resCT8ZIJPVp6mfWx3R2rGCHc5mU7FKEkLN5GzbfxodkBIS8_mPQ2vcYr2E9BhSNKqilnNoZIre9i67VSnMbW-8g8gvha14tp1XoG42bzlD1tG7bvRglME2/s1600/winnie+the+pooh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuWckJtThNuyWbHUDURZM6resCT8ZIJPVp6mfWx3R2rGCHc5mU7FKEkLN5GzbfxodkBIS8_mPQ2vcYr2E9BhSNKqilnNoZIre9i67VSnMbW-8g8gvha14tp1XoG42bzlD1tG7bvRglME2/s1600/winnie+the+pooh.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I had the pleasure of taking my 2-year-old niece, Ms. A, to her first movie today. Since she is a big Winnie the Pooh fan and so am I it seemed like a natural choice for her first trip to the movie theatre. We both loved the movie! Her first movie was a huge success.<br />
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I have to say that the choice to do this film in classic 2D animation was brilliant. I got very nostalgic watching the pages of the book turn and the words being visible on the corners of the screen at various points in the movie. I loved the way they blended A.A. Milne's original stories together the way the first Pooh film did.<br />
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Jim Cummings played Pooh and Tigger and was stupendous as ever. Mind you, he's been playing these characters for years and has a voice acting history that spans countless years and amazing films. Bud Lucky was new to the Eeyore voice and did a respectable job. He captured the gloominess of Eeyore, but I could tell it was a new Eeyore voice right away. John Cleese was a fantastic narrator and I particularly enjoyed the scene at the beginning where he tries to get Pooh out of bed.<br />
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However, there were a few things that I really didn't like in the film. Craig Ferguson as Owl was very disappointing. I understand movie companies wanting to included big name voices in films to sell more tickets, but in this case I felt it wasn't needed. It's Winnie the Pooh! People will see it for that reason alone. I felt this version of Owl was missing his smug, yet very innocent superiority. He came across as, well, kind of a dick. He was the cause of most of the confusion in the film and it almost came across as though he was aware that he had messed up instead of being genuinely ignorant of his faults. I don't blame Ferguson for this. I think it was a poor casting choice and a bit of bad writing. They really didn't need to hammer the "Back Soon/Backson" joke down the kids throats. I think the point of Pooh for the young ones is figuring things out with the characters and seeing how their imaginations can take them on crazy and silly adventures. I also wasn't the biggest fan of newcomer Jack Boulter as Christopher Robin. Maybe I'm too much of a nostalgic fool, but I really think they didn't need to mess with the perfection of the original film.<br />
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Overall, this was a great movie. I will watch it again and probably again. It was a great first film for my "Auntie" date and a nice return to my childhood for an hour and ten minutes. Stay for the credits, the pictures are worth it.<br />
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8 honeypots out of 10Faeriegoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07478883047653469546noreply@blogger.com0