Brief Updates
- Wall-e
5 Word Review: Oh Hell Yeah It Rocks.
Slighty Longer Review: Never before has so much social commentary been put so DIGESTIBLY into a film, and most of that message is never spoken with dialogue. PIXAR has shined their "2-layer film" Formula (The kids get it on one level, the adults get the deeper message) to a mirror finish on this one. Not just an immensely enjoyable film, but a cinematic accomplishment with the way in which it is told.
Only drawback: WTF with the live-action scenes? Didn't really seem to have a reason.
And to quote Maddy: "Only Pixar could make us love a cockroach."
- Doctor WhoWe speed-watched the entire 4th season with the assistance of a friend, and there were some really good episodes this season. Best of the bunch were the Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead two-parter and my personal favorite breakout, Midnight, which was like no other episode I've seen in the new series. There was minimal special FX, pretty much one set, and played out like a classic Twilight Zone episode, relying more on character and tension than technological whiz-bang, and it was INCREDIBLY good. And to boot, it was written by Russell T. Davies, who usually turns in the cheesy, overly-convenient coincidence-ridden episodes lately, so it was a nice surprise that he could do MIDNIGHT, which could almost be considered a "Period Piece".
We saw the season finale episode last night, and it was an incredible 2-part finale. They really did their homework in the episodes leading up to this, and it was quite well executed.
- DragonConWith some help, Melissa and I are slowly fleshing out some ideas for costumes that could incorporate the wheelchair. Thanks to some feedback from Shawn, we might have nailed one down! No spoilers yet, we still have planning to do.
- TransportationWe need to get rid of both of our cars and buy a wheelchair-accessible van for Melissa (which run about $18-25,000! ouch.) I'll be posting the cars on Craigslist and probably the AJC. If anyone is looking for dependable transport, comment for more info on them:
- 1998 Ford Taurus SE - Hunter Green, 190k, New A/C, Alloy Wheels - $2000
- 2001 Mercury Sable - Tan, Premium Wheels, 134k, small swipe on rear - $3500
TTFN!
Labels: Cars, Doctor Who, DragonCon, Pixar, Wall-e
Birthday #34
Thanks everyone, for the great birthday wishes. I had a very busy day, it happens.
Getting Melissa and Matthew ready for church on Sundays is busy in itself. We arrived late for the pre-show choir practice and they told me I had a solo in a song we've done before, so I thought I was set. Only they didn't give me the solo in the same spot as last time. Heh. So I ended up leaving an empty space in one verse (where I should have sung) and singing over another guy's solo. By the time I realized this, I figured it would draw less attention if I just kept going and make like a duet. *facepalm*
As soon as service was over we high-tailed it over to Decatur for a brunch meeting with a couple of reps from the Decatur Book Festival, which runs Labor Day Weekend (Same as DragonCon). Melissa was helping represent the DCon Young Adult Lit Track. After that, we went straight to Marietta for the second Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA) Staff meeting. Melissa has worked Security and I've worked the Video Track for the past two years. They're being very supportive of Melissa, and we're working out a schedule that we can both work. Many people there hadn't seen Mel since September, so there were a lot of hugs and lots of kind sentiments.
After that, back home, picked up Matthew and the In-Laws for dinner at Ippolito's, a very good Italian Joint. They have a great linguini dish with broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes that is just TO DIE FOR. Don't know why, but I just can't get enough of it. And for my birthday cake, Brenda made a reeeeeealy good Carrot Cake with cream cheese icing (my favorite!).
And on Saturday, our friends Kris and Jim took us out to see Ron White at the Fox Theater. (A combination Christmas/birthday gift). Hilarious show, but we could tell he was really drinking scotch on stage, because the second half of his show was a bit more... error prone and rambly. And we're no prudes, but we could have done without SUCH a long exposition on the topic of giving a hummer to a grizly bear. And the phrase Mel and I can not stop repeating? "Flick the Frenulum"
And to answer Bonnie, I do have an older brother.
(He's the one on the left). He's a Lawyer living in Las Vegas, Dating a Cosplayer presently. He'll be coming to DragonCon this year, so he might be able to meet some of my friends.
Since Justin's Birthday is Tuesday, We'll be getting together later in the week for a joint family B-Day dinner.
Labels: AWA, birthday, DragonCon, Melissa
DragonCon 2007
I just finished transcribing and editing up the DragonCon Trip Report for this year. So if you didn't get to go, or would just like to see it the way I did, read on:
Bill the Pony's DragonCon2007 Trip ReportLabels: 2007, DragonCon, Trip
It's Dragon*Con Time
Melissa and I are off to Dragon*Con this weekend for a little vacation from reality. And
the Dragon*Con LiveJournal springs to life about two months out, and the closer we get to the Con, the less and less you see of your friends' posts, in the sea of room requests, party announcements, Calls for models in the annual "Men In Kilts & A Girl with a Leafblower" calendar... and UNIQUE posts like this one:
"DragonCon Culinaria"
danceswthcobras wrote:
Folks who feel like drooling can click here for my con packing list:
I like to process my own meat, and I'm picky about buying organic small farm raised critters, so I fill my freezer with some amazingly good stuff. A good chunk of it is coming with me to con for provisions and possibly to share. I dry rubbed a six pound sirloin in sea salt and spices and slow roasted it just now, and the aroma in my house is incredible. I may do another roast-to-go tomorrow so there will be enough to share with the deserving.
I'll swap a big steak every day (well, a steak sized slice of incredibly yummy slow roasted beef) for a couple of cubic feet of storage in any hotel room on site and access to it maybe two or three times a day for a few minutes to change costumes and dump dealer room swag. Plus additional consideration to be negotiated, if desired. My hotel room (way off site) has a fridge and a freezer and I'm bringing a chest of dry ice for further cold storage insurance.
I don't bother eating steak in restaurants any more, even the nice ones, since it's pretty sad stuff compared to what I have at home. A few chefs do go to the lengths of buying organic small farm "microbrewed" beef, but you'll be paying $40 a plate and up for the experience. Or you can buy the whole cow like I do. :)
Or just say hi at the con and I may be persuaded to share. :)
In short: "Will sell personally prepared steaks, in exchange for on-site hotel storage space." It's THAT kind of convention, where crap like that happens all around you.
And I can't wait for it.
Labels: DragonCon, LiveJournal
Hobbits Featured in NY Times
The New York Times ran a piece on Tolkien events in the ESCAPES Section, featuring a photo of "Lord of the Rings" costumers from my group,
Arms of Middle Earth in the Dragon*Con parade, and a bit about the Tolkien Track at DragonCon:
Two summer events appeal to both amateur scholars and budding actors.
“I’m an obsessed geek,” said Marie Miesel, a nurse from Nashville and a presenter at Dragon*Con, perhaps the nation’s largest convention for fantasy fans, held in Atlanta annually on Labor Day weekend. “My parents brought me to science fiction conventions when I was 7.” She will be leading a seminar on Sept. 2, “The Silmarillion for Dummies.”
The four-day convention isn’t just about Tolkien, but its Tolkien Track will be a cluster of lectures, game demonstrations, films and panel discussions on topics from “Customizing Your Action Figures” to “Misconceptions of Copyright Law for the Creator of Fan Works.” A party called An Evening in Bree (Bree is a village in Middle-earth) will include folk dancing, a trivia contest and a band singing Tolkien-themed lyrics. On Saturday morning, hundreds of costumed Tolkien fans will march through downtown Atlanta — bearded wizards and snarling orcs — mingling with Klingons (“Star Trek”) and Imperial Guardsmen (“Star Wars”) from other fantasy-loving groups.
Labels: AOME, DragonCon, News
