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  • Operation Gratitude – 900k and the March to a Million

    There are a few places on this planet where I feel absolutely comfortable. One of them is the National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, CA. I don’t know what it is about that wonderful place, but my shyness and social awkwardness don’t seem to exist there. It must be all the love. It’s literally bursting from the seams in there.

    900,000!!

    If you’re a regular on the blog then you know about my love for Operation Gratitude. If you’re a newbie then let me explain what Operation Gratitude is really quick. It’s an organization started by Carolyn Blashek in the wake of 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan  When she tried to join the military and was told that she was above the age limit, she couldn’t stand by and do nothing so she started putting together care packages in her home. Those humble beginnings have grown into an Operation that has now sent more than 900,000 care packages to troops deployed around the world. We have officially started our March to a Million.

    Now a little background as to how I got involved. I’m a proud Navy Brat and sister of a Marine and several years back I decided that I wanted to do something to support the military and their families. I collected a ton of unused Christmas cards and got everyone I know to write letters and notes in them. I collected more than a hundred and then realized that I had no idea where to send them. I started calling Army-Navy Recruiting Offices and finally a Soldier answered and told me about Operation Gratitude. I called the phone number he gave me and Carolyn answered. Turns out he had given me her home phone number. Carolyn was so warm and kind and told me where to drop the letters off. I asked her what else I could do and she told me about their upcoming Package Assembly Day. I never looked back. The 2nd time I volunteered I was lucky enough to pack the 350,000th package, a moment that I will never forget for as long as I live. I told my Nerd BFF Geek Outlaw about it and he began joining me about a year after I started. I’ve volunteered many times since then, collected hundreds more Christmas cards, and learned to crochet so that I could make scarves for the Winter Drive. It brings me more joy than I could ever express. Now that I’m in San Diego and my schedule is insane, it’s much harder to get up to Van Nuys but I drove up this past weekend for the last packing day of the year.

    Photo by HNG fan Shaun

    I have a bad wrist so I like to get to the Armory early so that I can get a spot putting the items into the boxes. It also gives me a chance to talk to all of the people who walk around the assembly line and arrange the contents as we fill them. And I get to dance to the music which is not only fun, but makes it easier on my back. After saying hello and giving Carolyn a big hug, I settled into my spot along with Geek Outlaw and his Dad. For the morning shift I was put in charge of the Oxy products and was dubbed the “zit girl.”  For the afternoon shift I was moved to another area of hygiene, toothpaste and dental floss.

    Picture posted on facebook

    Right before we started for the day I posted a picture on the facebook page and invited anyone in the area to join us. Shaun saw that picture and, still reeling from the tragedy in Connecticut and his personal connection to it, decided that volunteering was exactly what he needed. That, and wearing a red shirt under his sweatshirt. He joined Geek Outlaw and I for the afternoon shift. It was awesome to hang out and chat with him, he now knows more about me than any other fan!

    HNG and Shaun

    There are always a few celebrities that show up and this year was no different.  The first one who came by was Michael Reagan, oldest son of President Ronald Reagan, along with his wife and daughter. I didn’t recognize him at first, but Geek Outlaw’s Dad did and when I heard his name I perked right up. I asked him “Michael, do you know Dean Minnerly?” He looked surprised and said “Yes!!” I told him that Dean was my step-dad and he couldn’t believe it. Each time he came around we chatted a little more. As I mentioned in my interview with him, Dean was a Karate instructor prior to becoming a Foley Artist. Michael’s son was one of his students and he used to hang out with the Reagan’s and go out on their boat with them. They haven’t been in contact for a number of years though. So I told Michael I was going to take his picture and text it to Dean. This is that picture.

    Michael Reagan

    Dean was flabbergasted and asked if I could get Michael’s contact info but by the time I got that message we were in the middle of the ceremony and Michael was speaking to the crowd. He left right after and I didn’t see him again. So Michael, if you ever read this, Dean wants to reconnect with you.

    The next celebrity to come by was Erik Estrada of CHiPs fame along with at least ten Playboy Bunnies.

    HNG waiting for Erik and the Bunnies to catch up with the rest of the line

    He was so incredibly nice. You could tell that he really wanted to be there and was genuinely excited to meet and hang out with the Soldiers who were present.

    HNG and Erik Estrada

    Joe Mantegna was there along with at least fifteen other crew and production people from Criminal Minds. Dean works on the Law & Order shows so we exchanged a few joking jabs back and forth each time they made the rounds.

    Geek Outlaw, Joe Mantegna, and HNG

    After lunch, Geek Outlaw, Shaun, and I reclaimed our spots on the Assembly Line.

    “My spot!” says Geek Outlaw

    A few minutes later Carolyn came up with a little boy named Charlie (that’s him behind Geek Outlaw) and asked Geek Outlaw and I to watch him and show him the ropes. We’re responsible adults so we said no problem! After chatting with him for a few minutes (seriously, he was so cute and sweet), Carolyn came back and told me “By the way, he’s Jon Cryer’s son.” You probably know Jon Cryer best from Two and a Half Men. I’ve never seen that show so I know him as Duckie from Pretty in Pink. Jon was a client of my previous boss in LA so I had spoken to his wife before on the phone. The line started back up and the next thing I know, here comes Jon. I said “Hey Jon, we were put in charge of your kid, he’s really cute.” He smiled and said “Well I certainly think so! I think I’ll join you guys.”

    HNG and Jon Cryer

    He took a place on the Line and was put in charge of the 5 Hour Energy’s. Having had that job before, I know how filthy your hands get, so I told him I had a hand wipe with his name on it once we stopped for the day. He was also really nice and even danced with me when “Stayin’ Alive” came on over the speakers. I told him who my old boss was and he got a big smile on his face and told me to tell him that he said hi, which I did. Tada! Two sets of old friends reconnected by me and Operation Gratitude. I was kind of on a roll that day.

    Then, of course, there was Santa (Santa’s a celebrity! 😉 )aka Supervisor Jack, the nicest man you will ever meet and a fantastic singer…

    …and Captain Freedom…

    …but the real celebrity that day was Spc. Samuel M. He was the recipient of the 800,000th care package; recently back from his latest deployment in Afghanistan. The recipients of the milestone care packages always get a few extras. On Saturday Spc. M. was presented with a custom motorcycle made by Torque and Orange County Choppers. I know absolutely nothing about motorcycles but even I knew that it was a special bike. It was really gorgeous.

    Regardless of how you may feel about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the brave men and women of our military are the reason we have the freedoms that we do and they need to be supported by those of us back home who take advantage of those freedoms. You don’t know their names but they are sacrificing and sometimes dying for you. The least we can do is send them a little piece of home. I’m proud to have contributed to that effort in my own very small way.

    Thanks again to Carolyn and the Blue Shirts for all that you do and for making Operation Gratitude feel like a home away from home.

    To learn more and find out how you can help, visit the Operation Gratitude website HERE.

     

  • The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Reviewed

    I’m ready Gandalf, let’s go on an adventure!

    I really need to stop burning the candle at both ends. I woke up Sunday morning with a horrible sore throat and a pounding headache that is making my head feel like it weighs about 800 lbs. But nothing was going to keep me from seeing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.  Nothing. So I opted to see it in 2D because of my head. I’ll go back and see it in 3D once I’m feeling better.

    WARNING: I geek out a bit so expect spoilers. But really, y’all should have read the books so I really shouldn’t be spoiling anything for you.

    [youtube:http://youtu.be/nOGsB9dORBg]

    –

    The movie takes us through the first 6 chapters of The Hobbit or There and Back Again by JRR Tolkien which means that it took them just under 3 hours to get through approximately 100 pages of a children’s novel.  I’ve been arguing since 1999 that The Lord of the Rings should have been six movies instead of three. People who haven’t read The Lord of the Rings might not know that it’s actually six books in three parts. The movies were great, I can’t even count how many times I’ve watched them, but they would have been even greater had they been able to stretch out a bit more. Cuts had to be made, like Tom Bombadil, and that’s fine but a bit sad for those of us who love the books. The Hobbit  could probably have been done in two movies as opposed to three, but I, for one, am glad that they aren’t limiting themselves this time around. It means less changes while they try to squeeze in major plot points. They do still make a few changes, which I’ll mention later, but it’s mostly additions that I didn’t mind.

    It starts much like The Fellowship of the Ring did, with a back story setting up the adventure that’s about to happen. In this case, it’s the story of how the House of Durin discovered and claimed Erebor, or The Lonely Mountain, as their home. Erebor is pretty rad. It’s got a ton of precious gems and metals and giant hammers that come down from the ceiling and slam together to make golden blocks of something kick ass. They also have the Arkenstone, which is basically like the greatest diamond ever found, second only to the Silmarils (which were made, but that’s a different story). King Thrór, or as I now like to think of him, the Dwarf with the Awesome Beard Bling, becomes so obsessed with his wealth that he starts going a bit batty. His Grandson, Thorin, is the only one who seems to notice this but says nothing. Apparently, insanity attracts evil because one day Smaug, a Fire-drake (or Uruloki) left over from the days of Morgoth, decides that Thrór’s treasure would make a mighty fine mattress. *Totally random side note – maybe it’s because of my life-long obsession with Norse mythology, but did anyone else ever notice that a UruLOKI stole everything from someone named THrOR?

    But I digress.

    There are a few things that are different from the book; for example, the way in which Bilbo decides to join the adventure at the last minute, the whole Radagast part, the way the Dwarves leave Rivendell, the Orc hunting party, the scuffle with Azog during the burning trees bit, the way the group finds themselves in the hall of the Great Goblin. But you know what? None of that bothered me. Because they are splitting the book into three parts, they are able to keep the storyline line almost entirely intact. Unlike with The Lord of the Rings trilogy in which they had to cut a lot of my favorite parts out and therefore, modify parts to make it all flow. Which they did quite nicely considering it had to be squeezed into such short films (yes, I said short).

    Let’s explore the characters, shall we?

    Bilbo Baggins

    The first time I saw Martin Freeman was when he was playing Tim in the original British version of The Office  and I remember thinking, how can you not love this guy?? What is wrong with you Dawn! GO GET HIM!! (If you haven’t seen it, you really need to, it’s brilliant). Steven Moffat once said that Freeman has a way of making “ordinary people fascinating. He finds the poetry in just being ordinary, and that’s an extraordinary gift.” And it’s true. When I found out that Freeman would be playing Bilbo I literally sqee’d. It’s like he was born for this role. He is, quite simply, a revelation. And I don’t say that lightly. Every word, every movement, every mannerism is perfect. It’s lovely to see Ian Holm on the morning of his birthday party at the beginning of the film but I couldn’t wait until they went back to 60 years prior and the introduction of Freeman as Bilbo. Right from the get go his performance is charming and emotionally gratifying. Even when he’s covered in Troll snot. When Galadriel asks Gandalf why he brought Bilbo along he’s baffled and haltingly replies “Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps it’s because I am afraid and he gives me courage.” Indeed, Bilbo is simultaneously the mascot, the cheerleader, the little brother and, in many ways, the most capable member of the group, all of which the Dwarves slowly begin to realize the closer they get to Erebor. One of the minor alterations made by Peter Jackson is the way in which Bilbo tries on the ring for the first time. Instead of just slipping it on like he did in the book, they decided to mirror it with Frodo’s first time by having Bilbo trip and fall. As the ring flies through the air, IT makes the decision to slide onto Bilbo’s finger.

    Gandalf

    Speaking of people who were born to play a role, the same could be said about Ian McKellen and the role of Gandalf the Grey. He’s here in all his pointy grey-hatted glory. One of the biggest differences between the book and the film is the way that the Dwarves leave Rivendell. In the book they depart with Elrond’s blessing on ponies packed with provisions that he has provided. In the movie they slip away in the middle of the night while Gandalf distracts Elrond, Galadriel and Saruman with a Morgul blade and tales of the Necromancer. As per usual, he saves the day on more than one occasion, the most notable of which is with a repeat of Gandalf the Moth Whisperer from LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring. But the best example of Gandalf’s magic? The fact that he never loses his hat. For real, it’s like it’s sewn onto his head.

    Thorin

    I never understood why Marian went for Robin instead of Guy of Gisbourne. I mean seriously, just look at Richard Armitage, the guy (heehee) is drop dead. I first saw him in the BBC mini-series North & South.  Which you should totally watch if you’re at all into British period drama…which I totally am. North & South  is my favorite of all the ones I’ve seen and I’ve seen pretty much every one that Netflix has to offer. Then, of course, he was Gisbourne in the BBC series Robin Hood. A show that I found totally hokey at first but that I ended up being completely addicted to. Seriously dudes, the end of the final episode made me cry the ugly cry. Twice. Armitage has a tendency to play brooding characters and Thorin Oakenshield, the King in exile, is no different. He’s stubborn but magnetic and majestic for a Dwarf. If you’re an Armitage fan like I am, you’ll be thrilled by the countless close-ups of Thorin with his hair blowing in the wind. No joke, they pop up about every 10 minutes or so. Let me tell you, he has nailed the art of gazing just to the right of the camera and looking all inspirational and stuff.

    The Dwarves

    This jovial band of brothers and cousins is filled primarily with relatively unknown actors from New Zealand and Great Britain, there is one that you might recognize, not only because he starred in another favorite BBC series of mine, but also because the makeup people just couldn’t seem to bring themselves to cover up such hotness and he’s got the least amount of prosthetics of any of the dwarves. I’m referring, of course, to Aidan Turner, our favorite tormented vampire from Being Human who plays Kili. The only other name I even recognized was Graham McTavish and that’s mostly because of my love for gratuitous violence. There are a couple of stand outs though. One being Balin (spoiler alert: the Fellowship finds his tomb when they’re walking through Moria) played by Ken Stott. Stott does a masterful job of being a wise and calming influence for Thorin.  If you’re not a Tolkienite, it can be easy to miss Glóin son of Gróin (bottom right in the picture collage). He doesn’t feature prominently in either the book or the movie, but he’s notable in that he is Gimli’s Daddy. Gimli, of course, being the sole Dwarf in the Fellowship of the Ring. As a whole they provide some very memorable and chuckle-worthy moments, including a burping contest and a kitchen clean-up job the likes of which have not been seen onscreen since Beauty and the Beast. “Blunt the Knives,” the comical clean up song, is quickly followed by a haunting rendition of “Misty Mountains.” Both songs are in the book and it’s highly satisfying to actually hear them for once. Many of the songs in the book get left out of the film, but the ones that are scored are brilliant.

    Radagast

    I think that Peter Jackson felt guilty about leaving Radagast out of The Lord of the Rings because he made the part of Radagast the Brown much, much bigger in The Hobbit. In fact, if I remember correctly, I think he’s only mentioned in The Hobbit. You probably know Sylvester McCoy best as the seventh incarnation of the Doctor (the one who got his wardrobe cues from The Riddler). As one of the five Istari or Wizards of Middle Earth, Radagast is the one who is utterly obsessed with animals. He has virtually no contact with other humanoids and names the animals of the forest he protects. He even lets birds nest under his hat and crap down the side of his face. This is both hysterical and disgusting. He’s got a sled pulled by Rhosgobel rabbits who can outrun Wargs and, according to a disdainful Saruman, he eats lots of shrooms. Jackson uses Radagast to introduce the Necromancer. If you’ve read the books then you know who the Necromancer is, but just in case you haven’t, I’m not going to spoil it here.

    Gollum

    Along the treacherous road to Erebor, the company stumbles on three Trolls. After defeating them by allowing the dawn to turn them to stone, Gandalf and company find the Troll’s cave and three very important swords, Orcrist the Goblin Cleaver, Glamdring the Foe-Hammer, and Sting. When Gandalf hands Sting to a reluctant Bilbo he encourages the Hobbit by telling him that “true courage is not knowing when to take a life, but when to spare one.” If you’ve seen The Fellowship of the Ring, then you know that Gandalf alludes to this moment when he scolds Frodo for wishing that Bilbo had killed Gollum when he had the chance. Gandalf replies, “Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo’s hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many.” Andy Serkis returns as the strangely loveable Stoor, Smeagol, in a performance that defies explanation. How someone can talk in that voice for that long is beyond me. Serkis mentioned on The Colbert Report that the “Riddles in the Dark” scenes were the first to be filmed. You’d never know it. It seems as though he and Freeman have been at it for ages.

    Thranduil

    I don’t know if Lee Pace got a new agent or what, but he has certainly been making the movie rounds lately. His adorkable face is showing up in the most random places. If you’re like me your first exposure to Pace was Pushing Daisies,  a brilliant and gorgeously shot TV series about a man who can bring people back to life with a touch, but if he touches them a second time they are dead for good. Then I didn’t see him for a few years and I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to him. Then 2012 rolls around and he’s suddenly in the last Twilight movie, Lincoln, and now The Hobbit  trilogy as none other than the Elvenking Thranduil (aka Legolas’ Daddy). I gotta admit, his looks are very Elvish and even though the extent of his part in An Unexpected Journey involves him riding a giant moose and cocking his head to one side while looking bemused, I know from past experience that he’s a great actor. I look forward to seeing more of him in The Desolation of Smaug in which he’ll play a much bigger role.

    The White Council – Elrond/Galadriel/Saruman

    There are a few people on this Earth who are chosen by a higher power to be a part of multiple nerdtastic franchises. Mark Sheppard is one, Benedict Cumberbatch is quickly becoming another, and they are ruled over by Hugo Weaving. As Elrond, he helps the Dwarves discover hidden text on Thror’s Map written in Moon-letters, the Middle-earth equivalent of invisible ink. He brings his usual gravitas to the role. Galadriel shouldn’t even be in this movie but I can’t say I blame Peter Jackson for doing it. I can seriously watch Cate Blanchett and her pre-raphaelite hair all day long. Sheesh she’s pertiful. Also, she has mastered the art of the dress swirl. You know, where she’s standing with her back to you and then she smoothly spins around to face you which causes her dress to do an awesome swirly thing that is the envy of brides everywhere. Saruman is only mentioned in The Hobbit when Gandalf is describing his fellow Istari (there are also two mysterious Blue Wizards who journeyed to the East after being brought to Middle-earth) but again, why pass up a chance to watch Christopher Lee?? The White Council’s surprise regarding the Necromancer is yet another variation from the book but I’m not going to get into that here because this review is getting crazy long as it is.

    Lindir aka Aegnor aka Figwit

    Way back in 2001 a random elf showed up next to Elrond at the Council in The Fellowship of the Ring. He didn’t appear for long and ended up becoming affectionately known by fans as “Figwit.” The name came from three people who worked on the film who remarked in the commentary “Frodo Is Great, Who Is That??” Voila! F.I.G.W.I.T. was born. His popularity and the mystery surrounding him grew so much that Peter Jackson brought back the young brunette elf and gave him a speaking part. He became Arwen’s Elf Escort and called after her when she ran away and returned to the…uhmmm…well, King. Nearly 10 years later, Figwit shows up in The Hobbit as Elrond’s representative and he’s got an actual name this time, Lindir (he was randomly dubbed Aegnor, aka one of Galdriel’s brothers, in a card game tied in with the trilogy). Then it hits me like a ton of bricks. OMFG, it’s Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords. I have no excuse as to why I didn’t realize it was him in the bazillion times I’ve watched the LOTR triology since Conchords came out other then the fact that I’ve never seen someone look so different without beard stubble. Turns out The Fellowship of the Ring was Bret’s big break and he’s the son of the guy who played Elendil (Aragorn’s 89-great-grandpa). Just thought you should know.

    The Baddies – Azog/The Great Goblin

    Azog (aka the Pale Orc) played by Manu Bennett, should not be a contemporary character in this movie. Period. He does belong in the flashback of the Battle of Azanulbizar and he did behead Thror, but that was way prior to the climactic battle which he did not survive. He was beheaded by Dáin, a cousin of Thorin’s. The Great Goblin Chieftain of the Misty Mountains played by Barry Humphries does belong, however. He is killed by Gandalf (albeit much earlier in the book than in the movie) and it’s his death that spurs Azog’s son Bolg, the Goblin King of Moria, to confront the Dwarves at Erebor in what becomes known as The Battle of the Five Armies (which you will see in Part 3 There and Back Again).

    The movie ends with the thrush (if you’ve read the book then you’ll know what that signifies) and that’s all I’m going to say. Overall, the movie is far more mature than the book. Peter Jackson manages to adapt a children’s novel into something that fits in seamlessly with the Lord of the Rings trilogy he started working on nearly 15 years ago. The cinematography is stunning and the wide shots of the New Zealand landscape are, quite simply, breathtaking. It’s a beautiful film and it needs to be seen on the big screen.

    4.5 out of 5 Sci-Fives!

  • Red Dawn reviewed

    I was sick with a cold (courtesy of my 4-year-old nephew) for most of the Thanksgiving holiday (yay me) so I pretty much laid low for three days and drank Dr. Pepper (just what the Doctor ordered), downed DayQuil, and read copiously (a book a day, but who’s counting). But I did manage to sneak out and catch a couple of movies.

    One of them was Red Dawn.

    It’s probably not a huge surprise to you that I went and saw this movie considering my boyf- I mean, Chris Hemsworth is in it. But I had other motives as well. I’m a sucker for patriotic action films and this one seemed like it would deliver.

    *Obligatory spoiler warning* I try not to, but ya never know…oh, and because I’m still a little under the weather this review is probably a little snippier than usual. I blame it on my throbbing headache.

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6T2Q4bBcUU]

    –

    The movie starts out with news clips about a Russian/North Korean communist uprising that no one was paying attention to, apparently. Then it switches gears and gets all Friday Night Lights-ish. Especially once Adrianne Palicki pops her pretty little head in. The big High School football game is happening. The after-partying and underage bar hopping is happening. Little bro is pissed at big bro for joining the Marines and ditching him for 6 years after their Mom dies but he has a smokin’ hot girlfriend so whatevs. Girl who had crush on big bro spots him and makes contact by reminding him how adorably awkward she was, but hey, check it out, she’s super hot now.  It’s all very over dramatic and I’m not using their names because I didn’t even know them for most of the movie. I had to look half of them up on imdb just to write this review. (Something else that look at imdb informed me of? Apparently this is a remake of a 1984 movie I didn’t know existed. Weird, since I was pretty sure I knew about every movie made in the 80’s, especially the ones starring Patrick Swayze. And ESPECIALLY ones that also star Jennifer Grey making googly eyes at Patrick Swayze a full 3 years before Dirty Dancing. Seriously. How did I not know this??? That fact stressed me out for exactly 3.5 seconds.)

    Then the power goes out and gets everyone even more pissy. The next morning they wake up to loud booms and when they go outside it’s literally raining men. This is where the movie gets its name. Communism = Red, Morning = Dawn. Chaos ensues but a ragtag bunch of teenagers manage to escape with big bro and use guerilla-style fighting tactics courtesy of big bro’s Marine Corps training (oorah!) to fight the big bad Communists.

    Chris Hemsworth plays the big bro aka Jed Eckert. He’s gorgeous, of course. Way more gorgeous than he has any right to be. He’s recently returned from a deployment to Iraq and he’s a jack of all trades when it comes to weaponry and explosives. I’ll have to ask my real life USMC brother if that’s true to life or total bullshit. During the movie I found myself believing he could know most of it but probably not all of it. He’s the oldest and therefore the de facto leader of the bunch. The only kid that puts up a fight about that doesn’t last very long. We really don’t learn much about Jed other than the fact that his little brother is resentful yet respectful of him and Adrianne Palicki’s character wants to jump his bones. Despite that, you can’t help but care about the guy because he’s doing everything he can to fight the Commies while keeping his kids alive.

    Josh Peck is little bro aka Matt Eckert. I had absolutely no idea who Josh Peck was. After looking at his imdb page, I still don’t. Apparently he was on a Nickelodeon show or something. To be honest, I didn’t care for him or his character all that much. He’s cocky and disobedient and sneers a lot. And when I say sneer, I mean he has a weird little stoned-looking half smile that he uses when he really wants to piss you off. And it works. A total pesky little brother.

    Josh Hutcherson is the whimpy kid that ends up being a badass. Sounds kind of like Peeta in The Hunger Games but it’s not. It’s totally different. He was probably my favorite character in the film because he seriously rose to the occasion. His BFF was none other than Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s kid, Connor Cruise. I assumed that this was his acting debut but when I looked him up I saw that he played Will Smith’s younger self in Seven Pounds. I never saw that movie though so I ceased to care. He did ok. His character had a certain dignity that I found appealing.

    Adrianne Palicki played Toni Walsh, the girl with a hard on for my boyf- I mean, Chris Hemsworth. I like Adrianne. I think she’s cute and she was the best part of Legion (after Kevin Durand, of course). She becomes a bad ass chick fighter who’s really good at hiding her fear. Maybe because she’s trying so hard to impress big bro. She steals his beer and that causes problems so I’m a little pissed at her right now.

    The other hot chick is Isabel Lucas aka Erica Martin. The object of little bro’s obsession, she seems way too pretty for this movie from the get go. They try to ugly her up a bit but it doesn’t work. The girl is crazy gorgeous. She fit in perfectly in Immortals. In this movie, she’s distracting. Plus, she doesn’t have much to do besides be the damsel in distress. She holds her own when given the opportunity though and I respect that in a fictional character.

    The other kids are kind of nameless and faceless, to be honest. You’re supposed to care about them just enough that you’re bummed when bad stuff happens to them but you can’t remember their names so you don’t care as much as you probably should. Really, the only ones who really pass as High Schoolers are Hutcherson and Cruise. The rest of them are obviously in their 20’s.

    At one point some “recently un-retired” Marines led by Jeffrey Dean Morgan show up looking for the Wolverines (this  is the High School mascot and the super original name they give their guerilla group). I’m pretty much in love with JDM. First he played Denny on Grey’s Anatomy, a show I haven’t seen in years but that I used to be addicted to. Then he showed up as Comedian in Watchmen and his fate as a hunk was sealed. But who am I kidding? I have a list a mile long of men I’m in love with 😉 He has a few great lines and a few great smiles. Which is all I really need from him anyway. One of his buddies is Kenneth Choi who is seriously adorable and gaining quite the reputation as a military sidekick. I have no idea who the third guy was but he was cool.

    The baddies were led by Will Yun Lee aka Captain Cho of North Korea. He zeroes in on big bro within minutes of landing and knows he’s going to be trouble. He’s so determined to smoke him out, he does some pretty dastardly (wow, I can’t believe I just used that word, what is this, a Disney movie?) things to make it happen. But he seriously underestimates who he’s dealing with and you can guess what becomes of that.

    I’m not going to say that this movie was bad but it wasn’t great either. The emotions were obviously forced at times, even from Hemsworth and Hutcherson who I consider to be pretty talented in that regard for such pretty men. And some of the dialogue was so cliche as to be laughable. The one major thing it has going for it is that no one is safe. Not even the pretty people. That led to some truly shocking death scenes, one of which I expected but that still made me gasp audibly when it happened.

    But who am I kidding? I love gratuitous violence and I have a thing for watching American’s kick some ass (even if those “Americans” are imported from Australia). So I enjoyed it.

    3 out of 5 Sci-Fives!

  • Long Beach Comic Con wrap-up 2012

    I love Long Beach Comic Con because it’s still small enough that comic books are the main focus. San Diego Comic Con is great, with it’s giant movie and TV show panels but it’s nice to be able to get back to the roots of what comic cons started as…a place to nerd out over your favorite artists and find out what’s next in the genre of, uh, comic books. Plus I got press passes again this year which totally rocks my socks.

    My brother was just as in to X-Men as I was when we were kids. He even stole my Series II trading cards (I still haven’t gotten them back…ahem) but he’s never been to a Comic Book Convention. Neither has my nephew, Zeke (yes, that’s a boy, don’t let his voluptuous locks fool you). So I thought LBCC would be a nice starter convention for them.

    It was a huge learning experience for me as well. For example, I now know that if I want to sit in on some panels, bringing a 4-year-old is probably not the best idea.

    Case in point.

    But that’s okay. I loved taking him around and he was totally blown away by all the “supers” (or “shoopers” in 4-year-old speech). He even convinced his dad to whip out his credit card and buy him a Green Lantern action figure. Of course, then we ran into Superman AND Green Lantern so Zeke needed a picture with them.

    I’m pretty sure he had a nerdgasm over the sheer volume of action figures surrounding him in every direction.

    We tested Zeke’s superhero knowledge often. It’s become apparent that our entire family is on a mission to make sure this child is a geeky as humanly possible.

    If you follow the facebook page, you probably saw my announcement that I managed to convince my brother and sister-in-law to give Doctor Who a try. I’m proud to say that they are officially obsessed.

    There was an artist there named Matt Stevens who creates and makes metal fan art. It’s basically a crapload of little dots engraved in metal. The pictures don’t do them justice, they are really quite stunning.

    If I was a wealthy woman I would have bought the whole lot because they all went together in big montages and he had them for most of my favorite TV shows. Since I am not a wealthy woman, I settled on a small one of the 10th Doctor in all of his sheepishly adorkable glory and a small one of Wash in the midst of a sudden but inevitable betrayal.

    We just happened to walk by Jesse Blaze Snider‘s booth while Zeke was being fussy and he was sweet enough to give The Zekester a free Toy Story comic that he’d written. We ended up chatting with him for a few minutes. He’s got a couple of projects coming up, including one about heavy metal bands featuring some of our favorite Asgardians that I’ll be keeping an eye out for.

    Yes, we started pinning Zeke’s bangs back with a bobby pin. His mother refuses to cut his hair.

    We saw a couple of celebs including Jason Faunt aka Wes Collins aka Red Time Force Power Ranger.

    And a personal favorite of mine, Lance Henriksen. Lance has many, many, many amazing credits to his name but he is best know to the masses as Bishop from the Alien franchise. Lance was extremely nice. He kept calling Zeke “she” and was mortified when I gently informed him that I was holding my nephew, not my niece. Zeke seemed to get a kick out of that 

    They had a whole Star Wars section.

    Including a game where you could shoot various Troopers of the Clone and Storm variety using a vast array of Nerf weaponry.

    They had a Jawa hanging out with them but he got the hell out of Tosche just before the shooting started.

    Around the corner was a laser tag obstacle course. I can only imagine how ridiculous this looked to my brother (he’s a Marine). I should ask him.

    Then this happened.

    Oh, Leatherface…

    On to costumes!

    I don’t know if it’s because I went on Sunday or if there were just fewer cosplayers this year, but the costumed character selection was a bit limited. But here’s the best of the best of what I saw.

    Bane from The Dark Knight Rises.

    The Joker from The Dark Knight.

    Rick and Daryl from The Walking Dead.

    A pair of sexy lady Punisher‘s. I really wanted a picture of Zeke standing between them but he didn’t want to get his picture taken unless me or my brother was holding him. Of course, once I picked him up he was totally stoked to be next to such hotties.

    I felt a happy disturbance in the Schwartz when I saw this guy with his singing and dancing Chestburster from Spaceballs.

    The 11th Doctor. He was facing away from me and I quietly said “Doctor?” and he immediately turned around like he responds to that name all the time. We also crossed paths with a pretty excellent 4th Doctor as we were walking in. Wish I’d gotten a picture of him but alas.

    Keeping with the sci-fi, we ran into this guy pulling a CMDR William Riker.

    Zeke was a little confused by this Jedi. Either that or he was super jealous of his epic lightsaber.

    This is not the child you’re looking for. Move along.

    Barbie Fett?

    But the winner of the “Best Comic Con Costume Ever Award” goes to this chick. Yes, that’s a chick.

    That’s it for costumes. Here’s a look at the fun stuff I accumulated. Iron Man fingerless gloves hand-crocheted by Bobbie Bomber and sold by Geeky Mamas.  A pink-skeleton-Sailer Jack-with bomb t-shirt that was on sale. My previously mentioned metal art. And a stuffed Thor (not included in the picture is the pretty awesome Thor print that came with the stuffed godlet).

    Every convention I go to I seek out my favorite nerdy t-shirt. This time it was won by this one. Hands down.

    And on that note, I hope y’all have a Happy Thor’s Day!

  • Fun times at ye olde Ren Faire

    The crew: HNG, Brett, Hannah, Rob, Jai, Karen, Jason

    It’s no secret that I love a good festival. So when my friend Jason told me that a group of friends were going to meet up at a local Renaissance Faire on Saturday I got really excited.

    I don’t usually dress up for festivals but the group of friends that I went with does so I threw together an outfit that was as close to Renaissance as I could get based on my limited “I hate shopping” wardrobe.  I’ve always been a tomboy so I tend to avoid skirts and dresses as much as possible, therefore my outfit turned out to be a sort of an androgynous-renaissance-pirate-girl-with a giant sword.  Which kind of makes sense because, let’s face it, if I was alive back in ye olde tymes, I probably would have been the chick that ran away and joined a band of pirates. I’m descended from Vikings afterall.

    Speaking of Vikings….we ran into this guy in the food area. When I told him that the Vikings were my people he started talking to me in Norwegian and I had to inform him that I’m lame and don’t speak Norwegian. I did, however, understand that it was Norwegian he was speaking and I understood when he asked me if I was Norwegian, Danish or Swedish and was able to answer him. That seemed to redeem me a little (that, and my Mjolnir necklace) because I got a big smile when he said (in English) that he was also Norwegian and Danish.

    This is The Dread Crew of Oddwood, a pirate heavy mahogany band (get it?) They are a festival favorite. I mentioned them in a blog about last year’s VikingFest.

    This is The Dread Crew of Oddwood’s drummer crashing through the back of the stage and the chaos that ensued.

    Very rock n’ roll of you Mister drummer dude

    I don’t think I’ve ever been to a Festival where so many of the people dressed up.

    Some of the costumes were quite detailed and/or entertaining.

    Which Scottish clan uses giraffe instead of plaid I wonder?

    There was a wide variety of costumes, everything from royals to wenches to gypsies to fairies, and lots and lots of pirates. Then there was this totally random biker ninja…

    Though we questioned his credibility when he showed up on film.

    Hannah found a treasure map on the ground. We got really excited until we realized that there was a list of age-appropriate books about pirates for kids on the back.

    We found a guy who makes handmade jewelry and mini poison bottles (he claims that they aren’t meant for poison, but come on, we know better). He made this necklace.

    Are you my Mummy?

    I kept seeing things that had no real purpose and I started jokingly referring to them as “medieval sex toys.” This is my friend Brett modeling the feather model…

    Then we walked into a shop and I saw this leather gizmo and I asked the vendor what it was used for and she straight up told me that it was best used as a sex toy! I KNEW IT! Brett and I got a good laugh out of that one.

    Brett was in the market for a stein. He didn’t end up finding one that he liked but he was rather intrigued by this one.

    While searching we stumbled on to this old friend. Remember it from this past year’s VikingFest?

    Since Brett was the only one of us not in costume, he tried on some accessories.

    He decided that he preferred my sword and proceeded to test it out on Jason.

    Fearing that I might lose my sword for good, I went looking for alternative weaponry. This pistol was pretty awesome.

    But this skull club was even awesomer!

    It would have matched my skull earrings. Girls have to thing about things like this.

    This guy showed up out of no where and tried to herd us over to a grassy area.

    Brett was like”WTF? Stop poking me!” but we wandered over anyway.

    We ended up in this pirate-themed area with a lovely “harlot” sign.

    Turns out he wanted us to watch his harem of belly dancers.

    Then we ran into another pirate and his pi-rat buddy.

    I love rats and used to own two named Jadzia and Ezri.

    All the pirates inspired us to end the day with a Captain Morgan pose.

    They may or may not have been coerced into this by me

    It turns out that walking around being awesome makes you hungry so we met our friend Justin at The Money Pit for some post-faire grub.

    We felt a little out of place in our corsets and puffy shirts until we saw this lady wearing curlers and a lab coat.

    Hope you enjoyed the Ren Faire coverage. It’s late and I’m headed to Long Beach Comic Con in the morning (or, I guess it would be right now since I’ll be posting this in the morning) so I’m gonna make like Friar Tuck here and get some zzz’s.

    Look for a report from LBCC on Monday or Tuesday!

  • Babe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Photoshoot & Contest

    Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is one of my very favorite books. I love it so much that I read it twice in a row in two days. The movie….alas, notsomuch 

    I’ve always been a tomboy and I’ve always liked dressing up as the female version of male characters (e.g. Thor and Batgirl) so a while back I decided that I was going to dress up as Babe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter for Halloween. I was way overdue for an HNG photo shoot and after talking it over with a few friends and my fabulous photog buddy Jonny Ups over the biggest frappuccino I’d ever seen (next time I’m buying Jon) we agreed that it would be crazy fun to do a Babe Lincoln shoot. I’m very fortunate to have some hot, nerdy friends so I enlisted the help of my friend Meghan who agreed to be the sexy vampire Henrietta Sturges to my Babe Lincoln.

    Yes, I know that I’ve got a fake axe and not a real one. Before you give me a hard time about it there are 3 reasons for this. 1) I couldn’t find a real one that had a wooden handle and not a plastic/rubber/epoxy one and none of my friends had any. 2) Real axes are heavy. Great and fine for chopping wood. Not so great for running and leaping while swinging them over your head. 3) (and most importantly) I was not about to swing a real axe at a good friend of mine. Sorry. Her safety is 10 million times more important to me than holding a real axe is. I’m a theatre person. Safety is paramount. Would I have liked a real one for the times when I’m just standing there? Yes. I refer you back to reason #1. If any of you photoshop pros want to take a stab at photoshopping a real axe in there, have at it!

    Hope you enjoy the pictures and that you have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! 

    What’s that? You want to win a signed copy of one of these pictures? Ok, fine. There’s a contest after the pics.

    My name is Lincoln. Babe Lincoln.

    I’m a Vampire Hunter.

    This is my bff Henrietta Sturges. She’s a vampire.

    Sometimes we get together for tea and training.

    It turns out Henrietta doesn’t like tea.

    But she does like training.

    We practice a lot.

    My frustration amuses Henrietta.

    Until I get mad and chase after her with my axe.

    Sometimes she gets the upper hand.

    But I always fight back.

    It’s all fun and games. Right, Henrietta?

    Training is exhausting.

    Afterwards we head back to my house.

    To, you know, hang out and stuff.

    I like to sit on my porch and admire the scenery.

    What? You don’t like scenery?

    Henrietta often joins me.

    And we share a laugh or two.

    She’s an awesome vampire bff.

    When she’s not fucking with me.

    Until next time, Babe Lincoln out.

    A huge thanks to Jonny Ups for taking such smashing pictures again, to Meghan for being up for anything and making it the funnest HNG photo shoot yet, to Mama Jedi for assisting with everything from shoe changes to stovepipe hat holding to lighting gear stabilizing, and to Darcy for being my constant partner in crime.

    Now for a little fun.

    Leave a comment below and I’ll throw your name into my stovepipe hat for a chance to win one of five autographed 8″x10″ prints from this photo shoot. I’ll pull the names on Halloween night so make sure you leave a comment by then. This is my first ever contest/giveaway type-thing so here’s hoping I’m doing this right.

  • Celebrating The Selling

    Many of you know that I’ve been a big supporter of The Selling, an independent horror comedy written, directed, produced, and starring some of my fellow SF Staters. I wrote a review of it, interviewed Director Emily Lou, and promoted the heck out of their Kickstarter campaign. They’ve done the festival circuit but today is one more big milestone, the release of the DVD (which you can buy at Amazon right HERE).

    Right now they are releasing the film in select theatres across the country. Last night I had the privilege of finally seeing it on the big screen at The Egyptian in Hollywood, a theatre I lived across the street from for a year and a half but never went inside until last night.

    It’s perty inside

    The night started off with a bang. I got to my bff Danielle’s house and wasn’t there for more than 5 minutes before her adorable dog Scamper raided my purse and started eating my zombie apocalypse emergency food that I always carry with me. Bad Scamper!

    It’s ok, Auntie Tracy still loves you

    We had some time to kill before the reception at the theatre so we drove to Hollywood early and stopped at Juicy Burger on Hollywood Blvd. Funny story, there’s a bit of a running joke between me and some of my peeps about “Gangnam Style” so when the song came on at the restaurant I just had to dance to it even though I don’t really know how the dance goes. We were in the back of the restaurant so I didn’t think anyone could see me. Turns out, they have a mirror hanging from the ceiling so the ENTIRE staff of the restaurant was watching. The cashier girl was really happy cause it was her birthday and she said it made her day. So it was worth hearing the laughter from the kitchen 

    –

    Totally random things like that happen when Danielle and I get together. We can’t help it.

    Me and Danielly Belly

    We headed over to the theatre for the Reception and I was so excited to finally meet everyone who worked on the film! Even though a lot of us went to SFSU together, share a lot of mutual friends, and have been friends on facebook for well over a year now, none of us can remember if we’ve ever met before, at State or since. Not surprising since I was a super shy wallflower, especially my Freshman year when I would have crossed paths with most of them. Over the past year and a half I’ve grown to really adore Emily Lou and Gabriel Diani. They are the sweetest people you could ever hope to meet.

    Director and Producer Emily Lou:

    Writer, Producer and Star Gabriel Diani:

    Danielle can’t stop talking about how talented Gabriel is.

    Love this picture

    Producer and Star Etta Devine (I still think she has one of the greatest names ever):

    Co-star Barry Bostwick (not gonna lie, I was pretty excited to meet Barry):

    Star Jonathan Klein (we had a great conversation after the show about old school Disneyland. Totally random topic but super funny and awesome):

    Co-star Simon Helberg (not gonna lie, I was pretty excited to meet Simon too):

    Co-star Cole Stratton (who I hadn’t seen in YEARS, not since he was doing a comedy troupe thing and I went to see him perform with Trevor Morgan aka the kid from The Sixth Sense and Jurassic Park 3:

    Co-star Janet Varney (another fellow SF Stater. I sat in on her Legend of Korra panel at San Diego Comic Con. It was right before the Firefly panel. She’s a super talented and funny lady):

    After the film (which was even better than I’d remembered it being) they did a Q&A session:

    We then headed next door to the Pig and Whistle to meet up with friend and comedian Chris Porter for some post-show refreshments:

    I’m a fan of the Jager Bomb, which Danielle found fascinating. She decided that it needed to be recorded for posterity.

    –

    The above picture with Chris and Danielle shows me after two Jager Bombs. This is Danielle after one glass of water:

    God, I love her. She cracks me up.

    Now, I’m going to say this one more time. You need to see The Selling. It’s HI-larious, scary but not too scary, and impeccably put together. To say that I’m ridiculously proud of my fellow SF Staters would be the understatement of the year. You can also do Amazon Instant Video or find it on iTunes and a few other websites.

    For more information, visit The Selling website.

  • Oh my Odin! It’s Vikingfest! 2012 Edition

    I’ll admit it. I’m a festival nut.

    I’m a proud American made up of German, Norwegian, Danish, English, Irish and Bohemian parts (or as I like to call myself, a “Euro Mutt”). I also get mistaken for a crapload of other ethnicities as well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked if I’m Eastern European, Greek, Israeli, Italian, Hispanic, yadda, yadda, yadda. For some reason random strangers really like to speculate about my ethnicity. I get asked at the grocery store, by people walking by on the street, I even got asked by a lady in the public bathroom at a baseball game once. Which is kind of weird but kind of cool at the same time.

    So I can pretty much fit in at any festival there is.

    I’ve been known to attend Chinese New Years, Renaissance Faires, Asian Music Festivals, and various Reenactments, but I mostly frequent Oktoberfest (I actually really dig polka dancing. That’s cool…….right?), the Scottish Highland Games (my step-dad is Scottish), and Viking Fest.

    Since relocating to San Diego in 2011, this is my 2nd time going to the Vista Viking Festival. I wrote about it last year as well which you can check out HERE.

    Here are some pics from Vikingfest 2012:

    Me and my Norwegian Mama.

    aka Mama Jedi

    Pretty Vista, CA sky.

    I take A LOT of sky pictures

    Cosplaying at Vikingfest. You’re doing it wrong.

    I just…I have no words.

    Cosplaying at Vikingfest. You’re doing it right!

    Valkyrie WIN!

    Old school silversmithing.

    Yay for child labor!

    Mmmmm….beer.

    My Scottish step-dad with his Pict paint

    Mmmm…..akvavit.

    That’s my good friend Brett. He’s the one who zombifies my pictures for me.

    We drank two of these in a row. They were surprisingly potent for such little shots.

    Skål!

    The result:

    By the throwing axes. We probably should have stayed away from that section at that point in time.

    But we found a super awesome horned vampire skull mug!

    Still trying to figure out what kind of critter this is supposed to be

    Introducing Brett to the wonder that is lefse.

    lefse-klenning

    Brett approves.

    nom nom nom

    I can eat lefse all day, every day and be perfectly happy.

    nom nom nom

    No really, I seriously love the stuff.

    nom nom nom

    A festival favorite, this is the 3rd time I’ve seen Highland Way. They’re a lot of fun. Here they are joined by The Lacemakers.

    Both are technically Celtic bands. Apparently there aren’t many Viking bands in San Diego.

    Some SCA combat.

    Not gonna lie, it was pretty badass

    And last but not least….it’s Ghost!

    Friendliest. Direwolf. Ever.

    On to the next festival!

  • Book Review – “The Reverent Surrender” by James Finster

    “Whatever journey he embarked on when his last breath emanated was a glorious one.”

    An old friend of mine just wrote a book. It’s called The Reverent Surrender and it’s about his Dad. It’s about tragedy and hope and confusion and pain and joy and above all, love. It’s about the lessons we learn when someone close to us chooses to end their own life and how the author came to terms with that fateful decision.

    “It’s a natural progression for someone to struggle with emotions you feel the deceased can no longer feel.”

    HNG and James in 6th grade

    I met James in the 5th grade. My family moved to a new town in the middle of the school year. Having a Dad in the Navy will do that to you. Being the new kid, I got teased some but mostly ignored. During that time, one of the few people who were nice to me was a kid named James Finster. I never forgot his kindness. All the way through our senior year of high school I perked up whenever I saw him. I genuinely cared about his well being. We all have our problems that we don’t make public but he always seemed ok and that definitely gave me a sense of satisfaction. We didn’t run in the same circles but for some reason our life paths came together at points in some very random ways.

    “I have been no saint in this life. I have many regrets, and bad decisions seem to dictate the reality that is my life at times. But I am happy and content with what I have and what I have become, though I sometimes simply wander aimlessly, enjoying the moment.”

    After high school I lost touch with 99.5% of the people I’d known. I didn’t do it on purpose but I went away to college and was insanely busy. I’ve gotten back in touch with a lot of people thanks to facebook, one of the most recent being James. I was surprised and elated to hear that he’d written a book. Then I saw what it was about and my heart sank. I’d had no idea that he’d been through this. Even though we’ve always been friends from afar, I would have liked to have given him a big hug. A small attempt at repaying the kindness he’d once shown me.

    “There are moments of despair and there are moments of happy memories. I think a lot of it depends on one’s ability to process the reality of the situation and apply it to their life without bitterness or contempt.”

    Then I read the book. And I learned so much about the kid he was and the man he had become. I’m fiercely proud of him. It’s a bit strange to read something so deeply personal from someone you’ve known and admired for so long but haven’t had contact with in several years. James has an incredible memory and as we’ve talked about the book these last couple of weeks, he’s been jogging my comparatively crappy memory and reminding me about things I’d long forgotten..

    “We must look at anyone who has passed on and see him or her for the positivity they left behind. Embrace those times you felt loved by that person and carry on their memory in the positivity that they displayed in their finest moments.”

    A page from my 7th grade yearbook

    One of the ways in which our lives collided was the fact that both of our Dad’s joined the LDS church after our parents got divorced.  Boys and girls typically participate in separate activities but we would run into each other sometimes, usually on Wednesday nights at Mutuals. My memories of this time are a bit foggy but being reminded of them has made them clearer. James remembers coming over to my house and my Dad remembers going over to their house but I mostly remember the Young Women activities.  Neither James nor I ever converted and we both have a genuine respect for the people and the religion. I still keep in touch with some of my LDS friends and they are some of the loveliest people I know. While being a Bishop in the Mormon Church played a huge part in Don Finster’s life, it plays a very small part in this memoir. It’s not a book about his job, his religion, or even the cancer that terrified him and ultimately led to his suicide. It’s a book about the relationship between a father and his son.

    “As my father’s only son, his death has left me with some big shoes to fill. The problem is, when your dad never wore any, where do you start?”

    The result is a memoir that is simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming. Each chapter is a story, a situation that happened between James and his father. Each story teaches us two things; a nugget of the wisdom Don imparted on his son and an additional clue into the reason he died.

    “The hardest thing is sorting out the teachings he offered without resorting to resentment that he gave up.”

    James today

    It’s a glimpse into the life of a normal, blue-collar guy going through extraordinary circumstances. James exposes his own strengths and shortcomings with complete honesty and a total lack of vanity. It’s raw and intense. He lays out all of his youthful misshapes and mistakes for the world to read so that it’s clear just how much his father shaped him into the man he is today.

    “He had never shown me any selfishness in his life. He was always giving, always there, and if this was the one selfish thing he was going to do in his life, I wasn’t going to let it erase all the acts that came before.”

    One story in particular, “A Message from the Other Side,” gave me chills. Another story happened at the street corner near my Dad’s house. Another one happened at the Boys & Girls Club and Foster’s Freeze where I also played basketball and ate soft serve afterwards. The wonderful thing about this book is that it’s so relatable. And not just for me or others we grew up with. Everyone can identify with one or more of these stories. Everyone understands the pain of losing someone close to them even if the circumstances behind that loss are completely different.

    “He needed rest and wanted that rest desperately. This same longing to find rest was something I had wished for my father throughout his life. He always seemed too goddamn tired, and the world he existed in just kept pushing and pushing him.”

    This is not a self-help book. People deal with death and suicide in very different ways and that’s ok. James isn’t trying to counsel anyone or tell them how they should deal with their own tragedies. This book is him coming to terms with his own grief. It’s a book he felt with every molecule in his body that he needed to write. In doing so he gives the reader someone who can identify with them.  He is not alone in this and you are not alone in this, no matter how alone we may feel.

    “I realize that I may sound so wrong throwing these ideas out there. But I have suffered, I have grieved, I am a victim of this phenomenon. This is simply my take on this mysterious condition that exists so commonly in this life.”

    At 134 pages it’s a quick but fulfilling read. It’s a poignant collection of memories, a twisting pathway of laughter, contemplation, sadness and hope. It’s a literary shoulder to cry on. I cannot recommend it enough.

    “That night I sat out back on the porch, staring at the oak trees, and drank myself to sleep with Jameson and water to get my mind at ease. I rode the waves of emotion as they pushed and pulled at my heart, confused at the comfort I found with my relief that Dad was finally at peace and resting.”

    The Reverent Surrender is available at Amazon.com

  • “Ask a Roddenberry” – Interview with Rod Roddenberry

    Every time I see Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry I become a bigger fan of him. He’s genuinely friendly and very easy to talk to.

    This interview was conducted on Saturday at San Diego Comic Con, hence my Thor costume, crazy makeup and obvious lack of sleep. I got back from my Grandma’s funeral a day and a half before SDCC so I only had about 24 hours to prepare for this interview. Despite the notes on my lap, it felt more like a conversation than an interview which I think was welcome to both of us – it was to me! But such is the personality of Rod. I never once felt nervous, though having met him before was most likely the reason for that.

    In the interview we talk about scuba diving, The Roddenberry Foundation, an amazing new media project called White Room: 02B3, the X Prize and devices such as Medical Tricorders and Universal Translators becoming a reality, and, of course, Star Trek. He also reveals a new Star Trek blog called “Mission Log” hosted by John Champion (DVD Geeks) and Ken Ray (Mac OS). I asked many of your questions so thank you for submitting them!

    We ended up using the whole interview, nothing was edited out so the footage is all raw all the time.

    Hope you enjoy it!

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7js4WltWHR0]

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    For more information on anything and everything Roddenberry, check out Roddenberry.com.

    Some more pics from the interview…

    Thanks to my friends Darcy for filming and Eddy for taking the still shots. And a huge thanks to Rod, Trevor, Chance and everyone in the Roddenberry camp for being so welcoming to me yet again!