The Limit of Zombies and Other Musings...

Today, it is Tuesday. This is significant because it means it is NOT Monday. Also, Tuesdays are always much kinder than Mondays.

My Tuesday began with a dream about zombies. It was a rather alarming dream in which I discovered that not only was there a zombie apocalypse out there but, also, I had been volunteered to join the fighters who were going to take them on. This lead to a rather alarming reunion with virtually every human being who’s played a role in my life that turned into a dance party. This, of course, was penetrated by the zombies and when I escaped to safety with all of the people I knew, it turned out we were actually already dead and we were to walk into the light together.

I blame this dream on a) my catching up on AMC’s “The Walking Dead” TV show. It has sat on my DVR for months. I’m finally watching it. It’s true zombie glory. If you like zombies. I do. I also blame it on b) the TV show “Lost” because at the end of “Lost”, the cast finds out they’re all dead and walks into the light.

I probably should have done the courteous ***SPOILER ALERT*** on the above paragraph just in case you haven’t seen “Lost” in its entirety yet and I’ve just ruined it. Yet, mean as it sounds, if you haven’t and still don’t want to be spoiled almost a YEAR after it aired, that’s not my problem. Also, it’s nothing that won’t have been spoiled by every entertainment magazine/website/blog out there.

Besides, I was talking about my dream which was an amalgamation of two TV shows as well as my own bizarrely twisted imagination. If you throw in the fact that the character of Bailey from “Grey’s Anatomy” was also in my dream and she joined us in the afterworld because she was killed by zombies while performing surgery, it’s an amalgamation of THREE TV shows. This goes to show a few things- a) How impressed you are that I used the word amalgamation without having to reach for a thesaurus to do so, (Ok, fine, I thought not), b) I let TV seep a little too much into my subconscious and c) even when you’re dreaming, thinking you and everyone you love is dead is a little scary.

By the way, I refuse to acknowledge that perhaps it also means I watch too much TV. I’d like to think I have a nice healthy balance of TV shows. On a week with no reruns, it’s probably six hours a week. Maybe seven if I watch the “Graham Norton Show” on BBC America on a Saturday evening. Given that each show has adverts and runs at approximately 42 minutes per show, even with Graham Norton, this means I really only watch 4.9 hours of TV. Really, in the grand scheme of things, that isn’t really very much when you consider how much I could be watching. Yes, I’m defensive. Also, I love TV, so there.

One more thing, Food Network doesn’t count as TV time. Now, if Bobby Flay had been one of the zombies in my dream or Mario Batali had his brain eating by a pack of zombies then you might argue that my TV time should be curtailed a little.

I digress. The fact is, I dreamed I was dead this morning. Being dead in a dream is fascinating because one part of you knows it’s a dream and the other is slightly freaked out when you wake up that you might actually be dead. Even when you awaken to the weight of a small dachshund sitting on your head and waiting to start licking your nose as soon as your eyes open, there’s still a slight moment of disorientation as to whether you’re still in the dream or not and are, in fact, still dead in the dream.

I’m glad I wasn’t really dead. Also, I’m glad that all my friends/family/acquaintances who moved on into the light with me in my dream are also not dead. That would be weird. Also, it would mean I was on a first name basis with Bailey from “Grey’s Anatomy” and considering she’s a fictional character, that would be rather peculiar and unrealistic.

Then there are the zombies. I’ve had a lot of dreams about zombies lately. This is actually what triggered me to actually watch “The Walking Dead” because I had a dream about zombies.

I like zombies. I like “The Walking Dead”. I think, however, it’s time to move onto another horror-creature that’s a little…less limited.

The thing with zombies is they really don’t do much but lurch and shuffle, look disgusting and eat brains, flesh or body parts. Sometimes, they grunt “BRAINS” a lot. Sometimes, they’re created by a virus. Sometimes they’re created by a supernatural occurrence. Sometimes, they’re just…created with no explanation given. Yet, really, there’s not much you can do with a zombie. They try to kill the non-zombie-still-humans. The non-zombie-still-humans form little groups to try to destroy the zombies. Yet, ultimately, when the world has experienced a zombie apocalypse, what’s the end result going to be, really? It’s the population of the world as zombies against a rag-tag bunch of survivors. Procreation can only do so much.

At least with werewolves and vampires, there’s still a human tie. They can think and feel and thus, have personalities. Granted, this is not always the case (see: Twilight) but the potential is there. Not so much with a zombie. If a zombie did have a personality, he probably wouldn’t be a zombie, would he? Because if zombies become reasoning, thinking things that live in a somewhat civilized manner, we’d call them a vampire. We already have a genre for that.

You might wonder why I’ve just spent 15 minutes randomly musing about dreams and zombies. The fact is…I have absolutely no idea. It’s Fat/Shrove Tuesday today (aka: Mardi Gras); I probably should have written about that or something else more meaningful.

Still, for today, you get one of my more random blogs. Feel free to chime in on your own thoughts about zombies. I’m happy to entertain the possibility that I’m wrong and they’re not nearly as limited as I think.

Besides, it might even mean another dream about zombies which you’ll get to hear about. Aren’t you lucky?

Thanks, as always for reading!

Happy Fat/Shrove Tuesday, happy Mardi Gras and watch out for those zombies (although it might be hard if you’re going to a true Mardi Gras celebration!)

The Decline of Quality TV....

It was another dreary day today. It rained a little but mostly it just threatened to pour without actually doing more than spitting at times.

It wasn't as bad in the office though. My coworker was out which means there was a little less interruption than normal. While I don't mind a chat, we tend to use Instant Messaging in our office to communicate without disrupting others. My coworker gets rather bored and likes to IM me to tell me she's bored. Yesterday, she spent 30 minutes discussing a haircut. She has short hair. It's not a very interesting subject, particualarly when you're trying to work on a project that requires toggling between two windows and when an IM window pops up, it ruins the toggling.

Still, today wasn't bad which is always a good thing at work. Tuesdays are nice merely because they're not Mondays. Besides, they're good TV nights. Well, for now, at least. My very favourite show, Lost is coming to a final end this coming Sunday. Even though I admit that my relationship with the show hit a rocky patch in Season 3, once I gave it another chance, I became completely addicted. Just don't ever try to watch the show without watching every single episode because it will never, ever make sense. Well, actually, to be honest, even if you watch every episode, it doesn't really make sense but I'm hoping it will. If not, well, it's been fun anyway.

Lost isn't the only show ending for good. Jack Bauer and 24 are ending next Monday for good. It's high time in Jack's case. Last night, he did a very good Iron Man impersonation which would was quite funny except he wasn't supposed to be funny. It was quite entertaining though. Our Jack has gone rogue (yet again) and he's out for blood. He's also reached the stage where he is now officially a superhero, moving at the speed of light, delivering death like an out-of-breath avenging stubbled-beaten and worn angel Also, he's never, ever stopped to go to the toilet and, well, if that doesn't make you a superhero, I don't know what does.

Both of those shows are due for their end. However, there are others that aren't returning next season which I'm sad about. I am one of the people who anticipated FlashForward because I was hoping it was the next Lost. Well, it isn't but, for the most part, it's been interesting and entertaining. I was hoping it would get renewed so it would find its footing completely. If they'd just have lost that whole government-conspiracy-that-caused-an-ordinary-ex-alcoholic-to-sneak-into-Afghanistan-and-rescue-his-kidnapped-soldier-daughter, it would have been WAY better. Still, I'm sad it's over. Also, I've been increasingly fascinated to watch it and see how many more European actors they can add. Seriously, many of the actors on there are English and every week, there's a new one. It's quite fascinating. The male lead, Joseph Fiennes, is a Brit. His wife on the show, a former Lost actress is also British. Her lover on the show, played by Jack Davenport...also British. His science partner is played by Dominic Monaghan who is Scottish. The ex-alcoholic rescuer man...Irish. The new villain...British. You get the idea. It's quite entertaining, actually.

I was sad that they cancelled that show and renewed V instead. I tried to want to watch V but, well, after the pilot, I accumulated a ton of episodes on my DVR and never wanted to watch it so I just realized that there was no point in keeping them. It just couldn't keep my interest.

It seems like networks are giving new shows far less chance to succeed. My parents are fans of both Mercy and Miami Medical, both medical dramas that were new this TV season. I've watched both and they're both entertaining but, apparently, they didn't have enough of an audience to keep them going and they're both cancelled.

It's sad. There's more and more reality TV popping up and less and less quality 'fictional' series. I know it's to do with budget. It's far cheaper to follow an annoying quasi-celebrity around and watch him/her make an idiot out of his/herself than it is to get good writers, good actors and a good crew together to make a real TV show. It seems as though the guilty pleasure shows have become the norm and real TV is fading away. I still watch Glee but I worry about that show a little. It was fun and original when it started but now it's a powerhouse hit and it's spinning off more CD's than American Idol. I used to like American Idol but it's become a formulaic little show these days. There are stereotypes that are filled every season: The rocker, the country-singer, the folksy-earthy one, the girl who can sing rock songs but still surprise with a ballad, the nerdy little boy with a big voice....it's just boring these days and without the insanity of the questionably-drunk Paula Abdul, it's lost its sense of humour. I've flipped it on before another show starts and it's just nothing but filler or the kids talking about how the song they're singing is important to them because, you know, it's, like, well, they can just feel the song inside them.

I'm rambling. My point is...what's going to happen to TV? Sure, the good stuff is still on cable. There's still True Blood and Dexter to look forward to this summer. But the regular old quality TV, the type you don't need a satellite dish to access is fading slowly away from the networks and being replaced by dancing, singing, boss-trying-to-be-one-of-the-people, wife-swapping, bachelor(ette)-seeking-love type of shows.

I know in the grand scheme of things, TV isn't exactly a necessary thing in life. Yet, for me, it does enhance my life by providing a little escapism. After a bad day at work, there's nothing more therapeutic than watching Jack Bauer eviscerate a Russian terrorist. There's nothing more fun than trying to figure out what exactly Lost is really about. In short, it's just a fun way to relax and if I didn't have it, I'd miss it.

Still, for tonight, at least, I shall kick back and enjoy the last regularly scheduled episode of Lost...ever. The thought makes me sad but there's nothing I can do about it.

Maybe something will come along next season that will get me just as hooked. There's always hope.

As always, thanks for reading. Happy Wednesday!

Strange Sorts of Mondays

Today, at work, I made a foam hat for my Benjamin Linus bobblehead toy. It's not every day you can say that.

In case you're wondering who Benjamin Linus is, he's my favourite character on the TV show Lost. He's very intelligent and a master of manipulation. He's also a bit of a murderer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Naturally, I find him fascinating and intriguing. Hence the fact that I have his bobblehead on my desk.

You're probably wondering why I made him a foam hat. The answer is pretty simple: I had nothing else to do and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Today was supposed to be a very busy day at work. It was the day of a software release when all hands are on deck, making sure it worked. However, when your entire network decides to stop dead quite frequently throughout the day, you tend to find yourself with some free time. Since everything we do is connected to the network in some way, it meant that we were a little handicapped when it wasn't working.

For a while, I tried to be patient but it got to the point where it was taking five minutes after you clicked on something to actually do anything. In the end, I decided to make use of the time wisely. I already had the foam. It came from a clock that I'd been given a little while ago. I found the foam more interesting that the clock and so I kept it. Today, I used paperclips to hold the hat in shape and made makeshift Mickey Mouse ears for Ben. He's proudly wearing them now.

I don't know why I feel compelled to blog about my foam hat. I think it's probably because it was just one of those days. It started out ok but when the network first started to go slowly and then just stopped altogether, it put a bit of an obstacle in the way of getting our software out.

In the end, we did manage to get almost everything done and that which we didn't is being postponed for the next release which will, most likely, be in about six weeks. Meanwhile, I got to make a foam hat for a bobblehead, take a very long walk to the bathroom to stare at the motivation posters, go into the kitchen to get coffee and ended up having a very pleasant chat about food with a coworker and also plan tonight's dinner. It was a very productive day, just not quite the kind of productive day I had planned.

Still, the hat is interesting and my dinner was tasty. I made salmon that I cooked in a salt dome like I've seen on the food network, fingerling potatoes with mint and an arugula and orange salad with parmesan crisps. I have to say, it was pretty tasty. Also, it really only took about 30 minutes to cook and prepare. I love dinners like that. Of course, since I'd already mentally planned it at work this afternoon, it probably did save me some time which is always good.

All in all, it was a very strange Monday. It was the type of day that is pretty much the exact opposite of what you expected to happen. I don't think I'm going to complain about that. After all, I got a foam hat for Ben out of the deal and a pretty good dinner. Also, I got to chat to my cubicle mates which is always fun when people are frustrated. One thing my years of experience of working with software developers is that they're a very sarcastic bunch when they're bored. It's highly entertaining, actually.

I'm hoping we have the same situation tomorrow although I'm sure my boss wouldn't agree. I'm thinking of making Ben a sweater vest to go with his hat.

Happy Monday.

Facebook Friends Don't Always Get One Another...

I think I've blogged about Facebook before. What I like about it is that it's a really good way to stay in touch with friends, new and old without having to do more than log in to see what they're up to and how they've been. It's fun to 'spy' on people by reading their status updates and see what's new with them. In short, it's a great way to stay connected. It's a way of marrying together the unique aspects of your life. In my case, I'm Facebook friends with my oldest friend who I met when we were both five, friends with my childhood friends in England, my high school friends in the U.S. and my college friends. My former and current coworkers are also my Facebook friends as are my family members, local and international.

It's great. Except that sometimes, it's also a little awkward.

In my case, I tend to like to write random Facebook statuses that reflect what I'm doing or how I'm feeling. I have the advantage of being able to do this from my Blackberry. Unfortunately, the advantage is also a disadvantage. My Blackberry is one of those with a smaller, non-full-sized keyboard. Since it's also been dropped down the toilet twice, it's a little touchy...quite understandably. Occasionally, I run into the problem, like I did on Friday night, where I'm trying to Facebook that I'm drinking wine and hanging with my parents and having a great time. Except that my Blackberry decided that it was going to send my message after I said I was drinking wine, before I got to the bit about my parents. Thus, it got posted and looked like I had drunk a little too much wine. To make matters worse, I tried to correct the error and my Blackberry amusingly posted this thought before that, too, was finished. I finally had to tell everyone that my Blackberry was posessed and that I was NOT drunk. Too late though. I finally got the real status posted but the damage was done.

I suppose the world didn't need to know all that but when you join Facebook, updating your status, for many of us, just becomes a habit. It becomes more of a habit when you can't surf the web at work and the only diversion from, you know...work... is looking at my Facebook application on my Blackberry. So, I update my status a lot. I also read everyone else's.

The thing with Facebook and having so many different 'types' of friends is that occasionally, they don't get each other. I have one friend in particular who I met in L.A. who only goes on Facebook every couple of days and only has a few Facebook friends. Thus, she feels very inclined to post on every Facebook status I've posted since she had last logged on which, on some days, particularly boring work days, is rather a lot. Mostly, it's ok. However, she also hasn't seemed to learn some of the simple rules of Facebook etiquette. One of the basics being if someone is having a 'conversation' via status comments or Wall postings and you have NO idea what they're talking about, posting your two cents is a little...rude.

It sounds petty but, trust me, she's offended a few of my friends by posting her opinion on something which ends up being mostly unrelated to anything we've been talking about. She's a nice lady but she's also very, very opinionated. She's also of the opinon that she's usually correct. She just simply has to comment on EVERYTHING I say. And when I say EVERYTHING, believe me, I mean...EVERYTHING.

For example, Saturday evening, I posted a question (sardonically, of course) as to whether it was sad that I was planning my week around the season premiere of "Lost".

Now, here's the thing. Most of my real friends know that I was being sardonic. Yes, "Lost" is important to me and yes, I absolutely have to watch it but I'm also not so far gone that it really is the only thing in my week worth thinking about. It was more just to see what reactions I got.

Naturally, my friend who is a "Lost" die-hard posted in her traditional blunt and to-the-point manner that of COURSE it wasn't sad and that anyone who wasn't should punch themselves repeatedly in the face for being so stupid.

Now, this is where the problem with having multiple friends from different walks of life comes in. They don't GET that comment. Now, if you knew the friend who posted it, you would know that she really wouldn't hurt a fly and when she says "I'd like to punch you in the face," it's actually quite hilarious, rather like trying to watch a chihuahua take on a great dane and end up playing dead so it doesn't get hurt. In other words, it's meant to be taken with full eye-rolling and laughing because it's just a fun, ridiculous thing she says and she means it to be fun and ridiculous. It's her way of showing the strength of her beliefs.

But you have to know her to know that she's not serious and that she's saying it completely tongue-in-cheek.

Today, my Friend Who Cannot Stop Commenting read that and posted something to the effect that she would then have to punch herself in the face because she will not be watching "Lost" because TV is stupid and a waste of time for anyone who watches it.

Conversation over.

In the short space of one comment, my friend managed to belittle not only me but all of my friends who had commented on my status. Also, since many of my other friends like TV, she pretty much shot them down too.

Now, it may seem like she didn't know what she's doing but, well, she did. Unlike my face-punching friend, this Friend Who Cannot Stop Commenting actually meant what she said. She's very good at posting comments which are quite insultive. Ironically, she doesn't meant to be insultive, per se. She's just one of these people who thinks her opinion is so important that when it's given, the matter is solved. The first time she ever looked at one of my novels, she said it was far too long to bother reading and that because it was about teenagers, it was never going to sell so she didn't even finish reading it. What she did read, she said was just too much about teenagers and she didn't care for them. My novel was intended to be about teenagers. Her comment actually ending up being more of a compliment that time.

Most of her Facebook comments tend to fall somewhere along those lines. That's it. She has spoken. The End. Goodbye.

In the grand scheme of thing, it really means nothing. Facebook is another diversion from life, not really worth anything but still important to us, nevertheless. It's where we go to find out what's going on with people, to find out who is celebrating, who is hurting, when people's birthdays are. For me, that feature is invaluble. It's a great way of knowing exactly when someone's birthday is coming up, even when you know you're in the vicinity of the date.

In short, Facebook has become an add-on to life. When you have time to kill on a computer, Facebook is where you go to play. We keep in touch with short little comments, letting each other know that we can see what's going on with them and adding in our blurbs so they know we're reading.

It's just that sometimes, having all those friends in your network is rather like going to a party in which everyone's invited even though they shouldn't all be. There's always that one person, you see, who can make a room go silent.

Even if the room is a comment board on Facebook.

Happy Tuesday!

Comic-Con: The Conclusion

It's a gloomy day out there today. When I left my house, it was pouring with rain. At work, it's grey and the skies look heavy but so far, it's not raining here. It makes it hard to get out of bed and drive to work, particularly when I slept horribly last night and would rather like to try sleeping again right now. Nevertheless, I am here and thus, I will conclude my Comic-Con blogging today with my third and final entry.

Yesterday, I talked about the panels I saw on Thursday and Friday. I also saw a few on Saturday, a couple of them in anticipation of the panel I most wanted to see: The True Blood panel.

Saturday

Lost- This is the last Lost panel that will most likely be at Comic-Con for a while unless they do a reunion of some sort given that next year will air the final season of the show. Thus, the panel was going to be popular and we had to wait in line for a good two hours before they let us in. It was in the largest room in the Convention Centre: Hall H. This is the same room that hosted the Twilight panel, rumoured to be the most popular panel of the convention. It was huge, I don't know how many people it holds but my guess is at least 7,000 and that's probably conservative. The panel itself was excellent. It was supposed to just be the two creators of the show, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindloff. However, through the course of the panel, several 'special guests' made appearances: Jose Garcia ("Hurley"), Michael Emerson ("Ben"), Nestor Carbonell ("Richard Alpert") and Josh Holloway ("Sawyer"). The panel was probably the most entertaining one I saw with staged interruptions and videos. Naturally, it didn't answer any real questions on the show but given that the creators don't even tell the cast what's going to happen until they get their scripts, that's not a surprise.

V- I actually ended up going to the V panel and screening mostly because I saw the line for the room getting outrageously long and it was getting awfully close to the True Blood panel time. As I said before, they don't clear the rooms between panels so getting in can be tough. So, I lined up and go into the V panel. For the most part, the panel only got maybe 10 minutes at most to talk, the rest of the time was taken up with the screening. The show, obviously, is a remake of the mini-series that ran in the '80's. The episode we saw was the first one and while it was good, it wasn't...great. As I said, I will actually write a review of it on my TV blog but I haven't got around to it yet. The star of the show is Elizabeth Mitchell (from Lost) along with other actors such as Morris Chestnut and Scott Wolf. While the special effects are good and the creepy 'lizard people' makeup is a little...creepy, there are moments of pure cliche that I really hope are remedied as the show continues. While it's nice to have a tough woman as the lead, she also has a teenage son from the Zac Efron school of eyelash-acting who, naturally, does not get along well with his mother and blames her for his father leaving. It would be SO nice to have a show where the strong woman lead has a teenage son who actually admires her for working to support him and doesn't miss his good-for-nothing-dad instead of idolizing him but those are few and far between. Nevertheless, I'll probably watch the show when it airs because I remember the original mini-series from the days of my wee youth; the lizard baby and the skin ripping off to reveal lizard skin are images that sort of stick with you.

Fringe- I confess, I've never seen Fringe. I refused to watch it because it seemed to be such a clear X-Files rip-off, I couldn't bring myself to do it. However, after sitting through the panel, I confess, I actually do want to see it as I was grossly misled as to what it was about and the premise sounds intriguing. Also, the two male leads on the show, John Noble and Joshua Jackson were so entertaining, I have to see them work together on screen. Though I feel a little guilty for taking a seat for a panel that I wasn't terribly interested in when there were people outside who really wanted to get in, the panel served the purpose of most likely getting me to watch the show. I had no idea what was happening on the show and to be honest, the promos on FOX weren't exactly helpful in seperating the show from the shadow of the X-Files but after hearing about it, I'm definitely going to rent the first season on DVD and then DVR the new episodes.

True Blood- This was the panel I really wanted to see. Of course, the time slot and the waiting required to get into the panel did conflict with another panel I really wanted to see: Iron Man 2. Given that the Iron Man 2 panel would include Robert Downey Jr. of whom I've been a HUGE fan for many years, it really was a tough decision. However, that panel was in the infamous Hall H and to see it, I would have had to have stayed in the same seat all day that I obtained for the Lost panel and I just didn't want to do that. Besides, I love True Blood and decided that was the panel I'd rather see. I'm so glad I did. It was really, really entertaining. For one thing, the panel was lead by Alan Ball who first got onto my radar with American Beauty and stayed on it with Six Feet Under. Talk about a smart man. Also, Charlaine Harris (author of the "Sookie Stackhouse") novels was on the panel and as a writer, I had to hear her thoughts on the show since it's taken such a seperate path from the books. When asked how she felt now the books and show have strayed from one another, she gave the answer that I was hoping for, the same one that I've mentioned in my blog: She's happy about it because instead of one world of Sookie Stackhouse, readers get two and though they have similar qualities and are set in the same 'universe', they're different entities and that gives viewers/readers twice the entertainment. I think that's a great answer and one I completely agree with. It is lovely to see the TV show but also a treat to learn more about Sookie from the books.

The actors on the panel surprised me. My favourite character on the show is Eric, played by Alexander Skarsgard. On the show, he has a slight Scandanavian accent. In real life, it's quite a southern drawl that he has. Then there's Stephen Moyer who plays Bill on the show and he has a very, very British accent. And is, I might add, much more appealing in real life than on the show. I'm not a Bill fan: He's a bit drippy for me. However, the actor was not drippy at all. Anna Paquin, who plays Sookie, has a New Zealand accent. On the show, the entire cast has a Lousiana Southern accent. It's just fascinating to hear their real accents and realize how diverse the cast actually is. Ironically, Skarsgard is the only one with a real twang and the only one who doesn't get to use it. The newest cast member, Deborah Ann Moll who plays Jessica was very nervous and much sweeter than her TV alter-ego. All in all, the cast and Alan Ball just had a great dynamic and listenign to them was fun. The only part I was sad about was that Sam Trammell who plays Sam Merlotte on the show didn't get to say much and he's one of my favourite characters.

So, those were the panels I attended. I could go on for days and gush about how great they were but I think three days is gushing enough. Obviously, I have a fondness for the TV panels though there were panels by comic-book authors/book writers I would have liked to have gone to but time didn't permit. One of these was the Joe Hill session. However, Joe, the author of Heart Shaped Box and 20th Century Ghosts wasn't there to discuss his novels but, rather, his comic books which, for me, would have not been terribly useful as I haven't read them.

Overall, what I hope to give you from my blog-series here is a picture of Comic-Con in all it's fandom and madness. So many people think it's just comic books but it isn't. It's a chance of fans of all mediums to come together and indulge their passions. Some of the regular things there still baffle me though this is the third year I've gone. For example, I've never understood the plethora of "Free Hugs" signs. Is it to go along with the "Free Hug Day" or is it just that the people with the signs don't get many hugs so they figure Comic-Con is a chance to cash in? I've never figured that out.

It's a crazy, busy, exhausting adventure but Comic-Con is something that is worth all of it. I'm glad it's only once a year but it's one time a year when it's ok to talk constantly about TV shows, graphic novels, movies and video games. It's a time for geeks, nerds, and normal people who just like geeky stuff to get together and celebrate. It's a mass chaos of people milling, lining up, grabbing freebies and handing them out but the chaos does has a certain pattern. You just have to find it.

Happy Wednesday.

The Gift of a Snow Day

Snow and I are happy again today. It's currently coming down so fast that it looks like a fog hanging over the world. It's been snowing all night, we have about 7 inches on the ground and a couple of inches of ice in between.

And, best of all, I have my long-desired gift of a snow day from work.

Yes, blog readers, one of the advantages of working for a university is that they cancel school for both students and staff. Granted, it's more likely they'll cancel classes and make us minions, um, I mean staff, go in anyway but when it's really bad out, it seems they do think of us. Thus, after waking up at my normal time and finding out I had a two hour delay then, slowly, getting out of bed to discover if I really had to go in because, frankly, it looks like the North Pole out there, I finally discovered I have a snow day.

I'm so glad. I hadn't even started to get ready for work yet which is a huge bonus. Usually, these things happen as I'm about to walk out the door and then I wonder why I bothered getting myself all nice-d up, just to stay home. Not today, however. Today is all about the snow day.

I'm going to have a real snow day. I'm going to have my hot chocolate, edit my novel, watch movies and probably head over to my coworkers for "Lost" tonight since she lives in the same apartment complex and a walk through the snow might be fun. That's it.

Yes, I should probably do other things like cleaning. I might do some of that. The nice thing is though is I don't have to. This is a bonus day, one that is spontaneous and unscheduled. These days are meant for doing exactly what I want.

Have I mentioned how happy I am?

Ok, so I know there are people who don't get it, who see the snow as an inconvenience and a cold, wet blanket of winter overkill but I'm not one of them. If I was in California right now, I'd probably be hoping it rained, just to add variety. Yet it would never snow. That's why I love being back in the Midwest.

Now, as I sit here from the corner of my spare bedroom, glancing out the window at the pouring snow, let me once more proclain my love for the fluffy white stuff that makes life so much more interesting.

I'm still in my pajamas, something that wouldn't be happening if it wasn't a snow day. I am actually wondering why this Crest toothpaste does have the aftertaste of marijuana every time I use it. Not that I am a marijuana user but if you've been to as many rock concerts as I have, you learn how it smells. Ok, so when I was in college and constantly exposed to the aroma, I didn't know it and just thought it was chinese food but I'm older and wiser now. I know what it smells like. I'm just wondering why my toothpaste makes me feel like I'm back at a Green Day concert for a split second after I've brushed.

You're probably wondering where that randomness came from. Never ask. It's safer that way. Just know that the snow makes my random thoughts randomer because I don't have to be anywhere else today. I just get to stay home and enjoy the winter weather.

Have I mentioned that I love snow?

Happy Wednesday.