A Day to Rant and Rave...

Some days, I find that I wake up in a good mood and I’m feeling fiery. I don’t know why but days like this I find that the smallest things inspire me to a passionate reaction whether they’re good or bad. Today is one of those days. So I’ve decided that this blog will be about the small things that both drive me a little crazy and make me strangely happy.

The annoying little things

1) Passive-aggressive female bathroom users. These are women who go in a stall, find it’s not flushed and immediately leave to use another one. Yes, it’s vile and disgusting but just flush the damn toilet. You don’t have to use it afterwards but flush it anyway. Be a doer, not a dodger.

2) Annoying cutesy shortened words. I hate things like ‘FroYo’- sure it’s clever but just say frozen yogurt. Please. Say ‘vacation’, not “Vacay”. Also, I hate when people say, “I’m on the ‘puter”. It’s a COMputer. It’s one syllable. Seriously.

3) Paul McCartney. I don’t know why but he inspires rage. I think it’s time to quit, Paul. You are NOT the Beatles. You were only one of them. Go do a nice kids show like Ringo and then I might rethink it. Also, I think you disrespected Linda when you got married to that weirdo very shortly after she died. I can’t help it. I think that way. Also, I know people want to see you sing because you were a Beatle but you should stop touring anyway. Let it go. Also, I know you’ve had plastic surgery. I think it’s pretty obvious.

4) Mosquitoes. I am covered with bites. I’d still like to figure out their purpose on this earth because, really, I think we can do without them. Also, they’re evolving. We have a stripey kind now in Ohio that apparently is an Asian Tiger mosquito. It appears to be immune to the power of my Off-Mosquito Fan.

5) True Blood. I used to love that show. I used to get excited on Sunday evenings because it was on. Now it’s just a giant mess of storylines that leave the main character almost as a peripheral and focuses on far too many stories and really annoying characters who really should just go away (Tommy and Tara). Alan Ball, I know you’re trying to create a world that borrows from the books but creates a separate reality but there’s no need to take stories from four or five of the books and cram them into a TWELVE EPISODE SEASON. There’s nothing wrong with loosely just following the books. The first season was great. Yes, I’ll still watch it for now but, as with Glee, my patience is wearing thing.

6) Tarragon. I really want to like it. I like licorice after all. I just can’t like tarragon. I’ve tried.

7) Those African tribal type of ear rings that make a giant hole in the lobe and just keep getting bigger. They’re weird. I should have the urge to throw wads of paper THROUGH YOUR EAR HOLE. I know, I know…it’s a form of self-expression but, well, don’t you think it’s a little odd that people can see you neck THROUGH YOUR EAR? Sorry. I can’t help it.

The good little things

1) I published a book and having friends who are so supportive that they’ve bought it already either on the Kindle or the paperback makes me happy. Thank you!

2) I published two book. This was my dream as a young ‘un. Granted, it’s not the same level as if a huge New York publishing firm bought it and marketed it for me but that doesn’t happy very much anymore and I tend to think that if we want something to happen badly enough, we just have to do it. I did it. Even if no one but my friends (see #1) buy it…hey, it’s out there…right?

3) Bacon. Yes, I’m on the bandwagon but bacon is good. I’m not on the bandwagon where it should go in everything (I’m not into the bacon ice-cream thing) but I do think it makes a mighty fine addition to many soups, vegetables and entrees. Mmm….bacon.

4) Fresh veggies in the summer. Last night, I made cabbage with juniper, sautéed zucchini and yellow squash and potatoes with sage. All were from the farmer’s market or my garden. There’s nothing better than pickin’ it, cookin’ it and then eatin’ it.

5) My job. Even on bad days, I’m incredibly grateful to have a job that I actually like with a boss who STILL says “thank you” when I do something well and coworkers who make me laugh and not want to run away. Also, in this economy, I’m incredibly grateful to have a job.

6) My dogs. There’s nothing better than getting home from work, sitting on the couch and having two dachshunds fight over who gets to slam dance with love into my lap first.

7) George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series of books. Seriously. I’ve been reading them for two months and I’m getting worried about what to do when I finish this last one, they’re that good. WRITE FASTER, GEORGE!

8) Long weekends. I took tomorrow off just because I wanted to and because I wanted a long weekend. The freedom to do that is a luxury.

9) Peaches. Fresh peaches from the farmer’s market that are so juicy, no matter how hard you try, there’s no way to eat them with dignity.

10) That today, my list of good things is longer than the bad which is a good thing unto itself.

Happy Friday!

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.

Monday Musings

It's a gloomy Monday morning but I can't complain. I took today as a vacation day from work and so, for once, I got to sleep in through the gloom.

Naturally, I didn't get to sleep in as much as I'd like. During his time with me in my apartment, I spoiled Sausage by allowing him to sleep in my bed. However, now we're back in his home, my parent's house, he doesn't have that luxury and he's not taking too kindly to it. He likes to bark very loudly from the foot of the stairs which is my wake-up call.

Nevertheless, I don't mind him barking anymore. It's not going to disrupt my neighbours and so I can relax and stop worrying about the dog.

Now I can start worrying about closing on my new house next week. So far, things aren't going quite as smoothly as I hoped. My mortgage broker has turned all my paperwork over to his underwriter. This would be good except...she seems to have lost a lot of my paperwork. I keep getting emails from her asking for things like my paystubs. I've given them every paystub I had for the past four months. Also, she's not terribly pleasant about it. I'm sure it's just because it's an email but the tone of them seems to imply that it's my fault she doesn't have the paperwork. I'm politely just resending everything to her. I'm hoping it goes through.

If it doesn't, I'm not sure what will happen. I have a conference at work coming up the week after I'm supposed to close. After that, the little old lady living in my house is supposed to be moving. I'm not terribly sure what happens if closing is delayed. If it is, I'm not going to be a very happy Monkeypants. I've gone above and beyond to make sure I have everything my mortgage broker could possibly need. He's had over a month and a half to process my loan. Needless to say, I'm trying not to stress but it isn't going well.

Aside from that, the weekend went nicely. Sausage and I arrived at my parent's on Saturday night. We watched some lovely recorded episodes of "Iron Chef America". Also, I've been addictively watching "True Blood" and to my delight, HBO ran the last couple of episodes last night so I didn't have to wait for my Netflix. It's a bit of a silly show but I rather enjoyed it. I'm having a little trouble wondering why Sookie Stackhouse doesn't pick Sam the Sshapeshifter over Bill the Vampire because, frankly, Bill's a bit of a drip. However, it's still fun to watch. The only problem is it makes me want to walk around talking in a Southern accent. Given that I have mostly a British one, this would be a little odd.

This is one of my more random posts, for which I apologize. Sometimes I have a topic in mind; other times, you get these more rambly blogs. Tomorrow, I'll probably be back on track being free from the responsibility of The Sausage as my parent's return from the U.K. tomorrow. I'm still thinking about having him move in with me when I get my house but we'll see. It depends on how much I like my carpet.

Happy Monday.