At Last!!

Would you like to see that scarf I have been yammering on about since last September?

Here you go:

Wit Beyond Measure by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Year 3-4 Scarf (Ravenclaw) by Lauren Kent [from Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter by Alison Hansel]
Yarn: Berroco Vintage colorway 5188 (five balls) and Berroco Comfort colorway 9729 (one ball)
Needles: US 6

Isn't it beautiful?? I love this scarf! Almost as much as I love its new owner. I had lunch with my friend Miss T last weekend and was able to hand over her (early) birthday present then. She seemed pretty happy with it as well.

You guys, this thing is massive:

Folded in half it is almost as tall as I am...

Miss T was gracious enough to model it for you guys too, yay!

Why is it that the replica scarves I want to make are always like twenty feet long? And have fringe? Sigh. Still, the end result is totally worth it. There are two scarf patterns in Charmed Knits, and this is the one Miss T's husband thought she would prefer (which she agreed with when I gave it to her). This one is a 1x1 rib and has a nice springy texture. The other one features the big thick stripes and is completely knit in the round (it's a tube and is folded flat when done). I would still like to make myself one of those in Gryffindor colors, but I think it will be a while before I knit another scarf.

There are lots of other (smaller) patterns in that book I want to give a shot anyway. Like maybe a vest, or socks...also, there is a pattern inspired by Molly Weasley's insanely awesome sweater with those crazy floppy crocheted sleeves. Though if I make that there will be some serious modification to at least the colors of the pattern.

I had a devil of a time finding the right yarn for this project, I have to admit. But the owner of my local yarn store came through and we finally settled on the Vintage for the blue and the Comfort for the grey. They have two slightly different textures, and the grey is a little smoother and shinier than the blue, but I like how the contrast came out. It gives the scarf a nice extra little bit of detail. Also, I am completely in love with that Vintage. I want to make myself something in it too...if I can find it in a nice grey it could be good for a vest, methinks.

So that's one long-standing unfinished project checked off the list. Only one more to go. Now I have to come to a decision. I haven't touched that sweater in months. I have no idea where I am in the pattern, and there is no guarantee my gauge will be the same when I get back to it. So...I am thinking about frogging it and just setting it aside to start over again when I actually have the time to sit down and work on it later this year. I hate to do that, but I am starting to think it is the best course to take. I feel really bad for it, but at this point, I kind of don't even want to touch it. Undoing it all and then starting over when I am in a better frame of mind about it seems more fair to the sweater than being annoyed at it for getting started when I really shouldn't have been embarking on such an ambitious side project.

Hmm. It will bear some deep thought. We shall see. I will let you know what I decide, in either case. Started a new blanket this weekend and am pretty happy with how that is going along, so yay for that! I am also looking at a few small projects and trying to decide which one to take with me on my trip next week, since blankets don't really travel well (at least not by plane).

Speaking of my trip, no post next week, since I will be in California visiting my sister and mom. I should have lots to show you after I get back, however, since I've already lost count of how many yarn stores my mom is planning for us to visit. Also, my sister wants to try to get a yarn-bombing project put together if we can find the time. That could be interesting.

Until then, folks.

Approved By Kitties and Coris

Despite the two unfinished projects lingering in my yarn cubby, mocking me, I have actually been making some progress on the yarncraft front.

There is, first and foremost, this beautiful item:

Hearth and Home by Cori 2011.

Pattern: Irish Afghan by Nancy Sheck (available in Blue Ribbon Afghans from America's State Fairs)
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Buff Fleck (15 skeins)
Hook: I (5.5 mm)

Here is a closer look at the pattern:

Bobbles, bobbles, everywhere!

This pattern was not hard, but it was time consuming, and it rather involved paying more attention than I like on such a large project. Still. Holy cow, worth it. I was almost sad to have to give it away, but not really. I mean, yes, I will probably never make this pattern again (at least not in a blanket, although I think it could be adapted for a really nifty vest). It is possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever crocheted. But how can I be sad that it went to a home where it is already loved this much?

It has clearly gone to a good home. For those wondering, this was a wedding present for my youngest brother-in-law and his new wife, who were married the weekend before last. (As far as I can tell, they seem to like it too.)

The pattern itself wasn't difficult, like I said, it just took a lot of time. This is primarily because the whole thing is basically single crochet all the way across. It was a row of single crochet, then a row of embellishment on the right side of the blanket, then single crochet, then embellishment, and so on. All of those bobbles and front post single crochets and puff-stitches don't add anything to the actual length of the thing. I will note I made two modifications to the finishing of the blanket. Well, three. First off, it called for twenty-four pattern repeats. I think maybe I had sixteen or eighteen, but it was definitely long enough. I also modified the border, just doing two rows of single crochet around instead of the one row of single crochet and then switch to a larger hook for a fiddly bit. Lastly, the pattern called for fringe, and I don't do fringe. (Unless I am making a reproduction of something specific, as in a scarf from a movie or show.) As it was, I barely had enough yarn to finish and I bought three more skeins than the pattern called for. I swear my gauge was right on, but I still didn't come out with the same amount of yarn required by the actual pattern. Sigh. Oh well, such is life. I had enough to finish the blanket I was making, and that's the important thing.

After I finished that I made some pretty decent progress on that project that I wanted to finish by the start of December, though I am still nowhere near finished with it. Sigh. The problem is that it is a scarf and it is knitted. Apparently knitted scarves are my kryptonite. I can get in about a week of working on them diligently and then I have to just put it somewhere that I can't see it for a while. I get bored, I get annoyed, I get distracted. I go buy more yarn when my closet is already overflowing with the stuff...yeah. I had to set it aside when the month started in order to begin a Christmas gift. I was feeling pretty badly about that, until I realized that the recipient's birthday is early next year, but still a few months away. So. New goal. That will be her birthday present. I will work on it for a week or two in between bigger projects, or as a break from things I need a break on, and hopefully it will get done in time. Then, I will ask you all to kindly shoot me the next time I say I want to knit a scarf. (Except for when I finally get around to making myself that Gryffindor scarf....)

The Christmas gift is, thankfully, crocheted and is already working up quite nicely (as I write this I am about 3/4 done with it). The pattern seems simple but has a really nifty little catch to the primary seam. I am using a wonderful yarn, and it calls for a blessedly huge hook. I seriously almost cried tears of joy when I saw that the pattern called for a size K hook, I kid you not.

So that's where I am on the crafting front. Things are looking optimistic (unless you happen to be my poor KAL sweater, which is still only about half of a back--but it will get finished one day, I swear, hopefully before it gets too warm to wear it again).

Does "Genre" Even Exist Anymore?

In the grand scheme of things, it's probably just a little thing, but this time of year, it is a thing that gets pushed in my face repeatedly and thus works its way under my skin. At some point in the last ten or fifteen years, the genre of "horror" has been completely lumped in with science fiction. I don't get it. I don't get it, and furthermore, I don't like it.

I think that's because in the last five or six years I have come to realize that I don't really care for what passes for horror these days. This coming from a girl whose all-time favorite author is Stephen King. (He's still doing it right.) But horror movies these days? None of them appeal to me at all. (Because they are crap, and derivative, uncreative, and very rarely scary in a good way.) Suspense, I can get behind. Supernatural mythology, sure. Horror, not so much. I can't even remember the last time I voluntarily went to see a "scary" movie and actually enjoyed it.

And that's fine, really. Normally I don't have to give it much thought. But this time of year? With Halloween rolling in? Gah. I can't escape it. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the occasional made-for-TV-B-movie that is so terrible it's good. The kind of stuff that Mystery Science Theater 3000 would love to tear apart. But this time of year, we are flooded with "horror" movies, in the theaters (which means I end up having to sit through commercials for them when I watch the shows I want to watch) as well as on television.

But it's also there on my science fiction sites. Somewhere, somewhen, some marketer somewhere decided that the people who like horror and the people who like science fiction are clearly the same people, so why not just push all of the horror stuff on the science fiction audiences? Because really, it's all the same stuff, right? Grr. I am putting that marketer on my list of people to go back and slap once my time machine is built.

Now, I can fully admit that the same assumption exists with science fiction and fantasy. Outside of those fan pools (and also a little bit inside), very few people see any distinction between the two. This really doesn't bother me at all, and I am sure it is because I actually enjoy both of those genres.

Obviously, there is a lot of overlap going on. There are lots of horror stories in which the element of horror is caused by a science fictional (or fantastical) element. There are also lots of science fiction (and fantasy) stories that are scary, downright horrific even. But to assume that any two (or all three) of those genres is the same thing because there is overlap is to do all of those genres a disservice.

But maybe I am on the losing side of this argument. These days it seems like the lines are blurring between all kinds of genres. Romance and historical fiction and fantasy and horror and science fiction and mysteries, and so on. Clearly people who enjoy any one of those may enjoy another. Science fiction, for example, has spawned oodles of of subsets over the last century: alternate histories, distopian, post apocalyptic, steampunk, and so on. Elements of all of these kinds of stories are slipping their way into the mainstream (thankfully, since specialized channels seem to be struggling to stay both viable and true to their fan base*). People who would never consider themselves fans of science fiction loved Lost. People who would never consider themselves into fantasy totally devoured Harry Potter. Writers considered "mainstream" are coming out of the genre "closet" and slipping genre themes into their work, or outright changing camps.

As it stands right now, it seems to me that the only reason "genre" still exists is so that people who want to sell us things have a nice pre-packaged way to describe what they are trying to make us buy. But I don't know how much longer they are going to be able to keep that up. It won't be too long before the stories will  completely stop fitting in those neat little descriptions. Maybe that's not a bad thing. Maybe it's time to just start calling it all "fiction" and leaving it up to the reader to check out the book jacket or listen to word of mouth to make up her own decision on whether or not it is worth her time. Just a thought.

I still wish people would stop trying to shove that crappy "horror" stuff down my throat though.

Peace out, folks. Enjoy the weekend.

*That's right Syfy, I'm looking at you.

I Can't Really Help It

I am really and truly starting to get excited about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Let me tell you, July 15 can not get here quickly enough.

I've already asked my super wonderful mother-in-law to pretty please consider babysitting that day so I can go see it. I am sort of trying to convince my husband to take the day off of work so we can go see it together and as early in the day as possible.

The corners of the internet that I frequent are abuzz in a pretty much non-stop flow of details popping up here and there about the film. Not all of them are spoilers, mind you (well, not for anyone who has read the books). There are bits about the casts saying their final farewells and doing interviews about the experience now that it is almost completely totally over. There are just posters for the film being released for each of the characters, and trailers abound, of course.

I am as curious to see what is new and different from the book as I am excited about finally getting to see this epic tale--and it is epic, make no mistake about that--come to its visual conclusion.

The stars lined up wonderfully when Part 1 came out last November. My husband and I just happened to have planned a weekend away to Austin, just the two of us, that coincided with the film's release. I left the theater absolutely amazed and in awe. It was so fantastic! How on Earth was I going to be able to wait another eight months to see the rest of it??????

But those eight months are almost gone by. It is almost here. Every day there is something new out there to keep my anticipation elevated.

I may have mentioned here that I have been reading the Harry Potter books to my daughter at bedtime. It is slow going, we only get through about half a chapter a night. I know she is too little to truly understand, but I am establishing the routine of a story at bedtime, sharing with her something I love (setting the groundwork for it to worm its way into her consciousness and effortlessly become a beloved part of her life later down the road), and it is a chance to read through the series again. We are about half-way through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows right now. We are almost to the part where the first movie ended. Each night as I read to her, it gets more and more difficult to hold back, and to stop for the evening.

When this book was released, I was almost done with my reread of the first six stories in the series. In fact, I was finishing up The Half-Blood Prince when it arrived (I had pre-ordered it and, of course, selected same-day delivery). As soon as I finished book six I picked up my lovely copy of the final book in this cherished series, took a deep breath, and dove right in. I did not come up for air until I had finished. I stayed up until about six o'clock the next morning reading the entire thing. I could barely make myself stop to eat that day, I just couldn't put the book down. Reading it now in bits and pieces is an exercise in patience unlike any other I have ever known. Probably, it's good for me, but still. It is a challenge.

I have a predilection for books that come in series. Be they trilogies or more drawn-out affairs, I like getting several books to get to know a world and its inhabitants. Many of them I have read through two, maybe even three times. But I have lost count of how many times I have read and reread the stories so masterfully told by J.K. Rowling. These are books that I pick up only to find myself utterly lost within their pages.

Rowling has worked a powerful magic in writing these books, and I will forever be grateful to her for giving them to us. She could have easily accepted the movie deals and stepped back, letting Hollywood have its way with her work, but instead she was involved almost every step of the way through all eight films. These movies certainly have their ups and downs, but there is no denying that they have magic in their own right as well. I absolutely cannot wait to see what the final installment holds in store for us! I have no doubt I will be thoroughly enchanted.

So, to J.K. Rowling, I tip my hat. From the very bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. These are stories that will weather the generations, in both formats, I'd wager. I fully expect to be reading them to my grandchildren one day. Thank you for inviting me with you on this long, strange, wonderful journey. My life has been all the better for it.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is how writing is done right.

Avoiding The Extremely Ridiculous

Lately I have been watching the first two seasons of the old 90's teen series California Dreams. It has made me quite thankful for the advent of Netflix, and my subsequent subscription to the service. Without Netflix, I probably would have bought this when it came out on DVD out of pure nostalgia and then ended up a month or two down the line selling the set and wishing I hadn't wasted my money.

Watching this show is a weird experience. It's not entirely bad, mind you, but I would be hard pressed to say that I am completely enjoying watching the show again. If you're not aware of this show, it was part of NBC's late Saturday morning lineup aimed at teens and preteens. It was probably the most successful of those series after Saved By The Bell, with which it had much in common. Instead of focusing on the group of kids' hijinks in school, however, California Dreams was centered around the band formed by the main cast and followed their attempts to get gigs and deal with the "typical" teenage problems all while balancing life with the band. I say "typical" with quotes like that, but actually I have to admit, even though the drama is heightened for television, the actual issues the show dealt with for the most part were things that, as a teenager, were often a big deal to me. It is just that the problems and their solutions are so ridiculously portrayed that I have a hard time taking it seriously now.

But when I was a kid, I adored this show. It was second in my affections only to Saved By The Bell, I have to admit. That's why I wanted to watch the show again, after all. But it doesn't really hold up well to the test of time, I suppose. I don't know how surprising that is, given that even after my complete rewatch of all of SBTB, I ended up giving away those DVDs.

It probably doesn't help that I married a professional musician, so the whole band aspect of the show now just makes me cringe. Also the music, while being mostly inoffensive, is so bland. The band didn't have its own sound, they just played whatever kind of sounded like what was popular at the time. Watching it now, having the experiences with actual musicians that I have, I just feel like these kids are posers. I know, I know, it's silly. It's just a television show. But my life has altered the way I look at that kind of stuff. Plus the producers apparently had no idea what live music was supposed to sound like. I mean, come on. Sigh.

So why I am I still watching? Well, there is the part of me that is enjoying the trip down memory lane. As I said, I did love this show once. It is nice getting to revisit with that Cori of a bygone day and remember her hopes and dreams (and subscription to Big Bopper). Like I said, it is not all bad. The show has its amusing moments. Besides, as I ride out the last of my pain meds from this week's dental escapades, it is the perfect level of mindless distraction.

It's been getting more and more awkward though. True sitcoms are few and far between these days, and of those that are still around, I don't watch very many of them. Those that I do enjoy are, I would like to think, a little bit off the beaten path and have evolved past the old-school format. California Dreams, though, is from a time when that old format was flourishing. As someone who is trying to be a storyteller, the formulaic approach to the show is, at best, tiring to sit through. It makes me very glad to have access to all of the smart, well-written, modern shows I have access to these days.

There is a fine line between funny and ridiculous, and this show wasn't even trying to stay behind it. I have found as I get older that some of the more obvious attempts at humor--the physical, the slapstick, the playing dumb--are much more rarely able to make me laugh than actual wit. What makes this whole experience awkward for me personally is that I have recently been thinking that I want to try my hand at writing something funny.

The people behind National Novel Writing Month recently announced that they want to do a NaNoWriMo Summer Camp this year. The idea is to allow people who really can't devote the kind of time required in November or the people who want to write more than one novel in a month during the year a chance to have the fun in a month other than November. My writing buddy (who is a teacher, and for whom November was very much less than ideal) and I of course want to participate in the summer camp.

I know, I know. But Cori, you haven't even actually started revising your novel from last November! Why would you want to write another one? Yes, yes, you're right. But...let's not talk about last year's book right now. It will get done if it gets done and right now is not that time.

But back to summer camp. So, my friend and I want to try our hands at another novel-in-a-month this summer. After giving it some thought, I told my husband I wanted to just write something fun and silly. Silly. Not ridiculous. Not unintelligent.

Quite some time ago I mentioned that I wish I could capture some of the fun and funny the way that the Harry Potter books do. Every night I read a few pages of those books to my daughter (we're on the last one now), and whenever there's a funny scene, it just makes me itch to create something in the same vein. So when I say I would like to write something fun and silly, I am thinking something like my favorite bits from Harry Potter. Something along the lines of greats like Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. But watching California Dreams, I have started getting worried that perhaps that is the best I will be able to do. Hence the awkward.

Not gonna stop me from trying. Hopefully my fears are what will help me avoid that particular path. I mean, I don't even have an actual story in mind yet, it's early days. But oh my goodness do I hope it's more Neville causing a distraction by turning into a canary than Sly and the rest of the guys dressed up as girls getting hit on by the football team. Sigh.

Note to self: All of the writers I listed above to emulate are British. Perhaps it would be a good idea to watch lots of Coupling and drink lots of tea while getting prepared to write. Also, avoid setting it at the beach with surfers in a rock band.

Check.

~*~*~

Oh, and as it is Friday already (when the heck did that happen?), don't forget to swing on over and check out this week's Gronk! I am super excited because preorders for the first Gronk book start next week. Huzzah! Also, now I want to make a Gronk plushy....

I Know What I Think It Looks Like, How About You

It seems clear to me from all of the internet chatter I have been mostly trying to avoid on the subject (in an effort to prevent spoilers), that HBO's Game of Thrones series has thus far been a huge success. That is awesome. I honestly can't wait until I am able to watch it. I am happy for George R. R. Martin, for fans of the series (book and television), and even for HBO. It sounds like Game of Thrones is setting the gold standard for adaptations of fantasy series to television in the same way that The Lord of the Rings films did for movies. Kudos to all involved.

An interesting (and not really unexpected) result of this success has been renewed chatter about getting a favorite series of mine adapted to television. Fans of The Wheel of Time have long wanted to see Jordan's creations brought to life on screen. Mostly the general consensus has been that it has to be done via a television series rather than a movie or set of movies, because that would be the only way to do it justice. WoT supporters have been keeping a watchful eye on HBO's venture with the adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, hoping that if done right, and successful, it would be the evidence needed to bring forth the long-desired WoT series. With only one book left to go, it is an easy thought to get excited about, I'll grant you.

I'll admit, my husband and I love to play the WoT casting game with each other. One of us is frequently pointing an actor or actress out to each other and saying, "Wouldn't (s)he make a perfect _______ (insert character's name here)?!?" Between the two of us, we have a fair chunk of the series' cast picked out, hypothetically of course. The fun part about this game is you can pick anyone, which includes people who are no longer with us or a certain person twenty years ago. But we've never been able to settle on a Rand, or an Egwene or Nynaeve. That's...telling, I think.

The more people start to talk about how awesome it will be to see WoT brought to the screen, the more I begin to think that it would be better if it didn't happen. At least...well. Let me explain.

I don't think the world needs a live-action WoT series. I think that if we were to get a television adaptation, we would be best served for it to be an animated one. Yes, that's right, I would prefer a cartoon.

Okay, wait, wait, hear me out here, okay?

Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson filling in his shoes) has always been extremely descriptive of people, places, clothing, buildings, everything in this world. WoT fans are notoriously prickly about attention to detail. These two facts, coupled together, mean that anyone trying to make a live version of this series is going to be going up against a huge challenge to get everything right. I'm talking about casting--from hair color and eye color and height and age--to costuming to the sets to the props themselves. Not to mention some serious makeup challenges. With casting alone, any network is going to apply pressure to get a few big names in there, and even with everyone's dream casting games, just shoe-horning a celebrity into a role has the chance of ruffling a lot of feathers and could easily ruin the whole project for a lot of people.

The effects budget on a live-action series would be insane. Think about all of the magic that happens in this series, and think about how Jordan describes it. Even if the VFX crew managed to capture the feel of that action just right, they would have to replicate it how many times in each episode? Also, think of all of the creatures in this series. Trollocs. Myrddraal. Grolm. Draghkar. Gholams. Maybe, maybe, they could pull off the Trollocs with some guys in heavy prosthetics, but...there's a lot more going on there than Trollocs. Then there's the Aes Sedai appearance of agelessness. I don't think that will be achievable through makeup alone. That's gonna take some CGI to get right.

Forget getting the sets exactly right, for a moment. The sheer volume of different sets and locations, indoor, outdoor, cities, country, desert, blight, that also would be a huge challenge budget-wise.

When it comes down to it, despite fans' continued dream casting, casting this series will be a bitch. It is going to be almost impossible to find the perfect people to play the primary characters. Not to mention the number of people who are in it, who play important roles but only pop up once every two or three books? Someone is going to be hard-pressed to resist the urge to cut characters, combine others, and change around plot lines to reduce the number of recurring roles. That ticked me off enough in the Harry Potter movies, and that was only seven books, and nobody they glossed over was my favorite random character or anything. Actually, I take that back. I am still pretty miffed that there was no Charlie in the movies dangit. They try doing that with WoT and I promise you there will be an uproar.

Also, I don't think there is a horse in existence capable of portraying the sheer awesomeness of Bela. Just ain't gonna happen.

I suppose that it could be done completely green-screen a la Sanctuary. But look, as much as I love Sanctuary, and I really do, there is a level of cheesiness to that show due in large parts to the CGI. It works for what it is, but for WoT, that would not go over well at all. It just wouldn't.

So, yeah, I would like to see an animated version if we get WoT on our televisions at all. I'm not talking the kind of animation of regular cartoons. I am thinking more the modern video game style of animation. Have you seen the cut scenes of some of today's video games? They are beautiful, and gritty, and real, and fantastic, and perfect for Jordan's imagined universe.

With an animated series, there would be no need to try to find people or places to fit Jordan's descriptions. The artists could just render them faithfully from the books themselves. Sure, everyone sees the characters a little bit differently in their heads, but I guarantee you this way would be much much more satisfying across the board than trying to find real people to fit the fantasy. Also, voice casting with the required big-names will ruffle a lot less feathers as well.

You know what I would love to see? I would love to see an animation pioneering powerhouse like Pixar and a gaming animation master like Bioware sit down and animate up the prologue. I bet that would be enough to convince the masses.

I'll be honest, I have no idea how cost effective an animated series would be, but something tells me that in the long term, and when it comes to satisfying fans and getting The Wheel of Time world right, it would be more than worth it overall. Think about how absolutely groundbreaking such a series could be for the world of animation as well! There isn't anything animated out there like what a WoT series has the potential to be.

Maybe I am wrong, maybe there's someone out there who can bring us a live version of this series that will be as satisfying as Game of Thrones. If it happens I'll be the first person to apologize for saying it couldn't be done. But until then, I'm gonna stick with hoping that it's an animated series if anything. I'm also going to wish really hard that people will direct their ideas about the next big fantasy series to make the jump to television elsewhere. Nothing will kill the idea of a WoT series faster than a badly done WoT series.

Imaginary Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day my dear readers! I hope that whatever your relationship status you truly do have a wonderful day. Remember, there are many different kinds of love out there, so if you don't have a special romantic valentine to share your day with, there's no need to be all grumpy and anti-love. Declare yourself your valentine and treat yourself to a fantastic evening of your favorite things. Or make a good friend your valentine and go out and have a good time together.

I have to say I am lucky enough to have found the love of my life and we have a nice low-key celebration planned for the evening. We're going to dinner with our daughter at one of our favorite restaurants and just plan to enjoy one another's company. I am very much looking forward to it.

I read an interesting Valentine's Day-inspired article on GeekMom yesterday. Geek Mom Delphine asserts her belief in every reader's right to fall in love with the characters in the books we read. I really couldn't agree with her more. I think a character so well written you can fall in love with him (or her) is the sign that a writer is doing something very, very right.  After reading this post, I was inspired to come up with my own list of fictional valentines to share with you guys.

Harry Dresden
(The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher)

Harry is all kinds of awesome. He has his flaws, certainly, but he is a loyal friend and fiercely protective. He does what he believes is right and he always stands up to bullies, no matter the odds against him. He has a pretty solid sense of humor as well--freely joking about the time that one bad guy kidnapped him and tried to sell him on Ebay. Also, he's a wizard. And when he needed a way to stop necromancers, his weapon of choice was a reincarnated T-Rex. I mean, come on, how cool is that? Sadly though, it could never work out between us. My love of computers and gaming would not mix well with his effect on electronics I fear.

Araris Valarian
(Codex Alera by Jim Butcher)

Well, clearly JB is quite a talented writer. Araris is a very interesting character indeed to me, and he is a romantic, which wins him points. Araris was the most well-known swordsman in Alera, and singulare (body guard and friend) to the princeps Septimus before his death. When Septimus was killed in battle, leaving behind an unacknowledged wife and newborn son, Araris allowed himself to be disfigured with the coward's brand and presumed dead so that he could go into hiding with his friend's widow and son and keep them safe from the princeps' enemies. It's not his fault he fell in love with her, but he was a total gentleman about it, which makes their eventual romance all the more sweet.

Ostvel
(The Dragon Prince and The Dragon Star by Melanie Rawn)

Ostvel stuck me as an interesting character throughout the entire span of both of Rawn's trilogies. Not a Sunrunner, but living among them, and married to not one, but two, over the course of the narrative (his first wife died due to illness), he carried with him a perspective on the group that not many others in the series possessed. He was forever surrounded by people of power (Sunrunners and nobility), but he always remained a very straightforward and simple man, even when Rohan gave him is own princedom to run. The guy was just plain cool. If he was real, he would be the first friend I would turn to in any sort of crisis, no matter how big or small, and I would never hesitate to confide in him. Plus, he just seems like a pretty fun guy to hang out with.  

Bardan Jusik
(Star Wars Republic Commando by Karen Traviss)

Oh man, Bardan. I think I've told you before he's probably now my favorite Jedi of all time. Mostly because he had the guts to look at the Jedi Order and see it for what it was--neither good nor bad, just stagnant, and willing to let itself be used and compromise its morals because it thought doing so would serve the greater good. The man has a conscience, which, dagnabbit is just sexy. Also, he didn't stop being a user of the Force just because he walked away from the order, and he was constantly looking within himself to keep himself from being tempted by the dark side, while still allowing himself to have the kind of life that most Jedi deny themselves. It's hard not to love a man who is willing to give up the only way of life he's ever known for his family. Not for some half-baked romance, mind you, but for his actual family.

Lord John Grey
(The Outlander and Lord John Grey by Diana Gabaldan)

Okay, this maybe is a bit of a stretch, since he definitely plays for the other team. But John Grey is an absolutely fascinating character. He falls in love with a man who clearly prefers women, in a time when homosexuality is definitely something that needs to be kept hidden. Instead of pining about his unrequited love, he gets on with his life, while remaining a silent pillar of support for the man who has captured his heart. He is a true gentleman, in every sense of the word, and it's hard not to love him a little bit.

So there's my top five literary valentines for you. Delphine actually threw in one in her blog that was from a movie, Obi Wan Kenobi as portrayed by Ewan MacGregor in The Revenge of the Sith and I have to say I am totally in agreement with her on that. That particular role made me fall in love with MacGregor as an actor and with Obi Wan as a character. It is not easy to make a stuffed shirt like Obi Wan sexy, but MacGregor somehow managed to pull it off, and whatever lingering reticence I might have been having about being a Star Wars fangirl was completely quashed when I realized that while watching The Revenge of the Sith for the first time.

Other honorable mentions include:
Oz the werewolf from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (he is just cool in every sense of the word).
Charlie Weasley from Harry Potter (a British ginger who loves dragons? I mean, come on).
Alistair from Dragon Age: Origins (a cute, super sweet, slightly naive, prince in disguise with a wonderful sense of humor and all kinds of loyalty and courage to boot? Um, heck yeah.)

So, who are your imaginary valentines?

Progressions

We're still snowed in here in Texas, sigh. It started snowing again last night. It is, in fact, still snowing. Baby Girl's music class was even canceled today. The thing with snow (and ice) in Texas is that in most cases, the day after we get any kind of frozen precipitation, by the time the sun comes out the temperatures have already risen back up to above freezing (even if it is only a degree or two) and stuff melts during the day. Sure what's left usually freezes over again when night falls once more, but after a day or two of this cycle, it's all gone and things get more or less back to normal. This week, however, the temperatures never got back up out of the twenties, so nothing melted. This has resulted in general mayhem, almost a full week of snow days, and severe bouts of cabin fever.

I did brave the roads yesterday to go to the grocery store, and I was very, very careful (though there wasn't much I could do about the idiots tailgating me except to go even slower than I was already going). It all went well, and now we are stocked up. I have to say, I was severely tempted to purchase one of the electric blankets the store had prominently displayed near the entrance--until I saw the $64 price tag, that is. What is up with that? Electric blankets can't really cost that much, can they? That's got to be someone taking advantage of the current situation, surely. Anyway, hopefully by Monday we can get back to the regular routine.

I've been spending a lot of time with my husband over the last week (he has been working from home and his trip to Boston was canceled), which has mostly been nice. It took us a day or two to get used to each other again. The other day I was playing my video game during nap time while he was in the office as well. At dinner that night, he told me he was going to play some of his game that night, seeing me play mine had made him realize he hadn't played in over three weeks, and got him wanting to jump back in.

We've been doing that sort of thing to each other for years now, since long before we were dating. One of us will be watching a television series or movie, or reading a book series, and it will get the other one interested in picking it up as well, or remind us that there was something else we've been meaning to try.

I have long credited my husband with getting me hooked on science fiction, and I stand by this. Granted, in junior high and high school I did watch SeaQuest and Quantum Leap, but that had nothing to do with either being a science fiction series. I watched SeaQuest because Jonathan Brandis was in it, and there was a talking dolphin. Quantum Leap because it was about time travel and because that was something my family enjoyed watching together. But actually enjoying science fiction for the science fiction aspects of a product didn't occur until college, when my not-yet husband placed a copy of Ender's Game in my hands and made me promise to read it. I did, and I loved it, and I then consumed all of the other books out at the time (and most that have come out since) in that series and its parallel series focusing on the character of Bean.

Clearly I was open to idea of science fiction, but it was my husband who helped me along the path to becoming a true fan of the genre.

But then I started thinking about fantasy. Usually we lump science fiction and fantasy in together without even thinking about it, but they really are two separate (though compatible) genres. (Though some of the really good, nay, best, stuff blends the two together.) I joke that my husband got me  into all of that stuff, but when I actually sit back and look at the progression, I had already started to find fantasy before he came along and encouraged me.

Spring Break during my freshman year of college was an odd week. I didn't have a car, and my mom was in California, so I couldn't go home. I only had a part-time job and didn't want to ask for even more money so I could go party somewhere with friends, so I just planned to hunker down in the dorms for a week and enjoy not going to class and having a fairly quiet campus. Then a friend told me his uncle had a cabin a little ways outside of the metroplex and a few friends were going to just go hang out for the weekend, and invited me along. I decided I needed to pick up a new book to take along and dropped by the campus bookstore. Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince book caught my eye (dragon on the cover, the word dragon in the title, you get the drift) so I picked it up. I don't think I ended up reading the book on my trip, but once I did start to read it, I had returned to the book store to pick up the rest of the series before I was done with the first book. So that was actually my first real foray into the world of fantasy novels.

I enjoyed the Dragon Prince and Dragon Star books enough to look for more in that section of the bookstore, so at the end of the year, I also picked up a book by Kristen Britain called Green Rider. I read it that summer and I think I polished the thing off in about two days. That is one of my personal favorite series of all time. The fourth book in the series came out this week, and my husband can confirm I squeed like nobody's business when I opened up the package from Amazon.

The next summer, I had heard that a trilogy of movies based on The Lord of the Rings were in the works. I was somewhat familiar with The Hobbit, but had never read any of the books. But when I heard that Liv Tyler and Elijah Wood (both favorites of mine) had been cast in fairly major roles, I realized I had better get up to speed fairly quickly. So that summer I read The Lord of the Rings and, well, wow. (Okay, before you go and get all indignant that I got into LOTR because of not just the movies, but two actors in the movies, don't. It was enough to peak my interest in the trilogy, certainly, but I did it right and read the books first. By the time The Fellowship of the Ring came out I was already quite well versed in Tolkien's world, and I fully appreciate the books and the movies for what they are, and both of them are awesome in their own ways.)

Coming fresh off of that, you can imagine I was susceptible that fall when my not-yet husband was telling me all about a British YA fantasy series his mother had been teaching in her classes that he had read and thought I would really enjoy. So I eagerly let him press the first four Harry Potter books on me, and then proceeded to gobble those up. I mean, seriously, I remember going out to see Hubby play in his band, then coming home from the bar and curling up in my dorm room closet with the door shut and the light on so I could keep reading, because my roommate was asleep but I had to find out what happened next. Craziness.

Imagine my delight that Christmas when my mom gifted me with a hardcover set of the first four Harry Potter books! I don't think I had told her about them, and she saw them and picked them up for me on a whim. That was one of the most awesome gifts of awesome ever.

Seeing his success with the Harry Potter books (and then Ender's Game shortly after that), the next semester my not-yet hubby felt I was ready to try out his true fantasy love--The Wheel of Time.  I think, if you read this blog with any regularity, or know me outside of this blog, you know how that turned out.

So while I did manage to stumble on to fantasy by myself, and while maybe I would have eventually discovered how awesome science fiction is, I still owe a debt of gratitude to my husband for broadening my horizons in those genres. I mean, if he had never gotten me interested in that stuff, I might never had discovered Stargate, and I think that would make me a far, far less happy Cori than I am today.

Ah well, that's enough introspection for today, I suppose. I blame the cabin fever, really. I hope you have a lovely weekend, and that you stay warm, wherever you are. If you watch the Super Bowl, feel free to curse the Steelers and Packers for bringing their darn winter weather to town with them.

Finally, don't forget to check out this week's new Gronk. Katie is back, huzzah! I wonder if monsters have to worry about cholesterol?

Real Life Crossovers!

I have mentioned before my love of fan fiction, and I think I have also said that one of my favorite aspects of fan fiction is the possibility for crossovers--when characters from one show or franchise appear on a totally different show or franchise.  It's fun stuff.  Every once in a while we'll get those on actual television shows, but usually within shared universes (the various Stargate franchises, Buffy and Angel, Torchwood and Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane adventures).  In fan fiction though, you can have The Sentinel and Stargate, Firefly and Star Wars, Harry Potter and Star Wars.  I once read a massively epic fan fic that retold the entire original trilogy as if Harry, Hermione, and Ron had somehow gotten sucked into the Star Wars universe just as the story was getting going.  It was pretty freaking spectacular. 

Anyhoo, I like to think of "real life crossovers" as events where I can take two completely different aspects of my life and mix them up with each other.  I am talking, of course, about genre-inspired crochet and knitting projects!  I have quite a few in the pipeline for this year, so I thought I would tell you what's coming up!

First up, after I finish my current crochet project, is, of course, the Doctor Who scarf.  Even if you are not too familiar with Doctor Who, you probably know about this scarf, as it is rather legendary.  Fourth Doctor Tom Baker's costume included a ridiculously long scarf made up of many colors (and different kinds of yarn, I think).  There are many stories about how this scarf came into being, and there were several different versions of it over the course of his time as the Doctor.  There are many websites devoted to recreating this scarf.  It is a nerd knitter's badge of honor to make this scarf.  Many Whovians (fans of Doctor Who) teach themselves to knit specifically to make this scarf.  Many then fall in love with the craft and continue to knit ever more while some, regrettably, do not.  The pattern I would like to make is based (color scheme and length) on the original scarf, that appeared in two episodes. 

You can check out the pattern for the one I am going to be making here:  WittyLittleKnitter's Season 12 Doctor Who Scarf

The yarn for this scarf actually came yesterday, and I was so excited!  Well, most of it did.  The box was full to the gills and was actually one skein short.  But I mailed the site and they responded that they would get the missing skein out to me right away.  I am not overly stressed about this, because I have a sneaking suspicion that whoever packed the box just chose one a bit too small and accidentally left the last skein out without realizing it because the thing was so darn full.  I would probably be more annoyed if I wanted to start the project immediately, but I am working on something else right now, so all is well.

The other Doctor Who project I would like to do this year is also by WittyLittleKnitter (her handle is actually a Doctor Who reference).  She whipped up a lovely lovely pair of TARDIS socks.  The TARDIS is the Doctor's time-traveling space ship (it stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space).  One of the reasons I wanted to teach myself to knit was so I could make the Doctor Who scarf, I'll admit it.  But the other was so that I could make socks.  So this works out perfectly.

You can see them here:  TARDIS socks

I will probably wait until later in the year (once I've got some other knitted socks worked up) before I try this pattern, but it is definitely in the queue.

Doctor Who is of course not the only genre I will be knitting (or crocheting) in.  After the scarf is made, my next genre project is to crochet some (several) amigurumi Super Mario Brothers mushrooms.  I can think of several children (and grown-ups) that need these, and they seem like they will be a quick and simple little project.  If I get ambitious, I may attempt to modify the pattern to make a giant one as well.

WolfDreamer's Mario Brothers Mushrooms

Then I will jump back to my Browncoat roots to make Jayne Cobb's hat from the episode of Firefly titled "The Message."  This hat, that appeared on screen only briefly, has come to be just as big a nerd badge of honor as the Doctor Who scarf, actually.  My goal is to get this done before June, when Browncoats the world over celebrate Joss Whedon's birthday with charity screenings of the movie Serenity, because I will totally wear it to that.

The Jayne Cobb Hat

Of course, what kind of Star Wars fangirl would I be if I didn't make some amigurumi for that fandom?  Etsy seller Lucyravenscar has patterns available for many different characters, and I purchased this set of ten.

Star Wars Mini Amigurumi

I am most keen to make R2D2, a stormtrooper, Yoda, and an Ewok.  Once I get the stormtrooper pattern down, I may play with it a little to make my own little stuffed Omega Squad from Republic Commandos.  Just because.

My last genre project will probably definitely not get done this year, but I do think I want to start trying to plan it.  I had toyed with making this in crochet, but it just didn't seem feasible--but I think knitting might make it possible.  What I want to make is a blanket that has on it an accurate depiction of a Pegasus Galaxy stargate (from Stargate Atlantis).  There are different versions of the gate for each series (explained as basically different generations of the same tech, like the different generations of iPods), and I am, of course, partial to the version from Atlantis.

Here's a shot of the gate activating:  Stargate Atlantis Gate Dialing

The thing that makes it so complicated is the glyphs around the inner wheel of the gate.  There are 39 or 36 symbols, and you dial a combination of six plus your "point of origin" symbol to make a connection to another gate.  Each symbol is a representation of a constellation.  That is going to take a lot of planning, and graph paper.  But the color-work possibilities on knitting might just allow for this.  Also, I would probably want to make it with the "puddle" or vortex in the middle that you get with an active gate, and that will be tricky.  I am going to need to find the right variegated yarn or the right combination of two colors worked at the same time to pull that one off.  But I think it can be done.  If I can make that, well, I will consider myself queen of the knitting nerds--at least in my corner of the world.

Heck, I didn't think I would be able to get my Yoshi blanket done in nearly as much time or awesomeness as I did, and look how that turned out:

Yoshi Blanket by Cori 2010 (crochet)

Baby Girl approves.

It is amazing what a determined nerd/yarn-crafter can do when she puts her mind to something, isn't it?

Have a great weekend folks.  Don't forget, new Gronk! Today's guest strip features nap-time teamwork! 

Looking For The Right Voice

I have been reading the Harry Potter books to my daughter for a while now.  At bedtime, we get through about half a chapter, sometimes a little more, a night.  We're up to Order of the Phoenix right now.

I know that she's way too little to really understand what is going on in the story, but she still seems to enjoy the time.  It helps set up the bedtime routine for later on down the line, and it also shows her that the big books without pictures can be just as interesting as the card books she plays with every day.  Also, the earlier I can get her to soak up and develop a love for Harry Potter, the better.  I am enjoying this time as well, especially because I know it is short-lived.  It is only a matter of time before Baby Girl realizes how much better her daddy is at reading stories to her (he does the voices remarkably well, a task at which I usually fail spectacularly) and demands that he be named the official Story Reader of the house.  But for now this is our time, and I am loving it.  Also, it gives me a chance to read through the Harry Potter books yet again, and that's never a bad thing.

But in reading these books to my daughter, I have discovered a couple of things.  The first is that I am pretty sure these books really weren't meant to be read aloud.  While the narrative is incredible, Rowling's sentence structure and overall narrative style doesn't lend itself to the translation from page to voice.  Part of this is because with the way she writes it is ridiculously easy to get caught up in the scene, carried away with what is going on, and you want to read at the pace of the characters.  Doing this aloud leads to all kinds of tongue-tripping craziness.  These books are meant to be devoured in large chunks at a time, while you are curled up on a sofa, under a blanket, with a nice cup of tea, lost to the rest of the world.  Which leads me to the second thing I have discovered.

I want to write like J.K. Rowling does in these books.

I don't mean that I want to write YA, because I really don't.  But I have noticed that while I am reading Harry Potter, I feel like I am in the room with these characters, experiencing what they are experiencing as it happens.  That's because in addition to telling (and showing) us what Harry, Ron, and Hermione are up to, Rowling also takes the time to slip in what is going on over in that other corner (Fred and George testing their Skiving Snackboxes on a group of first years, perhaps), or maybe down that corridor over there behind them (Mrs. Norris eying Lee Jordan suspiciously as he walks to class with his hands shoved firmly in his pockets and a mischievous smirk on his face).  The reader gets the sense that while we are going through the story with Harry and his friends, they are not the only people in this world.  Very rarely does Rowling have the trio secreted in a private dining room where they can talk about their plans in complete assurance that they won't be overheard.  There is always a risk of an eavesdropper at Hogwarts, always the chance of being interrupted.  Interruptions are as likely to come from a well-meaning friend as from a malicious foe.  As a result, it feels so much more natural than most stories do.  So much more real, despite that it is set at a school for witches and wizards. 

She also has given these stories the most amazing voice.  Despite the heavy and dark nature of the overall story, or perhaps because of it, she manages to keep a lighthearted tone throughout.  These people are just silly, and in the best way possible.  Just as I read through the scenes in which Harry is in grave peril wanting to bite my nails and both hesitant and anxious to turn the page, I read through other scenes trying to control insane fits of giggles, often failing.  Because, well, goodness, who doesn't laugh out loud when Neville causes a brief distraction by turning into a canary?

I don't know why, but something about the silliness strikes a chord in me.  It makes the scary stuff more real, somehow.  It also manages to give a sense of truth to the characters.  They seem to react more naturally to the events that occur around them.  That voice, that balance between preposterous and real, that is something I want to capture in my own writing.  I'm not really convinced of my own brand of humor enough to try to be funny when I write, and often my characters are coming up against some heavy, end of the world sort of foe (which is a crutch I rely on far too much and am trying to be aware of and avoid).  I think, no, no, being silly just wouldn't fit.  But then I read Rowling and I think to myself, maybe it can.

At the very least, in Rowling's books I have a fine example of stellar world-building and the use of humor to infuse some reality into a very unreal situation.  I doubt I'll ever quite capture lightning in a bottle the way that she did, but that won't stop me from trying.  Sometimes that's all you can do.

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Howdy folks.  I am gonna try to keep this as non-spoilery as possible for movie (and book) seven.  Anything that came before is fair game though.

Let me just start off by saying that I really, really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.  I really thought it was just fantastically done.  I am tempted to say that it is my favorite Potter film so far, but, I am not sure that would be fair to do, since I haven't watched the others since the release of Half-Blood Prince.

(I will note that I fully intended to rewatch all six Potter movies before going to see the new one.  It just didn't happen.  I blame USA, they brought back Psych and Burn Notice and made my DVR explode just a little bit, and I really just didn't have the time.  Also, probably, NaNoWriMo might have something to do with that, as I haven't been able to just say, "you know what, I think I'll watch a movie during naptime today" this month.  Sigh.  But what are you gonna do?)

While this clearly wasn't a 100% faithful adaptation from book to film (and let's be honest, no one actually wants that, regardless of what they might think), it was still pretty darn spot on.  More importantly, it kept in line with the slightly altered universe that the previous movies have established quite well.  For example, in the books, Harry met Bill Weasley at the Burrow before the Quidditch World Cup, but in the movies they have never been shown to meet until the start of Deathly Hallows.  This meant there was an introduction, that for a lot of people might have seemed out of place.  But in the movie-universe, it was actually essential.  It wasn't drawn out, and I thought it was handled very well, so it didn't even bother me.  As I said, the film managed to stay nicely within the version of the Harry Potter universe that the other movies have created.  I bet a lot of fans won't understand that, and were annoyed that Bill introduced himself to Harry, but, well, you can't please all of the people all of the time, I suppose.

(As I was typing that last bit, I realized that Charlie Weasley is also introduced to Harry in book four, and was also left out of the film.  In fact, to date, Charlie has yet to make an appearance in any Potter film.  My first reaction to this realization was outright indignation, as Charlie is my favorite of the Weasleys.  Upon reflection, however, I think I might be okay with this.  The second he appears onscreen is the second my dream of him being played by Seth Green (who does play him in my head when I read the books, and yes this is a parenthetical inside of a parenthetical, deal with it) is shattered forever.)

Overall, Deathly Hallows Part 1 is about showing that Harry has grown up, and he has accepted the burden placed upon him by Voldemort the day the Dark Lord killed his parents but failed to kill him.  The first six films set up the world, showed us the worsening situation, and laid out the path that Harry must follow.  In this film, Harry starts to truly take his first steps down that path.  With Dumbledore gone, Harry must lead the effort to fully destroy Voldemort once and for all.  But he cannot do it alone, no matter how much he might want to protect the people he cares for.  That is another big part of this story, Harry learning to accept the help he needs, and inversely, his friends realizing the costs of helping him in this fight, but doing so anyway.

Deathly Hallows does give us a few good action scenes, certainly, but this is a quieter film than a lot of people will be expecting, or at least hoping for, I think.  Part 1 is the calm before the storm.  It's as much about learning how to accomplish what needs to be done, as it is about actually doing those things.  Yes, there is a lot of time devoted to the camping in the woods part of the book, but I really feel like that was handled quite well.  And I'm sorry, but to all of the people who want to gripe about that part of the story (book or movie), maybe you think it is boring, but it is still important.  Harry at the start of Deathly Hallows is simply not ready to go charging after Voldemort.  The challenges he faces in those months of isolation with only Ron and Hermione, trying just to figure out what the hell to do next, those are crucial moments in this story.  To skip over them would be to do this tale an injustice.  I feel like these three young actors, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, did completely amazing work throughout the film, and with that material in particular.  Without them, this movie wouldn't have had half the impact that it did.

I have seen two primary complaints about Deathly Hallow Part 1 floating around since reviews started appearing, and I would like to address those quickly.

The first, and perhaps most valid, is that this film is going to be incomprehensible to anyone who hasn't read the book before going to see the movie.  I am not completely sure I agree, but I can understand where that is coming from.  Despite all of the information given to us throughout the previous films, a lot from the books still ended up being left out, and quite a bit of that turns out to be important in book seven.  So some things only vaguely touched upon in previous movies, or never mentioned at all, come back here and are presented as if they are something that the audience should already be intimately familiar with.  For example, the mirror given to Harry by Sirius in The Order of the Phoenix, was, as far as I can recall, never even mentioned in the movie version.  But in movie seven, Harry is frequently shown looking at it (and occasionally we see that someone is looking back).  Those who haven't read book seven would, understandably, not really know the significance held by that piece of mirror, or the fact that Harry seems to be seeing someone else looking back from it.

I personally had no trouble following anything, but I have read the book.  I don't think there was too much going on to be inaccessible to the non-readers in the crowd, but I could be wrong here.  Although, I have to day, I have a really hard time believing that there are that many people going to see this movie who haven't by now read all of the books (or at least read through book six if they prefer to see the movie before reading the book).  My brain just doesn't comprehend how someone could watch any of the movies that came before and not want more right that instant.  It only seems natural that they would then go seek out the books.  But, maybe I have a skewed perception of reality there.

The second big complaint I've seen is that there was no point in breaking up book seven into two movies, and, furthermore, that doing so relegated Part 1 to not really being much of a story on its own merits.  There, I have to very much disagree.  To maintain even the level of detail given in the previous movies, one movie was not going to be able to handle everything going on in book seven.  As I said before, this part of the story is very much about Harry getting ready to face Voldemort.  Not just making preparations and finding horcruxes, but actually psychologically readying himself for the fight that is to come.  Part 1 shows us that story admirably, and leaves room for Part 2 to be about Harry as a man of action, giving us the final preparations and then the glorious final battle itself.  I felt like the final conflict of Part 1 is a very important part of book seven that is often overlooked because of what comes so quickly afterward.  Splitting up the book where the movies have done so is an excellent way to give that set of events the importance that they are due.  I am not ashamed to admit I was crying during the end of this movie, I certainly felt the weight of what had just happened.  And the very last scene?  Absolutely perfect.

A few of my favorite (non-spoilery, of course) bits of the movie were:

1. Noticing the multiple teapots in the tent while our heroes were in the woods.  I love that Hermione's preparations including making sure that they would have the necessities.  And by necessities, I mean tea.
2. The way that the story of the Three Brothers (and the meaning of the Deathly Hallows) was presented.  I don't want to spoil it for you, but it was done in a really cool and spectacular fashion.
3. Bill Nighy as Rufus Scrimgeour.  He's not on the screen very much, but when he is, he OWNS that thing.  That was an outstanding piece of casting, folks.  
4. We get just a tiny glimpse of Neville beginning his ascent to awesomeness, when we see Voldemort's people stop the Hogwarts Express.  I'm very glad that scene was included.  It would be so easy to forget about Hogwarts during Part 1, and this scene not only showed us Neville starting to come into his own, but also reminded us that Harry, Hermione, and Ron aren't the only ones putting up a fight.

My only real gripe, per se, it's more of a lament really, is that we don't get to see Harry's farewell with the Dursleys.  That was a truly touching moment as it was written in the book, and I wish we could have seen something more of that on the screen than what we were given.

At this point, really, I don't think there's anything left to say except that July can't get here fast enough.

Word Count Update: 40,184 out of 50,000

Today's Word is Enthusiasm

Well, I am officially on vacation.  So far, so good. 

Last night's show was completely awesome.  I didn't realize that it was actually a fundraiser to benefit the Make A Wish Foundation.  That totally made up for all of the sorority girls.  Actually, they weren't that bad, I just get grumpy looking at all of those mini-skirts and high-heels.  For some reason they make me unaccountably angry.  But, um, that's probably a foray into my psyche best left unexplored, I am sure. 

ANYWAY.  The show.  Yes.  It was spectacular.  And I don't say that just because my husband was playing bass for two of the three bands.  Calhoun was in fine form.  It's been a while since I've seen them, and I had forgotten how much I truly miss going to see live shows.  That used to be such a big part of my life before I became a hermit.  Also, I really need to get an iPod adapter for my car so I can listen to my ridiculously huge library of music more.  As I was enjoying my absolute favorite Calhoun song, Dead Days, it struck me that it would be absolutely perfect for one of the end of episode music montages on Stargate Universe.  So would Welcome Mat, for that matter.  The music montages have been one of the more controversial changes to the the Stargate format ushered in by SGU, but I could totally be on board with either of those songs putting in an appearance.  They fit the mood of the show, I think, and I could see either of them being appropriate to wrap up any number of things that could happen on the Destiny.  (Fun fact:  Calhoun did actually have a song appear on a season two episode of Chuck.  It was The Earth Has Lost Its Hold.)

The Frontier Brothers were also pretty spectacular.  I only remember seeing them once before, and I had completely forgotten how freaking enthusiastic they are.  Folks, have you ever seen a performer live that, however talented, just didn't suck you in because he or she seemed completely bored with what was happening?  Okay, this was the exact opposite of that.  It is so clear that these guys are having an absolute ball up there on stage.  They were just so stoked to be playing for us, and that in turn made their already pretty awesome songs about a hundred times better.  They are relocating from Austin to New York early next year, these guys are dedicated to doing the rock star thing (which is another important trait for any aspiring artist).  So if you are in Texas, you really should catch them while they're still here, and if you're out east, well, you've got a real treat headed your way.  My only disappointment in their set was that they didn't play The Robot Song.  But my husband informs me that has long since been retired.  I guess that's okay though, because all of the songs they did play were pretty awesome-sauce.

As it is Friday, don't forget to check out the new Gronk.  I'm not gonna lie to you, folks.  If you are a cat owner, and sometimes wonder why, today's strip explains exactly what's going on there.  Go.  Enjoy.  Give Katie Cook lots of love because she is awesome.

On a slightly more serious note, speaking of girls in the realm of Star Wars, this mom's blog made it's way around the interwebs yesterday.   It seems her daughter, in the first grade, recently was bullied by some boys in her class for carrying a a Star Wars water bottle to school, because Star Wars is "for boys."  Well, we all know that's nonsense, of course.  Thankfully, there is a happy update to the blog.  The female Star Wars fans have been commenting on the blog in droves in support of the little girl, Katie, and telling her that she is not alone and to be proud of who she is.  Her mom has been sharing the comments with her and they have been a big boost to her self-esteem and to her Star Wars pride.  If you've got a few minutes, and you're a female Star Wars fan, can I ask that you go leave a supportive comment for Katie?  As a girl who has always leaned toward the tomboy side of the spectrum, I feel for this little girl.  If we can help her be proud of who she is just by sharing our love of Star Wars with her, then I am all for that. 

In another serious topic, Brit Mandelo over on Tor.com shared a link to Hal Duncan's It Gets Better Video, which takes a more realistic approach at trying to reach LGBT teens who are feeling isolated, and in all probability, angry, about the treatment they receive simply for being who they are.  Be warned, the language is pretty strong, but it's worth a watch, check it out here.  The circumstances that led to the creation of the It Gets Better Project sadden and anger me greatly.  But the fact that it does exist now is a good, good thing. 

Now, back to happier thoughts.  My husband and I are off to see the new Harry Potter movie in a couple of hours.  I can't wait!  Hopefully I'll have a review up for you on Monday.  Now, go forth and have a fantabulous weekend!

I'll take it, 'cuz it feels like a win. 

Austin Bound!

That's right, kids and kiddos, in just a few short hours my husband and I are heading down to Austin, TX for a long weekend, and I am super stoked.

This is my first time to be away from Baby Girl overnight, ever.  So, in addition to being stoked, I am a teensy bit nervous as well.  But mostly the first one.  My super wonderful and spectacular mother-in-law not only agreed to watch her namesake while we're out of town, but she's also staying at our house with Baby Girl so her world isn't completely turned upside down by Mommy and Daddy disappearing for a few days.  This has the added bonus of solving the "who will take care of the kitties while we're gone?" conundrum as well.  Double score.  Have I mentioned that I love my mother-in-law oodles and lots?

I may have mentioned before that in addition to his really cool day job, my husband is also a gigging musician by night.  This is actually the reason we're going to Austin.  Occasionally he sits in on bass for the band The Frontier Brothers.  They are, to say the least, an interesting group.  Let's just say that Austin is the perfect place for them.  No, seriously, they're really good, I'm just still scarred by the first time I saw them, when the drummer played in a flesh-tone one piece skin-tight body suit.  That kind of thing sticks with you.  They are really nice guys though, and they asked if my husband could come down and play with them on Thursday and Saturday.  So instead of driving down to Austin Thursday afternoon, driving back Friday, then driving down there again on Saturday, he decided he would just stay for the weekend.  And then we got the idea to make it a couple's getaway. 

Since he was already going to be down there, he also got asked to play with Calhoun tonight, another band that he sits in with occasionally, who is playing the same gig with The Frontier Brothers.  This is super awesome news for me, because while I get a kick out of The Frontier Brothers, I love Calhoun.  I haven't gotten to go to one of my husband's gigs in a while, and this weekend I get to seem him play two.  I am really looking forward to it, provided I can stay awake for the shows, that is. 

In a happy coincidence, this happened on the weekend that the new Harry Potter movie comes out, and he has Friday night off!  So, while we're down there, we're also going to go see that.  We've already got our tickets.  Y'all, I haven't been to a movie with my husband since before my daughter was born.  Of the four whole movies I've seen in the theater since she came along, two were by myself and two were with a friend of mine.  So this is a pretty big deal.

Also on the plate while we're down there, besides a lot of relaxing and enjoying each other's company, and possibly going shopping for clothes (because that is for some reason how we roll), I am also planning to do two things:

1. Get a buttload of writing done.
2. Read most, if not all, of Towers of Midnight.

I am going to miss my daughter like crazy, and I have no doubt that I will be fighting the urge to call and check in on her a whole freaking lot.  But this is going to be pretty awesome.

In writing news, I think I finally figured out the actual sequence of events leading to the end of this story, which is awesome, since I've broken 30,000 words and that means it's time to start moving them toward the finish.  I had a vague outline, but now I actually know specific details, and that's super nice.  You guys, I just might be able to do this.  I am already thinking about next year's NaNoWriMo project.  It's gonna involve space ships.  I am debating, once November is over and I get into the actual editing/revising process (probably after the start of the year, which is disturbingly close), on whether or not to share my story on this blog.  Like maybe once a week I'll post a chapter.  I dunno, I am still kicking it around, but that might be coming your way.

Hey, did anyone watch Human Target last night?  I am so glad that it is back!  That was my favorite new show of last season.  Funnily enough, it was another of those shows that I totally wasn't going to watch at all.  The preview promos showed a lot of Tricia Helfer in the first episode, which tempted me, I'll admit, but it wasn't until I found out that David Nykl (Zelenka!) would be guesting in the first season that I decided to give it a try.  And I am so glad that I did, because not only did it blow me away and suck me in right off the bat, but the slew of guest casting that this show had in its first season was absolutely phenomenal.  I mean, imagine my surprise one Wednesday night earlier this year, when the preview for the next week's Human Target showed up, and Kavan Smith was featured all front and center!  Sure, he turned out to be the bad guy, and then, well, dead.  But still.  You know how I feel about any show that involves Kavan Smith.  And that was only the tip of the awesome casting iceberg.

I am pretty sure I should never be allowed to go to Vancouver.  I don't think I would want to leave, which is a shame, since I would probably be forcibly evicted for stalking half of the actors working there. 

Last night's episode kicked off season two extremely well, I have to say.  Plus, the stunt casting is already underway with not one, but two awesome actors.  First, there was the addition of Indira Varma to the show as a new member of the team.  I first noticed her in the short-lived 3 Lbs. but after that she started popping up in pretty much every show I watch.  It's crazy.  But a good kind of crazy, since I totally adore her.  I knew that she had been added to the show, but I did not know that Tahmoh Penikett was also guesting in the first episode of the season!  I was so happy when he walked into the room!  Of course, (spoilers!  highlight the block text to read!) I knew right away that his character was either the bad guy or was going to get killed before the end of the episode.  He was a good guy, but also a little stupid, so that meant he got killed.  Sigh.  I was kind of thinking, well, at least he wasn't the bad guy, after all, but, maybe if he had been, he could have been set up as the season's big bad.  I would have been totally down with that.  Oh well. At any rate, the new season status quo has been established and I am super geared up for more!  Also, can I just say that I love Guerrero?  He is awesome.  Yay for the return of good television!

Word Count Update: 33,455 out of 50,000

Oh, and don't forget to check out the new episode of Riese out today!  Click here to watch.

I Reject Your 3D, Sir

If you follow the entertainment world at all, you've probably heard by now that the upcoming Harry Potter film, The Deathly Hallows Part 1 is not going to be released in 3D as originally planned.  

HUZZAH!!!

Oh, thank God.  Not that I was going to see it in 3D anyway.  My husband and I would have hunted down a 2D showing.  But the thing is, Warner Brothers had already been working for some time on trying to convert the film to 3D.  I mean, the release is just over a month away, you would think they would have gotten that taken care of by now, right?  But it was taking too long, and no one was happy with what the converted film looked like.  So, instead of pushing back the release date, which would have just been evil, someone somewhere made the executive decision that it was okay to say, "Look, we screwed up.  This film isn't going to work in 3D and we really don't want to delay the release, so let's just go ahead and launch it in 2D only, okay."  This is a level of common sense heretofore unseen in Hollywood, at least in this century so far.  

Okay, yeah, economically, it maybe seems like a bad idea, because Warner Brothers already spent a lot of money on trying to convert the film that they are now just going to have to eat.  But, this is a Harry Potter movie we're talking about.  As Flick Filosopher said in her reaction to this news, "Deathly Hallows could have been performed by sock puppets and it still would have made a fortune. But now it’ll make a slightly smaller fortune."  This movie is going to make a ton of money no matter what.  On this one, they can afford the loss of the wasted conversion attempt.  

As someone who finds this growing compulsion to release every major film in 3D absolutely appalling, I am taking this news as the victory it is.  Look, I get that 3D means more money for everyone because it means higher ticket prices.  I would love to see some sort of comparison about how much extra profit is gleaned from those higher ticket prices after the actual cost of making the film 3D is taken into consideration though.  For some films, 3D can be a great asset.  Coraline utilized 3D extremely well, and while I didn't see Avatar in 3D, I understand it was another film that was accentuated with the enhancement.  But the majority of the films released in 3D are not actually filmed in 3D, and are only later subjected to a (costly and timely) conversion process.  And in those cases, it is completely unnecessary.  It doesn't add anything to the film but a few extra dollars to the ticket price and a greater chance of headaches for the audience.  If you're not going to bother to film your movie in 3D, then it probably doesn't need to be seen in 3D.  I saw Up in 3D, but honestly, afterward, I wished I hadn't bothered.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved Up, it was fantastic, but the 3D didn't add anything to it, and having watched it several times on DVD, it hasn't lost anything at all just being seen 2D.  

The 3D craze annoys the bejeezus out of me because it is not an artistic movement among filmmakers.  It is just a cash grab by greedy studios.  So I am ecstatic that I won't have to hunt for a 2D showing of the next Harry Potter film, and I hope its inevitable success at the box office will maybe give other studios some reason to realize that a film doesn't need to be 3D to be awesome.  And maybe they'll at least think a little bit more carefully about each forthcoming film before slapping some 3D on it.  I don't really believe that will happen, but I can hope at least, right?  

The fact that Warner Brothers seems to be going full-speed ahead on converting part 2 of Deathly Hallows isn't too reassuring, but considering it is essentially just the second half of one very long film, maybe the problems they had with part 1 will keep cropping up and they'll scrap the plans to make that one 3D as well.  Maybe?  Well, fingers crossed anyway.  

You can read the rest of Flick Filosohper's write-up on the news here.  

John Scalzi also had a good write-up on the subject, which you can find here. 

In other fun news, the 25th anniversary DVD set of Back to the Future will include some previously unreleased footage of Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly.  Apparently they filmed 5 whole weeks with him in the role before deciding to switch to Michael J. Fox.  Wow.  It's kind of, bizarre.  Check it out here.