Morris Ups the Ante - Challenges Palin to Charity Dinner with Progressives for $200,000

Calling out Sarah Palin! PROVE to us that you actually HAVE a heart, that you CARE about people other than yourself, and that you actually ARE in some way coherent! Otherwise, I'll be forced to continue to believe as I do that you're nothing more than a spineless, pathetic, miserable, weak sack of feces that is bound to spontaneously combust in the very near future.



Woman up and get behind your words, Sarah! Better yet, do it for this wonderful cause!



Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/akmuckraker/morris-ups-the-ante---cha_b_299526.html
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

How Compatible Are You with Vampires?

Find True Blood at LocateTV

"I Remember"

This was another journal from my Poetry class, and I decided to share it here...

Journal #4 "I Remember"

"I remember there was mist/swirling mist upon a vast glassy lake/there were candles all around/and on the lake there was a boat/and in the boat/there was a man…" Those lines haunt my ears every time I think about Phantom of the Opera. I see the passion, the love, the devastation that follows in the rest of the story just thinking about that, and those memories… Well, they just make it into an even bigger deal.

How can anyone not see the curiousity there? That innocent curiousity, which as we all know can be devastating… It's a reminder that heartbreak and betrayal are easy, and can happen in the blink of an eye.

It's a common theme everywhere, and the fandoms I find myself involved with all seem to deeply deal with it.

What is it about betrayal that becomes sensual in the darkest of ways? Why are people drawn to committing actions that hurt and betray others? I'm not talking about a physical hurt, just a deep emotional one, like the stabs of the ancient Grecian dagger against the ribs, leaving scars on both skin and bone.

Many people seem drawn to that pain when they witness it coming from others - so much so that it almost seems like they live from the misery and pain of others.

Where does that come from?

We all have to deal with it, so why do some people gain pleasure from such horrible things while others don't?

I think that may be part of the draw of the gothic genre. That darkness coming from one person to another as it flows off the pages of the book and stings you, the reader, straight in the heart.

Is it just that the pain makes us feel more alive? Or is it that such pain, whether experienced in real life or through the feelings of another (even a character from a book), allows us to better see the joy in life as well? How fine a line is there to cross between despair for the sake of being depressed and despair for the sake of realizing how good you actually have it?

I remember being on both sides. I hated one, yet I'm drawn to the other. It's scary. And I want more than anything to let all of that out of my system. I don't want to enjoy others pain, even if it reminds me that I have a great life regardless of my opinion on each particular day.

Is it just that everyone needs some negativity to focus on, or are we as humans in NEED of that sweet anguish?

I wish I knew the answer to that, because I bet I'd make a lot of money if I wrote about it and got published. *snort* At least in my head, that sounds like a good idea… Not sure how well it actually translates to real life though.

My Night... (Includes Info about the Season Finalé of True Blood)

My night has been great and heart-wrenching...

First, it was great because I got to spend some quality time alone with my dad, but it was only because we drove my car down to my grandmother's house so that he can catch a flight tomorrow morning to get back to DC. But then again, any personal chat time is a good thing with him, because I have an easier time talking with him when we're just one on one.

Then, I had to leave him and drive home alone... NOT fun! I HATE driving the 405 at night!

After that, when I got home, I sat down and watched the season 2 finalé of True Blood. And what a finalé it was! I LOVED the episode for the most part, but HATED the ending! It was so completely heart-wrenching that I still have tears in my eyes from it! (However, I'm not going to spoil the ending here.) Let's just say that it makes an EXCELLENT cliff-hanger leading to season 3, but at the same time I just didn't want it to happen like that, and I'm sure that my theory about who the "bad guys" are for season 3 will end up being proven true.

My theory... Well, let's just say it involves a certain vampire calling on another to kidnap another vampire and torture said vampire...

Either way, I think I'm not gonna sleep until I rewrite the ending of that episode to the ending I want, then I'll go to bed... Yeah, I'm actually that depressed by the ending! Is that pathetic?

Nathan Barr's True Blood Score Signing at Dark Delicacies

Today has been a REALLY fun day so far! After yesterday's trip to the Santa Monica Pier and Bubba Gump's (a favorite of Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer's, or so my waitress told me) for lunch (in honor of my sister's birthday), I really didn't think that my weekend could be better...

It turns out that I'd forgotten that I had plans today! I went down to Burbank, to my favorite bookstore, Dark Delicacies, where Nathan Barr was doing a CD signing of his new True Blood Score CD. I arrived early, and had a GREAT time! Nathan was very open, and answered my questions about working on True Blood, whether or not he'd have a cameo again, how he got involved with True Blood and Alan Ball, etc.

It was very informative, and Nathan's producers/managers were also very cool. They also answered the questions I asked. All in all, EXCELLENT experience, and I'd happily go do it again!

Here's a couple pics!





And here's the signed True Blood Score cover:



However, the Nathan Barr signing isn't the only one who had a signing today... Bear McCreary (of Battlestar Galactica Score fame) was signing the season 4 score for BSG, and I chatted with him for a bit as well! He's a total sweetie, and REALLY cute! (Same goes for Nathan Barr!)

Here are more pics:







I really wish I'd seen more people there at the signing, simply because it was so much fun!

Sharing a BRAND NEW Music Video!!!!

Hey all! My FAVORITE band, Temposhark, just released their newest music video for a single from their new album, which won't come out until early next year...

It's called "The World Does Not Revolve Around You" and since I enjoyed it so much, as well as the message that the song provides, I just had to bring it here and share it with all of you!

Temposhark - The World Does Not Revolve Around You from EQ Video on Vimeo.

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Please leave comments telling me what you think so I can pass that information on to the band!

My Random Moment of Happiness Today!

Sooo, today I happened to notice Darren Hayes had posted a cute little Twitter post... the one below (reminder: to read what was said, click on each image for full size!):



Naturally, I had to respond:



Then, the REALLY cool part: Darren RESPONDED TO ME!!!! *bounces up and down and squees*




So I was bad, and I responded again:




Yeah, that's kinda my big happy moment of the day, and I'm just LOVING it!!!

My Second Time on Wii Fit...

Ok, well, it's technically four days since my last run on the Wii, and I'll tell you now it's because I'm so sore from the way Wii Fit makes you work your body! Of course, it's tons of fun, as I've mentioned previously, but still...

Anyways, today was my second time. I went through the process again of being weighed, having my BMI checked, etc... It was actually pretty cool! See, when I was weighed today, I discovered I'd lost 2.4 pounds!

2.4 LBS IN JUST 4 DAYS! Wooo-Hoooo!

Well, after the excitement, I realized that in just 4 days, my habits have already started changing. I have dropped my soda intake by at least 50% (this going months back because I realized that soda really isn't a benefit to me), I'm eating less, snacking less, and when I snack, it's on healthier alternatives, though nowhere near where I should be yet... (But I'll get there eventually.)

Of course, after I got weighed and everything, I had to work out... So I did about 21 minutes of exercises that I (mostly) hadn't done on my first try. New stuff I tried included a couple of yoga poses and some strength training... *sigh* I have a feeling that I'll be REALLY sore tomorrow!

Oh, and before I forget... I also did almost an hours worth of Wii Sports prior to getting on the Wii Fit train... Oh YEAH I'm gonna be sore tomorrow!

And New Dreams Keep Coming...

Once again, I woke up from a nice dream and remembered it. This one is particularly special to me because it involved my grandmother, who passed away last December.


In the dream, it was the holiday season, and I believe it was Hanukkah (though Christmas may have been going on at the same time)... Either way, it was the holiday season and some random member of my extended family was having his Bar Mitzvah. I barely remember sitting through the service, but after it was over, everyone got out of the temple service room, then went outside to another area, then up the stairs to the second floor of another building.

Once there, my entire family started exchanging gifts. The weird part was that I really didn't recognize some of them... And I at least recognize my family for the most part, even if sometimes I can't remember all my cousins' names...

However, the weirdest part was my uncle giving both myself and my little sister a present, saying it was from my grandmother, and she'd want me to have it. I turned the envelope he handed me over so I could see what was written on the front. I instinctively noticed that the writing was NOT my grandmother's (even in my dream I knew that she was non longer with us), but after looking at it, my sister, who had been on my right side moved, showing another person in my peripheral vision. I ignored that person for a moment, turned the envelope back over, and opened it. As I did, the person in my peripheral vision stepped closer to me. I stopped pulling the card out of the envelope, and turned to that person.

It was my grandmother. I instantly lunged over to her and gave her a giant hug, which she immediately returned. I can't even describe how great it was, or how comforted I felt. I also told my grandmother that I missed her, and she responded in kind, before telling me to open the card, and I deserved everything that was inside.

I did as she asked, and inside the card was a bit of money, which is a great thing because I really am cash-strapped in real life right now.

Soon after that, I woke up again, feeling unrefreshed, and missing my grandmother, but at the same time I felt comforted, and I knew that she had really been there, telling me that she loves me and is still watching out for me.

At the very least, I'm going to continue to believe that, because I know that were she still with me on this plane, that's exactly what she'd be doing.

Day One on the Wii Fit...

Ok, today starts a new part of my life... My seriously taking on the challenge to slim down a little bit... So I started today on Wii Fit...

Let's just say it didn't quite go as planned, and made me pretty upset. First off, you always get weighed, and your BMI is measured... Let's just say that neither was what I expected... It was higher! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Well, I tried it out, and I did eventually get 30 minutes of exercise done. Hell, my sister even got me to RUN! If you know me, you know that running and I are NOT friends. But somehow, I managed to get it done! Five minutes of jogging! I'm impressed by myself!

After that, I cooled down by playing the hula-hooping game! SOOOO much fun!

Well, I expect after all that, I'll be tired tomorrow, so I think I may wait a day or three before I do it again.

"I Should Have"

This was a journal for my poetry class, so it's very close to my heart... Please keep that in mind as you read.

Journal #2 "I Should Have"

I should have not let Andy go. I should have fought harder to prevent the loss of our friendship. He was my best friend, the only guy who REALLY knew me. I should have realized when he stopped wanting to hang out that something was wrong. I should have looked to see what his eyes were saying. Were they full of pain? Were they weary? Were they wary? What would I have seen if I'd just stopped for a moment, and not been so selfish and all about me?

In those last few months before we dissolved our friendship, Andy would always say he loved me, and I'd respond in kind, thinking that he meant close friendship, nothing more. Did I read him wrong? Did he read me wrong?

It's hard to blame either one of us singularly, but I can't help it. Does he still feel the pain of not having someone to talk to like we talked? Was I replaced instantly or not? There is no replacement for Andy. He was everything I was not, and then some. We laughed together, fought hard, smiled together, thought it was hysterical when we were confused for brother and sister…

Can that relationship really be over so quickly just because someone had to say goodbye?

Did I hurt Andy? I would never do it intentionally, unless we were fighting, but we had known parameters of how far that would even go. Was he in love with me? I remember still the days we spent over a month of weekends curled up together watching The 10th Kingdom. He laid on my favorite pillow, and demanded that I use him as a pillow. I remember that damned smirk on his face as we continued to pause and laugh at scenes in the movie while discussing them. I remember the comparison between him and one of the characters in the movie… I found the character attractive, but, as I laughingly told Andy, him not so much, probably because I'd known him too long.

*sigh* I should have realized that all good times come to an end. I wish I'd seen the signs beforehand. Instead, I'm left clutching each memory of the taunts, the fights, the laughs, the smiles, the hugs… And still not over him.

Someday, I'd love to go out on another random drive with him. Not really going anywhere, just a drive to wherever the road takes us. I remember the silly street names we'd call out, then the exits off the freeway. I remember laughing over getting lost, and how finding our way home again took almost the entire night. Those memories fill my head almost all the time.

Hell, Andy's taken over my mind. I can no longer read my favorite poem without thinking that it's talking about me and Andy.

To quote said poem, "If I should meet Andy after long years, How would I greet him? -With silence and tears."

Tears for the lost time, tears for the pain, tears as I try to find enough voice to ask him what really happened. And how would he respond? I have no idea. But if he approached me, would I even have enough left inside me to open my mouth and turn sound into words?

Andy has moved on. Why can't I?

A (Very) Belated Yarnworks Update

Hey guys... I've still been working on my yarn stuff, just not so much and with less time available to me, I haven't been posting about what I've accomplished recently.

So, here's a quick update:

For my big blanket that I'm working on, I now have 26 or 27 blanket squares completed, and I'm over halfway done with another. When I get a chance, I will take pics of all my new ones, and I'll put them in the blog, backdated to approximately when I finished them.

I'm still working on my pillows and pillowcases... I gave one to Anna Paquin for her birthday, and she loved it. I just finished another pillowcase today, and when I get a chance to (probably Tuesday), I'll add a picture to this post so you can see it.

I'm also working on another new pillowcase for the moment.

For now, school's just started for me again, so I'll take what little time I can, and I will be posting about my yarn stuff again whenever I can. Same goes for regular blog posts, which will probably be more often so that I can use them to my advantage in one of my classes.

I Dreamed A Dream...

I just woke up, and I remember having the most awesome dream last night!

In it, my home was part of some sort of hotel, and Hugh Jackman and his awesome wife Deborrah-lee Furness were staying there! I'm not entirely sure of all the details, but somehow I knew they were there, and I actively searched them both out.

I found Deborrah-lee first. I called her over, and I started telling her about how big a fan I was of both hers and Hugh's. She responded very politely, and we discussed some of her work. I remember directly telling her how much I loved her short film "Standing Room Only" and her shock when she realized I'd seen it, as well as a large grin on her face when I blushed, looked down and mumbled that I'd seen almost everything Hugh had ever done.

Right before my conversation with Deborrah-lee ended, she sat down on the side of my bed (somehow we were in my room), leaned over me, then kissed my forehead. It was a motherly gesture, and a very comforting and much appreciated one.

Well, now that I'd found her and KNEW she was there, I figured Hugh had to be there as well, so I stared searching for him. At first, I didn't find him. It was highly disappointing, and reminded me of a conversation I held with a friend a long time ago about how if you see one celebrity you like, you're probably not gonna see another one unless you're on a movie or film set or something.

However, that happily did not turn out to be the case in my dream. Instead, I heard him talking with someone, so I ran in the direction of his voice. He was in another room, the door wide open. I knocked on it and was given permission to enter.

From there, a very long, wonderful conversation was started. It began with me introducing myself, and telling Hugh was a huge fan of his I was. He smiled back and told me how nice it was to have fans like me. All the basic polite chitchat led to us discussing characters he'd played, what he thought of them, etc. The part I remember most from the conversation that was in the room was me asking him about Wolverine as he was in X-Men and X2: X-Men United, and the relationship with Rogue. I specifically asked him how Wolverine REALLY felt about Rogue, and his response, as I remember it was:

"I think Wolverine loves Rogue. She's the first character within the movie series to make him feel like he's worth something, not just a loner and brawler. He actively checks up on her in the first film, worried about the companion who in only a few moments made him care about someone besides himself. After all, remember how desperate Logan was to save Rogue at the Statue of Liberty..."

I ended up cutting Hugh's comment off to ask him what he thought about a Wolverine/Rogue relationship that included being a couple. Hugh made a comment about liking the idea, and thinking it would be cool to work with Anna Paquin again, but I don't remember anything else from his response.

Then, Hugh turned the conversation around on me, and started asking me questions about my goals, what I wanted to accomplish, etc. I remember specifically telling him that my major goal in life was to become an Oscar-winning Screenwriter and Director, and someday a mother.

Hugh responded by telling me a highly clichéd line: "Don't give up on your goals, and someday you'll get there."

I think I raised my eyebrow at him before continuing my response about how I'd love to have him in a movie of mine someday, possibly playing a young grandfather or a father with 20-something kids and teenagers. This ended up with Hugh giving me a giant bear hug! (And boy did that feel great!)

All during this time, Hugh and I were walking along, and somehow we ended up on a train together, still talking, with Deborra-lee a few rows behind us, rolling her eyes at our conversation and laughing lightly.

The conversation on the train turned towards Hugh once more. I asked him about the lunch he had with Miley Cyrus about some movie that they were supposed to costar in. I asked Hugh why he would risk his career like that.

I didn't get a response about the career risk, but I did get a response about the Miley issue. Hugh said that it had only been an idea, and he wasn't going to do the movie with her (and then grinned as I sighed in relief).

Unfortunately, I don't remember any more of the conversation I held with Hugh, but I remember that my stop on the train had come up, and Hugh and Deborra-lee BOTH hugged me goodbye and said that they hoped to see me around New York again, which means that I must have been somewhere in New York, though I don't know exactly where. (The area around me was completely new to me, even though I've been to New York many times before...)

The last thing I remember from my dream is seeing Hugh and Deborra-lee waving to me from the train as it continued on its way out of the station.




Quite the interesting dream, huh? I wonder what it means for me in the long run, as I believe dreams have deeper meanings than just what we see and remember in them. Of course, that's nothing to say of the frustration when I woke up and realized my dream wasn't real... Let me know what you think of this! I'd love to hear some opinions on the meanings of the dream!

The Scary Future of the United States...

It's obvious. Many people just don't care about politics, and the country they live in. This is especially true in the current political environment in the United States. The largest group that NEEDS to get with the picture is people my own age, the current youngest voting bloc. Most people I know from school did not vote in last year's presidential election. In fact, some of these people, who have been able to vote for years BOAST about how they've NEVER voted before! That's really disgraceful, especially since these people are the ones who are most frequently found bitching about whatever they hear "reporters" tell them about what's going on with things like health care, town hall meetings, the stimulus package... Anything they can think of. And then, they become the "dittoheads" we as a country should NOT listen to! They have nothing to add to conversation, and the only information they have is talking points that have been hand-fed to them.

It's scary. VERY scary. I mean, even I've tried to keep my mouth shut about this, but reaction to my proclamation to my friends the other day about the death of Ted Kennedy was met with blank stares, and questions of "who's that?" THAT IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICANS! They have NO freakin' clue as to what's going on politically, and they don't care! It's one thing to not know who Ray Bradbury is (and that is another issue I have with these same people), but to know NOTHING about the current political state of affairs and then just repeat what you hear with no evidence to back your statements up is just WRONG!!!

HOW can America as a country prosper and get back to her older strength if the masses are uninformed? It just doesn't work!

Ray Bradbury's 89th Birthday!

I WENT TO RAY BRADBURY'S 89TH BIRTHDAY!!! It was AWESOME! Basically, it was a signing at a bookstore in Glendale, CA, and I went with my awesome godmom Wendy! It was fun, and I saw a few other writers besides Ray. Plus, it was Wendy and Wendy time, and that's always a great thing! My godmom ROCKS! She's one of the most interesting people I know (same goes for her friends), and the way she shares experiences like the signings I've gone to with her are incredibly special to me. I treasure each one!

That being said, I do have a few pics to share. Some come from my camera, others come from my godmom and her friends, which I got and share here (with permission) via facebook.

Here are mine:


Me and Ray as he signs my copy of Fahrenheit 451...


Me and Ray again, just after he'd finished signing my book...


My Godmom Wendy and Earl Hamner, Jr.

As for the pics I didn't take:


Earl Hamner, Jr., My Godmom Wendy, Me, George Clayton Johnson, & Jackie Estrada...

A New Update From My Favorite Band!

Temposhark, one of the best bands to pop up in the last several years, has just posted their first single from their sophomore album at ArjanWrites Music Blog... Yes, it's an exclusive there, and the title of this blog post links directly to that posting...

Now, a little info about this new single, which is AWESOME!!!
• 1. It's called "The World Does Not Revolve Around You"
• 2. It's not what you'll expect it to be.
• 3. It has to be heard to be believed.
• 4. I'm making sure you all get to listen to it, so I'm posting the link to the site HERE as well!

So, please take a listen and let me know what you think! That way, I can forward your (hopefully nice) comments about the song onto the band, which you can follow on Twitter. They can be found @temposhark


BTW, PLEASE BE SURE TO VISIT ARJANWRITES FOR THE BEST COMMENTARY ON TEMPOSHARK'S NEW SONG!!!!

Another Sherrilyn Kenyon Signing!

Today was the third stop on Sherrilyn Kenyon's "Bad Moon Rising" book tour (and by the way, an EXCELLENT read for fans of the series!), and today's stop was the only signing I'm able to attend. This year, instead of being at my favorite bookstore Dark Delicacies, the signing was held at the Buena Vista Library. VERY nice place! There were a lot of people there! I ran into a ton of old friends/fellow Kenyon Minions while there, and had a ball discussing Sherri's books and more recent plot points with them!

I got there around 4 pm, about an hour after most of my friends had arrived, looking forward to great seats and seeing everyone else. I immediately looked for my friend Seri, since I see her very rarely, and luckily for me, there was a seat in the row in front of hers which I was able to take so that we could chat while awaiting Sherri's arrival.

Luckily for everyone present, Sherri was early, along with her friend and fellow writer Dianna Love (another very talented woman), so the "chat" prior to the signing started early. (And even with that, I lucked out. I was #36 in line for the signing, and there were at least 115 people in the audience who were getting books signed!) Sherri made everyone in the audience laugh with her comments about the books, the stories she told, etc. Plus, her back-and-forth with Dianna was pretty hysterical too! Sherri talked a little about upcoming books (mostly to the effect of "Well, such-and-such thing WILL happen... EVENTUALLY!"), a little about a couple of her other series, and then just "sparred" verbally with the audience! Let's just say that there's a reason people "heckle" Sherri, and it's NOT to be negative! It's to promote open, easy, REAL conversation between the fans and their favorite author. In fact, the heckling ended up leading to some pretty amusing stories!

Yes, it was great fun, and even better because I got to see Sherri so quickly after Comic-Con! This is now the second year where I've gone to Comic-Con, hung out with Sherri there, and then less than a month later seen Sherri again! Last time, it was for the end of arc 1 of the Dark-Hunter series, and the book for the main character, Acheron. This time, it was for a book that travels throughout previous books, only from a point of view that wasn't available then. Fang Kattalakis is QUITE the hero in the book! It was so worth buying the book on Tuesday (the release date aka 8/4/09), then returning it and buying it again for my place in line at the signing!

Of course, now I won't see Sherri again for another year, but somehow, I think I'll survive, seeing as Sherri is such a wonderful woman, and I had so much fun when I saw her today at the signing, and a couple weeks ago at Comic-Con. Plus, I can keep in touch with her via my Akri Erin!

The News of the Day

Today is a pretty big day for a couple of reasons. First, it's my mom's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I LOVE YOU! Second, two of my favorite celebrities got engaged!

A little info about my mom's birthday... It's pretty hard to shop for her, since she really likes jewelry, but has rings for every finger (except a pinky ring or two), TONS of necklaces, earrings, etc... And she's a rather discriminate tv viewer that really doesn't believe in buying tv shows on DVD (the only exceptions being Animaniacs and Rocky & Bullwinkle).

So, this year, my even more discriminate father asked me and my little sister what we thought our mom wanted. I immediately piped up with "A Wii and Wii Fit!" My sister countered, saying she hadn't heard mom talk about it in a while. However, I pushed and pushed on this until my dad and I went to Costco a little later. There he sighed and gave in, grabbing a Wii and Wii Fit for my mom, though he still questioned my motives for wanting it. I won't lie; I do want those as well, because I REALLY like Wii Sports, and my sister and mom like yoga and want the Wii Fit for it...

Basically, this is a HUGE deal in my household because my family has been intensely anti-gaming systems for as long as I can remember. So, I'm still not sure how it happened, buy my mom got the surprise of her life in getting the Wii and Wii Fit from us as a present, and we're already taking advantage of it! I'm so glad that my mom loves her new toy MORE than I do!





As for the second bit of news....


CONGRATULATIONS TO ANNA PAQUIN AND STEPHEN MOYER! News is, they've gotten engaged for real! After the previous hoax, I'd had my doubts, but since it's now been said on the news... I'm gonna believe it to be true!

After meeting Anna and Steve at Comic-Con, even though it was a very quick thing (since it was at the True Blood signing), I really believe they're in love. Both Anna and Stephen looked at each other and just GLOWED when they were signing items and talking to fans! Plus, it seemed to me that they were being rather "touchy-feely" behind the privacy of the signing area. (Let's just say it wouldn't surprise me if they were playing "Footsies" with each other out of view of the fans and everyone!)

I'm gonna guess that this is a real relationship, and that it's gonna last. For me, as a fan of both, I just want the two to be happy, just like how I feel about my friends and family.

So, *raises imaginary glass of wine* Congratulations and Good Luck to you both, Anna and Steve! May your lives together continue to be showered with love and happiness and respect for each other and TONS of passion!

And again to my mom, Happy Birthday, and I love you!

Comic-Con: Thursday Edition

Today was a GREAT day at Con! I'm really tired, but it was an excellent day. I got up really early for pretty much no reason (we're talking 6:30am)... Just hung out in my cousin's apartment until he got up and we left...

Once we got there, I went right over to Sherrilyn Kenyon's booth, and once again enjoyed seeing Erin and the rest of the crew Sherri brought with her (Kim and Ed, I LOVE you guys! Sheri, same goes for you too, though I didn't see you as much...) After that, I ran around. I went to about 20 minutes of a panel for an animated movie coming out next year called Quantum Quest... The animation I saw was STUNNING! I may not have known what the movie was originally, but I'm definitely interested now.

For that panel, I skipped out pretty quickly, since it was an hour, but I actually was running to the panel my awesome godmother, Wendy All, was on. That one was at 12:30, and again, I wasn't able to go to the whole thing, but this time it was because I had to check in for my volunteer work, which was really boring. But back to the panel.... It was Comic-Con in the 70's, and actually very interesting, from what I saw... (I did learn something completely unrelated to it though... I need to get a tripod for my video camera... I'm apparently pretty damned shaky when just taking straight film!) One of my favorite moments in the panel was when I was indirectly mentioned by my godmom... She talked about how she warped the minds of children, so I did what I do best, and responded directly to her statement, saying that I was grateful for her having warped me... I wouldn't be who I am without her influence. It got a laugh from the audience, and a huge grin from Wendy. Made my morning...

Unfortunately, after that, I had to run to my volunteer work. It ended up being me and another girl just standing outside in the direct sunlight for 3 hours, leaving both of us not feeling well, and rather irritated (with INCREDIBLY sore feet!)... No wonder we both sought out booth 1220, aka Sherri's booth... Of course, she was looking for Sherri, and I was more focused on my amazing akri Erin... Either way, I got a BIG hug from him, and it made me feel better, at least for a little bit.

I did end up staying there for a while, and I did run into Sherri (and her awesomely sweet hubby Ken, and her incredibly cute children!). So, I did what I most enjoy... I sat down at the seating which was luckily right across from Sherri's booth, then relaxed, letting my sore muscles take a break for a while...

Then I moved on. By now it was about 6pm, and I decided to search out the True Blood stuff, which I still haven't found. (However, this morning, I lucked out and got a special True Blood matchbook which says Fangtasia on it. It's one of only 200 in existence! I think it's my treasure from Con this year!) Instead of finding True Blood, I found another author I used to read a lot - Kevin J. Anderson. He used to write books in the Star Wars universe, as did his wife, and now he has the famous Dune series... He and Rebecca, his wife, were in a part of Con called "Artist's Alley." I spent a good hour or so there, just talking to Kevin and his wife about writing, and how they both got into it, then I got my cheap purse signed by both of them! It's pretty freakin' awesome!

After I left, I just walked around for a while before going back to Sherri's booth and just hanging out. I stayed for several hours, then went to Ballroom 20, where there would be a showing of Michael Dougherty's movie Trick 'r Treat. I got in early, and lucked into seeing the WORLD PREMIERE of the new animated Green Lantern movie! It was really good, lots of fun and laughs to be had, even though the movie was in all honesty pretty corny and very clichéd and predictable. Truth is, that movie wouldn't have worked any other way. I really enjoyed the movie, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has young children who like superheros.

After the Green Lantern movie was over, it was time for the Trick 'r Treat screening. I was really excited, since it would end at midnight, and midnight would mean that it was Friday, and officially Anna Paquin's birthday... I was really hoping to give her a birthday present (pictures to come in a later post), but Anna ended up not showing. Instead, before the movie started, there was a panel with the film's director, Michael Dougherty, and many of the actors from the movie, including Brian Cox.

Now that may not seem to important to someone like me who has an overactive imagination and holds a desperate fear of horror films, but to me this was a REALLY big deal, as Michael is one of the top dogs who penned X-Men 2: X-Men United, and Brian Cox played baddie William Stryker in X2. (And it should be obvious that Anna played Rogue in the X-Men trilogy though I STILL don't believe that X3 actually exists... But that's a rant for another day...)

So, I was more excited for the chance to see all these people who were involved with one of my favorite movies than any real particular interest in Trick 'r Treat (though I admit to enjoying the ironies of Anna Paquin playing a girl who gets killed by a vampire in Trick 'r Treat, then becoming the star of True Blood and playing a character who is in a deep and committed relationship with a vampire who loves her...)

Well, here's where I take a quick break from my typing, and post a couple of pictures from the panel... Where I was seated in the FRONT ROW Center seats of the room. Literally right in front of me is the panel seating...






This was really cool except for one thing... I was unable to sit through the entire film. And it wasn't because of my typical inability to watch horror films (normally I can't stand them since I have an overly active imagination and I get nightmares from such things)... Unfortunately for me, it was because I actually got sick, which sucks because I was really enjoying the movie! Yes, what little I did see grossed me out, but the movie was both scary AND incredibly funny! I was laughing almost as much as I was cringing! So, it really sucked to not see the final outcome of the movie!

Since I left early, I, along with my cousin Corey, took the trolley back towards SDSU. What we didn't realize was that the trolley stop we needed was already over for the night! We actually had taken a different route, thinking it'd be easy, but boy were we wrong. Once we got off the trolley at the stop, there were a couple of cops on the opposite side of the station, and we hailed them to ask about the line to SDSU that we needed. Once they told us it was done for the night, we walked up towards the street, and ended up at a BJ's Restaurant. Since they were closing down for the night, I had the guy cleaning the bar call a cab for us, and that's how we got back, well after midnight, to his VERY loud apartment!

It seems that while we were out, his room mates decided to have a party. Nice, and the people who were over were nice, but I was tired and wanted to go to sleep... It took a couple hours before that happened!

Comic-Con: Preview Night (Wednesday Edition)

WELCOME TO COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL!



Yes, today was Preview Night, and it was NOT what I expected in the least! First, it was INSANELY BUSY! There were SO many people there, it was almost impossible to walk! I luckily didn't have to work my volunteer hours on Preview Night, so that was good. However, I did sign in and set up for my hours of work for Thursday. After that, what do you think the first thing I did was?

That's right! I went over to booth 1220, where Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter® booth was located, and immediately saw my Akri there, along with Evyl Ed and Kim. I'd never met Ed or Kim before, and it was a pleasure to meet the two of them! Ed has an awesome accent, and it made me smile as I spoke with him. Kim was just a joy to be around. She has such a positive attitude! It's like being around Sherri. Regardless of how you feel, your spirits are going to rise being around Sherri and Kim!

I also ran into several old friends from previous Sherri signings, and that was just awesome. I'd forgotten how much I missed my fellow minions! It was great seeing them, and I'll enjoy seeing them all more throughout Con!