Starting My New Cosplay

Well it's already the end of June and I swore I wanted to have all of my cosplay outfits done by the end of June so of course now is the perfect time to start making them. First let me say that I have very little experience with sewing and cosplaying.. I mean I have cosplayed primarily as a Hobbit (Frodo/Bilbo) the past five years but I purchased everything and had my friend Greg create my Hobbit feet. I did have to alter the height of the pants and add button suspenders to them but that was pretty much the extent of my creativity.

This time around I wanted to create everything from scratch, or at least as much as I could. I am making a Twilek Jedi and modifying my Hobbit cosplay to include my favorite Hobbit Samwise.

For my Twilek Jedi I had to make (from scratch) the Jedi robes, tunic, shoulder armor and belt. I purchased pants, boots and had someone else make my Lekku. For my Samwise Hobbit cosplay I was using my previous Hobbit pants, purchasing a new shirt but plan to make Sam's striped vest that he wears early on in Fellowship of the Rings. I (or better yet my friend Shannon) found fabric that's looks almost identical to his vest from the movies. I also plan to create his backpack (including pots, pans and hot links)

My Jedi Twilek was my priority so I started with that. My friend Kimi mentioned that I should start by washing the fabric. I would have never thought of that. You wash it so if it shrinks it won't happen once it's all sewn together. It makes so much sense. After washing and drying it my friend Shannon came over to help me layout the pattern and start cutting material for my Jedi Robe. Shannon taught me how to read patterns and I have to say it's not easy. We laid out all the material, and pinned the patterns to it. We then started to cut everything out. This is a pretty tedious process and took about four hours. In the end we got everything cut out for the Jedi Robes. Next step is going over to Kimi's house for a crash course in sewing.. think I'll be doing that this week... stay tuned.

Lynda Carter on Supergirl & Star Trek Panic!!

Today they announced that Lynda Carter would be joining the cast of Supergirl as the President of the United States, it's a recurring character. I'm super excited for this as I adore Lynda Carter and I'm really enjoying Supergirl. If you don't know who Lynda Carter is then you probably shouldn't be reading my "geeky" blog, she's best known for playing Wonder Woman in the 70's TV series. Though she's been in a ton of movies and TV shows she will always be Wonder Woman to me.

If you're a fan of the game Castle Panic (which I am) they are coming out with a Star Trek version called Star Trek Panic. Here is more info from the website; Space…The Final Frontier. In this cooperative game, you will boldly go where no one has gone before, as you take on the roles of Kirk, Spock, and other crew members of the U.S.S. Enterprise. To complete your mission and win the game, you must work together to defend the ship from alien threats while you perform vital tasks and explore strange new worlds and new civilizations... sounds fun!! You can get more info and also purchase the game HERE.

Finding Dory - My Thoughts

After doing the mud run I came home and then headed out to meet up with some friends to watch Finding Dory. I've been super excited to see this movie since it was announced as I loved, loved, loved Finding Nemo, so I had high hopes for this one and I have to say it didn't disappoint. I wouldn't say it was as good as Finding Nemo but it was extremely entertaining. It has the same "feel" as the first movie and of course the animation was amazing. I'm a huge fan of Ellen Degeneres and Dory was one of my favorites from Finding Nemo. And I had to say "little" Dory was adorable, cutest thing ever. I really enjoyed some of the new characters and I'm glad we got to see some returning characters. The story is a bit far fetches but hey it's a cartoon that is entertaining. There were a lot of very sweet moments in this movie, especially between young Dory and her parents. I love that her parents never gave up hope that one day their daughter would return to them. This will definitely be a must buy when it comes out on Blu-ray. I give Finding Dory a solid B+

The Rugged Maniac Mud Run

Today I did my second "mud run" and it was called the Rugged Maniac, it was out in Temecula. I was doing it with my buddy Rob (from NerdStrong) and his family (dad, sister and her boyfriend) This is a 3.1 miles run with 25 obstacles. Our run time was at 1:30pm so it was hot, like 105 f hot. We jogged here and there but the majority of the time we walked along with the majority of the other people... It was just to hot to run. It was a lot of fun.. they had a water truck that would drive by you while you were on the path and spray a ton of water on you. Of course you dried immediately afterwards. There were so many awesome obstacles and there were a few that I attempted to do but failed, overall I was able to accomplish about 95% of them.

This experience was similar but different to the other mud run that I did earlier this year, The Warrior Dash. That had about half of the obstacles and they didn't allow people to roam around the grounds to cheer people on like they did here. The shower systems was much better here then at the Warrior Dash. The Warrior Dash had a large hosing off area that was way to crowded and the water pressure was horrible so people were removing the nozzles which would make the water pressure even worse. Here at the Rugged Maniac they had this large glass room that about thirty people would get into and then people from above would spray soap foam all over you and then wait a few minutes for you to wash up before turning on high pressure hoses and spraying you off. It was surprisingly efficient and got you really clean. I think the overall set up and organization was better then Warrior Dash... both were fun but I definitely prefer Rugged Maniac

I was going to type out all the different obstacles but instead I decided to just post pictures of each so you can get an idea of what we did.

If you want to read more about the obstacles you go check them out HERE. This was my second mud run and it was a blast (though hot). I will definitely be going another one of these in the near future.

Getting Drunk

After the horrible week I had (Orlando tragedy and Work woes) I put out there on Facebook that I was going to go to Idle Hour (a local bar in NoHo) to get drunk. I figured I'd get a few friends to join me but I never expected to get about 20 people to join me. It was pretty fantastic. I felt extremely loved and cared for. Everyone who came knew that I just needed to unwind and have a good time and they helped with that.

Got home from work and grabbed a quick shot of Fireball before walking over to the bar. The night started off a bit rocky as the plan was to sit in back and kind of eat, drink and hang out but I didn't realize that the place is like a restaurant Friday night and you have to be seated and can't just go where ever there is open seating. At first I put my name down for 12 people and as the party continued to grow it became more and more evident that we were not going to be seated so we actually hung out front in their little porch area. There was no seating but we did have high tables to set our drinks on. Everyone seems to be having a great time. I didn't buy a single drink as people kept putting drinks in my hand. About an hour in and I had already had that shot from earlier and three more drinks and I was feeling pretty good.

I like to think that I'm a fun drunk, I can get a bit loud but that's usually from the constant giggling. I had my friends Shannon and Jes look after me to make sure I didn't do anything stupid (well other then drunk tweet) which everyone seemed to love. They also made sure I ate something and drank plenty of water and at the end of the night Shannon and Brett walked me home and made sure I arrived safe. Gotta love my friends!!

In the end I accomplished exactly what I set out to do. Have an amazing time with my friends, lift my spirits and live life to the fullest because you never know when it might end.

Star Trek Risk & Serenity Color Book

I'm not a big fan of the board game "Risk" but I have to say this Star Trek Risk game looks pretty fantastic. I love that it's Captain's verses Captain's. Now you can really find out which Captain is best. You can check out all the details HERE.

This is a new trend.. coloring books for adults. I have several friends who say it's extremely relaxing. I've seen some books here and there but not until I saw that they were going to release a Serenity/Firefly color book did I even consider getting one. You can read more about the coloring book HERE... it's going to be Shiny!!

Pete's Dragon Trailer, New MASH Podcast & Real Life Minecraft

Today Disney released a trailer for the re-imagined Pete's Dragon. I watched the original when I was a kid and loved it. This new version isn't a remake (or at least it doesn't look like it from this trailer) but I'll see this at some point. I don't know if it will be in the theater or on blu-ray but I want to watch it.

Geekyfanboy Productions released a new episode of the MASH 4077 Podcast. This is episode 131, covering Season 6 Episode 9, "Change Day"

Klinger says he grew up over the weekend and is wearing his Army uniform. Potter is tickled; he cannot wait to laugh over the latest Lebanese lunacy...until Potter gets a letter that pertains to West Point. Colonel Mike Abrams at HQ announces Army scrip change (from blue to red) will take place the following day. The 4077 will be on "lockdown" at 1600 hours while scrip exchange takes place. An MP named Boone is in post-op; his friend, Sgt. Maxwell thanks Hawkeye and BJ for saving his friend's life. Maxwell offers to do them a favor any time. When Boone's $400 in old scrip goes missing, Father Mulcahy is outraged and blasts the camp from his PA pulpit. With a bit of luck and a lot of help from friends, the zany surgeons enact their own take on Scripture and give a brief demonstration of what the Lord will giveth and what the Lord will taketh away.

You can Download from itunes tinyurl.com/MASH4077itunes , listen on Stitcher Radio ow.ly/iZJIz or listen and get direct download from our main website MASH4077Podcast.com

My friend Maggie saw that I have been this week and gave me this picture that she colored last night... how sweet is she. Thanks Maggie, gonna put it up in my office so I can look at it and remember your kindness.

Last thing I want to share is this amazing "real life" Minecraft video. If you don't know what Minecraft is, in simple terms it's a video game where you build blockish type things. But it's extremely popular and a blast to play.. anyways someone create this live action Minecraft and it's pretty fantastic!!!

Uplifting LOTR Quote

So I woke up not feeling so great, not sick from illness but sick from sadness. More and more stories are coming out of the Orlando tragedy as well as text messages and voice messages from the victims that are just heartbreaking.

But I saw something on Facebook that did make me smile and brighten my day. It's one of my favorite quotes from the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers movie. It's the exchange at the end when Frodo is starting to feel down and is losing hope in all things. Sam is there to lift his spirits.

FRODO: I can’t do this, Sam.

SAM: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened. But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.

FRODO: What are we holding on to, Sam?

SAM: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

I tear up every time I read this.. it's just what I needed to get through another day. 

Re-Watching The West Wing

After the horrible day I came home from work extremely depressed so I plopped myself in front of the TV and started my re-watch of The West Wing. I haven't watched this series since it's first premiered many years ago. I have been wanting to do a re-watch for a while now, even considered watching it with my buddy Robert after we finished our re-watch/first time viewing of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but instead we decided to go with a Babylon 5, a series neither of us had seen before. But I needed something to get my mind off of the horribleness that has happened to The West Wing to the rescue and I have to say it really worked. I watched the first four episodes back to back to back to back. I would have watched more but had to be up at 6am for a workout.

Watching the pilot episode of The West Wing brought back to many amazing memories of this series. It really is one of my all time favorite TV series. I forgot how much walking and talking they did in this series.. I know it kind of became a joke but they do it alot. So happy I decided to do a re-watch. So many great episodes to come.. can't wait.

Orlando Tragedy

I woke up this morning to horrific news.. there was a mass shooting in Orlando Florida at a gay nightclub last night. Like with most news you get bits and pieces of news as the day progresses, first it was a few shot and killed then that number went up and kept going up. 49 people were killed, (50 if you include the gunman). When I heard the news my heart dropped and I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't know any of the victims but the fact that 49 people were killed at a place where you go for sanctuary, where you can be yourself and not worry about being made fun of or harassed. Such senseless deaths to such beautiful people. I was pretty numb all day at work as more and more info came out about the victims and the pain deepened.

So L.A. Pride was this past weekend and I planned on going as I haven't gone in over 10 years but for some reason I just wasn't feeling it and I decided to just stay in and chill this weekend. Well come to find out today that Santa Monica police detained a man who had explosives and other weapons in his car. When they stopped and questioned him he said he wanted to "harm L.A. Pride". Thankfully a concerned citizen noticed this guy being weird and called the police. She potentially saved a lot of lives.

Things like this really make you think about life, you really don't know what will happen from minute to minute. Places that you think you are safe and secure can become your tomb in a heartbeat. Life is short and you need to constantly remind yourself of this. Don't put off anything that you really want to do as you don't know if you have a tomorrow.

Planet Stamps

After a NerdStrong workout a group of us went out to breakfast as we usually do after a weekend workout. Today we decided to go to Harvest Moon which just so happens to be next store to a post office and when I was leaving breakfast I remembered that I saw some new stamps that I really wanted to get. They were the "Planet" stamps, they just came out and I'm a sucker for anything about space. I don't plan to ever use them, I got them more as a collector. So I picked up the set of the Planets (Mercury, Venus,  Earth, Mars,  Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Of course Pluto has been downgraded but since we got some amazing picture of her recently she's hot stuff again so they did a special set just for her so I picked that one up as well. 

Jay Leno's Garage Premiere Party

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending the "media" premiere party for Jay Leno's Garage season two. It was being held in the New York backlots of Universal Studios. It's always fun going to premeire parties and CNBC really went all out for this one.

It was alot of fun, some celebrities were there including Catlyn Jenner (who I got a picture with and man is she tall). Jay was there of course being his hilarious self, he did a Q&A with the press. He also brought along a very small portion of his car collection. There was tasty food and drinks all night. I didn't plan to stay long but wound up staying for about four hours. Everyone also got a Jay Leno's Garage denim long sleeve shirt. It was a pretty fun night.

National Best Friend Day

Today is National Best Friend Day so I want to give a shout out to my best friends. Yes I have multiple best friends (it's allowed). I have a handful great friends who are as close to being best friends as you can but there are a few that go beyond that to be called my best friend. It's funny as I always though best friends are friends that you have known for your entire life and if you have a friend like that.. that's awesome. But my best friends are fairly recent, within the last ten years of my life. They became my best friends because after meeting them their was this instant connection. We didn't have to try and become friends, it was as though we were already friends just waiting to meet. That connection happens so rarely that when it happens it's something special.

I have five circles for friendship, first circle is "Acquaintances", people I know (mostly online) I may have never actually met them before face to face but we enjoying chatting online from time to time. Second circle are "Friends" this is probably my largest groups, because if I meet you and you are nice, sweet, funny, kind, witty, and/or caring then you go right into that circle. Third circle are "Good Friends" these are people who I look forward to hanging out with and when we do it's pretty fantastic, this circle is fairly small. My fourth circle which is even smaller then my good friends is "Great Friends", those are the people that I go out of my way to hangout with. Being with them brings me such joy and I couldn't imagine my life without them in it. And then there is my fifth circle, my best friends, those are the few that I would do anything for, we can sit in a room and not say a word for hours and be perfectly content just being in each others company.

Acquaintances can become Friends and Friends can become Good friends, just like Good Friends can become Great Friends and Great Friends can become Best Friends, but Best Friends will always be Best Friends, even if we don't talk for years that person will always hold a special place in my heart.

Voted & Goonies Anniversary

Today I did my civic duty and voted. I voted for Hilary as I felt she had a better chance and defeating Trump. I agree with alot of what Bernie is saying but honestly the biggest issue I have at stake for this election is civil liberties. As a gay man I can't allow a Republican to get into office because if one does lots of civil liberties that Obama has secured for the gay community will be taken away. Besides that Trump is a bigoted, misogynistic asshole who can't win. I agree with 95% of what Hillary stands for and the fact that she would be our first female president would be a plus. I really can't believe how many people are supporting Trump. Just goes to show you how much "hate" these really is in this world... it makes me sad.

On a happier note.. today marks the 31st Anniversary of one of my all time favorite movies from my teenhood, Goonies. I was 14 when this movie came out and I instantly identified with the main character of Mikey. I must have seen this movie about six or seven times in the theater (and that's quite a bit since I wasn't able to drive yet). This is one of those movies that is still enjoyable to watch today even though I've seen it over 100 times by now. It's one that all young people should watch when growing up.

At age 45 I still consider myself a Goonie.

Recording My MASH Podcast

Today I spent a few hours recording six more of my MASH 4077 podcast. This podcast has been my most consistent podcast. I've released episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month since it started in February of 2011. We are just a little over halfway through the series (season six), which means we have another five or so years left of recordings and then whatever else we decide to do afterwards, ie movie, books, etc... Started off with two co-hosts but one left us about a year a go so it's just Meds and I now but we have a great time recording and we have been doing it so long that we have everything down to a science.

You can Download the podcast from itunes tinyurl.com/MASH4077itunes , listen on Stitcher Radio ow.ly/iZJIz or listen and get direct download from our main website MASH4077Podcast.com

SDCC Pro Badges & Minecraft Birthday Party

I got my professional San Diego Comic Con badges today. I was fortunate enough to get one for me, my brother and friend Caryn. I'm really looking forward to SDCC this year as I'll be introducing a new cosplay this year.. though I still have to start working on it.

Today I headed out to visit family and attended my nephew Kenobi's seventh birthday party. Lora, his mom went all out (as she usually does) to give him the best Minecraft themed birthday. They decorated the house and even made a Nether portal that you had to go through to get to the party. She made pix axes, swords, and Steve & Creeper heads from scratch for the kids. And the food and snacks were all themed as well. She even made an Enderman birthday cake. One of my favorites were the dirt/grass blocks made out of rice crispy treats... they were really tasty. 

Whenever my brother and sister-in-law have a party they go all out. They had an extremely large water slide that I did go down a few times.. there is video proof on Facebook :) Overall it was a fun day.. Kenobi had a blast and that's all that really matters in the end. Happy 7th Birthday Kenobi.

A Good Man

I like when they take people stories and animated them, I've seen a few in the past but I really like this one. This is from StoryCorps.. here's a quick synopsis: When he was a teenager, Bryan Wilmoth’s father kicked him out of his family home after discovering Bryan was gay. Homeless and separated from his seven younger brothers and sisters, Bryan learned to survive on his own and went on to become the loving force that reunited his adult siblings as a family. This short if called “A Good Man.”

Before and After

So the picture on the left popped up on Facebook memories, on my buddy Will's timeline and I almost fell over. It's a picture of me from June 1st 2012, this wasn't a great time for me personally as I had broken up about a year earlier from a long term relationship and I had been jobless for about a year so things weren't going so well for me. And believe it or not I still wasn't at my heaviest here. Though I hate this picture it's a good reminder I where I was compared to where I am today. I took the picture on the right this morning. Besides the thinning of the face what really interested me where my eyes, they are so much bigger and brighter now. Again at the time in 2012 I didn't realize how bad my weight had gotten.. it's not until you compare pictures side to side where you can really see the difference. I know that I'll never go back to that again, I may go up and down a few pounds but I will never let me weight or my health get that bad again. I want to thank all of you who have continue to support me in my endeavor to better myself and my health.

New MASH Podcast & My Nephew's Birthday

Geekyfanboy Productions released a new episode of the MASH 4077 Podcast. This is episode 130, covering Season 6 Episode 8, "In Love and War"

The Lins were like Korean aristocracy before the war; now, the remains of their estate is filled with their homeless friends and villagers. Daughter, Kyung Soon takes care of her mother, Madame Lin and the others; she hauls Hawkeye to tend to her mother, at Col. Potter's order, in a nicely kept automobile. Hawkeye gets the wrong impression until he sees the estate... and Kyung Soon in action. The 4077 gets a new nurse, Lt. Bobbie Gleason, fresh from Tokyo. She has the misfortune to mention a Lt. Colonel Donald something who flirted with her at her going-away party; Margaret is frantic it is her Donald and continues to plague the new nurse. As Col. Potter, BJ and Hawkeye drink, Potter tells Hawkeye love and war do not mix. But, Hawkeye has found a woman both novel and interesting. He refuses to take the wise 3 war, multi-tour veteran's advice. It is not within Hawkeye's nature to rebuff novelty.

You can Download from itunes tinyurl.com/MASH4077itunes , listen on Stitcher Radio ow.ly/iZJIz or listen and get direct download from our main website MASH4077Podcast.com

Born a month and a half early, my nephew Kenobi turns seven today, gonna be seeing him this weekend for his birthday party. Can't believe how big he is getting.. soon he'll be old enough to come hang out with his uncle Kenny for a weekend. I'm really looking forward to those visits. 

Harry Potter Dinner

After a particularly rough day at work it's great to be able to call up my friend Lauren and grab some dinner at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade (Universal Studio's Hollywood, Wizarding World of Harry Potter). Walking into that world just releases all the stress from the days activities. Sitting down in the middle of The Three Broomsticks with some good food and awesome Harry Potter music just immerse you into this amazing world and is extremely soothing. It also helps that I'm with my good friend Lauren who is also a big fan of Harry Potter and enjoy escaping into this world as much as I do.

After dinner we walk around Hogsmeade for a bit and then ride The Forbidden Journey and Flight of the Hippogriff before calling it an night and heading home. I'm so happy that I leave close enough to Universal Hollywood to enjoy this world whenever I like.