So the day is finally here and the time has come to see Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens. I'm seeing it at one of the better theaters in town Arclight Sherman Oaks. It's in 3D with ATMOS Dolby audio. I choose this theater because it has assigned seating (which is a must now a days) and I love ATMOS audio. I would have preferred to not see it in 3D my first time but the ATMOS theater was only playing it in 3D.
I got off work and headed to the theater a few hours before the movie was to start, I was meeting up with some friends. We grabbed a bite to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings before heading to the theater around 9:30pm to watch the 10pm showing.
Of course I was excited to see a new Star Wars movie but it really didn't hit me that I was about to actually and truly see a Star Wars movie. We were waiting at the doorway to the theater when the previous showing was let out. I have to say folks coming out were mumbling but not a single person was talking out loud or spoiling anything. Just to be safe I actually moved away from the crowd. Once they all exited we made our way in and found our seats.. I was excited but still not overwhelmed at seeing a new Star Wars. The previews started and I watched and anticipated the start of the film.
As soon as the LucasFilms logo come up and my heart started to race.. then suddenly the words STAR WARS and the oh so familiar music began and the tears started to roll. The scroll started and I was on the edge of my seat reading the words through the tears. It finally hit me.. I was in a movie theater watching a new Star Wars film... and not only was it a Star Wars film but Episodes VII... something that I had wished for for thirty years.. it was actually happening right now!!!
The next two hours and 16 minutes were a blur. I laughed, I gasped, I cried and I cheered at ever scene. I LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! I fell in love with BB-8, Poe, Finn, Maz, Kylo and especially Rey. It was great seeing Han, Leia, Chewie, R2 and CPO again. I loved every minute of it and was so happy that I went into it pretty spoiler free.
I knew that I was going to love BB-8 (from the previews) but it really surprised me at how much he tugged on my heart strings so quickly (After mere minutes I was thinking that I was going to get a BB-8 Tattoo next to my R2D2 tattoo). Poe was the same, from that very first scene you can tell he has a kind heart and cares about his droid and the Republic. Then we meet Rey and you just feel her loneliness and it endears you to her. Then when she has the opportunity to sell BB-8 for more food then she's probably seen in her lifetime but she refuses. It instantly shows you what kind of person she is. Then we have the scene with Finn rescuing Poe and their instant friendship... I can go on and on.
I felt Kylo to be a spoiled little brat who has amazing tantrums. He's obviously powerful but he doesn't have control over his emotions.. it's going to be interesting to see how he grows. Everyone knew that Kylo had to be related to either Skywalker or Solo so when it was revealed that he was Ben Solo it made sense to me. As for Rey I was pretty set by the end of the movie that she is a Skywalker, but as I thought about it more maybe she's a Kenobi (granddaughter), all I know is she is super powerful in the force and I can't wait to see how her character develops.
I was upset when Han died but honestly as soon as he started to walk out on that bridge I knew it was coming. After Han was stabbed and he reaches out and touches his sons face before falling into the core the tears started to roll but what really got me was when Leia felt Han's death and staggered down.. that's when my heart started to ache.
Needless to say I LOVED the movie and I'm super excited that I get to see it again tomorrow with my buddy John and since it's a PGA screening we will be getting a Q&A afterwards and unknown guests. And I'll be seeing the day after tomorrow as well.
This was well worth the 30 years wait.. thanks you Disney, J.J. and Lucas Films for fulfilling my childhood dreams.
So after episode seven all seems lost for this group of LARPers. I was interested in seeing how they would come out of this, would the group ever be the same?
First up was S2 Ep8 titled "Post Mortem". This episode really spotlighted the acting chops of these amazing actors. This episode was wall to wall dialogue and no action at all. But after last weeks episode I would expect nothing else. The first scene with Shane and Will was brilliant. It delved a bit deeper into both of the characters and we see a different perspective as to why someone LARPs. Will does it to hang with his friends while Shane does it to escape this world.
I've often wanted to LARP myself but being extremely shy has always held me back from doing so. I love Fantasy because I enjoy escaping into these magical worlds and I think my wanting to LARP comes from the same desire to escape this reality into a whole new one.. even if it's just for a while.
I really enjoyed the scenes with Brittany and Will reconciling their friendship and Kat and Shane comforting Arthur at his lowest low. These scenes were so well done, the acting was fantastic, the music was beautiful, the writing was perfect and the editing was amazing. I love the cutting between the scenes, both working off each other so well... I love it.
Next up was S2 Ep9 titled "TPK" The first half of this episodes deals with the aftermath of episode seven's fall out but this time with Evan who we did not see in the last episode. These were also the scenes that us fans have been waiting for... the coming together of Kat and Evan and it was as sweet and perfect as can be. They have been hinting at this attraction the past few episodes so it was nice to finally get a payoff on this one. Those two make an adorable couple.
The second half of the episode was in the LARPing world. It set's up for what I am sure will be an AMAZING final battle and episode of the season. I really liked the interaction between Brittany and Evan.. you can really tell these guys care about each other.
And finally season two finale "Chronicle". First let me say it's double in length almost a full 30 minutes but it feels like it's no time at all. I loved every minute of this episode but also "hated" it.. let me explain.
They team up with the "other" LARPing group, the Steampunk group we saw in an earlier episode. But that group had alternative motives and it's not good. I like the way this episode is edited together. We have "resting/staging" scenes cut between LARPing scenes. So you get these intimate moments among this battle scenes. Of course as it has been this entire season the acting is brilliant, the writing superb and battles are fantastic. So why did I say that I "hated" this episode.. well this is it.. this is what season one and season two was leading up to... and I never expected the ending that we got... it was devastating.
First we lose Shane in a blaze of glory, it's a perfect way for this character to go out but she's not going alone she takes hold of the evil King and they burn together.. it's pretty fantastic. Elizabeth Neale who portrays Shane was amazing, she has always been a favorite of mine.
Second to go was Arthur, his death was pretty uneventful.. I think the part the gutted me was Claudia's speech to him about killing everyone else and him being responsible. At that point you just hate this character and want her dead.
Third to die was the hardest because it was such shock.. Brittany (Corillia) and Will (Biff) are together finding herds, the camera is on Biff and you hear an intake of breath from Corillia. Then in slow motion Biff turns as Corillia falls to her knees and into frame with a knife in her back before falling to the ground. I was totally taken off guard by this attack.. didn't see it coming and I think that made it more of a shock. Of course Biff kills the man who stabbed Corillia in the back before dropping to his knees and taking Corillia into his arms. Their finale goodbyes to each other are heart wrenching, I cried as she died in her lover arms. Just typing that is making me remember the scene and it's bringing tears to my eyes.... so good!!!
Fourth to die was Evan's NPC character, he sacrificed himself to give Biff a little more time so he could destroy the 11th eye. The fighting was amazing.. it was truly a battle to the death.
Fifth to go was Kat, who like with Evan's NPC character pretty much sacrificed herself so Biff had a bit more time so he could destroy the eye.
And last to die was Biff but not before he destroyed the 11th eye and completed their quest. I wasn't a big fan of this character during season one but he has grown leaps and bounds and has become the real heart of the series.
So that it's.. every single one of the character dies and I am left broken hearted.
But it's not over. We get a great scene the next day with Shane and Evan making amends before a scene with the entire crew sitting around a table talking about their last adventure. Evan enters and they give him a present, it's their framed, now dead, character sheets. They talk about rolling new ones but Evan proclaims that it's over, that game has ended .. there's a beat before he pulls out new character sheets, everyone has one except Arthur.. cut to cityscape at night and we are introduced to Cyber Noctus and his team of hackers.
At first I was upset to see that the format of the LARPing group has changed.. it's no longer a Fantasy World but now has turned into some sort of Cyber punk world. I'm a huge fantasy fan and it's one of the main reasons why I started watching LARP's the series, now that's gone.. what's next.
I don't even know if they are going to make a season three but if they do I know I will support them however I can. Yes I may have come for the Fantasy elements but I stayed for the great writing, acting and fight scenes.. the characters are what make LARPs The Series fantastic. And I hope their LARPing adventures continue.
Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show did this really awesome musical medley of the Star Wars theme, it included Jimmy Fallon, his group The Roots and the cast of Star Wars The Force Awakens. It's pretty fantastic.
Tonight after work I headed to UPS to pick up what I figured were more screeners.
And I was right today I got The Reverent and The Peanuts Movie. I've heard lots of good things about The Reverent and Leo DiCaprio's performance... lot's of Oscar buzz about this film. I'm not a huge fan of the Peanuts, I mean I watched the cartoon specials when I was a kid but was never really crazy about them. I saw the preview to this movie and it looked cute but I knew that I would wait for Netflix to watch it. But now that I have a screeners I'll give a go.
Got another screener that I was really hoping to get.. The Good Dinosaur. This is a movie that I definitely wanted to see while it was in the theater but never had a chance. I'm a huge Pixar fan so I'm sure this is gonna be awesome.
After 10 months of wearing 25 year old running shoes at NerdStrong Gym.. I finally broke down and purchased a pair of brand new Nano 2.0 Crossfit Reebok shoes. I purchased them on black Friday so I got an amazing deal, 50% off the retail price. Well the arrived today and I loved them. Can't wait to do my first workout in them.
Warner Brothers released a teaser trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. If you are unaware of what this is, it's set in the wizard world of Harry Potter, 60 years before the Potter store. It's actually the story of Newt Scamander who wrote the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Which is standard reading at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This is the first of three movies based on this person and storyline. But let me warn you.. when they say this is a teaser they mean it's a teaser. They show very little but the music alone get's your pumped for this movie. I can't wait until we actually see the full trailer and really get an understanding of what this movie is going to be able.
Geekyfanboy Productions released a new episode of the MASH 4077 Podcast. This is episode 118, covering S5 Ep 21 "The General’s Practitioner"
General Korshak wants Hawkeye to be his personal practitioner, despite his constant snottiness. And Radar helps take care of a soldier's half-Korean baby after he is shipped back home.
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
Today they released the first Star Trek Beyond trailer. Other then the bad music choice I really enjoyed it. It got me pumped for the next movie in this new universe. I'm super excited that this will be brand new stuff, not anything we've ever seen in the Star Trek universe.
Well my excitement didn't last long as almost immediately the hate started to spew from all social media. And though I try and not let all the negativity effect me it always does. I just don't understand how someone can hate something so vehemently from seeing 2 minutes of it. But those two minutes has ruined the movie for so many people. As I said the music accompanying the trailer was a bad choice, but honestly that's all you can say about that trailer. Yes it was action packed and there were very little story or character moments and that's okay as this trailer was suppose to get you pumped for the new movie and I think it did exactly that.
I'll continue to try and not let other people's negative attitude effect my enjoyment of something and I know with practice I'll be able to tune them out completely.. I'm so looking forward to that day.
Got another screener today.. Concussion. I'm a big Will Smith fan but this might be a bit to dramatic for me.. or at least I need to be in a certain mindset to watch it.
I got tickets for my third viewing of Star Wars The Force Awakens. My first will be on Thursday December 17th at 10:00pm with a group of friends at the Arclight. Second viewing will be the Producer's Guild of America screening Friday at 7:30pm with my buddy John with what we are hoping is a very cool Q&A afterwards.. and now I booked my third viewing for Saturday evening with my friend Adam who is visiting from up north. I have no worries that I'm going to love it so seeing it essentially three times in a row is going to be awesome... I can't wait!!!!
Finally watched last weeks Supergirl, S1 Ep7 "Human for a Day" There was a huge surprise at the end of the episode and I did the best I could at not being spoiled but since it was almost a week ago I unfortunately got spoiled on twitter a few days ago.. as soon as I started to see it I turned it off but the damage was done. But even knowing what the spoil was it still did not remove the excited or surprise of the reveal that Hank is not the real Hank.. he's J'onn J'onzz, aka Martian Manhunter. The effect was AMAZING!!! That scene sent chills down my spine and made me tear up. I'm sure that VFX cost a lot of money and we probably won't be seeing him in that form to often but we now have this amazing character part of this universe.. can't wait until he returns.
So I heard they were making a sequel to Independence Day but hadn't heard anything about it in a few years.. well until today. They released to everyone surprise a trailer for Independence Day: Resurgence. I loved the first ID4, it's one of those movies that are just fun to watch or as some call them popcorn movies.. this looks to be the same. Can't wait for it to come out next year.
Today was all about parties.. after my morning workout I headed to Riverside for my niece Molly's 4th birthday party. I had thought the party started at 1pm which they usual do but they started it an hour early at noon so I was late getting there and the party was in full swing. As soon as I walked in the front door I heard "Uncle Kenny" and Molly came running up to me for a big hug. She does this every time I see her and I love it. I hope it never stops. There were lot's of little girls dressed as Ponies and boys dressed as cowboys.
Whenever my sister-in-law has parties for the kids I tend to help out where I can. I always take care of the cake duties as well as present duties.. this leaves Lora free to take pictures and enjoy the moment. Doing presents is always difficult as little kids wants to help or they want to open up every toy as they are being unwrapped. It takes great patience to do it and I'm happy to say I haven't bitch slapped a kid yet but I've come close :)
The party was great and Molly had an amazing time, which is the most important thing.
After that party I headed to NerdStrong for their Holiday party.. yep my gym had a Holiday party and it was alot of fun. It's always fun hanging out with gym members and really getting to see them "outside" the gym. I did lots of visiting and they had a photo booth station set up so of course I took lots of photos. Towards the end of the evening I presented Andrew and Marla with the scrapebook that I had been working on the past few weeks.
The idea came to me a while ago, I've always enjoyed scrapbooking and I thought about making a scrapbook of my past year at the gym. I asked fellow NerdStronger to write up on a 3x5 card their thoughts about the gym... how it's changed their life, health and anything else they wanted to say. 20 or so people gave me cards and then I went to work. I searched high and low for geeky workout stickers and pictures. I found some awesome pictures of superheroes doing workouts, funny sayings and various other fun things. I worked on it for hours on end and barely got it done for the party. I knew that I wanted to present it to them at the holiday party as I figured most of the people who contributed would be there and see them receive it. It got the reaction that I was hoping for.. tears. Those two along with
all the other coaches have really changed my life and I wanted them to
know how much they are cared for and I think I accomplished that.
After that party I headed to my buddy Will's annual Nog and Sweater holiday party. I only stayed a few hours as it was already midnight and I was so exhausted. It was nice drinking some nog and seeing friends (most of which I saw last week at Hayley's birthday party). I headed home around 1am and called it a night.
I don't know how I did it but I manged to attend three different parties in one day and have a great time at each.. now I just wan to sleep.
Fox released the first trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse and it looks AMAZING. I'm a huge X-Men fan and have enjoyed all the movies.. yes all of the movies so I'm really looking forward to this one.
Finally I got a screener of a movie that not only do I know what it is, I was really hoping to get it.. The Martian.
I wanted to see this movie on the big screen when it came out but I never found the time go out and see it. I've heard nothing but great things about this film and the book that it's based on for that matter. I was told I should read the book before seeing the movie but I doubt that is going to happen. Can't wait to watch this one.
One last thing I wanted to share with you guys.. One Doughnut to Rule Them All. I mean how awesome is that!!!
This week I did Saturday (CON), Tuesday (DEX), Wednesday (CON), Wednesday (PILATES), & Thursday (STG).
Saturday started with a big bad boss fight and by the end my legs were like jelly. What was sad is this wasn't even the big big bad and only one of his minions. These boss fights are all about endurance and pacing. I mean the purpose of these smaller fights is to prep us for the big big bad at the end of the month.
I had to cancel Sunday's workout as I partied a bit to hard Saturday night. It was the first time in my 10 months of going to NerdStrong that I had to cancel a class.. I was not happy with myself. I really enjoy TEAM workouts and hated that I had to miss it.
Tuesdays DEX class was like most DEX class, full of a variety of workouts. I know I say this all the time but DEX days I feel like I get the best overall workout.. we work everything. And what made this DEX day even extra special was all the friends who attended. Today some of my favorite workout buddies showed up so it really didn't matter what the workout was as long as we were doing it together.
Wednesdays CON class was jammed packed with awesome people. And it was your typical coach Blair CON class.. lots of running and rowing and other things to push us to our limits. Coach Blair is a big believer in "Active" rest.. which means you are not running or rowing but you're doing other things instead of actually resting.
Wednesday evening I was lucky enough to do Pilates. I know I say this with every Pilates class but it's so relaxing at times as well as very challenging, especially with your core. But by the time I am done I feel great.. it's a great stress reliever.
Thursdays STG class was good, lots of barbell work which is usual for Thursday workouts and of course we always have a extremely exhausting "battle" at the end but today's we had something extra special.. Birthday Battleropes. It's member Cait's 28th Birthday and of course when it's your birthday at NerdStrong everyone does battleropes in your honor. Well it's not mandatory but I always like to honor my friends birthday and always participate in them.
Overall another great week.. bummed that I missed a day but there was no way I was going to the gym after a night of heavy drinking.. luckily for me that's not my norm. Lot's of people showing up to the 7am classes.. I'm sure as the holidays get closer less and less people will be attending.
Several videos that I want to share with you.. the first one is from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert where Downton Abbey actors Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, and Allen Leech read a scene from Downton but do it in American accents... I almost lost it. Of course they ham it up but it's so hilarious.
This video is a trailer for the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. I actually enjoyed the rebooted Michael Bay movie.. and this one looks like it's just as fun.
The final video I want to share is another Star Wars The Force Awaken trailer.. this time it's the international trailer and there is even more footage. Again I don't think they spoil anything and all these trailers do it get me more and more excited.
Got some screeners today and was super excited to get two of them. Today I got Suffragette, which I saw a preview to and thought it looked really good. It has some amazing actress' in it and it about women's rights in the late 19th and early 20th century in Great Britain. I'm really looking forward to it. The second movie is The Danish Girl, it stars Eddie Redmayne (who I loved in the Steven Hawkins bio pic last year). It's also about the very first Transgender operation, back when it was very taboo. And from the previews it looks like it's going to be a big tear jeaker. The third movie I got was Carol. I didn't know much about it other then it had Cate Blanchett in it who I love and is a story set in the 50's about two women in a complicated relationship. I don't know if that means they are lovers but I'll give it a watch.
Today after a long day of work I rushed home to watch the final episode of Agents of SHIELD this season (aka the midseason finale). This was S3 Episode 10 "Maveth" Here's a synopsis: Fitz finds Daniels and convinces Ward that they will need him to find
the exit point. Mack sends May and the Secret Warriors (Johnson,
Campbell, and Gutierrez) to find Simmons while he, Morse, and Hunter
infiltrate the castle and secure the portal room. Simmons escapes
herself after Campbell shuts down Hydra's power, and discovers several
Inhumans that Malick has gathered as an army, including Garner. Simmons
agrees to unleash Lash on Hydra before making her way to the others.
Fitz and Daniels lead Ward to the ruins of an ancient civilization where
they manage to get away, while Coulson catches up to Ward and
overpowers him, forcing him to follow them.
At the exit, Daniels attacks
Fitz: the Inhuman had killed Daniels as Simmons escaped, and now
inhabits his body. Ward attacks Coulson when he is distracted by Fitz,
but Coulson uses his prosthetic hand to kill Ward, by applying pressure
to crush his rib cage, while Fitz uses a flare to destroy Daniels' body.
Fitz and Coulson return to Earth, but the Inhuman secretly does as
well, now inhabiting Ward's body.
This entire season have been go, go, go and this episode was no different. There were many OMG moments.
Half of the episode takes place on Earth while the other half takes place on the Alien planet. First of all Mack makes an excellent Director, I hope he remains director for a while. It was great seeing the creation of Secret Warriors, glad Gutierrez didn't die when he was shot. Loved Macks nickname for them (The Power Rangers). Not sure if it was a good idea of Simmons letting Lash out.. I mean he killed all those inhumans. I wondering if she'll feel responsible for that.
All the stuff on the alien planet was great. Phil got his revenge and watching him crush Wards chest and kill him was brutal. Of course when I saw the slug things coming out of Daniels mouth when his body died I figured it was going to go into Ward and sure enough there he is at the end. But I think this was a brilliant way to keep the actor around but kill off this terrible person (Ward).
The first half of this season have been amazing and I can't wait to see where they go for the second half.. it's gonna be some must see TV for sure.
Today Universal Studio Hollywood made their big announcement that they teased us about last week. And as most people thought it was the opening date for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I can't wait... I probably won't go on opening day but I plan to go that week sometime. Plan to get a season pass so I can go to Hogworts whenever I feel like it. Maybe stop by the Three Broomsticks for dinner after a hard day of work... Check out the video below for their grand opening date... or if you don't want to watch the video it's opening 4/7/16
Came across this really cool Star Wars animated GIF
And ABC released a fun scene from the upcoming season two of Agent Carter, which I am more then excited for. It's great to see Peggy and Jarvis back together again.
Two more things I want to share with you guys.. saw this and though it was a pretty awesome.. it's a mash up of two of my favorite things.. Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.
It's a Lord of the Rings inspired Lightsaber.. how awesome is that. It lights up an all. You can go to THIS website and check out the pictures and video about how it was made. Of course it's custom made and one of kind. Some people are so talented. I even love the stand they made for it.
The other thing I wanted to share is that I got four more screeners today. Of the four I've only heard good things about Anomalisa, it's a stop motion animated drama. I've heard good things about Spotlight, Room and The Big Short but none of them really peaked my interest like Anomalisa. Don't know when I'll find the time to watch them but I guess there is no hurry since they are my screeners and aren't going anywhere any time soon.
During last nights finale of Doctor Who, the Doctor finale got a new Sonic Screwdriver. (BTW I hated his sonic sun glasses). I've liked past sonic screwdrivers but never felt the urge to actually own one but this one looks amazing and I think I'll have to pick one up (when they are produced) and we know they will be. BBC released a close up look at the new screwdriver and it make me want it even more now.
Woke up around 6am still drunk so I cancelled my NerdStrong Gym class at 9am. That was the first time in over 10 months that I had to do that and I didn't like it. But I knew there was not way that I was going to be able to workout in a few hours time. Once the class was cancelled I went back to sleep and woke up around 9am. I didn't have much planned for today, it was going to be a day of cleaning the house, making more Christmas presents and working on some podcasts.. what I actually did all day was watch TV. I manged to catch up on a few shows that I had recorded but the big thing tonight was the season finale of Doctor Who.
Doctor Who S9 Ep11 "Heaven Sent" Trapped in a world unlike any other he has seen, the Doctor faces the
greatest challenge of his many lives. One final test. And he must face
it alone...
At first I wasn't sure if I really enjoyed this episode but when you think about what The Doctor did for 4 billion years it's pretty amazing.. he fried himself over and over and over again for billion of years just to escape the hell he was in. Coming off the death of Clara in the last episode I wasn't sure how this episode was going to play out. This episode was completely carried by Peter Capaldi, there wasn't a single other person in this episode (other then the monster thing and the kid at the end).. oh and (mind Clara) but this was pretty much all about The Doctor.
As I said I wasn't sure I liked the episode but by the end I was loving it. I think it was a great build up for the finale Hell Bent.
Doctor Who S9 Ep12 "Hell Bent" If you took everything from him, betrayed him, trapped him, and broke
both his hearts... how far might the Doctor go? Returning to Gallifrey,
the Doctor faces the Time Lords in a struggle that will take him to the
end of time itself. Who is the Hybrid? And what is the Doctor's
confession?
This finale was crazy, we went back to Gallifrey which was awesome and the big shocker.. at least for me was the return of Clara. The timelords actually pull her out of time (between seconds) before her death. I love that idea and the Doctor thought he would save her but come to find out that her death is a fixed point and she will (eventually) die. It was good to see Ashildr again. And I like that she teams up with Clara at the end for a few more adventures before she heads back to Gallifrey and her death. And there was a crazy twist at the end, when you thought they were going to pull the "erase the companions mind" they flipped it around and the doctors mind gets erased instead.. but only he memories of Clara... it's just crazy.
I have to say this season of Who has been some of my favorites from the past few seasons. I'm warming up to Capaldi and I have loved Clara ever since she teamed up with him. I don't know where they are going for season ten or who the new companion will be but I'll be there ready for more adventures with the Doctor.
Spent the day running around doing various things but in the evening it was Hayley's Mermaid/Pirate Birthday celebration. I've been so busy that I really didn't have any time to put together a costume. So I quickly ran around my house and tried to find "pirate" looking things. Luckily I had my short (Hobbit) pants that would work. I also had my Hobbit shirt that could pass as a pirate shirt. And when I got to Will's (where the party was taking place) to help set up I found a hat, sword and waist scarf. In the end my outfit looked pretty good.
The party got started at 8pm and I got my drink on. Whenever my buddy Will has a party at his place I will drink as I only live a block away and can stumble home if needed, otherwise I never drink and drive. So I started with several Fireball Whiskey shots, then I filled up a very large mug was half apple cider and half fireball whiskey (must have been about ten shots in there). It was gone within an hour and I was feeling good. I'm a happy drunk and very sociable.. so opposite the me in real life.
I was drunk by 9pm but remember 90% of the evening. I think I chatted with everyone, introduced myself to the people I didn't know but for the life me I can't remember any of their names. I had a great night but around midnight I was extremely tired and remember sitting on the couch and starting to nod off. I said my goodbyes to everyone and the birthday girl. My buddy Rupert actually walked me home (though I was okay to walk home but I appreciate his concern). Once I was home I quickly undressed and took a tumble into bed around 1am.
I had to be up at 8am for my 9am NerdStrong gym class but at this time I don't know I'm gonna be up for it.. but I'll wake up tomorrow morning and see how I feel.... yeah woke up at 6am still drunk so I cancelled gym and went back to bed.
I got a plethora of new screeners today. Truth, Son of Saul, Youth and By the Sea.. the only one I had even heard of was By and the Sea with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and I really had no interest in watching it. A bit more investigating and Truth, Son of Saul and Youth all sounded pretty good. Most of the screeners that I have received thus far have really been unknown to me. I don't know if that says something about the movie coming out or my taste in movies.
During the evening my buddy Chris arrived from Montana and was staying with his girlfriend Hayley out in Hollywood. I got a text while I was driving home from work asking if I wanted to come join them for some pizza and hang out. I was exhausted as work as really crazy but it was Chris and I couldn't miss an opportunity to hang out with my best bud so I stopped by my house for a few minutes to grab some screeners and then headed into Hollywood. I've only been to Hayley's place once before when I dropped her off after Wondercon so I had an idea of where she lived but when my Waves took me into the Los Feliz hills I as a bit confused.. needless to say it miss directed me but luckily it was close by.
As always it's was great seeing him. He was visiting for Hayley's birthday which we are celebrating tomorrow with a Mermaid/Pirate Party. Chris knows me so well that when he heard what the girls (Hayley and her roommate) ordered for pizza he called to ask if I wanted something from Subway.. and he was right.. they ordered some crazy pumpkin and spinach pizza, which didn't sound to appealing to me. So I got a meatball sub instead. We got to hang out for a few hours before calling it an night. I'll get to see him again tomorrow at the party but it was great getting to hang out with him whenever I can.
This week I went to the gym Saturday (CON), Sunday (TEAM), Tuesday (DEX), Wednesday (CON), Wednesday (Pilates) and Thursday (STR)
It was nice getting back to my full workout week after the Thanksgiving holiday.
For Saturday's CON class it was usually small with only a handful of us there to battle the big bad boss. Guess people were away for the holiday weekend still. Even with the smaller group we still manged to kill the big bad and get a pretty great workout.
Sunday's workout was all about 7's. Furious
Seven to be exact. After the crazy warm up we did 7 Rounds of Barbell work
with 7 Deadlifts, 7 Hang Cleans, 7 Front Squats, 7 Push Press, 7 Back
Squats, 7 Barbell Push Ups and 7 Weighted Sit Ups. Not a favorite of mine as I'm not a big fan of barbell work and this was nothing but. Regardless it was a great workout and by the end of the workout my shoulder were like jello.. gonna feel this tomorrow. Monday is a day of rest.. Tuesday's DEX workout was crazy as most DEX days are. We do so many different kind of workouts you can't help but get an overall amazing workouts. Today's DEX we did Running, Air Squats, Reverse Lunges, Kettlebell
Swimgs, Couch Stretches, Pull Up Negatives, Hollow Holds, Step Ups,
Burpees, Kettlebell Shrugs, Sit Ups and another run... a very diverse workout.
Wednesday's CON day was crazy. Honestly it was so horrible that I put it out of my mind. I used the hashtag #WeSurvived in my tweet about the workout.. that should give you a clue how bad it was. Thursday is STG day, as I've mentioned in past blogs.. this is my least favorite day but I know it's neccessary for a complete workout. We did overhead squats for the first time and they were hard. I'm great at back squats and okay at front squats so I figured I'd be okay at overhead squats but man was I wrong. They were a killer and it's gonna take alot more practice before I consider myself okay at them. Overall another amazing gym week... I'm 10 months and still loving it. Most days I get up at 6am and the first thought in my head is.. oh good it's a gym day, but I do say.. oh good it's not a gym day on my days off as well :)
Legends of Tomorrow released a new poster for their upcoming season. I have to say that I have been really impressed with DC TV. They currently have Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Gotham and iZombie with the addition of Legends of Tomorrow.
I came late to Arrow, after season two but quickly fell in love with it and binge watched those two seasons over a months time. With The Flash I started with the premiere two years ago and have loved every minute of it since. I think it's probably my favorite of the current DC shows. The Arrow/Flash Crossover have been amazing.. this last one was incredible.
The latest DCTV show that I'm watching is Supergirl, though it's only been a handful of episodes I've really been enjoying the development of the characters and unfolding of the story and can't wait to see where all goes.
I watched season one of Gotham and enjoyed it for the most part but when season two started I Tivo'd them and soon has six on my Tivo and no real interest to watch so I deleted them. I may try and catch up over the summer but from what I'm hearing season two has been really dark and not that great. As for iZombie it looked good and something I would watch but with so much other TV to watch I never got around to watching it. Like with Gotham it's on my list to watch over the summer (during the TV lull).
DC TV have several other shows in development with Legends of Tomorrow premiering in January.. now this is a series I'm really looking forward to.. big Brandon Routh fan
So I came across this article about "real" Hobbit Holes... well it's a do-it-yourself prefabricated modular micro-house but when it's all said and done they very much look like Hobbit Holes. They are from a company called Green Magic Homes.
Here's how they explain their homes; Green Magic Homes is a prefabricated modular building system, with
structural elements in FRP (Fiber Reinforced Polymer), which contains
pieces carefully designed to generate multiple possibilities of spaces,
access, lighting, ventilation and connection. The modules that make up
the geometry are optimized in its measures to be sent in containers
around the world.
Check out their video.
I honestly would consider buying one of these. I can see me buying a plot of land somewhere in a forest with a bunch of friends (or solo) and building a community of these house and living happily ever after in my Hobbit Hole. Of course I would have to do some major downsizing but as I get older I realize that I don't need all the things I have and would love to live a much simpler life. Will it ever happen.. who knows but I hope so. And if I do ever buy a house again I can see me going this route. For more info and pictures check out their website. http://greenmagichomes.com/main.php
A few days ago WB released a scene from the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Well today they released a full on trailer and it's AMAZING. Unlike the Star Wars trailers they show quite a but and reveal a few spoilers for the movie. Some fans are very upset saying things like "Well now I've seen the entire movie" or "why did they show us so much". For me it just got me even more pumped for the movie... can't wait for next summer.
Universal announced that they will have a bit announcement on Dec. 8th about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Hollywood. I love that they announce that they will be announcing.. it's like a teaser trailer for a teaser trailer. I assume they are going to be announcing the opening The Wizarding World here in Hollywood. We know it's in Spring but haven't gotten a specific date.. guess we will have to wait a few more day before getting official word.. I can't wait!!!
Today I got my sewing machine, I've wanted a sewing machine for years now, ever since I started cosplaying I liked the idea that I would make my own costumes. Of course I haven't been on a sewing machine since 1989 and my first year of collage but I'm willing to learn. I got this great "black Friday" deal on this machine from Amazon.. only paid $70 and I couldn't pass it up. Now I just need to take some lessons or watch a few you tube videos. I'll start simple, I have a handful of very geeky fabric that I would like to make pillows our of so that is where I plan to start. Hopefully within time I'll be creating awesome cosplay outfits.. here's hoping.
Geekyfanboy Productions released a new episode of the MASH 4077 Podcast. This is episode 117, covering S5 Ep 20 "Hepatitis"
Father Mulcahy comes down with infectious hepatitis, and Hawkeye has to give the whole camp antibiotics, whilst dealing with a psychosomatic back pain. Meanwhile, B.J. has to perform a very difficult operation.
Today CBS ordered the back 9 episodes for Supergirl giving it a full season. This is great news as I'm really enjoying Supergirl. It's so different from the other DC's shows Arrow, Gotham and The Flash. There is a lot more humor in Supergirl. I think each episode builds upon the other in regards to story and Supergirls growth. I like that she is flawed and just learning how to control her powers. She's not a great hand to hand fighter but we see episodes where her step sister is trainer her how to fight better. They are having "bad guys of the week" but also laying ground work for an ongoing threat. Not a fan of the Jimmy/Kara/Wyn love triangle but they seems to be pulling back from that for the time being having Jimmy's girlfriend (Lois Lane's sister) come back into the picture. They have only aired a few episode so far but I'm really looking forward to seeing where they take this series.
More good TV news.. Disney XD picked up Star Wars Rebels for a season 3. They are only eight or so episodes into season 2 and it really is a no brainer to renew the series, especially since they work on a season one year in advance. I'm sure we have at least a few more seasons of Rebels to enjoy in the coming years. I was a HUGE Clone Wars fan and was very sad that it was unceremoniously cancelled (causality of Disney purchase), they they quickly announced a new series called Rebels would be released. The first season was good but I was such of fan of Clone Wars and these two series are very different so it took me a while to warm up to the series but the end of season one and the first half of season two (that has aired) has been amazing. I'm really enjoying the stories and the character arcs.. I think it helps that they brought on my favorite character from The Clone Wars (Ahsoka Tano). She's not a regular character but pops in from time to time. Can't wait to see where they take season 2, still have alot of episodes left to air.
The last thing I wanted to share with you guys is a "sneak peek" at the new Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. They scene is tense and extremely difficult to understand out of context of the movie. But with that said I'm still very excited for this movie and I can't wait until next summer for it's release.
Spent my day making Christmas presents for my friends. I've been making these Snowman for over 12 years now.. I actually received one back in 2002 and loved it so much that I reversed engineered it to figure out how it was made. I improved upon it over the years so each years edition is slightly different. What I like is that no snowman is alike so my friends are getting something unique and one of a kind, plus it's hand made and from the heart.. so that's good too. Over the years I think I've made a few hundred of these snowmen and I'm sure I'll be make more of them in the future.
They are easy to make.. you just need a few supplies, White socks, rubber bands, orange felt (for the carrot nose), brown pipecleaners (for the arms, this is new to this edition, I use to use real twigs but they would break often). Googly eyes, Something for the smile (I used very tiny buttons and also black sequences that looked like coal). Various ribbon for the scarf and hate band and then fluff ball or something similar for the buttons down the front. And the most important part rice (uncooked). The only tool you really need is a hot glue gun and glue.
You start by filling up the sock with the uncooked rice. For a 9-11 size sock I use about 1 1/2 cups of rice and then you put a rubber band around and to tighten it off (that's the lower part of the body), then add another cup of rice and rubber band that off to create the center part of the body. Then add 2/3's cup of rice for the top part aka head of the snowman.
So now you have the three separate sections, you should have about four to five inches of sock still, that's for the top hat. Once you have your three sections you will hot glue them together. It's important that you make sure your snowman looks well shaped and proportionate before gluing.
Next you hot glue the eyes on, then cut carrot shaped noses from the orange felt and glue them on. Add three to four buttons for the mouth. Next you'll place three fluff ball down the front of the snowman. Then you'll wrap a piece of ribbon around the neck of the snowman and glue it into place. Take a pipe cleaner and cut it in half, form the hands of the snowman and then hot glue them under the ribbon scarf.
The final part of the snowman is to create his/her top hat. You do this by flipping the remaining part of the sock inside out and forming it into a hat shape. You flip the end of the sock up to create the brim. Once you have your hat created you glue it down. The final thing you have to do is measure a piece of ribbon around the brim of the hat, cut it and hot glue it down.
That's it.. you now can create a snowman of your very own... Merry Christmas
Of course I was excited to see a new Star Wars movie but it really didn't hit me that I was about to actually and truly see a Star Wars movie. We were waiting at the doorway to the theater when the previous showing was let out. I have to say folks coming out were mumbling but not a single person was talking out loud or spoiling anything. Just to be safe I actually moved away from the crowd. Once they all exited we made our way in and found our seats.. I was excited but still not overwhelmed at seeing a new Star Wars. The previews started and I watched and anticipated the start of the film.
I felt Kylo to be a spoiled little brat who has amazing tantrums. He's obviously powerful but he doesn't have control over his emotions.. it's going to be interesting to see how he grows. Everyone knew that Kylo had to be related to either Skywalker or Solo so when it was revealed that he was Ben Solo it made sense to me. As for Rey I was pretty set by the end of the movie that she is a Skywalker, but as I thought about it more maybe she's a Kenobi (granddaughter), all I know is she is super powerful in the force and I can't wait to see how her character develops.
I was upset when Han died but honestly as soon as he started to walk out on that bridge I knew it was coming. After Han was stabbed and he reaches out and touches his sons face before falling into the core the tears started to roll but what really got me was when Leia felt Han's death and staggered down.. that's when my heart started to ache.
