Car Woes

Between working on my cosplay with Shannon I went and visited my family on Sunday. While driving back from lunch with my dad I heard a strange sound coming from my engine so I pulled over and check it out. I saw this piece of rubber sticking out of the engine so I pulled it out and figured I much have picked it up while driving. I started up the car again and heard the same sound. I turned off the car and went to investigate even more into the engine. I noticed another piece of rubber but this time I saw where it was coming from. My serpentine belt was started to come apart. I knew this wasn't good as this is the main belt for your car. Since it was Sunday I knew no mechanics were going to be open. I wanted to take it to a dealer as I have an extended warranty though I wasn't sure if this would be covered under it. So I took a chance and drove back to my dad's place (only a few miles away).

I had two options. I could try and drive home (90+ miles) hoping the belt wouldn't break or I crash at my brothers, call into work and tell them I'm not going to be in and take my car in the morning. I knew I didn't want to chance it and drive home but I wouldn't stay at my brother as my friend Shannon was coming over and we were to finish my Jedi Twi-lek cosplay. So instead I borrowed my sister-in-laws car and drove home. Finished the cosplay, got a few hours sleep and then drove back the next morning. Once there I slowly drove my car the four miles to the dealer.

Once at the dealer they said it would be four to five hours before they could even look at it so I called into work and explained my situation (which of course they were fine with) and I sat and waited. I tweeted that I was hanging out in Riverside waiting for my car and if anyone was around and wanted to hang out. A friend of my brother, well we've hung out enough now that I call him a friend as well, Jason was in the area and asked if I wanted to go to lunch. He came by the dealership and picked me up and we headed to the mall to grab a bit to eat and hang out. It was nice as this was the first time that we actually got some one on one time and I got to learn more about him. We hung out for a few hours before he dropped me back off at the dealership. I sat at the dealership for another hour or so before the guy informed me that my car was ready. As I thought it wasn't covered under my extended warranty. The guy thinks that I must have driven over something and it nicked the belt and started to unravel it. I paid the $300 and headed to work. I got in around 3pm and worked until my usual 7.

It was a hassle to have to drive home and then drive back only hours later but I am happy that this happened today and not while I was on my way to SDCC later this week... always look on the bright side.

Star Wars Rebels S3 Trailer & Finishing Up My Cosplay

Today Disney released the season three trailer for Star Wars Rebels. I've been really enjoying Rebels especially the last season. But I have to say from the looks of this new trailer they have ramp'd up the action and also introducing some new (old) characters. I can't wait for season three to start.

Shannon and I spent the weekend working on my Jedi Twi-lek cosplay. We finished up my tunic and got to work on my shoulder armor and belts. Shannon also painted on the tattoos running down my Lekku.. they look pretty fantastic. We spent the majority of the weekend working on it but Sunday evening we finished it. It was a lot of hard work but I'm very happy with the final results... Thanks Shannon for all your help, couldn't have done it without you. I'm not going to post picture of the final product until it's revealed at SDCC but I can say it looks pretty fantastic.

NerdStrong 2nd Anniversary

Tonight NerdStrong celebrated it's 2nd anniversary. If you've been living under a rock and have never read my blog or know me at all, Nerdstrong is a gym that I have been attending since February of 2015. It's been a huge part of my life the past year and a half. Not only have I found a love for working out at 7am every morning but I have found some amazing friends and have built a pretty great community around the gym.

For the first anniversary I got a group of NerdStrongers to write down their thoughts and feelings about the gym and then I made this nice scrapbook with those thoughts and other geeky things and presented it to coach Andrew and coach Marla, which in turn made Andrew very emotional and I even got a rare hug. This time around with work being crazy I really didn't have time to pull anything together. Though Andrew did request a few days earlier that I don't make him emotional this time around.

It was a fun night, it's always cool to see people that  you usually see in gym clothes all dressed up. It's also nice to see people that you don't see that often or you pass by them as they as their class ends and yours begins. I considered Ubering over but instead drove myself so that meant no drinking. I had a few snacks but didn't really eat that much. I did hog the "photobooth" area. I was dragging people left and right to come take photos with me. I don't know why but I love capturing moments in time.

Coach David presented coach Andrew with a gym present (some sort of new apparatus) and then Andrew gave his speech, full of emotion and love as his speech usually are. He talked his coaching staff and all the NerdStrongers for making this gym amazing.

Overall it was a fun night and I'm so proud and happy to be part of this amazing experience and community. Can't wait until NerdStrong's 3rd Anniversary!!

Rogue One Poster & Footage, Rebels S3 Clip

Star Wars Celebration is happening in London this weekend so we've been getting a steady stream of new Star Wars news... mostly about Rouge One but some Star Wars Rebels S3 news as well. First here is the new Rouge One Poster. It's so different then any other Star Wars poster and I love it.

They also released a BTS featurette for Rogue One, it's similar to the one they released for Force Awakens last year. So many amazing things happen in such a short amount of time. I mean I was already excited for new Star Wars movie but the more I see of this the more excited I get. I can't wait until December.

This came out a few days ago and somehow I missed it, it's a clip from the upcoming season of Star Wars Rebels Season Three. I enjoyed season one but LOVED season two with the addition of one of my all time favorite characters Ahsoka Tano, we don't know her fate at the end of season two but I'm really looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.

Jedi Twi-Lek Make Up Test #3

Today Shannon come over to do our final Make Up Test.. this would be test #3. We got a new air brush system as mine wasn't working properly and Shannon enjoyed airbrushing so she got her own. We had plenty of make up and picked up some black and different green to use as a high and low lights. I actually shaved for this as I wanted to do a full make up test and that wouldn't work with my beard.

This time around everything was great, no machine issues and Shannon really got into it. We did three layers of the regular green before she started the highlights and low lights. We also painted my finger nails and half way up my arms. We released that I'll have to shave them as the make up lays down better with no hair in the way.

I had purchased several different patterns as I knew I wanted a darker pattern to run down my lekku, so we started to playing around with different ones on my hands. After trying six different patterns I picked the zebra pattern as it looked the coolest and I think would look pretty awesome on my lekku.

When Shannon was done with all the highlights and low lights I put on my headpiece (lekku) and headband and checked out the semi-finished results. As I was looking at myself in the mirror an idea came to me that I would continue the pattern from my lekku onto my face. So we did tests having the pattern come down the side of my face and having one come down over my eye. I liked the look of the pattern coming over the eye. Shannon like just the one but I like things balanced so we decided to do it on both sides.

As I said this make up test went really well, Shannon had a better understanding of how to use an airbrush and I got a better idea of what my final product will look like. Can't wait for next week and SDCC!!

Great Music Video & Make Up Test #2

I came across this great music video and fell in love with it and the song. The singer is Todrick Hall and featuring Jay Armstrong Johnson. It's a duet with two guys and it's so rare to find these kinds of video so well done where it's a great song and nice production value. Give it a watch and listen here.

Today Shannon and I worked on my second make up test, unfortunately the air brush compressor was causing us issues so we went with plan B and sponged on, it's not the cleanest look but it gave us a pretty good idea of what it would look like. We also tried different patterns as I knew I wanted something across my face not just a solid green. We tried using a toothbrush for a splashed look, we used various brushes and such to get the desired effect. Nothing really turned out exactly as we planned. Will try again in a few days when we get a new compressor and I'll have to find a stencil that will work for the pattern on my face and lekku. Overall not a total lose.. best thing was Shannon and I had a great time.. lot's of laughing.

Geek Roundtable Recording & Creating My Jedi Tunic

After working out Shannon and I we to Namies Beauty Supplies to pick up some more make up for my cosplay, we also stopped by Joann's Fabric to grab a few things before grabbing lunch at El Pollo. We planned to sew my Jedi tunic later tonight but first I had to record a few Geek Roundtable podcasts, so I said my goodbyes to Shannon and met up at my place with my guest hosts, Pooja, Robert, John and Jenni. We discussed Star Wars A New Hope, Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Return of the Jedi and Doctor Horrible. As always we had a great time discuss these things we love.

This is my third or fourth session so I have about 16 episodes recorded. I had hoped to get this out in July but that's not going to happen so here's hoping for August (as since I'm behind on my blog it's looking like September now). I'm having my buddy John create my show open so I'm looking forward to hearing that. But I've been trying to get this podcast off the ground since 2010 and this is the closest I've gotten so far.. it's gonna happen... stay tuned.

After the session ended Shannon came back over and we got started on laying out the pattern and cutting the fabric. After we had everything cut we got right into sewing. While I sewed Shannon continued to cut out the pieces for the shoulder armor.

I was very impressed as we got the entire tunic made, still have to hem but all of the pieces are sewn together and it turned out pretty good. My panic level has come down a bit, yes SDCC is just a few weeks away and I still have alot of work left but this gives me hope. I will have my Jedi Twi-lek cosplay done in time for comic con. 

BeachStrong & Working On My Twi-lek Headband

Today started with trip to Santa Monica Beach, but this was a special trip because it was the first BeachStrong (meaning a NerdStrong event). We were taking the newly extended Expo line down to the beach for the first time. It's recently opened so we thought we'd give it a go. A group of us meet up at the NoHo Red Line station around noon and took that to downtown Los Angeles where we then transferred to the Expo Line. The Metro was extremely busy and from downtown to Santa Monica took a while (about two hours) but we made it and by the time we got down there we were all starving so we grabbed some lunch on the Santa Monica Pier before heading to the beach. By the time we got to the beach it was around 4pm, most people were only planning on staying until 5pm so we didn't get much beach time in but we did have some fun. Several of us actually swam out into the ocean including myself which I never do. Overall it was a fun time, I think it was more about the adventure of getting down there via public transit rather then actual beach time. I don't know if I'd take the metro again but its nice to have that option.

Once I was back from the beach I worked on my Jedi Twi-lek headband. I want to thank my friend Kimi for letting me use some of her leftover fabric. I couldn't find any cheap leather type material and when I told Kimi that I was considering faux suede she just happen to have some left over pieces that were the perfect color and style that I was looking for. So I cut out the various piece of fabric, hemmed the edges (this was tough), added eyelet holes (again not fun, used a hand machine to do it) and then took thin strips of leather and laced the pieces together. There was alot of trial and error but the end result is pretty cool. The headband itself is finished but I still have stripes of faux suede that I have to cut and sew that will be wrapped around and running down the lekku... so there is still more to do but it's coming along nicely. This is probably my favorite part of my cosplay so far because I created all of this from scratch, no pattern, no plans. I just had an image of what I wanted in my head and then had to figured out how to create it.

Amazing Video - Dear Brother

I came across this video and it just blew me away, it's so well done, beautifully shot, the music is perfect and the subject is sad and sweet at the same time.  I dug a little deeper to find out who made this and come to find out it's an ad for Johnnie Walker... yeah an ad, can you believe it. I thought it was this amazing short film but no it's just advertising alcohol. Still it's beautifully done and well made and touches my heart everytime I watch it. It's called Dear Brother.

Sulu Gay & Dinner in Hogsmeade

Today it was announced that the character of Hikaru Sulu from the Star Trek series is gay and will have a brief scene with his husband and daughter in the upcoming Star Trek Beyond movie. It is said that this a tribute to the original actor George Takei who played Sulu in the original Star Trek TV series and movies. I love this idea of having a character that we've all known and loved for over 50 years just happen to be gay. His sexuality was never addressed in the original TV series or movies. We knew he had a daughter as she's in Star Trek Generations but that doesn't contradict him being gay and they actually include his daughter in the next movie. I think it's pretty fantastic.

Well George wasn't amused and what shocked alot of people said "Unfortunately, it’s a twisting of Gene’s creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think it’s really unfortunate." You can more of his thoughts on the topic HERE. I respect his opinion, and I see where he is coming from but I find it a bit disrespectful in how he responded to the news. Instead of saying thank you for the tribute and having this be a good thing for the gay community and Star Trek it's caused some negative press for the new movie and that's sad.

I for one am happy to hear that Sulu is gay and that there is a scene in the movie with his husband and daughter and that it's not really the focus of scene.. it normalized homosexuality.  Anyways I can't wait to see the new movie.

After work today my friend Lauren and I headed to Hogsmeade and to the Three Broomsticks to grab dinner and some butterbeer. It still amazes and excites me that I live so close to Universal Hollywood and can visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter almost any time I want to... so happy!!

Make Up Test #1 - Jedi Twi-Lek Cosplay

Today my friend Shannon came over in the evening after work to help me do a make up test, she offered to do my make up during San Diego Comic Con. She's used an air brush machine before decorating cakes but never on a person and with actual make up. So this was her chance to get her hands dirty.. we started off simple and she started to spray my hands, getting the feel for the machine but soon we were having issues with the air brush machine. We fixed it and then decided to give it a go on my face. I still had my beard which would be shaved off when I actually cosplay but Shannon sprayed away. The air brush machine kept giving us issues through out the night and finally we just gave up. I got a decent amount on my face and it gave me an idea of what the process was like. Also it let me know how much paint is used during the process. Will attempt another make up test in the near future, might have to get a better air brush machine.

Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

A new video came out from Pottermore with the introduction to the United States of America School for Witchcraft and Wizardry called Ilvermorny. I'm sure will find out more about this school in the upcoming movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Finishing my Jedi Robes

I didn't have any plans for celebrating 4th of July, and the usual bbq/party that I got to every year didn't happen this year. It was kind of depressing not doing anything or watching fireworks but I kept busy by continuing my work on my Jedi Robes. Everything was done and all I had left was doing the hem on everything.. that was alot of hem. I probably spent a good three or four hours going from one side of that robe to the other. But when the night was over I had created from scratch my very own Jedi Robes. From the outside they looked great and for the most part 75% of the stitching looked good. I'm still extremely happy with the final results and the fact that this was my first ever sewing job is pretty cool. I am freaking out a bit as I only have a few weeks left and still have to create the tunic, shoulder armor and belts to complete my Twi-lek Jedi cosplay

Independence Day Workout at NerdStrong

Today is the Fourth of July so of course my gym had to have a special workout planned and what's better then an Independence Day themed workout. I usually don't workout on Mondays (it's one of my two days off) but because it was a special workout made just for today I opted to join in the fun.

It started off with an inspirational speech from the owner and creator of NerdStrong, Coach Andrew.. well it was actually the speech from President Whitmore (Bill Pullman) given in the movie but it was still pretty fantastic.

About 40 people showed up for this workout, I think it's one if not the largest classes NerdStrong has ever had. They grouped us into eight teams of 5 and there were eight different workout stations, we had to work at each station for five minutes with a 1 minute transition to the next station. Each team had to choose a name so we chose "Okun Five" as our team name. Dr. Okun was Brent Spiner's character in the movie. The team I was part of killed the workout and helped get each other get through the tough parts. This is one of the main reasons I love doing team workouts. It helps having someone there for you, pushing you and encouraging you along the way.

Coach Andrew went all out and drew pictures on the ground of each workout. Some where alien faces (so we could smash them in while doing the mace slams),  others were images of Will Smith pulling a dead alien behind him. Each station had a title, station 1: Welcome to Earth!, station 2: Release Me, station 3: Must Go Faster, station 4: Lock and Load, station 5: Desert Drag, station 6: Eagle One, station 7: Upload the Virus and finally station 8: Fireworks

This is how much everyone enjoyed each others company, after the workout about half of us hung around and chatted for a bit. Then a few of the guys gathered all the sandbags on ropes that we used for one of the workouts "Desert Drag" and instead of dragging one of the bags per the workout, the dragged all the bags. I don't know how much weight it was but it was alot. One person did it and then another and so on until almost ever buy had done it, including me. A few ladies did it as well and killed it. We probably could have hung out longer but coach Andrew and coach Marla has to be down in SD for a 4th of July event. 

It was a pretty great workout and a great way to celebrate out independence.  

Warcraft Movie with Friends

Tonight I went and saw the movie Warcraft (based on the MMO game World of Warcraft). I don't play WOW but I have alot of friends who do so I'm familiar enough with this world and from the trailers this movie looked pretty good.

I was seeing it with friend Shannon, Lauren and Aaron and we were seeing at a local "cheap" theater. Sunday showings are $1.50 per movie. This is a great price but it also means will get a lesser polite crowd. This was the first time that Shannon, Lauren and Aaron had gone to this theater. I've been a few times so I knew what to expect.. they didn't. I think they will remember the experience more then the movie. We had people chatting, little kids talking at full volume, some gang banger sitting next to Shannon making her uncomfortable. We had homeless people with their dogs sitting in back and overall just alot of chatter.

I think because I had been there before the noise around me didn't distract me to much from the movie but I don't think the other three enjoyed the movie as much as they could because of all the distractions... I can say with certainty that they won't be seeing a movie at this theater again.

For me I enjoyed the movie, the story was simple and I never knew where it was going. Lots of twists and turns in this movie. Characters died that I didn't expect to and so of their stories when in a completely opposite direction then I thought. There is no happy ending and this was definitely set up to be a on going series. I enjoyed the special effects, especially the Mages powers. There were several completely CG characters and they worked will with the live actors. My only complaint about this movie is the pacing, it was very uneven. But overall I enjoyed this movie and I know I'll enjoy it more when I can watch it in the privacy of my own apartment without all the distractions.

I give Warcraft a solid B and will definitely be buying it when it comes out on Blu-ray.

Wise Little Girl & Homeless Showers

I want to share two video with you guys.. first on is a little girl wise beyond her years. She doesn't understand why little girls have to like pink and little boys have to like blue.. this is priceless.

The second one is one man making a difference in the life of Los Angles homeless people. I couldn't even imagine being homeless and to have this guy give them some sort of normality in their life is priceless.

Leather Shopping for my Jedi Cosplay

Today I went leather shopping, I need to find a small amount of leather for my Lekku headband. First place I stopped by was JoAnn's fabrics. I found a few pieces of faux leather but I didn't like the plasticy look they had. So I decided to go to a leather shop in North Hollywood called Tandy's Leather. There were no prices on things so that should have been my first sign. I checked out the various hides they had and they had a ton. Both sales people were busy with other customers so I just perused around and grabbed a few pieces that I really liked. One was more of a brown suede while the other was more of your typical brown leather. I asked the prices and she said $99 for the Suede and $205 for the brown leather. I told here that I only needed a small section of each but she then informed me that they do not cut the hide.  You have to buy the entire thing. There was no way I was going to do that as the headpiece would be the most expensive part of my cosplay. So I thanked her and quickly put down the hides and made my way out of the store. That plasticy faux leather was looking better and better... not really. I decided to not buy anything today and would go out again at a later date and see if I could find something more to my liking and less expensive.

New MASH Podcast & More Jedi Cosplay

Geekyfanboy Productions released a new episode of the MASH 4077 Podcast. This is episode 132, covering Season 6 Episode 10, "Images"

Corporal Hendrix, a GI covered in tattoos, shows up on the 4077 operating table; he gives Radar the idea of getting a tattoo so he can be the object of respect, fear and sex. A scrawny stray dog shows up at the 4077; although it is against all regulations, Klinger is feeding him; and even Margaret sneaks table scraps and food to the mutt. A new nurse, young Lt. Sandra Cooper, is having problems getting used to the place. Cooper falls apart in OR and Margaret is convinced Cooper is not 4077 material. She tries to get Cooper transferred but Col. Potter tells Margaret to ease up and allow Cooper to adjust. Surprised at not being given the immediate boot, Cooper promises to become as cold and unfeeling as Margaret. But is the Major really cold and unfeeling or is that just what she tells herself to make it through another day? A senseless death sheds some answers for Margaret and, in turn, for Sandra Cooper.

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

I spent some time today painting more of my Lekku, I am using the same paint that I'm using on my face (so it matches) but I don't that's the best paint for them as when the latex stretches it's causes crack and wrinkles so it's going to need constant touch ups. To late to come up with a plan B so I'll just have to deal with the touch ups.

I also got my Jedi boots in the mail today. I found them on Ebay and they look pretty good. I did remove this weird piece of faux leather that ran along the front of them. My calves are fairly large so it was a tight squeeze to get the zipper up but I managed and I have to say along with my Jedi pants the look pretty good. 

Finishing Up My Jedi Robes

After three days of sewing for a total of about 10 hours my Jedi Robe is complete.. well almost I still have to hem all the edges but I will be doing that at home over the next few days. It's an amazing feeling taking fabric and actually making something that is functional and looks pretty good. I'm really surprised how well I took to sewing. Yes it can be frustrating and my lines are perfectly straight but it's also extremely rewarding. I'm really looking forward to completing my Jedi tunic, armor and belts next. I want to thank Kimi and Shannon for without their assistance I would still have a pile of brown fabric sitting on my dining table. I see alot more sewing in my future.

My Ilvermonry (Harry Potter) House

So Pottermore opened up their sorting hat for the American Magic School "Ilvermorny" (you can go 
to Pottermore or HERE for more info about this school). Of course I had to take the test to see which house I belonged to. Like with Hogwarts there are four houses in Ilvermorny;

Horned Serpent -  Sometimes considered to represent the mind of a witch or wizard. It is also said that Horned Serpent favors scholars.

Wampus - Sometimes considered to represent the body of a witch or wizard. It is also said that Wampus favors warriors.

Thunderbird - Sometimes considered to represent the soul of a witch or wizard. It is also said that Thunderbird favors adventurers.

Pukwudgie - Sometimes considered to represent the heart of a witch or wizard. It is also said that Pukwudgie favors healers.

So if you don't know I was sorted into Hufflepuff at Hogwarts and for Ilvermorny I was sorted into Thunderbird. I can say that I'm 100% Hufflepuff but there really isn't enough known about the new houses to say if this is correct or not. I like the idea that my house represents the soul of the wizard but I'm not to sure about being an adventurer, I feel more like a healer. But will learn more as we get closer to the release of the new Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them.

Labyrinth 30th & Real Life Super Mario Maker

30 years ago today creative genius Jim Henson released one of my all time favorite fantasy movies.. Labyrinth. It wasn't a box office success but became a cult classic. I remember being dropped off at the movie theater by myself and sitting in a fairly empty theater on opening weekend and just falling in love with this fantasy world. From the music (David Bowie) who also was the "bad guy" Goblin King to the amazing puppetry, this movie was an escape from the real world. I can't believe it's been 30 years already.. where has the time gone. But I'm happy to saw that 90% of the effects really hold up in this film and it's a pretty timeless story.

And on their 30th anniversary they announced a brand new book called Labyrinth Tales,  it follows a day in the life of guardsman Sir Didymus, along with his pals Ludo and Hoggle. You can read more about it HERE. It's set to be released September 27th and I'm sure I'll be getting my copy soon after. I can't wait to escape back into the amazing world.

So I posted a video about a real life Donkey Kong, I loved the video, the effects, the look of the entire thing.. you can read my review and watch the video as well as the BTS video HERE. Well they made a sort of sequel set in the Super Mario Maker world. Same actor who played Mario in the Donkey Kong video, same cool music but it's done a little differently. This one is more of a trailer instead of the just game play. I felt like Donkey Kong was a story this one is just snippets of game play. But none the less it's pretty awesome. Check out the video below.

Learning to Sew My Jedi Robes

Today I got to visit my friend Kimi who was teaching me how to sew, she's a big time cosplayer and an amazing sempstress. I haven't sewn since collage for a Costuming course I took. And even then there wasn't much actual sewing so this is all new to me. My friend Lauren showed me how to thread a bobble (didn't have a clue what that even was). I had purchased my own sewing machine a few months back so I grabbed it and the material for me Jedi robe and headed over to Kimi's place. Once there was set up everything and Kimi and I started to look over everything.

Of course things would have gone alot fast if Kimi would have done things but she purposely made me do it all so I would learn and I'm so grateful. She showed me how to pin the pieces of fabric together. She gave me ideas on how to keep a straight line and various other sewing tips.

I have to say I took to it pretty quickly, once you get the concept down things move right along. Now I'm not going to say I was perfect. There were many times that I have to learn how to use a thread puller and pull out thread the entire length of the robe. Or when I would finish and then look at it and realize that my thread unraveled so there was no stitches at all. I had to go back and re-pin the entire thing and start over again, but it was a fun process. I think the worse thing I did at the end of the night was cut the robe. I went to cut a stray thread and didn't realize that there was folded fabric between the scissors and snip.. a hole in my robe right by the neckline. Of course Kimi was prepared and quickly pulled out her fabric glow and repaired it.. but that pretty much ended my night of sewing. I managed to get the two back pieces and hood connected. I think I have a few more days before this piece is done.. but I have to say for my very first sewing job it's going pretty well.. Thanks Kimi.

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.