Me vs. Chuck ending.

Actually, I have to give the show runners credit, the final episode is actually Chuck vs. Sarah/Chuck vs. the Goodbye. But that’s tomorrow night.

I am sad to see Chuck ending – I’ve just caught up on Chuck vs. the Bullet Train, and it definitely gets my vote for the best use of the Canadian anthem in a fictional television show, but I am genuinely concerned they’re going to kill someone. It’s not like they don’t have a track record for it. They’re already bordering on heartbreaking.

It’s a great show, and I’m sorry I only came to it the last couple of years, but it’s my favourite “geeky” show. While I love the Big Bang Theory, it’s a show that makes its geekdom obvious. Chuck’s premise is obviously geeky, but what takes it to the next level is the injokes, the references and their parade of sci-fi awesomeness guest stars (ie, Ben Browder in the most recent episode, aka Col. Cameron Mitchell from Stargate SG-1.) Linda Hamilton. Scott Bakula. The list goes on.

So, predictions for Chuck, ladies and gentlemen? Will all our main characters be spared? Will Sarah and Chuck survive this little bump in the road? Will they finally go into retirement as planned?

A end to the hiatus in sight

While I won’t commit to a firm return date, I’m hoping by early February life will be a bit more settled and I’ll have my (new) routine figured out and I can get back to blogging. In the meantime, thanks to those who keep checking back! If you want to know how behind on sci-fi/fantasy/general geekdom I am, then ponder this: I still haven’t watched the Doctor Who Christmas special.

Seriously though, aside from The Hobbit trailer (which I did manage to watch) what have I missed? Links? Suggestions? News tidbits? Anyone?

It turns out this is my 42nd post. This makes me happy for reasons anyone reading this blog should understand. If you don’t, go read Douglas Adam’s best-known work, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and get in on o-so-many geek in jokes you never even realized were happening…

Still alive!

Oy. That blogging three times a week thing was going good until the realities of my profession and how busy it is at this time of the year kicked in. Sorry about that.

Instead of doing a massive gift suggestion post, I’m going to do a couple a day. Today’s theme: Webcomic lovers!

1) Lots of webcomic artists now have enough strips that they have one to several collected works books out. An awesome gift that some people might not splurge on themselves, because hey, they can always go read the archives, but would probably really appreciate. I know I’d really like to get my hands on the Questionable Content books because Jeph Jacques went through and redid all the old art.

2) Signed prints, plushies, t-shirts. Many of the artists are making quite a go of making a living off their work. And really, when it’s something you check several times a week and get lots of entertainment value off of it (or, since it’s Christmas, a loved one does), it’s nice to support the artist occasionally by buying their merch. New this week for Something Positive fans: the Choo Choo Bear plushie is available for pre-order. It probably won’t be ready for Christmas, but order it anyways, print out a photo and put it under the tree.

I don’t read too many webcomics, but some of the ones I do read I’ve been following for over eight years. My personal favourites: Something Positive (the only webcomic that’s made me cry, and one I started reading so long ago my family was still on dialup. Try going through hundreds of archived comics on DIALUP), Questionable Content (awesome character development with a medium sized cast), Queen of Wands (it’s a completed story line. I came near to tears when it ended), it’s sequel Punch an Pie (currently on hiatus, but starting back up soonish), Girls With Slingshots (My most recent addition to my reading list, and I just ordered a copy of the Grammar Strip which is amazing) and Faux Pas (a little cutesy, but the first webcomic I ever started reading). Of course I pop occasionally over to XKCD to catch up but don’t read it as loyally as I do these other ones.

My google-fu has failed: help me with my home decor

Ladies and gents, I pride myself on my google-fu. I was always a pretty good googler and then I went to j-school and knocked journalism research out of the park (which means I am not just good at googling, I’m also quite capable of going and looking up your property assessment. Journalism research: more than just the internetz). I take joy in Lifehacker’s weekly Search Research challenge though I’ve not been able to play recently. But today I decided, following up on a recent thought, that I should try and find a steampunk airship model kit. And I could not find one. Anywheres on the internetz. Though lots of cool people have made some amazing ones, check out this one: http://www.artsmithcraftworks.com/airship-anastasia/

Pretty much I want one that has the blimp, but also has the hanging boat-like compartment instead of just the sleek blimp itself. Kind of like this one but without the wings. Anyone got any leads?

From flickr user nsjmetzger.

Anne McCaffrey passes

While I’ve never read any of her work, I’m sorry to say beloved fantasy author Anne McCaffrey died earlier this week of a stroke. It looks like she lived a good long life. They’ve posted some words from her son over here.  She was the first woman to win the Hugo and the Nebula awards.

So, since I’ve never read any of her books and am on a reading tear lately, if I was to read one McCaffrey book, what would it be?

A science-fiction (romantic) comedy?

Just a quick post today, mostly because I am trying to keep up the 3x a week goal (I’m doing fairly well on the goals, but it’s only been what, two weeks?)

Today’s post is about a movie I just watched this evening. It isn’t a new movie. IMDB says it came out in 2009, but I’ve only come across it due to Netflix and a cold and lonely Monday night. It’s called TiMER, and stars Emma Caulfield (Anya from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The concept was an  bit of a twist on the old chestnut of knowing when you’re going to die. Instead of predicting your death day, a company now has the ability to install a timer on your wrist that shows you how long it is until you’re due to meet your soulmate.

Which of course, brings up all kinds of questions about love and its ever elusive nature. It wasn’t too rom-comy, which is why the word romantic was in parentheses in this entry’s title. It’s a romantic comedy only in that it was reasonably funny and the whole thing was about counting down the days till you meet your one-and-only. Except only some of the population have them, meaning you’re stuck if your destined partner doesn’t have one too. No way to know! Or is there?

While I wouldn’t give it a high enough rating to recommend running to the movie store now to rent it, if you’ve got Netflix and some time and are looking for a little bit of sweet instead of flat-out saccarine, go for it. Emma Caulfield was lovely and her friendship with her step-sister is one of the highlights. It raises questions about love but doesn’t really provide a pat answer, and I always appreciate that kind of refreshing honesty in movies.

 

 

Muppets they are, Captain Starship, Who goes Narnia

Some quick hits today.

More Muppets, now with Star Wars:

Maybe you’ve seen this before, I hadn’t until Tor.com featured it in its weekly newsletter today. It’s Muppets like Kermit, Fozzie and others “auditioning” for the part of Yoda. It’s adorable.

My goodness, I’d like to see that:

Stargate: Atlantis’ Paul McGillion (the awesome doctor) has a pilot for a show called Captain Starship about a science fiction television show actor whose life is “invaded” by his oddball friends and his nephew. It sounds like win to me, personally.  McGillion is charming and I want to watch it now, please, so some nice network or cable channel pick it up. Check out GateWorld for more information. Apparently they’ve seen the pilot and they say it deserves a chance.

And, the obligatory Doctor Who bit:

Based on how much I post about it, I’ve concluded I, like much of North America geekdom, have become totally obsessed with Doctor Who. Anyways. Today the trailer is out for this year’s Christmas special. Can they top last year’s flying shark? Title is “The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe” and it looks like they’re going full Narnia on it. Exciting! Doctor Who Tv has it up over on their Youtube channel, or just watch below.

Anyways, I hope wherever you are it is warmer than it is where I am. A balmy -17 C, but -24 with the windchill.

I’m just saying…..

MUPPETS! Just in case you didn’t know. Next week!

What in the Who now?

Alright, so earlier today I saw this on Blastr. For those who don’t want to bother, let me summarize: the director of the last four Harry Potter films, David Yates (see so far, it sounds like good news) said he was working with the BBC to produce a movie version of Doctor Who that would entirely ignore continuity, etc, with the television show that has a cult-like following.

Now, I can’t claim to be a long-term Whovian (or Wholigan, as I saw @nerdist Chris Hardwick refer to fans today) but I am a passionate one. I tried my best not to panic at the idea of ignoring what little “continuity” the show has. A writer over at i09 seemed to feel, and I found myself a little calmed at the writer’s rationale, that breaking it down and rebuilding it constantly is exactly what makes the show so successful. And that Yates is a lot better of choice for this sort of movie than other directors could be. After all, he managed to keep a lot of the magic in the Harry Potter films, and let’s face it: Doctor Who, for all that it is about a time-travelling alien, is far more of a fantasy than it is a science fiction work.

And hey, a successful movie could bring more fans to the show. Maybe I’d even manage to get my boyfriend to watch more than an episode or two at a time (though perhaps my efforts would be helped if he and I stopped having a running joke about my love for the Doctor).

Anyways, time will tell. Nerdist Chris Hardwick tweeted earlier tonight that he called BBC himself and nothing is for sure a go yet. So I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

(That’s three in one week, people! Told you!)

A Merry Steampunk Hallowe’en

A couple of weeks after the fact, I realize, but I’ve been meaning to put up photos of my Hallowe’en costume along with the hows and wheres.

Since the Rocky Mountain House area lacks a steampunk club (though if it had one, I’d totally join) and I am a community journalist, which loosely translates as “not a lot of spare cash” I decided to NOT invest in some very cool costumeware from Clockwork Couture, which was featured recently in The Guild. Though I wanted to. O, how I wanted to.

Anyways, here I am with my kick-ass jacket:

And here I am without the jacket so you can see the skirt:

Goggles: So, the piece de resistance, as I see it at least, was the goggles. I really wanted cool goggles, but I really didn’t want to a) spend 60-90 man hours on some of the truly cool ones people have developed patterns for (also, I lack welding or soldering equipment) or b) spend a fortune on Etsy buying a pair. Then I found this website: http://steampunkguides.com/tag/diy-steampunk-goggles/ which suggested painting a pair of welding goggles. Which I did. They turned out well. If I use them in future years I will add foam to where they sat on my head, though. My forehead hurt for days.

Accessories (broach, lapel pin, belt, gun, gloves): I got the basics of all of these except the gloves at a local costume store for about $20. The bullet belt and the gun went unaltered, but were necessary as no wise steampunk lady should go out unarmed. The broach, though, started out as a cheap-looking steampunk ring. I altered it to be a broach rather than going with a cameo broach as I’d originally intended. The lapel pin was meant to be a monocle. I shortened up the chain and then stitched into onto my jacket for the evening. I’ve had the black lace gloves for a few years.

Jacket: A full on tail-coat in blue velvet. My awesome friend Sarah found this piece many years ago in a thrift store and it is slightly too tall for her so I eventually ended up with it. It’s awesome.

Blouse and skirt: Both “modern day” purchases. I got the skirt, which is ankle-length, at Tristan and America a few years back. The blouse I picked up especially for the costume at RW & Co.

Corest: I already had it, but bought it at Nightshade Corsets up in Edmonton.

And there we have it folks, my steampunk costume was actually relatively easy to put together and worked out pretty well.