E is for Egad

 Back in high school one of my favorite cartoons was Animaniacs. Who am I kidding? It still is one of my favorite cartoons. So much so that I’ve introduced it to my daughters who also now love it! I love the pop culture references, the hijinks, the pure unadulterated chaos caused by the Warner Brothers and the Warner Sister. It is a show that is entertaining and intelligent, introducing kids to concepts like the theory of relativity, our small place in the universe, and thematic movies like the Godfather.

And of course most of these concepts were introduced by song. Best way to learn, right? Give a shout out if you can remember the Preamble because of School House Rocks! Seriously, Friends, the only reason I know all the state capitals is because of Animaniacs.

But by far my favorite part of the Animaniacs was Pinky and The Brain. They must have been popular because they landed themselves a short lived spin off. I giggled uncontrollably every time Pinky screwed up or “narffed” and I loved it when he would exclaim, “Egad, Brain!” marveling at Brain’s plans for world domination.

This might just be the oldest word on my list. I’m not 100 percent sure though as I still have a few words left to pick.

Egad is an interjection dating from the late 1600s used to express shock or surprise.

Example: Egad, Evelyn! Every earthworm we’ve enjoyed exposing to excrement enthusiastically endures endless episodes of Entourage, Eureka, and as expected, Ed, Edd, ‘n Eddie. 

This post has been brought to you by the Letter E and the fine folks at Blogging A to Z. And by the number 584. Check out more A to Z blogs here!

Oh, Patrick Stewart! You Make Me Sad.

I won't say I'm a fan girl. I don't obsess. I don't squee. I have a healthy appreciation for certain celebrities and many of them are from geeky sci-fi like Star Trek, Star Wars, Star Gate. Things like that. Most of all I love Patrick Stewart. I liked him before Star Trek. I liked him after Star Trek. I like his bald head and I could listen to his snoozy British accent all day long.

But, I've got to say, I'm disappointed in the celebs right now. Yeah. Even Wil Wheaton who I praise up down left and right for his work on TableTop and other shows.

You see, here's the thing: I desperately want to go to a con. Dragon*Con. Gen Con. Even Comic Con. Scott is keen on getting to PaizoCon. We never have money to go. Sure we could afford the tickets if we budget carefully, but then add travel. hotel, and eating expenses in and there's no way. At least, not right now and probably not anytime soon. And for the most part, I'm okay with that.

Except for the case of MegaCon. MegaCon takes place in Orlando. Orlando, my friends, is not that far from here and we could conceivably make a say trip to go to at least one of the days. There are many great things to do and see at a convention and the panels this year sound fantastic! But one of the things I would love to do is get a chance to meet, greet and maybe get a photo of or with some of the celebs.

And guys, Patrick Stewart is going to be there this year! Shiny bald head and everything! And Wil Wheaton and Brent Spinner and practically every TNG cast memeber! It's like a freaking reunion! And I'd go. I swear I'd go. I'd find the money.

But...

As I was scrolling though the Media Guest list, I started to notice something. Most every single actor charges for autographs and photos ops. Patrick Stewart? Charges $75 for and autograph! $85 and up for photo ops! I was outraged. Disappointed. Shocked and Appalled. The other starts aren't that much better. Most of them hover right around $40 and up. That's more than a one day ticket!

Now I have no idea whether conventions pay stars to appear or if they just agree to show up. I'm leaning towards "they get paid to appear." Do these stars, most of whom are still working and/or earning residuals, (I'm pretty sure that's the right term) need money that badly? I can't honestly believe that they are just appearing at a convention out of the goodness of their hearts or because they love it that much. Maybe they do and I'll be the first to write an apology if these guys get nothing for their time except what they make in autograph and photo op fees.

Sure nobody is forcing fans to cough up money to pay for an autograph, but come on! And I get that if they were just signing things willy-nilly they'd never get away but seriously, if you go to Disney, you only get to meet and get autographs from the characters at certain times of the day. Can't conventions do that? Give an couple one hour blocks scattered throughout the course of the day and that's that. If a fan misses out then it isn't the celebrity's fault, it's the fan's for not getting in line sooner.

Am I crazy for thinking this way? I'm all for making a buck! Heck, I could really make use of some buck making schemes here, but it just seems so...jaded and cynical and sad for celebrities to be charging fans for an autograph.

So yeah, I still love you guys, but I'm disappointed in you Patrick Stewart. You too, Wil.

Exciting! Two Posts for the Price of One. (FYI: If you did pay could you let me know because I've not seen a cent of profit here!)

So I don't usually post twice in a day, but some rules are meant to be bent. Bent because I don't actually have a rule about posting twice in a day. I've done it before and thus far Blogger Police have left me alone.

As you know I am big into games. Big! I love them. I've posted about it here and here if you're interested. And as many know I subscribe to Felicia Day's Geek & Sundry channel (and you should too. Because. It. Is Awesome. Can you believe I'm not even getting paid for these endorsements? I really should be.).

Apart from the Guild, my favorite show on Geek & Sundry is TableTop hosted by Wil Wheaton, actor and all around awesome guy. I say that knowing that I don't know him personally but he seems like a pretty decent fellow. Each episode of TableTop features Wil and a group of friends playing a game. Hilarity ensues. Some games I was familiar while others were completely new and nifty! TableTop played a huge role in Christmas presents this year: Dixit, Gloom, and Star Fluxx to name a few. 

Anyway, a few days ago, Wil Wheaton posted about a BIG announcement for TableTop and I bet like many, I assumed the worst. No second season? No Wil? No table?

Turns out my fears were for naught. TableTop has sparked such a response that Felicia Day and her team of intergalactic superheroes, unicorns, and friends have declared March 30th to be International TableTop Day! Here's Wil's announcement about it on his blog.

So I will be participating. I'm hoping that somewhere in my town a small coffee shop, bookstore or game shop is planning on it as well. Although even if I just spend the day playing games with my girls it is still going to  be a great day in my book!

I wish I was cool enough to declare an international day...but alas, I haven't reach that level of awesome yet.

Someday.

(Was my fangirl showing a bit here?)

Photo A Day - Something Awesome

I'm a geek and a gamer. I've never been one to hide that. One of the things I love most about tabletop RPG is all the neat accessories Paizo is now selling. In a few months, my gaming group will be starting a new adventure where we become pirates. One of the members of the group downloaded and assembled an awesome 3D pirate ship for us to use for the game.

Made out of heavy card stock and plastic sheets the ship has been sitting in my living room for a few months now. And it is full of the awesome! The top deck is detachable so we can play below decks.

You know - rereading that paragraph makes it sound like it is a full scale ship sitting in my back yard rather than on a shelf in my living room. I promise, it's just a model. Although having a full size pirate ship in my back yard would be beyond awesome.

"Avast! There's a giant eel, octopus and something else off the port side!"

Look at the detail on this thing! The planks, the doors that actually open, the carved woodwork!

"Let's keelhaul someone, Argh!"

I've been making the little paper minis for the adventure (again they are a product that Paizo sells to go along with the adventure paths). And don't they look so freaking cute awesome? I can just hear their little "args" and "avast ye scurvy bilge rats" echoing across the deck. And sure, I'll admit that I've had myself a little fun putting the minis on and making them swab the decks.

Photo A Day - TV

One of the things I love about Photo A Challenges is that you are encouraged to interpret the theme in your own way. Today's theme, TV, is an interesting one. I don't actually watch a lot of TV. In fact, early last year Scott and I made the decision to once again forgo cable in order to save a bit of money each month. We've been Netflix customers since 2005 and really prefer watching televisions shows that way - no commercials! For Christmas each year we invest in a season or two of a favorite show. I've slowly been building up a good variety of kid shows that I grew up with. So when we feel like watching TV we throw in a DVD and watch an old favorite.

It's hard to see but snuggled in together are sci-fi shows like Stargate and Heroes as well as things like House and the complete Monty Python and a few Twilight Zone episodes. I have diverse tastes.

Some of the kids shows include Smurfs, Animaniacs, The Muppet Show and my personal favorite Thundarr the Barbarian.

I Made It Monday

What happens when I combine my love of gaming, my craftiness and too many sets of dice? You get a new dice box! I made this a few years ago but as you can see it's getting crowded again. On a side note, I really need to stop buying dice.

The top and front designs are just doodles I did in silver, gold and black acrylic paint.

I painted a light brown on first and then streaked a darker brown through the still wet paint to achieve a wood plank look.

I wanted to line it with crushed red velvet...but all I had was red felt.

So many dice. I think I need a bigger box...and of course more dice would be needed so the box wouldn't feel empty. It is a vicious cycle. More dice, bigger box, more dice...pretty, pretty dice!

G is for Gamer

My brother started playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons around the time when I was 7. It seemed like every weekend, a group of teenage boys gathered around the dining room table and spoke in such strange tongues: THAC0, d20 and hit points, experience and loot. They cast spells and killed monsters. It was exciting and thrilling. I always tried to linger when they played. Here was a game I thought that suited me perfectly: one with words and imagination. I might not have fully understood the concept, but I longed to play.

“Can I play with you?” I would ask.

“No. It’s only for boys.” He told me.

Despite being told “no” I would sit in the corner, next to the out of tune piano, hoping for a chance to play. To my mind, it wasn’t fair that Erik got to have all of this fun. If he was my big brother and supposed to watch out for me, I reasoned, then surely, he should allow me to join them at the big table. Occasionally, he would let me play with some of the miniatures or his dice. I loved the heavy weight of the tiny characters. My brother would painstakingly paint each one; the colors making them come alive. The clatter of the dice rolling across the table and the boisterous laughter from the boys always filled me with a longing to join in. I would sidle up next to Erik’s chair and ask questions. Typically this resulted in me getting banished from the dining room.

Years went by and my brother continued playing with a core group of friends and I still wished I could play. I would ask occasionally, but as I got older, so too did my big brother. He went to college, moved out and was suddenly a grown-up. No longer just my brother, he was an adult, with adult responsibilities.

In high school, one of my best friends had a younger brother. Donald was three years younger and although annoying at times, I adored him as a little brother. By the time he started high school, I had all but given up on ever playing D&D with my brother or anyone else. None of my friends ever showed an interest in it. But suddenly, Donald and a few of his friends started talking about and I begged him to let me play with them.

Maybe it was because I was always at his house and had gone on vacations with them, but whatever the reason, Donald agreed. In fact, he seemed enthusiastic about it. That was the year I spent more time with my best friend’s little brother than I did with her. It was weird at first, but I quickly adjusted. We did just what my brother had done: play D&D. I got to use words like THAC0 and make imaginary heroes that would save the day. Characters died and we mourned. Villains were defeated and we rejoiced. We played through the night, and since I had a car we would often end up at the local diner at three in the morning looking for snacks!

After I graduated I spent more time working than socializing and out little group fell apart. I went to college, hoping to find a group to play with again, but it wasn’t until I met Scott that I found kindred gamer. Ironically, even though D&D was one of the deciding “should we date” factors, we never really played together until after Cyra was born when I assembled a group of gamers out of new friends I had made at Flagler.

I am lucky and grateful that both my girls are interested in gaming. They have their own sets of dice and are ready to start rolling!

March Photo A Day - Key

There were so many ways I could have gone with this one. Symbolic, literal, motifs. It was all wide open. In the end though I really liked the idea of something solid and tangible.

And yes, that IS Admiral Akbar guarding my keys against attacks from the Republic.

Pi Day. Humbug!

You might have guessed from previous posts that I like to celebrate things. After February - which is really the crappiest month ever created - March offers a multitude of things to celebrate: the Irish, women, Spring, and of course, the geekiest of holidays, Pi Day.

Normally, I don't remember Pi Day until the last minute and by then I didn't have time to plan anything what with work and all. But now as I am domestic goddess, I actually planned a minor celebration. Okay, really it was just dinner and dessert, but lately getting dinner made has become an epic chore.

Everything was Pi - err... pie. Pie for dinner, pie for dessert. I spent the day baking and cooking.

Shepherd's Pie for dinner.

Okay, so the shepherd's pie isn't in a pie plate and therefore not technically round, but I doubled the recipe and went with a casserole dish instead. Just pretend it's round.

Never one to do things in moderation, I ended up with three different dessert pies.

My favorite pie of all time - Grasshopper Pie!

When I was little I would spend my summers up in Maine with my dad. On the way back home, without fail we would stop at a tiny little restaurant called McLean's for lunch. I would get a lobster roll or clam boat and for dessert, grasshopper pie. I'm fairly certain their pie was a non-alcoholic version. Mine? Full on alcohol! So. Very. Yummy.

Apple on the left, blueberry on the right.

I'm not a fruit pie maker. Pastry is something I have not yet mastered. So knowing that Ashleigh really wanted some form of fruit pie, I ran to the store and bought them. Yes. I cheated. But I did put them in the oven and bake them and that's not nothing!

Such pretty pie. So ooey and gooey.

Hey! Wait a second? Did I tell you that I had THREE types of pies? I did? Crap.

See, here's the thing. The grasshopper pie is a frozen pie. After dinner, Cyra, bursting with pie-joy, ran to the freezer to help me get the pie. As I was pulling it out, she closed the door. On my hand. That was still in the freezer. And so the predictable happened.

And that was my favorite pie plate too.

Happy Freaking Pie Day.

Speaking of the Forks...

Remember I was telling you about the Celtic Parade the other day? I saved the best for last or for later (Okay, truthfully, I was really, really busy this weekend what with the festival, company and cookie booths so I didn’t actually have a chance to sit down at the computer to write. Don’t judge. It happens even to the best of us or the laziest – I’m both so I get extra credit).

My town loves to celebrate. On any given weekend there is some kind of festival or gathering or reenactment (seriously, pirates take over our town almost daily). A Celtic festival the weekend before St. Patrick’s day seems a rather odd occurrence but given this way we get to celebrate Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Vikings (there was a Viking, I’m sure of it).

The parade started off a typical, regular parade. Lots of green, lots of marching bands, lots of bagpipes and kilts. And then this:

That, my friends, is a squadron of Storm Troopers, in kilts, escorting Darth Vader also in a kilt, along the parade route.

Ashleigh, Cyra and I squeed in shock, delight, amazement – every good adjective out there that we could possibly squee in, we squeed! As they walked past, I snapped as many photos as my broken little camera would allow. The rest of the parade was anticlimactic in comparison.

As the parade finished, the girls and I began walking toward the town field where all the cool festivals are held. Low and behold, as we approached we realized that the head of the parade was just starting to round the corner back onto the street in front of us.

On this side of the parade the crowds were already dispersed and the parade walkers were starting to slow down and straggle.

“Let’s watch it again,” I said to the girls.

The both frowned at me.

“I want to get better pictures of the Storm Troopers.”

That immediately gained approval and we once again positioned ourselves along the street. And then my friends, I can only say that I will probably go down in history of town parades for the actions I then took.

The squadron of Storm Troopers rounded the corner and approached. And I noticed what I hadn't the first time around: Dark Helmet!

As the Storm Troopers drew nearer, I shoved Cyra out in front of three or four of them, jumped into the middle of the street and begged for a photo. They happily complied.

Then Darth Vader came. Once again, I pushed Cyra out into the street. The few spectators lining the street nearby laughed at my antics but I got a photo.

Then came Boba Fett and another picture.

By this time Ashleigh was laughing so hard she could barely breath but she gasped out, “I should have jumped in there with Cyra!”

(On a side note – Ashleigh has hated getting pictures taken with people dressed up in characters since she could walk. I’ve learned not to ask anymore.)

“What?” I said. “Let’s go.”

My friends, we chased – CHASED – the squadron down the street. As soon as we got close enough Cyra screamed for Darth Vader to stop for another photo. I shoved the girls into the street once again and snapped two quick photos with Vader. At that point, the Celtic Princess Leia told us that they would all be at the festival and we should look for them there.

 At the festival we ran into the same three Storm Troopers that stopped to take a picture with Cyra and they posed for another set of photos with both girls. Sadly, Vader had already doffed his costume, but my day had already been made 100 times over!

March Photo A Day - Fork

True story.

When I was in high school the seniors got to put a Senior Will under their portraits in the yearbook. My friends and I were big Star Wars geeks. Well, I was a geek regardless of Star Wars. In my will I left a geeky "Use the Force" to one of my buddies. The yearbook people, clearly unable to read my very poor penmanship, translated my chicken scratch to "Use the Forks."

And I am pleased to announce, that I do. Use the Forks. Everyday. The Forks is strong in my family.  My father uses it, my mother too. In fact, I used it just this morning when I had pancakes.