by Shannon on Friday, 22 of February, 2008 at 9:23 pm
There has of late been little awesome-ness in my world. So, in a fit of boredom this evening I went looking for some.
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I’m not sure a new
X-Files movie ten years after the first one is a good idea…but who the fuck cares. I loved Scully and Mulder ten years ago, I’ll love them even more now.
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This article cracked me up. Something I sorely needed. I totally agree about the Holodeck thing by the way. It truly would be the last thing humanity ever invented.
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And finally
The Lost Boys 2. Only because the “Two Coreys” could use the work, and I feel like reliving my youth. Yes, a youth wasted on vampire movies, Star Trek, and general geekiness, but youth none-the-less.
I know there’s a lot more awesome-ness out there in the world somewhere, but it’s late and my bed calls. If anyone out there would care to share some piece of awesome-ness they’ve come across please feel free. One can never have too much.
Category: Uncategorized
by Shannon on Saturday, 16 of February, 2008 at 9:07 pm
I realize that there are no readers on this blog (mostly because of my erratic posting) but I thought I’d touch base with any one who happens to be stumble on this page and wonder why there are such huge gaps between posts.
Simply put…life has been kicking my ass. Honestly, I’ve gone through more changes in the last six or seven months then I have in the last ten years of me life. I am now a full time working, single mother of three very active boys. I’m trying to write on the side, have some kind of life, and still remember which son needs to be where and at what time. And just to keep things interesting, I do this all while juggling knives; flaming knives.
Okay, not really. They aren’t flaming, just knives.
Seriously though, I would like to apologize to any one who has been checking back occasionally to see if we had any new posts up and swear I will do better in the future.
Some good things are coming up in the next few months that I know I will have to blog about. First off, and most importantly, is World Con. The world SF convention. If the stars align just right, and I manage to sacrifice the right small, furry animal to the travel gods, I might just get to go. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am at that prospect. I’m on the verge of wetting myself just thinking about it.
For the most part though, this blog will probably becoming a dumping ground of sorts for the current novel I’m working on. A place to report progress, and possibley bitch and moan about progress. I know that sometimes reading about writing is just plain dull but I’m afraid it’s who I am and what I do. Welcome to the boredom baby.
I hope that at least someone will find it helpful. If only because they’re thinking “If this moron can write then so can I”. What ever works.
Oh, and on a side note; My partner and I are almost finished working up a new curriculum on creative writing for teens that can be found at Solid Rock Virtual School. It’s probably one of the best and most comprehensive pieces of curriculum we’ve ever put together. And SRVS is a wonderful online school with a wide range of studies. We are both very excited to be working with such a prestigious school.
That’s pretty much my list of excuses for the time being. Let’s see if I can actually pull through on my promises and keep posting. Wish me luck.
Category: Uncategorized
by Shannon on Wednesday, 13 of June, 2007 at 7:06 pm
You know, I’ve been posting here for several months. More off then on of late. Originally this blog was supposed to be the result of several contributors and probably will turn out to be that eventually, but for now I’m the only blogger. Of course I normally like the idea of being a loner, but there is one problem. This is the first blog I’ve ever done. So that means I generally have no idea what I’m doing. Anyone who has stuck with me through my dry spells, and put up with my wordiness…well I appreciate that. Someone recently pointed out to me that the best blogs are the ones where you get emotional, allow your passions and loves and hates to come through. Well, I’m covering my hates pretty well, so I suppose I should get to what I love about this whole science fiction and fantasy thing.
In truth my loves are numerous, but I want to hit the big ones. First and foremost, I love how really good SF makes you stretch your own boundaries, question yourself and society, rethink things. Good SF pushes the boundaries of what’s “normal” and “acceptable” words I’ve always disliked anyway. Who wants to be normal? Not I that’s for darn sure. Secondly, I love a little escapism. Just forgetting about the laundry, dishes, balancing the checkbook, all that stuff that keeps a family running…and running, and running. Well, sometimes I need to get away from that, to chew on new ideas, to stop moving through life on auto pilot. I need to work out my brain, and get a good story in the deal.
There is also the small part of me that loves one liners, kick ass action scenes, and things exploding. I won’t deny it. A well choreographed fight scene, or a big ball of flames, well it just does something visceral to me. What can I say. I get a kick out of that stuff. And when you can add some awesome characters to that formula of action, well it gets even better. I suppose you can sum it up simply. I am a geek, a dork, and a nerd. And I do love my dorks, nerds and geeks. They’re my favorite people in the whole world. I count myself lucky to be among them.
Category: Uncategorized
by Shannon on Wednesday, 13 of June, 2007 at 7:29 am
I just got back from teaching a creative writing workshop this weekend. I lectured a group of kids between the ages of ten and nineteen I believe. God I loved it. The whole experience finally solidified in my mind what I really want to do with my life. I am a writer first and foremost, but as most of you know writing doesn’t always pay the bills. For the last few years I’ve batted around the idea of what I could do to not only make money but something I found inspiring, and enriching. Well, teaching is it. Specifically teaching creative writing, but teaching in general. sitting there on the floor with a group of really, really smart kids not only listening but adding to the lectures was gratifying, and inspiring as well. Talking about the very thing I love discussing to the point that I could probably talk about it all day (and pretty much did over this last weekend) well it got my creative juices flowing that’s for sure. I’ve restarted the novel I’ve been a little blocked on of late. And (as you can tell) been moved to work on the blog a bit more.
I’m incredibly grateful that I was given the opportunity to teach these lectures, and to meet those kids. Each and everyone of them was so special and unique I truly feel blessed just having met them. And if this is something I am able to continue I will always remember these first kids who were in a lot of ways my guinea pigs. Poor kids.
Category: Uncategorized
by Shannon on Monday, 28 of May, 2007 at 1:56 pm
After a season of suspense dragged out to the point of sheer frustration the season one storyline of Heroes finally comes to an end. I wish I could say it was worth it.
Okay, it didn’t suck, I’ll give you that. It had some truly awesome moments. Jessica finding some balance between herself and Nikki, and kicking that annoying shape shifters butt. And Sylar getting the old sword in the gut thing. Oh, and I loved it when Claire just jumped out of her father’s office window. And Ando calling Hiro a bad ass, that was just cute.
Okay, all that’s well and good. But the final episode comes down to one question…Why in the holy hell couldn’t someone just shoot Peter? He was going to regenerate later, so why did his brother have to go all Superman flying the nuclear bombs into space on the situation. Come on. Give me a fracking break. I cold have written that little “twist” after a session of partying with Lindsay Lohan and not sleeping for three weeks, all tweaked out on meth. And I still would have had Clarie shoot Peter, and then have it not work for some reason (cause to be honest the stupid bullet would more then likely have melted or exploded before it even hit Peter with the full impact) AND THEN have Nathan step in and do his Superman act, only I would have cut the cheesy dialogue. Man I should be in Hollywood churning out bad TV scripts and using my ill gotten power to have certain people “taken care of”. Oh yeah, you’re so going down Celine Dion.
Sorry, hit my own fantasy world there for a sec. Better now.
So, am I alone in this? Just being too picky? Possibly. It has been known to happen, just read this blog for proof. But am I asking to much that a show not be so predictable that you can guess the outcome six episodes into the season? No, I’m not.
Category: Uncategorized
by Shannon on Friday, 18 of May, 2007 at 6:21 pm
There are numerous reasons why Spider Man III sucked. Too many bad guys, poorly thought out script, just too much crap going on at once. Well, I’ll tell you what bothered me the most. Tobey Maguire channeling his inner John Travolta circa Saturday Night Fever. Surely I wasn’t the only one having flashbacks to the opening scenes of Saturday Night Fever during Parker’s “dark” moments in the film. And can I just point out how dorky that was. How utterly pointless. I was hoping for some real angst, some real darkness from Maguire, instead I got a collection of scenes that make me giggle just to think about them. And the part with him dancing in the jazz club? WTF was that? When did Spider Man become a bad musical? I know that this was supposed to be a little tongue in cheek, but it ruined the good moments that were few and far between in this script. The moments of Parker truly struggling with his dark side. Instead we get fluff. And bad fluff at that.
The whole movie had moments that made me think Sam Raimi has some serous ADHD issues. And some things were just completely ignored. The whole moment when Harry forced Mary Jane to dump Parker (besides smacking of a 90210 episode) was never delt with. And at the end everything was tied into a nice little package of forgiveness, with a bow of melodrama.
In short not the best film of the trilogy, and while I’d hate for them to continue this downward sprial with another movie, I also hope they don’t leave it on such a sour note.
Category: Uncategorized
by Shannon on Saturday, 5 of May, 2007 at 6:41 pm
I so want an arch enemy, a nemesis, an antagonist. Some guy (or woman) that rubs his hands in glee and laughs manically when something doesn’t go my way. It would make my life so much easier on so many levels.
First I’d have an object to focus all my scorn at, and it wouldn’t be floating around the world all willy-nilly. Scorn takes a lot of energy and time to cultivate properly, and right now I’m wasting all mine on numerous people who just don’t deserve it. Of course, certain political leaders who shall remain nameless (coughbushcough), certain members of religious groups who I dislike enough I’ll just go ahead and mention him, Pat Robertson, and that really perky girl (I refuse to use the term ‘barista’ for some reason it grates on my nerves, besides I’m pretentious enough without using a word like that) who works at the local Starbucks and always asks me if I want that low fat, even though I’ve ordered the same thing from her like a million times. Hell, she can remember my name, but she can’t remember the low fat thing. Give me a brake. Okay, those people all deserve my contempt to varying degrees, oh and the list is way longer then that. I find Celine Dion annoying, and Mariah Carey better hope to god she never runs into me in a dark alley, Paris Hilton inspires me to a level of disgust few people can reach. (Read more…)
Category: Uncategorized, Geek Rants, blogging, core dump, frak this
by Shannon on Sunday, 29 of April, 2007 at 12:07 pm
I have to admit, I’m not feeling all that funny these last few days. Hell, I’m not feeling all that amused in general. Which is odd for me. I always try to find the humor in everything. The worse it is, the harder I look for that one flash of humor, like a match flaring in the darkness. The world is a lot less intimidating when you can find the ridiculous in it.
I wonder if that’s why I enjoy fantasy so much, the escapism of it. The sense that no matter how bad it gets, and even when it ends tragically, there is still a sense of order, a sense of logic. Something sorely lacking in the “real” world.
In good fiction things make sense, rules are followed, characters introduced are rarely left behind, death–while tragic–makes sense. In books people get to say their good byes, love seems less complex, feelings more easily expressed. By the time you reach the end of a good book, no matter how sad it was, you get the sense of completion, the sense that everything will eventually be okay for the characters you’ve come to love. That’s not so in life. Not as much as I would like at any rate.
Fairness, rightness, poetic justice those are the things the world could use more of. But that is not the way this world we live in works. Good people die for no reason, love is unrequited, noble thoughts and deeds are punished as often as honored. No, this world is nothing like the fantasy found in books.
Is that bad or good? Is it more important that we take the journey then worry about the destination? If our world did make sense, would we grow, would we strive to be better people? Would evolution have taken us beyond single celled organisms if that much logic was applied to the world? Is it our ability to recognize all the injustices and unfairness inherent in our lives that has brought us to the state we are now? Beautifully, and tragically, flawed, a study in contrasts, capable of great kindness and utter brutality sometimes within the space of one breath.
I wish I knew the answers. I wish I knew the questions for that matter. The ones to ask to understand it all, to put it all into perspective. But I suppose if I all ready knew these things, I wouldn’t bother learning anything else. I wouldn’t strive, or yearn, or hope, or even despair. And that’s what makes me what I am, the search, the faith–misplaced or not–that there is some purpose so grand in scale my tiny little brain will never comprehend it, but to stop is to resign myself to a state of living death. A life of going through the motions and finding nothing of satisfaction. Who could live like that? Not me.
So, I suppose I keep looking for the ridiculous, the humor, the glorious insanity of life, and take from it what I can. Now you have to ask yourself, are you doing the same? Are you living, or did you die ages ago? Dear reader, I hope you’re alive, and if not doing well, at least striving…yearning, hoping, and most importantly laughing.
Now, I promise to resume forcing my opinions on you and lay off of the philosophy books in the future. Thank you for your patience.
Category: Uncategorized, core dump
by Shannon on Wednesday, 21 of February, 2007 at 6:38 am
This should make Tony happy (cause it’s all about Tony) something FINALLY happened on Heroes.
Simone was shot, Peter flew, Sylar did what he does best, and Matt found some balls. Now that the season is more then half over maybe we can finally get some answers. But in the mean time here are a few questions that I doubt they’ll be covering anytime soon.
- How did Mohinder and his father get the DNA samples needed to find out exactly WHO had the mutated DNA? And is there some kind of phone book with names, addresses, and DNA code in it so you can look people up by those mutated codes?
- How many more times is Claire going to wear that cheer leading outfit? We get the point, she’s hot, she fulfills some cheerleader fetish. She’s also jailbait in most states, except the south.
- What exactly is the Nicki Jessica thing. Split personality? Haunting? Did Mr Bennet do something to her that made her that way, or did someone else? Is that what the tattoo means? And really, how crazy is it that your reflection carries on conversations with you and moves independently, mine does that all the time. Guess I just don’t get the creepiness there.
- Who is this Lendermen? Considering a running theme of the show is fate it seems like this guy is going to be something serious. Maybe the guy who fractured Nicki? Maybe he’s had plans for her all along. Can’t think of why else he helped her out of jail. And man that must have taken some serious bribing on his part. They found quite a few dead bodies in her wake after all. When I finally snap I hope I’ve made friends that high up.
- When is someone wearing spandex?
- Mutant wrestling? Jessica VS Wolverine. Man there’s a fight I’d like to see.
And by the way, should Mr Bennet use his ill gotten Chucky Cheese gains to make Tolkien Elves my reflection will totally come out of the mirror and kick his ass. She’s done it before.
Category: Uncategorized
by Shannon on Tuesday, 20 of February, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Well I have finally done it, I have finally hit a new dork level. Really it didn’t take much, just a pure whim, to push me into this new, strange realm.
Sure, it started innocently enough, I was at my public library (for those of you who thought the internet did away with such arcane forms of information gathering they are still around) and I happened to notice a nice collection of graphic novels that is new to my library. Of course, I had to stop and look.
I must admit I’m not much of a comics reader. Not because I consider myself above them, mostly because my brain has gotten used to reading novels and making my own pretty pictures to play in my head. I’ve tried, I truly have. Last year a dear friend gave me the complete Elfquest Archives Volume One in a beautiful hard bound book. I love it, but I’ve never really been able to read it.
But for some reason at the library yesterday I decided to pick up one of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman graphic novels. I couldn’t find the first so I got the second volume, The Doll’s House.
I wasn’t planning on being able to really get into it, I just wanted to see the artwork and get a feel for the comic in general. But, when I actually sat down to read through it I discovered that if I forced myself to slow way down and keep my eyes trained only on one panel at a time I could actually start to get into the story and the art at the same time without feeling too overwhelmed.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that the trick to reading a comic isn’t slap dashing through it just brushing the surface, but really concentrating. Noticing the slump in a characters shoulders, the subtle body language conveyed in the art as well as the words.
Now, I had never really considered myself a comic snob before this, but little did I know I was carrying a few prejudices about comics. I think I assumed they were easy, mindless reads with only the smallest of intellectual value. And I don’t know if it’s the comic I decided to start out with or if there’s a whole world of very well done graphic novels I have yet to discover, but there was more depth there then I had imagined. As weird as it is, in some ways I had to work harder for the story then I do in a novel. Sometimes novel writers just say too much. Some announce every emotion the characters are experiencing on loud speaker, or their motivations are dissected for pages and pages, until the reader grows so bored we never actually get to the point where the action occurs.
Of course not all novels are written like this, I know that, but the comic seems to force a writer to be a little more subtle, to leave a bit more to the reader’s imagination even if the “mental pictures” are being supplied. There are certain things that there is simply no room to delve into in a comic and it forces you to get to your point, and not to forget it. Ah, if only I could cultivate that skill myself.
Now, I realize some of this is due to the fact that this is a new medium to me, maybe partially my past inability to read a comic was because of my dyslexia, I’m not sure. Either way though, I’m kind of thrilled to have gotten through my first one. I feel like I’ve been initiated into some level of fandom I’ve never been able to obtain before. And yes, that sounded as pathetic to me as I’m sure it did to you, but oh well I’m just happy I’m no longer a comic virgin.
Category: Uncategorized, Reviews
