"Harry Potter is the best hope we have. Trust him."

Since this post will contain some hits and some misses in the first part of the final film installment of the Harry Potter series, PLEASE EXPECT SPOILERS FOR BOTH. Fair warning, okay?

Together with my parents, my sister, and my partner, I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 last night. It was almost like a midnight screening, as the show started at about 10:30pm and ended just before 1:00am.

The first impressive thing I learned: the show was sold out. And this was a midnight screening, on a weekend, two whole days after the movie had opened. In hindsight, this was probably only to be expected. As the trailers advertise, it IS the beginning of the end, not only in-story but also for those who read the books. [At this point I'm not discriminating between the kids for whom the books were originally meant, and all the others - adults, families, parents, and readers - who fell in love with the books.]

The second impressive thing shows up as soon as the movie starts: the logos roll up in complete silence, and they are dark and grim, setting the tone for the whole film. Characters fall like flies, or reveal their hidden facets, and every single person in the film is pushed to their very limits. Voldemort plumbs the depths of evil, and of stupidity; the Malfoys and Bellatrix Lestrange find out what desperation is like; the Ministry of Magic falls to pieces.

Many commentators have already said their piece about the MoM sequences, and I can only add, "Damn right." There are SERIOUS World War II overtones in the story, from the puppet politician in charge to the security force with red armbands.

As for the good characters, well, just look at that film poster to begin with. Harry, Hermione, and Ron go on the run, abandoning families and friends and school and everyone who cares except for each other. This is not an idyll by any means. Things go horribly wrong before they start going right - and what little hope we have at the ending is squashed, hard, by the knowledge that the entirety of the Hogwarts sequences - including the climactic battle - is yet to come.

So many deaths. So many sacrifices. And we have to begin with the trio in flight.



Hits and misses after the jump:

Turning "japonais": kimono dreams

Because these days I've been writing out this entire universe of stories that are set in a fantastical swords-and-sorcery Japanese setting - you know, people in hakama casting magical spells or wielding traditional weaponry in epic duels - I've had kimono on the brain lately.

I have actually had the pleasure of wearing one of these very stately garments, but admittedly it was more like a yukata-type. It's been something like 11 years. I really would like to repeat the experience some time.

Anyway, here are some reference photos I've dug up from around the web. This first kimono has a gorgeous flower-and-tree motif. Aren't the colors just magnificent?



And this next one seems to be a compilation image of modern-day furisode kimono. If any one of the girls in the photo held out her arms to the sides, the sleeves would hang nearly all the way to the ground.

Granted, I'm a bit too old to wear furisode. These kimono are only suited for young women, and anyone over the age of 20, except a bride, is probably supposed to switch over to the tomesode type [of which the previous kimono is an example].

But I love the colors and patterns in these kimono and were I able to commission a tomesode kimono for myself, I would probably go for the pattern shown in the first / upper "furisode de invierno" [winter furisode].



Kirei na~, as the Japanese would say....

Chronicle of fandom work

I think I've mentioned the idea of a fandom exchange here before, but having achieved something of a minor Crowning Moment of Awesome in my fandom life, I hope you don't mind if I take you through it again....

Fandom Gift Exchange Fest
When a participant signs up for one of these, he or she agrees to create a piece of fanfiction or fanart for someone else who has signed up for the fest. In return, the participant will also receive a piece of fanfiction or fanart from another participant. As the key word is EXCHANGE, participants who drop out or fail to turn in their pieces will not get any gifts.

To make sure that everyone gets a gift that they will like, each participant fills in a form that details what they like and don't like in fanfiction or fanart in that fandom. Usually the form will ask for preferred or vetoed pairings, some prompts, things that the participant likes and doesn't like, etc. The form thus serves as a sort of blueprint for the person who's creating a gift for them.

Many fests are anonymous and reveals are scheduled for after the time when the gifts have been posted, in order to increase anticipation, participation, and excitement. Also, I think it's really fun that way.

Some exchange fests are limited to one fandom only: every piece of fanfiction or fanart is keyed to characters/situations from that fandom. Crossovers are allowed as long as the main fandom is the featured exchange fest fandom.

On the other hand, some exchange fests are geared specifically towards crossovers of all kinds.

Fandom Big Bang Challenge
I'll take the definition here straight from the FAQs of the one I signed up for:

A big bang challenge is a collaborative project between authors and artists. Authors sign up to write long fanfiction within a predetermined time frame, and artists sign up to create art based on these stories.

The idea of the fandom big bang challenge apparently originated in a specific challenge that grew out of a specific branch of Harry Potter fandom.

Now back to the aforementioned very minor CMoA.

For all my years in various fandoms I'd never even heard of these terms until 2010. Since it turned out that people liked how I wrote in my current fandom, I decided, okay, to hell with it, never know till I try - and thus I signed up to write three stories: one for a one-fandom gift exchange fest, a crossover fandom gift exchange fest, and a fandom big bang challenge.

As of yesterday I've just turned in all the completed drafts to the three challenges.

And now I am keyed up for posting and reveals over the holidays.

You guys. Like I said. FIRST TIME EVER. And now I know I CAN DO THIS SORT OF THING. I took on three successive challenges and didn't flake out, didn't drop out, and didn't quit.

Each challenge had a specific word count: the first one I completed had to meet a minimum of 2000 words, the second a minimum of 1500 words, and the big bang had a minimum of 15,000 words. I'm happy to say I went over every one of those deadlines. [Wow, self, overcompensating much....]

I almost feel like I should have enough time to actually tackle National Novel Writing Month next, but, as I am grossly NOT prepared at all for that this year, I will wait until November 2011 for my next attempt. That will not stop me from mailing in a donation to the Office of Letters and Light, though!

Woo hoo!

This year, I am carrying two swords

Previous Halloween entry: Trick/Treat/Trip



The first picture taken of me tonight, as the office braces for its Halloween party. I am carrying two types of swords and I intend to run around and pose some more with the damn things, as I am quite happy with them and I have never had a chance to do something like this. XD

There should be more later, or I will try to get someone to take other photos, I don't know.....

Martin Freeman's Life Just Could Not Get Any Better

Because he's been cast as BILBO BAGGINS!

His already impressive resume of beloved roles gets EVEN LONGER: from Tim Canterbury in The Office (UK), to Arthur Dent in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and most recently Dr. John Watson in Sherlock.


Martin Freeman on the right, as Arthur Dent in his bathrobe, pyjamas, and towel. [Still from, of course, H2G2.]

All shall love him and SQUEE!

I may not be NaNo-ing but I might as well be noveling

And consequently I want these items, mrrr.


There is no such thing as having too many pens. If I had money I'd treat myself to three or four of these.


And of course one needs a notebook to write in when one has a kickass pen, and THIS fills the bill quite well. I am also so happy because one of my local bookstores is stocking lovely Korean-made notebooks and they are pretty neat.

I also nearly bought one of those gorgeous sketch pads with acid-free paper - and of course I was going to WRITE in it because I can't draw to save my life.

NaNo merch and related stuff here. At the very least, I want to send in another donation to the OLL....

And now I can really feel the winter creeping in

The final proof of cold weather arrived on my doorstep this morning.

I'm going to pay even LESS for my electricity bill this month than I did last month.

Pretty much the only electrical appliances getting a workout at my flat are the ref and the PC. I don't always use the overhead lights because I'm home during the daytime and I'm out at night. [Same applies for my partner.]

Oh I'm just glad I can save up some money.

BUT.

If the cold months are coming I wish I could spend some money and dress like THESE hot guys.


Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes. I cannot wait for the second series and I really cannot wait to see the movie Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The cast will include Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Hardy, and this gentleman.

*starry eyes*


Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, during his special appearance at the Doctor Who 2010 Proms. Here's a sample of the music they played during the concerts, with bonus badass dialogue:



*shivers and squees in equal measure*

Team Chocobo shenanigans

In the previous post I had to use stock photos of my newly-acquired chocobos because I hadn't yet gotten around to pinning them down for a proper photoshoot.

So today I have a bunch of lovely chocobo pics for you to look at. Chocobo picspam attack!

My nuker Chocobo. "Kweh?" *casts Thundaga* "Kweh!"

My healer Chocobo. "Kweh!" *casts Cure* "Kweh?"

Team Chocobo Mages, ready to rock.

Healer: Kweh? Wanna fight?

Nuker: Kweh! This means war!

PJ: Okay, guys, take three steps away from each other and turn around and cast - on my signal....

And now I've got these two cuties guarding my workstation at the office, which reminds me that I will probably want to take my camera to a shift one of these days in order to get a proper picture and give you an idea of where I work. [I happen to be pretty happy with my desktop wallpaper at the office, too.]

Yay for loot!

It's been a long time since I've done anything that could be considered as absolutely nerdy/geeky/otaku-ish.

So let me tell you, it is with no small amount of pride that I report my Saturday acquisitions.

My partner and I went to a shopping location called Greenhills to meet my family for dinner and drinks yesterday. We got to the area a bit early, though, and decided to kill some time by loitering around a series of boutiques in Shoppesville.

Now, one of the corridors in Shoppesville is devoted to toy and hobby shops. Star Wars memorabilia, die-cast cars, all sorts of collectibles.

As I was about to leave the last shop, I happened to look down at a box full of plushes near a display of table tennis gear.

And what should I find in the box but THESE:

Chocobo Black Mage, from the game Chocobo's Dungeon.

Chocobo White Mage, from the game Chocobo's Dungeon.

Chocobos are the iconic mascots of the Final Fantasy franchise. I had wanted a plush forever. And now, I'd found TWO.

I asked the salespeople for the prices - they quoted me a figure which they claimed was already a discount - I sighed, and smiled, and said, "I'll take them."

I think I'll buy these two adorable birdies some protective armor and then proudly display them at the office!

Post Number 200: Pierrot Yarn Party!

Two hundred posts! Thank you for reading and supporting the blog! THANK YOU~~~!

[Warning: Post is image-heavy.]

Around the beginning of August, my good friend and fellow crafter Clair@Crafty Cat pinged me and another friend to ask if we would be interested in a rather special promotion she'd found online.

Pierrot Yarns, a Japanese brand of yarn, was holding a Lucky Bag Sale.

If you go in for Japanese merch or actually live and shop there, then this sort of promotion might be familiar to you as fukubukuro. Which is, basically, offering a random assortment of goodies and bonus items in a sealed, opaque bag for a very low price. We're talking deep discounts on all of the items in the bag. Sometimes the bags contain extreme finds like plane tickets for a holiday, fur coats [!!!], and gorgeous bags. The idea is to encourage the shopper to patronize the store that offers the lucky bags in the hope of getting some really cool swag, and eventually become a regular.

So Pierrot Yarns was offering its 2010 Spring/Summer inventory of yarns as a special fukubukuro promotion and buyers could choose whether they would get "Girl Colors" or "Boy Colors". The whole bag of 41 skeins of yarn was priced at a flat 9000 yen, AND the shipping was free! So you can bet that I pounced on the offer.

Well, this morning Clair and I met up for what we eventually called a crack deal [yes, as in drugs, hello SABLE]: time to split up the yarns. My share of the money came up to about 3000 PHP, which paid for both my half of the yarns and the customs duties. [&%*^$%&%$(^()**_)!]

Here's my share of the loot.


As you can tell from the colors in the photo, we chose the Boy Colors yarn.

Breakdown after the jump ^^

Fandoms at Random: The Starry Night

Related posts:

Fandoms at Random: Doctor Who Ramblings
Fandoms at Random: The Eleventh Doctor

Our heroes in the Doctor Who Eleventh Doctor episode "Vincent and the Doctor": Amy Pond, the Doctor, and Vincent van Gogh.

One of my most favorite Doctor Who episodes of all time has to be "Vincent and the Doctor", where everyone's favorite Time Lord crosses paths with one of the greatest artists ever.

Admittedly, this is not an episode for people who are looking for out-and-out happy endings. Time traveling or not, there are certain things that the Doctor cannot change, and the tragedy of van Gogh's early demise is definitely one of those unhappy intersections.

Which means that a frame like THIS is gorgeous and tear-jerking at the same time:

Amy plays the muse to Vincent - with sunflowers.

And there's a very beautiful moment near the end where the Doctor delivers the following line. Note that Dr. Black is an expert on van Gogh, and that through the wonders of time travel is unwittingly standing next to his idol:

The Eleventh Doctor, to Dr. Black: I just wondered, between you and me, in a hundred words: Where do you think van Gogh rates in the history of art?

The answer, of course, is Dr. Black going into fanboy mode.

Sigh. If ONLY.

I know the reception of this particular episode has been pretty mixed, but count me firmly in the supporters' camp. There are just so many reasons why the art of van Gogh has retained its meaning and its beauty through the years, and the people behind this episode manage to describe many of these reasons so beautifully, in such heartbreaking fashion.

Vincent and the TARDIS, done in the painter's distinct post-Impressionist style.

Big props to the writer Richard Curtis [yes, THAT Curtis, the man responsible for the movies Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones's Diary, and Love Actually], to the amazing Bill Nighy, and to the wonderful Tony Curran. And, of course, to our intrepid Doctor and to the spitfire companion Amy Pond.

Ideas for New Worlds 6?

This post comes as a response to [Conventions] Do You Want A New Worlds 6?


A wonderful wallpaper of all eleven versions of the Doctor, found at fanpop.com.

I think the paragraph that caught my attention was this:

While we gather enough people to make such an event possible, we should get the awareness ball rolling. Don't you want to have a convention for your geeky interests? Don't you want to be able to meet other people who enjoyed the original Star Trek series like you or perhaps who love the works of H.P. Lovecraft or Anne Rice? Don't you want to discuss how Lost ended with other Losties? Don't you want to be able to share a bottle of rum with a fellow Pirates of the Carribean lover? Don't you want to practice your spells with other Harry Potter fans?

[Um, please ignore the typo there or perhaps Captain Jack Sparrow will not mind that it is actually spelled "Caribbean".]

I have to admit that I have a fairly jaded view of some of the conventions held here in the Philippines because of two diametrically opposite reasons/problems/what-have-you:

1. Too exclusive.
2. Not exclusive enough.

Why are local cons too exclusive? Well, probably because of the accidents of sponsorship and the desires of the organizers: they might want to hold a comics convention that is open to everyone, but the sponsors might insist on exclusivity for their brand. And since the cons live and die on the sponsorships, the cons have some complying to do.

Why are local cons not exclusive enough? How would you feel if you said you were organizing a con for Western comics - and then a majority of the people in costume showed up as characters from everywhere else *except* Western comics? Note that there is no fault in this sort of set-up - but it does take away from the intentions of the con.

I think the problem is a lack of acknowledgment of fandom for what it really is: more than a marketing gimmick, more than an excuse to dress up, more than a motley assortment of people sharing interests that range from mildly exotic to I-have-no-idea-what-that-is strange.

Fandom is really just the same thing whether you're a Vilmanian/Sharonian/Noranian [this shows my age rather badly, doesn't it?], or an ardent follower of LOST/Harry Potter/Batman/Star Trek/Star Wars/Doctor Who, or a big fan of Take That/U2/Amanda Palmer, or even a massive mecha-head building Gundams and Gundam costumes.

Fandom is one: the collective energy of different types and groups of people who come together for the love of whatever it is they're fans of.

It's so simple and yet it's so complicated. And I really can't blame anyone who tried to organize a con to cater to all of these interests.

Being a member of at least one "obscure" fandom myself [read: I have only met a bare handful of fellow Filipinos in the Takarazuka Kagekidan fandom, and only one or two in the flesh!], I can appreciate how some fandoms will always be too small to be represented.

And being a member of a rapidly-growing fandom [hello, Inception!], I can also appreciate how some fandoms can quickly build to critical mass and hold there against all odds.

I love being a fan but analyzing it really takes the energy out of me. Gawd, where to even begin?

I love being in my fandoms.

Because where else can you find these sorts of wonderful and handsome and beautiful people in amazing suits?!

TV Tropes links might be relevant here.

Dressed To Kill
Sharp Dressed Man
Hot Chick In A Badass Suit

Warning, pictures ahead!

DOCTOR WHO

Fifth Doctor Peter Davison and Tenth Doctor David Tennant, from the Children in Need Special "Time Crash".


Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith with Karen Gillan as Amy Pond.

SHERLOCK (2010 BBC)

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson.

TAKARAZUKA KAGEKIDAN

Former Top Star of Soragumi, Wao Youka.

INCEPTION

Cillian Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Enough said, really!

Fandoms at Random: Onstage Mizu Natsuki

Related Fandoms at Random posts:
Fandoms at Random: Doctor Who Ramblings
Fandoms at Random: Inception Dreams
Fandoms at Random: The Eleventh Doctor

Related Mizu Natsuki posts:
Video Post of Squeeing Doom!
Mizu Natsuki announces retirement.
This week's post o' fannish doom

[Whew, that is a lot of links.]



Oh, Mizu Natsuki.

Beginning tomorrow, Friday the 13th in August of 2010, you will tread the floorboards at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater for your final month's stay in the Takarazuka Kagekidan.

I really wish I could fly to Tokyo right now and watch you in Roget / Rock On!

And I'm pretty sure that if I did get the chance to go and see you before you graduate, the first thing I'd be packing in my bag would be several boxes of tissues. I'm rather shamelessly admitting that no matter where I will be on September 12, I'll be crying for you.

***

Mizu Natsuki was one of the first Takarazuka actresses, or jennes, to catch my eye when I joined the fandom full time. This probably had something to do with the fact that among the first videos I saw on YouTube were several scenes from the 2001 Soragumi staging of The Rose of Versailles: Fersen and Marie Antoinette, in which Mizu and Ayaki Nao shared the roles of Oscar François de Jarjayes and André Grandier.

[I preferred Mizu to be Andre and Ayaki to be Oscar.]

After that, I was hooked on several 'Zuka topics: Wao, O-Hana, Soragumi in general, and Mizu.

In particular I love Mizu because of her face: she has the most amazing expressions. She really can play merry hell on your heartstrings and you'll be entranced all the way.

For me, Mizu is a sterling example of the compleat jenne. She can sing, she can dance, she can act. No one looks better when wielding swords and other weapons, and no one is more suited to wearing goofy glasses and making the audience cry with laughter. She can even do female roles, as when she appeared as one of Genji's ladies [yes, THAT Genji] in a 2000 play.

I had had some hopes that she would go on to become Top Star of Soragumi after Wao's graduation, but when it turned out that she then became the immensely popular Top of Yukigumi, I felt only happiness.

And have I mentioned that Mizu Natsuki is both amazingly beautiful and handsome?!

Yeah, color me infatuated, color me besotted, and color me heartbroken. I never even got to see her on the 'Zuka stage ever.



Banzai Mizu Natsuki!

Fandoms at Random: The Eleventh Doctor

Related post:
Fandoms at Random: Doctor Who Ramblings



So it turns out that after watching the Tenth Doctor's swan song my partner and I immediately started in on the Eleventh's episodes. At this rate we'll be looking for new things to watch long before December gets here.

[Or perhaps I should amend that to, I'll be looking for new things to watch. Imagine my surprise when my partner told me he'd started watching the First Doctor's serials! He's planning to take in the whole thing!]

Anyway, we finished watching episode 06, "The Vampires of Venice", on Sunday. This is actually where the Eleventh Doctor's famous rallying cry of

Anywhere you want, any time you want. One condition: it has to be amazing!

comes from, although I think it's missing a few words - doesn't he say "Every star, every planet" at some point?

I gotta say, so far the monsters have been hit-or-miss. I mean, technicolored Daleks? Vampires who are not vampires because they're insecty-fish people? The real gem and epic scary has been brought, though, by none other than the Weeping Angels. Holy WHOA - the first time you see them actually move on camera is truly a crowning moment of horror. I cannot recommend the three Weeping Angels episodes [Ten: Blink; Eleven: The Time of Angels / Flesh and Blood] enough. This is the monster that the phrase "watching from behind the couch" was made for!

I really, really hope that there is a beastie in Neil Gaiman's Season 6 episode. I have such high expectations. I want to be even more scared of that monster than I have been of the Weeping Angels.

Those things make me relieved I'm now an atheist - I mean, imagine how it would be like if one were piously Roman Catholic, just as an example, and then watched the Weeping Angels - and then went to church! I think all those statues of saints and angels and deities would be paranoia fuel unleaded - and that's on top of the creepy "their eyes are following" vibe one already gets from them....

Wait, where was I?

Oh, yeah, the Eleventh Doctor's episodes. I have to say, I am really enjoying the dynamics between Eleven, Amy, and Rory. The whole "Uh, we are not HER BOYS" / "Yeah we are" / "Yeah we are" exchange had me in giggles, as did the hands-over-mouths "Stop talking, brain thinking, HUSH" sequence.

Looking forward to watching all the rest of the episodes and figuring out where the overall story goes!

This extra pic comes from the next episode, "Amy's Choice".



Aw, come on, they did that on purpose: how come Amy's wearing a proper poncho and the other two look like tablecloths? XD

Fandoms at Random: Inception Dreams

Related posts:
Fandoms at Random: Doctor Who Ramblings
Inception, in on the ground floor
Inception: Rapid Review, No Spoilers



Two weeks after, I'm still sunk deep in an Inception daze.

I still want to see the movie again and will likely buy a DVD the instant it comes out.

I'm kind of surprised at myself and how this movie has pretty much sunk its fangs into my head and won't let go. It's like the characters succeeded in insinuating themselves into my mind for the sole purpose of encouraging me to dream, to write, to be creative.

Granted that I'm writing fan fiction, the whole creativity thing could be just a delusion I'm suffering, but I don't want to be woken up just yet. I mean, I am just one among the legions of fans and writers and artists who've totally fallen in love with the film. There's a right huge bunch of us, and it's an amazing feeling to be swept up with this crowd.

What a nice crowd the fandom is, by the way - we have different interpretations, we 'ship different pairings, we have differing styles and approaches to the way we create - and we're all actually still getting along. Thank goodness for that. This makes me inordinately happy, actually - I'm tired of being in fandoms that periodically tore themselves apart over some insignificant quibble.

If only we could all meet in dreams and squee happily together for a moment. That would be an incandescent memory for me.

[Oh, and before anyone asks, I'm with John Scalzi on this one: I do not want to see an Inception 2; I am vehemently against the very idea. Filmcritic.com column here.]

In closing: Boy, I can still remember how my heart thumped in shock when the famous musical cue [you know the one!] hit, partway through this track....


From the Inception movie soundtrack by Hans Zimmer: Track 01, Half Remembered Dream.

Crafting How-To: Learning how to knit?

Photo credit to Vickie Howell, here at craftzine.com.

I know, I know, normally I talk about crochet here on this blog, and when I rant about the lack of supplies or tools I generally am thinking of hooks, and good yarn, and big skeins - but of course I can't just yammer on about needlework here on this blog without ever mentioning knitting.

I already know that if I ever get around to opening that importing business I will probably be more than willing to take orders for gorgeous knitting needles. I know quite a few folks who actually do both crochet and knitting. And there must be people who feel the way I do - I have a beautiful near-complete set of crochet hooks of my own, but that's never stopped me from dreaming of lovely wooden or bamboo instruments. Knitters must feel that way too.

Anyway, I'm picking up some instructions in knitting from the aforementioned Vickie Howell, who has posted a series of Knitting 101 videos at craftzine.com, one of my favorite websites for general crafting awesomeness. Watch the whole series here: Knitting 101 - Basic Stitches.

Keep on crafting!

Fandoms at Random: Doctor Who Ramblings

[It's been over a week since the Doctor Who New Series 5 finale, so I guess it's now safe to post this photo? There doesn't seem to be much context to it anyway....]

I seriously need to catch up on my Doctor Who viewing. So far, my partner and I have already seen all of the Ninth's episodes and most of the Tenth's - all the way up to "The Stolen Earth" / "Journey's End", anyway. After that we've the 2008 and 2009 specials and "The End of Time", and then we can start watching Eleventh's stuff.

At this rate I'm just hoping we can get caught up before Christmas, which is when New Series 6 kicks off.

Having already been spoiled for parts of "The Pandorica Opens" / "The Big Bang", I really just want to know what happens to the three people rumored to be Eleventh's major companions: Rory, Amy, and River (?).

And I'm torn on the speculation of River Song's identity. Is she the Doctor's girlfriend/wife? Daughter? [I hope not!] Some other type of blood relative? Is she the person who will wind up killing him? I'm leaning more toward the girlfriend/wife theory and I'm pretty much waiting for that to be Jossed hard - I mean, hello, people, this is Doctor Who, all theories are true and all theories are false.

On a slightly related note, it's kind of neat to be following Neil Gaiman on Twitter - except for the part where the poor man has been pretty much tearing his hair out over his New Series 6 script. Seven rewrites?! Gah! And as of the latest update the Beeb has accepted the seventh draft, but it still needs to lose ten pages. Holy crap. I really would not want to be in his shoes right now.

Aah, the pleasures and travails of fandom. And just you wait till I get a full head of steam about Inception - I still want to watch it and I'm still part of the fandom for it. My mind is the scene of a crime!

Leaving you all on this way-too-early Saturday morning with the Eleventh Doctor's theme:



This version is supposed to be called something like "Every Star, Every Planet".

Fandom kicks

When I was in high school I received a pair of vivid maroon tennis shoes as hand-me-downs from my mother. I remember being quite delighted to have such a comfortable and unusual pair of sneakers, and wearing them as frequently as I could.

During my three years at Philippine Science High School I was often found running around the halls wearing the normal blouse and skirt of the uniform, but the maroon shoes on my feet - and best of all, no one was enforcing the uniform rules strictly, so I could wear my sneakers with impunity.

Those shoes carried me all the way to university; they finally gave up the ghost after repeated soakings in flooded streets (much to the ruination of my white socks, I might add). After them I'd gone back to my usual routine of wearing shoes in various shades of black, blue, and occasionally white.

***



When David Tennant became the Tenth Doctor one of the first things everyone noticed was his clothes. The coat was cool, the pinstriped suit was unusual for a decidedly t-shirts-and-jeans age...and the Converse shoes were wanted by all.

In his first season he mostly wore off-white Chucks with a brown suit; he broke out the black Chucks whenever he had to don a tuxedo; and then when he started wearing a blue suit he wore maroon or red Chucks, just for the sake of the color clash.

***

Today I had the opportunity to buy shoes and when I passed a Converse store in the mall, I knew I'd only be picking between the off-white pair and the red one. (No maroon pairs in stock.)


Look, new shoes!

I hope I break this pair in right and that I get as much fun out of wearing them as Tennant did!

Yarn - gotta have it.

I know I'm supposed to have enough yarn to last me a while, what with the pounds and pounds of the stuff that I recently received....

But my problem is that the yarns I'm going to need for a couple of upcoming projects are in colors that I don't currently have.

If you haven't guessed yet from looking at the colors of this blog itself, I tend towards shades of blue, gray, and black, with a little white and cream thrown in for accent and contrast. I'm not big on bright colors, and there are some that I actually avoid because they make me look weird.

Well, it just means I need to spend some more money on my yarn stash. Hard to believe I'll soon be needing to deal in many more colors than I currently have in my stash. Worse, no one is selling those wonderful printed, tweed-type, heathered, and self-striping yarns locally, at least not in the weight that I prefer to work in....

Ironically, none of the yarns in the photo accompanying this post are multicolored, either. Grr. Goes to show just how rare yarns like this [Vanna's Choice in Wheat], this [Lion Brand Wool in Ocean Blues Print], or this [Red Heart Stripes Yarn] actually are!