Comic-Con 2012: Mission accomplished, baby!

So, Comic-Con 2012 is over and done with, and all that's left is catching up on the panels/interviews I missed there and reading recaps of the ones I did see. I will say this: That previous post about my Plan A? Totally checked 'em all off my list, and then some. I couldn't ask for a better (last?) Con. I won't go through it day by day because that's boring, so here's a long list of superlatives:

A teary-eyed "Firefly" reunion: Nathan Fillion, Joss Whedon,
Summer Glau, Sean Maher. (Credit: Me)

Best panel: The "Firefly" 10th anniversary panel was worth getting in line at 5 a.m. In fact we should've gotten there earlier, because Joss Whedon came out to see fans and we missed it and I don't want to talk about it. I'm fine. I'm FINE. Anyway, the panel itself was fantastic: teary, funny, sweet. After all these years, the cast members still have chemistry. The SDCC folks seriously must've underestimated interest in this panel the line was unbelievably long -- and deservedly so. 


Most revelatory panel: Psych at Nerd HQ. (Click the link to watch the full panel.) I didn't realize it last year, but in an intimate setting this year, it seemed like Dule Hill was the funny one and James Roday was the straight man, when it's the other way around on the show. 


Most feel-good panel: Nathan Fillion at Nerd HQ. (Click the link to watch the full panel.) He brought up Adam Baldwin to join him, and the two were obviously enjoying themselves. Also seeing them kiss Zachary Levi for $1,000 donation to Operation Smile was pretty funny too. (Side note: Had my sister not been there, I might've coughed up the money to kiss Zac, too. Cooler heads prevailed.)

RUN!!! (Credit: Me)

Scariest moment: I hate heights, so at Petco Park during the Walking Dead Escape obstacle course, the rope net we had to climb down while watching for zombies below was not fun. Not. Fun. At. All. ...


Superhero moment: ... However, the rest of the obstacle course was pretty awesome. I can say that now that I'm not wheezing my way through it. Seriously hard, folks. Seriously. But I did surprise myself by vaulting -- vaulting! -- over a zombie's hands to escape contamination. Watching the video it's not all that superheroic, but it was in my head.

Rockin' the Fringe swag.
 (Credit: Joy)

Coolest swag: At the final "Fringe" panel (the show ends this season), they gave out pretty sweet gray fedoras like the ones the show's creepy Observers wear. Neato!


Coolest souvenir bought: Tie. A super cute limited-edition Comic-Con Domo T-shirt. Also an equally super cute limited-edition canvas Nerd messenger bag at Nerd HQ. 


Biggest regret: See first item about missing Joss Whedon. I'm FINE.

My boyfriend Richard Armitage. (Credit: Me)

My Beatles moment: Seeing Richard Armitage on stage for the Hobbit panel. Not only is he handsome (DUH), but I'm so happy he'll be getting more press in America in the coming months. Comic-Con is just the start, y'all. Get on board.


Cutest guy (besides Richard Armitage): Zachary Levi (see last item below). Runner-up: Henry Cavill is quite a looker, and I'm psyched to see "Man of Steel." 


Coolest panel: No one could top the rock-star entrance by Robert Downey Jr., who IS Tony Stark at this point. And the Marvel presentation in general -- in which they announced film titles and dates for "Thor: The Dark World," "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" -- made me geek out completely.

Me and Colin Ferguson. (Credit: I honestly
can't remember if it was Joy or
Erika, I was so excited.)

Best random celeb moment: Seeing Colin Ferguson chillin' out, checking his phone outside Rock Bottom Brewery. So I calmly introduced myself and told him how much I love "Eureka" and will miss it. And then he graciously offered to take a photo with me. And I squeed quietly to myself inside. I did not chase him like the fangirls who ran after Misha Collins from "Supernatural" (FF to 3:03 to see the silliness).


Best food: If you're in San Diego, please partake of the breakfast items at Richard Walker's Pancake House. Also their coffee. Which is THE BEST EVER. I'm serious. THE BEST EVER.


Worst food: I am so over granola bars right now.


Best moderator: It's so funny, I follow so many entertainment journalists/personalities on Twitter that seeing them mod a panel is as exciting as seeing the cast. The best mod by far was Chris Hardwick (aka the Nerdist guy of podcast/geek fame). Funny, charming, knowledgeable about the subject matter, he's really engaging. Now if he could drop his sidekicks on his podcast, I'd love him even more.

Ladies and gentlemen, the King of the Con for the second year
in a row -- at least for me: Zachary Levi. (Credit: Me)

King of the Con: Drumrolllllllllllll. Zachary Levi! And his Nerd HQ. My raison d'etre for going to Comic-Con was Richard Armitage, and I did and it was amazing. But the biggest highlight was sitting in the front row for three Nerd HQ panels and having Zachary Levi right there in front too (and high-fiving me!!! And Scott Porter showing up! And Aisha Tyler!). I know actors are good at acting nice, but I want to believe that Zac is as genuinely down-to-earth and sweet as he seems. And I can't not love a guy who says he loves my color-coded Comic-Con schedule! 

Said color-coded schedule and "Tangled"
DVD -- both signed! Squee! (Credit: Me)

Okay, that's it for Comic-Con 2012. Now I've got to back into the swing of real life. On the bright side: Hopefully less geeky posts in the future. 

A crafty, crafty girl

(Credit: Someecards)

I never took any Home Ec classes in school. It just wasn't my thing. I didn't want to learn to sew, to bake a cake, to properly wrap gifts.

But I probably should've taken at least one class. I am terrible at wrapping gifts. I suck at cooking -- unless it's from a box, and even then it's 50-50. And my method of sewing on a button was, well, just put the thread through the holes any which way a few times and pray the button stays on.

A few years ago, I took up knitting. It's a nice thing to do while watching TV -- at the very least it stops you from reaching for the potato chips. But it's also relaxing, very Zen: the repeated motions, the constant click of needles. And at the end of the night, you've made progress on something other than burning through shows on the DVR. Plus, start early enough and you've got presents for everyone! See the ecard above for thoughts on that.

Knit baby blanket
and matching robot for
my best friend's son. (Credit: Me)

And don't think I make doilies or the like; I don't knit  "Look what my Grandma made me" things. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just like more modern designs. 


My thing has been baby blankets: I make a different one whenever a friend has a kid (and these days, there's one every year); it's never the same blanket. But, funny story: I took a class this winter in which the teacher informed me I was doing the knit stitch wrong. Oopsie! So, to everyone has gotten something knit from me in the last few years: Sorry, it could've been better!

It's Ten! Doctor Who
crochet doll for my sister.
 (Credit: Me)

After knitting, I tried crochet, which I'm not very nimble at, but it goes a lot faster than knitting if you don't factor in the time I spend confused about something.  And you only need one needle! It also seems better for more structured gifts: rounded mug cozies, for example, or a David Tennant/Doctor Who amigurumi doll. But it's not my forte.




Then last year I took up sewing after my sisters and brother-in-law got me a sewing machine. There's a great studio that offers classes here in D.C. -- the owner must be like: "What is up with this chick? She's here like every month!" But I've really learned a lot, though I'm not nearly as confident at it as I am with knitting, or heck, even crochet. 

Look! My first dress!
(Credit: Me)

There are good days, like yesterday, when I finished my first dress from a pattern! It was a six-week class, working through each step for two hours a week. And lemme tell you, friends, it was hard work. I'm not good at cutting fabric or, you know, figuring out the math. But with much help from the teacher, it turned out super cute, if I do say so myself. 


Then there are bad days. These come more often than the good days. The other week, when I went all lone wolf and made a Nook case without a pattern from an old Comic-Con bag I had. There were tears (of frustration), a little bit of blood (so that's what thimbles are for!), and lotsa sweat (figuratively, at least). The result is precariously functional and not at all pretty. So I'm going to try again after I get this year's bag.

Upcycled Comic-Con bag Nook case.

A for effort; C for execution.

(Credit: Me)

The next sewing class I'm taking is Intro to Quilting because I really want to make a T-shirt quilt. Upcycling clothes and bags seems so cool if done right. This way, I can take all the old geeky shirts I own and make something cute. And then I can buy new shirts to wear. Heh.
.
I keep meaning to come up with a cute label for the things I make, but I can't think of a fun name. If you think of one, let me know. Sometimes I think, "Hey, you know what? I could open an Etsy shop!" But: (a) I often get patterns from other crafters online, and it is not cool to make money off others' ideas; (b) I'm not good enough to come up with patterns on my own; and (c) if I opened a shop, then I'd actually have to make whatever I sell, and then it just becomes work. Where's the fun in that?


There's something great about making a skirt or a dress or bag. You feel all accomplished at the end of it, even if it didn't turn out like you wanted it to. And you learn from your mistakes. One of the best things about being a crafter, which I never thought I'd be: I've made lotsa friends my age who do all these things too! So yay for that! 


What will be my next craft? Scrapbooking? Nah, I made a book for my superduperawesome train trip through Great Britain a few years ago, but other than buying some pretty paper, I just can't get into it. And there are cooking classes I wouldn't mind taking. After all, my knife skills are spectacularly lacking. Or jewelry? I can imagine spilling beads all over my floor.


Or, hmmmm, I wonder if there are gift wrapping classes.... 


Eek. This all reminds me: I need to start thinking about Christmas gifts. *runs off to find some inspiration*

Resistance is futile

So, I love to take surveys. At the movie theater this weekend, I was bummed the Nielsen lady didn't ask me if I wanted to do a survey. One of my favorite survey questions is, basically: Do you often tell people about the things you like? The answer is ALL MY YES. I'm big on evangelizing. When I like something, I love it and I love to tell people about it. ALL about it. So here are the things I proselytize about these days.  (By the by, my posts won't all be written in this format. I'm just feeling list-y.)
 
1. World of Joss Whedon. When someone asks "Who's Joss Whedon?" my heart dies a little. And then I say: "Uh, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'? 'Angel'? 'Firefly'? 'Dollhouse'? 'Dr. Horrible'? 'Serenity'? 'Avengers'? Where I get a much of my lexicon?" "Bitka" -- from a throwaway joke in a Buffy ep -- is still a word my sisters and I use frequently instead of the b-word. Anyway,  Joss = great filmmaker/writer/hell, even songwriter. He was doing vampires before vampires were cool, my "Twilight" friends (Angel & Buffy > Edward & Bella). So go watch "Buffy." You won't be sorry. You will, however, laugh, cry and gasp. 

Happy sighs.
(Credit: Amazon)

2. "North & South." See my previous post about Richard Armitage. My sister tried to convert me on this period drama a few years ago and I didn't listen. But, boy, she was right. In a nutshell: It's "Pride & Prejudice" -- with cotton! And the hero, Mr. Thornton (a.k.a. my all-caps BOYFRIEND), is quite possibly better than Mr. Darcy from P&P. Yeah. You read that right. And I've had a Mr. Darcy complex since like 9th grade... Sa-woooooooon.

Age becomes them:
West, left; and Sawa
(Credits: CW, Zap2It)

3. "Nikita." My flavor-of-the-month conversion. I pick a show every summer to catch up on and this year it's "Nikita." And I'll be honest: It's not my fave spy show ever. That'd be the first 5 seasons of "Spooks," better known as "MI-5" on this side of the pond; go watch it.  And "Nikita" is not perfect: There are plot contrivances aplenty (of *course* Nikita somehow escapes the thick metal handcuffs in the nick of time) and the first season is a very slow burn. But stick with it and second season is a blast. It's "Alias" -- another cool spy show -- minus that show's silly Nostradamus-like mythology. Plus, Shane West is easy on the eyes, so you forget the plot holes  ... and possibly the plot entirely. And as a recurring bonus: Devon Sawa, another former young actor who, like West, has grown up.

I heart this book. So. Much.
(Credit: Amazon)

4. Young adult literature. I'm a late convert myself thanks to The Hunger Games. When I was young, I stuck to Nancy Drew Casefiles, BSC, Sweet Valley and Sunfire/Sweet Dreams teen romances. But the YA books today are original, smart, funny and touching, and I just keep finding more to love. To start your reading list: "The Truth About Forever," "Jellicoe Road," "Sweethearts," "The Fault in Our Stars." That's in order from lightest to heaviest, btw. TFiOS will destroy you.

5. "Doctor Who." I'll admit I'm only a contemporary fan (I haven't seen the original show). But this reboot -- particularly seasons 2 through 5, the David Tennant years -- is, to use a word from the S1 Doctor, fantastic. Now my usual caveat for it: You have to wade through a few episodes of the first season before you see it as more than a kids' show, which is basically who it's geared toward. After the creepy two-parter of eps 9 and 10, though, you'll be in it for the long haul.

Okay, that's it. Get out there and become true believers. If you try any of these, lemme know what you think. Also, what do you guys try to convert people to? I need some new obsessions...