Alice I Have Been- Book #10

I've mentioned before that I'm an Alice in Wonderland fan. I've always loved the books, but the last several years has expanded my ability to kick my interest into borderline obsession. Isn't the internet great? Because of Netflix, I can now rent/stream film & TV adaptations that were hard to come by years ago. I can read fan fiction comics written by other fans- and their subsequent fandom. i can read reviews and easily access info on books and get them at the library or buy them. I can look at party, costume and collectible ideas. Crafting, photography, art. It's all at my fingertips.

I can't deny the excitement I felt when I first heard about Tim Burton's film long before it hit the theaters. I LOVED the SyFy channel's recent visit to Wonderland too.

I first heard the "darker side" of this story's legacy when I took a children's list class at Cerritos. I had to buy a copy of Gardner's Annotated Alice for the class and read the articles about dear Mr. Dodson and it broke my heart. How upsetting that a man by all means was a minor hear in my nerdasphere was so... icky. My only consolation was that it was a VERY long time ago and he wasn't benefiting from my patronage.

AS the years have gone by, I've read conflicting accounts and evaluations of the man. I prefer to choose to believe the better, more positive views. The poor lonely man. This book helped me see beyond all that and see the man for what I hope he was. Who knows the truth? Only a few people long gone, and I've come to realize that it doesn't' ruin Alice for me either way.

This book was ever-so-wonderful. It expanded the dreamworld of Alice. The author took the few known facts surrounding Alice Liddel's life, and common speculation, and wrote a beautifully heartbreaking story about a girl, and then woman, who lost her way along her life and was haunted by memories that she couldn't even remember. It was wonderful. It left me all dreamy for days after finishing it. FANTASTIC book! Favorite of the year so far!

And so ANOTHER Obsession Begins...

I was up WAY too late (4am!) reading a Disney Alice/Hatter ship fanfic. Now I'm just lost in this little fairly land can't focus. I want to read more!

Your Approval is Not Requested

Apparently my "coolness card" was revoked when I told someone that I went to see Eclipse at midnight. This came from another geek. I didn't know we were even allowed to give those out.

I thought the whole point of being a geek was liking what you wanted and not judging. This came from someone who worships 2 guys who write, basically, a gaming blog and plays a virtual version of Magic the Gathering. He met his one of his best friends growing up by figuring out that the other kid ALSO had an older brother that played D&D. They bonded over that. And now play regularly.

Dude, I love you and all, but your "cred" to hand out "coolness cards" is a little lacking. : )

I've found a lot of anti-Twilight resistance out in the geekdom lately. Maybe I'm just sick of feeling like I need to explain why I like it.

I'm in love...

I just LOVE Etsy. Like, I never go on, because that'll be ALL I do that day. I got sucked in via another website today and found Birdz n Beez. They have the CUTEST clockwork jewelry (SO steampunk). And I found an Alice charm bracelet that I refuse to link to... because I want it. Check out their store though... really cute stuff & very creative!

Alice in Wonderland

It was everything I could have hoped for. I melted into the world that Tim created. Sucked into the music by Danny and just melted at the latest outcast that Johnny portrayed. Of all the previous Burdelfman movies I've seen, this may be my favorite.

Recap:
Edward Scissorhands (1990): May have been arguably my favorite previously, since it was the first. A modern-day fractured fairytale. A Frankenstein for an 80s world. *sigh*

Sleepy Hollow (1999): Another beloved movie of mine. I love Tim's spin on "period piece" and let's be honest, Christopher Walken? What isn't there to love?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005): I don't care what anyone says, THIS is the Willie Wonka I wanted when I first saw Gene Wilder's version. GW does a great job, but Johnny is king. This version also put back in the squirrels that I loved so much... the geese were just sad.

Corpse Bride (2005): Venturing back into stop-motion animation after 12 years for Tim and Danny. They added in Johnny and came up with a cute movie. While I liked it a lot, it was easily the weakest of the (now) five.

Alice in Wonderland (2010): Wow. I saw it last night and I'm still floating from the afterglow. It's my favorite children's story (followed VERY closely by Harry Potter... like millimeters). I did a full report on it for my children's literature class based off the top of my head. I'm obsessed with that poor, confused little girl. This movie just sucked me into it's story and I basked in the score, the art design, the characters, the vision.

I cannot say it enough: Thank you Tim, Johnny & Danny. Your wonderful streak continues. The wait was well worth it.

Really, I've been doing nothing!

I've learned a few things in the last week:

Dish soap DOES NOT work well with dish washers. We had this happen 2 more times since... apparently it takes a bit of time for it to rinse out of the machine too. Whoopsie!

JJ Abrams is the man! I went with friends on THURSDAY evening to a brand new Imax theater to see the new Star Trek. These photos were taken after the viewing ... you can tell by our faces how pleased we were.

This is us just as the lights were dimming. SO excited!

And that's about it. :)

This is why infringement sucks

So I was poking along in Twilight Land today. Just killing some time before I had to go to a family baby shower and I went to see how Twilight Guy was doing. This post was at the top and made my jaw drop! For those that don't want to click... someone got a hold of Stephenie Meyer's manuscript of Midnight Sun (the companion book to Twilight) and POSTED IT ON THE FREAKING INTERNETS!!

How could ANYONE do that? Her response is to now put the book on hold. This is why copyright infringement is illegal. It ruins things for the actual artist, and then for those that are trying to follow along in the "game". Cheaters ruin it for everyone.

She provides a link to the actual manuscript that's been posted, in her way of taking control of the situation, but I'm not reading it. In fact, I'll be writing my first fan letter to her. I want to tell her that I'm sorry and upset by this and that I want her to finish it. I encourage any of her fans that read my blog (not many readers, but I think most of them are Meyer fans) to also write her. Her posting made me very sad for her as she's always been very gracious and appreciative about her fandom. If this had happened to Jo (it kinda did) I'd want the same thing.

I want to read what she had polished up and got ready for public consumption, not the work in progress. (Although it'd be kinda fun to read it later and make comparisons... but in a learning the process kind of way, not cheating and getting ahead way.)

Its the same with music and movies. I'll admit to have downloaded things in the past, but I put a stop to it in our house a few years back. It's dishonest and takes money from the artists. They're just trying to make a living and support themselves like I am. They work hard for what they put out and they deserve to get fair market value back.

Still coming to terms with geekdom

Anyone that reads here semi-regularly will know that this is a topic on my mind a lot lately.

I had friends drop everything to run to Vegas the day I mentioned that Star Trek: The Experience was closing. If I hadn't started reading Wil's blog, or subscribed to his Tweets, how would THEY have known? Yet, I didn't go. They tried, REALLY tried, but I couldn't justify going into debt for it. Instead they bought me a tribble and communicator badge from TNG. Good enough, no? I just resigned myself to knowing that I didn't know what I was missing and there's the chance it'll open somewhere else... and then I won't have to worry.

I really think I was destined to be a geek really. I am the daughter of 2 Trekkies and my mom is a big Tolkien fan. From the time I was a tiny kid I remember begging to look at her Froud Fairies book or through her jewelry box which contained various silver charms (ones that I'll kill my sisters for when she dies; they can have the opals and pearls, I want the silver unicorn and moon).

Anyway, my personal geek journey probably can be listed as starting when I was like 5 or 6. In my little world D&D was a cartoon (in reruns) that I wasn't allowed to watch. At the time I was told that it was too scary and would give me nightmares. As an adult I found out that Mom didn't want me, the obsessive little thing that I was watching it. The last thing that she needed was a small starting on a pathway to rolling 20s.

She had had a lonely childhood (friends wise, with 8 kids in the family, she was around plenty of people). I think she was trying to spare us the grief. Well, 3 out of 4 of us geeked out anyway. My youngest sister and I had it easier (geeky chicks are worshipped! lol) than my brother though.

Because of my obsessiveness, I'm beginning to think that the geekiness started before that (like just after I turned 3). From the time that I could barely talk, I was all about Rainbow Brite. I, again, didn't know this until I was an adult, but I could barely talk, and talked a blue streak about Smurfs and RB. I saw that happen when my nephew went though his Thomas the Tank Engine phase. it was so bad that my preschool teacher (who hadn't' seen me since I was like 4) remembered it. A few years ago she was at a family wedding (my aunt had kept up with her) and she immediately asked my mom "Where's Rainbow Brite?"

When it started at a point that I can remember clearly would be 21 Jump Street. Mom would watch it, and I remember being glued to Johnny Depp. Judy (Holly Robinson) was cool and all, but I loved Tom. That little tid bit in itself isn't geeky, but because of that, I was led to Tim Burton and Danny Elfman. That also meant that all I wanted to do for my 12th birthday was have my parents take me to see Nightmare Before Christmas.

Then there's Star Trek. I loved TNG! That flowed over to Deep Space 9 and Voyager. When Generations came out, my friend conned her dad into taking us down to Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood and seeing it there (I think) on opening day. Oh and also X-Files (which I'm Netflixing now and loving it!) and Unsolved Mysteries.

Did I mention that I read too? All kinds of things from Anne McCaffrey's Pern books to CS Lewis' Narnia, to Nancy Drew. Let's not get me started on comics okay?

Jeebus how didn't I "know" this before? I always knew that I was weird (and proud of it... popularity was overrated) but sheesh! Then when you throw in band, a passion for musical theater and the Buffyverse... yeah...

Sorry Mom, I never had a chance.

Greetings nerdlings

Do you know how happy finding Wil Wheaton's blog has made me the last couple weeks? I feel my inner dork coming out more often now. We can thank my sudden possible intrest in playing FF11 on two things: the rest of the family playing... and my realization that being geeky is something that I just need to fully embrace. It's a part of me that isn't going anywhere and it doesn't compromise my "cool points." I can thank Aaron, Munchkin and Buffyverse RPG's for that!

So to honor my newfound full comfort with dorkdom (let's face it, I've always admitted to being geeky... I'm just finally fully aware of and happy with the extent of it) more droolness for Wil fans. ;)
The beard just enhances people. And not everyone who can grow one carries it off well either. Jessica is lucky to be married to someone who CAN carry it off. Matthew can't and knows it so he doesn't even try... thank heaven! Can I just say he seems like the nicest person in the world too? Not just some pompous @$$hat that thinks the world owes him something. I can't wait to have enough extra money to buy one (or all) of his books. I'm even overlooking the whole Democrat thing. He's not obnoxious about it, and he's from LA. Most folks around here just are that way. I forgive him.

And the other dork moment that made me totally gasp today...

To anyone that said Robert Pattinson was a horrible casting choice for Edward... eat that!

When I first read the books I had nobody in particular in my head (I don't think up actors to act out my books... I just kinda get vague images in my head, probably hybrids of people I've known or something, any way) so if you had asked me my favorite casting choice I wouldn't really have had an idea. I would have guessed some actor that's way too old for the part because I don't really know many of the young ones these days (guess that's good since I'm 26 now). I just would have said that I'd know him when I saw him.

Then I read who they cast. I was ecstatic! I knew INSTANTLY he was perfect! All those other actors that girls were boo-hooing about not being in it were all wrong. Those nay-sayers must not have really read the books because they all had the wrong coloring... skin, hair etc. Tan/olive skin and dark brown hair won't work people! She distinctly repeats over and over that he's got BRONZE hair. That's like a golden redish color. RP is a doll and I'm totally stoked for this!

Enough for tonight though. :) Have fun drooling and I'll post again soon!

WHEEEEEEEEEE!

My faith in American Idol has been restored (the whole Daughtry mess really pissed me off). I haven't watched a stitch of this whole season since the semester started. Tonight was the first episode with the top 20 at all that I've watched. That being said...

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Just because I didn't watch AI doesn't mean I haven't kept up with people. I've enjoyed both Davids this season but my favorite one won!




From the moment I saw this video I knew he was my American Idol this year. It's probably my all time favorite Beatles song & I found the video by happenchance. One of my co-workers mentioned that the Archuleta cover of Imagine was amazing, so I checked it out. Then I was curious about what other songs had been done... and I found David Cook. <3 <3 <3

So, Matthew and I were watching and I was wondering something about DC (can't remember what now) and I made the "mistake" of going onto Wikipedia... so I knew who won by 9:30 my time. I'll just say that I squealed with excitement when I saw who won. And then watching him actually win, awwwww. He cried. So cute.

And now that Idol is over... So You Think You Can Dance starts Thursday! WOOOOOOOO! I'm OH so jazzed!!

Inner fangirl screams

LOOK at what I found today! He's just as cute as I remember.

I'm really interested in reading his 3 books too now. What a doll. :) He's married now too. I guess all that crap Matthew said about "Westly Crusher" being gay to me, Sarah and Cindy was just that... CRAP!