So, E (the little one who is almost 2 now!) went to this place called Jumpin'.  My husband I took her because it's been kind of overcast the last few days and we wanted to get her some time running' around.  It's a place with a bunch of inflatable palace things (the kind you jump on.)  It's $3 for the three of us so it's mega-cheap.

We get there and it's not really that busy.  There are about a dozen kids there with moms/dads, etc. 

Well, E has this ball and she's putting it into this hoop.  (There is a toddler area that just has play houses and toys, etc.)  And some kid comes over and just takes her ball.  Now, she's not around kids a lot.  We don't do daycare (mainly because it's cheaper if I just stay home with her--and it works for school purposes as well for me.)  I had no idea what to expect.  She looked at this kid and grabbed the ball back, then pointed her finger at him and say, "NO.  BAD." 

Hahahaha.  I was busting up.  She does the same things with the cats when they do something bad (like get up on the table or such.)  And the kid just looked at her like "whoah" then ran off somewhere else.  He was probably 5 or so. 

You GO little woman!  Don't let anyone take your ball!  Atta girl. 

Edward James Olmos throws some mean ass devil horns!  Here is is with my husband (who convinced him to do it.)

My husband and I went to a local event here in Fort Collins to see Edward James Olmos. There were about 600 people there. There wasn't a lot of advertising and we found the small notice in a local newspaper quite by accident.

He talked about growing up in East LA, about gang violence, about cultural differences. He talked quite a bit about Galactica as well, that he felt the show had a lot to say about human nature and our differences.

Someone asked him what Adama did after the end of the series and he said that Adama built that cabin for Laura, then wandered a bit, looking for Lee. Finally found him. Lived the rest of his life wandering the Earth, died old at age 130 (haha.)

Eddie signing some things...
 

Eddie and myself.

 
A few things he brought up:

"The first Latino president will be a woman, just watch. Women are powerful. If you don't believe me, just look at Starbuck. That's the best move the producers made--to make Starbuck a woman. Katee embodies strength."

He talked about his love of baseball, about being in a band, about his movie, "Stand and Deliver." Apparently there's another movie out on HBO that he directed called "Walk Out."

He said that he (and other folks from Galactica) were asked to speak at the UN. That clip is here if anyone is interested. He said a lot of the same things at this event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08VCkyG_C2s

Very powerful speech he gave in person.

Anyway, I'm just on a huge high. Ahh! time to sleep.

(squeals a few more times, fangirl style, then passes out)

As a writer, I'm always seeking the muse.  Ray Bradbury put it like this:

But lately, I've been barraged with new ideas for stories.  I just finished a 3rd draft of a short story and I have a day to turn it into a 4th draft.  Then it gets sent out for workshop Wednesday.  Monday, I get the treatment from my classmates.  After that, I have a week to revise it.  (Sucks going last in workshop.)  I'm more of a revisionist than I am an edit-as-you-go-get-the-story-perfect-the-first-time-around type gal.  I'm sure most people don't get it right the first time.  I'm being extreme, but you get it, right?

And with all this looming ahead of me (I need this story to work, it's a good story,) what happens?  I get all these ideas that I want to write about . . . RIGHT NOW.  I have an awesome idea for a story and I've done my best to write down all thoughts inside my idea journal, but it's hard.  It keeps calling to me: write me!  WRITE ME! 

Frack. 

Anyway, that's my writerly gripe today.  Wish me luck on the revisions.  I can post the story if anyone is interested.  It's not finished.  But maybe someone has some input.  I'm open to ideas.

Nothing like reading/commenting on papers while listening to the Transformers score/soundtrack.

I love me some geeky, sci-fi/fantasy scores.  I love 'em.  Love 'em.  Love 'em.

Gets me all wound up and happy... like I can go kick everyone's ass and also grade papers AT THE SAME TIME.

Minor Spoilers
(not heavy, but spoiler-lite)

J and I bought the DVD pilot tonight.  I guess sci-fi released it early and will re-air it before the series begins next year. 

Initial reaction: thumbs up.

It's not Galactica, but it shouldn't be Galactica.  Different feel, tone, perspective, etc.

Esai Morales is hands down the highlight of the show.  He plays Joseph Adams, a criminal defense attourney.  Those of us who watched Galactica know that this is Admiral Will Adama's father (and Lee's grandfather.)  We also learn that the Adamas came from the planet Tauron and Tauron is considered a "peasant" planet, a lower social planet.  When Joseph moved to Caprica, he changed his name to Adams in order to fit better into Caprican society.

Joseph also has ties with some sort of organized crime syndicate, which you learn within the first 5-10 minutes of the pilot. 

Esai Morales is awesome.  He really felt like the heart of the series to me.  It will be interesting to see where they take this series.

Will Adama is in the show (he's 11 years old during the pilot.)  Very cool to see him a part of this. 

Daniel Greystone is the other main character (played by Eric Stoltz.)  Billionaire, genius computer whiz and also working with robotics and artificial intelligence. 

We see where cylons come from and how they are made.

We see where the "One true God" theory gets introduced, or at least where it originates.  Interesting premise, I'll say that much.

Two actresses are also in the series:

Paula Malcomson plays Greystone's wife.  Folks will remeber her as Trixie from HBO's Deadwood.
Also, Polly Walker joins the cast as Sister Clarice (the head of a girl's school.)  She was also Atia in HBO's Rome. 

J and I were both impressed.  The pilot drew us in right off the bat.  It's like a cross between The Lawnmower Man, The Matrix and Frankenstein. 

Hope some of you Galactica fans give it a look see.  If you haven't seen Galactica, it's sci-fi, what more need I say?  It doesn't take place "in space" that I can tell (yet.)  The show may expand to include space stuff.  I'm not sure what point it would have other than showing us how they built destroyers and such (like Galactica) and perhaps how technology became mankind's ultimate downfall by the time Galactica's story begins. 

Caprica takes place about 50 years before the destruction of the 12 colonies and 10 years before the first cylon war. 

Virtual Reality is heavy so far in the series.  I like it.  I like how it's handled. The technology is pretty cool.

P.S. I think the Greystones are living in Baltar's house (or the house he will eventually come to own.)  Someone else will have to confirm. 

Had a great time!  I love sci-fi conventions.  I love being a nerd and geeking out with others.  It's such an amazing place to people-watch.  I've heard some people say they just don't "get" these kinds of things (yet they've never been.)  Don't have a lot to say to those folks other than, "go.  Just have fun.  Don't take life so frackin' seriously."

We got there around 11am and got in line for photos with Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck/Kara from Battlestar Galactica.)  She was adorable in person and just tiny.  I thought she would be bigger (perhaps due to the fact that Starbuck is larger than life in a sense.)

Robert Picardo was hilarious during panel discussion.  He played EMH in Star Trek's Voyager:

Brent Spiner (aka Data from Star Trek: TNG) was also there.  I didn't get an autograph from him, but snapped a shot while he was at his table. 

At one point, Brent Spinder walked up to Katee Sackhoff and told her, "you stole the show this time!" and gave her a big hug.

We met up with Patricia Tallman (Lyta from Babylon 5.)  She has also done considerable stuntwork in the industry, including the "ugly bitch" from Army of Darkness: the one at S-Mart.  I believe Bruce Campbell tells her, "come get some" then blows her away.  Lovely as always.  I did get her autograph.

Some random pics from the convention:

Star Wars Costume

Old-School Joker

Tonton

Zombie will work for brains

Cool chick (not sure what show this is from, but the costume was great)

Bene Gesserit!

4 kids dressed up like jawas

Data/Brent Spiner look-alike

Shawn of the Dead outfit

Had a great time.  We also met William Katt (from Greatest American Hero.)  He was walking around talking with everyone.  Did not have my camera out and ready for that, though. 

This is nasty and gross and totally inappropriate.  You have been warned. 

So, I'm sitting in the ladies room in between classes, right?  and I'm in there alone and I'm thinking, "Ahh, this is good.  I like being alone.  I can do my business, finish up quick and get out and be done with it."

Before I can finish up, a few more girls walk in at random intervals.  The one in the stall next to me starts talking on her cell phone about someone doing the nasty with someone else and (like, totally OMG) really?  No WAY!  Uh uh!  I know!  Really?  Yeah!

The chick on the other side of her says something that should have been under her breath (and very passive aggressive) but it was louder than it was planned.  It sounded like she said, "don't drop it in honey!"  (as in, don't drop your phone in the toilet.)  She then let out this huge, bellowing fart to the likes of which I'd expect from a frat dude after a chili-cook-off and about half a case of Fat Tire beer.  I mean, it was priceless as if she had planned it and there was no way the person on the other end of the phone did NOT hear that fart.

So, the girl on the phone said, "Fuckin' grow up!" and then hung up and proceeded to call her BF and bitch to him about rude people in the bathroom WHILE she was mid-stream herself. 

I kid you not.  She was utterly pissed (no pun intended) that people were having bowel movements, pissing and blowing the butt-horn during her precious conversation.

Yeah. 

I stayed in the stall until they ALL left because I did not want to find out that I actually had a class with one of these people.  I mean, if I knew the farting girl was in my class, I'd probably want to congratulate her on her gas skills and that is not exactly a comfortable conversation there.  The other one?  Krikey. 

How's that for an "inside" look at college bathrooms?

I'm such a lamer about posting here.  Facebook has made me so lazy.  So, I'm sorry guys.

Life is ok.  My graduate program is going well.  I still haven't heard about getting the GTA (Graduate Teaching Assistantship) for next fall.  Keep your fingers crossed for me on this.  I really need it. 

I have to wear a wrist brace when I type now, which slows me down and pisses me off.  But, I have some nerve damage from having the worst typing posture alive and typing near 100 WPM.  You can't fly across the keyboard like that w/o paying the price.  I need my hand ya know?  For writing that craptastic novel that will make me rich.  I already have the premise and everything. It's going to be a teen-horror series.

E is saying so many words now, I've lost count.  The latest thing she does is marching around the house shouting "SATURDAY!"  I have no idea what this means, but it's cute.  She LOVES Tigger and Pooh.  I can't stress this enough.  She loses her mind.

Oh, and finally, J and I are going to Denver on Friday for our anniversary.  It's a few days early, but we're going to a big, fat, sci-fi convention.  We're going to Freak out with our GEEK out.  Brent Spiner is going to be there, as is Katee Sackhoff  (who Audio thinks is packin' heat and even if she is, that's ok with me.)  Patricia Tallman is my main reason for going.  Lyta from Babylon 5 will melt your face off with her psychic powers! 

And she was the "come get some bitch" in S-Smart at the end of "Army of Darkness."  Awesome. 

And it beats going to the Xena cons that were full of trashy sluts and man-stealing pox-faced whores with mullets.

Love you all.  Be good (but not too good.)

Later!

I won't go into detail here, but I will say this about my fiction workshop class.....

All the women have hot racks.  It's too bad that girls out number guys in English classes 4 to 1.  You guys who think you know what's what in your fancy little science/math/computer classes are all totally clueless.

The boobs are in the English department, fellas. 

That is all...

Wait, that's not all.  On a totally unrelated note, here is the shirt I'm going to wear to StarCon.  Some science teacher dude pointed it out to me!

So, I've had two dreams now about the character of Leoben from Galactica.  Always thought he was hot, in a twisted kind of way.  He's always had this thing for Kara (aka Starbuck) and an obsession with prophecy and so forth.   I love me some hot dreams sometimes.  This one was no exception.

Here's a clip (the extended/unedited version) of Kara dreaming about him.  I'm a dirty ole woman, ya know?  I really am.