I'm going to Baltimore for Shore Leave again this year. I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't been to a con, well a con with actor guests anyway, since last year's Shore Leave. Jason Mamoa and Rachel Luttrell are both going to be there. I've never seen either of them in person before, so I can get a couple more autographs for my Stargate scrapbook. Sweet!

All I have to do now is make it through one more day of work, then I'll be on my way Thursday morning!

Someone on one of the Yahoo groups I am on posted a link to this website. It's called Cards for Heroes. The idea is that you make blank, handmade cards, then the cards are given to service men and women over seas to send home to their family and friends. You can also make cards of encouragement that will given to the troops as well. I think this is such a great idea. I don't know if anyone on my flist would be interested in this, but I thought I'd pass on the link, since I think this is such a cool idea. I can't wait to make some cards myself!

http://cardsforheroes.org/

I was just at one of the websites I go to regularly for info on tv shows and it said that Chuck has been renewed! It's only for thirteen episodes, but thirteen is definitely better than none.

SWEET!!!!!

I'm so happy about this news that even the idiots commenting about how much they hate the show, can't believe it's coming back, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah. I don't think I'll ever understand the people who say they don't like something, yet insist going on the internet, finding a place where people who like said thing congregate, and then post about how much they dislike it. I mean, news flash, the tv remote control has both an off button and a button to change from one channel to another. You can use either one if you choose to. Duh!

But anyway, who cares about those whiners. Chuck's been renewed!!!!! Chuck's been renewed!!!!! Chuck's been renewed!!!!! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...and I LOVED IT!!! That's the most fun I've had at a movie in a long time. The new cast was excellent. I had my doubts about Simon Pegg as Scotty, but I have to admit that I was wrong. I really liked them all, but my favorite was Zachary Quinto as Spock. I don't understand the fans who are ragging on this movie just because it's different from the old show and movies. It's not like Enterprise or the last few movies have been big hits or anything. I think it was time for a fresh start for the franchise. This movie did that. I can't wait to see it again and I'll definitely be buying the dvd when it comes out too. I just hope there's more where that came from, especially if JJ Abrams directs.

This is awesome! I just read on the Discovery Channel website that the Grey Wolf has been removed from the endagered species list. I love nature and animals in general, but the wolf is one of my favorite animals. They have them at the zoo and I think I could just watch them all day. They're just so neat and interesting. Humans seem to be good at totally screwing things up when it comes to the environment and things like that, so I think it's great to hear something good like this for a change.

Here's the article about it, if anyone is interested in reading it.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/05/04/gray-wolf-delisted.html

I haven't been vidding much lately. With work and school, I haven't had the time, but finals are this week and mine is tomorrow. Then I'll be done until the fall semester starts. I'm still hoping to have a least one or two vids done for the vid show at Media West. Right now I'm working on an Eli Stone vid. I'm finally making progress after starting and restarting several times. I've also got ideas for a Reaper vid and another Chuck vid that I would really like to show at the con this year, and maybe one for Dexter, depending on how fast I get things done. At least, that's the plan. Wish me luck, I think I'm gonna need it. *g*

Recently, when they started a Weight Watchers program at work, I decided to join. In the first three weeks I've lost 5.6 pounds! And right now I just got done doing a half hour on the treadmill. I usually have an aversion to exercise, even though I know it's good for me, but I made a playlist on iTunes called Treadmill Music and played that while I was doing it. It was a good distraction from the fact that I was exercising and even made it kind of fun! I've also been taking the stairs more often at work and parking farther away when I go to stores or wherever. Boy, I don't know where this new found dedication and will power have come from, but I hope they stick around a while. Aside from being healthier and looking better, I want to buy this dress once I lose enough to be able to fit into it.

Pick your fandoms first, then answer the questions.

1. Lie to Me
2. Stargate Atlantis
3. Chuck
4. Dexter
5. Eli Stone
6. Numb3rs


( Q&As under the cut... )

There is a convention in Texas called Revelcon. They have a vid show and I entered it this year. I couldn't attend the con,since I don't live anywhere near Texas, but they accept vids from people who aren't actually going to be there. So I thought what the heck and sent a few of my vids. Yesterday I got an email from the lady who runs the vids show and she told me that my Stargate Atlantis vid It's the End of the World as They Know It won second place in the humor catagory. That was definitely a pleasant surprise! I just entered because I like to share my work with others, not because I thought I'd win. Actually winning is like a bonus.

Okay not really, but it was definitely hilarious. *g* Just when I thought U2's music made me like them as much as humanly possibly, they go and do this one of the nights that they were on Letterman last week.

I've been wanting to get a laptop for a while and now I have one! It's a MacBook. Until I started back to school last fall, I had never used a Mac. Now that I have used one a bit I really like it. I'm sure there are a ton of things I could do with it, if only I knew how, but I've pretty much got the basics down. . The darn thing costs an arm and a leg, not even including the software I need for classes, but it will be worth it. It will make my life a lot easier and less stressful. I mostly got it to use for school. Now I can work on homework at home, instead of having to take time off work and having to find time to go to the computer lab at school. I'll probably be paying my mom back for the rest of my life, but oh well. Like I said, it will be worth it.

The other day, my mom was going through a box of pictures and found this one. That's our dog Maggie. I took this picture, then completely forgot about it until my mom found it again. I didn't plan it that way, but it really does look like she's driving. LOL

I've been working on an assignment for school and was having trouble with it. My teacher has office hours, but with work I have a hard time getting there at the same time he's there, so I was kind of just winging it, hoping I could finish it on my own. Then last night, I found out that he had agreed to give everyone who needed it an extension on the assignment. It turns out that I was far from the only one having problems finishing it. D'oh!!! Not that the class and assignment aren't important, but getting stressed out to the point of getting a headache, which I did, doesn't really help all that much. I know this. Unfortunately, knowing and listening to myself are two completely different things. And it's not just school, either. I'm not good at handling stress. I worry a lot. And at least 99% of the time, the things I worry about turn out okay anyway. I really need to learn some relaxation techniques or something. Doing this all the time really isn't good.

I've been wanting to go to San Diego ComicCon for years now. I don't have plans for any other cons this year, so I've been looking at flights to San Diego. I found one for $305 round trip, with only one stop. I don't know how much it usually costs to go to California, but that doesn't sound too bad as far as I know. The weekend pass for the convention is only $75 and eating shouldn't be a problem. I always buy granola bars and things like that that I can carry around with me when I go to cons anyway, so as long as I had one good meal a day, I'd be willing to live off granola bars for a few days. The only problem might be finding a hotel that I can afford for five nights. I haven't found anything yet, but I'm going to keep looking. Yeah. This probably isn't going to happen, but I'm not giving up yet. I'm a dedicated (NOT obsessed!!) fangirl. I need to go to at least one con a year, or I'll go through withdrawal. LOL

INSTRUCTIONS
Bold shows you watched
Italicise shows you'd love to have back (somehow)
Underline shows you wish you had watched when they were on air
Strike through shows you hope never make a comeback

( TV meme under the cut... )

I'm giving myself a 10 minute break from homework at the moment, so that my brain doesn't explode, and I've decided to spend a few of those minutes whining. Sorry. :-P LOL

I've been working on a fanfic for a while now. I'm not sure how long, but probably a lot longer than it should take, considering it's most likely only going to be a couple of pages or so long. I've been trying to make progress and failing miserably at it, until tonight. Earlier I was in the shower, thinking about the fic, and it just popped into my brain. The same couple of paragraphs I've written and rewritten about a million times finally came out sounding good. There's more in my brain too, but I don't have time to write it out at the moment. I hate that. Are muses generally this evil or is it just mine? I haven't written much, but when I try to, this usually happens.

SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited! My favorite band is U2. There new album is coming out March 3rd, but they have the first single from it up on their website. I've listened to it a few tmes now and it totally rocks!!! If the rest of the album is as good as this (and I expect it will be, because it's U2, afterall) then it's going to be totally FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!!!!!

And now you'll have to excuse me. I'm very excited and it's really hard to type when you're bouncing this much. LOL

Chuck is one of my favorite tv shows. Even though I love how they mix the comedy with moments that are a bit more serious, this is the first time an episode of the show made me cry. I didn't think that would ever happen. I love the show, but it's not exactly the type of show that usually makes me cry.

I have more to say, but I don't know if anyone on my flist watches Chuck or not, so I'll put it under a cut, just in case.

( Spoilers )

So yeah. That was great and this is now offically my favorite episode of Chuck. There hasn't been an episode of the show that I didn't like, but this is still the best!

The good news is that my mom is the most awesome mom in the whole history of moms. We are going to Chicago for a few days and by happy, unexpected coincidence Harry Connick Jr is going to be in Chicago the same time as us. And my mom bought tickets and didn't even tell me until she'd already bought them! That's so FREAKIN' COOL!!!!!! I've loved Harry Connick Jr's music for years, ever since the first time I heard him when I was in eighth grade. I can't believe that I'm going to get to see him while I'm on vacation!

The bad, totally unrelated news, is that the last episode of Boston Legal was on tonight. I'm totally bummed out. I love that show. And to add insult to injury, I saw a commercial for the show that is replacing it. Some stupid reality show. Another reality show, just what the world needs. But on the plus side, since Boston Legal and Eli Stone have both been canceled, at least I have no reason to watch ABC any more.

And as for the squee, I get to go to Chicago! I'm leaving Thursday! I'm going to see a play starring one of my favorite actors and a concert by one of my favorite singers in one of my favorite cities that I've ever visited! OMG!!!

SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Today was the day when they had the local Welcome Santa parade. I was in the parade. I was a ballon walker for one of the five huge balloons that were in the parade this year. It was a lot of fun. I was one of the handlers for the train balloon and there was also a dinosaur, a clown, a kangaroo, and a snowman. It was really cool. They already had the one that I was on mostly inflated by the time I got there, but I got to see the snowman and the kangaroo go up from start to finish. It was neat. I always wondered how they inflated those things, they're huge. They're actually divided into smaller segments and they're inflated a little bit at a time. I took a bunch of pictures. I'll post a few of my pictures under a cut, since they're so big.

( click here for pictures... )

And if you really want to look at all 84 pictures (but probably not, I totally understand LOL), here's a link.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v169/Les342/Welcome%20Santa%20Parade%202008/