Adventures of a Writer Learning her Trade
An interesting way to spend your birthday week is to look up facts about the history of your birthday. Here are some of my most interesting findings about the day December 14. Some of these things I have known for a while, others are things that I decided to look up out of curiosity for a blog post.
Continue reading “Fun Facts about December 14 (My Birthday)”
The morning of Veterans’ Day (Nov. 12), I came home from eating out for breakfast to log onto my computer, and I discovered the sad news that Stan Lee had passed away only hours before.
I knew he had been suffering from some health problems in the last year. But I wasn’t ready for him to go.
The tributes that so many people in the entertainment industry have written have been touching and inspiring. I have written a few short tributes of my own already, but I feel the need to say more.
Continue reading “Stan Lee: A Life that Touched Ours for Good”
SUMMARY: I had a blast at FanX 2018. I did a lot of cool stuff. I got my first-ever celeb photo-op with Karl Urban. I went to a Star Wars wedding. I cosplayed Hela, my Jedi OC, and Princess Black Widow. I’m so happy I got to see my cosplay friends one more time before I moved out of Utah.
It’s been over month since FanX 2018, and I am painfully aware of that. But right after FanX I moved to Arizona, and since then I have been getting settled in and adjusting. I probably could have, and should have, written this post sooner. But I am still writing about this a month later because I have a few thoughts that I think are worth sharing
I did three costumes: Hela on Thursday, a Jedi/SHIELD agent on Friday, and Princess Black Widow on Saturday. Last year I didn’t do any Marvel cosplays, so I swore that I would do all Marvel at the next convention I went to. I think I did good on keeping my bargain to myself.
After the outstanding success of Black Panther and the devastating finale of Infinity War, it would seem like a tall order for an in-between stand-alone film like Ant-Man and the Wasp to be as impressive or as entertaining as either film—especially when some of us are waiting for Captain Marvel.
But in spite of those odds, Ant-man and the Wasp, like its predecessor, Ant-man, exceeded expectations, perhaps even more so. I kid you not.
Continue reading “‘Ant-man and the Wasp’ Delivers In Spite of Post-Infinity War Angst”
*spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War, but it’s been a month and a half*
We might have some fun in store later this summer with Ant-man and the Wasp. But the thing is, the wait between Infinity War and Avengers 4 is going to be long and unbearable.
Just a month or so before Avengers 4 comes out, we’re getting Captain Marvel. And while the film will serve as the appetizer for the main course, what’s great about Captain Marvel is we finally get an epic Marvel superhero story with a female lead.
I’ve been looking forward to it since it was announced with the rest of the Phase 3 films in fall 2014. I find myself drawn to female superheroes. DC has given us two superb heroines with Wonder Woman and Supergirl. But as you know, I am more of a Marvel fan.
THANOS IS HERE.
Avengers: Infinity War hit theaters last week, and after having seen it twice I would definitely say it lives up to the hype and I would not mind watching it over and over again. I have a lot of thoughts on this film, and I am sharing them with you as spoiler-free as possible.
The first time I saw Infinity War I had a hard time liking it. It was like having a bad dream. It’s the kind of dream where you get something you really wanted but then your subconscious put together the different elements in ways you don’t want, at a pace you can’t control, and you wake up the next morning and you’re not sure you like what you got. It’s not exactly a nightmare, but it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Again, that was how I walked away from the first viewing.
A blog is a good place for self-reflection as well as sharing thoughts and ideas. The truth is I haven’t been doing a lot with cosplay in the last few months, mostly because I have been trying to keep a job. Now I am not employed, and while I am negotiating my job situation, I also am having thoughts about getting back to cosplay. This has led me to think about why I got into cosplay in the first place and what I get out of it.
There’s a sense of wonder that comes with seeing your favorite characters at a convention, and not just on a TV screen. That wonder is seeing your favorite heroes and villains living and breathing. You know that it’s not really them, but they will say or do something that the character will do and for a moment it’s the real thing. And they’re interacting with you.
I don’t always do homemaking or decorating crafts. But this last winter I got in the mood for a particular project.
I use notebooks a lot for writing down all of my thoughts, story ideas, and dreams. I have been gifted some cute notebooks in recent years. But last fall I started thinking, how about if the next notebooks I used reflected the fandoms I am part of? A lot of the stories on my mind have been fanfiction, so it would be neat if the outer covers of those notebooks matched the contents.
There are beautiful geeky notebooks out there. But they can be hard to find within shopping range. Or paying range.
If you’re friends with me on Facebook, you might have noticed a little thing I do called #WinterSoldierWednesday. If you don’t know me at all, then you should know that every Wednesday I post something related to Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier or Sebastian Stan on my social media feeds. On the FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention Facebook group, I’m known to go crazy with photo spams. Almost every week.
Why do I do this? Because Bucky is my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe character. And because Sebastian Stan is one heck of a gorgeous human being. Let me give you thirteen reasons why Winter Soldier Wednesday is a big deal for me and my friends.
I have now seen Black Panther twice and I don’t have anything planned for this week (probably not a good strategy.) So here is a review and commentary, but this is not the kind of review you should read before seeing the film, so, spoilers.
Black Panther is a film that is being celebrated by critics and fans alike for a long list of reasons. Many of those reasons are justified, in my opinion, but one thing that should not be overlooked is the impact of the lead protagonist. King T’challa of Wakanda deserves our respect for far more than being an action hero.
The Apprentice Chronicles 