Technological Disappointments.

Or, how my Christmas morning plans were foiled by PC only titles.

My mother listened to my constant woes and complaints over the past few months regarding my ancient macbook, and ended up getting me a new macbook pro (with retina display!) for Christmas. Sadly(?) I knew about this marvelous gift because my mother lacks sufficient knowledge on what makes a good computer, but also because she didn't know my specific needs. Somewhat indifferent to the lack of a surprise, I ordered it and then sat with my hands in my lap waiting patiently for Christmas morning.

Pictured above: one of the many things that eventually fell into my lap.

I had grand plans for holiday gaming, you see. Until last year I was never much for computer gaming, just Minecraft really, but then I started Fallout 3 and Skyrim files on a friend's computer and, well, I've decided that I like the keyboard and mouse setup quite a bit.

My sister and her family weren't set to arrive until around noon or one o'clock Christmas Day, which left my mother and me with plenty of time to drink mimosas while watching the Doctor Who Christmas special (me, not her), and setting up my new macbook. I decided that the first order of business would be grabbing Steam and installing Fallout 3. Because nothing screams 'Christmas' like a post apocalyptic United States of America.

Something unrelated that screams 'Christmas': a ten week old springer spaniel mutt 

who wants to get his sleep on in your lap. You just say yes.

For some reason I had it in my head that Fallout 3 was PC/Mac, but all signs online point to it being PC only. Color me devastated. I sat melancholy on the couch, sipping my mimosa and watching the snow fall (all the while quite paranoid of sentient snowmen).

I have come to really enjoy the functionality of the macbook, and I have zero desire to switch to a Windows based machine in the near future. Why must companies punish me so? I've considered a Windows desktop to accompany my macbook for the sake of increased ease of access in software scenarios such as this, but no. I don't imagine that will happen.

Perhaps a dual boot is in my future.

In the meantime, I'll cry quietly while clutching my new Dalek plushie to my chest. Isn't that what you'd do with yours?

-MJ

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Ex-ter-mi-nate! Hall-o-ween-ate!

OK maybe the title isn't great, but the point here is that I'm sharing my Dalek Halloween costume!

The most feared alien race in existence.

2012 has been largely about Doctor Who for me, so it's no surprise that I went that route for my costume this year.

I've seen a number of amazing realistic Daleks as well as fun wearable dresses, and since I have limited capabilities I decided that a dress would be the right way to go. It would have worked for me to purchase a pre-made dress and then sew or glue on various accoutrements to make it Dalek-y, but I decided to make it myself. Having no knowledge of clothing assembling, and no pattern, this was a ballsy move.

Can Daleks suck the life from themselves? Do they ever smile?

The results could have been worse, but they also could have been loads better. I knew going in that it'd be a bit of a disaster, so that cushioned the blow of the wonky finished piece. I can wear it though, so I'm very proud of it! I can mark it off of my dream costume list, and maybe next time I attempt a costume I'll actually purchase a pattern. I'm hoping to wear this one to Gallifrey One in February because it turned out better than I thought it would. The styrofoam balls really pulled it together! It is very difficult to drive wearing this, though. Heh.

What's your costume this year?

-MJ

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Dream Halloween Costumes: Geek Edition!

As a lady it's very difficult to buy a Halloween costume that is fun and also not skankalicious. Take a look at some men vs. women comparison costume articles and you'll see what I mean. After giving into the situation a few years in a row (many years ago) I grew tired of the expense vs. lack of skin covering ratio and decided to start putting together my own costumes.

In the past I have been Saria, Uhura, and Raggedy Ann, all made or put together myself. This year I'm hoping to go as a Dalek, so we'll see what I end up with! It's easier than you'd think to put together a creative outfit by yourself. It takes a willingness to thrift, (sometimes) a teeny bit of sewing knowledge, and the ability to accept that your costume may not be a perfect re-creation of the person/thing you're going as. And, the nice thing about these costumes is that they can double as cosplay for conventions! One of the many benefits of being a geek: recycling!

 The green wig was my crowning glory as Saria. Spock was appropriately unimpressed.

I have a few dream Halloween costumes that I hope to make a reality someday. I've seen many of them around the internet, so it gives me great hope regarding my own success. Let's take a look at them!

TARDIS dress:

There are so many options for this particular dream.

The adorable:

The scandalous:

The amazing:

I would definitely go the "adorable" route for a few reasons: comfortable and I think I could probably make it. Aside from finding a pattern online (which is difficult) or buying one from a craft store, my best bet would be purchasing an existing blue dress and then adding embellishments such as the Police Public Call Box sign, the Pull to Open sign, and the windows. Throw in a tiny light-up hat and I'm finished! There's a great tutorial over on youtube that builds off of a corset and skirt design. It's a little risque for me, but they have brilliant ideas.

FemmeTen:

I've never seen female Doctors in the show, although Eleven has mentioned one lady Time Lord before, but that hasn't stopped dedicated fans from storming the fandom with Femme Doctors. Being a bespectacled lady who doesn't wear contacts, I have great sadness when it comes to costume accuracy; not very many characters that I like have glasses. Fortunately, the Tenth Doctor wears glasses every so often!

The great part about cosplaying as Nine, Ten, or Eleven is that they have relatively normal outfits, things that some men would wear on a day to day basis. I could probably buy a complete FemmeTen outfit at Macy's! Brown/blue or pinstriped dress suit, snag a tie from the men's section and throw on my pre-existing red Converse. I am DONE. Like this lovely lady:

All rights reserved Rachel McCauley

The long tan jacket is very important. Never forget that piece! The internet is also full of various fun Doctor Who memorabilia, so once I include my Sonic Screwdriver and track down some psychic paper  the task at hand is done. I will then be able to walk around proud and intelligent with all the swagger of a two-hearted being.

Minecraft Person:

This is one of the simplest options I could pick, so I don't understand why I haven't done it yet. Laziness? That must be it.

From Geekosystem.

Jeans, check. Tennis shoes, check. Green t-shirt, easy enough to obtain. The pickaxe can be purchased online, and I imagine if I were particularly strapped for cash I could buy a large piece of foam core and cut out the shape myself. The trickiest part here is the head piece. But guess what? That can be purchased online too!

If my Dalek dress doesn't turn out at least I've now convinced myself of an easier option.

Zelda:

Without a doubt this is the most difficult costume on my dream list. Pulling off a Zelda costume requires  an immense amount of time, skill, and detail. Not to mention a very specific wig and accessories! I've come to another conclusion: this costume requires a lot of money. Unless I start to develop a lot of finesse and experience with my sewing machine, my best bet for this is to buy one from the internet.

Of course, I like to believe that if I had a spare $300 lying around then I'd buy patterns and take a few classes on costume/clothes making. Then someday you may all see me looking like this:

Source

You can rest assured that it'll be the happiest day of my life. 

Link:

I'm pleased to report that I'm actually working on a Link costume right now! I've wanted to cosplay as Link while at PAX for quite a few years but that's kind of tough to do without the outfit in tow. My first attempt at a tunic was far too small, and the second one fits but just barely. Truth be told, the sleeves are too small and I'm running out of fabric to try and fix it. I don't expect this one to be Con quality, but maybe Halloween next year.

Link is a much easier costume than Zelda because he has fewer embellishments. One of the key components is a sword, and I was gifted one for Christmas last year so really I'm already halfway to a Link outfit. There are a lot of very great costume tutorials out there, and they're where I'm starting.

Source

I shall start with that, and someday achieve this:

Source

The extra detail. Not the masculinity. Don't be ridiculous.

Similar to the Zelda costumes, many places on the great internets will sell me a Link costume, but I think this one needs to come from my sweat, blood and tears, not my wallet.

What is everyone going to be for Halloween, and will you be buying your costume or making it? Have you ever made your costumes in the past? What is YOUR dream costume? Also, if you have any great sewing internet resources then please do share!

Happy costuming!

-MJ

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Gallifrey One - 23rd annual Doctor Who convention! Part three.

Are you all read up on parts one and two? Yes? Ok good.

A variety of Doctors, just for you.

At one point during our Great Ribbon Hunt of 2012, we saw a ribbon emblazoned with the words "I found the hidden Whos" and we enquired as to how we could get it. An attendee told us that if we completed the scavenger hunt in the program then the service desk would award it to us. We immediately found the hunt page and learned that scattered throughout the floor there were photos on the walls outlined in red. If we were able to find each of the 30 photos, and write down where we found them, then a ribbon would be all ours.

 A semi-completed Who scavenger hunt. The photos were of all eleven 
Doctors as well as other major/influential players of the series.

Rachel and I set off like rabid hounds (who else has watched season two of Sherlock? *sigh*), running from one end of the floor to the other searching for the pictures. The pages of the program told con attendees not to share their answers with others (because in addition to a ribbon we also received an entry to win a pass to next year's convention) but we encountered a few different friendly rule breakers anyway.

As we stood and looked around one particular hallway, two young boys (probably ten and thirteen) walked by and one of them whispered, "There's one under the table." We turned and thanked him, then saw the cleverly placed photo lower down on the wall. Another time we walked into a room and as a lady left she whispered, "There are two in here!"

We successfully found them all, as evidenced by my ribbon, but there was a tense moment when we were unable to find Doctor number seven. We slowly backtracked through the whole place and finally found him outside of one of the movie watching rooms, then practically ran to receive our ribbons. 

In addition to the room full of merchandise, the service desk was selling con t-shirts and special Doctor Who/Gallifrey playing cards. Rachel bought two decks, and then gave one to me :3

SHINY!!

I have a rather extensive playing card collection, so this marks a notable addition as well as the start of another nail in my Doctor Who loving coffin.

As the day drew to a close we were both exhausted, happy and covered in ribbons. I didn't want to leave, I wanted to go to the opening ceremonies and see the TARDIS that they had on stage, but we had plans elsewhere. She ended up going on Saturday as well, so I'm sure she was able to see the full sized TARDIS up close.

The whole thing was crazy fun and I definitely plan on going next year. I will get even more ribbons, I will do my best to dress up, and I'll actually get all of the jokes that everyone was constantly making.

I'll also be even more excited about things like this.

Has anyone else ever been? Does anyone else want to go? Who has ever dressed up as a Doctor? Who's your favorite Doctor? Do you own a sonic screwdriver? Do you watch the older series? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

Thanks for reading!

-MJ

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Gallifrey One - 23rd annual Doctor Who convention! Part two.

Welcome to the second part, feel free to dive in! If you haven't read part one, then do that first!

Rachel was really jazzed when we saw a lady in full steam punk attire who happened to have a floating shark balloon with her. I was perplexed, but she explained that it was something from the show. This most excellent lady had grammar ribbons (the 'bad grammar makes me [sic]' one in the ribbon photo from yesterday, which she handed out to individuals who told her their largest grammar pet peeves) and she also had pink pie ribbons for those who could sing the ending song to Portal.

Rachel, the shark lady, and the ribbon that she received as a reward.

One of the hallways contained a giant shopping room, and my goodness I had no idea there was so much Doctor Who merchandise!! Rachel freaked out and exclaimed, "I'm going to buy all the things!" and we waited impatiently for it to be open to the attendees at noon.

The tiniest of samplings of the items available for purchase.

Carpet bags!!! I was so incredibly impressed because I had never seen any in real life! They were made of all different Doctor Who style fabrics. Another vendor was selling a large variety of pins, charms and necklace pendants. Rachel bought a few for herself.

Does everyone love Tribbles?

I was quite taken with the Tribbles claw machine! It wasn't in commission, but it did hold a sizable number of Tribbles. There were all manner of sizes for sale, and the larger ones vibrated when you touched them! I wanted to get one for myself, but I haven't seen that Star Trek episode yet. >.> It's on my list, don't worry!

We consulted our programs to find out which panels sounded most interesting and ended up attending a Cosplay 101 and an Introduction to Old Who session. Between the two of them we watched the Father's Day episode of Doctor Who and my gawd it was so hard not to cry.

Rachel making notes on which panels sounded

most interesting.

The Cosplay 101 was neat and offered a lot of useful information for people new to the scene. I walked away with some helpful internet resources, which is great because I've had a few projects on my mind recently! The panel on the old Who episodes was really interesting because they talked up the value of the old episodes that many "new" fans tend to dismiss (apparently, this was what I was told at the panel). 

Many of the speakers were very touchy on the subject of the differentiation between "old Who" and "new Who", and they discussed the fact that it's all one show, all one entity, just with a twenty-some year break in between seasons. It seems that it's difficult to discuss which era you're talking about without saying old or new though, unless of course you say which Doctor you're watching.

It's all very new to me, but one thing I know for sure is that it's all one show, and watching the earlier seasons is important because it adds more weight and entertainment to the newer seasons. At this point I wonder if I should cease with the 9th Doctor and start with the first one, but seeing as I'm not used to watching anything produced in the '60s, it's probably best that I foster the Who-nger (Who hunger, get it?) with the recent seasons since they'll be presented in a filming format that I'm more familiar with.

Either way I'm anxious to watch the earlier seasons as well.

Come back tomorrow for the final wrap up! :D

-MJ

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Gallifrey One - 23rd annual Doctor Who convention! Part one.

It is amazingly serendipitous that I happened to attend one of the world's largest Doctor Who conventions in the very same week that I started to watch the show. And really, after being in this situation, I am hard pressed to think of a better way to turn a tentative fan into a full blown obsessed individual.

I don't know much about the Daleks, but I know

I want my picture taken with one.

Rachel is a recent, but no less voracious, Doctor Who fan and she had big plans for us to watch a bunch of the 2005 continuation while she was in town. Sadly, with so many other things going on, we were only able to watch two episodes T_T That was enough to have my interest seriously piqued though.

 Control console, anyone? P.S. that's Rachel and she's awesome!

We arrived at the Marriott at LAX around 11 am on Friday and the place was aflutter with individuals dressed in long coats and scarves. I whispered to Rachel that it was difficult to tell who was in cosplay and who was in regular clothing. We registered and nabbed our snazzy badges, then set off looking around.

"Full Adult" =D I'll talk more about the 

amazing ribbons in a minute.

I felt really out of place and overwhelmed; I was completely surrounded by all manner of intense, die-hard fans, some had been watching the show since the '60s! I was blown away by the generational gaps in fandom: teens, children, adults and grey-haired ecstatic old men and women. I've been to conventions, and I'm familiar with the immediate companionship and camaraderie present among the attendees, but this Doctor Who con was centered on only one thing and that was a different experience.

We noticed right away that many attendees had colorful ribbons hanging off of their badges, but I paid them no mind. I figured it had something to do with their rank as Who fans. As Rachel and I walked the halls and got a lay of the land for events we wanted to see, we were called over to a vendor and told that if we filled out a survey then we'd get a muffin and a ribbon. It sounded simple enough, so soon we found ourselves with food and a brown ribbon to fasten to our badges. It was then that we understood the intense power of the ribbons, and we had ribbon fever badly. I had never been to a con with ribbons before; what a game changer!

The rest of my ribbons from the day. We ran around

like crazy trying to collect as many as we could.

Through the day we were confronted with really fun cosplay and some even better recreated creatures from the show. The dedication was admirable!

 A full sized remote controlled Dalek was wandering the halls, as well as

this super adorable K-9 that could be seen following people around.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the second part of our adventures!

-MJ

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