Still Swimming Along

Just wanted to do a quick post to let everyone know I’m still alive.  I’m working on an exciting new project/announcement effecting this blog, and hope to have that up by the end of the week.  The Holidays have been fun, and while I haven’t been at work, I’ve been busy.  Part of my busyness is due to my mom being sick with Bronchitis – at least that started post-Christmas.

Exciting activities over the Holiday Break:

– Christmas!

– Picking up groceries for dinner

– Going to see Les Miserables (required at least five tissues)

– Grocery shopping

– Visiting my sister in Los Angeles

– Going to the grocery store to buy milk

– Watching half-a-season of Classic Star Trek while sick (the week before Christmas)

– Buying groceries

– Going to the park with my two youngest sisters.

– Awesome New Years Eve Party.  It was Nerdtastic, complete with a Force FX Lightsaber battle in the street, lots of cookies and candy, Super Smash Brothers, and Geek Trivia.

– UPDATE: Visiting my grandparents in Long Beach.  This involved cake and ice cream, besides spending time with two awesome people.  (Thanks Mom for reminding me – see below).  This day also involved gourmet tater tots

Hope your Holidays were fun, and that you’ll come back later to find out what exciting things are in store.

So Long 2012, And Thanks For All The Fish

We have come to December 21, 2012 and the potential end of the world (only worry if there is a mass exodus of dolphins, but then, there’s always a back-up earth).  I’d like to take a moment to reminisce on the year that was, and then what I’ll miss most when I raise my hitchhiker ring and attempt to get a ride on a Vogun spaceship.

Stinky Fish of 2012

1. Brave – And here’s an entire blog post why.  I went in with high-expectations for a female led Pixar film in a medieval/fantasy setting.  However, while a visually gorgeous film, it does not meet the potential of Up, Wall-E, or any of the Toy Story movies.

2. Marion Cotliard in The Dark Knight Rises – SPOILER ALERT – While her character begins with promise, her final moments do not live up to the potential of this superb, Oscar-winning actress.  She has a few moments that if she were a European man, she would twist her mustache and let out an evil laugh.  “Yes, Batman, I have tricked you this whole time.  Mwa ha ha.”

3. More Music Reality Shows!  More Celebrity Judges! – I’ve been a nerd about American Idol since the first season, but now, with the dearth of the Voice, the X-factor, the short-lived, poorly conceived Duets on ABC, and the celebritization of the American Idol Judging Panel, the music reality show has clearly over-saturated the market.

While individual contestants are still enjoyable, the focus has become on celebrities instead of on the contestants.  I don’t want bickering, fire-works, back-up dancers, or shiny sets.  I want good performances… although, the saxophone player who co-starred with American Idol winner Philip Phillips in most of his performances is a the best addition to the American Idol enterprise.

How do you raise a level of a show? Boogie with a saxophone.

4. Getting sick the Whole Week Before Christmas – including today.  Always a bummer.  I even missed an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party.

5. Still not finished with my Work In Progress.  Almost done, but won’t be able to finish by New Years.  I may have, if number four hadn’t occurred.

Fresh Fish of 2012

1. Two Great Comic Book Movies: The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises.  – Both are epic spectacles that remain grounded in character and story.  Both achieve the impossible.  The Avengers makes a coherent film with a good story, and just enough focus on depth on each character.  The Dark Knight Rises creates a satisfying conclusion with just enough of a happy ending.  Happy endings seem nearly impossible for The Batman.

2. A great album, a good album, and a pretty good by artists I’ve loved for a long time.  Yes, there’s been good music by new artists, but it’s always nice to have artists and bands knock out solid albums more than a decade into their career.  In order, the albums are:Stronger by Kelly Clarkson, North by Matchbox 20, and Battle Born by The Killers.  There may be more revolutionary artists and albums out there, but all three of these albums have been too busy occupying my MP3 player.  Also, how can you not listen to Stronger and fist pump to the awesome?

3. Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles. – I know it’s not new or revolutionary, but I went for the first time this last year.  Having not grown up on Southern Food, I never knew a mix of fried chicken, fresh waffle, and maple syrup could be so good.

4. Cirque Du Solei : Iris at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles – This was my sister Katherine’s birthday/Christmas present to me and it was AMAZING!  If you haven’t seen a Cirque Du Solei show, do it.  Not only are the individual acts and technical wizardry remarkable, but the overall feeling the show paints and journey it takes you on are fun and fascinating.  Iris is about movies and Hollywood, and mixes fun with drama.  The Film Nerd in me was geeking out at the nods to George Melies and to various film dramas.

5. James Bond: Skyfall – Good movie, Classic Bond.

6. Patrick’s Roadhouse – Sitting along the 1 highway, not far from the Santa Monica Pier, this is another long-time Los Angeles eating establishment with great food.  I’ll be going back soon for another delectable burger.

7. Bunheads – New show by the creator of Gilmore Girls, starring Broadway star and Tony Award winner Sutton Foster.  A fun show centered around women and teenage girls who are realistic characters with faults and virtues.  Every episode is quotable, filled with odd film references.  In my house, many conversations become “It’s like that episode of Bunheads where….”  If you haven’t seen it, check out the first part of the first season on Hulu.com.

8. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on Youtube.  – This is a brilliant modern version of Pride and Prejudice as a series of video blogs (vlogs).  The characters are spot-on modern versions, the segments are short and clever, and it’s a lot of fun.  Every Monday and Thursday, my sister says to me, “So, is there a new Lizzie Bennet Diary up?”  By the way, we watched the first fifty episodes in two nights.  (Episodes are between 3-6 minutes long.)

9. Getting acquainted with the Blogosphere and 97 followers.

Future Fish (If The World Doesn’t End Today)

1. The Man of Steel aka Superman the Indie/Art Film

2. Star Trek Into Darkness – Star Trek + Benedict Cumberbacht = Awesome!  I don’t care who Cumberbacht is playing, and I don’t think it’s Kahn.  I do think it’ll be great.

3. News on the upcoming Star Wars movies!  Whether it’s good or bad, it’ll be exciting.

4. Finishing the current draft of my Work In Progress

5. A new Muppet Movie in the works.  So far, we know Ty Burrell will be playing an Interpol inspector.  Also, I’ve heard rumors that Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo have all agreed to contracts.  Fozzie is still in negotiations.  There was a question about how many rubber chickens could be in the film.

6. Doctor Who!

Fish I’ll Miss At The End of the World

1. Ice cream.  Chocolate chip cookies.  Peanut Butter Cups.  I might have a sweet tooth.  Oh, and gummi bears!

2. My family and my dogs

3. My ridiculous hat collection, including the Boba Fett beanie I’m wearing while writing this post.  Stylish and warm.

4. Friends at home and abroad.

5. In the words at the end of various video games: “And you!”

And if the world is going to end, we should at least have a parade.  Thanks Super Mario RPG!

Well, that’s it for this year.  Next week will be spent on Christmas and prepping for the new year.  There may or may not be an exciting announcement around New Years.  It depends on a few factors.

What are your favorite fish from 2012?  What are you looking forward to?  Are you doing anything exciting for Christmas or the holidays?

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and A Happy New Year!

*Disclaimer* I actually dislike all fish except for Swedish Fish.  There’s something about seafood flavor that I don’t like.  However, anything gummy is acceptable.

Hugs, Holidays, and High-Fives

My mom recently posted this on Facebook and dedicated it to me:

Before everyone gets all warm and cuddly, please understand this is how this adorable snowman feels to me:

From this year’s Doctor Who Christmas Special. I’m so excited… and yes, these are scary.

I have many friends who love to hug.  I’m active in my church, and hugging is a preferred greeting.  I volunteer with Girl Scouts and have worked with many huggers over ten summers working at resident summer camp.  I’ve been hugged thousands of times.  Yet, every time I see a pair of arms opened wide, coming forward for an embrace, my shoulders tense and shrink, and I side-step into a side-hug.  Ninja hugs, in which you attack someone with a hug from behind, are more acceptable because they are a blend of heckling and greeting.

I know I have a personal bubble issue.  I suppose it is because my family is not cuddly.  My youngest sister is the only exception, and she’s eleven, so it’s okay.  However, my family generally prefers to sit on each other, heckle and tease each other, and have a battle of wits, puns, and random pop culture references.  My siblings are generally more hug-friendly than I am.  I know I’m an extreme.

I find casual hugs exhausting.  If I see you every other day, or every week, I don’t want to hug you, no matter how much I like you.  I’ll greet you, I’ll talk to you, but I’d rather not have you go in for a hug.

My greatest trouble is most of my friends know my aversion to hugs, but are warm and cuddly people themselves.  They see me walk in, and then give me a teasing smile before diving in for a hug.  Though I roll my eyes and am uncomfortable, I accept the hug.  Hugging has transferred from a casual greeting to a challenge and a game.  It sometimes because a bragging right.  “I got a hug from Laura today.”

When I meet new people and I’m among friends, some people go in for a hug (this is usually at church functions, where such social behavior is acceptable).  Not wanting to be rude, I accept their embrace, usually with the side-hug-side-step.  This is not always successful, and it becomes a full hug.  My friends will say, “Ooh.  You got a hug from Laura.  You have no idea how special that is.”

While my personal bubble is part of the issue, the main reason I don’t like casual hugs is because I think it takes away the meaning of a hug.  To me, a hug should be a slightly more rare thing, a meaningful embrace when really needed.  Here’s a list of acceptable hugging occasions:

– When parting with a friend who is going to be gone for a long time.

– When meeting a friend who you’ve been parted from a long time.

– Weddings

– Funerals.  This past summer a mutual friend from one of the summer camps I worked at passed away.  Over two days of events, some not related to the funeral, I saw many camp friends I haven’t seen in a year or two.  I gave out numerous hugs.  By the time I returned home, my hug-tolerance-meter was below empty, but it was an important time for hugs and comfort for each other.

– When someone is in dire emotional straits (sobbing, crying, clearly upset), and needs that moment of human contact and warm fuzziness to help them through.  A few years ago, one of my adult sisters was going through a dark period and spent one night sobbing.  I said, “Do you need a hug?”  She nodded.  I hugged her, though I was still stiff and awkward.  Part of the issue, though, is she’s six feet tall and I’m about 5’6″.  It was an extremely awkward hug on my part, which led to her laughing, which did help.  Another sister, who is about six feet tall as well, became the go-to-hugger.

– Grandparents – always have a free hug pass

There are other occasions, but these are the basics.  I also have certain people who have a Hug Anytime pass.  They might not know it explicitly, but they still get free hugs.  (Yes, Heather Feather, that includes you.)

In lieu of hugs, I generally prefer a high-five.  High-five’s are quick, casual, and friendly, without extended contact.  Also, there are thousands of variations, secret handshakes and hand claps that can be performed.  Perhaps that should be a whole blog post of its own.

So, a holiday hi-five everyone!

Side Note:

Speaking of Holidays, here’s a few pictures from the tree lighting ceremony in my home town.

Either my sister is being abducted by aliens, or she’s staring up, fascinated by snow that highly resembles tiny bubbles.

My youngest sister’s school choir sang some friendly carols.  A choir of women between 40 and 60 came out and enthusiastically sang, complete with swaying, hand motion, and multiple parts.  It was more Saturday Night Live than Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but they had a great time and had the crowd singing along.

One of the blurry figures on the stage may be my sister. Look for the squirrely one.

A few little kids were playing around the fountain I was standing by, and a 3 year old boy fell in the water.  He had glasses and was crying as his dad scooped him up.  I’m just glad we’re in Southern California, with 65 degree weather during a dry patch of a rainy day.

A good crowd.  All in all, a good night and a good time.

Side Note 2:

My mom started a blog yesterday: The Nice People Foundation.

This is a foundation she and I started when some organizations missed or didn’t sign up for the gift wrapping table at the local Barnes and Noble.  The Nice People Foundation filled in to assist my sister, who was organizing gift wrapping for the store.  It should be an exciting adventure.

How do you feel about hugs?  What are some of your town’s holiday events?  Are you as excited as I am about the Doctor Who Christmas Special?

Happy December everyone!