Harry J. Potter, Film Star

Next month, Harry Potter will celebrate an important anniversary:

*~*15!*~*

 Yes! Insane, I know. But the first book was indeed published in the UK on June 30, 1997. With that in mind, it's time to wax nostalgic! (But really, when isn't it time for that?)

Last year, I re-read the entire series, and in the past few weeks I've re-watched all the movies. Good fun, I must say. I have determined it's best (for my own sanity) to keep the movies and the books separate. When I read one of the books and then watch its movie counterpart soon after, I start getting cranky. But when they're kept as separate entities, they = highly enjoyable! Magically enjoyable.

After this most recent marathon, I've decided my favorite film is Deathly Hallows. It's just really amazing to watch. The music is good, the young actors have perfected their skills, and while they did leave out a few book details, I can forgive the filmmakers because they actually made some things from the books -- well... even better! I mean, nobody wanted to see Hedwig die. Especially not me. I loved that feathery little gal. But I found her death in the movies more moving because she died trying to protect Harry rather than just sitting idly in her cage. So kudos, filmmakers. If you had to do it, at least you did it with class.

My least favorite film? Prisoner Of Azkaban. Sigh. I love the book, but the movie just has so many WTF moments; it makes me cringe. I'm glad they didn't bring that director back for any more films. I mean, the man is obviously a creative guy, but I think he might also be slightly crazy.

ANYWAY. I saw 7/8 movies in the theater, and here are some of my memories of those occasions:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

I was in college when this came out, and I came home for the weekend to see this. My mom and I saw the movie together. A few weeks later, at Thanksgiving, my brother came home from his college, and we went and saw it again! I think this is the only one I saw twice in theaters.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Chamber is the only HP movie I saw opening night. During my senior year of college, my roommate and I went to the nearest movie theater -- this tiny, old-fashioned little place -- to see the film. The theater was packed, we both enjoyed it. I remember we both were highly amused when Ron first appeared on screen. His voice had changed! Bwahaha!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Okay, so I didn't actually remember seeing this one. I knew I did... but when, and with whom? So I went back to my old, old journal entries. Found it! Apparently I saw it with my brother in June 2004, and we sat near a 10-year-old kid who kept making nerdy comments about everything from Dumbledore to Dementors. Now I remember! But I wish I didn't.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

The only one I DIDN'T see in the theater. My brother and I went to go see it and it was sold out. We meant to go another day, and it just never happened, and then it left the theaters and that was that. I saw it on DVD three months later. I really enjoyed it. This one made me really respect Daniel Radcliffe because wow, he had to do a lot of his own stunts! All those underwater scenes? He had to actually do them under water, for hours and hours of shooting. CRAZY. (Crazy cool.)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

2007 was an awesome year for HP fans. Within the span of a month, we got a new book and a new movie. And within the span of 24 hours, I experienced both for the first time. The book arrived on Saturday morning; I began reading it and did not stop until I'd finished the last word... about 15 hours later. Then I went to sleep for about seven hours, woke up, and went downtown to see HP5 with my friend Jenn. By that point my brain was sort of swimming in Potterness. Now every time I watch the scene where Harry and the others fly on their broomsticks over London, I get nostalgic, thinking of that day, being in that theater and feeling so happy. I remember loving Luna's performance. Luna in the books is a little hard to bear sometimes, but on film she's fantastic.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Again, I saw this one with Jenn. She had traveled to London not long before seeing this, and recognized some of the places they showed in the movie, and told me so. I don't know why I remember that. Just a weird little thing. Dang, I want to go to London someday!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)

I saw this one with my Little Sister maybe a month after it came out? I had to explain a lot of things to her afterwards because I guess she hasn't read all the books. EVERYONE SHOULD READ THE BOOKS. I have spoken.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)

I saw this with Jenn. I think we saw it in 3D. AND YES I TOTALLY CRIED WHEN HARRY WAS WATCHING SNAPE'S MEMORIES AND SNAPE WAS CLUTCHING LILY AFTER HER DEATH WAHHHHHH.

So! That's what I remember about the films! Got memories you want to share? Leave a comment!

Random Things From My Childhood Part 5

1. Ring Pops

It was a ring, and yet it was also candy. But it couldn't be candy for long, because once it was unwrapped, you kind of had to start consuming it, or else lint and fur would start sticking to it, and ew. Then once you licked it all down, you were left with a piece of plastic with a pokey thing on top. You think they could've at least hidden a diamond-shaped thing IN the ring. No. Once you were done licking, it was nothing but a useless piece of plastic! Okay, now I'm depressed.

2. Berenstain Bears

Once upon a time, the Berenstain Bears made for some pretty good reading. The bears had relatable, middle-class problems, and together they would find the solutions or work things out amongst themselves. But like many series with hundreds of books (you know, all two of them), the quality of the BB books deteriorated over time. 

After I passed through childhood, the Bears added a baby cub to the family. This never did make any sense to me. The children are already named Brother Bear and Sister Bear. Unless you want to tell me about a third, unknown gender, there are just simply NO NAMES LEFT! What are they going to call her, Sister Bear The Second?

THIS JUST IN! THEY NAMED HER HONEY BEAR. 

Well, that's just great.

Oh, but check this out;  from their Wikipedia page:

"In the early 1960s, the Berenstains sought to enter the field of writing for young children. For their first children's book, they chose to cast bears as the main characters, primarily because the animal held wide appeal and could be drawn easily. 

The Berenstains' first bear story, titled Freddy Bear's Spanking, arrived on the desk of Theodor Geisel.... Geisel took on the manuscript, but spent the next two years ruthlessly challenging the Berenstains to make improvements to the writing and structure and to connect with their characters on a deeper level. He asked questions such as "What kind of pipe tobacco does Papa Bear smoke?" and urged them to analyze the relationship between Papa Bear and Small Bear, to which Stan responded, mystified, "Well, he's the father, and he's the son"."

And thus, history was made. Kind of just makes you want to cry, doesn't it?

3. Fluorescent

In the late 80s and into 1990, it was absolutely essential for any respectable child to own at least one item of clothing in the following colors: hot pink, hot orange, neon yellow, and/or neon green. AKA: The Fluorescent Colors. Electric blue and red existed, but they weren't part of the Core Four. And heaven forbid your fluorescent article of clothing should fade and become light pink or pale yellow. Noooo! Goodbye, radical awesomeness!!!! Brightness reigned supreme for a few short years. I loved those years.

4. Magic Slate

Before Magna Doodles, we had Magic Slates. I had a couple of these when I was little, and while they were fun, it saddens me to think how many of my (certainly brilliant) childhood drawings were lost to the ether.

Also, why is Superman defending the world against a giant straw hat?

5. "I'm Not A Chicken -- You're A Turkey!"

Elementary school kids were (well, are) always on the lookout (listenout?) for a good insult to use against bullies and siblings. All kids of the 80's were called "chicken" at one time or another. Then along came this PSA, letting us know that not only should you say "no" to drug dealers, but IF you are in a bind AND the drug dealers are calling you chicken, it's perfectly acceptable -- nay, CLEVER -- to come back at the dealer with the name of ANOTHER BIRD. No, not penguin. A TURKEY. 

Everyone knows turkeys are worse than chickens. After all, they have those dumb waddle things and look like a hand. So... that'll teach the drug dealers! That'll keep em at bay! You tell them, kid! And in case you're skeptical about it all, kids of America, the NINJA TURTLES ENDORSE IT. So nya nya nya, bullies. You've been burned.

P.S. Drugs r bad.

6. Back To The Future II

Back To The Future II was nothing short of incredible. Not only was it a sequel to the amazingly cool first movie, but parts of it were set in the year TWO THOUSAND FIFTEEN, where there were FLYING CARS and HOVERBOARDS. After after Marty and Doc went to the future, they traveled back into the 1955 territory from the first movie, bringing back fond, nostalgic memories and making everything even MORE crazy awesome!! And then if THAT wasn't enough, THERE WAS A THIRD ONE!! THEY'D MADE A GOSHDARN THIRD MOVIE!  COMING TO THEATERS NEXT SUMMER!

To put it simply:

+

+

=

7. Goofus and Gallant

Who should you aspire to be like -- an insufferable goody-goody, or a selfish little heathen? DISCUSS.

8. Film Projectors At School

Because only FANCY schools had VCRs.

It seemed like we were always watching these. Film in, lights off, 5-4-3-2-hey, where's the 1?

As I recall, most of the films looked and sounded a lot like this.

9. Karate Kat

The theme songs for Rainbow Brite, Smurfs, Mighty Mouse, and others, entered my young brain one day and set up camp in the Land Of Repression. In my twenties, they surfaced, springing into my consciousness with fury.

I doubt I even saw Karate Kat more than a couple of times. It aired as a segment in a TV show called The Comic Strip in 1987. And yet the melodic "ka-RAH-tee kat!" remains lodged in my brain to this day. And now that I've watched the opening theme on youtube, I expect I've given it another thirty or forty years of shelf life.

Wonderful.

10. Unicorns

I really don't think I need to say any more.

There's A Trope For That - Week of May 13

Inevitable, but annoying: Technology Marches On!

"So little Timmy is watching a show from a mere 15 years ago. In one episode, the characters are all excited because of a new computer game that will be released very soon. A computer game — on CD-ROM!

And Timmy says, "'CD-ROMs?" and, depending on his age, may respond with either "How obsolete", "What's a CD-ROM?" or "CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray, what's the difference anyway? I just call them discs!"

You see, Technology has Marched On, and things like CD-ROMs and VHS cassette tapes and so on have relatively recently become either so little-used as to be obscure, or obsolete altogether. The important qualifications of this trope are as follows:

• Show takes place in modern or modern-ish times, usually the not-so-distant past.
• Show makes reference to something, usually a form of technology, that is "The next big thing" or "state of the art", and indeed it was — at the time the show was made.
• Said technology has since proved to be impractical, has become obsolete, is at least gradually on its way out, or it is just not in the spotlight anymore.
• Cue Hilarious in Hindsight for those who remember when said tech was either very common or hyped as the next big thing."

---

Yes, technology gave me a bit of a headache when I was writing Just South of Normal. 

When I began the book in 2002, plenty of people had cell phones, but those people were mostly adults who could afford them. I had no reason to give Ivony and her sisters cells, because they were mere teenagers, after all! Cher and Dionne from Clueless could have them, but suburban-dwelling, lower-middle-class kids? PLEASE.

 But by 2008, as I was getting close to publishing, it would've been sort of strange for a teenager (or, heck, a third grader) NOT to have a cell phone in America. And since I didn't want to go back and rewrite/readjust all the scenes where Ivony's using a regular phone, I had to come up with a reason for her not to have one. Thankfully, I'd already painted Ivony's mom as a bit of a frugal lady, so all I needed to do was tweak a few scenes. Originally, the dinner table scene where Karis gripes about not having a cell phone was about Karis wanting to get her ears pierced a few extra times. So I just changed Karis's gripe. This also worked nicely toward the end of the novel, when Karis decides to try to start earning some money -- because she wants a cell phone! 

Another techno-thing that got to me when writing the book was computers. In 2002, if you wanted to send someone some photos from your (1 megapixel!) digital camera, you'd likely attach them to an email, and probably not very many at once. By the end of the decade, you'd just link your friend to Photobucket or put up a photo album on Facebook. But did I dare mention any of those things in the novel? Nooo! Because five years from now, Facebook could be totally passe. (Think: MySpace, Livejournal, etc... yes, people still use them, but their popularity has totally plummeted.) So what could I do? I opted to be as vague as possible, saying that Davin "sent" Ivony some pictures on the computer. How? Who knows? I think email is mentioned a few other times, but, well... email isn't obsolete yet, just not as popular as other methods. I'm sure glad I didn't mention AIM! That would've been highly embarrassing. 

Ah... good old AIM. The sounds of the door opening when a friend got online; slamming when they left. People getting irritated with you if you neglected to say "BRB" or "AFK" when stepping away from the computer for a few minutes. 

Um, yeah... I don't... actually... miss it. At all.

Molly Goes To The Hospital

Hey, so remember the MRI I had back in March? You didn't think I was going to (anti?-) Chekhov's Gun that on you, didya? NO WAY! I WOULD NEVER! So yeah, after I got put into that big creepy machine, the ninja magnets went to work, found some stuff what should not be in my cabeza, and as a result, THIS!

 Stay tuned for the exciting (ummm) narrative of the hospital stay!!

Oh shut up, I'm trying to make myself feel better, okay?

Read on if you desire. Please forgive any typos; most of this was written on my cell phone and emailed to myself and... yeah, it's just a little crazy.

---

Friday, May 4

There's something very wrong about this. I'm having surgery today, which means no work. Yet here it is, 6:50am, and I'm being woken earlier than usual. Plus I can't eat or drink until this is all over, so no morning coffee for me. So much for trying to trick myself into believing this is a mini vacation.CAFFEIIIENNEE?

9:15am

At the hospital now. Wearing a tacky green gown, blue booties, and -- what's this? A heated blanket? I must be in first class!

I.V. goes in (ew!)... and I go out like a light not long after they begin to wheel me toward the operating room.

Four hours pass instantaneously.

1:05pm

My throat's sore, I'm numb, I feel like I have the flu. But I'm awake. I'm in a big room with several other patients. One is moaning: "Owww... Owwww.... Owwww...." My pain I can handle, but this guy's gonna send me over the edge! Get me out of here!!

Half an hour later they wheel me to my own room, down dozens of corridors, even down an elevator (or maybe it was up? WHO KNOWS?)  I can now add "Rode an elevator while in bed" to my list of life accomplishments. :D

In my room, my mom is there and she's bought me a balloon. I feel like crap, but at least I've got a balloon to cheer me!

I've got these things on my calves that squeeze them a few times a minute, supposedly to improve my circulation, but all they really do is make it nigh impossible to fall asleep.

After the nurses all leave, I ask my mom to read aloud from a book I've brought. Its a fairly dull book, I knew this, that's why I brought it. Hope it'll put me to sleep. It doesn't.

3:00pm

I am allowed to order snacks off a "clear liquids" menu, which includes jello, broth, etc. Veggie broth and strawberry sorbet come my way. Delicious. I keep it all down. Meanwhile my face is still numb, and the side they operated on, I can not wink. At least not now. This is an odd sensation. I also can't grin on that side. If this doesnt clear up I'm going to look an awful lot like Two-Face (minus the burns, of course.)

4:00pm

My mom heads home for a few hours.  I watch Princess Diaries 2 on cable. What a train wreck. The sun begins to make its descent, glaring through the window and right into my eyes. I can not reach the curtains and so I try to adjust the height of my bed to avoid it but nothing helps. I do not call a nurse for help with this for whatever reason. I spend over an hour perusing a new, three-page menu that has arrived. Because I kept down my sorbet and broth, I am being permitted to order solids. Only... everything looks good, and deciding is tough. Finally I pick up the phone and order milk, orange sorbet, vanilla pudding, and -- being brave -- a veggie sandwich. This turns out to be perfect because it is soft and can be eaten in small bites. Also, being a colder item, it doesn't matter that it takes me an hour to eat it all.

7:00pm

My mother has returned, and we watch Jeopardy (Teen Tournament, Day 5!) and Wheel of Fortune (Portland edition FTW!) I find out from a nurse that the pain meds I was given earlier for a minor headache contained oxycodone. Wtf, hospital? That's like putting an ace bandage on a papercut. I don't need that! Also, this is about the fifth nurse I've had. I'm beginning to realize that Stacey McGill's hospital narrative in Stacey's Emergency was pretty darn accurate.

9:00pm

It is time for me to rest, but I'm not tired. A little loopy, yes, but sleepy, no. Still, my mom heads home for the night. I look forward to the morning, when I can spend another hour reading the "solids" menu, ordering what is sure to be a breakfast of champions (or of the ravenous.)

Saturday, 5:00am

Guh, what a lousy night. I was woken by prying medical professionals at 10, 11, 11:30, 12:15, and supposedly 4:15 though I don't actually recall that last one occurring. Except for the nurses and some occasional loud thumps from the hallway, it has been quiet, though. As for those thumps, I like to imagine it's due to a patient trying to escape, being chased by orderlies, knockng down equipment galore.

11:00am

So I've got this tube in me, and the doctor says I have to keep it in till Tuesday! Ughhh! Its uncomfortable, not to mention just plain gross!

I had a good breakfast. I ordered pears, custard, red potatoes, a muffin, and breakfast tea. But they sent a breakfast sandwich instead of the tea. Okay. For lunch I've requested a veggie burger, peaches, coffee cake, coffee, and milk. I feel like I'm in a restaurant where everything's free. Deep down, I know it all comes at a price. Even with insurance, I know my hospital stay bills are going to send me through the roof. Oh well. Think about that later. Time for cake!

1:00pm

Releasement! Home now. Still a bit unsteady. Hate this drain thing. Not tired, so can't even escape to lala land. 2/3 cats are being affectionate. Riker's holding out. He's kind of a snob that way.

Monday, May 7, 5:00pm

I guess I'm feeling a little better, 72+ hours after surgery. I can get up and walk around by myself. I can turn my head.  Left-side winking's still an issue, as is eyebrow-raising, thus limiting my ability to make evil faces. My ability to whistle is slowly coming back, much to the delight of my cats (and the disdain of everybody else.) I'm rocking a minor headache and I still have the tube, but it comes out tomorrow morning.

I'm keeping busy. Watching the Harry Potter movies, subjecting myself to one of the later-but-not-greater Baby-Sitters' Club books (for old times sake! What?!) and watching youtube videos galore.

Friday, May 11, 11:00pm

Each day has gotten a little better... and yet worse. On one hand, I'm up more. I put together a 24-page scrapbook for a vacation I took 4 years ago. This took 2 days. Might be a record. Finished the BSC book. Decided it was pretty terrible; will review it soon. (You're welcome.) I've been out in public a few times and no one has Wilhelm Screamed at me. I've had some dizziness and shaking. A certain lovable 6-year-old told me my face looked weird. (Well... it does.) The tube came out Tuesday and the stitches yesterday. I have a huge scar, from the top of my ear to my lower cheek. At least that can be covered by my hair. Not much can be done about the leftern side of my face, though. The nerve that controls things like eyebrow raising and grinning IS coming back... at a snail's pace. Normality should be back by now but it's not. My doctor is concerned. He's put me on steroids. I'm on my way toward being the next American Gladiator!

Saturday, May 12, 11:00pm

Thus ends this narrative, though my journey through the medical wonderland is not yet complete. More on that in a few weeks, perhaps. Or maybe just more Goofy Baby Ads and Kixia, Tropes and TV-Movie reviews. We shall see.

Favorite TV Shows: May, 2012 Edition

(Last time I did this: January, 2011)

My Top 5 Shows That Are Currently Airing (Or Have Aired Within The Past 6 Months), Regardless Of Whether Or Not I'm Caught Up With All The Episodes...

1. Community
2. America's Next Top Model (BUT NOT AFTER THIS SEASON, DANGIT)
3. Awake
4. Castle
5. Pan AM (Oh, I know it's canceled. But it did air within the last 6 months. TECHNICALLY.)


What The Above List Looked Like Last Time (January 2011):

1. Castle
2. Community
3. America's Next Top Model
4. Antiques Roadshow
5. Burn Notice


Guilty Pleasures I Like To Watch On Cable When I'm Housesitting:


1. Auction Hunters
2. Toddlers & Tiaras
3. American Pickers
4. Auction Kings
5. House Hunters International


Shows I've Been Watching On Netflix Lately:


1. Raising Hope
2. Burn Notice
3. Life Unexpected
4. Parking Wars
5. Switched At Birth


Shows I Need To Catch Up On/Finish Watching:


1. My Name Is Earl
2. Dead Like Me
3. The Office
4. Switched At Birth
5. Burn Notice

There's A Trope For That - Week of May 6, 2012

Hey, how bout another wholesome, Disney-themed trope?

This one's an old favorite: the Disney Acid Sequence!

"The musical number in an animated musical in which the animation stops pretending to depict things that are actually happening in the world of the movie and becomes a more abstract illustration of the music. The Disney Acid Sequence may be taken as occurring in the imagination of the characters involved, or may be a Mushroom Samba set to a musical number, but generally there is little, if any, effort to explain how the sequence fits in with the rest of the events of the movie, and the audience is left to assume that the random Art Shifts, sight gags, and other suspensions of the laws of physics otherwise in effect within the movie's setting did not actually happen."

---

Sure, I didn't know there was a NAME for this trope when I was a kid, but I loved the heck out of acid sequences. They were colorful and wacky and cartoony and SO WHAT if they didn't fit in with the rest of the movie? WHY SHOULD THEY? WHY DO THERE HAVE TO BE RULES?

These were always my two favorites:

"Pink Elephants On Parade" from Dumbo

and

The "Heffalumps and Woozles" song from The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh.

Of course, not every animated acid trip brings back fond memories. The following little number, from the semi-obscure Heidi's Song, is a big old piece of crap that gives me nightmares. (Hit play at about 3:00 in... if you dare.)

Wheel. Of. Fortune.

First off, I'm thrilled that I can (at last!) make another entry with the "Wheel Of Fortune" label! One of my first blogs on here was about my visit to the Wheelmobile. Now I've seen the show tape. It's like the circle of life... complete!

Second, the taping was fun and the episodes I witnessed will air NEXT WEEK - May 7, 8, and 9 - so set those DVRs and try to spot me in the crowd of 2,000 people! You know you want to!

Light-up pin! Yay souvenirs!!

There's A Trope For That -- Week of April 29

Okay, this is late because as I was typing this up on Sunday my computer decided to completely die. One minute it's letting me blog, and the next minute, it is dead. Code red. Flatline.

Moral? Life is fragile, my friends. Remember-- always take a moment to hug your laptop, and never go to bed angry.

Because any day could be its last.

In that spirit, I've decide to make this week's trope: Disney Villain Death! (I know, it's a vague connection at best.)

"It appears that villains in the Disney Animated Canon have an especially curious tendency to exit the film by falling off or out of things. Unfortunately for them, even though they are animated characters, they cannot defy gravity.

The varied list of things to fall from includes cliffs, over waterfalls, out of trees, and off the tops of buildings. There is at least one case of a Disney villain meeting his end by falling up (off a space ship and into space), once sideways (off the Chinese Imperial Palace by aid of a rocket), and another where a villain falls "out" by being dragged to his doom by demons."

---

Okay so remember in Cinderella how the evil cat Lucifer falls out the tower window, presumably to his death, after trying to screw over Cinderella by putting the mouse under the teacup, the mouse who has the key to Cinderella's room, which she totally needs in order to unlock her door and rush downstairs and prove that she fits the slipper?

Okay, you don't remember. But trust me on this. He falls out.

But good old Disney decided to make a couple of sequels to Cinderella...


Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True
Cinderella 3: A Twist In Time


Yes, these are actual movies that exist. *moment of silence*  But the point is, in the sequels we find out that LUCIFER LIVED.

So if the cat could survive a fall from a high tower, maybe that means...

*Mufasa is ALIVE! Yep! Turns out he was only sleeping! He's a kittycat; they do that. Now, as to where he went after that emotional scene with Simba, I really don't know, but isn't there a Lion King 4 just itching to be made?

*Frollo is ALIVE! That yellow liquidy stuff was't FIRE! It was just honey! And I'll betcha he was quickly rescued by Pooh in a canoe! He's currently plotting a kickass return, so just you wait!

*Gaston is ALIVE! Unfortunately, that fall into the ravine left him severely disfigured, and not only do the Ditz Triplets now reject him (they're shallow like that) but Belle doesn't recognize him for who he is, and when Gaston, in his tattered clothes, comes to the door of the castle and asks for shelter from the bitter cold, Belle and the Prince HAVE TO COMPLY (because remember what happened the last time? With the enchantress?) So they let Gaston in and then... DOOM.

Pity.

Molly Goes To The Emerald City Comic Con

In March (dang, I can't even say "last month" because it took me so long to write this post) my friend Gretchen and I drove up to Seattle for the Emerald City Comic Con. Or, to be more specific, we drove up for the showing of BACK TO THE FUTURE LEA THOMPSON IN PERSON! And maybe some Comic Con on the side.

See, what'd I tell you?

So BTTF is one of my favorite movies. There was a time when I was actually quite obsessed with it. This is no longer the case, but I was still excited to go to this showing. For two reasons. One, of course, was Lea Thompson.

The other reason was Deloreans!

I kid you not, someone had arranged for a parade of twenty-some Deloreans to drive by. It was CRAZY! Crazy cool, that is.

After the Deloreans went by and Lea Thompson entered the building, several hundred of us then packed into the theater, listened to some Lea Thompson Q&A, applauded for participants in a costume contest, and watched the movie. The sound and picture quality were incredible, I just have to say. And it's always great seeing BTTF with a crowd. People cheer during the awesome scenes (all 232152 of them) and it just feels kinda special.

That was on Saturday, March 31.

On Sunday, we decided to brave "Day 3" of the Comic Con.

Now, this particular Comic Con boasted hundreds of vendors and dozens of comic book artists, actors, and voiceover artists. There were panels with actors from Star Trek and Firefly and all kinds of other things. But I have to say I was most impressed and excited by...

LEGO!

 Oh, beautiful bricks. I love you.

Okay, so there were some other points of interest, too, such as the Weasley Twins.

In the scandal of the decade, they DO NOT ACTUALLY HAVE RED HAIR.

We listed to three panels in all: the Weasleys, and two folks from Firefly, including Adam Baldwin, who will forever be The Guy From Poison Ivy, except maybe now it'll have to be The Guy From Poison Ivy And That One Episode Of Castle.

There were a lot of interesting things for sale in the vendor room, but both Gretchen and I left with very little. I bought 3 Lego minifigures and she bought a Dr. Who poster. But hey, at least our pocketbooks appreciated it!

All in all we spent about four hours at the convention. It was hardly worth the price, but I'm glad we went because, you know, it was cool. And I can add a handful of new names to my list of Actors I've Met In Real Life. (Because everyone cares.)

Also, right outside the convention center was THIS PLACE:

This place ROCKS! Wonderful, delicious crepes... you make it all worthwhile!