tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267534982024-03-07T19:56:12.213-07:00What I've FoundMichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.comBlogger349125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-68751249316351551682015-08-23T15:05:00.001-06:002015-08-23T15:10:59.819-06:00When Words Collide 2015So apparently I haven't blogged since early January, which is sort of shocking. But when you consider in that time I've graduated from university with a double major, successfully orchestrated a conference, turned CAFE's (the Calgary Association of Freelance Editors) social media into a vibrant internet presence, gotten a summer job, and done a million other things as well, it's not that surprising that SOMEthing had to give, and this blog was it. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="http://teresarehmann.com/" target="_blank">Teresa Rehmann Photography</a></td></tr>
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But now that school is over (for now...), the youth conference is in the past (although I still have a lot of paperwork to sort out), and this past weekend was the fifth annual WWC (When Words Collide) conference here in Calgary, it's time to blog again. I've been going every year since it started, and it's grown to 600 people, which makes me both happy and sad. Happy that it's so popular and such a quality event, but sad that there are so many people! It's an introvert thing. :)<br />
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WWC is five this year, and my business is almost there! In my <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2011/10/rest-of-summer-roundup.html" target="_blank">first blog post about the conference</a>, I mention working on starting up my business. How far we've come! In 2012, the second year, I was ambitious enough to do a post each for <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/08/when-words-collide-2012-friday.html" target="_blank">Friday</a>, <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/08/when-words-collide-2012-saturday.html" target="_blank">Saturday</a>, and <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/08/when-words-collide-2012-sunday.html" target="_blank">Sunday</a>. <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2013/08/when-words-collide-2013.html" target="_blank">2013 was a good year</a>, and <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2014/09/when-words-collide-2014.html" target="_blank">in 2014 I was sick</a>, but still got a lot out of it. <br />
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<b>Friday:</b><br />
Registration felt more scattered than it usually does. Something had gone wrong with my registration, and I wasn't on the list, even though I'm on the list of members on the website. So I had to fill out some paperwork and they had to make me a name tag, and I kept getting lost in the shuffle because I'm too polite to be pushy. Sigh. #Canadianproblems<br />
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My traditional first panel at WWC is the Early Bird Live Action Slush, which is a mixture of genres. I always pick up lots of interesting tips from the panellists. Basically what happens is that writers submit, anonymously, the first page of their manuscript, and a reader reads the page. The panellists put up their hands when they want the reader to stop, and when there are three hands up, the reader stops and the panellists give their feedback about what they liked or didn't. Occasionally the reader will get through the entire submission without being stopped, which is actually happening more frequently as the years go by, so clearly the writers are becoming more practiced at their craft, which is really cool to see. <br />
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As our second panel we went to Subtext in Foreshadowing, which was interesting, but even though we were there early, there weren't any seats left, so we had to sit on the floor. I've gotten too old to sit on the floor, and my bum went numb. I managed to make a few notes, though. :) Our third panel was in the same room, so we managed to snag chairs, which helped! The panel was called Crafting Magical Worlds with Extra Credits' Mario Theory. The idea is that the game design logic applied to creating Mario can be applied to creating fantasy worlds in fiction. Really interesting, and based on this video:<br />
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At 4pm on Friday there were a few things that were interesting, but I ended up going to a workshop by ZEDS Comic Communication about public speaking and using a microphone. I was moderating a panel on Saturday, and what with applying to grad school and probably needing to teach in the future, public speaking is something I'm becoming more interested in learning about. The session was really good, super useful, and had some tips I did successfully apply to the panel the next day. <br />
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Next up we went to a panel on research, which was good - I love research, so I enjoy hearing about it from people who geek out about it as much as I do. At 6pm was the event I'd been waiting for all day - an hour with Diana Gabaldon. Although, really, it was only 50 minutes, and only a fan would be counting. :) She read an excerpt from Outlander book 9, which she's currently writing, and took some questions. So awesome.<br />
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Friday evening at 7pm is always the WWC keynote speaker addresses, which I enjoy. I knew Diana would be great, but I didn't know any of the other authors. I was totally taken by Faith Hunter and Brandon Mull. She looks a little scary/intense in her author photo, and I'd seen one of Brandon's book covers, which looked really dark, and it hadn't done anything for me. But the were both so funny and enjoyable, and such great speakers, that's I'll definitely be checking out Brandon's books. I got started on Brandon Sanderson's books that way last year, and I haven't regretted it. I'd check out Faith's, too, but I just can't do urban fantasy. But as Gwen Hunter she writes mysteries, so I'll add those to my list.<br />
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<b>Saturday:</b><br />
Our first panel of the day was actually a panel of one: Brandon Mull. And we were late, because we'd gotten there early to do some book shopping in the vendors' room, and then got talking to people. We got there just as he was talking about this race he'd invented who had a seed in each of their brain stems that allowed them to re-grow after they died, so they were basically immortal. Apparently that really made an impression on me, because that night I dreamed about a whalers hunting whales for their brain seeds, like rhinos are hunted for their horns, or something. It was a very vivid dream - he's a very articulate and creative speaker. He was inspired as a child by Narnia, and as an adult by Harry Potter. I REALLY LIKE HIM. <br />
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At 11am my friend went to eco-fiction, which looked interesting, but I really wanted to go to the Editing Tricks panel to get a feel for what writers were asking about editing as research for my CAFE panel later in the afternoon. One of the panellists brought up CAFE, which was really great. But again I had to sit on the floor, so it was hard to see who said it. But it was interesting to sit in as an editor, and I appreciated it. At noon there were a whole bunch of interesting things, but we ended up going to YA and the Tough Stuff, which was interesting, but maybe not very enlightening. I'd love to see some actual young adults on these panels, rather than just 30+ adults who write what they think they YA audience wants/needs. Sigh. I've been frustrated with the YA panels for a couple of years now, so next year I might just skip them. <br />
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At 1 we couldn't actually find anything we wanted to go to, so we took a nice, quiet lunch break in one of the seating areas. We were actually having a really intense conversation about YA books and how they portray families when one of the panellists came and sat near us, so my friend asked her about it, and we had a good conversation. That's one of my favourite things about WWC - the unscripted, unplanned things that just happen. <br />
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Our next panel was On Writing with Gwen Hunter and David B. Coe, which was really good. I really wish I'd taken notes, but I was distracted by the fact that Diana Gabaldon was sitting at the other end of the row, and the fact that I was getting nervous about moderating my first panel in an hour! They are each good conference guests on their own, but when you put them together, it's magic. I'm really kicking myself for not paying more attention. <br />
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At 3pm I was in charge of moderating the Editing Explained panel, and four of my fellow CAFE members. By the time I got there I wasn't nervous anymore, and I think it went REALLY well. It was a lot of fun, and the panellists were great, and so was the audience. There were TWO other editing-related panels at the same time, which was really too bad - it would have been nice to have more people there. Immediately after we hosted writer/editor "speed dating", which was a chance for writers to talk one-on-one for a few minutes, and I met a bunch of interesting people who are excited about writing, which was fun. While I was doing that my friend went to Your 20 Second Opportunity, about honing your elevator pitch, and she said it was really good. <br />
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<b>Venue:</b> <br />
WWC was at a new venue this year. The bathrooms were REALLY nice, and the chairs were the comfiest hotel conference chairs I've ever sat in. There were also lots of seating areas with armchairs and couches. The dash back and forth across the street between buildings, or else up three or four floors, across the walkway, and then down three floors, was a bit much, but at least I got my exercise and it was nice to be forced to get some fresh air. The hotel staff were really friendly, but the service in the Atrium for dinner was SO. SLOW. It took us three hours to have dinner on Saturday, and while the fish was good, the chips were bland, and the dessert was really disappointing. Oh, and it was <i>freezing</i> in the restaurant. They gave us the dessert for free because of the slowness of dinner in arriving, but I wasn't impressed by the gesture or the lacklustre dessert. The conference also keeps moving further away from where I live, meaning that I don't stay as late, which is kind of saddening. But it could also just be that I'm getting old...<br />
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<b>Sunday:</b><br />
We started off Sunday morning going to the historical live action slush panel, which was one of the best slushes I've ever been to. Diana Gabaldon was one of the panellists, and the other three were all good, too. There were lots of great submissions and lots of great feedback. And so much laughter and humour - I really enjoyed it. <br />
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At 11am we went to "Science Fiction and the Future", which was interesting, but it was SO HOT in the room, and we were near the middle of a row. There was a guy sitting next to me who really suffered from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manspreading" target="_blank">'manspreading'</a> to the point where he actually stepped on my foot once. He also elbowed me and crowded me with his shoulders to the point where I was either going to have to leave or have a panic attack. Thankfully the panel ended before I had a total meltdown, and we were able to move to the end of the row for the next panel. It was still hot but at least I wasn't putting up with unwanted physical contact. Even if they'd spaced the chairs a bit further apart, it would have been better. Anyway, the noon panel was on historical license, and it was phenomenal. Great mix of panellists and discussion, and so interesting. I love historical fiction, and so wish I'd taken more notes. Note to self for next year: take more notes!<br />
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After that panel my friend left to head home, and I went to 'Murder - Ancient and Contemporary", but I was tired and hungry, and it was going over a lot of the same ground as the panel I'd just been at, so I snuck out and went to eat my lunch. At 2pm was one of my favourites; pus on by a woman who used to work for Scholastic and who now works for Chapters, it's 50 minutes of suggestions about which YA books to check out. Not that I really need to add anything to my reading list - but it's fun. And this year there was a teenage girl who came and made suggestions too, to that was awesome. <br />
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At 3pm there were a couple of things I wanted to go to, but I ended up going to the YA live action slush, mostly because Brandon Mull was on the panel. :) There was a wide range of submissions, and some interesting discussion and it was a good choice for where my attention span was at by that point in the weekend. <br />
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4pm was the last hour of panels, and there were a bunch of interesting-looking things. I went to the EDGE book launch, but just couldn't focus any more, so I ended up heading home before the conference even finished. I spent Monday seriously introverting. :)<br />
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<b>Things for the future:</b><br />
Next year I'd love to see a presentation about Scrivener. I've heard the name in passing a few times, and I'm under the impression that it's a piece of software that you buy to help structure your book, but I'd like to see someone with a computer and a projector actually showing us what it is and what it can do. I'd also like to see more sessions for readers - I feel like this year was pretty writer-focused, but writers are readers too (or should be), and it would be fun to see some panels on things like what readers think about their favourite books being made into movies or tv shows, and a discussion of how some things HAVE to be changed for the screen (maybe bring in a screenwriter?). Another fun discussion would be classic authors' influence in modern works, like Shakespeare's Star Wars, or the series of cozy mysteries about a Jane Austen scholar. Or even a panel of authors talking about what they like to read for fun, and which authors inspired them when they were kids.<br />
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As always, the WWC committee put on a great, affordable, and accessible weekend of learning and networking. I'm already looking forward to next year, and the dates are in my calendar!<br />
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MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-36101676511590599102015-01-05T22:30:00.000-07:002015-01-05T22:37:54.842-07:00Top Movies of 20142014 wasn't really a great year for movies, until December came along with more movies than I had time to see! <br />
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When I did <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2013/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2013.html" target="_blank">my 2013 movie post</a>, there were a few I was still hoping to watch; <i>Saving Mr. Banks, August: Osage County</i>, the new Jack Ryan one, <i>Philomena</i>, <i>Frozen</i>, <i>Austenland, Lone Ranger, </i>and <em>Pacific Rim. </em>I did see <em>Saving Mr. Banks</em> (which was very good), Jack Ryan (which was good, but had a lot of unfulfilled potential), and <em>Austenland</em> (which was silly and good for a bit of a giggle - the second book in the series was actually better anyway). For some reason I just don't get around to watching things on DVD - it's not as much of an event as going to the theatre, I suppose. <br />
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This year I only managed to get to 10 movies in-theater, and a special mention goes to <em>Belle</em>, which came out in 2013, but I didn't get to see it until 2014. It's a beautiful movie - very British, with a fabulous cast and a moving story. <br />
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Another special mention goes to <em>The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1</em>, which I didn't get to see in 2014, but which I liked more than book. I'm really looking forward to <em>Part 2</em>!<br />
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My least favourite movie of 2014 was one I thankfully took out of the library rather than paying to see it in the theatre - <em>A Million Ways to Die in the West</em>, despite its star-studded cast, is terrifically terrible. Crude, gross, and full of plot holes, it was a total train wreck. If anyone asks you to watch it with them, run away run away! <br />
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So, for the 9 movies I did see in theatre in their proper release year:<br />
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9. <em>How to Train Your Dragon 2</em><br />
This deserves its spot at the bottom of the list. I felt totally and utterly betrayed by this movie. It's up (or down?) there with <em>Bambi</em> and <em>The Lion King</em>, but the betrayal was compounded by how much I was enjoying the whimsy of the animation and the excitement of a family reunited. At least in <em>The Lion King</em> the dad died right away so you didn't have time to get attached...this was a TERRIBLE movie. <br />
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8. <em>The Grand Budapest Hotel</em><br />
I really enjoyed this for the most part - it was fun and whimsical. I just couldn't get over how little the adult Zero looked like the adolescent Zero. It's probably the kind of movie you have to be in just the right sense of humor to enjoy, so I cautiously recommend it - but only if you enjoy absurdity and farce.<br />
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7. <em>Guardians of the Galaxy</em><br />
<em>GotG</em> is a fun movie - lots of laughs. I've seen it twice now, and while I do like it, I don't see what all the fuss is about. The character development is really weak, and I had to see it the second time to really figure out the politics of the thing. The soundtrack is great though! <br />
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6. <em>The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies</em><br />
I was a wee bit disappointed with this last <em>Hobbit</em> movie - I shouldn't have been surprised that with a title like <em>Battle of the Five Armies</em> it was basically one giant battle scene, but I was. I don't enjoy battles, so I felt a bit numb from all the senseless killing by the time the movie was done, although I did have the urge to throttle Thorin myself. Bard and Bilbo get the best bits of the movie, and I enjoyed them. I was SUPER disappointed by the way Tauriel's character ended up - if you're going to totally create a new character - a woman who's supposed to kick butt - HAVE HER KICK SOME BUTT, not sit there in tears while someone else does all the work. Argh. In the end, I do wish Jackson had done it in just two movies, rather than three. The third one is lacking the charm of the first two, although I realize all of the deaths that shook me were written in by Tolkien. Sigh.<br />
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5. <em>X-Men: Days of Future Past</em><br />
This movie confused me, and I think it's because I'm not familiar with the abilities of a lot of the secondary characters who were popped in rather than developed. I really enjoyed having all of the actors in the one movie, although the level of violence, particularly that which Magneto inflicted on Mystique, and that which was inflicted on Wolverine (although it was nothing new for him, I suppose) left me a bit cold. There were some really fun scenes and interactions, but <em>First Class</em> remains my favourite of the X-Men reboot. <br />
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4. <em>The Monuments Men</em><br />
This is really charming, underrated, gentler kind of war movie that inspired my history research paper for the semester. It only brushes the surface of the work the real Monuments Men did, but it tells a super important story, and I highly recommend it. <br />
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3. <em>Captain America: The Winter Soldier</em><br />
This is a great movie. So, so good. I love the friendship of equals, without any sexual tension, that Steve and Natasha develop. It's my favourite friendship in the Avengers universe, I think. It's just a really good, solid, entertaining movie about relationships and saving the world. <br />
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2. <em>Penguins of Madagascar</em><br />
I LOVE THIS MOVIE. It was everything I hoped for from the penguins, and I ADORED every second of it. I laughed, I cried. It's lovely, silly, and is also about friendship. It's a gem in a violent movie world. It was going to be my top movie of 2014, until I saw <em>The Imitation Game</em>...<br />
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1. <em>The Imitation Game</em><br />
This movie blew my socks off. I was going to get around to seeing it at some point, mostly for the cast...and then I scored free passes to a special screening, so that bumped it up the priority list. It's a brilliant movie. Well-acted, historically accurate, and so, so funny. Even knowing how tragically Alan Turing's story ended, it was still funny. After the screening I listened to the movie's PR person asking people what they thought of the movie, and so many people said they'd never heard of Enigma and Bletchley and Turing, which made me sad, but I'm very glad that the movie, like <em>The Monuments Men</em>, is shedding light on a little-known and important historical event. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1548112842096467&id=1378164125758007" target="_blank">Military Museums here in Calgary actually has an Enigma machine</a> in their collection, which is awesome. I definitely recommend it. I know a bunch of people who've seen it, and I've only heard good things about it. If you only watch one movie this year, make it <em>The Imitation Game</em>.<br />
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Tomorrow I'm going to see <em>Into the Woods</em> - when I was a kid, I loved the Broadway version with Bernadette Peters as the witch, so I'm looking forward to it. And I still want to see <em>Night at the Museum 3</em> - the first two highly entertained me, and this one's set in my beloved London - so seeing it before I get sucked into the new semester of school is a priority. <em>Paddington</em> and <em>Kingsman</em> both look excellent - I have passes to a screening of <em>Kingsman</em> later this week. I also want to see <em>The Judge</em>, which came out at a very inconvenient point in the school year! <br />
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In 2015 I'm looking forward to the new <em>Star Wars</em>, the final instalment of <em>The Hunger Games</em>, <em>Tomorrowland</em>, the new <em>Avengers</em>, and <em>Mortdecai</em>, although I'm sure there will be others as well...I really do enjoy movies - can you tell? :) Maybe in addition to the degrees in English and history I should go for one in film studies as well! :P<br />
<br />MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-89551227634652447892014-11-13T21:24:00.001-07:002014-11-13T21:27:12.435-07:00Post-Colonial CookiesToday I had the privilege of being a part of the best group presentation I've ever been associated with, and I don't say that lightly. I'm taking a post-colonial lit class that has a focus on India, and the text our group is working on throughout the semester is called <em><a href="http://www.veritasindiabooks.org/books_ajax/index.html" target="_blank">Early Christians of 21st Century</a></em>, by <a href="https://twitter.com/AntoAkkara" target="_blank">Anto Akkara</a>, an Indian journalist. We polled 40 people as part of our project, and only one of them had heard of the situation reported in the book, so don't be surprised if you're unfamiliar with it. <br />
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The book is an account of the vicious persecution of a religious minority in a remote part of India, and we're focusing on a section that recounts the gang-rape of a young Hindu girl, by Hindu extremists, because her uncle is a Christian and will not convert to Hinduism. It's very disturbing; you can read a brief news article on the situation <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/19/orissa-violence-india-christianity-hinduism" target="_blank">here, in the Guardian</a>. <br />
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In our presentation we used several tactics to engage our fellow students in our literary activism. We created a 10-minute mini-documentary in which we discuss the situation with other students who agreed to be interviewed. Our documentary isn't available for public viewing, but we also used <a href="http://youtu.be/qWogJTRB-3I" target="_blank">this video</a> of photos of Kandhamal as a background visual while we introduced our project to the class, and the images are stunning, although I do suggest muting the music that plays in the background. :) We asked the interviewees questions about journalistic objectivity, religious persecution, what kind of challenges might a child face in a situation like this, and what, if anything, Canadians/students could do to help subaltnerized groups in other places. <br />
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We have a <a href="https://twitter.com/491_Voices" target="_blank">Twitter account</a>, where we use the hashtag #491voices, and where we've engaged with other students, as well as Akkara, the author of our text. As our project focuses on a voiceless group, the subaltern children, using Twitter as a 'voice' seemed very appropriate. We also created a brochure for our classmates to take away with them, so that they can research the topic further if they so choose. <br />
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Our project isn't over yet - we still have to collaborate on writing a paper, but the presentation was the more stressful part! Now that we've spent so much time talking and thinking about the issues surrounding our text, I feel like I could just sit down and start writing. Hopefully I didn't just use up all my inspiration on this blog post... :)<br />
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And, last but not least, we provided a bit of fusion comfort food to go along with this heavy topic. I had a couple of requests for the recipe, so I thought I'd post it here. Nan Khatai seems to be a recipe that varies depending on who's making it; I used nutmeg, vanilla, and almonds in ours, but I also saw versions with cardamom and pistachios instead. <br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">Nan Khatai or “Indian Shortbread”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">Makes 20-25 cookies</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">Preheat oven to 325º<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">Ingredients: </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">2 cups flour</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">½ tsp nutmeg</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">½ tsp baking soda</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">4 tblsp finely chopped almonds</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">1 cup melted butter</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">1 cup icing sugar</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">½ tsp vanilla</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">milk</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">Almonds for garnishing <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">Instructions: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">With a fork or whisk mix flour, nutmeg, baking soda, and almonds in a large bowl and set aside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">In a separate, deep bowl mix melted butter and icing sugar together and beat with an electric mixer for 5 minutes. Add vanilla and stir. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">Slowly add wet ingredients to dry, mixing constantly, then add milk by tablespoons until the dough is of a shortbread consistency. *<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">Cover dough and let stand for half an hour. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">Shape tablespoons of dough into round, flat cookies and garnish with an almond. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">Bake on greased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are just golden. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black;">The flavour seems to improve over several days, if they last that long!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><em>* In dry, high-altitude Calgary I added about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of milk<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><em> </em></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><em>Inspired by: </em><a href="http://www.jeyashriskitchen.com/2013/10/nan-khatai-recipes-diwali-sweets.html"><span style="color: blue;"><em>http://www.jeyashriskitchen.com/2013/10/nan-khatai-recipes-diwali-sweets.html</em></span></a></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-45203622499824154902014-09-04T19:55:00.000-06:002014-09-04T19:57:56.879-06:00When Words Collide 2014I first went to When Words Collide in 2011, which was its first year, and I've gone every year since then. In 2012 I was inspired enough to blog each day: <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/08/when-words-collide-2012-friday.html" target="_blank">Friday</a>, <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/08/when-words-collide-2012-saturday.html" target="_blank">Saturday</a>, and <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/08/when-words-collide-2012-sunday.html" target="_blank">Sunday</a>. Last year I covered the whole weekend in just <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2013/08/when-words-collide-2013.html" target="_blank">one post</a>, and I think that's what I'll do again this year. Every year I come home with notes and handouts and a dog-eared program, and add a whole bunch of books to my to-read list. It's so much fun! If you're an editor or writer in Alberta, I definitely recommend checking it out in 2015.<br />
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Unfortunately this year I had a cold. The event's official photographer got this shot of me late on Friday night, and yes, I am as tired as I look, although I wasn't actually asleep...<br />
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<strong>Friday, 1 pm: Early Bird Live Action Slush</strong></div>
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Live Action Slushes are usually my favourite panels of the weekend. It's a chance to hear from publishers/editors about what they're looking for (or NOT looking for...) in a manuscript, which helps me when I'm editing for clients who are going to be submitting their manuscript to publishers. "Watch for wandering body parts" was a great piece of advice from this panel, in reference to a character's "eyes roaming over the deserted city", or something to that effect. The quality of manuscripts submitted seems to get better every year, and I think this year had a new record for number of submissions that were read to the end. </div>
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I think it would be useful if the organizers posted the rules on the website and on the door of the room so that first-timers would know important things like, only submit one page. Someone submitted two pages, but they weren't stapled together, so the second page ended up being read rather than the first, and everyone was very confused. Also, a manuscript that was criticized in one slush session was re-submitted, un-changed, to another session which had one of the same judges on the panel, and he was not amused (neither was I - at least make the suggested changes first!). Posting some FAQs about slush etiquette would help eliminate that kind of situation in the future. </div>
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<strong>Friday, 2 pm: Writing a Good Pitch/Query Letter</strong></div>
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I doubt I'll need to write a pitch or query myself, but I might be retained to edit one, and this was a solid panel with lots of good discussion. It wasn't long enough for all the questions people had though, so this would be a good panel to offer again next year. It would have been really helpful to have a handout for this one, or a list of online resources for good templates and that sort of thing.</div>
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<strong>Friday, 3 pm: Social Dimension of Reading</strong> </div>
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I actually can't recall this one at all. I saw several of the people on this panel on other ones during the weekend, and they're all blurring together a bit...ooops!</div>
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<strong>Friday, 4 pm: I had a change of plans</strong></div>
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I started out in one session that just was not doing it for me, so I moved to Shawn Bird's session on plot models, which was a good choice. It was a really interesting look at the structure of story, and gave me some ideas of things to watch for in my clients' writing. She had handouts and slides on the screen, which was really great. </div>
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<strong>Friday, 5 pm: Short Stories</strong></div>
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Lots of interesting tidbits of information from this session about characteristics of a short story as opposed to a novel. </div>
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<strong>Friday, 6 pm: Criminal Heroes</strong> </div>
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In hindsight I probably should have gone to 'Ask an Editor', because while the panel had a good mix of panellists and discussions, it was very similar to a panel from last year and I didn't really pick up anything new. </div>
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<strong>Friday, 7 pm: Kill the Parents</strong></div>
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This was a panel about parents in YA fiction, and it was totally slanted toward those who thought that parents need to be removed from the equation, either by death or other absence, in order to allow the teen to overcome obstacles on his or her own. None of them thought that parents could be anything other than an hindrance to personal development, and when I suggested otherwise, it was suggested that if that's what I wanted to read, that's what I should write. Sigh. There have got to be good, supportive, understanding parents out there, both in real life and fiction, right?!</div>
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<strong>Friday, 8 pm: Keynote Speakers</strong></div>
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The keynotes actually started at 7, so I came in late, which is one of the reasons I ended up sitting on the floor. I didn't see any empty end chairs, and I didn't want to disturb people to get into a middle seat. Plus, being hemmed in by people makes me feel claustrophobic. </div>
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ANYway, I got there in time to hear Brandon Sanderson, who I didn't know at all except in an abstract way as one of those writers of epic fantasy that I don't really enjoy. I quite liked his style, so I am going to give his writing a chance, if I can find something that's not too epic. :) </div>
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But my highlight was Jack Whyte, as it usually is. I'd seriously listen to him talk about anything. What a voice!</div>
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<strong>Friday, 9 pm: Laughing at Love</strong></div>
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This was about using humour in storytelling, and they started it off by playing my favourite Moxy Früvous song: </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5MeQK7JtLpU" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>
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I did take a few good notes at the panel, which still make sense even almost a month later, so it was definitely worthwhile staying for, but by that point I was so tired I was getting worried about driving home, so I snuck out early and didn't even bother with the parties, which was unfortunate, because they're the best chance for networking. </div>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/JordhanaRempel">@JordhanaRempel</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/WWC_Calgary">@WWC_Calgary</a> Don't skip the evening parties; they're free and open to all attendees and great networking happens at them.<br />
— Robert J. Sawyer (@RobertJSawyer) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertJSawyer/status/496182706334887936">August 4, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
Sorry RJS, I'll try not to be sick next year! :( I found out later the steampunk social had a solve-the-murder-mystery theme going on, so I was really sorry to miss that. Hopefully they do it again! I heard that there were also problems on both nights with hotel security expecting the late night parties to be over by 11 pm, which is silly. Next year we're going to be a different, bigger hotel, and I have high hopes for the parties there!<br />
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<strong>Saturday, 10 am: Blending SF and Fantasy</strong> </div>
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I only made one note from this panel: "When blending genres always be consistent with the rules of the universe." :)</div>
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<strong>Saturday, 11 am: Editing Explained</strong></div>
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This panel featured editors from the <a href="http://calgaryeditors.com/" target="_blank">Calgary Association of Freelance Editors</a> (CAFE), which I'm a member of, so I went along both to be supportive and to hear what kinds of questions the audience had about editing. People had lots of questions about the editing process and various editing roles. One person was confused about editors who edit versus acquisitions editors who work for publishing houses and decide what manuscripts to acquire for publishing, so it's a good thing they did the panel. Hopefully they'll do something similar again next year. </div>
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<strong>Saturday, noon: Live Action Slush: Science Fiction Edition</strong></div>
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I think this was the one where the one that had been criticized on Friday turned up again. Also, I think this was the panel where one of the editors was talking about the difficulty in writing believable dialogue, and for an example he used Star Wars Episode One, and I quote loosely; "That dialogue was so wooden I think I got splinters", which really spoke to me. </div>
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Not only that, at I think two of the slush sessions I went to - scifi and historical, and maybe a third one, but I can't remember for sure - a manuscript riffing off the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air introduction showed up. In the scifi version, there were robots, and in the historical version it was all old-fashioned language. It was highly amusing, and probably only someone who went to as many slushes as I did would have noticed. Although there was one panel, maybe the scifi one, where the reader was reading it out loud, and as soon as people realized it was Fresh Prince, they were laughing so hard the reader just stopped and went on with the next one. Kudos to whoever went to all that trouble for what I presume was meant to be a very amusing prank.</div>
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<strong>Saturday, 1 pm: Teaching Canadian Fiction</strong></div>
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This was an interesting panel composed of education professionals who are also writers and editors. It didn't end up being anything particularly applicable to me, but it was interesting nonetheless. </div>
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<strong>Saturday, 2 pm: New in YA Fiction</strong></div>
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This session was put on by a lady who's a manager at a Chapters, and she did a great job of drawing out a list of solid, current YA fiction that goes beyond vampires. I added a lot of books to my to read list! It would have been helpful to have a handout though, because I was trying to type everything into my iPod, and when I'm getting audio input only it's hard to tell the difference between 'night' and 'knight', for instance. It took most of Monday to translate the list into something that Goodreads would recognize. :)</div>
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<strong>Saturday, 3 pm: Live Action Slush, Historical Edition</strong></div>
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This one was my favourite, because Jack Whyte was the reader. 'Nuff said.</div>
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<strong>Saturday, 4 pm: Plotting Your Novel</strong></div>
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I had a hard time with this one. It just wasn't doing anything for me, and I was SO TIRED. I ended up sneaking out early and waiting in the lobby for my husband to come have dinner with me. In hindsight, I should have gone to Jack Whyte's session on writing action scenes - I don't know what I was thinking. I suppose my thought process was dulled by the cold medication...</div>
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<strong>Saturday evening:</strong></div>
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The Saturday evening schedule was weird. Sessions all ended at 5, and then at 5:30 there was a banquet for those who wanted to pay for the expensive tickets for it. At 6:30 there was a variety show that went till 7:30, but there were more regular sessions starting at 7. So basically I kicked my heels around the hotel from 4:30 to 7. Then there was an autograph session from 8-9, and then the parties didn't start till 9. So if I had wanted to stay for the parties, I would have had to kick my heels some more from 8 till 9. It was very strange - I'm not sure why they laid it out like that - it would seem to make more sense to just not have panels that evening at all. I guess if Diana Gabaldon had actually come and not cancelled because of the tv show, I would have been hunting her autograph and filled in that hour, but as it was, I went home to bed after the 7:00 panel finished...</div>
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<strong>Saturday, 7 pm: Gripping [sic] About Grammar</strong></div>
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This was a really fun panel. The room was way too crowded - they should have gotten a bigger one, and it was no where near long enough for all of the questions. I think next year they should have a few sessions dedicated to different grammar issues. The highlight of the panel was a panelist and an audience member getting into a (mostly friendly) shouting match over whether or not the Oxford comma is necessary or not. I think it is, by the way. I'm not sure if it was worth waiting two and a half hours for though, since I didn't learn anything. But I did laugh an awful lot though, so that's something! </div>
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<strong>Sunday morning: </strong></div>
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I skipped the first two sessions - I would have gone to the publishers' panel on novels at 10, and the one about the use of poisons in mysteries at 11 - but I wanted to go to church. Pastor preached a great <a href="http://www.foothillslutheran.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=159:sermon-august-10-2014-pastor-bodeclick-here-for-video&Itemid=87" target="_blank">sermon about faith and fantasy</a>, which, other than the Bible, featured a lot of Doctor Who references. If you've got 20 minutes, it's definitely worth watching. </div>
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<strong>Sunday, noon: Murder Most Fair</strong></div>
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This panel was ok - there were definitely too many people on it for everyone to get a good chance to talk. But I did discover a great <a href="http://www.mahriegreid.com/p/books.html" target="_blank">series of cozy mysteries set in Nova Scotia</a>, so it was totally worth going to the panel just for that. </div>
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<strong>Sunday, 1 pm: Publishers' Panel on Short Fiction</strong></div>
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Again, should have gone with the historical fiction one that Jack Whyte was on... The publishers' one was fine, but there were a lot of people on it, and it was kind of all over the place topic-wise, so I didn't really get a ton out of it, although I did take a few notes. I even tried asking a question to get it back on topic, and that totally didn't work. Although by that point in the weekend, everyone is so tired that maybe expecting everything and everyone to be totally sensible is honestly an unreasonable expectation. :)</div>
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<strong>Sunday, 2 pm:</strong> </div>
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There wasn't really anything during this time slot that caught my attention, and I was pretty tired. I popped into one about gender perspectives in mystery novels, but...meh. I ended up buying a couple of books in the vendors' room and then just hanging out till 3. It was the only slot where I couldn't find anything I wanted to go to, and ironically, in the next slot at 3 there were THREE things I wanted to go to! </div>
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<strong>Sunday, 3 pm: Live Action Slush, Mystery Edition</strong> </div>
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I don't remember anything particular about this one, although I feel like there weren't many submissions for it. Hopefully with WWC's increasing content for mysteries and mystery writers, more people will submit next year. </div>
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<strong>Sunday, 4 pm: How to Build a Consistent and Original Magic System</strong></div>
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I was even more impressed by Brandon Sanderson after this. He's only five years older than me, and he's got massive writing credits as well as a large family, and he's a great speaker. I took a pile of notes at this one, and kind of wished I'd done one of the pre-weekend classes with him. It was a good session to end the weekend with.</div>
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<strong>General comments about panels:</strong></div>
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Six people on a panel is WAY too many. Five people is a lot, but manageable with a good moderator. Four seems to be about the right number. Also, it's obvious when a moderator/panel guest has come prepared...or not. I know they're all volunteers, but audience members can tell when you're there because you care about the topic and have things to share that go beyond just the scope of your own books. Like the general social media rule, no more than 10% of your content should be flogging your own product. </div>
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When you have a panel of 4 or 5 <em>well-prepared</em> guests/moderator, it's a wonderful thing. </div>
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Speaking of volunteers, everyone, except for two or three keynote author guests, is a volunteer, which is why the conference is so affordable. As I do a lot of conference planning, I thoroughly appreciate the smoothness with which WWC runs. I'm sure there are snags in the background that most of the attendees never notice, and there are always things that could be done differently, but all-in-all the volunteers who put this on do an amazing, amazing job of it.</div>
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Something interesting and unexpected that came out of the weekend is that I'm now the Social Media Project Leader for CAFE. I spent some time visiting with the president of CAFE, and after hearing of my love for Twitter, she asked if I would take that on. I've started out by taking an online course in social media through the library, and I'm developing a social media strategy and thinking of interesting things to do. I can <em>always</em> use more volunteer positions on my CV, right? :) You can find us on Twitter - we're <a href="https://twitter.com/CalgaryEditors" target="_blank">@CalgaryEditors</a>. </div>
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I'm looking forward to next year! Registration is already 5% full, which is a good sign... <a href="http://www.whenwordscollide.org/index.php" target="_blank">Check out the guest list</a>, and if you're going to attend, register before the rates go up on April 1. It'll be the last year I'm eligible for the student rate, which is bittersweet. I'll be graduating in June, which means I'll be looking for more editing work in the spring, if you know of anyone looking for a nit-picky copyeditor...</div>
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MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-82918093864541547342014-08-30T21:24:00.000-06:002014-08-30T21:24:01.235-06:00Hell on Wheels Twitter RoundupIt's been a busy summer for the Hell on Wheels cast and crew! They're currently filming season 4 around Calgary, and I've JUST started watched season 3. It took forever for the library to stock it, then I had to get in the queue. It started off a bit slow, but it's picking up the pace by episode 4. My favourite thing about it is the Alberta scenery, I think. And Eva is my favourite character. It's fun to keep an eye on Twitter and see what they're up to, even if there are minor spoilers. <br />
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MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-81741542937656821812014-08-13T16:01:00.001-06:002014-08-13T16:01:50.522-06:00Washington State 2014For our holiday in 2012, <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/09/kelowna-to-seattle.html" target="_blank">we went to Seattle</a>, and this year we decided to visit some other places in Washington, based totally on where KOAs are located. First up was Lynden, which has what's probably the most beautiful campground I've ever been to. The campsites are in a ring around a large pond, which makes it feel more open and spread out. The people of Lynden are some of the friendliest I've ever seen - if you go into a store, EVERYONE wants to help you, and you don't have to play 'hunt for an employee' the way you do in Calgary!<br />
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The best thing is that Lynden is only 30 minutes from the coast, a little community called Birch Bay, which has lots of public beach access as well as a state park. We got delicious sandwiches from the Lynden bakery, and spent a day at Birch Bay. It's really beautiful - it reminds me so much of my favourite beach, Rathtrevor Provincial Park on Vancouver Island. The view from Birch Bay, on a clear day, is of BC's Gulf Islands, that's how close it is to Canada. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birch Bay at low tide</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birch Bay with the tide in</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Birch Bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birch Bay State Park</td></tr>
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After a couple of nights in Lyden, we headed south, hitting our favourite outlet mall, Seattle Premium Outlets, on the way. I love it because you walk around outdoors, in shady breezeways, so I don't get a headache from florescent lights the way I do in regular malls. And I scored a pair of TARDIS earrings from Hot Topic, which was very exciting. We also took a slight detour for Krispy Kreme.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Kingston-Edmonds ferry from just north of Seattle over to the Olympic Peninsula</td></tr>
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Taking the Kingston-Edmonds ferry cuts out having to drive all the way south of Seattle to connect to the Olympic Peninsula. It was only a 20-minute crossing, and unlike BC Ferries, it wasn't expensive at all, and saved on a lot of gas. <br />
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There's a KOA located half-way between Port Angeles and Sequim. It's under new management, and you can tell the old management was letting it get run down, but the new owners are working on fixing it up. First they assigned us a TERRIBLE site, but they were great about letting us move to a less-trafficked area of the campground. Putting a tent on a tiny site at the convergence of three roads, right beside the main office/bathrooms is not a quiet way to spend the better part of the week...but the second site was big, green, and most importantly, quiet. <br />
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Now I had, rather naively, as it turns out, thought that we would be surrounded by beaches, seeing as how we were surrounded by ocean, and based on how many <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/09/waterfront-in-seattle-area.html" target="_blank">beaches there had been around Seattle</a>. That turned out to not be the case, and we spent three days pursing my dream of sitting quietly on a beach, reading. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dungeness Spit, near Sequim, Washington</td></tr>
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I had seen that Dungeness Spit was a long peninsula sticking out into the ocean, and that there was a wildlife sanctuary there, so we headed there after church on the Sunday, our first full day there. Alas, you had to pay a fee to hike what was an approximately 9K trail each way, with no beach. As you can see from the photo above, the Spit has sheer cliffs. So, no beach there, although very beautiful scenery. I ended up just reading at the campground that day. <br />
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I was also surprised by how small Port Angeles is. Since there's a large ferry that goes to and from Victoria, I was expecting to find a city of a similar size. Alas, PA doesn't even have a Target. So we did the historical walking tour. PA has a history similar to Seattle's in that they had to raise the city because of issues with tides and sewage. They don't have as <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/09/underground-seattle.html" target="_blank">extensive an underground as Seattle</a>, but there were some bits of it in the tour. The guide was really great and knowledgeable. The other two couples on the same tour, all older Americans, were slightly entertaining. The couple from Jersey had never heard of Alberta ("Oh, it's in Canada! That's why I've never heard of it!") and the couple who had been to Banff exclaimed not over our pristine mountain scenery...but over the cleanliness of the public bathrooms. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural in downtown Port Angeles, a stop on the walking tour</td></tr>
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This very cool mural is of a ferry called the <i>Kalakala</i>, built in the 1930s. The artist is Cory Ench, and he did several murals around PA. The mural has an optical illusion that makes it looks like the ferry is moving as you cross the parking lot, and it looks like an airship, so it was worth the stop.<br />
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The underground bits of the tour were interesting, including a massive two-walled mural in what used to be an underground mini golf, but there was no way I could get a decent shot of it. There's <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Lg994HT7e3U/U4Op_LbXPeI/AAAAAAAAKoU/4ZY0NGtdwDE/HeritageTourwithUndergroundPortAngeles-37-2014-05-24-19-23.jpg" target="_blank">one wall here</a> and <a href="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/05/0a/cc/5e/port-angeles-heritage.jpg" target="_blank">one wall here</a>, though. The tour wound up in what's now a shoe store, but used to be a brothel, and we got to go upstairs and check out all the vintage detritus lurking in the dusty corners. That was my favourite part. I love Old Stuff. :) <a href="http://nancyschronicle.blogspot.ca/2014/05/port-angeles-wa-brothels-and_24.html" target="_blank">This lady's got some really good photos</a> on her blog, including of the old theatre which we didn't get to see because it's closed on Mondays. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Angeles' octopus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Angeles' real live octopus at the Feiro Marine Life Center</td></tr>
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PA has a little aquarium called the Feiro, much <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/09/seattle-aquarium.html" target="_blank">smaller than Seattle's</a>, but it had some interesting critters. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nudibranchs, otherwise known as sea slugs, at the Feiro Marine Life Center
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<br />
I've been fascinated by nudibranchs ever since <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/nudibranchs/doubilet-photography" target="_blank">National Geographic did a special</a> on them a few years back, and I've never seen any in real life before. They're also known as sea slugs, for obvious reasons. <br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Ediz Hook by Port Angeles</td></tr>
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<br />
PA has a long spit you can drive out on, and at the very end there's a coast guard station. Unfortunately, it was far too open and windy to sit and read, but we did see an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Boeing_V-22_Osprey" target="_blank">Osprey </a>landing and taking off from the station. It's a very cool aircraft, because it can land and take off like a helicopter, but then once it's in the air it can re-position the propellers and fly like a plane. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Osprey taking off from the Port Angeles coast guard station </td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
On the Tuesday, we went into the national park to hike one of the trails from Crescent Lake. We chose the Marymere Falls trail, and it was beautiful. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marymere Falls</td></tr>
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<br />
Then we were off to a beach - or so we thought. I had read about Salt Creek Recreation Area, which in addition to being on the waterfront, had some old military bunkers and a campground. I just assumed there was a beach there, but there wasn't, just more cliffs. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from former Camp Hayden</td></tr>
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<br />
We did drive by a beautiful long crescent-shaped white sand beach - but it was privately owned by an RV park and only guests could use it! I don't think you can own beaches in Canada? I was pretty disappointed! Not to mention the fact that our Garmin seems to have a thing for the scenic route rather than the straightforward one, so by this point it was getting late in the afternoon. <br />
<br />
Finally we ended up at this boat launch, which had a tiny strip of beach on either side of it. It had some good beach combing, and later on we saw otters. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otters at Freshwater Bay boat launch</td></tr>
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<br />
On Wednesday, our final full day in the PA area, I finally found my favourite place in Washington. It's called <a href="http://enjoypt.com/" target="_blank">Port Townsend</a>, and it's by <a href="http://www.parks.wa.gov/511/Fort-Worden" target="_blank">Fort Worden State Park</a>. It was about an hour from where we were camping, so it was a trek for just a day, but oh my...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXWIFSAlJ3ADvwnLaV8M9WYEkr0PfsakyKgktcf68KG2LFQ07ftkcUSGqAqk0mfw_A_kSdSWXqLlPRqd0ZAgPfqJu6Bgb_pppQpsnp1utM7YkLvFABn7BY_Yzfk0aD64i9o_I/s1600/IMG_8847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXWIFSAlJ3ADvwnLaV8M9WYEkr0PfsakyKgktcf68KG2LFQ07ftkcUSGqAqk0mfw_A_kSdSWXqLlPRqd0ZAgPfqJu6Bgb_pppQpsnp1utM7YkLvFABn7BY_Yzfk0aD64i9o_I/s1600/IMG_8847.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mini castle at Fort Worden</td></tr>
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The main feature of Fort Worden, beside the beach, is Artillery Hill, which is mazed with hiking trials that loop around the old artillery placements. There are also several small museums, and did I mention the beach? They have a campground, and many of the old homes and military dorms are now available as vacation rentals. We didn't even have time to get to the museums, or explore charming and historic downtown Port Townsend. Sign me up for a return trip!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2CHURP3oxpO1cf0IKjogvaIAeQE8FELmRe86QvPYYfssgz5N81iDU62FYYHtunkz8pgV7iS13agT_oZhz157afPAXTM_8900NAYM1nsphE1nJxQYoBRrujBw4O2Z802gNYqP/s1600/IMG_8865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2CHURP3oxpO1cf0IKjogvaIAeQE8FELmRe86QvPYYfssgz5N81iDU62FYYHtunkz8pgV7iS13agT_oZhz157afPAXTM_8900NAYM1nsphE1nJxQYoBRrujBw4O2Z802gNYqP/s1600/IMG_8865.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Military decay at Fort Worden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCoaQWCRYaCp9fqe-GgeB9yFpgsOF3ePNtPHX_A_ql8-Jz8nvR6a0LAA8gv5K2eID_IKER6iR2d9YBc9eNDNXOJBUSd3RVfcc4wHLY2U0ec9ePv7gb0pw4f1xjljA8BlWC8JQ/s1600/IMG_8897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCoaQWCRYaCp9fqe-GgeB9yFpgsOF3ePNtPHX_A_ql8-Jz8nvR6a0LAA8gv5K2eID_IKER6iR2d9YBc9eNDNXOJBUSd3RVfcc4wHLY2U0ec9ePv7gb0pw4f1xjljA8BlWC8JQ/s1600/IMG_8897.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deer crossing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCb2X2IOY004Whs7OBc-WYruTFxzUVq78FampllIsSyK-deccg-GXjcAn3qrl48jRlQQlz6GBLkUtxLyTAS6hD4VKY0aPMx9wUCLjnsGU-q4npGa7qYux_YM2kbzySRkG7Gday/s1600/IMG_1801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCb2X2IOY004Whs7OBc-WYruTFxzUVq78FampllIsSyK-deccg-GXjcAn3qrl48jRlQQlz6GBLkUtxLyTAS6hD4VKY0aPMx9wUCLjnsGU-q4npGa7qYux_YM2kbzySRkG7Gday/s1600/IMG_1801.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the top of Artillery Hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNBqVmyyBaeyu9Kq6pzmHviNv1c0pvjKwxT72Bqjk9dkRuRAWMG_lqQYxn5PROn_2E8VhIyDExdcGxYuWonTuiUQX3JlzMtViwATVhG-Hvv7fRcBnqwaW-yEdIhLTiafAWQx8/s1600/IMG_8881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNBqVmyyBaeyu9Kq6pzmHviNv1c0pvjKwxT72Bqjk9dkRuRAWMG_lqQYxn5PROn_2E8VhIyDExdcGxYuWonTuiUQX3JlzMtViwATVhG-Hvv7fRcBnqwaW-yEdIhLTiafAWQx8/s1600/IMG_8881.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Baker from the top of Fort Worden's Artillery Hill</td></tr>
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The beach is everything a beach should be. Long and white, with great views, and lots of nice clean bathrooms. We had to pay $10 for parking, but I was totally ok with that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6xBLP4TQxAzVWxl87EJ-NaErZQHuLtzAGXEV6N0rr_hOP7ZrqU_wvwo780WobMIHSrgKZIkUAvoWybNLuXwoGWIdfCNRyRl98VZdb0AJvLSBgVg0RxEY-N6ipBPvfMKzpEVs/s1600/IMG_1814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6xBLP4TQxAzVWxl87EJ-NaErZQHuLtzAGXEV6N0rr_hOP7ZrqU_wvwo780WobMIHSrgKZIkUAvoWybNLuXwoGWIdfCNRyRl98VZdb0AJvLSBgVg0RxEY-N6ipBPvfMKzpEVs/s1600/IMG_1814.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fort Worden State Park beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bLde7YY_AWArQLfCj8hnt2_MzdbF-vDLDwdJSft6qvHt37NJVLoSLnAEQd813EGAxj2S-rtsY3ARwmHe1g360Q0sgcFnwZGZMjdwaDr5IhkgxlBo82xkZkt5GplvLBA7zI7A/s1600/IMG_8909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bLde7YY_AWArQLfCj8hnt2_MzdbF-vDLDwdJSft6qvHt37NJVLoSLnAEQd813EGAxj2S-rtsY3ARwmHe1g360Q0sgcFnwZGZMjdwaDr5IhkgxlBo82xkZkt5GplvLBA7zI7A/s1600/IMG_8909.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Fort Worden beach, you can see Mount Baker to the left...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ULswBKRXvbuWiwwC9Y3pneETYRmiOcnJVnAg2cDSHBtauwSgL28fh2EycbRAky3dWox5NMNPuff-CB5X3rw23HMpXamqmD-3MTfZwV6JSGXKi3ulT6q6T6_27iYuqBOjkbTk/s1600/IMG_8912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ULswBKRXvbuWiwwC9Y3pneETYRmiOcnJVnAg2cDSHBtauwSgL28fh2EycbRAky3dWox5NMNPuff-CB5X3rw23HMpXamqmD-3MTfZwV6JSGXKi3ulT6q6T6_27iYuqBOjkbTk/s1600/IMG_8912.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and Mount Rainier to the right!</td></tr>
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We grabbed some lunch at the Chinese restaurant in Port Townsend, which is just so charming. In fact, the town and the state park remind me irresistably of a much smaller, more American version of Halifax and its Citadel Hill, which might be one of the reasons I feel so drawn to it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLwmtzXv2z5IOsm1AEgxr0ik2nt8lCO3WQO5zh1p1pB_HK8QiX2xNY3vTtrYnJtKP-Anzot1wkDytUBMkq-JTffxpfoSMEMaeWcY7oeoM-BeYcU4HUZqfzEZy3rFB1RbOtfR4/s1600/P7300091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLwmtzXv2z5IOsm1AEgxr0ik2nt8lCO3WQO5zh1p1pB_HK8QiX2xNY3vTtrYnJtKP-Anzot1wkDytUBMkq-JTffxpfoSMEMaeWcY7oeoM-BeYcU4HUZqfzEZy3rFB1RbOtfR4/s1600/P7300091.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Townsend</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzXfLK7hw1vEGmHEiUNW9Rvw9MxlvHS0d89YC0oheyD1WQ-R3var7uhbf33JDoRQUWiOvNvE53RwZ-7SlKD41_5laCCOn5JklMobfLN7lD3JG1RSne7oIUujOmO8tb0kbh210/s1600/P7300086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzXfLK7hw1vEGmHEiUNW9Rvw9MxlvHS0d89YC0oheyD1WQ-R3var7uhbf33JDoRQUWiOvNvE53RwZ-7SlKD41_5laCCOn5JklMobfLN7lD3JG1RSne7oIUujOmO8tb0kbh210/s1600/P7300086.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Townsend</td></tr>
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And that was the end of our adventures in Washington. Thursday morning we packed up and caught the <i>Coho </i>to Victoria. I lived in Victoria for years, and I was born on the island, so it was a nice feeling of going sort of home.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoBB9hlcz2kdQBDAd7SmsM9IsS5BunHrXt2r91al4_pzWsFejC6oAHYdSFl0OG5AgPvfUrcRE0i3bUl0SUcSOCQL9v16OjZXXD5hCxMORcgr8SHeZ8ozFCyU9tELGSAjy3qFc/s1600/IMG_1836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoBB9hlcz2kdQBDAd7SmsM9IsS5BunHrXt2r91al4_pzWsFejC6oAHYdSFl0OG5AgPvfUrcRE0i3bUl0SUcSOCQL9v16OjZXXD5hCxMORcgr8SHeZ8ozFCyU9tELGSAjy3qFc/s1600/IMG_1836.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the <i>Coho</i>, heading back to Canada</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwbNsOv48pw0SF8sRVw2X_0EB8Gki-1aAl-qKh3Vxz1KWfnbGnFlk3qsjLA0m58P_Ep8JS210Ktllp5MBlsFuMaXc9IBxVvsKg01t6YPEGzayWxcodGtUZoCQk5__hAe6SOPN/s1600/IMG_8931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwbNsOv48pw0SF8sRVw2X_0EB8Gki-1aAl-qKh3Vxz1KWfnbGnFlk3qsjLA0m58P_Ep8JS210Ktllp5MBlsFuMaXc9IBxVvsKg01t6YPEGzayWxcodGtUZoCQk5__hAe6SOPN/s1600/IMG_8931.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating Ivar's clam chowder on the <i>Coho</i></td></tr>
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Ivar's is a really excellent Seattle-area chain of fast seafood, which I highly recommend... <br />
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We won't be going back to the States next summer, but hopefully in 2016 I will get to spend more time in Port Townsend/Fort Worden!<br />
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That wasn't the end of my summer adventures though - last weekend I went to a local reader con, and this week I'm off to visit my family in NS, so hopefully there will be more adventures coming here soon!<br />
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<br />MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-8822214404846216782014-06-17T15:43:00.001-06:002014-06-17T15:43:46.969-06:00Middle Earth Comes to Calgary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-Evqv7JdTBHyChMYhyphenhypheneO2QLPjgfOCHl00C_eMkoK_LN44tGUxZNW_GWv8opFi82ejFrkRvAO2FMXKugx5xjvSnSjfZa-oRZdtkUdcpd3XsrCC75VbBAuxJd_UOlYQnhOSNQR/s1600/Billy+Boyd+and+Sean+Austin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-Evqv7JdTBHyChMYhyphenhypheneO2QLPjgfOCHl00C_eMkoK_LN44tGUxZNW_GWv8opFi82ejFrkRvAO2FMXKugx5xjvSnSjfZa-oRZdtkUdcpd3XsrCC75VbBAuxJd_UOlYQnhOSNQR/s1600/Billy+Boyd+and+Sean+Austin.jpg" height="147" width="400" /></a></div>
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To continue my recap of the Calgary Comic Expo at the end of April, I recount what might possibly have been my favourite bits: Billy Boyd (Pippin in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and three of the dwarves from the Hobbit. Jed Brophy (Nori) Dean O'Gorman (Kili), and Mark Hadlow (Dori) were the dwarves who came, with the bonus of Jed's son Sadwyn Brophy, who played Aragorn and Arwen's son in the Return of the King.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlX_QsJv6dEFw-3COIsQaOSOdKo58iYgRV4NF-eIch8JgqRSbun8_cLmrSRg8FnogXA0TfffCfZILp-BCEay56GHySQnBzJRVO-M1jIDfTnZP-If3NJrtVfl_bgIgn802nOBms/s1600/P4240009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlX_QsJv6dEFw-3COIsQaOSOdKo58iYgRV4NF-eIch8JgqRSbun8_cLmrSRg8FnogXA0TfffCfZILp-BCEay56GHySQnBzJRVO-M1jIDfTnZP-If3NJrtVfl_bgIgn802nOBms/s1600/P4240009.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billy Boyd was HILLARIOUS. SO FUNNY. If you ever go to a Q and A and get a chance to ask him a question, start by telling him your cat/dog/hamster/whatever is named Pippin. Apparently he gets that a lot. :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2N2RpxMaqQ6A3VKjFr70l58zbU_W76NLEWi4F8dDpCg-eYXUnP_R_wIm82Lj9KUOzyGuU6yqzJsruultgCL_kZ3Iyli5CJM_73JxGGLeUS3Xp8SLK7UXGdlCE2Z8SdDGc-ee-/s1600/P4240011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2N2RpxMaqQ6A3VKjFr70l58zbU_W76NLEWi4F8dDpCg-eYXUnP_R_wIm82Lj9KUOzyGuU6yqzJsruultgCL_kZ3Iyli5CJM_73JxGGLeUS3Xp8SLK7UXGdlCE2Z8SdDGc-ee-/s1600/P4240011.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billy's interviewer was a lady called Greendragon, a moderator of the biggest LotR fansite, The One Ring. I forget her real life name, but she moderated all of the Middle Earth panels, and she was fab. Kirsten, maybe?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother getting a henna tattoo, in Elvish.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju177ob0n7RxSlOtBTSpLqiqoD2JFtpSzAsBTwavaeZk3t-QN0IAhrAEqJnEtr3Qa7lYnzv1CXKjAWU8vmmylk_n7vY7Le2HVOEX45faFyzWnflbE4wU1Fwcci2OqpNzgO4T0M/s1600/P4270078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju177ob0n7RxSlOtBTSpLqiqoD2JFtpSzAsBTwavaeZk3t-QN0IAhrAEqJnEtr3Qa7lYnzv1CXKjAWU8vmmylk_n7vY7Le2HVOEX45faFyzWnflbE4wU1Fwcci2OqpNzgO4T0M/s1600/P4270078.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Being Dwarvish panel. It was SO MUCH FUN.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenXFCB7g5Jkq9FBfoQCF4KGEmDBoMPCHpJhxTxYfAuT0RoYNWDcYGgonzl82LU3Dwia8UxCa03CKAok2kLlNDQ7fCSJI-ThBJJBqz3InvRWqesAOAK4Ae1FxcUFuFg8kxV9WQ/s1600/P4270090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenXFCB7g5Jkq9FBfoQCF4KGEmDBoMPCHpJhxTxYfAuT0RoYNWDcYGgonzl82LU3Dwia8UxCa03CKAok2kLlNDQ7fCSJI-ThBJJBqz3InvRWqesAOAK4Ae1FxcUFuFg8kxV9WQ/s1600/P4270090.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sean Astin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBj71Z2EKrPiGWH61p9kPVM9Pp1lVqoMxKM47ouWGufLoXe8RmSiFQVvnPOYV8ADG_HRG0kkxEpWqUxXV_PeFjcwWsTTeUOdfpRNfm_9bwAUr7wa1-GL96hMSRgeduBwZwSQQq/s1600/P4270088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBj71Z2EKrPiGWH61p9kPVM9Pp1lVqoMxKM47ouWGufLoXe8RmSiFQVvnPOYV8ADG_HRG0kkxEpWqUxXV_PeFjcwWsTTeUOdfpRNfm_9bwAUr7wa1-GL96hMSRgeduBwZwSQQq/s1600/P4270088.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sean's panel turned into a bit of a bummer, because somehow the topic got onto bad experiences he had working on the films, and it was a bit depressing! </td></tr>
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<br />
Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any good videos of any of the panels, but I assure you, Billy and the dwarves were a barrel of fun. (Ha!) My only disappointment was that because of the special Middle Earth super-panel that you had to pay extra for, Billy wasn't allowed to sing at his Q and A, and at the dwarvish panel, the actors didn't want to re-tell stories that they'd already told at the super-panel. It's one thing to sell tickets for this extra-special multi-media event, but another thing to take away from the main event to do that. So that was sad. <br />
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The only thing missing was Martin Freeman, who'd been in Calgary filming Fargo for most of the winter, and who left just weeks before Expo started. So sad! Depending on how the season of Fargo ends, maybe he'll be back next year...hint, hint...<br />
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Ok, I think that's it for my Comic Expo re-capping this year - we also saw Garrett Wong, Adrian Paul, and Tom Felton, but alas, my memories are fading and I'm not sure I have anything to share at this point. It was nice that Tom finally made it to Expo though! :)<br />
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MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-80830772779531897172014-06-05T21:03:00.003-06:002014-06-05T21:09:27.477-06:00Doctor Who Comes to CalgaryDoctor Who has been on my to-watch list forever, and in January this year, thanks to a gift of season 1 and 2 on DVD, we finally got started with the ninth doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston, and now we're into season 6 with the eleventh doctor, played by Matt Smith. <br />
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Well, we started with Eccleston, but couldn't really get into it, so we skipped ahead to David Tennant. I already knew him as my favourite Hamlet - he's a fantastic Shakespearean actor - and it was an excellent strategic decision. Then we went back and watched Eccleston once we cared more. I have a lot of feelings about Doctor Who now. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/05/29/article-1189486-052239EB000005DC-201_233x371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/05/29/article-1189486-052239EB000005DC-201_233x371.jpg" height="400" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Tennant as Hamlet. Patrick Stewart co-stars as his dead father/crazy uncle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The tenth Doctor is definitely my favourite, although I do also like the eleventh. The ninth; not so much. His habit of calling people "stupid apes" really got on my nerves. <br />
<br />
I've been applying serious effort to choosing a favourite companion, but I can't decide - I like them all! I really ship Rose and Ten, and I related to Martha. Donna and Amy are both so spunky and outgoing and totally unlike me, so that I enjoy watching them do crazy things I would never do, and living a bit vicariously. I love Mickey, but he doesn't really count as a companion. Amy's my brother's favourite, so I can't decide - maybe it'll be Clara when we get to her? <br />
<br />
And in April, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan were at Comic Expo! We hadn't gotten to their time on the show yet, but we went to their panel anyway. They were so fun - it made me not dread quite so much the transition from the tenth to the eleventh doctor that I knew was coming. I still bawled like a baby when it happened, but that's beside the point. Trevor said that Matt and Karen basically spent the whole panel flirting, which I think is an accurate depiction of their relationship. It's sort of bad form to ship real live people, but I don't think that either of them is in a romantic relationship with anyone else, so I totally do ship them. <br />
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Anyway, here's a video of the Q and A portion of the panel, if you're interested.<br />
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<div align="center">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/E4sBZi3jtrw" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhDPMm_z79rUTiUZbQzOEGARv_mZ4PpaIT795OEDINqBVc_W6mOGJ2W7fvlKoErkT31SZ4-dRTXPWBLxIgpqbKYr1FitDIL0feNIaiSho7hh38_TGWk0lu-RbANkMJj96nQXt/s1600/P4240017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhDPMm_z79rUTiUZbQzOEGARv_mZ4PpaIT795OEDINqBVc_W6mOGJ2W7fvlKoErkT31SZ4-dRTXPWBLxIgpqbKYr1FitDIL0feNIaiSho7hh38_TGWk0lu-RbANkMJj96nQXt/s1600/P4240017.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonus Lego Dalek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhTVmHcbnQGoI0RRfxmsbjWt8Ld974vTAOK-MMmFM8_o697OT7oOPAuYJLCJY6z6hi3cCQ5da-ezUtajiJv1E7M64ClE9WOL0zzxFZg0zbv9IgB8LjSyMuoZivmoVwcvnruWi/s1600/P4260031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhTVmHcbnQGoI0RRfxmsbjWt8Ld974vTAOK-MMmFM8_o697OT7oOPAuYJLCJY6z6hi3cCQ5da-ezUtajiJv1E7M64ClE9WOL0zzxFZg0zbv9IgB8LjSyMuoZivmoVwcvnruWi/s1600/P4260031.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt and Karen being ridiculous.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahJrc2hSwUZDx5FxINhTapsocDRXAmnHjmCQj0oxmY-Yb_vwtcymxKzlhLyMM7x4IvE4ReS2saL2DM3FjPOOAYe_MkREWSPMBZepZ09_oEnRHIrLpLiTX6jGcEejPBK8tAvGt/s1600/P4260029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahJrc2hSwUZDx5FxINhTapsocDRXAmnHjmCQj0oxmY-Yb_vwtcymxKzlhLyMM7x4IvE4ReS2saL2DM3FjPOOAYe_MkREWSPMBZepZ09_oEnRHIrLpLiTX6jGcEejPBK8tAvGt/s1600/P4260029.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Epic backdrop for the panel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Here's another video, it's part one of four of the whole panel, which is nice, so I can relive the memories. :)<br />
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<div align="center">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iPdplYiH2_A" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
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<br />
Here's a Twitter roundup from someone who live-Tweeted the panel:<br />
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<div class="storify">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/SuzetteChan/doctor-who-panel-calgary-expo-2014/embed?header=false&border=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/SuzetteChan/doctor-who-panel-calgary-expo-2014.js?header=false&border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/SuzetteChan/doctor-who-panel-calgary-expo-2014" target="_blank">View the story "Doctor Who panel, Calgary Expo 2014" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
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<br />
Anyway, it was a FAB panel, even thought a lot of the references went over my head. Even just six weeks and a whole season and a half of Doctor Who later, now that I'm re-watching the panel I'm getting more of the references. Hopefully we'll see more Doctor Who guests at Comic Expo in the coming years...hint, hint! :)<br />
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I can't quite put my finger on what it is about the show that I love so much - it must be the characters and the character-driven story lines. And I LOVE the episodes set in the past, like the one with Agatha Christie, and the one with Shakespeare. I'm also entertained when I notice guest stars that I recognize from somewhere else - the episode we watched tonight guest-starred the Earl of Grantham from Downton Abbey as a pirate captain. So if the estate goes bankrupt, he can always turn to piracy. Arrr! <br />
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Yesterday we watched the arc with the Silence and I realized why cats always seem to stare at random things that no one else can see...it's because THEY can see the Silence! That realization creeped me out. I'm also now wary of garden statuary. It's such a good show - if you like Firefly, Stargate, Star Trek, or Star Wars, and haven't watched Doctor Who yet, than what are you waiting for? Allons-y!<br />
<br />MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-68079776242309951472014-05-27T10:12:00.001-06:002014-05-27T10:12:35.733-06:00The Fourth Season of Hell on WheelsThe Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo was a MONTH ago already! How did that happen? I still want to recap with whole weekend, because it was an epic one, but I'm going to start with a Hell on Wheels roundup. <br />
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Hell on Wheels was not only renewed for a fourth season, they're doing 12 episodes instead of just 10. The cast and some assorted behind-the-scenes people did a panel at Comic Expo, and it was about time! Unfortunately it started rather late, and because there were so many people on the panel (which was great, but...) it was logistically complicated and there wasn't as much time to hear them talk as would have been nice to have. There were some spoilers for season three, which I haven't seen because it's not out on DVD yet, but I was kind of expecting that might happen. The cast did a free autograph signing (mostly you pay for autographs at cons) after, but I had to go get in line for Tom Felton so I couldn't go. I hope they come back again next year!<br />
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Also, I don't know what it is about Comic Expo lighting, but you're not allowed to use a flash (which makes sense, but...) which means that unless you're a professional or at least a serious photography hobbyist, your photos don't turn out very well. Sigh...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6nbDWnuDidN6-xAcfAetW6NQ3Fl8i4R5RJxTX0GUMoKZ7X0mls0sx5qIX8KN9Ux2gSLPEBckodvnRNUkItojlYqwwoJJ9uuTILuaGFtbtuXPYScxlaBoJDO9uJsDB-i6jnfR/s1600/P4260032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6nbDWnuDidN6-xAcfAetW6NQ3Fl8i4R5RJxTX0GUMoKZ7X0mls0sx5qIX8KN9Ux2gSLPEBckodvnRNUkItojlYqwwoJJ9uuTILuaGFtbtuXPYScxlaBoJDO9uJsDB-i6jnfR/s1600/P4260032.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2C86W_i6dvn94QdBIyDDI0Q5hi2p42JkPn9SCq-NbTbgpItzL_SaSf3o0BvpeLj3IxJYKAMwwIJjrWU6glokBQQuI-mCSyDGL8QXPYC0rEVgc39anae-etarmEC0P0asbjYBp/s1600/P4260036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2C86W_i6dvn94QdBIyDDI0Q5hi2p42JkPn9SCq-NbTbgpItzL_SaSf3o0BvpeLj3IxJYKAMwwIJjrWU6glokBQQuI-mCSyDGL8QXPYC0rEVgc39anae-etarmEC0P0asbjYBp/s1600/P4260036.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I totally approve of Dohn's Darth Vader shirt.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyfvHKLvB0k5tgyPKwtIFUipimr6zKtAz5kaqnkMOqtJuJIpOCe6leos4oQVlcn3Qm6jELXnm9h0T0Bd2rKhD84X90PZx7l-Xa7E526V4uvxsGEA447xwgZ04LqQhogN5Rph9k/s1600/P4260037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyfvHKLvB0k5tgyPKwtIFUipimr6zKtAz5kaqnkMOqtJuJIpOCe6leos4oQVlcn3Qm6jELXnm9h0T0Bd2rKhD84X90PZx7l-Xa7E526V4uvxsGEA447xwgZ04LqQhogN5Rph9k/s1600/P4260037.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anson brought his new dog, Mac, who's basically now the star of Anson's twitter account.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnczEEjaFO0b7amEm-USfsZf8-EXuIrAw0vON0BcUeF2SKUHHOkOkKoZNJ67EmjNcVP0R4pObbuMSTwBMya-Y9mYlLaSQ9wvkNtWyDR84WPKsausIYmf63R6t4YCXQXZVe1Qn/s1600/P4260045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnczEEjaFO0b7amEm-USfsZf8-EXuIrAw0vON0BcUeF2SKUHHOkOkKoZNJ67EmjNcVP0R4pObbuMSTwBMya-Y9mYlLaSQ9wvkNtWyDR84WPKsausIYmf63R6t4YCXQXZVe1Qn/s1600/P4260045.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I realized as I was sorting through these that I took a disproportionately high number of pictures of Chris...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUl-qHWuuCJ7rfkzt-WW262vk8psIqxb9Lv5UqzEtCBgrb_JhMhmuVmVfOoth3ryeG7ZgfYMGiLCoblEYebKl4RWitwONrNeVNaoq7alMapfV71BW9cIvOG4jWsLmWdJctTW_5/s1600/P4260046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUl-qHWuuCJ7rfkzt-WW262vk8psIqxb9Lv5UqzEtCBgrb_JhMhmuVmVfOoth3ryeG7ZgfYMGiLCoblEYebKl4RWitwONrNeVNaoq7alMapfV71BW9cIvOG4jWsLmWdJctTW_5/s1600/P4260046.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feel the bromance!</td></tr>
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And most importantly, I give you a massive roundup of tweets going back through March - all about Hell on Wheels! And thanks to Suzette Chan's live-tweeting of the HoW panel, most of the highlights are here too. It's been a busy spring for them. I'm very excited for season four! And to see season three when it FINALLY comes out on DVD in July...<br />
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<br />
<div class="storify">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/hell-on-wheels-april-2014/embed?header=false&border=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/hell-on-wheels-april-2014.js?header=false&border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/hell-on-wheels-april-2014" target="_blank">View the story "Hell on Wheels: Spring 2014" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-37020873673749800402014-05-20T08:24:00.001-06:002014-05-20T08:32:02.852-06:00Recent Addtion to the Oxford English DictionaryWhen I first started my English degree, I took a required class in fundamentals of being an English major, including how to use the dictionary and the Dewey Decimal System. One of the assignments was to make a mock dictionary entry for some sort of language used in our day-to-day lives, but not found in the Oxford English Dictionary. It was lots of fun. And...one of the new uses of a common word that I used is actually being added to the OED!<br />
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They announced it <a href="http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2014/05/new-words-may-2014/" target="_blank">on their blog</a> last week, and they used BBC Sherlock's Sherlock/Molly shippers (of which, I confess, I am one) as an example. <br />
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Louise Brealey, who plays Molly, reacted on Twitter:<br />
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<div class="storify">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/sherlolly/embed?border=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/sherlolly.js?border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/sherlolly" target="_blank">View the story "Sherlolly" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
I hope she doesn't really retire though - we need more Molly next season! ;)<br />
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Here's my entry, including links to words already in the OED (which probably won't work for you unless you have a subscription to it). I think my entry is perfect, but we'll see how it looks when it arrives in the OED online... :) It was a fun assignment - and I if I lived in England, I would be applying for a job at the OED.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to ship, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">v.</i></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA">Etymology: </span></b><span lang="EN-CA">The suffix ‘ship’ abbreviated from the noun ‘<a href="http://www.oed.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/view/Entry/161816?redirectedFrom=relationship#eid"><span style="color: blue;">relationship</span></a>’ and used as a verb. Developed in the late 20<sup>th</sup> century, on the Internet. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The psychological connection of a </span><a href="http://www.oed.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/68000"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">fan</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> of a work of fiction (i.e. a book, movie, or </span><a href="http://www.oed.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/view/Entry/198769?redirectedFrom=television%20series#eid18846035"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">television series</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">) to a certain relational paring of the fictional characters. A dedicated fan will ship their ‘one true pair’, and perhaps have other minor ships, and the act of shipping may involve writing </span><a href="http://www.oed.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/view/Entry/68000?redirectedFrom=fan%20fiction#eid4735563"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">fan fiction</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">, creating fan art, discussing or advocating the relationship in fan forums or on </span><a href="http://www.oed.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/256732"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">blogs</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">, or simply by being emotionally invested in the outcome of the characters’ situation. The more passionate the fan, the more intense the involvement in shipping culture, usually </span><a href="http://www.oed.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/view/Entry/131453?redirectedFrom=online#eid33578329"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">online</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Trendy shipping slogans include “I ship them so hard it hurts” and “I will go down with this ship”. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2005<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The San Francisco Chronicle</i> August 2005 In the Harry Potter fandom, 'shipping (short for "relationshipping") simply means championing a romantic relationship between certain series characters, either within canon or in works of fan fiction (fan-penned fiction that spins off an original narrative).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2009<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">University Of Pittsburgh Law Review</i> 70.3 2009 Related concepts include het (romantic and/or erotic stories involving characters of different genders, such as Harry/Hermione), femmeslash and femslash (slash with female rather than male characters, e.g. Buffy/Faith from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer), transgender slash, friendship fiction (indicated by an ampersand, such as Harry & Draco, to denote a story in which the two characters are friends, in contrast to their canonical relationship), and shipping (devotion to a particular non-canonical romantic relationship, or ship). Ships are often given names, such as HMS Harmony (for Harry/Hermione)…</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2010<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tor.com</i> January 2010 For those who’ve never heard of the phrase “shipping war”: this is fandom lingo for <s>flamewars</s> disagreements amongst fans about intimate relationships between fictional characters. Various opinions on character pairings—canon or not, bizarre or not, straight or not—are also referred to as “ships.” You may have heard of references to the Hermione/Harry ship and the Hermione/Ron ship in Harry Potter fandom; this is what that means.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chonin, Neva. “If you’re An Obsessed Harry Potter fan, Voldemort Isn't the Problem. It's Hermione Versus Ginny”. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The San Francisco Chronicle</i>. 3 Aug. 2005. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Factiva</i>. Web. 2 March 2012. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jericho, Arachne. The Sherlock Holmes Fandom: Dawn of the Shipping Wars. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tor.com</i>. Macmillan, 4 Jan. 2010. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Schwabach, Aaron. "The Harry Potter Lexicon and the World of Fandom: Fan Fiction, Outsider Works, and Copyright". <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">University Of Pittsburgh Law Review</i> 70.3 (2009): 387-434. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">OmniFile Full Text Select</i>. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<br />MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-58073258144126493502014-02-02T18:41:00.000-07:002014-02-02T18:41:55.993-07:00A review of 'Dateable: Are you? Are they?' by Justin Lookadoo and Hayley DiMarco<div style="text-align: center;">
(This is a bit of a departure from my usual blog stuff - I mostly just needed somewhere to put this so that I could link to it from Goodreads! If a Christian perspective on teen dating isn't your thing, feel free to scroll on to the Monty Python post. :)</div>
<br />
<span lang="EN-CA">Overall, despite a few good things, I’m
thoroughly unimpressed with this book. A wise and discerning teenager could
find the wheat and discard the chaff, but a teenager that wise and discerning
wouldn’t need the book in the first place. It bills itself as being a Christian
book, but doesn’t seem to be written from a solidly Biblical worldview; rather
from a moralistic worldview with some references to God and a few misapplied
scripture verses thrown in. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">If I were writing a book about teen dating
(and given that this book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">review</i> is
clocking in at just over 2,000 words, maybe I should!), I would start by asking
the teenager ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i> do you want to
date?’. The answer to that question would probably come in a few forms, such as;
‘because everyone’s dating and I don’t feel cool because I’m not’, ‘because I
want someone to think I’m special’, ‘because this guy/girl is so cute and I
want him/her to notice me’, or ‘because it would be fun to hang out with the
person I have a crush on’, etc. I don’t think that there would be much of a
happy ending for any relationship based on any of those answers, because
they’re reasons that seek self-gratification, and even more dangerously, seek
self-gratification in the recognition of peers rather than the security found
in a relationship with Jesus. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">My opinion is that the answer to the
question of ‘why do you want to date?’ is that a person should date in order to
find a spouse. Old-fashioned, I know, but far more sensible than spending
several years in high school getting emotionally and physically entangled with
a person you might never see again. And when I say ‘date’, I mean a young man
and a young woman spending time together, getting to know each other’s faith
and life stories in order to determine if they could decide to spend the rest
of their lives together, putting each other first, rather than seeking to be
validated by the other. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">Actually, forget me writing a book. Pastor Jonathan
Fisk says pretty much everything I think is relevant to the subject in his
YouTube video called “Not Until I Say I Do”. I highly recommend taking twenty
minutes to watch it.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
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<br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">This book’s premise seems to be that most high
schoolers today will ‘date’, or rather, be physically intimate/sexually active
in high school with a large number of people, just because dating is what kids
do these days, and the book seems to be seeking to mitigate the severity of the
consequences of that attitude, which isn’t bad per say, but doesn’t go far
enough. Instead of approaching the modern cultural myth of dating with a solid
Biblical stance, it waffles. Instead of asking the reader to analyze their
reasons for dating, it simply seeks to mitigate the consequences of what the
writers see as inevitable. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">Page 8 starts out strongly, advocating the
wise use of passion, but then uses the ‘d’ word: destiny. As much as I love a
good Disney princess movie, ‘destiny’ is not a Christian thing. The English
Standard Version of the Bible uses the word ‘destiny’ exactly once, in Isaiah
65:11, and it’s a Bad Thing that people who have forsaken God worship. While
the authors’ advice to forsake chasing a date for doing something that will
develop your life skills is solid, they could have done that without invoking
destiny.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">On page 9 they go on to do what Pastor Fisk
calls “if the out-of-context verse fits then misapply it”. Isaiah 40:31 does
NOT mean what they think it means. It has NOTHING to do with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mission: Impossible </i>works-based quasi-theology.
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">On page 12, the authors in all their
wisdom, assure the reader that whatever relationship they’re in, even at age
18, will not last. While I do realize that’s true for a lot of high school dating
relationships, as I can attest, it’s not unequivocally true in the way they
state it (my husband and I got engaged when he was 17 and I was 18, and married
at 20 and 21 – and we’ve been married for almost 12 years)! I get WHY they’re
saying it, but one of the first things I learned in a university writing class
was not to make grand statements about supposedly universal truths, especially
when you can’t back them up. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">On page 13 there are some statistics about
the number people who marry their high school crush, and the divorce rate. They
don’t take the opportunity to discuss godly marriage with a person who shares
the same faith and how a relationship based in God will be sturdier than the
average marriage of high school sweethearts who likely had a sin-based dating
relationship, with no church family support. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">On page 14 the writers ask the reader to do
some math based on how many crushes they have in a given span of time, and
assume that the reader won’t get married until the age of 25. Somehow these
numbers put together have something to with the sustainability of a high school
dating relationship. I don’t disagree with their point, but wonder at the
wisdom of approaching it that way anyway. A better approach would be to
contrast a crush with true love, and show its fleetingness in a way that makes
a bit more logical sense than some random numbers based on a flawed formula. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">On page 15 the authors set out their goal
for the book; they want the teen reader to be “datable”. Again, such a lost
opportunity to assure the reader that he or she is a beloved child of God, and
spending their high school years dating when they couldn’t marry anyway is a
waste of time that sets them up for temptation. They state a few “solid
truths”, which are that dating won’t necessarily result in marriage, dating
experiences will shape your married life, a person “will” date more than one
person before marriage, and spiritual beliefs impact a dating relationship. I
do agree with them all except the third one, since I’m walking proof that the “true”
statement they make is not actually always the case. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">On page 17 is perhaps the most dangerous
advice in the book; “do not get your family deeply involved in your
relationships”. They go on to qualify that they mean that a short-term casual
dating relationship should not be so entwined with someone’s family that breaking
up is as divisive as getting divorced, but for a teen looking to keep a dating
relationship secret, or to a teen caught in an abusive relationship, and so on,
this has the potential to cause a lot of damage. Good, high-quality parenting
should equal being very involved in a teenager’s dating life. That’s why God
created parents. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">For the young person who is determined to
date, page 33 has some really great advice about not pouring one’s entire being
into a high school dating relationship. Page 34 cautions against becoming so
involved in a boyfriend or girlfriend that long-time friends are neglected and
pushed out. Page 35 points out that physical affection “creates a soul
connection” and cautions the reader against investing physically in a
relationship that is not a marriage, which is excellent advice.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">Pages 51 offers good advice about
developing a life with hobbies and interests outside of school. But it’s
because the authors want the reader to “be the one that got away”, so that “you
will drive him wild”, not so that you can be a well-rounded person with an
interest in things outside your own limited life experience. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">However, the advice on page 53 is a bit
shocking; the writers advise a teen girl to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">practice
laughing</i> in order to be more datable! It advises “faking it”! </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">Pages 91 and 92 offer three basic
must-haves in a date; a Christian, a non-smoker, and someone firm about
abstaining from sex outside of marriage. Great list! Now, if only they talked
about not dating anyone until that marriageable person came along when the
reader is actually old enough to get married... </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">One chapter called “If What You’re Showing
Ain’t on the Menu, Keep it Covered Up” is a refreshing change to today’s
attitude that a woman can wear whatever she wants in public, and anyone tempted
to lust is not her fault. It’s true that a person can’t be responsible for the
thoughts of every single person they come in contact with, but use a little
common sense! You wouldn’t leave your ATM withdrawal sitting on the dashboard
of your unlocked car, would you? This terrible worldview is actually a huge pet
peeve of mine, and if I could legally photocopy this chapter and hand it out at
every youth gathering I’m responsible for, I would. I’d include a note about
grace and forgiveness to balance out all the law in it, but otherwise this
chapter has a lot of good things to say. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">A lot of kids ask “how far is too far?” and
a wise friend of mine recently answered that with “if you’re asking that
question, you’ve probably already gone too far”! But page 123 does offer a
pretty comprehensive and valuable list of boundaries, although for a kid in
high school I would probably even nix kissing, partly because once that
boundary is crossed, the other ones start to look more exciting, and partly
because kissing is also spiritually and emotionally connecting and should
definitely be handled with caution. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">Page 125 quotes a verse from 1 Corinthians,
but doesn’t give the exact reference for the curious youth to then go and look
it up, which I would call a definite fail. Citations are valuable. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">On page 158, there’s a little ‘Ask Justin’
letter from a 14-year-old girl whose boyfriend is different when he’s with his
friends than he is when he’s with her, and he and his friends together make her
uncomfortable. Justin’s advice is that “girlfriends come and go, but friends
are for life”. His advice <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">should</i> be
to stop dating a guy who makes her uncomfortable! And friends, especially high
school friends, are not at all necessarily for life, either. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">On page 160, the authors finally come out
and say “I actually think guys and girls should just hang out and be friends. I
don’t think you should worry about this whole dating thing until you are ready
to get married.” THANK YOU! Now, why on earth didn’t you say that before? And
why don’t you go on to make a case for that, instead of going on to say “But I
also know that’s not reality”? </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">Page 192 advocates the kind of dishonest
communication that drives me crazy. One of a series of tips advises “never accept
a quickie date”. Not bad advice, but their advice is to say “I have plans”. A
better response would be ‘I like to have more notice for plans. Maybe ask me earlier
some other time?’ It’s more honest and says exactly what you’re expecting when
being asked out on a date, rather than being misleading (a trope in rom coms
that is responsible for this kind of thing driving me crazy!). Not that you
should be asked out on a date in high school anyway, IMHO...</span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">The last chapter cautions the reader
against pornography, which is great, and a real growing concern. The last meaty
bit of the book comes on page 214 though, when is says “every new sexual
experience when you are not married puts another ding, another scratch, another
scar on who you are”. Such a valuable caution! But rather than a chapter about
porn, the book really <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">should</i> end with
a chapter assuring the teen who has fallen into sexual sin of God’s love and
grace through Jesus’ death and resurrection. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">This book is full of law, and the law is
valuable. But without a firm knowledge of forgiveness in Jesus the young person
who has broken the law could be driven even further away from that saving
grace. And that, I think, is the most dangerous thing of all about this little
book. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"></span><br />MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-62846230156005533102014-01-14T19:21:00.001-07:002014-01-14T19:23:19.710-07:00Monty Python SketchesAnd now for something completely different.<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-CA">In December I introduced a friend to
<em>Monty Python’s Holy Grail</em>, which is probably the most quotable movie of all
time. Monty Python is something that’s grown on me as an adult – when I first
encountered it in my late teens I was too dignity-conscious to be entertained
by it. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">Now, however, I enjoy Monty Python far more
than any of the comedy that modern Hollywood is churning out. We’ve been
watching our way through the entire works of the tv show <em>Monty Python’s Flying
Circus</em>, and each episode is basically as collection of various sketches, which
may or may not be connected in any way. Since they were made in England before
I was born, most of the political references go right over my head, but there are
lots of sketches I really enjoy. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">I was trying to think of an easy way to
ease the uninitiated into the <em>Flying Circus</em>, so I thought I’d start with ten of
my favourite sketches, which are also generally accepted as classics, and from
there YouTube should lead you down a rabbit hole of Monty Python. </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">Keep in mind that Monty Python is VERY
SILLY and should not be taken literally or seriously in any way.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">Fish Slapping Dance</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">The Spanish Inquisition</span></div>
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</div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">My Hovercraft is Full of Eels</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/G6D1YI-41ao" width="420"></iframe></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Spam (make sure you read the credit reel!)</span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">Ministry of Silly Walks</span></div>
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</div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Dead Parrot and Lumberjack Song</span></div>
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</div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">How to Defend Yourself Against Fruit</span></div>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA"></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA"></span><span lang="EN-CA">Other notable sketches include: The Upper Class
Twit of the Year, How Not To Be Seen, Funniest Joke in the World, Crunchy Frog,
Fish Licence, Bruce, Exploding Penguin, Vocational Guidance Counsellor, Buying
a Mattress, Nudge Nudge...and so on. Enjoy! Be sure to let me know what your favourite is...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA"></span> </div>
MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-70209653707581171602013-12-21T14:53:00.000-07:002013-12-21T15:05:10.758-07:00My Top 10 Movies of 2013<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">This post is inspired by our church’s vicar, because he used <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/10-best-movies-of-2013-20131210">the <i>Rolling Ston</i>e top 10 list</a> as an illustration in his sermon on Sunday, and I thought it was a rubbish list! :)</span> <span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I have seen three of the movies on it, but only one is on my top 10, and the other two are on my do-not-rewatch-ever-again list, so I’ve been inspired to go back through my IMDB movie ratings for the year and make my own top 10 of 2013 list.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I'm giving special honourable mention to <i>Much Ado About Nothing</i>, directed by Joss Whedon. It was technically released in 2012, but it was a limited release, and didn't come to theatres in Calgary until 2013. I really love a well-done Shakespeare movie, and this is definitely one of them. It's completely different from the Kenneth Brannagh adaptation of the 90s, and I couldn't choose between them. </span><br />
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<a href="http://cdn.mos.totalfilm.com/images/y/your-chance-to-attend-to-a-free-preview-screening-of-joss-whedon-s-much-ado-about-nothing-135158-a-1368974359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://cdn.mos.totalfilm.com/images/y/your-chance-to-attend-to-a-free-preview-screening-of-joss-whedon-s-much-ado-about-nothing-135158-a-1368974359.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I’m also going to give a
shout-out to <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2013/01/les-miserables.html" target="_blank">my review of <i>Les Miserables</i></a>, because while it came out in 2012, I
didn’t see it in theatres until 2013.</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">It was very hard to number my list. I liked them all quite a lot, for varying reasons, and it’s difficult to choose one over the other. 1, 9, and 10 I’m sure about, but other than that, really, they all tie for an equal number of stars. I was going to rate them out of so many tears, but my tears for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">12 Years a Slave</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book Thief</i> were totally different than my tears for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Despicable Me 2</i>, for instance, so that doesn’t work either…</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">So, be assured that I think all of the movies on my top 10 list are worth seeing, and if you’re someone who was involved in making a movie that’s lower on the list, just remember that you’re competing with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hobbit</i> for number 1. If you had thought to have Freeman and Cumberbatch together in YOUR movie it might have edged it out. :)</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Iron Man 3</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I watched the first two <i>Iron Man</i> chapters on DVD in preparation for <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/05/avengers-or-genius-who-is-joss-whedon.html" target="_blank">seeing <i>the Avengers</i></a>, and I liked the second one better then the first one, and liked the character of Iron Man a lot better after seeing <i>the Avengers</i>, so I had high hopes for <i>IM3</i>, and I’m still not really sure what I thought of it. Pepper Potts is amazing, and I really liked that they tackled PTSD so head-on, and it had funny moments, but I think the PTSD thing made me so sad that it stole some of the joy out of the movie going experience. I should probably watch it again, just to make sure...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Jack the Giant Slayer</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I liked <i>Jack </i>so much that I came home and <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2013/03/jack-giant-slayer.html" target="_blank">reviewed it relatively quickly</a>, basically hoping that other people would go see it and love it’s quirk and charm as much as I. Not sure if that worked, since I’m pretty sure my list is the only one you’ll see <i>Jack </i>on...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">The World's End</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Simon Pegg is hilarious, and I love <i>Hot Fuzz</i>, so <i>The World’s End </i>was definitely on my to-watch list. We went to see it in a dinky theatre in the middle of nowhere BC, and it was <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2013/09/the-view-from-road-trip.html" target="_blank">a great escape from the rain</a>. With a fantastic cast of British talent, including Martin Freeman as a BlackBerry addicted businessman, I loved nearly every minute of it. If you like quirky British humour, I highly recommend it!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">12 Years a Slave</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">What a fantastically heart-breaking movie. Not since watching <i>the Help </i>have I been so conflicted about a movie. On one hand, it should win all the Oscars. On the other hand, I’m definitely never watching it again. It crossed my radar because of some of the brilliant acting talent in it; I wasn’t expecting it to be so horrific. And the kicker is, as horrific as the movie was; it probably wasn’t as realistic as life as a slave would have been. It unflinchingly shows the brutality of slave life in the American south, and it’s history that everyone should be familiar with, but not wallow in. It was violent, but not gratuitous – every blow told the story of a million other ones that went unrecorded. Such heartbreak! </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">The Book Thief</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">And speaking of heartbreak, on a different scale...I just saw this movie this week. So beautiful – so sad! It’s not very often in the West that you see a movie set in Germany during the Nazi regime, and this is a very well-done take on it. The Book Thief is a little girl adopted by a German couple who hide a Jew in their basement. It’s haunting. I haven’t read the book it’s based on, so I don’t know how it compares, but I highly recommend it. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Thor: The Dark World</span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><i>Thor 2</i> was fantastic. Thor’s Mom totally kicks butt, and I totally fell for Loki’s trickery. I was a bit frustrated with Jane’s character, but overall I was thoroughly satisfied with this installment, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how they deal with the things they left set up for <i>Thor 3</i>! </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">The Hunger Games: Catching Fire</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/04/first-year-down.html" target="_blank">only briefly mentioned</a> my first experiences with <i>the Hunger Games</i> on my blog, which I regret a bit now, because I wish I'd taken the time to really capture my impressions. I saw the first movie before I read the books, and it blew my socks off. I didn’t like it particularly, but it was thoroughly engrossing. So I read the books. Back to back, staying up till all hours of the night to finish. And then I cried tears of rage and frustration over how it all ended and how the third book was written. But since the second book was my favourite of the series, I went to see <i>Catching Fire</i>. What a good decision! The brilliant person who adapted the script smoothed over a lot of the things that had annoyed me, and the movie was incredible. I’m so stoked for the third one, because I’m hoping that the screenwriter will fix that one, too. :)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Despicable Me 2</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2010/11/movie-reviews-part-1.html" target="_blank">loved the first one</a> so much, and the second one topped it for sure. There were happy tears, and all the minions! I’m so excited for the minions getting their own movie – they are totally the best hench-creatures ever invented. It’s just such an all-around brilliant series, with humour and heart. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Star Trek Into Darkness</span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I’ve already done <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2013/07/star-trek-into-darkness-my-favourite.html" target="_blank">a very thorough review</a> of Into Darkness, so I won’t say much else about it, except that for all of my peeves about it, I still adore it!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/12/the-hobbit.html" target="_blank">loved the <i>Unexpected Journey</i></a>, and now I’m waiting for the <i>Desolation of Smaug</i> to hit the cheap theatre so I can see it again. We went on opening day to see it in IMAX 3D, which was glorious, but I also want to watch it again to absorb more of the plot, too. The only thing I remember from reading <i>the Hobbit</i> years and years ago was the dwarves escaping in barrels, and that was my favourite scene in the movie. Funny and tense, it was an exciting ride. I’ve heard people complaining that they don’t really need three movies to tell Tolkien’s story, to which I say SHUT UP AND LET PETER JACKSON TAKE MY MONEY! Because I’m enjoying the HECK out of the trilogy, and would way rather see these than more <i>Expendables </i>or <i>Fast and Furious</i>, for example...I think <i>the Hobbit </i>is perfect! It ended on a hell of a cliff hanger though!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">And the song for over the closing credits is so powerful – if you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch it here now!</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uf8Fwiy0Bkc" width="560"></iframe></span><br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">These are the other four movies I saw in-theatre this year, that I don’t recommend and that didn’t make the top ten, from bad to worst:</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">When I saw <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2011/03/movie-reviews-part-4.html" target="_blank">the first <i>Percy Jackson</i> movie</a>, I hadn’t read the books yet, and in the intervening years I’ve read pretty much everything that the author has written, and LOVE it. So <i>Sea of Monsters</i> fell hideously flat for me, unfortunately. The only good thing was Nathan Fillion, and sadly his scene was only a few minutes long. Although he managed to squeeze in both a Firefly AND a Castle reference, so that was almost the cost of admission right there. :)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">The Great Gatsby</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><i>Gatsby </i>was a bit of a disappointment for me. I knew it’s a literary classic, so I don’t know why I was expecting some sort of happy ending, but that’s definitely not what I got! I think I was projecting too much or something – so while it was sumptuous and well-done, I just couldn’t identify with any of the characters or their motivations, so I had a hard time getting into it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Gravity</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Yah, <i>Gravity </i>is only THE MOST STRESSFUL MOVIE I’VE EVER SEEN. My ulcer hurt by the time it was over, and I now have a phobia of lack of gravity. I really don’t know why everyone’s so chuffed about it. (shudder)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">American Hustle </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Again, not so sure why everyone’s so chuffed about this one, either. I won tickets to a free screening this week, and I was not impressed. The scriptwriter wouldn’t have had to do a lot of work, because every other word was a profanity, and it was so slow-moving I actually kept checking my watch – something I’ve NEVER done in a movie theatre before. The ending was pretty clever – I hadn’t seen that coming – but it was not quite fair to someone who had initially only wanted justice to prevail. And all of the characters were so unlikeable! The only one I felt sorry for was the kid. I just couldn’t get into it - it's probably the worst movie I've ever seen in a theatre.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">So, there it is! I'm still hoping to see <i>Saving Mr. Banks, August: Osage County</i>, and the new Jack Ryan one this year, and I didn't get to see <i>Philomena</i>, <i>Frozen</i>, <i>Austenland, Lone Ranger, </i>or <i>Pacific Rim</i>, but I did manage to see one or two! Hopefully this will inspire you to see one or two that you haven’t gotten around to yet. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Merry Christmas! :)</span><br />
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</style> <![endif]--><br />MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-10685932997888041982013-10-27T16:33:00.004-06:002013-10-27T16:33:48.210-06:00I'm not dead yet!I've been sadly neglecting my blog - this semester totally got away from me! Between four classes, life in general, and planning a youth retreat, October slipped through my fingers. <br />
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It's snowing like CRAZY today in Calgary (it's probably ankle-deep already!), which, of course, makes me think of summer. The most glorious weather of our whole summer holiday was the Saturday we were in Quesnel, BC, and our friend Sarah took us blueberry picking. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trevor in the back of the car, having way too much fun... :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking in</td></tr>
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I haven't been blueberry picking since I was a kid, and then it was at a u-pick place. Wild blueberry picking is a whole different experience - teeny tiny dusky blueberries on plants with red and gold leaves everywhere. It was so beautiful, and I heartily regret that I forgot to take my camera with me. There were so many blueberry patches leading into other patches...talk about going off on a rabbit trail...my OCD-ness was working double-time...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPAnqEaqDVdrjvf1QwF5XnVtLE3nbZzOiLfrbAY-YeToyYXpblsRMFCjMWEHJYNA0fX3feYjSg7Cm7qgURNFKvq_Xh_XoBb6oUft1x8dCF9JJOG_Iq3ULj_Q9CaG9K0cURv8s/s1600/ALL+THE+BLUEBERRIES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPAnqEaqDVdrjvf1QwF5XnVtLE3nbZzOiLfrbAY-YeToyYXpblsRMFCjMWEHJYNA0fX3feYjSg7Cm7qgURNFKvq_Xh_XoBb6oUft1x8dCF9JJOG_Iq3ULj_Q9CaG9K0cURv8s/s320/ALL+THE+BLUEBERRIES.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I actually dropped a half-full margarine container at one point, and the berries sank into the ground cover, never to be seen again. :( It was really hard to leave with so many berries un-picked, but it would have been impossible to have gotten them all. I definitely want to do that again...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also met a baby goat...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And saw some steampunky old mining equipment. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Quesnel River</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last of the summer roses</td></tr>
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The Quesnel farmers' market was also one of the best ones I saw all summer - I was very sorry that I wasn't grocery shopping to make dinner! </div>
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I'm going to try to get back into blogging once a week, but we'll see how it goes - I'm in the middle of midterms, and then I have to get started on my end-of-semester writing projects, so if I don't post again till Christmas, don't be alarmed... :)</div>
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MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-35076513538513230682013-09-25T21:09:00.001-06:002013-09-25T21:09:21.841-06:00September Soyuz LaunchI am buried under all the German homework, but today was exciting because I got to watch a live feed of the Soyuz launch and docking, in the background while I tried to write an essay in German about a my mythical trip to Berlin. Woot! :)<br />
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It's unbelievably cool to sit at my computer and watch people get SHOT INTO SPACE. I feel like I'm in some kind of spec fic story! <br />
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Here's a quick Twitter roundup of today's space-related events...<br />
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<div class="storify"><iframe src="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/soyuz-launch-septmeber-2013/embed" width="100%" height=750 frameborder=no allowtransparency=true></iframe><script src="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/soyuz-launch-septmeber-2013.js"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/soyuz-launch-septmeber-2013" target="_blank">View the story "Soyuz Launch - September 2013" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-17359411528033587842013-09-18T18:50:00.001-06:002013-09-18T18:50:19.782-06:00"Ich habe noch einen Koffer in Berlin" by Marlene DietrichI interrupt my regularly scheduled reminiscence of my summer holidays to bring you this rather haunting tune by Marlene Dietrich. We watched in German class as part of our section on Berlin, and I'm having a hard time shaking the mental image it produced. You can Google English lyrics if you like, but essentially she sings about still having a suitcase (Koffer) in Berlin, and compares it to other cities, but none of them draw her back the same way as Berlin. <br />
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Now, please note that this is an entire flight of fancy, but this image that showed up in the thumbnail produced a train of thought. Dietrich is staring off into the middle distance while well-dressed man gazes at her, which, since I don't know who he was, provoked an interesting idea about Dietrich as the Allies great weapon, propaganda. She was well-known for being anti-Nazi and became an American citizen in 1939. She toured with the USO, and also did campaigning for American war bonds. "Ich habe noch einen Koffer" wasn't written until after the war was over, but can you imagine the influence she would have had on a USO tour, with her husky voice and distant eyes, longing to go home to Berlin? Talk about inspiration to win a war...<br />
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MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-36129172302666134902013-09-12T19:44:00.001-06:002013-09-12T19:45:23.903-06:00The View from the Road Trip<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
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It seems like so long ago already, and I guess it kind of was - it was August 23 when we left Jasper to head to see friends in Vanderhoof. The delay in posting is due to the terrible internet while we were gone, the massive number of photos to sort through, and the fact that school started promptly on our return to Calgary. So I'll probably be stringing out these photos of rocks and trees and water in BC for at least another post, or even two. :)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJ8LT3oHU8t_vk09ajIXOvoNjOpLVd4DzA7qSoccqPx9WllSW6JqqzCEUWdDwYYxveVhBKHkvYyRAPwRxuybjVlRACiqUewEjHNRRrFcH_VtUc1UOCo9azGol0zQuS3OPxif5/s1600/IMG_8190.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJ8LT3oHU8t_vk09ajIXOvoNjOpLVd4DzA7qSoccqPx9WllSW6JqqzCEUWdDwYYxveVhBKHkvYyRAPwRxuybjVlRACiqUewEjHNRRrFcH_VtUc1UOCo9azGol0zQuS3OPxif5/s400/IMG_8190.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is <a href="http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/mt_robson/" target="_blank">Mount Robson</a>, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. It's an easy stop just after you pass our of Jasper National Park, heading west.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUjvX56hmbU4oLh_WWfL-XCcu491Dfkpalg-ziUWTB6rXolwW-tuwCtmse5z-8rJXQbNtBQs9r7BqsfEkDI6H8OL0BgRDBgt3uAYF8tW4MrU8O2YloCYljHwwMv9E7EqKgboP/s1600/IMG_0886.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUjvX56hmbU4oLh_WWfL-XCcu491Dfkpalg-ziUWTB6rXolwW-tuwCtmse5z-8rJXQbNtBQs9r7BqsfEkDI6H8OL0BgRDBgt3uAYF8tW4MrU8O2YloCYljHwwMv9E7EqKgboP/s640/IMG_0886.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoramic photo of Purden Lake from Trevor's iPhone</td></tr>
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We took a stretch break at <a href="http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/purden_lk/" target="_blank">Purden Lake Provincial Park</a>, about halfway between McBride and Prince George. It was a bit overcast, but just lovely. Unfortunately, a contractor was there pumping out the outhouses, so if you got too close it didn't SMELL too lovely, but it was a really nice place to stop for a break.<br />
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We spent a few days with our friends in Vanderhoof, which is the geographical centre of BC (if you're ever there, eat at <a href="http://www.vanderhoofchamber.com/Pages/Sites/Chamber/Membership/Members/Woodys_Bakery.html" target="_blank">Woody's Bakery</a>, which is THE BEST bakery I've ever experienced, and that's really high praise...), and then we headed even further north to Smithers. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6AhFW2J6Q8qWyMZdOU3Sj2w5dujEGrRJ_MUcRHe94xaj7op6J_nnuBinBivfB1hpcefAmrxILH94HOu6K66S2oQ3VK91Q37CdlWhl8WWURikiUl6uhU17R1TRPM6Nzessalo/s1600/IMG_8215.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6AhFW2J6Q8qWyMZdOU3Sj2w5dujEGrRJ_MUcRHe94xaj7op6J_nnuBinBivfB1hpcefAmrxILH94HOu6K66S2oQ3VK91Q37CdlWhl8WWURikiUl6uhU17R1TRPM6Nzessalo/s400/IMG_8215.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way up to Smithers we took a detour to <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/bc/stjames/index.aspx" target="_blank">Fort St James National Historic Site</a>, on Stuart Lake. I hope you go there, but if you do, be warned that your Garmin GPS will not be able to find it. You'll have to watch for the signs, and if you get to the main intersection, you've gone too far. :) It was absolutely beautiful there - the ocean is still several hundred kilometres away, but it's easy to imagine the early traders making the journey inland and arriving at Fort St James. It feels very different from the coastal and southerly BC I know and love - it thrilled the heck out of my internal history geek. :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvs4YiJCLYbnkvvJgDyFLV73i3IAqIml_JiC7_useF3IfzGWigywbku2SPWtflsMWqY3ma-P0qxCF1ybeyxQ0irs829Uo_Q7H4LepqfRgf-LldbmgzHv5_j29aVnrGuwt9Y3dE/s1600/IMG_8227.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvs4YiJCLYbnkvvJgDyFLV73i3IAqIml_JiC7_useF3IfzGWigywbku2SPWtflsMWqY3ma-P0qxCF1ybeyxQ0irs829Uo_Q7H4LepqfRgf-LldbmgzHv5_j29aVnrGuwt9Y3dE/s400/IMG_8227.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recreations of the tea bales that traders would have brought to the fort - the amount of work it would have required to get this tea from China to central BC blows my mind!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trevor kicking back in an early version of a lazy boy, padded with a buffalo skin that was traded into BC from Alberta.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAVCmPlLSlPeHRuPj4ZJnsnosaKrucQrw63Jd_Uk04DgQYLhaVXAJyXDmYjR5HgksulEPs7vgbr37SwGMihkY8QUYV0suzaadVpV9rwPJ4nFX1uXM9lxNDFwQdnIl6gsl4iIo/s1600/IMG_8240.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAVCmPlLSlPeHRuPj4ZJnsnosaKrucQrw63Jd_Uk04DgQYLhaVXAJyXDmYjR5HgksulEPs7vgbr37SwGMihkY8QUYV0suzaadVpV9rwPJ4nFX1uXM9lxNDFwQdnIl6gsl4iIo/s400/IMG_8240.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fort St James - so pretty!</td></tr>
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We took the time to watch the interpretive videos and look in all the buildings, and then got on the road again. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHM5nyQyJjTLkJP2IQDBXj22nbFv0L17EXEKmH8KKmh3HZN9IrU5q8bMkQPuchuveolSCLVRVGeaW5MnmIWddJHI1RUG4d7yd9MnoS-Z057-e5rXljAYBMOwZtxTUGPrTbKS6L/s1600/IMG_8247.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHM5nyQyJjTLkJP2IQDBXj22nbFv0L17EXEKmH8KKmh3HZN9IrU5q8bMkQPuchuveolSCLVRVGeaW5MnmIWddJHI1RUG4d7yd9MnoS-Z057-e5rXljAYBMOwZtxTUGPrTbKS6L/s400/IMG_8247.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The campground we stayed at in Smithers was called Glacier View. See that lump of clouds in the middle of the mountains? Yah, the glacier is behind the clouds. :P Sadly, the weather in Smithers was not quite what I was hoping for (and the campground was too close to the highway for tenting - logging trucks run all night!), but we wandered around the historic downtown, checked out the <a href="http://bvmuseum.com/" target="_blank">museum</a>, ate at a good Japanese place, and went to a movie. (The World's End, with Simon Pegg and Martin Freeman - SO FUN!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugHvGcSSfGW0Y_GOgt1pZClvIol1FPV7UpKRxnFKSH4P8vPS_nfa_uTybAbwrm1X2fAJxoL4elhoRIzJTe3jLsuTeGC98UTpzs_AVz9bg51A05nYWR3l4yzzqGs47nZlLH-qz/s1600/IMG_8280.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugHvGcSSfGW0Y_GOgt1pZClvIol1FPV7UpKRxnFKSH4P8vPS_nfa_uTybAbwrm1X2fAJxoL4elhoRIzJTe3jLsuTeGC98UTpzs_AVz9bg51A05nYWR3l4yzzqGs47nZlLH-qz/s400/IMG_8280.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our last day there the weather improved, of course...you can see the glacier in the distance... We went to hike <a href="http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/driftwood_cyn/" target="_blank">Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park</a>, because the website talked about the amazing fossil beds, and the name caught my attention, but alas, we didn't see any driftwood, and the part of the park with the fossils is out of bounds! I was very disappointed! We headed further up the back road to another provincial park, but the trails there were muddier then we were up for, so we headed back to Vanderhoof for another few days with our friends there, and another trip to Woody's Bakery. :) Then we were off to Quesnel for a few days, which shall be another post, because I have German homework to do now...</td></tr>
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MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-48013783759375448812013-09-04T20:50:00.001-06:002013-09-04T20:50:17.880-06:00Summer Holiday - Jasper<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
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Two weeks ago today Trevor and I left Calgary for our road trip. It feels like ages ago already!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaULgxNaQb8ns7LxT89CEFnpen-HSonPbrQwLJfkh-nuRY5A13Gd3o2MpdGlJVoO7C8vfD1gD760KZQ3Hqn1dB8IRd-OHqVAjhmIh3bs-atwtlxQaaK8f6jlalI_32XiVHiiIZ/s1600/IMG_8046.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaULgxNaQb8ns7LxT89CEFnpen-HSonPbrQwLJfkh-nuRY5A13Gd3o2MpdGlJVoO7C8vfD1gD760KZQ3Hqn1dB8IRd-OHqVAjhmIh3bs-atwtlxQaaK8f6jlalI_32XiVHiiIZ/s320/IMG_8046.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We stopped for a picnic lunch at Lake Louise. I haven't been there since I was about 13, and it wasn't as big as I remembered it being. :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The drive along the Icefields Parkway is BEAUTIFUL. We're definitely going to do it again.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And next time we're going to stop at the icefields instead of just zooming by!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took a trip to see this amazing canyon and waterfalls just a few minutes away from the Jasper townsite. It's called Maligne, and it's stunning. Unfortunately, the sun was at the wrong angle to light up the canyon nicely, and my camera skills aren't good enough to compensate for it. But hopefully this gives you an idea!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did an hour and a half-ish hike around Annette Lake, which has quicksand at one end of it. I've never seen quicksand before, and I was expecting it to look more like the Fire Swamp...</td></tr>
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The nights in Jasper were FREEZING - the first night we were there it got down to zero, which was a bit cold for my taste! But we're hoping to go back next summer earlier in August when it's not quite so close to fall. </div>
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If you ever go to Jasper, be sure to go on the Friends of Jasper walking tour around the townsite - it was really interesting, and admission is by donation. I quite enjoyed it, and I'm pretty sure Trevor paid attention as well. :)</div>
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Right now we're in central BC in a teeny tiny town called Clearwater, which is basically the townsite for Wells Grey Provincial Park. On Friday we leave to head for home, spending a night in Revelstoke on the way. It's a bit bittersweet - I like being outdoors so much, but I do miss my cats and my own bed, and I'm looking forward to the new school year. </div>
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Watch for a post in the next week or so about our adventures in BC! :)</div>
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MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-43456450439602749102013-08-14T14:39:00.002-06:002014-09-02T21:18:35.218-06:00When Words Collide 2013This past weekend was the third annual When Words Collide here in Calgary. It's sort of a reader con, or a literary festival of genre fiction, and it's a great opportunity for learning and networking for writers, readers, editors, and publishers. My schedule is full of notes and stars next to names - I have a lot of new-to-me authors to add to my to read list now...<br />
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It started on Friday at 1 pm, and I wasn't as early as I would have liked. There were three workshops that afternoon that required signing up ahead of time, and I wasn't there early enough to get in line. There's never been a lineup for the signup sheets before - I didn't realize how much bigger it was going to be this year! <br />
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I went to the Live Action Slush: Early Bird Edition, which is always fun. I learn so much about editing and what publishers are looking for from almost every live action slush I go to. I did have a writing submission in that pile too - and while it didn't get the book offer I was hoping for, I did get some good feedback. :)<br />
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Next I sat through three mystery-oriented panels in a row - Have Gun Will Murder, Violence in Literature, and Pushing the Limits of Traditional Mystery. Have Gun was about western mystery genre, and the panelist posted a list of recommendations on her website. I didn't get a chance to chip in, but <a href="http://www.amctv.com/shows/hell-on-wheels" target="_blank">Hell on Wheels</a>, <a href="http://www.mercedeslackey.com/books/dead.html" target="_blank">Dead Reckoning</a> by Mercedes Lackey, and <a href="http://www.edgewebsite.com/books/apparitiontrail/at-catalog.html" target="_blank">The Apparition Trail</a> by Lisa Smedman are all western-based fiction that I recommend. Violence in Literature was an interesting panel - there was discussion about whether violence in fiction is necessary, and the general consensus seems to be that some of some sort is necessary - the panellists were clear not to glorify it, and some introduce it off-screen rather then on, but there's violence in real life, and it's a good tool to use to move the story along. One of the panellists is a paramedic/former cop, and he had some good info about violence and how to write it realistically, and fielded questions about things like how long people tend to stay unconscious. Pushing the Limits talked a lot about the genre of 'cozy' mysteries and why they work and why, for some readers, they don't work. Apparently there's a new line of gluten-free cozies, which produced general hilarity. :)<br />
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Then I went to a YA-focused live action slush, and a live action editing panel, where we looked at handouts of things that make publishers reject stories and got some hands-on experience, which was pretty cool. Hopefully they'll do one like that again next year. Although one of the plots that they rejected reminded me a lot of a Monty Python animation I watched last night, and we all know how popular Monty Python ended up being...<br />
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The guests of honour (six of them who were paid to be there - EVERYone else volunteered) spent about an hour and a half each giving a short talk about their work in the industry and told stories and whatnot, and it was interesting as always. All of the guests this year were new to me, so it's a good chance to get a feel for the personalities, which helps when trying to choose between three panels later in the weekend. On Saturday, there were ELEVEN scheduled things every hour to choose from, which is hard! Then I popped into the <a href="http://www.edgewebsite.com/" target="_blank">EDGE</a> party room until it go too crowded and noisy for this introvert, then I fled. :)<br />
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Saturday was jam-packed with all kinds of goodies. I was there from 9:30 in the morning until 10:30 at night, and I'm still trying to recover! If there's programming running, I want to be participating in it, so it can be rather exhausting. The first live action slush of the day was all about fantasy, and it had some good content - there were a lot of manuscripts that were really well received. A panel called Doom and Gloom and Dark Despair, Young Readers Love Them Everywhere was a bit disappointing. In hindsight, they really should have had the guest who's a child psychologist on that panel, which is what I was expecting. It was a discussion about the darkness of YA books these days, but the panel was really big and not super focused, so I left unenlightened. Making the Everyday Fantastic was a really good panel, with writers talking about how they take everyday places and things and make them fantastical, and I ended up buying <em><a href="http://jodimcisaac.com/" target="_blank">Through the Door</a></em> by Jodi McIsaac because of its setting in Halifax. <br />
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Each Generation's Sherlock Holmes was a fascinating look at Sherlock Holmes through his various incarnations on stage and in movies and tv shows. The two guys who led it, Charles Prepolec and Jeff Campbell, have co-edited a bunch of Sherlock Holmes anthologies and what the two of them don't know about the 'franchise' isn't worth knowing. Next year I'd love to see a panel discussing the influence that Sherlock Holmes has had on detective fiction as a genre, or something like that. <br />
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The Steampunk Art and Science Society did a couple of presentation on steampunk costuming (I'd give my eyeteeth for mad sewing skills!) and on Tesla vs Edison, which is always a fun topic. :) The panel on Canada as Our Exotic Home was quite good - lots of discussion about Canada as a place to set stories (will that turn off American readers?) and if there's something that defines Canadian fiction as a genre. There was a good mix of panelists, and I really enjoyed that one. <br />
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I went to another Sherlock Holmes panel called Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Bag of Tricks, which was really interesting, but the AC was running really loud, and I was too tired to focus, so I ended up sneaking out early. I wish I knew what all his tricks were, but I just couldn't sit still anymore! :P The last panel I was going to go to before dinner was about this software called Wattpad, and I thought it might be interesting, but after looking at the leaflet they were handing out, and not being anymore prepared to focus, I went and dozed in a big chair until Trevor came to have dinner with me. Dinner and a walk gave me a second wind for a busy evening, thankfully.<br />
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Editor for Hire was a great panel that basically convinced the burgeoning writers in the room that they need to hire an editor of some sort to look over their manuscripts before submitting them to publishers, which was just what I wanted to hear, that being my developing speciality. :) Make Your Mark Online turned out to be not really for me, although I did pick up a few ideas about some Wordpress plugins to check out. I don't have a need for a blog or a newsletter promoting my editorial business, so it mostly just wasn't relevant to where I'm at right now. <br />
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Then I went upstairs to the Steampunk Arts and Sciences party room, and chatted with a few people about their costumes, and tried some Absinthe (an acquired taste, but interesting...) and then fled again when it got too crowded. The party rooms at this new venue are smaller then I remember the ones at last year's hotel being, so it didn't take many people to make me feel claustrophobic. <br />
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By Sunday my attention span was even shorter - Pantser, Plotter, or Quilter was a good panel that caught my attention for supporting the Oxford comma, and turned out to be an interesting mix of people and had some good discussion about writing styles. The Live Action Slush: Mystery Edition turned out to be a bit of a disappointment because there weren't very many submissions, but I guess a lot of people didn't know that would be an option, so hopefully there are more next year, and I kind of wish I'd just gone to Getting Past the Middle Doldrums in Novel Writing. <br />
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Writers Tools in the Digital Age was a fascinating look at the availability of software tools to help the world-building author. I'm not a world builder myself, but it was incredibly interesting. I wanted to ask about editing tools, but the panel went too long for many questions. Mystery, Science Fiction, and Fantasy was a panel with three authors, each of whom write in one of those genres. I went to it mostly because I'm a big fan of Robert J. Sawyer, but it was a really interesting discussion and good combination of panelists. Here's <a href="http://www.typem4murder.blogspot.ca/2013/08/whats-little-ghost-or-two.html" target="_blank">a blog by Barbara Fradkin</a>, the mystery guest of honour, who was on that panel.<br />
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I went to the EDGE book launch up in on of the party rooms, where they had readings from some of the new books EDGE has recently published. <a href="http://www.edgewebsite.com/books/shanghaisteam/ss-catalog.html" target="_blank"><em>Shanghai Steam</em></a> is a Chinese steampunk anthology that sounds really good, but again the claustrophobic feeling had me getting out of there before it was over, so I kind of wish I'd gone to The Role of Beautiful Language. I went to the Live Action Slush: Romance Edition, but it was over really early, so I also went to the last half of Historical Whodunits, which had good panelists who didn't seem to be the right fit for that topic. And the very last panel of the weekend was The Publisher's Panel, which was a good discussion between a bunch of publishers about the market, trends, things they're looking for, and developments in the industry, which was a good way to end the weekend.<br />
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Last year I stayed for the wrap-up party, but I was so tired I just came home. I'm actually still quite tired - I started getting ready for bed at 8:30 last night! But it's one of my favourite weekends of the year, and I'm SUPER excited for next year - Diana Gabaldon, one of my all-time favourite authors is coming. She's an experienced con guest, and really good at giving writing advice, so I know she'll be excellent. Sometimes I think I learn more in a weekend at WWC then I do in a whole semester of school...too bad they don't issue BAs! :)<br />
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The team of volunteers that puts this conference on does a fantastic job, and I'm very thankful to have the opportunity to attend, and to have the rare opportunity to go to a conference where I'm not volunteering in one capacity or another. It's definitely worth every penny of the very low registration fee, and I highly recommend it!<br />
<br />MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-91863797908523447922013-08-08T22:22:00.004-06:002013-08-08T22:24:18.112-06:00Lost! On Tunnel Mountain!<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
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<em>(The title of the post is intended to be read loudly, with dramatic flair, in a deep announcer voice.)</em></div>
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What with one thing and another I hadn't managed to get out of Calgary to go hiking at all this summer, so last Monday we headed to Banff for the day with a couple of friends. I wanted to hike Johnson Lake again, to see it <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2013/01/hiking-johnson-lake.html" target="_blank">without all the snow</a>, but when we got there, the road in was closed due to a grizzly sighting. So we heeded the sign and went to Tunnel Mountain instead. </div>
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It started out beautifully - the sun was shining and the view of Banff through the trees was lovely. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm the only one without an iPhone...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Banff Springs Hotel</td></tr>
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By the time we got around to the other side of the mountain, looking east (-ish?) it had started to cloud over a bit, and the cool breeze was nice. </div>
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Not to mention the fact that the light rain was still clearly far away. I wasn't prepared for such an uphill hike - Johnson Lake is rather flat - so I was pretty winded, and when it started to drizzle and we heard a crack of thunder we thought about turning back. But someone coming down said that the top was only about five minutes away, and since we'd come so far we pressed on.</div>
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My plan had been to eat our picnic lunch at the summit, but by the time we got up there it was POURING rain so hard I was soaked to the skin. I didn't really mind cooling off, but it wasn't exactly picnic weather, and then the hail started, so we booked it back down as fast as we could go, which wasn't very fast, because it was so slippery. </div>
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Somehow in the downpour we managed to miss the proper path and ended up on a goat trail that stopped a steep slope that was clearly not the way we'd come up. Frustratingly, we could still see Banff, but not the main path. We bushwhacked around for a while, trying not to slip and break any limbs, and eventually met up with the path again, and by that point the sun was back out and except for the lingering damp, it looked like the storm had never happened. Welcome to Alberta...</div>
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I was talking to someone later who knew someone else who'd gotten lost and had to spend a night up there, so at least we didn't get THAT lost!</div>
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I was disappointed to find that there isn't actually a tunnel in Tunnel Mountain - <a href="http://barbaramartin.blogspot.ca/2009/03/hiking-trails-tunnel-mountain.html" target="_blank">CP Rail was going to build one, and then they didn't</a>. </div>
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The rest of the day involved a picnic in Banff, in the sunshine, a hot, crispy, sugary BeaverTail, and a lightening-delayed dip in the hot springs. The storm came back just as we were in line to pay for admission, and they waited half an hour to be sure the lightening was over before they opened the pool again. And on the way back we chased a rainbow from Exshaw almost to Calgary.</div>
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Such an adventure-filled day. :) Hopefully there will be more hiking this summer, but likely not till we get to Jasper later this month - stay tuned! This weekend I'm going to the third annual <a href="http://www.whenwordscollide.org/index.php" target="_blank">When Words Collide</a> convention, and I'm very excited. I always learn so much and meet interesting people. I went to <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2011/10/rest-of-summer-roundup.html" target="_blank">the first one in 2011</a>, and last year I even blogged about <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/08/when-words-collide-2012-friday.html" target="_blank">each</a> of the <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/08/when-words-collide-2012-saturday.html" target="_blank">three</a> <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/08/when-words-collide-2012-sunday.html" target="_blank">days</a>. Not sure if that'll happen this year or not, but watch for something about it sometime next week.</div>
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MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-73317063484415107942013-07-31T21:48:00.001-06:002013-07-31T21:52:57.088-06:00Star Trek Into Darkness: My Favourite Moments and My Biggest Pet Peeves<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">*** SPOILER ALERT ***</span></strong></div>
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This post has been so long in coming for two reasons; one, I didn't want to spoil the movie for anyone, and two I was waiting to see it a second time, in the cheap theatre. :)<br />
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I realized I'm being really hard on Into Darkness because I expected SO MUCH from it - don't get me wrong, I think it's very good, especially when compared to a lot of other movies, but there were a few things that could have made it even better. I saw it opening night in 3D and when it was over I just sat there gasping like a beached fish because EVERYTHING happened so fast I almost wasn't sure what <em>had</em> happened. And after about an hour of amazed silence, the more I thought about it the more a few things annoyed me. <br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Star Trek was all BAM! Then it was BAM BAM! Then breathe, but no, just kidding-BAMBAMBAM! And I'm like WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Must see again...<br />
— Michelle Heumann (@MichelleHeumann) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichelleHeumann/statuses/335616516470996992">May 18, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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And they still annoyed me the second time, but I think I understood the characters, at least Kirk and Spock, a little more. I still jumped out of my skin when Khan popped up off the floor where he was supposed to be stunned unconscious, and the friend I was with, who was seeing it for the first time, grabbed my arm. :)<br />
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One of the most entertaining internet things about Into Darkness has been all the crossover graphics, some of them combining Sherlock AND Star Trek AND Middle Earth, which I find highly amusing. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cheezburger.com/6979015936" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
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See? Fangirl fodder galore.<br />
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As for the movie itself, there were lots of things I really like about it. <br />
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Scotty's facial expressions are brilliant. Simon Pegg's Scotty needs his own movie. BUT I was disappointed that he actually left the Enterprise. It turns out there was a job for him to do, so it wasn't pointless, but I didn't really think he'd actually gone, and when the warp drive failed and Chekov was sent to fix it, I expected Scotty to pop out from behind a console and safe the day. After keeping him apart from the crew for large chunks of both of the first two movies, I really hope he's more present in the third one. <br />
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Which brings me to Chekov, who's now probably all of 18 years old? Just a baby, really, and he's ADORABLE. His accent and his puppy eyes - I just want to pat his head and tell him he's wonderful. :) It's also sad that he's exiled from the bridge for a good chunk of the movie, because he's such a wonderful character. I guess that's the problem with such a big cast - there just can't be enough screen time for all of them.<br />
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Sulu does an excellent turn as acting captain, which is one of my favourite moments in the movie, as is Bones' response. <br />
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Bones gets the best one-liners of maybe any franchise ever. But what I didn't like was the fact that he just happened to have a dead tribble on hand, and he thought that injecting it with the blood of a super-human they knew little about was a good idea. (facepalm) I get that they were setting up Khan's blood as a cure for Kirk's radiation poisoning, but that had already been done in the sequence that introduced Khan at the beginning of the movie. I just though that was really lame. And does that mean that there are now super-tribbles infesting the Enterprise?<br />
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This is one of my favourite moments...<br />
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I didn't really buy the relationship between Spock and Uhura, just because it doesn't seem to fit with what I know about Spock. I don't dislike it, it just didn't seem that convincing, but it made for some really funny moments. When they actually talk on the shuttle to Kronos, then it started to make more sense to me. I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with it in the third movie. <br />
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But I think my favourite part of the movie was Uhura standing up to the Klingons. <br />
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There was a job she could do, and she did it, and it wasn't blowing things up, but simply using her linguistic skills to try to complete the mission. It almost ended horribly, but not for lack of her trying. Her bravery was amazing. <br />
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For me the movie's biggest flaw was lack of character development. I've never seen the original Star Trek movies (except for the Voyage Home), and I didn't realized that Into Darkness was going to follow the same general story arc that the original movies did. I BELIEVED J.J. ABRAMS WHEN HE SAID THAT BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH WAS PLAYING JOHN HARRISON AND <em>NOT</em> KHAN. I think that's what ticked me off the most - he didn't need to lie, he could have just not talked about it. So lame! I was looking forward to a totally new bad guy, and given what little I do know about the original series, I was thinking of someone along the lines of <a href="http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Gary_Seven" target="_blank">Gary Seven</a>. Alas, it was not to be. :(<br />
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Anyway, lack of character development... I felt like the movie relied too much on character development that I assume had been built in the original series rather then building its own. Kirk and Spock's friendship was rocky, and the crew's loyalty didn't seem to have much of a basis when Kirk was acting like a spoiled brat for the first half of the movie. He was just going to blow up a city on the Klingon home world, and then he (tried to) beat the crap out of Khan - I just expected more honour from the character, so I was really disappointed. It was hard to root for the 'hero' when I wanted to give him a good lecture and a time out. <br />
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Don't even get me started on the epic lameness of Quinto's Spock calling Nimoy's Spock for help, and how despite his vow, old Spock told him what he knew about the Khan from his timeline, when there was so much scope to do something new with the character. Spock says that Khan's goal is genocide of anyone he thinks is inferior, but the character doesn't actually display any of those traits - he seems like a straightforward eye-for-an-eye type guy, and in that moment when Kirk and Khan were waiting to space jump to the dreadnaught, I really thought Khan was going to get his happy ending. Crushing Admiral Marcus' head with his bare hands, in front of his daughter, was a bit sickening, but then the Admiral <em>was</em> a manipulative bad guy...<br />
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Kirk's death scene was unfortunate, and I actually didn't even really see it coming. I figured, given the demonstrated potency of Khan's blood in the opening fifteen minutes of the movie, that they'd get Kirk injected with it BEFORE he died. But even when he did die, I knew they weren't <em>actually</em> going to kill off Captain Kirk, so I was actually a bit bored. Apparently in the original, it was Spock who died, and he stayed dead for a whole movie? But I didn't know that, and the hero appearing to die is such an overdone trope that it left me cold. Not to mention the fact that ever since I saw <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267626/" target="_blank">K-19: The Widowmaker</a> the whole idea of radiation poisoning grosses me out beyond words - I find it scarier then zombies or vampires. <br />
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And finally, other then the poor character development, my least favourite thing was Carol Marcus' underwear. I mean really, was it absolutely necessary that the camera take a long, slow pan down her body? Seriously? Her and Kirk's reactions to the situation are interesting, and I read a good blog analyzing it, but her state of undress could have been hinted at in order to achieve those reactions. It felt cheap, and quite frankly I expected more from Star Trek then 'sex sells'. I sincerely hope that they avoid anything like it in the third movie...there was a bit of it in the first one, but I don't think it was as gratuitous as this was. Her character is really great and has a lot of potential - she sees things that she can do something about and she does them - and I hope they make good use of her character in the next movie.<br />
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I'm only hard on it because I love Star Trek so much. I really, really, really hope that the next movie spends more time on character development, and that breaks away from the established storylines. When it was first announced that J.J. was going to be doing the new Star Wars movie, I was really excited, but Into Darkness has made me a little bit more hesitant. I love the action/adventure stories, but if they don't have good characters, I don't feel them, and that's a problem that plagued the recent Star Wars expanded universe stuff, so I hope the lack of character I'm feeling in Into Darkness doesn't creep into Star Wars as well. <br />
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Of course, that won't stop me from buying Into Darkness, or seeing the third movie, or seeing the Star Wars movies... :)<br />
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<br />MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-15571568054107881762013-07-25T21:51:00.002-06:002013-07-25T21:51:19.681-06:00Touring Nova Scotia - The Lighthouse RouteThis is part two of my series on Nova Scotia. You can read <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2013/05/halifax-nova-scotia.html" target="_blank">post one about Halifax here</a>. <br />
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For ease of touring, Nova Scotia is divided into <a href="http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/ourregions/ourregions/default.aspx#" target="_blank">seven regions</a> and <a href="http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/ourregions/scenic_travelways/default.aspx" target="_blank">ten scenic travelways</a>. I don't think we had the seven regions when I was a kid, just the travelways, because simply seeing each scenic logo on the map makes me feel like I'm about ten years old again! Anyway, if you travel clockwise from Halifax, the next region over is called the <a href="http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/ourregions/ourregions/southshore/default.aspx" target="_blank">South Shore</a> and the route is the <a href="http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/ourregions/scenic_travelways/lighthouse_route/default.aspx" target="_blank">Lighthouse Route</a>, which stretches from Halifax almost to Yarmouth. The most famous tourist attraction in this region is almost certainly <a href="http://www.peggyscoveregion.com/" target="_blank">Peggy's Cove</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dad and I near the Peggy's Cove Lighthouse in 2008</td></tr>
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I heard a rumour that the lighthouse is up for sale and that it's in danger of being torn down if no one buys it. My information is kind of out of date, so if anyone has heard anything more recently, please let me know! But I would say that if seeing the lighthouse is on your bucket list, you should probably go sooner rather than later. :)<br />
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The Cove is about an hour from Halifax, and it's a great place to stop for lunch. The tiny community is full of shops and whatnot, but the most famous is the <a href="http://www.peggys-cove.com/" target="_blank">Sou'Wester restaurant and gift shop</a>. It's been there as long as I can remember, and the food is reliable Nova Scotian fare. <br />
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From Peggy's Cove, continue up around St. Margaret's Bay until Peggy's Cove Road meets up with St. Margaret's Bay Road. There you have the choice of following SMB Road as it winds along the coast (beautiful!) or continuing a bit further to the 'new' 103 highway. It's about an hour and twenty minutes to Mahone Bay from Peggy's Cove taking the coastal route through Chester. If you skip Chester and take the highway, it's only an hour.<br />
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I've never explored <a href="http://www.chesterareans.ca/" target="_blank">Chester</a>, known as a sailing hub, but plan to go next time I'm out there. If you go during <a href="http://chesterraceweek.com/" target="_blank">Chester Race Week</a>, you might see my brother lurking among the sailboats!<br />
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About half way between Chester and Mahone Bay is the infamous <a href="http://www.friendsofoakisland.com/main/" target="_blank">Oak Island</a>. When I was a kid the popular theory was that the island was the hiding place of the pirate treasure of Captain Kidd. Since then, probably thanks to the invention of the internet, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Island" target="_blank">wild theories abound</a>. It looks like tours go there now in the summer to view the "money pit" (which was originally called that for the pirate treasure, but now has the irony of also being a bit into which modern people sink money in the hope of finding something at the bottom of it...) and I would love to go on those one day. <br />
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<a href="http://www.mahonebay.com/" target="_blank">Mahone Bay</a> is another one of Nova Scotia's top must-see locations. Famous for its skyline of three churches, it's also the home of <a href="http://www.amospewter.com/" target="_blank">Amos Pewter</a>, and they have a Pirate Festival in early August, which I'd love to check out. <br />
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From Mahone Bay it's about fifteen minutes to <a href="http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/ourregions/ourregions/southshore/lunenburgnovascotia.aspx" target="_blank">Lunenburg</a>, a <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list" target="_blank">UNESCO world heritage site</a>, <a href="http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/discovernovascotia/history/worldheritagesites/default.aspx" target="_blank">one of five in Nova Scotia</a>. My favourite thing in Lunenburg is the <a href="http://museum.gov.ns.ca/fma/en/home/default.aspx" target="_blank">Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic</a>. The Fisheries Museum is part of the Nova Scotia Museum system, so considering getting a <a href="http://museum.gov.ns.ca/en/home/ourmuseums/museumpass.aspx" target="_blank">pass to all 27 museums</a> if you're going to be going to several of them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go aboard the ship docked at the museum for a clean look at shipboard life</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.explorelunenburg.ca/" target="_blank">Lunenburg</a> is the <a href="http://bluenose.novascotia.ca/experience-bluenose" target="_blank">home of the Bluenose</a>, the sailing ship pictured on the Canadian dime, although it's not there very often. Here's a bit of <a href="http://tkmorin.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/bluenose-i-launched/" target="_blank">the history of the Bluenose</a>. It's an absolutely beautiful and scenic place to stop. <br />
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About half an hour on from Lunenburg is <a href="http://www.bridgewater.ca/" target="_blank">Bridgewater</a>. Honestly, I'm not sure that I've ever stopped there - when I was a kid it was just a place we drove through on our way from point A to point B, but I'll stop next time! It's home to one of Nova Scotia's museums, the <a href="http://museum.gov.ns.ca/wcm/en/home/default.aspx" target="_blank">Wile Carding Mill</a>. It's also where <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000661/" target="_blank">actor Donald Sutherland</a>, who was born in New Brunswick, grew up.<br />
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The most important thing about Bridgewater is that if you don't want to go all the way around the very southern tip of Nova Scotia, this is one of three places where you can cut across the interior and get to the Bay of Fundy. I don't recommend it unless you're extremely pressed for time and in a hurry to get to Wolfville. At the very least, I would go (and have gone) another half an hour on to Liverpool and then across the interior to Annapolis Royal on the Bay of Fundy from there. Next time I'm going all the way around the end though, and that's what we're going to do in this post. <br />
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About half an hour from Bridgewater, <a href="http://www.regionofqueens.com/communities/liverpool" target="_blank">Liverpool</a> is home to the <a href="http://museum.gov.ns.ca/peh/en/home/default.aspx" target="_blank">Perkins House Museum</a> of the Nova Scotia Museum (Simon Perkins was a privateer...), <a href="http://www.privateerdays.ca/" target="_blank">Privateer Days</a>, and <a href="http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/thingstoseeanddo/listingdetails.aspx/fort-point-lighthouse-park/1513?mode=10&srch=cmVmcGc9MzY0OCZwZz0xJnBzPTI1JmNhdGlkPTImc3ViaWQ9MTEmaXNhPTEmd2NhPTAmaWR4PTY_" target="_blank">Fort Point Lighthouse</a> where Champlain landed in 1604. <br />
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Another half an hour on is <a href="http://www.novascotiaparks.ca/parks/thraddall.asp" target="_blank">Thomas H. Raddall Provincial Park</a>, with campsites and walking trails if you need a leg-stretch on the arduous 45-minute trip to Shelburne. :)<br />
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I haven't been to <a href="http://www.town.shelburne.ns.ca/visitors.html" target="_blank">Shelburne</a> since I was about five, but it's on my list of places to go again. It's the home of two Nova Scotia Museums - <a href="http://museum.gov.ns.ca/rth/en/home/default.aspx" target="_blank">Ross-Thompson House</a> and the <a href="http://museum.gov.ns.ca/dory/en/home/default.aspx" target="_blank">Dory Shop</a>. It's also the home of the <a href="http://www.blackloyalist.com/" target="_blank">Black Loyalist Heritage Society</a>, a fascinating and often-overlooked piece of Canadian history. There used to be a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFS_Shelburne" target="_blank">small military base</a> there, starting during the second world war, which closed in 1995 and is now apparently decaying, and I'd LOVE to go see it. Apparently a German U-boat surrendered there in 1945, which sounds super interesting.<br />
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From Shelburne it's half an hour to <a href="http://www.barringtonmunicipality.com/tourism.htm" target="_blank">Barrington</a>, which is apparently the lobster capital of Canada. It too is home to two Nova Scotia Museums - the <a href="http://museum.gov.ns.ca/bwm/en/home/default.aspx" target="_blank">Woollen Mill</a> and the <a href="http://museum.gov.ns.ca/omh/en/home/default.aspx" target="_blank">Old Meeting House</a>. There's also an independent museum called the <a href="http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/thingstoseeanddo/listingdetails.aspx/western-counties-military-museum/1542" target="_blank">Western Counties Military Museum</a>. I don't think I've ever been to Barrington except to drive through, but it looks historically fascinating. <br />
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<a href="http://www.capesableisland.ca/mainmenu.html" target="_blank">Cape Sable Island</a> is about fifteen minutes from Barrington, and there's a <a href="http://www.barringtonmunicipality.com/cape_sable_causeway.htm" target="_blank">causeway</a> linking the island to the mainland. The pictures make me think of Florida...<br />
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You'll now cross the border between the South Shore region and the Yarmouth and Acadian Shores region, but it's still the Lighthouse Trail until you get to Yarmouth.<br />
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<a href="http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/ourregions/ourregions/yarmouthacadian/pubnico.aspx" target="_blank">Pubnico</a> is the first stop in the YaAS region, and it's about half an hour from Barrington. You'll find the Nova Scotia Museum called <a href="http://museum.gov.ns.ca/av/en/home/default.aspx" target="_blank">Le Village historique acadien de la Nouvelle-Écosse</a>. I want to go there very badly. It's one of the places where staff in costumer go about the daily business of life in the Acadian era. So fun!<br />
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The <a href="http://www.eglisesainteannechurch.com/index.html" target="_blank">Église Ste-Anne Church</a> is the oldest Acadian parish on mainland Nova Scotia, and is a beautiful wooden building. It's about fifteen minutes on from Pubnico and looks like a beautiful place to take a few photos. Another five minutes down the road is the <a href="http://www.argylecourthouse.com/" target="_blank">Argyle Township Courthouse and Gaol</a>, Canada's oldest standing courthouse.<br />
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At this point it's another fifteen minutes to the town of Yarmouth, which we'll keep for another post. It marks the end of the Lighthouse Route and the beginning of the Evangeline Trail, which, if I HAD to pick a favourite part of Nova Scotia, would probably be it. :) Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to track down ideas or answers for you!<br />
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I just realized that this post took about three hours to write. Please don't let my labour be in vain - visit Nova Scotia today! :) And we're having a massive thunderstorm that made the lights flicker, so I'm posting this quickly before I lose all my hard work! If there are any typos, please <em>don't</em> let me know...MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-60985412833732612772013-07-12T21:03:00.002-06:002013-07-12T21:03:41.770-06:00Top Five Must-Read Books for (Lutheran Youth) LeadersYou may have noticed that my dedication to weekly blog posts totally lapsed since the flood! I spent almost a week out of town at a youth conference in Winnipeg with some kids from church, and that totally threw off my groove. :) I'm still recovering from spending one night on a hot church floor, four nights in a non-air conditioned Manitoba-summer-hot dorm, and one night on a bus, but we had such a good time. Two of the youth were new to our group, 'adopted' from a smaller nearby church, and it was a joy to spend time with them, get to know them a bit, and watch the entire group gel. <br />
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We spent one afternoon helping clean up along the banks of the Seine River, joking about wildlife such as gators, killer rabbits ala Monty Python, and killer deer. I learned today that apparently <a href="http://tkmorin.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/manitoba-do-not-poke-an-alligator/" target="_blank">in Winnipeg there's a law against provoking alligators</a>...does that mean there are actually some there?! Glad I didn't know that at the time... :P<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our group at Grand Beach, Manitoba</td></tr>
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At the youth gathering, there was a bookstore. It prompted a post I've been thinking about for a while, and a sequel post I hope to do, which will be about materials that should either be avoided, or read with great caution, discernment, and simply for research purposes. For today though, here are five indispensable books for anyone who wants to make sure their church is teaching solid theology. Children and youth are not the future of the church, they are as much a piece of the church now as any adult, and all elders, pastors, teachers, and volunteers should be aware of these resources. <br />
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NUMBER 1: <a href="http://www.cph.org/t-tlsb.aspx" target="_blank">The Lutheran Study Bible</a> (LSB)<br />
A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that Lutherans value the teachings of Martin Luther over the teachings of the Bible. Actually, while I suppose some misguided Lutherans might do that, really what we, or I specifically, since I can't speak for all Lutherans, value are Luther's explanations and teaching of Biblical theology and parts of Christian doctrine like the Creeds. The LSB is a wealth of information brimming with footnotes, prayers, historical information, a checklist for reading through the Bible cover-to-cover, and extra resource pages. For instance, if you want to know why Lutherans believe what Lutherans believe about communion, turn to the page between Revelation chapters 19 and 20 in a copy of the LSB, and you will find a whole page on communion, cross-referenced to the applicable Bible verses. SO HANDY! Anyone in leadership should have this valuable resource, and read it regularly to explore all of the helpful explanations. <br />
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The rest of the books are all in no particular order because I think each of them is as valuable as the others, and they're all different enough that I highly recommend reading them all. <br />
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<em><a href="http://sites.cph.org/broken/#&panel1-1" target="_blank">Broken: 7 "Christian" Rules that Every Christian Ought to Break as Often as Possible</a></em> by Pastor Jonathan Fisk<br />
Read this book and then figure out who in your youth or young adults' group needs to read it, buy a box full, and hand them out like candy that won't rot their teeth or their souls. Beautifully illustrated with steampunk-esq sketches and sprinkled with Star Wars references, Pastor Fisk details seven dangerous trends in North American pop culture Christianity and firmly squelches them with scripture. I've been watching his videos and reading his blogs on <a href="http://www.worldvieweverlasting.com/" target="_blank">Worldview Everlasting</a> for quite some time now, I enjoy his geeky, sarcastic, theologically-sound teaching, and his passion for sound doctrine. When you go to the CPH website to order your copy of the LSB, make sure you pop at least one of these into your cart...<br />
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<em><a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/store/product/already-gone-book/" target="_blank">Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do To Stop It</a></em> by Ken Ham and Britt Beemer<br />
Last fall we gave a copy of this book to each of the youth groups that came to our retreat, and all of the leadership at our church read it. It's published through the excellent ministry 'Answers in Genesis' and while it discusses some deep stuff, it's fairly small and the print is fairly large, making it not too intimidating for people who don't really like to read. Go prayerfully read it now, please! Another excellent book by Ken Ham is <em><a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/store/product/lie-25th-anniversary-edition/" target="_blank">The Lie: Evolution</a></em>, which explains why it's so vital to know and understand God as Creator, and how/why the world tries to undermine Him. It helped me get through geology in my first semester at university, and now there's a revised edition, which I'll have to add to my wishlist. :)<br />
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<em><a href="http://www.cph.org/p-17372-eutychus-youth-applied-theology-for-youth-ministry-in-the-21st-century.aspx" target="_blank">Eutychus Youth: Reaching Youth on the Ledge</a></em> by Dr. John Oberdeck<br />
Another great resource from CPH, including <a href="http://www.cph.org/pdf/Helps/223120_Study%20Guide.pdf" target="_blank">a study guide</a>, is a dense, well-written, super informative book. The youth gathering actually brought in Dr. Oberdeck to do sessions for the leaders, although they were the same as the one that Trevor and I went to at the LCMS youth symposium in California a year and a half ago, I still picked up a few things that I either hadn't hear last time, or had forgotten. :) <a href="http://michellelindah.blogspot.ca/2012/01/so-you-think-you-hate-religion-but-love.html" target="_blank">Moralistic Therapeutic Deism</a> is a dangerous thing that is undermining Biblical Christianity. So, so, so good. I even have an extra copy that I'll lend you if you're around here...<br />
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<em><a href="http://castore.creation.com/catalog/creation-answers-book-p-1252.html?osCsid=ac32jcpa6ua0h7cdqsmph3r2l4" target="_blank">The Creation Answers Book</a></em> by Batten, Catchpoole, Sarfati, and Wieland of Creation Ministries International<br />
This handy little book doesn't really need to be read in order - it can just be pulled out and referred to when a specific question about something pops up. Chapter titles include things like "How did the animals fit on Noah's Ark?" and "How did all the different 'races' arise?". It's an brilliant resource to have on hand, and I can't recommended the work of Creation Ministries highly enough.<br />
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Bonus book for Alberta Residents!<br />
<em><a href="http://www.create.ab.ca/tour-guide-royal-tyrrell-museum-revised-edition/" target="_blank">Tour Guide: Royal Tyrrell Museum</a></em> by Margaret Helder of the Creation Science Association of Alberta<br />
I haven't read this myself yet, but I have it on very good authority that this is an excellent tool for countering the evolutionist propaganda that is fed to hundreds or even thousands of Albertan school children every year. We're hoping to take a group of youth to Drumheller in the fall, perhaps in conjunction with <a href="http://creation.com/calendar?event=130212024872495202921O_ca" target="_blank">this event that Creation Ministries is putting on</a>, and are planning to use this book as our tour guide. Check out the book and let me know what you think!<br />
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Well, hopefully this suggested your reading list for the rest of the summer! :) If you've read all of these already, then please comment, because I'd love to hear from you! I hope that these suggestions deepen your faith, grow your desire for solid spiritual food, and equip you as a church leader. Youth ministry is my baby, and I'm passionate about doing everything I can to make sure that our kids are getting the best spiritual nourishment they possibly can get. Enjoy!<br />
MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-53661189503683817182013-06-27T15:43:00.000-06:002013-06-28T21:02:09.062-06:00How to Help Southern AlbertaThere are lots of ways to help out in Alberta right now! I'm frustrated because I'm limited by school, allergies, and physical limitations, but I'm trying to do what I can. Maybe this will give you some ideas for how you can help too.<br />
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<a href="http://www.yychelps.ca/" target="_blank">YYC Helps</a> is a website that's coordinating volunteer and donations requests. Needs seem to change from minute to minute, and they're on top of them. <br />
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The <a href="http://volunteercalgary.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Volunteer Calgary</a> site is similar, coordinating needs and offers.<br />
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<a href="http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/southern-alberta/" target="_blank">Samaritan's Purse</a> mobilizes mud-out units to go into communities in the days, weeks, and months following natural disasters, and stays after the media attention has died down. You can sign up for their volunteer database (physical labour or admin jobs) or make a tax deductible donation. <br />
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If you're on Twitter, check out the <a href="https://twitter.com/search/realtime?q=%23yychelps&src=hash" target="_blank">#yychelps hashtag</a> for the most up-to-the-minute needs. For instance, <a href="https://twitter.com/NeighbourLink" target="_blank">NeighbourLink</a> is in desperate need of pillows and bedding before 8 pm tonight. They also need hygiene items as they put together toiletry kits.<br />
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Most places are indicating that they're full up for clothing donations, although some places were still saying they need men's clothes. I'm sitting on a big pile of women's clothes (mostly business casual) I'm planning to donate to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DressforSuccessCalgary?filter=1" target="_blank">Dress for Success</a> when I can get down there. (I have a final tomorrow! Eeep!) <br />
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There are two First Nations communities just south of Calgary, and they were hit really hard and are in need of food and water donations. A <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffWilson_MLA" target="_blank">MLA in south Calgary, Jeff Wilson</a>, is doing an amazing job of coordinating donation drop off/delivery out of his office. The city is asking people to stay off the roads as much as possible, but I was able to send a couple of boxes of food down with someone from the university who collected a whole bunch of stuff in the north west and drove it all down at once. That type of opportunity seems to form fairly quickly - stay tuned to social media for that kind of thing!<br />
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And on the topic of food, the <a href="https://twitter.com/CalgaryFoodBank" target="_blank">Calgary Food Bank</a> is busy feeding, and while donations are pouring in, there are never enough, and they need hands to help sort. <br />
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The town of Exshaw, west of Calgary, about half way to Banff, is a somewhat overlooked disaster zone. Mrs. Harper (Canada's equivalent to the First Lady) was in Exshaw today helping with cleanup, so they're getting more media attention now. I heard from a friend who has a friend who lives in Exshaw that 75% of the 400 homes have been damaged in some way, and they were (or maybe still are?) without power, running water, or any kind of sanitation. If you want to go in and help them mud-out, you have to first register with the <a href="http://www.mdbighorneoc.com/volunteer--donations.html" target="_blank">Municipal District of Bighorn</a>. <br />
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The city has <a href="http://www.calgarycitynews.com/2013/06/volunteers.html" target="_blank">guidelines </a>on organizing your own clean up team, and a <a href="http://www.cocnmp.com/eoc/ArrivingHome2.pdf" target="_blank">booklet</a> on how to safely clean up a flood muddied house. The silt left behind can have all kinds of toxic things in it, and has to be totally removed. It's a crazy intense process - the pictures of the piles of debris along affected streets is mind-blowing. <br />
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And last, but I hope not least, our youth group/church is right by the university, where they have 400+ displaced people staying right now. We're hosting a bit of an open house on Saturday afternoon from 1-4pm for people to drop in, have a drink and a snack, and let their kids plays some games, do some crafts, and hopefully make some good memories in the midst of so much uncertainty. <br />
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If you want to help, there are dozens of ways - find your strengths and see what you can do! Clean up will be doing on for months, so don't forget about it after the news attention dies down!<br />
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<script src="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/southern-alberta-floods.js"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/southern-alberta-floods" target="_blank">View the story "Southern Alberta Floods" on Storify</a>]</noscript>MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26753498.post-3516884773743010442013-06-22T11:16:00.000-06:002013-06-22T11:16:17.733-06:00Calgary Floods - Friday Night<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
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After the sun came out yesterday evening, we walked back to the ridge to check out the river again. It was really quite beautiful!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking toward the mountains</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little island - still under water, and will be for a while!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were even more people out looking around then there were in the morning.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same house from the morning - looks like the water level went down a bit, but not enough to make much of a difference. It really sucks for all those people!</td></tr>
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It will be days before the business core is up and running again, and months of cleanup. Trevor's gone over to a Samaritan's Purse briefing about ways to help - it's ironic that this organization usually has to deploy to other countries to help with disaster cleanup, and this time the disaster is right at home. Although on a scale of disasters, with only three confirmed deaths, the community has been quite blessed. Business will lose money, and people have lost possessions, but most people's friends and family are safe, and that's the most important thing!</div>
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<script src="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/calgary-floods.js"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/MichelleHeumann/calgary-floods" target="_blank">View the story "Calgary Floods" on Storify</a>]</noscript>MichelleHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620214611586302175noreply@blogger.com0