Random Monday Musings

Since my brain is feeling a bit cloudy today, I thought I would try to rev it up with some writing here.

Last night we watched The Grey with Liam Neeson. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it was pretty intense, and though you could see shit coming from a mile away, everything that happened still managed to startle me when it was supposed to. I thought the characters were well-done, and over all, it was a well crafted film. Except the ending. All of that build up, and then…cut to black. I felt robbed. Although, if you stayed until the end of the closing credits, there was a quick shot that alluded to an earlier scene. This kind of gave you resolution. But not enough. I give it a 7 out of 10.

In other news, based in part on Keith’s comment on my last post, an idea that has been lingering for a while came forward with some clarity. Look for a new eBook to come soon. On a related note, I have re-priced two of my longer stories. I figure if publications base their pay on your word-count, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to do the same with my self-publishing. And finally, after reading an article about non-fiction seeming to sell well on Kindle, I threw a couple of my academic history papers together and published them. They’re listed on my shiny new Amazon Author page, linked above. I also have a Goodreads author page, but I can’t link to it right now, as my work internet can’t translate that site very well (it’s a long story, involving an out of date version of IE that I can’t upgrade).

Now that the weather is starting to actually look like Spring (though the weather reports keep mentioning “chance for snow”), I am looking at getting outside more and being more active. Related to that, my friend gave me a punching bag that his kids had, but almost never used. It’s a good, heavy one. I need to drag it down to the basement, so I can hang it up and start taking out some aggression. Also, since it’s so heavy, I can wrap old belts around it, and make handles for lifting. Some good strength-training right there. My goal is to be in good enough shape that I can actually look like a superhero, should I choose to dress up for Wizard World Chicago in August.

Speaking of Cosplay, my wife is now an official “D20 Girl.” This is a group who organizes women cosplayers for pop culture conventions. But, rather than hired model “Booth Babes” who don’t actually know much about what they are promoting, these girls are authentic gamers and geeks. So, she will get free tickets to (relatively) local conventions, and will be required to wear costumes. She’s already planning on several options. This is way cool!

 

(By the way, this is not my wife.  Just a girl explaining what they do.)

Geek in Review

So, we went to Wizard World - Chicago on Saturday. I was dressed as Classic Nick Fury, Michele was an excellent Tank Girl, and Faith decided against the full-on costume and merely wore Michele's Death (Sandman) t-shirt. Over all, it was a good time. A bit pricier than I remember it being last time, but still fun. Saw a LOT of great costumes, and ended up carrying my iPhone around and just snapping pics. I'll probably post some of those later, probably on Facebook.

It was cool that people recognized who I was supposed to be, and I even got a few compliments (my favorite was the guy at the ECTO-1 photo-op booth who shouted "Hey, it's David Hasselhoff!"). But no one wanted my picture. It might have been that I didn't have my eye-patch down most of the day. I tried it, but I kept bumping into people and objects. Michele got a lot of comments, and she even got asked to take a picture. All in all, though, it was a very fun experience.

Of course, the highlight for her was that she got to meet Sean Patrick Flanery, of Boondock Saints fame (among others). He was a really cool guy, and very nice to his fans. He and Norman Reedus seemed to be genuinely enjoying the whole experience. And after being to a lot of Cons, I can tell you that not all celebrities seem to be having fun.

On the drive home, while my wife and daughter alternately dozed and Facebooked on their iPhones, I was already planning on what costume to wear next year. Honestly, for me it all depends on what shape I am in. One thing I WON'T do for a costume is be a "Fat Spiderman." If I am going to wear a costume that is largely spandex (or some other form-fitting material), or shows a significant amount of skin, then I want to look as close to the comic book version as I can. This year, I was pushing it. And honestly, I went with the tactical vest instead of a shoulder holster mainly because it hid my gut. Or, as my wife puts it, my "husband tummy."

So, assuming I can lose the weight I want to (and honestly, I need to lose it for health reasons anyways), I am considering the following:

Daredevil

Moon Knight

Dr. Strange (this might be doable even if I'm not in the best shape)

Man-Thing (ok this might be a bit far-fetched, but it'd be wicked cool)

Dee Snider

Rambo (this would require some SERIOUS working out)

However, chances are by this time next year my list of possibilities will be completely different.

Cosplay

In a couple of weeks we are heading to Wizard World Chicago, aka Chicago Comic Con. This will be my first Con in a while. We went once for a Saturday afternoon a few years ago, on the way home from dropping Faith off at O'Hare. But this time it's a planned event. And not only that, it's also the first time I will be in costume.

Many moons ago, when I lived in San Diego, I went to the San Diego Comic Con every year for ten years straight. I watched it grow into a monstrosity, and am amazed that it has gotten even bigger still since my last visit in 2006. But, in all those years, I never went in any kind of costume. Well, once Chris and I were going to go as Kevin Matchstick (Chris) and Kirby Hero (me), but that only half worked, and was kind of abandoned at the last minute.

This time, I am actively putting together a costume. My thought was to go as classic Nick Fury...with a twist. You see, in the comics, Nick wore a lot of blue and white. It works in four-color, but not in real life, IMHO. So, my thought was to interpret Nick as he might have looked had the Marvel movies chosen Classic instead of Ultimate Nick Fury. So, basically, a SWAT-style look. Of course I would still have the classic Nick elements of an eye-patch, gray temples, and a cigar.

This guy is the Gold Standard for
Classic Nick Fury, as presented in
the comic books.

All that being said, I'm kind of second-guessing myself. I'm not sure many people would get the idea, and would just assume I was going the cheap route, instead of putting together an authentic costume. And you know what? They could be right. I mean, isn't the point of dressing up for a con to celebrate the characters as they have been portrayed? I kind of think so. Which makes me think that another idea might be better.

My costume wouldn't be exact,
but it'd be pretty close.

As anyone who knows me even a little should be aware, I am a HUGE Stallone fan (oddly related, I once Photoshopped a pic of Sly as Nick Fury...I think he would have been great!). So, with The Expendables 2 coming out this month, I thought it would be cool to celebrate that by going as an Expendable to the Con. The costume itself would be pretty easy now. I have airsoft guns, a tactical vest, black BDU pants and combat boots. I even have a black beret, and could easily just go as Barney Ross himself (except I can't seem to find that cool Expendables flash he wears in the sequel). I think if I did this, though, I would have to insist that my wife draw an Expendables tattoo on my arm for the day.

I don't know. Anyone with Cosplay experience have an opinion on this?