Sidereal Movement

Shore Leave

15/07/15 at 8.56pm   /   by siderealmovement   /   8287 Comments

You may be wondering what shore leave is.

From a nautical perspective, it is the time during which a ship is anchored out in a safe harbor or moored up to a pier, and the sailors are allowed time off the ship to see the local sights, enjoy the local food and drink, and generally stretch their legs on a surface that isn’t constantly rocking and pitching. It’s good for moral, and an excellent opportunity to take part in a new, or not commonly visited culture.

From a geeky perspective,  the crew of the USS Enterprise arrived on a planet in the Omicron Delta region on stardate 3025. After a landing party was sent down to briefly explore the surface, it was determined that this planet would be an excellent opportunity for the crew to experience some time off of the ship.

In honor of this event in the original series, the Star Trek Association of Towson hosts an annual fan run science fiction convention. It is the weekend of 7-9 August, and is a scant 75 miles from me. Also, John Barrowman is one of the special guests this year. (squee!) Who just preregistered today? This girl!

For more information, please visit their website! http://www.shore-leave.com/

 

 

Doctor Who Season 9

15/07/09 at 6.38pm   /   by siderealmovement   /   9937 Comments

Many many many thanks to my friend Marih for alerting me to the official trailer for season 9 of Doctor Who that was released today!

Ok, now that’s we’ve all seen it…….

 

Clara and Missy and Zygons and Emperor Dalek and could that be Skaro(?) and cyborgs and the Doctor playing an electric guitar and…..Arya? Obviously I know she’s not Arya, but who then, is she? Could she be another version of River? Or possibly Romana? Or could she be Jenny?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? What are your thoughts here? Mine is pretty much that September 19th can’t get here soon enough!

San Diego Comic Con!

15/07/08 at 9.50pm   /   by siderealmovement   /   14600 Comments

Just kidding. I will not be attending San Diego Comic Con this year.

 

I mean, it doesn’t help matters that I live in Washington D.C. and am literally on the other side of the country. Or that tickets are damn near impossible to get. Last year, when I happened to be actually living in San Diego, I sat on my computer for nearly three hours while my husband and a friend did the same with all of our registration names, trying to get tickets. We watched as Saturday sold out, then Friday, then preview night, until finally only Sunday remained. Amazingly, I was able to make it in to the purchase room when Sunday was still available! But before I could even click anything, I was immediately redirected to a new page telling me that they were sold out. Talk about disappointment. Leonard, you are my spirit animal here.

Flash forward to this year. When tickets went on sale, I wasn’t in San Diego, or even on the other side of the country. I was on the other side on the WORLD! And with a shitty internet connection to boot. Considering that the only way you have a prayer of getting tickets is if you had a badge the previous year, I knew I hardly stood the smallest of chances even if I had been able to get a badge last year.

And there are a ton of really, truly, great conventions available to attend all around the country and at all times of the year. There’s AwesomeCon in D.C. and Emerald City Con in Seattle and Comicpalooza in Housten and New York Comic Con! The one in San Diego is simply the most well known. Because of this, SDCC is able to get a lot of exclusive content and first sneak peaks at a lot of things. And with it’s proximity to Hollywood, they do get a lot of guest stars and panelists that are able to attend. I suppose this does make it desirable to attend.

But can it really be considered Nerd Mecca anymore? It’s prohibitively exclusive, largely due to the fact that it has simply outgrown its space. Even Nerd HQ in the Petco Park is full to bursting, and just trying to get around anywhere the San Diego Convention Center is a nightmare. (I know, I tried. Although, Crazy Fish was weirdly empty. I think because the outside was covered in an advertisement, a lot of people didn’t realize it was a restaurant, maybe? If you’re there, check it out. Great fish tacos!)

 

Am I saying that I wouldn’t go to San Diego if I could somehow, miraculously get badges? Heck no! I’d be there in a heartbeat! What I am saying is that I am not going to let the fact that my local conventions aren’t SDCC dampen my enjoyment of them.  And to anyone in the VA or MD area who may be attending Shore Leave in August, please wave if you see me! I’ll probably be in line to meet John Barrowman.

Happy Fourth of July!

15/07/05 at 7.36pm   /   by siderealmovement   /   15017 Comments

It is very late. As in it is technically now the 5th (and by technically, I mean it’s past noon). But I spent all day yesterday at the farmer’s market, waiting around for the Toyota dealership to call me back about when my car would be ready for pick-up, and then driving to Fredericksburg to have dinner and watch fireworks with an old friend and her family.

So to commemorate that yesterday has the birthday of my country, (and also the fact that I love the Muppets) here is a clip from the end of MuppetVision 3D that can be seen in full at various Disney parks. Probably also on YouTube, but hey. Anyway, I love this show, and particularly this segment of it. How it is largely about American patriotism, as well as how intertwined we are with all cultures across the world and how we’re still trying to get everything to run smoothly.

Take it away, Sam Eagle!