The Blog to Nowhere

Another uneventful year, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

- Finished 61 books, same as last year. The last book I read for 2018 was Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers, which is part of her Galactic Commons series. Man, I love these books. This series has quaint, simple stories with much smaller stakes and the world building is amazing. It's right on par with the world building in The Expanse novels; well thought out with plenty of details. What else did I read... Finished the first trilogy in the Red Rising series. The fact that it's the first trilogy annoyed me to no end. The third book finished in a good place. There was no need to keep the story going. But nope, got to keep churning out books to make the bottom line. Sufficed to say, I will not check out the rest of the series. Started an... interesting comic book series called Sex Criminals. Main premise is that a guy and girl can stop time when they have sex, so naturally, they decide to rob banks. It's definitely not a comic that can be read on public transit. But it is written by Matt Fraction, who did that awesome run on the Hawkeye (Hawkguy) comics, so the writing it pretty snappy and the art is done by a Canadian, so you can't go wrong there. Not many other books stand out. Didn't really read any stinkers, so that's nice.

Annoyingly, my library stopped service with the hoopla app, which is how I read most of my comics. Hoopla was an awesome resource for old and current comics; the selection was pretty vast. My library still carries graphic novels, but the selection is a little limited. Thankfully, I guess, the only comic that I stayed up to date with on hoopla is on a year long hiatus, so right now I don't have to worry about that.

- Completed 9 knitting projects for the year, plus a handful of mini Christmas sweater ornaments. One highlight was knitting a Wesley Crusher doll and gifting it to Wesley Crusher himself, Wil Wheaton. It's only the second time that I've gifted something to a celebrity and he genuinely seemed to enjoy it. Hurray for knitting skills! I'm still trying to knit a shawl for myself and I do want to start knitting proper socks. I think I will be knitting baby socks with actual sock yarn for a friend's baby shower, so that's a start. Oh, and a sweater that can actually be worn by a human being and not be hung on a Christmas tree.

- Not much else to highlight. Did a nice cruise around the British Isles this summer, with the last port of call in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is a lot like Venice with all of the canals, but with more pot and sex shops. It's also very easy to get horribly turned around. I had to do a lot of backtracking while trying to find a popular yarn store. Got another cruise booked for late May with ports in Norway, so I expect there will be a lot of "pining for the fjords" jokes. :-)

Well, that's it from me. I hope everyone had a somewhat enjoyable 2018.

Happy New Year!

- Finished 61 books this year. That's down from last year, but I was unemployed for a big chunk of 2016 so that's probably why. I had wanted to read something exciting for my last book of the year, but I didn't find anything in time so I ended up reading another book in the knitting themed cozy mystery series. I really should give up this series, but it's like candy. You know it's not good and you should put it down, but you just can't help yourself. And the thing that bugs me - on top of the plain and repetitive writing and the dull characters and the boring murder mysteries - is that the author doesn't know a thing about knitting. Yes, the knitting isn't important to the story and it's just the hook for the series, but if you're going to feature something so prominently in your book, you can at least do some better research. The knitting store in the series is real for heaven's sake! There are actual knitters that the author knows. Okay, so maybe it only bothers me, since I actually knit, but you have to assume that a good chunk of the reading audience are also knitters. If the author describes something wrong, you know all of the knitters will pick up on it.

(Like, who decreases stitches every round on a hat? Rapid decreases like that would give you a very pointy crown. And you don't wind yarn into a ball until you're ready to use it! Winding yarn into a ball stretches it out. That's why everything comes in skeins.)

But I digress... I read a few stand out books this year. I finished off the Jackaby series; that's the series with the main character who is the love child between Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock and Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor. I don't get why the author ended the series after four books. He has enough ideas to keep going for many books, but on the other hand, it's nice to see a YA series with a definitive end. I also discovered the Galactic Commons series by Becky Chambers. A lovely sci fi series with great world building but small, intimate stories and interesting characters. I also started a YA Sherlock Holmes series called Charlotte Holmes. Charlotte is a direct descendant of Sherlock Holmes and her best friend Jamie Watson is also descended from John Watson. Basically, it's a modern day Sherlock Holmes series, but with a teenaged girl and boy. My only gripe is how the author chose to have Jamie in love with Charlotte. Ugh. You really don't need that.

Thanks to my library, I also read a ton of graphic novels. Ever since DC launched its Rebirth line, I've been reading some of those, like Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Supergirl. The app that I'm reading everything through also got some Marvel comics, so I may have to check those out at some point.

- Officially completed 8 knitting projects along with a handful of other smaller projects. My god, it was so slow at work before the Christmas break that I knitted a good chunk of the Christmas sweaters while at work. Good thing my manager doesn't care what we do to occupy our time during lulls. I'm trying to start proper sock knitting. I finished one adult sized sock with worsted weight and it turned out all right; I just need to finish the second sock. After that, I may be ready to start with sock weight yarn. I also keep meaning to knit a shawl for myself, but other stuff keeps getting in the way. Oh well. I'll get there eventually.

- Started a new full time job in May. After 8 months of doing temp work, it was nice to have benefits and sick days again. The work isn't anything exciting and the pay could be better, but it's better than being unemployed again.

- On the geeky side of things, I had a great vacation in Cardiff and got to visit the Doctor Who Experience one last time before it shut down. I even got to meet Peter Capaldi at the comic book expo. It's the small things in life that make me happy. :-D

What's to come in 2018: I don't know really. I re-booked that British Isles cruise that I had to cancel last year. My mom is turning a significant age this year and she'll get to celebrate her birthday while on the cruise, so that should be fun. The cruise will visit parts of the Ireland where they film Game of Thrones. I don't watch the show at all but it might be fun to hit up some of the filming locations just because I'm a giant nerd and I like things like that. Aside from that, I don't have any plans. I guess I'll wing it like I always do.

I had done a TARDIS set tour back in 2013, but I couldn't resist doing another one. That's the great thing about the Experience; it's only a five minute walk away from Roath Lock.

( Pictures from the TARDIS set tour behind the cut )

Next post: random filming locations from around Cardiff and a visit to Portmeirion.

- Off to Cardiff tomorrow! Well, with the flight time and time change I won't get there until Friday morning, but you get the idea. I'm definitely going to visit the house that stood in for Sarah Jane's house on The Sarah Jane Adventures. I found a yarn store nearby (right next to the store front they used for Bloomin' Lovely, Gita's flower shop) so the bus ticket is worth the money now. Before, I probably would have been in the neighbourhood for like five minutes, but now I can browse yarn as well.

- Today was my last day of my temp job. They also celebrated the May birthdays today, so I got a birthday card that was half birthday wishes and half farewells. While I always knew the job would have to come to an end at some point, it is a little sad to move on. I liked what I did and the people I worked with were super nice. And I actually met people who liked the same stuff that I do! I never had that in my last job. I promised to pick up some swag at the Doctor Who Experience for two co-workers, so I will get to visit everyone once I get back, but it won't be the same.

- I'm missing out of a week of TV while I'm away. Usually I don't care but it's season finale time, so there's a lot of important stuff happening right now. Oh well. I guess I'll just binge watch everything when I get back.

- I'll have access to Wi-Fi while I'm away. Expect a over long post with pictures from the Doctor Who Experience on Saturday. :-D

- Just over a week until I'm in Cardiff! So far my only solid plans are to visit the Doctor Who Experience and take a day trip out to Portmeirion.

I am tempted to visit the house that stands in for Sarah Jane's house on The Sarah Jane Adventures. I mean, I'll be visiting the TARDIS set and probably walking through the Plass, so it only seems fair to visit 13 Bannerman Road, too. The house is located outside of the city centre, so I'd need to take a bus out to it, but figuring out public transit shouldn't be too hard. Though, I do wonder if it's slightly weird to snap pictures of someone's house. Or maybe the owners are used to fans milling around on the sidewalk? I figure if I don't step onto their driveway it should be fine.

- Ever wanted to have an adventure with the Doctor? Well, apparently you can, through Skype of all things: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2017/05/doctor-who-bot-030517144508.html

You're basically talking to a chat bot, but there are some voice over bits with Peter Capaldi. I gave it a try and it's kind of fun. I think you can come up with any response and the bot will reply accordingly. Or maybe the bot replies with the same answer no matter what... Whatever the case, you can write your own dialogue and pretend you're a Companion. If my boring responses are any indication, I'd be a very dull Companion.

- After working temp for nearly eight months, I finally have a full time job lined up. My friend, who also used to be in oil and gas, put in a good word for me where she now works. It's nothing glamourous, but the work will be steady and I won't have to worry about month to month extensions. So once I get home from my vacation, I'll have something new to do.

- Saw Logan on the weekend. I'm not squeamish at the sight of gore nor a big prude when it comes to the f word, but I'm not a huge fan of R rated movies so they're not something I necessarily need to see. Hell, I haven't seen Deadpool yet. So I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a family of four sitting behind me. The family consisted of the parents, a son who was probably no older than ten, and a daughter who was around six or seven. This is an R rated movie! Okay, it's 18A in Canada, so technically a minor can see this movie if accompanied by an adult, but come on. This isn't like the other X-Men or Marvel movies. If you've seen the trailers, you know that Logan stabs a guy in the head with his claws, and that's just one example of the amped up level of violence. I get that your kids may love superhero movies and you wanted to do a family outing, but this didn't seem like a great choice.

Anyway, the movie. It was actually pretty good, blood and gore and language aside. I seriously could watch an entire movie that consisted solely of Logan and Charles taking a road trip and complaining with/about each other. Charles is slightly dotty in his old age, so Patrick Stewart was just delightful to watch. But the most amazing thing about Logan is how it doesn't feel like a superhero movie. It has mutants in it, but no one is in a colourful spandex suit nor is the fate of the world at stake. It's a very personal journey for Logan and that's more engaging than stuff blowing up or cities being destroyed.

( Spoilers for Logan )

- My flight to Cardiff is booked! I'll be in Wales for my birthday, which I plan to spend at the Doctor Who Experience. I can't think of a better gift to give to myself than an afternoon of sheer geekery. I'm still trying to figure out how to get to Portmeirion from Cardiff. I'm sure figuring out which trains to take is really easy, but my experience with booking train trips is next to nil. This is what happens when you live in a country that's ginormous. Convenient rail travel isn't a thing so you don't get any practice at it.

- This also means that I'll get to watch an episode of Doctor Who while in Cardiff. I know it's not a huge thing, I can easily watch Doctor Who at home, but I like the idea of watching it on its proper channel. It's like an observing a wild animal in its natural habitat. ;-)

- And speaking of Doctor Who, they announced the villains for episodes 11 and 12. I won't provide a link to the article since it's spoilery (damn io9 spoiling it for me *grumble*), but I'm very intrigued.

( Spoilers for Doctor Who season 10, episodes 11 and 12 )

So, my big Star Trek vacation. I attended this con five years ago, and it had been impressive then, but this year was even more impressive. Over 100 guests (some major, some minor), and seating for 6000 in the main panel room. That may not seem like a lot - hell, the Corral here holds just as many people - but that's still up from the seating for 4000 attendees when I was there last. Total attendance was, supposedly, around 10,000. That's a lot of people to squish into the hotel's convention area, which is large, but contained to one section of the hotel.

Actually, now that I think about it, that's probably 10,000 attendees over five days. The con sold one day admission passes for the first time. Still, that's a ton of people for any con in general.

Everything kicked off on Wednesday and went on straight until Sunday. I'm so glad I had a room in the hotel. After a long day, you could just go back to your room and lie down.

I should note that I didn't get my new camera until Saturday, so there's a mix of pictures taken with my phone and with the camera. I should also warn you that this is a long post with several pictures.

( Star Trek Las Vegas 50th anniversary convention )

Now I really want to re-watch all of the Star Trek shows, starting with TOS and ending with Enterprise. That's only what? 700+ episodes? Wait, should I include the animated series, too?

Though at this point the cruise ship might be in the Ionian Sea; I haven't checked the navigational map on the TV in a while.

So yeah, on my vacation, cruising around Italy and visiting countries like Croatia and Slovenia along the way. It's really hot here, hotter than I anticipated, and I don't do well in hot climates. I guess that's my own fault for not checking the weather report before we left. But it's cool, visting all of these ports. A lot of history in these parts. I've seen a few walled cities along the way.

And, being the geek that I am, I've also visited some filming locations. :-) Found the church/library from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in Venice. My god, the streets are nearly impossible to navigate; so many twists and turns. We got super turned around trying to find the church. I swear we walked all of Venice in the few days we were there. I also visited some of the locations from Assassin's Creed II for Venice. The attention to detail in the game is amazing. In Split, Croatia, we did a shore excursion to Trogir, which stood in for Venice in the Doctor Who episode "The Vampires of Venice". Everything was so small; the TV screen makes the locations look huge. And the last port we just visited, Dubrovnik, is King's Landing in Game of Thrones. It was so crowded in the old town. I guess the show has a big enough budget that it can basically shut down the old town while filming, because it was crawling with tourists when we were there.

Oh, and it's kind of crazy how many wifi hot spots I found along the way. I guess the need to stay connected and to post pictures forces a lot of places to offer wifi in public places. I can't decide if that's a good thing or not, but it is handy if you quickly want to check your email or Facebook.

The ship is currently on it's way to Malta. After that, it's Sicily, then Naples, then Rome, and then the cruise is done. We're spending a few extra days in Rome before going home, so I'll get a chance to visit all of the touristy spots in Rome.

- Anyone reading the new Serenity comic? The first issue was out this week. With Buffy and Angel living on in the comics, it seemed only natural that Firefly would join them, too. Seeing as we won't get another movie, likely ever, this is the next best thing.

Just some initial thoughts:

( Spoilers for Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #1 )

I'm a bit conflicted about the art. Georges Jeanty worked on seasons eight and nine of Buffy and I never really warmed to his style. Sometimes it worked, but other times, the characters didn't look at all like the actors. I know when you're drawing comics based off of a TV show it's a little difficult to capture the actors' likeness, but you shouldn't have to guess who someone is at times. At the same time, it's dramatic license so I can overlook it, which will be easy to do if the story is really good.

At six issues, it's not a sprawling story like seasons of Buffy and Angel, so I worry it's not enough time to tell a decent story. In the end, though, I just want the comic to do well so they keep doing them.

- So yeah, went on vacation again. Did a week long cruise of the Caribbean. Visited five islands and Puerto Rico to boot. It's safe to say that hot weather does not agree with me. I'm accustomed to Canadian weather, where summertime temperatures rarely go above 30 C. A whole week of 27 - 28 C? Yeah, it's a nice break from winter but it's a little uncomfortable for me.

But aside from that, it was a great vacation. I've never been to the Caribbean before and it's gorgeous there. Turquoise water. It's real! It's not Photoshop. And everything is so green and lush. I was showing my co-worker some of my photos and there were times when I couldn't tell the islands apart.

I was expecting more pirate themed stuff at the ports, since actual pirates used to sail around those islands, but alas, there wasn't much. There was lots of rum, though. :-)

- Returned home to the usual madness at work. :-P And so many people are sick. What were you guys doing while I was away? One co-worker keeps telling me to sanitize my hands every time I leave her cubicle. Oh well, that's cold and flu season for you. Remember to wash your hands, everybody!

- I've been so exhausted from work lately. Not physically, but mentally. There's so much crap going on with this data entry that I do. Office politics, very little support, and so much apathy from the engineering departments. I'd give it up, but then I'd be leaving my co-worker in a bind and he totally doesn't deserve that. I just want to get away from it all for a little bit; thank goodness I'm going on vacation in November. Speaking of which...

-I'll be in London in November. Anyone know what the weather is like then? Online, it says the mean high temperature for London in November is around 8 degrees Celsius. That's downright balmy when compared to home. We can get into the minuses around that time of year and we get snow, too. I'm under the impression that London doesn't get a lot of snow. I mean, if it does snow, no big deal, but do I pack snow boots just in case? Or do I just bring shoes? What if my feet get cold? And do I bring a winter jacket? I've never travelled during the winter before.

-Broadchurch has started airing in North America, so I thought I would start watching. Obviously the only reason I wanted to watch was because of David Tennant and Arthur Darvill, but the show's not that bad. It's so serious, though. I'm used to my dramas having a bit of humour in them. The accents are also throwing me a little. I'm not sure where Broadchurch is supposed to be situated in England, but the accents kind of remind me of Newfoundland accents. I'm almost near the end and I still can't decide who the killer is. I want to think it's someone you don't expect, but a part of me wonders if they went with something obvious. And the show is just chock full of former Doctor Who people.

-Since work is being annoying, I've been playing Assassin's Creed II a lot. It was a free download and that was the main reason I got it, but turns out the premise is really neat and it's fun running around on the rooftops of cities in Renaissance Italy. Assassinating virtual people also helps to relieve stress. With the way missions and side quests are set up, you can do a bunch in a short amount of time, so it's really easy to get lost in the game. I usually think to myself, "Oh, I have time for just one more mission..." and suddenly it's an hour later. And I can see why guys cosplay as the main character Ezio. His costume is pretty bad ass. I'm in the process of getting the first game if only so I can understand more of the backstory.

- I want my TV shows to come back soon. I need some mindless brain candy.