Labels: comics, comics studies, grad school, news
said...DUDE! OMG! This is so exciting! You sound like a rockstar! And those pictures are GORGEOUS! You need to keep them! You look so hot and you sound so smart. :)
ish said...Awesome, congratulations.
(I'd want to take the class)
said...Impressive. That's a really nice article.
said...I have been meaning to ask you: do you ever feel pressure from the idea that you are referred to as an "expert"?
Labels: adjectives, language, the personal is political dammit, what not to wear
said...I love the phrase "tapioca skin." So cool. I want people to say I have tapioca skin. I think, my skin doesn't quite fit the category though. I've been told I have an "olive" complexion. Does that mean that someone wants to put me in a vodka martini?
I agree with what you're saying here. It's interesting how the term "porcelain" conjures up images of cold things for me, while the words "mocha," "caramel" and "chocolate" are all very hot, very sensual. I think this connects to racism, honestly. Something perhaps about the "nature" of these two races? Also, the terms for the Black women's skin types also come down to images that are runny, that melt, that can change shape, while porcelain is very rigid. At any rate, these terms for skin tone conjure up images of Victorian ideas of race (and sexuality) for me... which is quite disturbing.
said...If someone told me I had marshmallow skin, I probably wouldn't be too happy. That just conjures up images of the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man, and he was kinda fat.
said...So are you saying that telling someone they have mocha skin is better or worse than marshmallow?
said...And that's exactly my point: olive?! What the hell does olive mean? Are you green? No. Are you black? No. Are you stuffed with pimento? I wouldn't know, but if you are, hopefully it's on your own terms.
Think about it, there are three major types of skin tones: fair, olive, dark. Isn't that weird? I know some companies will classify foundations as: light, medium, dark, which seems a little more equitable. But I still think it's weird that we have fair, olive and ark are used together in magazines. Because fair is a term that is associated with beauty, olive--I'm totally lost on what olive is associated with aside from olives, and dark, when used in direct opposition to fair feels like there's a stronger association with dark things, like disturbing things.
This is weird, no?
Labels: celebrity, childhood, comedians, margaret cho
Lorie said...It's been so long since I've seen Margaret Cho in anything that I'm not sure I remember how I feel about her. Which sounds weird, now that I say it. I remember her doing imitations of her mom, and I think that voice used to get on my nerves a bit. Other than that, I have very neutral, non-existent feelings towards the comedy of Margaret Cho. On a side note, someone on my LJ friends list has an icon of her with the line "I'm here to wash your vagina."
said...Well... I think gender plays a certain role, but for I also think some people just have a certain tolerance for standup and certain preferences. E. can watch Margaret Cho, while I can't stand her. I don't know why, but she makes me sick. I think standup in general is a bit repulsive, so it's not just her. I liked Ellen's comedy tour and I saw J. Garafalo when she was on tour a few years back. They're okay. I don't like a lot of sex jokes in my standup (which a lot of the guys do...and Margaret Cho does a lot, so maybe that's what's up there. Maybe it comes down to gender. I can't stand most comedians, but Seifeld doesn't seem to make a lot of sex jokes, so I'm okay there.)
While I'm typing, I just figured out why I can't tolerate standup. I think it comes down to my fear of mimes. As a kid, I was scared of any type show where they could grab a member of the audience or interact with the audience in some way. And still to this day, when I see standup, I cringe because it's slightly scary to be incorporated or called out or something. (Which makes the sex thing all the more repulsive!! UGH!) Even on TV, I feel for those who could be in the audience. WEIRD, I know!
Hope my long-winded response makes sense.
And please, whatever you do, don't ever become a mime!
said...I think I will give her a try again. I know a lot of people who love Margaret Cho, so it could be that I walked in on some of her "crass" material without really hearing the other stuff. After all, I've only seen clips of her standup when I see E. (or my sister, back in the day) watching it.
I agree about Bernie Mac and George Carlin. It's funny because I like to read and hear about sex, but I guess humor attached to it has to be *just* right for me and that's where it gets very subjective. I don't mind people talking about their sex lives (in fact, I find it informative or interesting at the very least--and sometimes it can be enlightening and actually help me out). At the same time, I don't like when women (perhaps those who inspired or were influenced by Sex and the City)and men (stereotypically frat boys) talk about sex just to show off--or worse, to laugh at their partners. Not to work through something, not to mull something over analytically. That's a huge problem for me, and perhaps the line where I have trouble in stand-up. But that's obviously a personal issue and not something that applies to everyone. I like sex jokes not to provide too much of a visual with explicit images (funny situations might be okay, like J. Frakes and a certain cylon professor...hehehe...), but I don't like when it might hurt someone. Does that make sense?
As for blogging about your sex life, here's a question, what part of your shared sex life with B. is communal and what part is yours? I know that's a strange question, but I think you could blog about things like feeling frisky, as my grandmother always called it, without hurting anyone. Then again, it really boils down to how much of your privacy you want out there. I'd say, approach the subject again. And, if you use your blog as a replacement for a traditional journal of sorts, you could always make those entries private so you could write about your sex life without sharing it.
By the way, what do you think of Sarah Silverman? Her "I'm fucking Matt Damon" was awesome.
ish said...Cho, Silverman, Griffin, and Wanda Sykes are my favorite female comedians right now (unordered). I really liked Ellen in the early 90s. Its true she was very much a more safe comedian like Seinfeld, but she did it very well. And that makes it so much more amazing and impressive when she made such a stand for gay rights on network television. The problem, of course, was that it wasn't funny. And she spent about 5 unfunny years there as a social philosopher rather than comedian. And her return to prominence with the show found her coming back to the middle of the road sensibility, which seems like a shame to me. She's still pretty funny, but there seems to be a bit of an extra level of inanity now that's almost a fear of getting caught up in that swarm again, and I wish she could have found a way to make it funny, since really she's got a lot of credit as the one who allowed it to be talked about on a daytime show at all. But she mostly plays the "straight man" on her show (and that's a really funny adaptation of language to apply to her, "Um... none of the above, actually").
I tend to prefer more cerebral absurdist humor, which is fairly uncommon with popular female comedians. Which is to say, they may be out there, but I don't have any way to hear them. Anyway, obviously Carlin and Steven Wright. I was a huge fan of Mitch Hedberg. Dmitry Martin, Emo Phillips, Jake Johannsen. And there's the satirical political comedians, like Lenny Bruce, Bill Hicks, Chris Rock, David Cross, the other George Carlin, and Lewis Black, which also tend to be men, though Wanda Sykes gets into some of this territory now and then.
As for the actual question: I think there may be some element of misogyny attached. Often with Cho and Griffin I get a sense that is my own repressed misogyny telling me I'm not supposed to like it. I also think some degree of misogyny (or its opposite, misandry, which I had to look up since the word is never used as though it didn't exist) is natural just due to the nature of inherent differences in the genders as well as a fear of the other. The problem of course is in the unequal power relationship which causes those unable to hold that feeling in check to be more likely to be men and as such have a larger effect.
In this case, I'm not sure its a bad thing. I think the reason this is attached so strongly to Cho (and definitely Griffin as well) is that their acts are so archetypically feminine. While they can be appreciated by all, they both seem to have a special resonance with women, in ways that Silverman for instance does not, since she seems to be enjoyed as much as if not actually more by men. My initial reaction was that this stemmed from a sense among many men that "I hear this stuff from my wife all day, why would I listen to it for entertainment?" And I had thought that probably it wasn't that big of a deal.
But reflecting back on the treatment Hilary Clinton received in the press, as a candidate I don't support but whose really horrible treatment disgusted me, I think I may have changed my mind while writing this. In the case discussed (whether someone likes a comedian or not) the result seems relatively unimportant. But the feeling itself seems to me it could be quite dangerous. I suspect that unconscious judgment is worse, as it can't really be confronted.
said...I thought you might like this quote from Margaret Cho's interview with Us Magazine. In response to a question regarding why her husband won't be on her new show, she said, "Well, we want to stay married. My marriage is the best thing in my life, and I don't want to use that for commercial purposes. It's a sacred bond we have, and it's not for public viewing."
I think that might touch on some of the same issues regarding writing about one's sex life on one's blog as well. What do you think?
I really liked her interview. Her honesty regarding her rape, her body image and self-esteem made me really relate to her. Now, I really want to see her standup.
Labels: ABD, balancing art and business, creative vs critical, grad school, job market, real life, tenure track
said...I think you should email some of this to the AEGS listserv. I'd say all of it, honestly. I think people need to know this stuff and maybe it would help wake up some of the "new" people and the "seasoned" veterans. Why don't we talk about this stuff? Why are we scared? What are we all scared about anyway?
I've wondered for a while now if all academic publications and conferences are equal. But NO ONE seems to give me a straight answer. For example, is it a plus if we publish in a little-known journal or is it a negative since it shows that we're not in the big leagues yet? And which journals are the big leagues, exactly? Which align us to certain political areas? Some are obvious, yes, but some are not.
Anyway... just some thoughts. But yes, I think you need to get the people talking more on the listserv... and I think the "private" conversations going on about creative jobs need to come out, since it might help the new people and some of us critical people actually really want to do creative stuff too.
ish said...First: I know nothing about graduate school for writing or the greater job market in creative writing. Just to get that out of the way.
I've always found it astonishing how little people pay attention to the job market in the arts. Certainly, arts (and particularly solitary arts like writing or painting) are different than sciences or engineering or business. But are they so different that talking about how one intends to eat is taboo?
A friend of mine went to art school, first for sequential illustration and then for acting, and now 5 years later spends most of his time working at the UPS store. Certainly success in the arts requires a bit of dues paying, but seriously?
And I think that attitude is encouraged, like if you ever actually get paid for what you do then it is no longer valuable. Just to say it: I'm totally in favor of selling out. I understand what you're saying, Jilly, about not writing things you don't believe in or doing things for your audience first, but I think its worth applying a little perspective. Because I think in some ways that's an overly self-indulgent attitude. You know, no one who goes into science or engineering is told that if you spend time thinking about where you want to work and how you want to support yourself it will hurt your work. And very few scientists or engineers really get to do what they really want to do 100% of the time. You get stuck working on what your boss thinks is important, or what is a popular subject of research at your university, and you shut up and do the work knowing that if its done well you'll get the opportunity to focus on what you want later. Its a compromise. You get to eat and that gives you more time to work on what you really want, and in the meantime you're at least doing what you enjoy instead of working at Border's waiting for your ship to come in.
And as much as the arts are different, I really don't see them as terribly different in that respect. What's better: Never compromising your vision or never publishing anything because you're spending all your time as a clerk? The biggest difference is that you don't have a boss to tell you what to work on, you have to figure it out yourself, and I really think that it is a disservice for a graduate program to be so shy about helping you to know what's out there.
Of course it is important to have and follow your own voice or your writing will suffer for it. But still, I think its about compromise, and I personally get really annoyed with the self-imposed starving artist crap. (Not referring to what you've said here, just in general. I'm sure you've recognized the type and I think its typified by the "I'm worried all this focusing on business will hurt your writing" comment.)
So I don't have any ideas or suggestions about the tough work of getting published and how to go about it. But as a general philosophy I've always found that art benefits more from limitation than it does from freedom. When its done in complete freedom it becomes self-indulgent and stagnant because when anything is possible there are no hard choices to make.
In any case, you may not have intended this as something for the clueless like myself to post on, and I may have missed the point entirely, but that's my take. Certainly try to keep the discussion going with people who aren't as ignorant as me, I really think that ignorance of the job market is incredibly dangerous. Again, different market, but if I would have known 3 years ago what I know now I could have spent two less years in school, not gone $60k in debt and not had my house foreclosed. I don't regret the path I took, but it does show the possible costs.
I certainly agree that your difference is your strength and look forward to what you will create. But don't be afraid of compromise and balance. Unfortunately, the universe rarely submits to our will, and by allowing yourself to be guided you can be quite pleasantly surprised at the places you'll end up.
Jilly said...I appreciate both perspectives I've received so far: someone in the program and someone outside. Let me try to address these comments in chronological order.
Nata is right. These conversations should be had--but you told me classes started this week, so maybe the talking is going on in person instead of via e-mail? Maybe you can keep your ears open and see if people are actually talking, because maybe it's just my perspective on the other side of the country that the lack of activity on the listserv suggests silence (when I could be wrong).
I hesitate to continue the conversation on the listserv--to take the Creative Writing Conversation that was happening there--because one of the people who graduated who mailed me with some really important information told me she didn't mind if I shared it with other CWers but she chose to e-mail me directly after reading my letters on AEGS. So, I feel like her info isn't mine to share to the group as a whole, but I just forwarded it to you and scexpatriate, since you two are my peeps on the critical track (it is up to you to decide who you share the information with and if that means AEGS, then so be it).
I also am frustrated with the conference/journal thing. Why don't people talk about that stuff? I think it needs to be addressed in 501 or something. If we knew this stuff from the beginning, then it'd lay a more stable groundwork for our scholarly writing.
FYI: The only faculty member I have personally encountered who does talk about this kind of stuff, very honestly, is Joseph Dane. He's great.
Chandra said...Hi Jilly,
I posted a link to this on livejournal where we have a little collection of posts somewhat related to the general issues you're addressing with writing here.
That baseball metaphor is so perfect!
Jilly said...I glad you liked it. Thinking about writing as pitching a ball has helped me a lot actually. I remember watching the 2001 World Series, where Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling were dominating the Yankees, and I remember wishing I could write the way Curt Schilling pitches. But it took me a few years to understand that discipline and trust end up being just as important as the actual talent.
ish said...I've been called a lot of things, but Ferengi is a new one. It sounds about right though.
I also worry about those who work ONLY to get published. I find that the other disturbing pole across from complete ignorance of business. I guess the reason that self-imposed starving artist
bothers me more is that it seems to come attached with a very self-righteous purity vibe that its opposite does not. (Possibly inappropriate observation) It reminds actually of regular churchgoers. Being a complete infidel myself, I get really annoyed with this attitude that going to a church every Sunday makes you a better person, when really people do that for themselves and could accomplish far more by donating that 3 hours of their time to soup kitchens or literacy programs or just picking up trash by the roadside. But then that's my bias. Anyway, compromise and balance.
I think focusing on your audience is one of those limitations that makes better work. Of course you can't be a slave to its will, that's a different thing. But knowing that its out there and trying to write for the audience (even if your goal is to challenge it rather than please it) forces you to work harder. And I know I don't gotta tell you that hard work is about the best and only guarantee of success in any endeavor.
I can only think that the more you know about business and the market the better it will be for you, financially and creatively. You can only accomplish so much from the bullpen, you got to get into the show to really get good.
PS: I already know who your metaphorical catcher is, now that Brandon has moved behind the plate. :) We won't make the series this year, but if they can put together a decent relief bullpen over the winter we might have a chance.
Jilly said...That last comment made me giggle out loud. That doesn't happen very often. :) Ah, Brandon Inge and my husband have one thing in common: I hate to see them go, but I love to watch them leave...
Lorie said...The block quote citing I tried to do didn't work (at least not in my browser). The link to the original is here.
said...So this is why we were the only geeks/celebrities in LA that weekend... it all makes sooo much sense now... ;)
Chandra said...Your Chii costume really is amazing. :)
Labels: grad school, teaching
Chandra said...I'd take it. If, y'know, I was in school.
Alex Knight said...Heck, you know I'd be on that class if I was in that school...
My Little Pony loves my new campus. Here she is helping set the world on fire:
After which she takes a meeting in the Fisher Center for a Photo Shoot with me (a link will be provided soon):
Across the way, My Little Pony enjoys the Elizabeth Blackwell room--the building in which my office and the FC are located is part of an old chapel on campuss.
And finally, My Little Pony overcomes the great debate in my mail box:
Labels: 2008, a day in the life of, comic-con, exclusive, my little pony, real life
said...Is Skype still free? I thought it wasn't for a while. I just use Ventrilo for my voice chat needs these days. You still owe me an email anyways.
Labels: backpacks, booqbag, fashion, funky, laptop bags, professional, style, suit
said...That's a great backpack! I really like the way it looks. Keep on blogging. I love reading about your life in NY. I miss you!
Chandra said...Nice backpack!
I carry my laptop in a Harajuku Lovers' tote... but I don't do a lot of hauling it about or I'd have to get a backpack, too.
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[/caption]Labels: bcbg, fashion, gothic lolita, loligoth, mainstream fashion, project runway, scream awards, spike tv, sweet lolita
Chandra said...Hi Jilly, I came to respond to the question about loligoth fashion… I don’t think it will go mainstream, just because we don’t have the same worship of cute that Japan does. There’s just something absent in American culture that would have produced the same result as Japan has. Could it transcend a costume? Well, on a person to person basis, maybe. I don’t think as a country/culture we are ready (or able?) to accept loligoth as a fashion style and not a costume. To know that a lot of the Japanese girls travel to Harajuku or Tokyo Dome in their regular clothes and change into their loligoth or cosplay outfits once they’ve arrived… well, to me it says it’s still a “weekend fashion.” It’s not an every day style yet.
said...Hi Jilly! I say GO FOR IT! I would totally do it if I was smaller! I like how they look Victorian.
When I'm an old lady, I'm totally going to dress in handmade Victorian getup and say, "Fuck it. I like my clothes and I don't care if you think I'm senile!"
said...So why don't you do it now? Why is age the determining factor? Is it something along the lines of, "I'm old and I've paid my dues, bitches!"?
Lorie said...My first thought was that it was number of ruffles that made an outfit drift into "costume" territory. But then your last example has quite a few layers of ruffles, and it does seem more subdued. Maybe it's lace and ruffles and overall flounce? I've been scoring too many math tests lately, and it makes me want to come up with some sort of graph or ratio of the attributes to figure out the perfect balance.
I'm not a good judge of anything fashion-related, but your reason for getting a dress like numbers 1 and 3 for the Scream Awards makes sense.
I'm also curious - I've always thought of the style as gothloli. Is loligoth the more correct term for it?
said...I believe either term is correct. I've seen all three: Gothic Lolita (Bible), gothloli and loligoth. For some reason, I always seem to call it loligoth when shortening the full name. It seems more fun. I might have picked this up from eBay auctions calling the outfits loligoth. I'm not sure.
ish said...First off, a straight guy giving fashion advice here, so feel free to discount it as such (even if I do watch Runway).
There is some danger of your clothing creating a prejudgment of you, and this definitely flirts with the line between costume and style. But ultimately its *you* that people will judge you by the most.
It reminds me a bit of a certain Math Professor back at the Tech, with a penchant for wearing Confederate Battle Regalia to class (I'm certain you recall him). Being a person who's taken more math than any human every should, I've had class with him and in reality he's a really great guy, a very conscientious teacher with a strong desire to help students learn, and pretty amusing to boot. Before I had class with him my opinion was entirely formed by his clothing, and I thought he was a nut. After having class with him I wasn't any less convinced he was a nut, but I did think he was a pretty good teacher and a good guy.
You may be caught fighting more for respect if you dress more "forward" than most, but I'm sure you're up to it. I'd also offer a more cautious go for it, but say be prepared to set the tone early. Also, comfort and self-confidence are the most important tools for any look. If you feel like you belong in it, you will look like you belong in it. Really the difference between quirky and kooky is far more in behavior than dress. But that's just me.
said...So is the general consensus that I should dress lolita for the Scream Awards? Remember, I'm supposed to actually be on TV, not just attend. Keeping this in mind, what dress should I have made? Aside from #1 (which I think is my favorite), I'm listing these in no particular order:
1. http://tinyurl.com/595pk6 -- if this one, which color: the antique-y white or black?
2. http://tinyurl.com/63nkqo
3. http://tinyurl.com/6ecjzy
4. http://tinyurl.com/55vplf -- if this one, which color: white or black?
5. http://tinyurl.com/68n7yp
Or I could go as Chi, since I was in my Chi costume when I won the opportunity: http://tinyurl.com/6du3xz -- this costume is so over the top that I love it.
Chandra said...I was fond of #4, because it looked refined. Like a cocktail dress with a loli touch. Then I zoomed and wondered if it looked too much like a Maid uniform.
Number 3 is also kind of young and a little less matronly, but it's definitely more casual.
Labels: britney spears, mccain, news, obama, paris hilton, politics, pop culture, sleazy ad campaign
said...I agree. Paris's ad was actually funny. What was McCain thinking? His ad didn't make any sense. Why is Obama a "celebrity"? Don't the Republicans consider the "celebrity" ol' Ronald Regan to be one of their best presidents ever? Ummmm... seems a little shady to me.
Photo Count: 49 (36 on Saturday and 13 on Sunday).
Total Photo Count for the entire con: 105 asked for my picture. Not as many as the 127 I got last year as Yuna from FFX-2, but a decent number considering Chobits is a manga.
This is the Chi from Chobits costume I designed and sewed myself. I attended Comic-Con on Days 3 and 4 in this costume instead of participating in the Masquerade. I'm really proud of my costume. It came out exactly how I envisioned it. There's a design on the train as well that you can't see: a criss-cross on the train echoing the corset in the front.
So what happened on Day 3? Let me try to remember. It's been a while... Hmm...
I did skip the orientation for the Masquerade and instead, I went to the panel with Tori Amos and David Mack. It was a great panel for Comic Book Tattoo. Tori Amos is tiny! And gorgeous. And funny. And articulate. I like my artists to be articulate. I also like my artists to say "fuck" every now and again. Ever since I just said to hell with watching my language, I haven't been necessarily cussing up a storm, but I definitely say fuck a lot more. My favorite moment during the panel actually came during the Q&A at the end and this girl came up and was like:
"Oh my gosh, Tori you look so beautiful and I love your work. Thank you so much for being here. So Tori you're an artist. And all of you are artists [to the other writers and illustrators on the panel], and I'm an artist. And so I was wondering, what has been your most favorite moment in this existence?"
WTF?
Tori Amos was like, "You mean in this lifetime? Well, in this lifetime: cussing."
Tori Amos looked so good at Comic-Con, too. She looked like her own comic book character.
And I never regretted skipping the orientation because I got way more compliments on the costume I made than the pink one I commissioned, which made me really happy. Because for every picture that someone took of me, I got about 3 compliments on my costume in the pink dress and about 5-7 compliments on my white dress.
After Comic Book Tattoo, we went to the Joss Whedon Dollhouse panel and stayed in the room for the Battlestar Gallactica panel. Apparently they finished filming three weeks earlier. There are only 10 episodes left of show. But luckily Caprica looks fucking amazing, so I look forward to that.
We went to an Oni Press panel talking about the new titles we can expect in the coming year. There's a really cool sounding series coming out called Ghost Projekt that I'm excited about. It's set in the former Soviet Union, the story follows a weapons inspector who finds some of the Soviets' research on supernatural weapons of mass destruction from the cold war. He partners up with a Russian investigator looking into the deaths of people involved with the project.
But then there's "The Hashishian" which follows two Brooklyn stoners that, when they find a stash of magical marijuana and smoke it, are transported back in time to one of the first assassins' guilds called the ashishians. When they return, they discover a member of that dangerous guild is hunting them. Yeah... I'm so not into stoner books. Unless they're the subject of movie fodder such as Bluntman and Chronic in Chasing Amy.
Afterwards, I was meeting B at the Sci-Fi channel lounge-ish area, when I walked by and I saw three guys sitting in a U-shape near some Star Trek art. And I look closer and I see Avery Brooks! Captain Benjamin Sisko! If there was one person from DS9 who I would want to see the most, it was Avery Brooks! It turns out autographs were $25, but it seemed like a bargain. So, it turns out the line for the autographs went around the table, and on the first stop was Robert Picardo, the hologram doctor from Voyager, then in the middle was Jonathan Frakes (or number two, as I call him), and on the other side was Avery Brooks. Well, B and I were confused at first because it looked like there was no line to see these guys (the line was just cleverly broken up into two different waiting areas so it appeared as though there was no line). So, I couldn't help myself and while Avery Brooks was waiting for the next fan I said, "Avery Brooks. I love you. You're so talented. I never watched Star Trek until I saw you and you were simply magnetic." He smiled and bowed at me. Then we waited in line.
When it got to be our turn, B and I were like, so how does this work? (Because we were afraid that we'd have to purchase everyone's autograph, and, sure, the other guys are alright, but we were there for Avery Brooks, but at the same time we didn't want to be, like, rude.) So we just nonchalantly walked over to Avery Brooks and Jonathan Frakes said to me, "You love Avery don't you!" (Remember, I'm in my costume, so I'm kind of memorable.) And I said, "Yes, yes I do." And he turns to Avery and says, "Can't you feel the love in here?" And B is like, "Oh, Jonathan we love you, too." But I had to catch myself before I said, "But not as much as Avery Brooks." And then Avery Brooks elbowed Jonathan Frakes.
Avery Brooks is... [insert girly sigh here] sublime. And he maybe a stoner. (He was wearing sunglasses in the exhibition hall--but they were those cool tiny circle beatnik sunglasses.) But whatever. He said he liked my costume, too. (Yes!) B asked if the rumors were true (that he taught his classes in his Star Fleet uniform) and he kind of scoffed and said no. And I said, "I knew it! He's a professional! I wouldn't teach my students in my costume." Then Avery Brooks asked what I did and I told him I was in a Ph.D. program and he was impressed. (Double yes!)
The day wrapped up with a 24 panel, with an appearance by Kiefer Sutherland! Sometimes I wonder how some of the programming is justified for Comic-Con--because there's a steady increase towards the catch-all "entertainment" as opposed to a focus on comic books and comic book related media. But I suppose the argument could be made that Jack Bauer is the modern day Batman of sorts. Instead of a utility belt, he has that messenger bag!
Sunday: Even though we just spent an hour and a half to two hours walking around the exhibition hall making last minute purchases and getting last minute signatures, it did have the distinction of more people asking for my picture during that time period than every other day.
I finally got back to see Colleen Doran at the Image booth and I have to say that she is one of my new favorite artists. She's really thoughtful and well-spoken about comics--plus, I think she's cute and funny which is a definite win. Anyway, she said my costume was fantastic and her friend took a picture of me in it.
But one of my favorite displays this year was the 25th anniversary of My Little Pony (I can't help myself, I love My Little Pony--a lot of girls loved Barbie, I loved My Little Pony). There was a Comic-Con exclusive pony (the top right--the black, white, grey and pink one with the cute superhero mask) offered by Hasbro. But the Hasbro booth line was excessively long. On preview night, they closed the Hasbro line down at 6:30 (it opened at 6 o'clock), and I spoke with people in line at 8:30 and they said the line hadn't move in two hours. (Yowza.) I kept checking the Hasbro line all weekend, but the line was always really long, and the line always conflicted with panels I wanted to attend. So I decided to just wait on the pony until Saturday when I'd have some free time--and when I finally had some free time it was sold out! (Thank goodness for eBay, though, because I just bought one NIB [New In Box].) The price of the pony steadily increased all weekend during Comic-Con. On preview night, it was $8.99, by Saturday it was like $13.99. Luckily the pony wasn't marked up too much on eBay at $19.99, so I feel lucky.
Anyway, that was my Comic-Con. Last year the exhibition hall felt like three unyielding football fields. This year, the x-hall didn't nearly seem so hard to handle, so hopefully it'll get easier to navigate every year. A slide show of the photos and video clips will be available soon, so keep an eye out.
Labels: 2008, chi, comic book tattoo, comic-con, cosplay, my little pony, san diego, sewing, tori amos
said...DS9 is my favorite Star Trek series for a reason, and that reason is Avery Brooks. Damned cool you got that autograph, I want to see it someday.
I think I'm going to start watching that series again.
Oh and good job snubbing Frakes, he's terrible. =P
ish said...Thought you might enjoy this.
http://www.pvponline.com/2008/07/29/stewards-of-the-moment/
Hope your New York experience goes well, but also quickly so you can get back home.
said...So sad! Everyone always snubs Jonathan Frakes. They forget just how sexy he is...
said...P.S. What is Tori Amos wearing? It looks like she's either wearing a beanbag chair or a garbage bag... hmmmmm...
said...DS9 is the only series I feel like I can take seriously. It's really phenomenal. The characters are actually complex, which is a hard thing to come by not just in the Star Trek universe, but on TV in general.
I loved the Stewards of the Moment. That made me happy. But also sad that we don't hang around the downtown San Diego area after Comic-Con or else we, too, could have had a RABS (Random Avery Brooks Sighting).
And Tori Amos is wearing something that I can only describe as evil genius cool.
said...Jilly, I remember you. Weren't you the one giving me the eye and didn't you slip me your phone number? You said "I love you" to Avery, but you and I know your true passion is for me.
Maybe I'll give you a call.
XOXO, J. Frakes
said...Well Jfrak, your powers of persuasion know no bounds. I am seduced.
Do me.
charlie said...omg it's a tori post! well, part of it is. I've enjoyed your comiccon posts so much! it sounds like you had a great time.
Labels: alone in ny, real life, the melancholy
said...Hey you! I'm sorry you're feeling alone. That will probably change as the school year kicks in. What's the longest you've been away from B? When's the last time you've lived by yourself?
You should totally get a kitten. (Not that a kitten would help replace B--nothing could do that!--but a kitten can help with some of the loneliness.) If you're not up for taking on a new cat, you could foster cats or dogs. I know a lot of shelters are always looking for people. And it might be fun to get them ready to adopt out! What do you think?
said...My apartment doesn't allow cats or else I'd totally get a cat--one followed me and B home the other day, but B wouldn't let me bring it upstairs because I'm not allowed to have pets. Or house-sit other peoples pets (even specifies that in the lease).
said...Welp, there's always fish.
said...Yeah, I think your friend Mike's right. What about other pets? Like even a gerbil or something. I hear chinchillas are cute.
said...Or how about a little Ammi???
Labels: funny, jokes that write themselves, photos, real life
said...Nice picture. Now here's the real question: did you buy a "selected dinner"?
said...I went for breakfast, or else I'm sure I would have.
said...Normally a happy ending is expensive, this sounds like a great deal!
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