Maybe I wear too much pink...

Well hello again, dear readers.  It has recently come to my attention that it has been a while since I've updated this column.  Almost a year, in fact.  I'm not going to get into it, but let's just say I've been a busy girl.  I am not one to leave the fashion-forward in the dust, but make no mistake - I have priorities.  Moving on, this week I've decided to enlighten you all with a few tips about wearing the color pink.  I'm sure you've noticed that pink is a color that I prefer regardless of its reputation for being favored by school girls and "soccer moms" over 40.  I make pink look good, and with my help you could too.

As you can see, I've done you the favor of putting together some outfits for your viewing pleasure.  Let's start with the floral print.  Now, big floral prints are very easy to do very wrong.  You could end up looking like a color-confused mess, or worse - like a grandmother.  The key is to pair a floral print with a solid.  More than one printed piece in an outfit is a recipe for disaster.  As you see below, I've gone a step further and paired this pink floral corset dress with a solid black Alexander McQueen leather jacket.  The black leather against the otherwise innocent pale pink dress gives this ensemble an unexpected "bad girl" vibe.  Honestly, the "bad girl" look isn't hard to get at all, it's not looking trashy that's the hard part.  Also, mastering the attitude, but that is a lesson for another time.  The Fendi cut-out pumps emphasize the jacket, while the Christian Louboutin ruffled clutch plays to the feminine aspect.  It is okay to play with color, ladies.  Not all of your accessories need to be the same color, as they are below, but there should be some kind of thought that goes into them.  When in doubt, pair with neutrals.

Pink is one of those very flexible colors. There is a shade of pink for everyone, no matter what your coloring.  I happen to be endowed with the right coloring for a variety of shades of pink, which is one of the reasons why I adore it.  It is versatile in more than just shades, pink is a color that is acceptable on any occasion.  Below, I've put together an outfit that I would consider "everyday" wear, or "every night" as it were.  As you know, I am all for vamping up my wardrobe while at work.  I'm not above participating in the Fangtasia dress code, but I am not always there.  I occasionally have business which does not involve your favorite vampire bar, and I like to dress appropriately.  If you're not ready for all-over pink, and let's face it - so few are,  try mix and matching like I've done below with this Phase Eight cashmere bow cardigan.  Paired with a dark denim, like these Dolce & Gabbana jeans, the bold pink is toned down yet still noticeable.  Nude pumps are leg-lengthening and best of all, they look expensive.  The accessories all have something in common, in this case, the color black.  The Marc Jacobs bag is elegant, yet casual.  The jewelry ties (literally, ha) the outfit together and moves both the pink and black colors around.

 Getting ready for a night on the town?  Excellent!  Nothing gets my fangs out quite like a good reason to play dress up.  Like I said earlier, it's okay to play with color, ladies.  As you'll see below, navy blue sets off hot pink nicely and it's not an overdone combination.  While I do enjoy accessorizing, if elegant is what you're going for it's better to keep your outfit on the minimalist side.  This Temperley London Thandie minidress is complemented by navy Fendi cut-out platform pumps and a navy Eaton clutch purse wallet.  It is not necessary to match your shoes to your bag, anyone who says it's necessary is either trying to sell you a matching bag and shoe set or is tragically living in the past.  You can see below that while bag and shoes are shades of navy blue, I have varied the leather finish from suede on the shoes to a faux alligator finish on the clutch.  A pair of fancy earrings like the Alexander McQueen pair below, will add that "pizazz" to your ensemble and catch the light, drawing attention to your face.

So there you have it, some tips on wearing pink direct from the master.  I have done my community service for the week.  I am charging you all now to spread this knowledge you've just gained to others who are less fashion-savvy than yourselves.  However, if you are going to insist on mixing prints or overworking that tired pink and brown color combo, you can refrain from telling people that you read my column.  

Until next time, Pam.

The ensembles that you see pictured were created using the fabulous http://www.polyvore.com site.

In which I try not to sound like a dick while talking about why celebrity fundraising annoys me.

I am generally against celebrity fundraising campaigns.  Sure, they're for a good cause.  Fundraising campaigns are generally for a good cause.  Breast cancer, ASPCA, Haiti, or New Orleans.  Most recently, there is the big campaign to "end bullying" in schools.  Good luck, let me know when that happens.  Ellen DeGeneres tweeted this statement like, 5 minutes ago: "Text the word "KIND" to 85944 to donate $5 to @TrevorProject and help end bullying. Remember to respond with "Yes" Thanks!".

Now, the Trevor Project is an extremely worthy organization which aims to help prevent suicide and crisis among LGBTQ youth.  What got me riled was the phrasing "...and help end bullying".  I am sure that since there have been people on Earth, there has been bullying of some kind.  It goes with the human condition.  Basically, this is some kind of false advertising.  It's great that she wants to publicize the project.  What I would really respect is if she took her show to the Trevor Project HQ and showed her audience what exactly it is that they're doing and how people can help.  Bullying will never be over.  Anyone who has ever seen an episode of Sesame Street or Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood (or has a conscience) knows that bullying is wrong.

The part that I appreciate is that Ellen is raising awareness about this project to help curb bullying and get more resources and counseling out there for LGBTQ youth.  The part that seems phony to me is tweeting out a number that folks can text to donate money.  I really hope that is not the end of Ellen's effort.  In the time we live in, where social interactions and entertainment are dominated by digital media, the easiest thing to do is to make a YouTube video, host an Ebay auction, or start a Tweet-a-thon.  Everyone who uses those services knows how easy they are.  It's the use of them that makes fundraising or cause-supporting seem half-hearted to me.  I don't know if I am the only one that feels this way, but there it is.

I have mixed feelings about celebrities using their influence for causes.  Sure, it's a good thing that they're not spending ALL their money on Hollywood real estate and drugs, but publicly supporting a cause because the public eye is on you comes off as self-righteous.  It's like a celebrity can do no wrong if they're raising money for a cause.  You can't speak out against it, there is the iron curtain of "You can't touch me because I am raising money for charity".  End justifies the means indeed.

Southern Vampire Mistress: Sookie Stackhouse in Words and Pictures

I am a huge fan of the “True Blood” series on HBO. I have been hooked since season 1, and have recently become more aware of the fan community surrounding the series. I had not read the books until recently, when I could no more stand the phrase, “well, in the books...”. So, in order to better understand the characters that I love so much and to avoid bookworm know-it-alls, I read the Southern Vampire Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris.

The HBO series is based on Harris' series, and HBO has no pretense of sticking strictly to the books. Sookie Stackhouse is the main character in both series and, while basically the same person in both stories, there are some pretty interesting differences in her character between book and show.

Well, in the books, (ha, I can say that now), Sookie is your basic every-girl with a catch; she can read minds. She is smart, loyal, no-nonsense, and dirt poor. She is a size 10, and refers to herself as “buxom”. Arlene is her best friend, and she considers Eric Northman to be both amusing and attractive. She often makes it a point to use words from her “word of the day calendar” in her internal monologue, which makes up the context of the book. Bill is her gateway-vampire. She is drawn to him because she cannot read his mind and because he is powerful and mysterious, much like in the show. However, book Sookie carries less virgin baggage and is more ready to mingle in the supernatural world. Her realization that she has fairy blood is downplayed and she takes it in stride as she is discovering all the other supernatural beings in Bon Temps and surrounding areas. The citizens of Bon Temps are more up front about their supernatural heritage and once Sookie enters that world, she is drawn in all the way in her own right. She makes a living off her ability as well as her wages from being a barmaid at Merlotte's bar and grill. Book Sookie is practical, yet emotional. Reading her character reveals a lot of insights into other characters as well as herself. Like a good southern girl, she has made up her own list of boundaries when it comes to using her telepathic gift.

Sookie in HBO's “True Blood” is based on Sookie Stackhouse from Harris' series, but her character is different and worthy in her own right. True Blood Sookie is stubborn, fierce, and sassy. She is very petite, but has been increasingly kicking ass in some violent situations. Sookie is very much like Buffy, but with less vampire slaying. She fell hard for Vampire Bill, and cut him major slack when he messed up time and time again. She refuses to believe ill of him and defends him even against damning evidence against him. Recently, at the end of season 3, it seems that she has finally cut it off with Bill as she revoked his invitation into her house. Her best friend is Tara, a minor character in the books, but in the show they grew up together like sisters. Sookie is like a sweet plum – every body wants a piece of her. Sookie's telepathic ability is exploited by the vampires, but it is her fairy blood that seems to be behind every major plot. Her fairy blood is a valuable commodity to vampires because it of its supposed ability to let a vampire walk in the sun. Sookie is as stubborn about her compassion for Bill as she is stubborn about her contempt for Eric Northman. She puts up a hard front when it comes to the Viking, but that front is becoming more and more compromised due to her ingestion of his blood and its ability to inspire erotic dreams and thoughts about him. Sookie does not enjoy working for Eric, but something always seems to come up that pressures her into doing business with him.

Whether you are a fan of the show, the books, or both, Sookie Stackhouse brings it in both mediums. Her essence is unchanged, but the differences in her character between words and film are both interesting and enlightening. The audience gets something new out of each encounter with Sookie, and clearly, it's something worthwhile.  

When Tara cries, take a shot.

It's down to the wire time in Bon Temps, ladies and gentlemen.  The make it or break it for the season.  HBO's done an excellent job of hyping the audience up for a big payoff at the end with teaser clips, hints and some not-so-subtle foreshadowing.  I suppose we're going to find out how big a payoff it is going to be very soon.  Like, 2 episodes soon.

Last week's episode felt like a lot of setting up for the next three to come.  It was a yawn festival, in short.  There was nothing terribly interesting to me besides Russell's AWESOME news flash.  It's moments like that which make me love True Blood.  I was totes excited for this week.  Time to throw it down, right?  Well, things were thrown, and there were definitely a bunch of "FINALLY!!!" moments.  However, in my opinion, most of them were more than slightly disappointing.  We finally got the carrot they were dangling and it turns out to be just a carrot... Or something.  Anyway.

It seems to me that, at least lately, True Blood has been trying to top itself over and over for how ridiculous and awesome it can be.  Some kind of sick neck-twisting, jaw-dropping, shock-inspiring game.  It also seems to me that in the past few episodes, there have been clear winners of the episodes.  Last week's winner was Russell.  Who can follow that? Let's see.

"Finally!!!" moment numero uno.  We know what Sookie is!:

"I'm a fairy? How fucking lame!"

I couldn't have said it better myself, Sookie.  For over two years now we have known that Sookie is something more than human.  She reads minds and has microwave finger powers.  You tell us she's a FAIRY?!  Like Tinkerbell?!  This better get more bad-ass and I mean like now.  If either Sookie or Bill take another trip to Fairy land gardens where the clouds are oh-so-fluffy and the air smells like warm root beer, I WILL throw up.  Oh, also, fairies are vampire heroin!  Vampires were all over fairies like fat kids on cake until they ate them all up.  I guess that make a little bit of sense.  More sense than Sookie having beer-flavored nipples, anyway.  Queen wants her so that she can hang out in the sun, blah blah.  That's what this has been about?  Sookie's blood is special and vampires want it bad.  Okay, fine.  For her reaction to the answer of one of the biggest mysteries on the show, Sookie scores: 1

Goddammit, Bill Compton, you wipe that smirk off your face or so help me!

This face, right here, is one of the main reasons I hate Bill.  He should start a company called "Condescension, Inc."  He may as well be saying "Let me break down the history of vampires and fairies in terms you can understand, darling".  For a lot of reasons, I don't understand how Sookie can stay with this man.  His total lack of respect for her intellect is definitely the one that pisses me off the most.  I mean, I understand that the nature of a human/vampire relationship isn't exactly going to be healthy.  However, Bill being a condescending jerk wad is not a result of his vampire state.  At least Eric doesn't underestimate her.  Bill is a pig, score: -1

What is it, Tara? Do you want him to dig or take shit to the car?!

If I took a drink every time Tara cried, I'd be sloshed by the middle of almost every episode this season.  I was very sorry to see Franklin die, but I understand why he had to go.  As a result of his psychopathic tendencies, Tara is even MORE fucked up!  Cool, so now she has even more shit that she is totally unable to deal with.  Aww Jason, I feel for you and your traumatic violent flashbacks.  Come over to my house and we can talk about it over a pint...  And Tara, great job covering up the scene of the crime.  I totally couldn't tell there was a huge puddle of vampire goo once you kicked some dust over it.  No one will ever know.  Disturbed side of Jason scores: 1, Tara is an emotional basket-case yet again scores: -1

Sam owns another shirt besides that plaid thing?

So, I realize that this season almost every character is dealing with their past demons.  But SAM?!  Does he need any more demons than he already had?  The shitty adopted parents and then the shitty real parents?  The maenad?!  Shit, Sam!  I thought he had already filled his damage quota... apparently not.  I thought he bought Merlotte's with the $100,000 he swiped from MaryAnne!  Apparently not.  Apparently he needed to exploit his shifter skills to go robbing people of their ridiculous jewelry.  And who is that blonde skeez?!  Shame on you for not knowing better Sam, score: -1

Yeah, we get it. Everyone walks all over Sam Merlotte.  He's mad as hell and he's not gonna take it anymore!

I understand your violent outburst maybe slightly better now. Score: 1

The misery train's a comin'. All aboard.

I swear to God, Sam, if you don't stop this self-destructive bullshit soon you're going to be as dead to me as Tara.  Pick yourself up by your cowboy bootstraps and DEAL WITH IT.  That's why you were so great!  You're good at coping with the shit of life that the fan of destiny sprays at you!  Get back on the wagon, you're way sexier when you're the normal one.  Because I want to believe this is the last time you're going to stuff your miseries into a bottle, score: 1

Again with the face. 

Do you see?!  It seems to say all at once, "I know better than you so I am going to be patient and try to explain the complicated adult world of supernatural bullshit. Also, you are fragile and need to be protected, Bella. I mean Sookie.  Shit, forget I said that"  Score: -1

Oh Yvetta... don't you know anything about vampires?

LOLz at Yvetta thinking Eric was going to leave her an inheritance.  Bitch be trippin'!  Why is she still here?  Oh right, to show us that Eric can be a real asshole who has no feelings for humans, even sexy ones, and to warn us that we shouldn't fall too much in love with him because he's a lying piece of scum.  Is it going to work?  Prolly not.  Is Eric still wearing that black tank top?  Hell yeah!  Czech set down scores Eric: 1

Eric is scared. Pam is hott.

I know I am not the only hetero lady out there with a huuuuuge girl crush on Pam.  She's hot, she has the best clothes (and pumps), and she is, for all intents and purposes, Eric's better half.  I realize that Eric signing his assets over to Pam should be getting the message through to us that he thinks he's really going to meet the "true death".  I was too busy checking out Pam's outfit to comprehend.  Oh yeah, and we already know that Eric is shitting himself.  I would be too.  Eric and Pam panicking about this whole Russell-coming-to-get-him thing is definitely cause for alarm.  However, this scene with the will signing was slightly forced for my taste, and definitely not the best acting on the show.  Pam's skirt, score: 1, Redundant and overused scores Eric: -1

Guys, stop it! Don't fight over meeee...

Sookie does her best impression of Quinn from MTV's "Daria" and interrupts the boys who will be boys.  Bill earns some cred from his quips, "You should know, since you're now [Russell's] butt boy" and "That's why he went medieval on TV".  Sopie Anne sent Bill after Sookie in the first place.  Who's surprised?  I believe we will hear the rest of the story very soon.  I hope Sookie does too.  Bill using the vernacular scores him: 1, Eric wishes Sookie "the best" and scores himself: 1

Oh Summer... put 'em away.

Summer is so... silly.  She's so overkill it's kindof awesome.  Calling Hoyt "bear" and the dolls and the antiquing and the small minded comments she continually makes about Jessica and vampires in general.  So great!  I was hella embarassed for her in this scene.  I hope Hoyt came up with something better than, "It's not you, it's me".  Girl deserves herself someone who appreciates her biscuits.  Summer has a cute bra, score: 1, Hoyt is a gentleman, score: 1

OMG I LOVE TERRY

Arlene joins everyone else in Bon Temps who has haunted pasts.  Arlene's struggle, however, is slightly more legit.  The father of her unborn child was a serial killer!  He killed people she knows!  It's not just stuffed in her past, it's happening... to her... talk about coming back to haunt you.  And then Terry, the white knight, wants to marry her anyway and raise the kid as his own and surround it with love! AAAH! He's soo good!  Arlene really does have the best man in the world.  While her worries about her baby being evil are totally irrational, they fit with the superstitious nature of her character.  And she doesn't take her worries out on others violently or emotionally.  I am glad to see Arlene being developed.  I just hope whatever comes of her association with "the Wiccan" Holly doesn't suck. Arlene makes sense, score: 1, Terry really IS amazing, score: 2

"Finally!!!" moment number 2: Tara and Jason kiss

So glad this finally happened, even if Tara was crying and Jason was confused.  It seemed the natural thing to happen at that point.  Even if it was kind of a, "that's it?" moment as well.  It would have been waaaay worse if they'd had sex and then Jason told Tara that he was the one who shot Eggs.  Big ups to Jason for pulling it together and setting Tara straight.  It was a touching scene, even if Tara was in it.  Jason keeps it in his pants for once, score: 1, Tara should have developed Stockholm syndrome and I'm still mad at her, score: -1

Aww, Jessica already thinks she's evil enough.

I don't think this bodes well for Jessica and Hoyt, friends.  She already has ex-Jesus lover complex and thinks her soul is damned and she's not good enough for Hoyt.  Now this?  What next, pig's blood poured over her on prom night?! Poor Carrie Jessica.  Bill keeps Jessica from tracking the douchebags, scores himself: 1, Jessica gets fuel added to her firey pit of Hell, score: 1

Blah blah dark past blah.

Naked Sam, score: 1

"Finally!!" moment 3: Non-dreaming makeout for Eric and Sookie.

Well, damn.  That was all I wanted, and it took them long enough!  Well, actually, I want a lot more, but I think we're moving in the right direction here.  "Forces beyond my control" from Eric probably equals emotional response of any kind.  "If I don't at least kiss you before I meet the true death, Sookie Stackhouse..." maybe a little cheesy, but it would have worked on me too.  Way to kiss him back, Sook!  At least now she knows what she's been missing.  Pam interrupts with the most hilarious line EVAR, "Blah blah vampire emergency blah". Pretty much sums up every interruption scene in every episode to date. Way to go Pam! score: 2 Makeout Squee! factor: 7/10, scores Eric and Sookie: 1/ea

Hoyt on vampire blood = something to look forward to next week.

Tommy is a violent d-bag, we know.  Why did you need to be in dog form, Tommy?  Afraid you couldn't handle the Hoyt-inator?  Whutevz.  Jessica to the rescue with her miracle elixir!  Now she and Hoyt will be close in a whole new way that she probably knows nothing about, thanks to Bill the crappy maker!  Hooray!  Hopefully Hoyt's V-trip is as much fun as Jesus and Lafayette's. Anticipation of the aftermath earns Jessica, score: 1

How dare you, Bill Compton? Jason's in the right.

What, Bill's getting mad at people irrationally?  Weird.  Oh wait, that's what he does best.  Sookie is Jason's SISTER!  He's known her a little longer and is definitely more connected to her than you are, Vampire Bill.  Fuck off!  Storming into Jason's house and yelling at him like an errant child... how dare you, Bill Compton?  Major LOLz at Jason rescinding Bill's invitation into his house.  Why haven't we seen that yet?  Hilar.  Bill waves his douchey flag, score: -1, Jason stands up for himself and throws Bill out, score: 2

Crystal's a cat. Whutevz.

This is a half-hearted "Finally!!" moment, because I just do not care about Crystal or her fucked up family.  Her back story is trite and boring.  Yawn, yawn, eyeroll, yawn.  What the hell does she have over Jason?  She's a liar and waaaay more trouble than she's worth.  Were-panther?  Bitch, please.  Also, I am anticipating that her emancipation from the meth lab run by kitties is going to turn her into a Stage-5 clinger.  Meow.  This was hardly enlightening, Crystal, score: -1, Jason's "Momma" reaction, score: 1

Russel: "I wanted to kill Talbot myself"

In his current psychopathic state, I am sure that spending some "quality time" with a prostitute while calling him by his dead lover's name and then killing him made perfect sense to Russell.  Which was why this was so great!  Talk about a need for closure!  Lesson learned: never whore yourself out to a vampire.  Russell is not happy, score: 2

LOLZ. Sookie...

Well it certainly looks like Eric has thought of a use for Sookie as per Pam's suggestion.  Wonder what it could be!  The shot of him walking out of the Fangtasia basement after having chained up Sookie was LOLz. Way to dig yourself deeper, Eric.  I hope you didn't ruin it for long!  Bill's Sookie-sense was tingling, so she prolly won't be stuck down there for long.  Where are you microwave fingers now, girl?!  Eric has the most creative solutions, score: 2

The FINAL SCORE:

Jason with 5 points this week, is the winner of the episode!  Well deserved, Jason.  You shocked us by breaking your usual "whatever's easiest" policy, not playing dumb and manning up.  Thank you for not taking advantage of Tara.

Runners up:

Eric: 4

Pam: 3

Sam: 3

Sookie: 2

Jessica: 2

Terry: 2

Russell: 2

Arlene: 1

Hoyt: 1

Summer: 1

Bill: -1

Tara: -2

This episode was certainly better than last week's set-up o'rama.  Down to the wire time!  What will Eric do with Sookie?!  When will Russell strike?!  Will Bill stop being a jackass?!  Will Tara ever stop crying?! For answers to these questions and more, tune into True Blood, Sundays at 9pm on HBO.

Get creative or else!

Going from an idea presented in this post on io9.com and stemming from my desire to not waste my life so much and start writing more, I present this list of things.  It's a list of things that I like in a story, whether thematic, character driven, plot... pretty much anything.  If any or all of those things appear in a story, chances are, I like it.  It's in no particular order, I'm just flowing here.

The List, presented in list form:

• strong female characters who are neither vulgar nor slutty
• female characters who are both vulgar and slutty
• time travel
• magic
• dragons, talking or non
• drafty castles
• rituals
• prophecies
• overcoming physical challenges
• people getting beat up
• companion animals as characters
• strong silent types
• descriptions of kisses
• brooding male characters with something to hide
• people with important jobs who find themselves doing silly things (hit men in an elevator)
• one character thinking another character is dead, but they're not
• dramatic irony
• literary allusions
• immortal life, and discussing its ramifications 
• characters who hate other characters
• finding secret entrances to secret worlds
• may/december romances
• refusing to resort to violence
• preventing wars
• saving the world
• women in a military capacity
• dreams
• pseudo-scientific explanations for technologies that haven't been invented yet
• living on space ships or space stations
• treachery/treason
• aliens, friendly or otherwise
• non-humans living amongst humans as humans
• people spiraling into insanity
• people with unusual collections
• characters with catch phrases
• stories that inspire the reader to do something
• exposing the evil plot
• characters who are really good at their jobs
• characters who are really good at anything
• people suffering for their art
• contagious fatal diseases
• monsters
• seemingly insurmountable obstacles
• vampires
• prostitutes
• vampire prostitutes
• goody two shoes stalwart heroes and watching them fall from grace
• satan

Okay, that's it for now.  A good start, I think.  Also, totally sexxxed up my blog design.

TTFN,
Your friend, Jenn

Reflections on the "Ultimate Fan Experience"

It all started directly after the season finale of Lost.  I was sitting around with my friends wondering what show to watch next.  Lost had occupied our Tuesday nights for the last couple of months and I was sad that we were losing our get together night.  We quickly remembered that True Blood was starting back up again in the summer months.  For the past 2 summers I've been out in the wilderness (quite literally) and have had to catch up on True Blood when I got back home.  I was excited at the prospect of watching it as it was on.  I went home and looked up the starting date on the interweb.


What I found was the contest that led me to Facebook.  I could win tickets to a fan screening?  Awesome!  I kept the page open and went about my business.  I was up late that night doing some writing and I happened to glance over to the page as San Francisco was up.  My moment!  I clicked and I was an "instant winner". 


"Fuck yes!," I said to my rabbit.  He was very excited for me, I assure you.


The rest is history.  I started following @truebloodHBO on Twitter and was thrilled when they followed me back.  That led me to the discovery of the True Blood character Twitter accounts.  Let me tell you, that does absolutely nothing good for my separation issues between fiction and reality.  One by one I followed the characters.  I started with Eric, and flipped all the way out when I got the text on my phone notifying me of a direct message from him.  "I see you are following me. I will offer you but one warning -- I would not try anything rash if I were you. I'm still hungry."  That's what he said to me.  Sookie was up next, then Lafayette and Bill.  Direct messages from all of them!  As silly as it is, I felt cared about.  Whomever is behind those Twitter handles is following and direct messaging almost every person who follows them.  In Sookie's case, that's over 15,000 people!


I saw the tweet from @truebloodHBO announcing the contest to be "Sheriff of the area" at the fan screenings.  I jumped at first, tweeting about why I was the ultimate "truebie", as they say.  I realized then, that I might be required to talk to strangers or be put on the spot in a public situation and I wasn't so sure.  Ultimately, I figured, what the heck?  It's just for one night at the screening.  It's all fans, what could happen?  I might get something out of it!  I tweeted that I had "turned so many people... into True Blood fans" and that "I can't help it, it's in my blood!".  I don't know what caught HBO's eye, but round about lunch time last Tuesday, I got a direct message from @truebloodHBO asking for an email with my information.  I have never been so happy eating a Subway sandwich as I was that day.


Well, @truebloodHBO did make me Sheriff of San Francisco.  What I got out of it was kind of amazing.  All these True Blood fans from my area were suddenly following me on the Twitter!  They were replying to my tweets with greetings and comments, and asking me questions about the event.  I was suddenly in a position of authority, so I decided to make the best of it and find out the answers to most of the questions I was asked.  Yes, if you won tickets on Facebook, you have a VIP pass.  No, I don't know how you can register now, I think it's too late.  Without any real instruction, it seemed like a lot of the different sheriffs paved their own way in regard to what they were doing.  I saw Facebook groups and Tweetups mentioned.  I am weird about my Facebook account, and I shy away from actually talking to most people, so I stuck to Twitter.  I was blown away by how friendly the community was, however artificially created it may have been.


The buzz surrounding the "Ultimate Truebie" event was absolutely electric.  The day of the screening, I was at work... physically.  My mind was on how I was going to do my hair and what my makeup would look like.  What was the show going to be like?  There's going to be a red carpet!  I heard something about giveaways!  The True Blood roleplay was in rare form leading up to the event.  Sookie and Lafayette are going somewhere and they don't know where!  Eric sent them because he was coerced by the American Vampire League!   I was busy replying to tweets and looking at what other people were saying about the screening.  I left work at 4pm, and believe me, I was counting down the minutes.  I almost got hit by a truck on my way home (not my fault) and almost sideswiped a motorcyclist (kinda my fault).


Hair and makeup took me the better part of an hour.  I looked all over for my vampire fangs from Halloweens past, but I could only find one fang.  Le sigh.  My friend, Jamie, came over just as I was finishing curling my hair.  We left at about 6pm, which is what I was aiming for.  We got to SF in record time, just over an hour from Santa Cruz.  Parked at the Colma BART station and rode up to Powell St.  I vaguely remembered the Powell St BART station was inside the mall.  Incredibly convenient.  We walked through the food court, picking up some Beard Papa's creme puffs and coffee along the way.  Up the escalator, I saw a crowd of people holding pieces of paper similar to the one I had stuffed in my purse with my camera and a spare pair of flats.  True Blood Ultimate Fan experience VIP passes.  I found them!  We went and stood at the back of the line.


I was looking around for people that I may have recognized from their Twitter pictures.  It was no easy feat.  Also, I'm really bad at recognizing folks from pictures.  I saw some Fangtasia and Merlotte's shirts.  There were fangs and "vamp stamps".  I think I expected to see more flamboyant costumes, but I saw enough to be satisfied.  People going to regular movies stood gaping at the line for the event.  A couple of people asked me what we were waiting for.  I replied that we were waiting for the True Blood screening.  I suppressed the urge to add, "hookah" after that statement.  I was so hyped up on adrenaline and caffeine that I was literally vibrating.  At the table, I gave my name and Jamie and I got our handstamps and our tickets.  We walked down the short red carpet and had our pictures taken movie premiere style in front of a banner sporting the "True Blood" and "HBO" logos.  They even gave us free sodas!  My bladder said no, but my taste buds said OMGDIETCOKE.


I was tweeting all kinds of stuff from my phone, a first for me.  I was told that my tweets would be on the screen at the event, so I wanted to give a shout out to my SF Truebies.  Didn't quite work out that way.  The one time I saw my avatar and Twitter handle up on the screen, it wasn't accompanied by any tweet I wrote.  It was something about saying "hi" to some people... Whatevz.  It was a good idea anyway.  The preshow was all kinds of sneak peeks at upcoming material complete with a countdown.  I wasn't completely excited for the finale of season 2, as I had just watched it days ago.  I was excited for the Q&A.  The episode aired with slight technical difficulties, as to be expected from live streaming content.  It ended and the Q&A begun.   Almost every main actor was there, save Lafayette.  They were all in costume!  Were they in costume because they were filming or because of the event?  It didn't really matter.  There was a man from ET mediating the event, asking the actors and Alan Ball questions that had been sent in by the fans.


I had been to panel discussions before, most recently for the movie "Kick Ass" at Wondercon.  They do wonders for hyping up an event.  I am excited for season 3 now as much as I ever was.  I kind of love seeing actors sans-script.  It makes me feel better about myself knowing that they're hellof awkward when they don't have words prepared for them.  Yes, I know all about your character's evolution, you don't have to tell me that.  No, I don't really care about what you were doing before you got called for this show.  I felt like a lot of them weren't sure about what they could and couldn't talk about in terms of this upcoming season.  I'm sure that was what was foremost on their minds, and so they ended up talking about who their characters were in general.  I think my favorite part was when Stephen Moyer was talking about how he didn't think the sex on the show was gratuitous.  Sure, it's part of the story, but the story is about sexy vampires!  Let's be real, Moyer.  I also liked Alan Ball's bit about how happy functional relationships are good in real life, but boring on TV.  So true!


The Q&A ended and I found myself thinking "That's it?  Really?".  I don't know what else I was expecting, really.  We left after everyone else to discover a table giving away prizes!  Swag!  We waited in line for the drawstring backpacks filled with True Blood goodies, including a whole bottle of the True Blood beverage!  In the bag we found some coupons, a set of postcards, and one of the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.  Little did they know that I had just received the whole set for my birthday the day before!  Now I have two copies of "Dead Until Dark".

I had to pee like a racehorse.  At the sink in the ladies' room I ran into someone I recognized from Twitter.  Lucky for me, she had posted a picture of her that day with what she was wearing and everything.  That certainly helped.  I said hello and as soon as I did, someone else came out and recognized me as the sheriff!  It was such a goofy TV sitcom moment.  It was totally awesome.  We chatted in the ladies' room for a bit and then gathered outside for a picture.  The theatre crew was cleaning up the swag, and we got to take a few more things home with us.  It was awesome meeting some of the people I had been in contact with over the past couple of days.  A great night!  The whole ride home Jamie and I were buzzing with talk about the show and the next season.  It was late, and I had to work the next day, but I didn't really care.

The screening is over now, but people are still talking about it.  I noticed that @sookiebontemps never said where she was sent.  A clever ploy.  She definitely wasn't sitting next to me.  Whoever she is, she was tweeting like it was going out of style.  I can't get the image out of my head of some older man in the back of a theatre on an iPhone pretending that he's a 20-something Southern cocktail waitress.

I am heartened that some folks in my area are talking about setting up an actual meetup.  Possibly for the beginning of season 3!  I would love to have something to do with that.  It's really interesting and exciting to me to see that some people have formed actual friendships out of this event.  It seems that some people in some other areas are really tight now.  I look forward to what might become of this.  It was an event designed to build hype around the premiere of a new season.  I can say that I have never been involved in any kind of fan even like this.  I felt special and empowered by so many different thing surround the Ultimate Fan experience.  It is obvious that the fans are quite dedicated to the show.  It is really awesome that the show seems just as dedicated to its fan base.

Thanks for the memories, suckas!
Your friend, Jenn

It's a Major Award!

Hello fellow True Blood lovers!  I just heard of the term "truebies" recently, is that something HBO coined for this fan event?  If it is, they're pretty good at making those things stick.  Also, it's far superior to "twihards", which made me laugh for days.  Anyway.

Been giving a lot of thought as to what I should do as "sheriff".  I mean, apart from printing more money, and finally getting my kiddie pool full of jello and alligators. I have that authority, right?  That's what I thought.  I decided to be helpful and do some trip planning.  Don't know where everyone else is coming from, but I am coming from Santa Cruz this Tuesday.  Twitter is a great place to coordinate rides and carpool, since parking around the City Centre is expensive as all get out.  There are three parking garages around the Centre, which, if you haven't been there, is a giant Westfield mall.  These three are the garages recommended by the mall:
Ellis O'Farrell Garage

Union Square Garage on Parking Carma

Jessie Square Garage on Yelp

The address of the City Centre mall is 835 Market ST, San Francisco, CA (this is a Google map link) and the brilliant thing about that is that it's very close to the Powell street BART station.  BART is awesome, I love BART.  It smells like weird sometimes, but it's saved my sanity on many an occasion.  I think that I will be parking at Daly City station and BART-ing it up to Powell st.  The thing about that is, that the last train leaves around 1am.  That should be enough time for the festivities to be over.  I mean, heck, if it goes until midnight it will have been on for 3 hours.  Also, many garages around the area close at about 1am as well.  So, I am hoping that I don't have to leave early, but I am also preparing for it.  I have to work on Wednesday!

The Century theatre there is where I saw "Clash of the Titans" after Wondercon.  It's a pretty epic theatre.  It's all fancy getting up there, cause you take an elevator from Macy's... or Nordstrom's... some department store.  You'll see it, there is a huge "Century" light up sign outside the building.

Get there early!  The pass specifies "no later than 8:30pm".  Which actually means, "get there by 8pm" at least.  I will cry blood tears if anyone gets shut out of the event for arriving late!  If you won a VIP pass, you're guaranteed admission if you arrive on time.  If you are a general admission ticket holder, the earlier you get there, the better your chances of seeing the show.  So, like I said, GET THERE EARLY!

Feeling prepared?  Good.

See you there, suckas!
Your friend, Jenn

In which I attempt to rationalize the Lost season finale.

It seems to me that this final season of Lost took the show to an entirely new realm.  That was cool, but at the same time the show claimed that this is where it was meant to go the entire time.  I don't buy it.  I feel like I was baited and switched.  For six years, we've watched a group of survivors from a plane crash on a supernatural desert island get their asses handed to them by smoke monsters, polar bears, "others", immortals and mysterious research scientists.  Now we're rallying behind the "it was always about the characters' journeys" flag?  Really?  As Sawyer would say, "That's one hell of a long con, Doc."


I love sci-fi.  The appeal that Lost had for me was the epic amounts of weird shit mixed up in the complicated stories of the castaways.  The characters were great, but for Lost, it was also about the mysteries surrounding the island.  Four toed statues and tattooed sharks.  Why the hell did the Dharma initiative need polar bears?!  Entering a series of numbers into a computer every 108 minutes to keep the island from blowing up seems like a serious design flaw, so why do it?  Temples in the middle of the jungle and time travel.  How did the group manage to get back to the island, but with one half landing the present and one half landing in 1977?  These are some of the questions left unanswered by the finale, and some of the reasons that I'm not completely satisfied with what we got.  All I needed was for someone to give some kind of goofy "Doctor Who"-esque explanation like "there was a rift between time and space running through the center of the island and the high volume of naturally occurring electromagnetic radiation allowed us to manipulate it".  That's all they needed to say (they never said it).  That would have validated the Dharma initiative AND the time traveling as well as one of the reasons why Whidmore was so freakin' interested in the island's goodies.  He's like the Dr. Claw of Lost... he just doesn't quit.


I thought a lot about the finale today.  I read a couple of opinion articles, which is not something that I normally do, but I wanted to see how some other "professionals" reacted.  There was a wide spectrum of emotion: anger, joy, inspiration, disappointment.  If you're looking for a constant in all these, it's tears.  Seems like everyone cried for one reason or another.  I wasn't moved to tears, but that's not for lack of good storytelling.  It's just because I'm not a weenie.  Here's some of the articles I read today and the short version of what they thought:
Salon.com thought it was irrelevant

Sci-fi wire believes we were "tricked into liking it"

NY Times says it's a "cop-out"

LA Times likens it to "It's A Wonderful Life"



No one that I have read is calling the season finale of Lost a great triumph.  One of the things I most agreed with is that it seemed like a funeral for a favorite show.  We were told repeatedly to "let go" during the finale, as it repeated one of the more-recent themes several times.  The montages of fond memories the characters had with one another was cheesy, yet heartwarming.  Just like at a funeral, you forgive the show its transgressions and glorify it's successes.  Speaking of funerals, that's where we all happened to end up in the final scene.  Coincidence?  There are valid points to be found in what has been written about the Lost finale, but on the whole a lot of it seems to be journalists posing and fronting about how they were too intelligent for the heaps of fluff it dumped on us.  It is easier to find fault with the things that the show didn't do, rather than with the things it did.  At the end of the day, I am satisfied with the wrap up of the characters.


What the finale DID do was give us a sense of closure.  Character arcs were wrapped up in neat little packages of redemption and forgiveness.  If the island is purgatory, then Jacob is a collector of wayward souls.  He brings them to his island of good and evil to be tried and tested and he helps them to forgive themselves for whatever wrongs they may have committed in their lives.  The man in black is a force that must be stopped.  He is a tool to help the castaways overcome their adversity.  It's no coincidence that Jacob shares his name with the biblical character.  From wikipedia.org: "According to the classic Jewish texts, Jacob, as the third and last patriarch, lives a life that parallels the descent of his offspring, the Jewish people, into the darkness of exile...".  Jacob on the island is prone to mistakes and communication errors.  He kills his brother and condemns him to life as the smoke monster.  He is the leader of purgatory island and his followers are not always in agreement with him.  In the bible, Jacob had a fraternal twin brother, Esau, whom their father commands to swear not to kill or attack Jacob.  Yet another strong connection between the show and the bible.  Heavy-handed religious references are not rare for Lost.  The themes of faith vs. science and good vs. evil are woven throughout the series.  This is why the discovery of the "heart of the island" being a light that needed protecting didn't bother me.  What I did love is that Desmond, our constant, knew exactly what it was.  As long as we're getting all bible-y, perhaps that makes Jack "Abraham" (come on... SHEPHERD) and Hurley "Isaac".  It's worth pondering.


The shots of the wreckage and the end of the finale suggest that the castaways were killed in the initial plane crash.  It's not an idea that I like, but it is one idea that helps the entire last season make a little more sense.  It was revealed that the "flash-sideways" universe was created by the dead castaways as a place to meet up and literally "go into the light" together.  On the island, characters died when they were finally at peace with themselves.  Charlie got over his addictions and sacrificed himself to save everyone on the island.  Sayid came to terms with his deeds and... sacrificed himself to save all his friends.  Jin and Sun died together.  Sun, because she was trapped in the wreckage of a submarine, and Jin because he refused to leave her side.  Their rocky marriage and all the crap they had gone through in the past was pushed aside and they realized how important to each other they were. Probably the most dramatic of all was Jack, the doctor with a God complex and daddy issues, who takes the weight of the island on his shoulders once again and SHEPHERDS everyone to safety, knowingly and willingly sacrificing himself so that the light would be replenished (he died for their sins), with a very Jesus-like wound in his side.  I'm amazed they didn't add the crown of thorns in there, just for good measure.


In the "flash-sideways" verse, our heroes are living relatively un-thrilling lives.  They seem to be neither extremely happy nor extremely sad.  Locke is engaged to Helen, but is still in the chair.  Jack has a son with Juliet.  Sayid's lady, Nadia, is alive, but married to his brother.  Sawyer and Miles are cops.  Hurley is the luckiest man on Earth and everything works out for him.  Sun and Jin are lovers with no prospects to get married, and she's still preggers. Their past life hangups are still following them around in the universe they have created, however, and it is not until they are fully able to let go of these hangups that they are led to the multi-denominational church of the omni-God.  When the characters come to terms with themselves and make peace with whatever it was that was haunting them, they are touched by a loved one (or in Locke's case, Jack) and experience a moment of revelation followed by nirvana.  Locke's moment of nirvana came when he was able to move his legs after his operation.  He was able to let go of the guilt of the plane crash that he piloted with his father inside that left him paralyzed when he let Jack operate.  Chain reaction style, the characters are relieved of their suffering and reunited with the ones they love.  Sayid is reunited with Shannon.  Sayid associates Nadia with his old self, guilt and pain.  He met Shannon when he was on the island and she accepted him for who he was.  He was able to become a new person, a good person, and that is the man whom Shannon fell in love with.  Shannon was able to let go of the petty, spoilt-brat lifestyle she had led before when she was on the island, and in the sideways verse when she saved her brother from the muggers.  They touched when Sayid jumped out of the car and saved her.  Sawyer ends up with Juliet because he was able to really love her when he made a new life for himself in Dharmaville as the responsible head of security.  Kate reminded him too much of his old self, he loved her too, but his heart really belonged with Juliet.  Just as Kate reminded Sawyer of himself, Sawyer reminded Kate of herself.  He was the bad boy whom she'd doubtlessly dated several times in her old life and in Jack she found her redemption.  When she was with Jack she would try and do good, to help people like he did.  When she was with Sawyer, she was under his selfish influence and acted rashly.  Jack had flashbacks when he met Kate and Locke in the sideways verse, but his real redemption came when he touched his father's casket.  He came to terms with his father and really forgave him for all his faults.  When he was able to do that, he entered the church with his dad and rejoined all the people he loves.  His father able to forgive himself and was therefore able to love Jack and show him the emotion that he never could while he was alive.


The island brought the castaways there to sort out who they really were, and it gave them a reason to be who they wanted to be.  The finale did a beautiful job of sculpting these character lines so that the audience was happy with the result.  It all makes sense, character wise, nothing is left out, and hardly anyone was forgotten. Even Vincent the dog got screen time during the finale, as it wound down full circle.  The opening scene in the pilot, Jack wakes up in a bamboo forest to Vincent's barking.  In the closing scene, he is in the same location, but this time, his eyes are closing and he is dying.  Vincent lies down with Jack in a (kinda cheap) pull-at-your-heartstrings moment.


The character development in Lost was superb.  I would say, some of the best on TV ever.  The intricate storyline and wacky twists were relevant to each character's growth.  I would have liked to have had more concrete answers to some of the sci-fi related questions the series brought up, but then, when did they ever answer those?  I think the show could have done with one more season to more thoroughly wrap up some of the questions they left hanging.  There are loose ends, a few too many for my taste, and it seems kind of sloppy when all is said and done.  The finale finally told us definitively what Lost was about and did a great job of making it biblical and spiritual, but not preachy.  The message was one of redemption and salvation.  Lost's message said it was okay to make mistakes, nobody's perfect, and it is never too late for second chances.  

Holy crap!

Watched Lost yesterday.  I can't help but feel like the end of the show is going to let me down.  I hope it doesn't.  They've been giving us a lot of up front answers to questions that have been collecting since season one.  It seems to me like they have been reading back screenplays and writing down things that they haven't resolved yet.  They have a ways to go, but the finale is 4 hours long.  4 hours!  Only 2.5 of which are going to be programming, I'm sure.  Here is what I hope for: the finale will be action packed and suspenseful, while neatly wrapping up every major character's story line from both universes.  I hope that there is more to the island than a light that needs protecting, or that they will expand on the notion of that "light" so that it makes more intellectual sense.  Also, I wanna see Jack do something Jacob-ish and supernatural.  I'm still insanely curious as to how they are going to handle the parallel universe (not on the island).


Found this while looking for ideas for a Lost theme party:

The Sayid:

4 parts Toothpaste

1 part spider web

2 parts boar urine

1 part sand

Mix ingredients in hollowed-out car battery. Funnel down enemy's throat until he tells you where the fuck the bomb is.

Sayid was always my favorite character.  Morally ambiguous, tormented, trying to turn his life around, on the way to reunite with the woman he loves, ruggedly good looking, fucking badass...  If the end of his storyline is really him running off with a backpack full of dynamite so fast that we're not even sure he's dead until it's mentioned, I'm gonna be pissed.  That is all I will say about that.

Also:

The Smoke Monster:

1/2 oz. blackberry brandy

2 oz. Canadian whiskey

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz. orange juice

1/2 tsp. superfine sugar

After 2-3 of these you will TEAR SHIT UP.

Again, Mr. Smoke Monster better have a freakin brilliant showdown throwdown.  I'm expecting a lot here.

In other news:

Thought briefly today about getting a new job and moving back to San Jose.  Decided against it for now.  The thought of leaving my dilapidated little house with the cute dogs and kitty and ex-slanty shanty made me sad.  I'd miss my silly roommates antics.  They put up with a lot of bullshit from me.  I'm sure it won't be easy finding someone else who will let me leave shit everywhere and hog the TV for hours at a time.  Also, I have only been at my current job for about three months now.  I neither like it or dislike it, but the pay is decent and it's close to my house.  I also told myself that I would go back to school in the fall and I am registered at the local CC.  So, this is happening.  I don't even like Santa Cruz a whole heck of a lot, but it's like the mafia... once you thought you were out, it sucks you back in.  Or it just sucks.  Heh.

Okay, time to do... things.

Ta!
Your friend, Jenn

All right, here we go.

Over the past week or so, I have been putting a lot of thought into rebooting this blog.  Also putting much thought into how I don't like the word "blog".  It sounds so... blaaaaaahhhhg.  I'll call it web-journaling.  Wurnaling, burnaling, webal, inter-nal, inter-ling... well, I guess nothing else has the same appeal as shortened "web log".  Whatevz, this is not a fight I will win.

I appreciate what blogging (web-journaling) does for my internal monologue.  Thoughts that have been hanging out in my head have a place to go without necessarily finding little hiding spots in conversations with my friends.  Sometimes I end up sounding narcissistic, or rude, or just plain ridiculous.  Putting those musings that have no place in polite or even interesting conversation in their place (the internet) helps me out greatly in the not-boring-my-friends-to-death category.

Not that I'm saying I'm just going to ramble on aimlessly.  I intend to expand on some of the things I've been thinking about.  Indeed, I hope this doesn't become just a dumping ground for my brain.  I am quite proud of some of the things I have written down in the past.  I used to be a web journaling fiend, back in the high school and college days.  Livejournal was the longest lived.  It was a good place, for a while.  I was on Xanga, until it became the myspace of journaling websites.  Setting the wayback machine to waaaay back, I was on Open Diary.  Well, I enjoyed the heck out of trolling people on Open Diary, anyway.

I was never a big private journal keeper.  I have notes jotted down in various notebooks, but I have never really spilled deep dark secrets into the pages of a little pink padlocked book.  Maybe I don't like to dwell on things like that.  Maybe I am just in the habit of sharing things that bother me with people who will listen to me vent.  Maybe the "publishing" aspect of web journaling validates what I have to say.  Maybe I like that strangers might read this and wonder things about my life, who I am and what I do.  Maybe I like that I can't lose the internet, and my various writings still exist in the servers of the various sites that I have logged onto.  I don't really have just one reason for coming back to blah-ging.  Maybe I just missed it.

Perhaps it's because I don't really have anything terribly interesting going on in my life right now.  I feel like I am in a transition phase.  In the past, these transitions have been swift and premeditated.  Preparing me for "real" change.  High school to college to job to job to job to... life.  I am in the middle of deciding where I'm going to take this show, and there aren't any easy answers.  It's easy for me to simply exist here in this quiet beach town with my job that pays me just enough.  I have a nice living situation, a love life, and plenty of entertainment.  The search for a greater purpose is really the only thing suggesting to me that this comfortable life might be a trap.  I live in the land of the lotus eaters.

I feel that discussing my options and thoughts in this particular manner could lead me to a greater insight as it has in the past.  Perhaps it will even help someone else.  Hey, I mean, I can dream.

After writing all that, I find myself wondering why it took me so long to actually commit to starting a post.  I must have logged on to the blogger website 3 or 4 times over a space of days before actually starting to type this.  Clearly, I like to hear myself talk.  I don't know what it was.  Maybe I'm concerned about what I will dig up.  Maybe not.  Anywho, damage is done.

Night night, internets!
Your friend, Jenn