A few weeks ago, local super organizer Val put up event notices at a number of local clubs regarding Illuminares 2009. We had gone with a group two years ago and had a great time but I don't recall missing the action last year until the new event was posted.
For this year's event, I decided that I would not be left out without a lantern so I set out to create one but with my limited skills, it was not quite as easy as I expected. With a plan in mind I headed to Michaels in search of crafting supplies and $30 later, I was ready to start building. The result, as you'll see in a minute, is pretty spectacular (if I say so myself).
On Saturday afternoon we headed out to Trout Lake to find our trusty band of sci-fi buddies and by 6 o'clock, we had a nice crowd of folks hanging out waiting for darkness.
Conversation was animated. Folks came by, noticed the banner and stopped to chat. We even made a new friend, a gentleman from Academie Duello who was doing a demonstration later in the evening. I was lucky enough to get a first hand mini lesson though I feel sorry for whomever decided it was a good idea to give me a sword to play with.
I quite like this sword but there seemed to be too many rules on how to use it correctly. Admitedly, I much prefered this sucker wich I could swing freely:
See the big smile? Definitely having a much better time!
The evening was winding nicely, more folks were showing up and it was getting a little dark, perfect for lantern lighting, when the thunder started. First it was just kind of cool but then the rain started. First soft little droplets which quickly turned into a downpour. It was an ugly sight. We quickly packed up and took refuge under the nearby trees to stay somewhat dry. I was so concerned about keeping my lantern dry that I completely forgot to take any photos. Thankfully, Dale came to rescue with a few awesome photos. Bonus points to whomever figures out where the quote is from.
I love this next image which features the beautiful Serena completely enjoying the rain shower. I secretly wish I had just brought myself so I too could be this comfortable:
A few folks continued onto a nearby coffee shop but we were completely soaked through to the bone and decided to call it a night. I was disappointed that I didn't have a chance to light my lantern but it wasn't a complete loss. When it got dark at home, I set up the tripod and shot a few photos of my lit lantern in the comfortable dry darkness of my kitchen. The lantern is essentially square with one image per side but for the sake of keeping this short, I've cut all four sides into one image.
Spiffy eh? Not sure how well things would have gone if I had to include "Midnight Sun"...
I did manage to take a few more photos before the skies parted and you can check those out at the usual spot. And if you're interested in more details about Illuminares from the folks that are responsible for the event (along with some insights from attendees - including me!) check out this great article by Janaya Fuller-Evans at The Vancouver Courier.
It still managed to be a fun (if short) evening. Thanks again to everyone who came out and Val for organizing us all. What we'd do without her is beyond me. I hope the event manages to live on for another year! Would love to do it again next year! This time, without the rain!
Or at least this Monday does. I was not feeling all that well this morning and seriously considered staying home. But then I started thinking of how hot and uncomfortable it would be at home during this week of record breaking weather and I opted to head into the office. I barely made it but arrived with a killer migraine that even had my ears hurting and I swear I was in a cold sweat. It was uncomfortable and painful for until about 10AM when the drugs started kicking in. I'm feeling much better now but still now 100%. Here's hoping I'm feeling a bit better for the movie tonight.
Lots to report on from the weekend but the pictures are still on my camera so that report will be coming tomorrow but I do have some fun stuff to share. The first is part 3 of the "New Moon" video set tour. Yes, this is the one where I have a total fangirl moment but thankfully, it's not quite as bad as I thought it might be. Thanks again to the guys at Movie Set for making the videos possible. They were great fun.
As a bonus, I also get a jab in at Eric. He deserved it.
As a little bonus, I noticed a video making the rounds this morning but because it was on MTV, it was only available to our American friends. Big kudos to twilightbritneyfan1 for making this available for the rest of us. I've never been much of a Jennifer Love Hewitt fan but I admit that seeing this video made me like her a tiny bit more. Plus, I don't feel like such a dolt.
We can't all be there but that doesn't mean that we can't follow the action. Here are a few things YOU can do this morning to stay connected to the action surrounding the "New Moon" panel at Comic-Con.
ET online is live streaming *something*. I'm thinking maybe the panel? FOLLOW HERE
Twilight Lexicon on Twitter - providing lots of images and tweets FOLLOW HERE
Jen Yamato of Rotten Tomatoes is on site and ready for action FOLLOW HERE
I'm sure that at this point, most people that are interested already know about CW's upcoming new show The Vampire Diaries. Based on LJ Smith's popular series, before even seeing any material from the show it was obvious the reason for the production was to capitalize on the "Twilight" fandom. I've been curious about the show and had every intention to check it out when it airs on September 10th but I'd yet to see anything from the show.
Admittedly this isn't very steamy but it is suggestive. Much more suggestive than I would have thought. And then I was sent this:
Instantly, I'm much more interested. My first thought at this second image: fabulous! It's like "Gossip Girl" meets vampires! And we all know how much I love "Gossip Girl"...
I did a little digging and found that a very resourceful YouTuber has cut together the various sneak previews that have been floating around the web and after seeing this, I'm a little shocked and very excited at how much this resembles "Twilight". The look, the feel and even the music... One of the characters (who I'm assuming is a vampire) even resembles Edward...Im' completely and utterly sold.
What I'm wondering now is whether I should go ahead and pick-up the series to read or if I should wait for the show. I was under the impression that I had "The Vampire Diaries" on the shelf but it turns out to be another LJ Smith series called "Night World" which I have started and am enjoying a great deal.
Suggestions?
And if you're interested in finding out more about the show and/or the Smith's world, I recommend taking a browse through the very awesome Vampire-Diaries.net.
There are some things that are best to be Tweeted: links to things that I only have one or two word comments for, pictures, funny websites, admissions. For the most part, the public admissions are fine but occasionally, I have a thought that isn't really appropriate for the nearly 900 people who follow me, some (most) of which are movie folk I respect. So here we go: my admission on my personal blog which doesn't feel quite as public as Twitter.
Is it bad that I have a GReader folder dedicated specifically to "Twilight"? Probably not. It just means I'm organized (right?) but what about when that folder has 40+ feeds? Feeds that I read almost daily? Granted, I read them *after* my movie news/work stuff but still. With all that "Twilight" reading, where the heck am I supposed to find time to read recommended fanfic?
For a few weeks now I've been looking for a new every-day bag. Yes, I have more than my share of purses but they're all of the weekend use persuasion meaning they're a bit small for all the stuff I carry during the week. When I'm out with hubby, there's little need for some items but there are some essentials I can't leave the house without during the week:
Book
iTouch
Headphones
Coffee Cup
All that stuff takes up space which means a bigger bag. Until recently, I was using my backpack but the bosslady gave me a super cute Roxy bag which I've been using for a few months. It's the perfect size but sadly, it's a one shoulder type of bag and after a few weeks of daily use, my neck and shoulder are a bit cramped (it's all that *stuff*!). For that reason, I've been looking for a sleek and stylish shoulder bag. It started as a casual browse through the racks at Winners and the first few times, I didn't find anything but then I stumbled on a bag I *loved*. Sadly, and as is usually the case with me, it came with a hefty pricetag. Even discounted it was priced over $100 which is more than I'm used to spending on a bag so I didn't buy it but oh, how I lusted.
For the last three weeks, every time we go into Winners, any Winners, I look at the bag (go figure, with that price tag, it's not moving as quickly as their other material usually does). The sad part is that it's the only thing I found that I loved. I've liked others but I loved this one so earlier this week I took the plunge and bought myself this spiffy bag:
I know, it's totally awesome isn't it? It's called the "FIFTY-FIVE" and it comes from Canadian designers Matt & Nat. It's made of Vegan Leather (a trendy thing I had to look up) and it's completely amazing. The perfect size for me, a great shoulder strap and 2 alternative use methods (it has "hidden" straps so you can use it as a hand bag or a shoulder bag). It's the single most expensive piece of apparel I've purchased since my YSL sunglasses almost 10 years ago, before I had bills and responsibilities, and I love every inch of it. The way it looks, the way it feels and the fact that I saved myself a few bucks along the way is a nice bonus.
We're going to have a long and happy relationship, my bag and I. Oh yes we are.
If you missed it - I'm not quite sure how that could have happened considering the video was everywhere - be sure to check out part 1 of my awesome three part Video Tour of the "New Moon" filming locations; a little project I took part in for Movie Set.
In this episode, we get a look at the theatres and the location where the break-up scene was filmed. And because I'm so awesome, you also get my very, very bad Kristen Stewart impersenation. As I explained to Dana (aka Robsessed83), at least I had a moment with Edward. And it was captured on film. Enjoy.
Yoshi (AKA Jess), one of the lovely ladies at What the Forks?! Had an accident the other day. To help her feel better, I made this funny little thing but can't figure out where the link is (they're only giving me an embed code) so I thought I'd post it here.
This one's for you girl...the only way I know how to make things better: making people laugh (usually in the wackiest of ways).
Fun eh? Yeah. I thought so.
For the rest of you, now that you've enjoyed my sillyness, do me a favour and *really* help Yoshi feel better by VOTING for her for TwiCon Correspondent. She's made it into the top 5 but needs your vote to take home the prize. So go HERE and vote for Jessica Gueco. Vote often!
So you may recall my trip into the woods a few weeks ago in search of "New Moon" filming locations. At the time, I was preparing for a hush hush project which didn't have a firm filming, never mind release date, but I'm happy to report that it's pretty much done and I can talk about it...sort of.
I spent my Canada Day in the company of two very funny guys, a producer and a videographer shooting video for an upcoming special (which I am now being told will be two 5 minute shows) on the "New Moon" filming locations. It was a long day of too much sun, driving and improvisation but it was also a whole lot of fun. I was nervous when we did our first take of the day - mostly because I've never been particularly comfortable on stage, I don't really know the guys or their long running rapor and acting was never my strong suit. The guys and the producer made me feel really comfortable and things did get better as the day progressed and though I was exhausted at the end of the 9 hour day, I would love to do it again....we'll have to wait and see how disastrous the first one was.
I didn't take too many photos throughout the day but I did snap a few and here are some of the good ones.
Set Up
Here we are setting up at our first location of the day. Though we started at 10AM we had some technical difficulties with microphones so we stood around for an hour while they figured out the details.
We saw a lot of locations yesterday but none managed to get me as excited as this one:
Bella's House
I had been cool and collected until Bella's House came into view at which point I had a total fangirl moment of excitement - with the camera rolling. Yes, they caught my girly reaction on tape. I hope it's soooo bad it can't be used. I'm not sure how I'll be able to look any of my "film" comrades in the eye after the reaction. It was also the only location where I asked the guys to take a photo of me. *sigh* It's too bad the house was under plastic. It would have been even more exciting if it was visible!
I wasn't the only one who got in on the action here. Pocket Edward wanted in...badly.
Let me in!
After a very long drive, we ended the day at Jacob's House. I had heard rumours from fellow Twifans that the owners of the place didn't appreciate folks coming by (and for the record, we broke no laws - except maybe speed limits) but they didn't give us any trouble while we were shooting. It's all about Karma because it turns out no one was home. We were walking back to the cars after shooting when the owner returned from a walk and though we were well up the street, he must have known we were there looking because he gave us the evil eye the entire time he walked up the driveway.
And Pocket Edward started to get a little upset when we got to the house. He was ready to jump the fence:
I just want to talk
It was a fabulous day and I had a great time checking out all of the locations which, outside of the parks I'd never seen before. It's also the first time I've ever done anything even remotely fannish like this but I loved every second of it. I can't wait to share the video so stay tuned for a post in the next few days!
There is a sad turn to all this excitement. The filming meant I couldn't attend the North Shore Canada Day Parade with some of my great friends. However, my clone was on hand for the festivities (but she has yet to give me the inside details on how things went). Here she is in style:
See! I was there!
Thanks to my artist friend (and photoshop guru) Lorraine for the fantastic photograph!
I'm trying very hard to be mature and well tempered about this Robert Pattinson crush thing but I'm sorry, how can you expect me to act calm and demure with pictures like these floating around? Honestly!?
And this look....it's enough to boil oceans. If only Edward could look this natural...
