Costume Fails

The 2012 New York Comic Con is coming up, and by "coming up" I of course mean in two months. That may not seem around the corner-ish to you Muggles, but for we geeks that's practically tomorrow.

Thing is, October is generally a busy month for me. I've got my son the Juban Princeling's birthday on the 8th, my husband's birthday on the 17th, my brother Mr. Funny's birthday on the 22nd, and Halloween on the 31st. (I guess technically we all have Halloween on the 31st. But I like it more than you do, probably.)

That's two things I need costumes for: NYCC and Halloween. 

Halloween is easy. My friend NoLa does a theme party, and even if she craps out on the party I still make us dress up for it. Last year she used the excuse of having "foot surgery" and "not being able to walk" for "10 weeks" as her excuse not to create a space alien theme party, but I still made the Princeling dress up as a spooky alien, because do you know how hard it is to find a space alien costume for a 3-year old? Surprisingly hard. But it paid dividends in cuteness:

"I'm a spooooooky alien!"

This year her theme is Classic Haunted House, though she's threatened to crap out on me again. Doesn't matter. I already have our costumes: we're going as the ghosts of a family who drowned in the Gowanus Canal. Body glow paint will be employed, as well as our masks from Sleep No More:

"MacBeth hath murdered sleep!"

So, Halloween is covered.

My problem is what to wear for NYCC.

NYCC does a Family Day, and I want to take the Princeling for his first ever geek con. One year they had the New York Jedi Academy - yes, that's a thing - train younglings on how to use light sabers. If they do that this year I may actually drop dead of happiness. But I've been racking my brain for good mother-son costumes for us. The problem is that most mothers in fantasy and sci-fi are either dead or bat-shit crazy. Some ideas I've had for us, but had to dismiss:

• Joffrey and Cersei (My son will be 4, and I know I'll end up having to schlep around the head on a pike when he gets tired of it.)
• Superman and his Kryptonian mother, blown to smithereens (too depressing for a 4-year old)
• Spiderman and whatever happen to his mother (ditto)
• Harry Potter and Ghost Lily Potter (super ditto)
• Spock and Winona Ryder (seeing a pattern, yet?)
• Luke Skywalker and Padme Amidala (I cannot pull off a white bodysuit) (no, not even a little bit)

Maybe we can do Wesley Crusher and Dr. Crusher? I already have the red hair. All I'd need is the blue ST: TNG body suit (still more flattering than Padme Amidala's), a tricorder, and a poorly hidden lust for Jean-Luc Picard. Like that would be so hard.

Ideas? What sort of family/parent-child/group costumes have you all done?

A Spooky Kind of Love

Recently, the hubby and I have decided to re-watch the entire X-Files series.

Because, you know, with a baby due in about five weeks, we figured now is as good a time as any to jump into a new project. 

We probably won't watch the entire entire series; let's face it, at some point the show jumped the shark, turned around, jumped it again, and then did one more for good measure. It just so happens that this moment coincided with David Duchovny's leaving the series, but I like to think he left because the show went downhill, and not the other way around. I remember trying to watch it without D.D., for Gillian Anderson's sake, because feminism, but it was so painfully bad it made my eyeballs hurt. (What's Gillian Anderson up to these days, anyway?)

Right now, though, we're still in the middle of season 2, and aside from a few groan-worthy Creature of the Week eps (S2E7, "3" is so bad it made me want to punch myself in the throat, especially coming hot off the heels of the kick-ass 2-parter where Scully gets kidnapped by that crazy guy and sent in his stead to the aliens), it's still really good.

Back in the 90s, my brother, Mr. Funny got me into the X-Files. There's something tremendously satisfying about rewatching a favorite TV series, especially one as smart and fun as The X-Files. Like hanging out with old friends you haven't seen in a while. And it's especially awesome to watch the show with my husband, whom I didn't even know back in the 90s when The X-Files originally aired. We're both coming to the show with our own memories of it, and sharing those memories, and creating new ones together.

There's also a certain sentimental value to rewatching a show from the 90s: seeing those enormous cell phones, watching people use microfiche instead of the internet, the photos of Janet Reno and Bill Clinton in Skinner's office. I mean, honestly, what would Mulder have done with himself had he access to the internet in his cases? 

Actually, after the first episode I had an idea to start a blog from Scully's POV called "Shit I Have to Put Up With," where I'd write her thoughts from each episode. But, you know, baby coming. I swear kids ruin every damn thing.

Sample blog entry for the non-existent "Shit I Have to Put Up With: Agent Scully's Rantatorium" 

I was a little gassy today. Mulder thinks it's aliens.

Other things Mulder thinks are alien-related:

• It's raining
• He found a grey chest hair
• Someone pressed all the buttons on the elevator
• The roach coach across the street stopped selling chimichangas 

At least I got to do an autopsy, so the day isn't a total fail. Mulder was all, "The guy's not even dead yet, Scully!" but whatever. He was dead *enough*.

Because Scully has a total boner for doing autopsies. Like, all the time. You could make an entire drinking game out of Scully's autopsy boners and be drunk, like, every episode.

One of these days Mulder will let me autopsy him. And that? Will be a great day, indeed, my friends. I wonder what the inside of his stomach looks like? I bet its sexy. Whew, is it getting hot in here, or is it just this dissected lung I'm holding?

And:

So this new guy, Krycek. Is. Totally. Hot. I keep asking Mulder if Krycek has asked about me, but you know my stupid partner. He's all, "Aliens!" and trying to cockblock me. Douche.

Krycek was totally my X-Files boyfriend back in the 90s, and we've finally hit the part in the series where he shows up. Except now his character seems so young and naive, and instead of being a horny late teen/early twentysomething, I'm now a mid-30s wife and mother and I feel a little dirty crushing on him. Oh, Krycek. You are so shady, and it's totally sexy.

Rewatching the show, I'm also reminded of the political tone of the 1990s, and how The X-Files helped usher in an era of government conspiracy porn: Men In Black, Conspiracy Theory, Independence Day, Alien Autopsy, etc. Remember the good ol' days, when we all thought our nation's biggest threat was secret aliens? *wistful sigh*


So. Have any of you ever re-watched an old favorite TV series? How was it?

Getchur Geek On

I cannot believe I have not written about New York Comic Con yet!

It's been four whole days since I was there, and yet my blog remains void of any mention of NYCC. For shame, self.

So, er, on Sunday, my brother Mr. Funny, and I went to New York Comic Con 2011. It was awesomesauce, or whatever the kids are saying these days. We would have liked to have gone all four days of the con - as we geeks in the know call conventions - but alas, he had work and I have a three year old who naps in the middle of the day and also isn't as into the Star Wars movies as his cousin Rudy, Jr. is. (I'm not saying I feel competitive with my cousin Rudy over this or anything, but when his little boy - who is the same age as my son, the Juban Princeling - referred to "Empire Strikes Back" as "The Ton-Ton Movie," I seethed with envy. Now, my son is my son and I love him as-is, but I'll admit here that I might love him slightly more if he did something adorable and geeky like that and just once asked to watch "The Ton-Ton Movie" instead of "Yo Gabba Gabba.")

Also, cons cost money, both to attend, and while you are there. The Jacob K. Javitz Center here in New York, which plays host to NYCC, charges an arm, a leg, and a kidney for the grub in the food court (no joke: my lunch of 3 chicken fingers plus a handful of sad french fries, plus a small soda and a mini chocolate bar, came out to $15 and change), and then there's all the geek crap you have to buy. YES, YOU HAVE TO BUY GEEK CRAP. YOU JUST DO, OK? Mr. Funny walked out of that con $50 poorer, but the proud owner of a Mr. Spock-inspired bathrobe. It's about quality of life, people. Try to keep up.

We chose to go on Sunday because there were two panels I wanted to attend: the Geek Parenting Panel, and We're No Angels: Leading Ladies of SF/F. Actually, honestly, I felt like I had to attend the Leading Ladies panel because it featured Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison, both of whom I've read and both of whom I adore and want to stalk a little bit. 

When we got to the con, my brother made a comment to the effect of, seeing people in costumes we don't recognize makes us feel less geeky. And that's pretty much how I felt at the Geek Parenting panel. It was good times for sure, and gave me lots of food for thought - I'll never buy a pre-packaged costume for the Princeling again, I promise - but I went in thinking we were all going to discuss methods of slipping more Star Wars-themed media into our children's lives, and whether or not we should show the series to them in order of when the movies were released versus their chronological order (I vote the former). Alas, silly Mer. That's not what the Geek Parenting panel was about at all. Most of the other geek parents in the room - the overwhelming majority, in fact - were avid comic book readers and/or role-play-gamers, or RPGs. I...have never picked up a comic in my life, except for when I dated that idiot in college who read them and I had to step over them to get into his room. I've also never played an RPG. Once in a while when we're watching "The Guild," my husband will causally suggest we try out World of Warcraft, to which I respond it's not like I've got tons of free time on my hands and need something new to occupy my life. Besides, thanks to "The Guild" we know how real gamers feel about "casuals," which is pretty much all we could be.

So, I felt slightly inadequate at that panel, geek-wise, but at least I learned that certain RPGs are actually good for kids and help children and teens build worlds and tell stories, so that once day if the Princeling decides he's into it, I'll be prepared.

The Leading Ladies panel was also informative, for wholly different reasons. As a writer, getting to hear Patty & Co. wax eloquent on subjects like writing discipline, world-building, faith in yourself as a writer, and publishing myths, made me want to come home, lock myself in a room, and finish my damn novel already. Which I've been mostly doing all week, when I'm not picking my son up from school, spending quality time with him so he doesn't turn into a recluse, feeding myself and/or my family, seeing a chiropractor for my sciatica pain, or sleeping. And, I'm pleased as punch to report that I managed to finally break away from my habit of acting like a total jackass in front of famous people I love, and actually said hello to Patricia Briggs and told her what a fan I am, and she did not seem scared or weirded out by me. That's progress.

My inspiration.
Photo copyright: http://mimg.ugo.com/200902/20522/alien.jpg

Mr. Funny, for once, did not attend the con in costume, but I did. I needed something to go with my pregnancy, and there's not a whole heck of a lot out there in genre-land. The night before the con my husband and I worked on attaching the head, arms, and upper torso of an alien from the "Alien" movies onto either my baby bump or a t-shirt, but the thing was just too damn heavy and kept flopping down. And here I bought an ounce of stage blood for it and everything. Instead, I put on one of my husband's grey undershirts, and then one of his black tank tops, and my army green cargo pants, and went as Sharon from "Battlestar Galactica." I kept rubbing my belly at the con hoping someone would get it, but no one did. Sad face. And it wasn't until the Leading Ladies panel that I even saw another BSGer. We gave each other mutual props. 

What I actually went as. Or, tried to. Not shown: Sharon's baby bump.
Photo copyright: http://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/grace_park_01.htm

In all, the con was amazing, and I'm glad we went. Maybe next year we'll go for two days so we have time to go to more panels.

I came home with a bag full of swag, including a Lego Transformer for the Princeling, courtesy of the Geek Parenting panel, a Peter Parker/Spiderman mask he hates, and a Stormtrooper coloring sheet he ignored. But I also spent $8 to buy him a little plush Ewok - shut up, my son is 3, I'm not about to buy him pointy-toothed Chewbacca - which he LOVES. He's been a little scared of monsters lately, so I told him the Ewok is a protective Ewok that will look after him when he sleeps. He even asked me to tell him a story about the Ewok, so I did:

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a place called Endor. And in that place lived the Ewoks. And they were furry and small and sweet and wore clothes. So once day, some monsters came and wanted to build a weapons system on Endor, [Princeling: "What's that?" Me: *ignoring and continuing*] but the Rebels, lead by Luke and Leia, went to Endor to fight the monsters. And the Ewoks helped the rebels! They helped protect Luke and Leia and the other Rebels! That's what Ewoks do, they help people against the monsters. And so the Rebels won and the monsters ran away and everyone was super happy. The end.

We may not read comics or play RPGs, and my son may not know his TIE-fighters ("twin ionic engine," don't test me) from his X-Wings just yet, but that kid loves him some protective little Ewok toy. It's a start.