FINN VS. YODA in the first round?!?!?!

Dude!!  I cannot believe the horrible match up with Finn vs. Yoda in the first round.  I would have loved to see Finn go again Ashoka, or maybe even R2-D2 to see what would happen (well, okay maybe not Artoo....he'd slaughter Finn).

So you may be wondering what the heck I am talking about.  I am talking about the other OTHER March Madness that is way better than NCAA.  Star Wars "This Is Madness" pits two brackets against one another in a FINAL SHOWDOWN between the dark and light!  That's right.  March Madness meets Star Wars.  Geek meets Greek.  It's really the final ultimate showdown.

THE ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN OF LIGHT AND DARK

I came late to the voting, so Finn was already eliminated.  He was eliminated against Yoda, which for a first round, is a heart breaker.  Finn never stood a chance.  Today's light side vote was Obi-Wan vs. R2-D2.  Sorry btchonheels, I voted Obi-Wan.  For the dark side bracket, I voted Darth Vader over Maul.  No contest, why even bother?  It is truly evil-villain laughable to consider Maul over Vader.  Muahahaha.  I can't wait until it has Vader vs. Ren, or Vader vs. Boba Fett.

For the rest of the light side, I can't even attempt to make a prediction.  I mean, Rey rules, but will she get all the loyal OT fans?  As for Yoda, he's definitely got the skills and street cred, but he wasn't one of the Millenium Falcon 'Gang' so he might not pull as many votes as Luke, etc.

Next up, I am kind of shocked that Ashoka beat out BB-8, but against Yoda either would have lost.  Meh, Ashoka needs to go away.  And I say that having never watched the clone wars series, so yeah, I have no basis other than snobbery for that judgement.  BB-8 is better.  Sue me.

Since we're on the topic of BB-8, he isn't a 'light' user, but got into the competition - so why not HAN, who also isn't considered a force user??  Is it because he died?  Well, Yoda is dead, as we all know, and he got in, so being alive can't be a requirement.  So what the dillio?  I'm gonna go call Lucasfilm now on my speed dial and complain.

Then again, maybe they didn't include Han, because they knew he would blow away the competition so badly that it is just laughable.

Oh wait, nevermind.  I just looked harder at the bracket, and Luke beat Han.  Wait, what?  Hold on. WHAT?  DUDE!  Okay.  Serenity now.  Where's my phone.  Someone will pay.

May the hip be with you...

I went to an orthopedic appointment a few weeks ago.  My mom accompanied me, and sat quietly with me as we waited for the guy to arrive.  When the doctor entered, we said our introductions and la dee dah sort of things.   Then he laid in on the situation.

Point blank, he tells me I'me going to need a hip replacement.  Uh what.  Back the old lady train up.  After a few seconds of panic, I heard him backtrack and explain he only meant down the line when I'm older.  I guess this guy is still after the gold star for bedside manner, because he obviously hasn't earned it yet.  He and I went back and forth about what to do now, physical therapy, resting and footwear.  The appointment turned out okay, but the start was a shock to the system.

I have been diagnosed with hip dysplasia.  I've always had it, apparently.  Only now, after going too hard at my new workout regime, it has surfaced as a problem.  It is a painful, grumpy problem! .  I'm still pretty bummed.  I've done some PT now, and it hurts.  I'm fearful of my future.  I don't really know what to expect.  Will I feel confident running ever again?  Will I be able to wear heels?  Will I always have a limpy walk?  I'm just so annoyed right now by all the unknowns.

Good Doggy

My dog consistently proves to be the smarter one between us.  For about two hours he was bugging me.  Pawing at me, squeaking, whining, the whole nine yards.  I hadn't the faintest why he wanted my attention, since it'd only been an hour or so since I had let him out.
Despite that, I took him out, again, and surprise, surprise, he took a huge dump.  Go figure.  We went back inside and I resumed my netflix binge.  (yay supernatural)  Next up, more whining, pawing and whimpering as I sat back down to continue my Sam and Dean fix.  I couldn't figure out, after taking him outside, what the hell he wanted.  I got up multiple times to find a toy for him, I gave him biscuits, I tried playing with him, everything!!!
Then I remembered that during his first hissy fit I had given him a bone.  I sat back down, and found his bone, lodged under my laptop.  Duh.  That is all he was trying to tell me.  What a good doggy.  As my mom says, "If he only spoke English."

Arisia and Baggage

Recently, I attended a day at Arisia in Boston.  It is a fantasy and sci-fi convention that I have never attended before.  My attendance was short; only a half day on Saturday, but I learned a lot.  I decided when I arrived to go to a panel I wouldn't normally have attend; transgender in scifi/fantasy fandom.  I sat, listened, and took in as much as possible.  However, the biggest thing that I learned was from one member of the panel who spoke to the struggles people face as they go through life.

She explained that what made her experience at the convention so amazing was that we were all essentially there to be dreaming of and experiencing worlds that are better than our present.  She explained this by saying that most people have baggage.   Once you cross 30 or so, you realize everyone has baggage at that point.  With that burden comes a tendency to drift to different worlds of fantasy in which we find solace.  I couldn't have agreed more.  Life is tough, and sometimes we need a safe place.

However, let me be clear, folks.  This inspiring explanation was not strictly referring to escapism.  It was, in a way, actually bringing to life the idea that we're not JUST trying to escape.  Rather, we are all trying to grasp at the worlds we want to see manifest in our lives today, or in the future.  There is a great difference between escapism and envisioning a better life.  Sure, I enjoy submersing myself in a fantastical story about times and places I don't know, or a great film that wraps me up in an unknown reality.  But, behind all that, is the realization that I have some scars that I can use to my advantage to bring forth a better world.  You have this capability, too.

"Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around us in awareness."  -James Thurber

Everyone carries around baggage as if we're all walking around the airport of our lives trying to find the right gate.   I think that if we carry it with us into our future, we can use what we've packed away to help us.  We can look forward in awareness.  After all, it gets better.  Just don't forget a towel.

Hair gets longer

I don't know exactly why I saved 'Hair gets longer' as a title for a post a few weeks ago.  I often make a post title, and save it as a draft.  Then I can go back when I have time to write a full post about the idea that sprang to mind.  I've never really forgotten what any title I saved refers to, except for now.  I have NO idea what 'Hair gets longer' means.

Was I trying to reassure myself that my hair will grow longer after some jerk chopped it this summer?  I found out the hard way that 2" apparently means 8" at the salon I went to last August.  I'm still bummed because I would have donated my hair if I knew it was being hacked off.

Was I possible posting about my new dye job I got before New Year's Eve?  I love the color.  I was also a lot less traumatized because a good bit of the length had grown back since the August Attack.  The girl only trimmed my front bangs and reshaped a bit of my layers around the face.  The rest, she told me, was in good shape.

So let's see...I'm still bewildered at what 'Hair gets longer' means.  Maybe it has nothing to do with hair.  Do you have a theory?  What do you think I meant?

Mini fans at the Superbowl

I was invited over to my friend's place for the Superbowl.  Since the Patriots weren't playing, I wasn't too interested and hadn't even planned anywhere in particular for watching the game.  After my friend enticed with me with tacos, I couldn't refuse.  Wine in hand and fuzzy slippers in my bag, I soon found myself watching my friend's roommate slice and dice up a delicious guacamole and salsa verde.  After gorging on two or three tacos and about a pound of avacodo, the half time show arrived.

Coldplay came on first, and stunk.  That's all I'm going to say for him(them?).  Next, Beyonce graced us with her presence, being ever wonderful and sassy.  Or was it Sasha Fierce?  I don't know.  Third to pop up from behind his piano was little Bruno Mars.  He was undoubtedly the best performer.  He is a greater performer because you can easily watch his love of the performance shine through.  It reminds me much of Michael Jackson.  They both radiate with their joy of dancing, singing, and performing.  It is abundantly clear and visible on their faces and in the movement of their bodies, every moment!

Anyway, the performance was wrapping up and all three artists came together to belt out the last few moments of the song.  Everything seemed to fade away on the TV screen, except for one thing.  Hair.

Beyonce's hair was moving, nay, flowing.  No one else seemed to have a fan or breeze pointed at them, but here she was, locks waving away as if they were waving to a crowd from a parade float.
What the heck?  Does she have mini fans attached to her shoulders?  I can't figure it out.  Well played, Sasha Fierce.  Your hair is fierce and flowing.

"I'm heating up the wax." -Actually a good thing.

My sister posted recently that she was cranking up her ol' hand wax dipper thingamajigger.  I think its a paraffin treatment if you want to really get technical, but whatever you want to call it, just make sure you call it AWESOME.
You see, after four hours of heating, the wax inside one of these heated tubs becomes all liquidy and warm.  It is kind of similar to the warm liquid goo phase in Austin Powers, minus the naked dude and elimination.  (elimination com... com... comp... complete.)
Next, you dip your entire hand in and pull it out, completely coated in paraffin.  Repeat that, waiting between dips, until you basically have a creepy wax glove.  I snapped a photo of my friend with her paraffin hands, incase you don't get the picture.

I got a little carried away with the 'stickers' option on my phone, thinking I could make her look like a mad scientist.  I failed.

After you strip it off, your hands are soft and smooth inside.  I don't know how much it really helps my hands, but it feels good and the whole activity shouts novelty.  The only drawback, is you tend to creep out the neighbors.  Beware idle hands, and I'm not talking about Devon Sawa here, may he rest in peace.