Minimates: Those little suckers are addictive.  They're small enough so that you can fit your entire collection in a shoe box, and that is good.  And yet, each time a new variation on a character comes out.... MUST HAVE!  (Good thing they're cheap.  ;)

BTW - Toywiz.com seems to have the original New Caprica set (Kara, Tigh, Ellen, Leoben) and Wave 6,  which has Romo, President Lee, Prophet Baltar, Racetrack, Hotdog, Athena and Caprica Six - most of which were not include in the Toys R Us waves - available for sale.  They say they will be shipping in July.   They don't, however, have Wave 5 for sale, which included Sam, Tory, Cavil, Doral, Simon, Natalie & D'Anna, most of which are part of TRU's wave that becomes available by 8-30.  Supposedly the New Cap and Wave 6 orders will ship in July.  We'll see.

Also - That first wave at Toys R Us is no longer on their website.  And neither is the Longshot action figure.  Bigbadtoystore still has some of them, but at a jacked up price.  So if you want them, I'd order them now.  Both sites still have the second wave for preorder.

Finally on the issue of toys.  I am doing my best to NOT get addicted to the larger action figures the way I am to the Minimates.   OK, so, yes, I MUST have the Sam & Kara action figures.  OTP is OTP.   But I'm on a slippery slope.  It was OK to order the Helo action figure for $2.99.  I could justify that because it was $2.99.  But Toywiz allowed me to order a Laura action figure separately, and, well, how could I not do that?  It's a Laura action figure.   Now I've still been able to refrain from ordering the Kara & Leoben two pack.  I want that Kara.  And I will have that Kara.  I know this.   But I don't really need the Leoben.  (Not meaning offense to anyone, but I just don't have a particular need for a Leoben action figure.  But MUST have Kara.  So...)   Then there's the Lee & Dee which I'm struggling not to order.  And the Red Dress Six that I'm doing my best not to order.   And the Boomer/Athena two pack (because now I have a Helo, and so I must have Athena...)  Like I said, it's a slippery slope.  Because if I buy all those, I might as well buy the Tigh/Gaeta two pack and if I get the Boomer, I have no excuse not to buy the Tyrol!  AAAHHHHHHHHHH.

(And please God, don't get me started on Star Trek Minimates.  It would NEVER end.)

I know I've mentioned this to BSG friends before, but I've seen the subject of Roswell fandom and "Dreamer" bashing coming up on my f-list, so I'm officially going to tell this story on my journal.

Yes, I was a Spoiled Dreamer.  I shipped Max/Liz, and hung out on the Spoiled Dreamer thread on good ol' Fan Forum.  :::giggles at the memory of Fan Forum:::. 

No, I'm not ashamed of that and I have a need to address this recent bashing for a couple of reasons.  ( My Roswell Story... ).

That was long and rambly, but I hope a fair and interesting read.

I'm in total shock!   I got my order of BSG Minimates from Toys R Us today.  It's, like, a MONTH early.  I'm used to Minimate orders being pushed out, not suddenly appearing at my door a month early.

So I now have a new Mini Cavil, Mini Doral, Mini Leoben AND a new Mini Kara.  And this one has her tattoo.    So yay!  Score me.

For the record, the new Kara is very cute, but the Leoben is kinda ugly.  They gave him a really evil face.  But at least he has the tacky shirt.  I

Time for everyone's favorite - The Alphabet Meme, the one where you list ten thing you love that start with a letter given you by one of your friends  . lizardbeth_j blessed me with the letter N.   Oh my lords, I have no family, no OTC's, no OTP's, no actors playing my OTC's or OTP's, no OTS's no favorite athletes, or sports teams or movies that begin with the letter N.  I've got NOTHING. 

So I'm cheating.

Icon spam is under the cut.

( Massively Cheating on the Letter N )

If you comment and ask for a letter, I'll be happy to oblige.

My LJ blogging tends to get really slow in the summer, or at least it has over the last few years, but I didn't realize how often I journaled from work, because now that I literally can't do that and not only because I'm too busy...  Oy.  It's been such a bummer.  I can't even read my f-list during the day because the firewall blocks it.   And that means it takes a loooooong time to catch up with it when I get home.

Well, I was the one who wanted to be busier at work, and now I am.

Some topics?

Baseball - All my teams are mediocre and having uninspiring seasons.  (But I still love it.)

Primeval -  Apparently, after all the recent hype about expanding the franchise, ITV has abruptly cancelled it after ending season 3 in a cliffhanger.  Too bad, because it's very entertaining Summer TV.

The Flu -  I bet you all thought that story went away.  Like I said this Spring when it emerged, it's a big deal, and going to be with us for at least two years.   The media is so idiotic.  They "dropped" the story as soon as they figured out that H1N1 wasn't Captain Tripps.   Stories that take two years too unfold just aren't "interesting".  But here in the states, if you get sick this summer, it's Swine flu.  According to the two doctors in my family, the state of IL mostly isn't bothering to specifically test for it now because a) it isn't necessary, if someone in the Northern Hemisphere has flu symptoms in June, it's almost certainly H1N1, and b) they don't want to "stigmatize" anyone for having it...  PS - That virus is continuing to evolve, as viruses do, just like 1918 did with a deadlier second wave.  Fortunately, they will most likely have a vaccine for it by the time northern hemisphere's flu season starts.  The poor folks in the southern hemisphere are on their own.

PS - I could do a whole separate post about the ridiculous politics that went into declaring this an official pandemic, which is was at least three weeks before it was declared...

I posted this earlier, but it may have gotten lost in the shuffle because of how I posted it.  I thought I'd repost to distract myself while stressing out and waiting for the car repair place to call me.

This all started because of the "She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" Icon that I made awhile back for Kara/Sam, and then took over my brain  as I had to pair up each BSG character or ship with an appropriate Beatles song.   And thus, the list below was born.

It's a Magical Mystery Tour that starts with:


Galactica = Yellow Submarine


( It Goes Down Hill From There... )


BTW - The lyrics to Yellow Submarine are kind of scarily perfect and include lots and lots of irony, a reference to sailing into the sun, the words "action stations", and Heaven.  And LSD

Not.

****

My car has a check engine light, with the best timing EVER.   The car repair place seems to think it's an electrical problem.  Electrical problems are usually the death knell in my experience.   The job sucks and is stressing me out far beyond the old one.  And I mean FAR beyond the old one.   This was not the best day for my car to do this to me.   Just sayin'.

Hmmm.    It is possible that the key to getting me interested in a fandom is to have a hot guy named Sam on your show, and give him a supernatural twist.

Perhaps that is the reason I spent the day burning through True Blood Season 1?  And also why I found myself looking for pictures and surfing for fanfic communities?   Yummmm.

Also, I might be shipping Tara/Sam just for the symmetry of it.   Hee!

I made these Sparkly Kara Icons for rose_griffes.   I hope they are sparkly enough.  I actually found it more difficult than I thought it would be!  I definetly am going to have to continue making them, because I do not feel I've perfected the Sparkly Kara Icon yet.  More reseach is required.  So this is just a down payment.

Also, I couldn't help myself, Sparkly Kara/Sam and Sparkly Michael Trucco crept into the batch.  (That new Trucco pic that apparently came from hobbitofkobol  via anno_superstar  NEEDED to be iconed.



     

( More Sparkly Under A Cut... )

Definitely more to come!

****

Regarding Ice Cream.  I know this topic has already been more thoroughly explored elsewhere, but I feel the need to put in my two cents.

Kara/Leoben?  Vanilla?  ::hahahahahahahaha::  That's about the last flavor that comes to mind.  I think Pistachio, or perhaps Mint Chocolate Chip would work best for Kara/Leoben.

Kara/Sam is Cookies and Cream.  She's the cookies, he's the cream.  

Vanilla is actually my favorite flavor - but oddly, I think it best refers to Kara/Lee.  It is, after all, the most popular.

Chocolate should be totally reserved for Laura Roslin.  Alone or with Bill, it doesn't matter.  Laura gets the Chocolate.

But if we talking about pies.  I reserve Pumpkin for Kara/Sam.   

With the network "upfronts" now complete, it appears that there are several new genre shows in the offering for this Fall by the various networks. Some of them look interesting, and I will probably give a try. Starting with...

V - This one won't come on until mid-season, but given it's creative connection to The 4400 (Executive Producer Scott Peters and actor Joel Gretsch) it's definetly on my list. I've seen the trailer, and think it looks cheesy. But then, so was the original. Plus, it has Elizabeth Mitchell, which is a for the win.

Flash Forward - The only thing holding me back on this, which sounds like it has real possibilities, is it's time slot conflict with Survivor. Survivor is a family thing, and I couldn't give it up if I wanted to. I'm handicapped with a DVR that only allows me to record or watch one show at a time. (Don't worry though, it makes up for it by allowing me to burn shows to DVD.) But if this turned out to be something I can't miss, than I'll find a way.

Day One - I have some interest, and have actually read the casting sides for it. I'm intrigued by what this could be. I honestly think it sounds better than V.

Eastwick - Sounds like Desperate Housewives with actual witches. So probably not, I'll have to be sold on it.

Vampire Diaries - Probably not interested. This also conflicts with Survivor and Flash Forward and would result in DVR meltdown. But maybe.

Human Target - It looks lame to me, and it's on Fox. I always say I might be interested in a show that appears on Fox, and then when push comes to shove, I still don't watch it because - it's Fox. (The only thing with the power to break through my self-imposed anti-Fox barrier appears to be sports: Chicago Bears football and post season baseball. And, OK, occasional reruns of The Simpsons.)

Past Life - Another Fox show that I think sounds intersting. This one is about a guy who investigates people's past lives, though the trailer was a little dull. This just happens to be a subject matter that I've been reading up on.

***

It's amazing how many genre shows are on network TV right now - and I'm not into any them!

Lost - killed off too many characters.  (For the record, they probably lost me with the pointless Shannon death, but they totally drove me away with the Ana Lucia/Libby double murder.   It was actually a very painful breakup because early on, I really loved this show.)

Heroes - loved at first but lost interest.

Chuck - Still like it, and still watch it. But don't actually care that much. Witness my lack of blogging about it. The show is plagued with too much feeding of the Chuck/Sarah beast. (And I actually do ship Chuck/Sarah.) By this I mean too much teasing the shippers with promises that the couple will soon get together, when, obviously, they aren't. I totally heart the Buy More cast, and Casey.

Smallville - I've never been into it because Superman bores me.  

Supernatural - I guess I still watch.  

Fringe - Is that a genre show?  I never really tried it.  And, yeah, yeah, it's on Fox.

Ghost Whisperer & Medium - I've never been into it.

Dollhouse - Apparently, not even Tahmoh can make watch if I don't like the concept. Or break my Fox boycott.

****
Hooray for Cable, I guess?   All of my current, and recent favorite shows are cable.  That includes currently, Mad Men, Primeval, My Boys & Leverage.    And BSG, The 4400 & The Last Airbender in the recent past.

****

My beloved White Sox lost 20-1 yesterday. How humiliating. The Black Hawks are down 0-2 in their playoff series. The Cubs got swept this week by the Cards. It's been a rough sports week in Chicagoland.

Primeval is back on BBC America.  (I know that this has been airing in the UK for months, but I avoided spoilers, so it's all new to me.)   The first episode of season 3 was very good!  I was surprised by how good it was.  I was especially impressed by the handling of the female characters, including:

1.  The intro of a strong new female character - Dr. Sarah Page who is an Egyptologist and an expert on Myth.   Her role will apparently be to assist the team in tracking the locations and time of worm holes by analyzing when and where myths about monsters originate.   That's a very cool angle.  It basically opens up all of history for the unfolding of stories.   From what I can tell from reading in the fandom, she's well liked.  Yay.  A new female character introduced, who isn't immediately hated by the fandom.  WIN.  (But I didn't read very deep into the fandom, so hopefully my take on that isn't wrong.)

2.  Abby kicked butt.  With Steven RIP as of the season 2 finale, it appears she's been promoted to be the new lead action girl.  She's now the go to person for tracking the monsters, and all around head outdoor/explorer chick.   Cool!

3.  Jenny/Claudia was dressed like a normal professional woman.  What a relief.  All of season 2, Jenny ran around in miniskirts, low cut blouses and four inch heels.   The de-sexualization of her wardrobe was much appreciated.  (By me, anyway, probably not by my brother Steve who's a big fan of her  ;)    She didn't really do much in the episode, but at least there was that. 

4.  Helen is still evil, and still totally kick ass.

As for the male characters:

-  Connor is as adorable and bumbly as ever.
-  I'm really starting to love Lester a lot.  Yes, he's weasley and unlikable, but yet...  He's still strangly a good guy.  Very strange how that is.
-  They also intro'd a new lead marine - and a handsome one at that, (because with Steven gone they needed to re-fill they eye candy quotient, I suppose.)  I can't yet remember the character's name.  But I think I like him, even though he's probably cannon fodder.

So, that's Primeval 3.1.  Two other things about Primeval:

-  Apparently they just signed a deal for a movie.
-  And they are considering doing a U.S. based spinoff.

The Primeval franchise is growing.

****

I saw the movie Angels & Demons yesterday.  I enjoyed it quite a bit, though it's not my favorite of all time or anything like that.  I thought it made a surprisingly positive balance between science and religion.   I read the book some time ago, and had forgotten the details.  My friend Linda, (who does a lot of reading on things like Illuminati conspiracy...) thought that the movie was "to actiony" and didn't spend enough time talking about the symbols.  (I somehow doubt that would be the consensus, LOL)  But overall, yes, I do recommend the film.  Not as highly as Star Trek, but still worth the time.

Remember when I did Friday Pic Spams?  God I miss that.   I haven't really had time.  But consider this a mini Friday Pic Spam, because it is so damn adorable!

Heee!

****

Chicago is Black Hawk Happy!  I admit that I'm totally a fair weather hockey fan, and I think the Black Hawks are probably major underdogs against Detroit.   But yay team! 

Too bad the White Sox are sucking up the place.  Sigh.

I saw the movie yesterday.  And it was awesome.

( Spoilers for the Star Trek Movie )


PS - Michael Trucco talks a little bit about The Plan over at Scifi Wire.  It sounds good.   And I'm good so long as I have Pretty Anders With Hair.  And some of that old Swagger.

I'm apparently going to have to go to the Star Trek movie today, since all the reviews are so awesome coming in to my Flist.  (And if I don't see it soon, I'll be *completely* spoiled.)  I'm happy if this really revives the Star Trek franchise, as it so appears, because what could possibly be better than the happy, relatively upbeat Star Trek franchise to contrast with the downbeat BSG franchise?  (Though, of course, I'm weary of JJ Abrams long term in control of Star Trek.  I wonder which character he'll kill off first.)

Speaking of BSG:



THIS...  (Sam on the cover)   Will almost be enough to get me to buy the 4.5 DVD's.  We'll see.  (Though I'm holding out really well.  Still haven't budged on Caprica.   Maybe when it hits the $7.99 bin where I recently saw Razor?)

For those who wish to complain and stamp their feet over Trucco's presence on the cover, think of it this way...  he was damn lucky to be there, and I think it's fantastic that they honored him by finally acknowledging him on the cover.    Lots of times, characters who don't start out being important, do end up that way.  It's the way TV shows evolve.  There's no use crying over it.   So Yay SAM!  Yay Trucco!

You know how when you start a new job and everything starts out kind of slow until you ramp up and everything becomes incredibly hectic?  Yeah, that hectic part started this week big time!

So, anyway, it's Friday and I wanted to post something.   So I made some Harry Potter icons, and here they are.  (I don't know what inspired me to my HP icons.  But something did.)  Also there are some random sports related icons.  Someone please tell me that the Ben Roethlisberger, "Do You Think I'm Sexy" Icon is funny.


       

( More Icons Under the LJ Cut )

I haven't done a DVR update for awhile..  (Which is basically covering topics of what TV shows I'm currently following.)

I'm sorry to report that my DVR is not looking too good right now from a fangirl perspective.  I'm pretty sure that the stuff that I'm currently following mostly represents epic fangirl failure.   My post-BSG state of mind continues to make me feel very negative about SF & F TV as a whole.   I hope this doesn't become a permanent state.  :(   But unfortunately it's not just BSG, it's a history of recent EPIC FAIL of so many scifi TV shows including the petering out of The 4400, Roswell, Buffy, (not to mention Lost, Heroes and now Supernatural.)    

Here's all I got:

Survivor
The Amazing Race
 (Those are my old reliable action adventure reality shows that are always huge fun, and the enjoyment of which is shared with RL family and friends.)

Say Yes To The Dress
(A schlocky reality show on TLC which shows the drama of brides picking out wedding dresses at a high priced bridal salon in NYC.  But SO MUCH CHEESY GOODNESS and mocking of ugly dresses!)

My Boys
(An adorable TBS Sitcom which has no fandom, and apparently nobody watches.  I can't even find any rating information on it, so I have no idea if it has any chance of renewal.)

How the Earth Was Made
(This is a documentary series on The History Channel.  I really am a science/history geek, and also watch another History Channel series, The Universe when it comes on.  ;)

Beyond all this, I've added The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother now that Chuck is on hiatus.  (And apparently, according to  rumors out there this morning, Chuck will get a 3rd season afterall.)

***  Seriously, that above list is sad. 

There will be Mad Men, eventually.  But that doesn't come back until August.  (I'm lucky with Mad Men, though I love it, I don't really fangirl over it because I have no OTC or OTP.  OTC's are dangerous, that is almost always the drug that starts me on the road to over-investment.

Yes, I'm still on this topic.

Here's an article about the dilemna that public health care officials face in regard to this issue of "overreaction".  (It's by Laurie Garrett, one of the foremost experts in the field of emerging diseases.  She's the author of a really chilling book I once read called "The Coming Plague".)

If the actions taken by health officials are successful - and a pandemic does not result in mass death - they "overreacted" since there wasn't a "problem".  But if they didn't react, then the public would be outraged by the lack of warning, not to mention the over-flowing emergency rooms.

Apparently, their greatest reward is to be accused of "overreating"  ;)

It's a really interesting article.  Here's an excerpt:


The irony is that the overreaction backlash will be more severe the more successful the public health measures are. If, for example, the virus peters out this spring because transmission was interrupted long enough for environmental conditions (whatever they are) to tip the balance against viral spread, CDC and local health officials will be accused of over reacting. It's another example of the adage, "When public health works, nothing happens." On the other hand, if local officials do nothing and things get worse, they will be accused of being slow.

PS - Yes, I really, actually truly am a science geek.  

I had a chance to talk to the Pediatrician in the family about the whole flu thing today, and whether or not it is over blown.   Because she is a licensed physician in IL, she gets the official updates on what to watch out for.  She told me that there is considerable good news on the science front in regards to this virus. 

First, it currently lacks the mutation that enables viruses to easily transmit from human to human.  Though, it obviously does, it isn't as rapid as the 1918 flu, for comparison.

Second, it also lacks the mutation that makes it virulently lethal, as the 1918 virus was, which is why so many cases so far have been easily treatable.

She says the key danger, and the reason why it will continue to have a high profile is that the bug is new, and nobody has immunity.  And of course, because of that, there is also no vaccine.  Also, flu viruses are notorious for mutating.  (The 1918 flu is an example of that , the first wave was very much like what we're currently experiencing with 2009 H1N1, but the second wave had the "lethality" mutation, and the rest was very tragic...)  That's what the scientists are watching for.

So, in case you are wondering what my particular fascination is... I'm the daughter of a Chemistry Professor and a Librarian, as I've mentioned before, and therefore, there is  a little bit of science geek in me.  :)    Do I really need more reason than that?   I'm also a history nerd, which compounds it.  This is not about panicking over getting the sniffles.

(For the record, I did have influenza once as a child.  it was NOT the sniffles.  I came down with it on a Sunday morning and was basically unconscious for the first two days, and missed two weeks of school.  But even so, it wasn't so serious that I required hopitalization.)

This Swine "H1N1" Flu thing is not being over-hyped.  The thing is totally for real, and if anything, is being under reported rather than the opposite.

Why do I think this?  Yesterday, the news story at chicagobreakingnews.com started out as 9 cases in Illinois in the morning, 17 cases in Illinois at lunch, and 41 cases by the end of the day.  And "Probable Case" is code word for "Real Case" - They're just not allowed to call it official until the CDC confirms it, and so far the CDC hasn't confirmed a single case in Illinois, even though at least one school has been closed for three days and about a dozen other schools have been closed since.   Apparently the CDC is about 4 days behind in making cases "official" - so think about 9-17-41 and extrapolate that to 49 other states.  (And there have also been school closings in Wisconsin for at least 2 days too!)

The state Health Commissioner is not just reporting these cases and closing this many schools for jollies.  And I'm sure things are much farther along in NY, TX and CA then is currently being reported.  There is a reason that Texas (Texas!) has cancelled all inter-school sports activities and why the city of Fort Worth has closed ALL their schools.   It is almost laughable that Florida has yet to report a single case, same as Illinois.

Here's the probable reality:  This new flu bug, which fortunately for humanity seems to cause mostly mild symptoms, got loose in Mexico sometime this winter.  (And since the medical establishment has yet to find a single pig with the disease, it is highly questionable that anyone has the slightest clue yet how this thing started.)  It was free-range in Mexico by the time Spring Break season hit US schools a couple of weeks ago, and is now free-range in the US.

We are lucky because it is highly treatable and mostly mild.  Though some people will die from it, it's just the law of averages when it comes to influenza.  Every public gathering in the US right now is probably spreading the illness.  So I hope that we can all continue to enjoy the onging NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs, and MLB season along with Cinco de Mayo and other public gatherings that are scheduled to take place, because at some point it's going to be called into question.  (I would say by the 3rd round of the NBA Playoffs people will be seriously questioning if they should be postponed.)  I would not be wanting to get on a plane right now, or be anywhere near an airport.

I'm just sayin'.