Will Friedle

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We got to meet some amazing people last weekend at Ottawa Comic Con, and none more so than Will Friedle (Twitter). He was so great with the woman ahead of us in line, who told him that she had a major crush on him when she was growing up. “That’s adorable!” he replied, all smiles. I love when actors are so amazing with their fans.

And OUR interaction with him. Oh wow. I was wearing the shirt that my sister designed for me (Geeklet on Board), and the “d” at the end is comprised of a pencil and a d20, to represent our love of D&D. Will got all excited about the d20, and asked if we watched Critical Role, which we have not yet. Apparently he is a guest star in the show. I want to see it even more now.

I also explained why I was wearing the shirt, and he got all excited that we are expecting. He said “And how is little Will treating you today?” I said the first name that popped into my head at this point: “Actually, Wilhelmina is treating me quite well.” Then I quickly corrected myself, explaining that we were NOT going to name her Wilhelmina, but that I couldn’t come up with another female ‘Will’ name. So he asked our name possibilities, and pulled a d20 out from his pocket! He rolled for each one, and the results were all really low. Maybe we’ll see her and end up naming her something completely different! I have no idea. (We have since thought of one: Willow! What do you think Will? What does the dice say? Update: Will says that the dice rolled a 19!)

He also asked how long we’ve been married, and said congratulations when he heard that it was almost 7 years. He’s getting married on September 25, 2016. I wish him happiness and joy!

We also managed to squeeze two pictures in with the TARDIS. Will was a real pleasure to meet. I highly recommend going to see him at any and all conventions you go to!

Will Friedle2small

I love his face in this one!Will Friedle3small

P.S. Bracelet is by Popsquatch Designs. You can buy stuff from them at CON Creative Ottawa Nerds on June 11!

Too Female? #TooFemale

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Last Monday, I found out that CBS had passed on the new Nancy Drew TV series. Not because the pilot tested badly (it tested really well) but because it was “Too Female”.

My only reaction was: Ugh!

CBC Ottawa’s All in a Day talked about it that night.

Sarah Shahi – Filming ‘Nancy Drew’ in New York City 3/19/2016 - celebmafia.com
Sarah Shahi – Filming ‘Nancy Drew’ in New York City 3/19/2016 – celebmafia.com

What do they mean by Too Female?

It could mean a lot of things but mostly it means that they believe that it won’t appeal to their core demographic. Which is apparently mostly men between the age of 18 and 49. Which is the demographic that most networks seem to be targeting.

That’s why you get a kickass character like Detective Kate Beckett (Castle) and Doctor Constance Brennan (Bones), but the studio insists that they work with a male lead. Sometimes it works, and sometimes the male is just boring like Body of Proof where the male cops were about as interesting as the corpses. (Mostly less.)

Rarely do you get a mystery show where you have a female lead that isn’t saddled with a male partner to appeal to the “male demographic”. Other than Veronica Mars and Murder She Wrote, the only one I can think of is Rizzoli & Isles.

Does Gender Matter?

From a story perspective; no. You can tell a fantastic story with a male or a female lead.

From a demographics perspective; I don’t know. I’m not your typical man and I can’t speak for all men. I enjoy female leads, and I think a smart intelligent character is awesome. Female led shows have done well in the past; Veronica Mars, Buffy, Xena, Murder She Wrote, Star Trek Voyager, etc.

I have gotten more than one funny look when I’ve mentioned my love for Gilmore Girls or Disney Princess movies, so the stereotype is there.

The one place that it absolutely matters is in representation. I can turn on the tv and press any combination of buttons and there’s a huge chance that I’ll end up on a show with a main character that looks like me. (White male, 18-49) There are good guys that look like me, bad guys, smart, dumb, etc. etc. etc.

We don’t have the same for women. It’s improving but it’s not there yet.

And that’s not mentioning other gender identities, sexual preferences, cultures, ethnicities, etc.

What Can We Do?

Find and Enjoy the #TooFemale shows out there with well written female leads. Share your love on social media, buy the merchandise, go see the movies.

My experience is limited, but the following TV shows have female leads that kick ass (figuratively and literally) and are still on the air. Check them out, and if you love them let the world know:

There are LOTS more but these are the ones I’ve watched and enjoyed.

While you’re feeling active, sign the Agent Carter to Netflix petition.

 

Go and shamelessly enjoy all the “Too Female” shows. They’re usually better written anyway.

Éric

Blush: Pubic Hair

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Dr Lindsey Doe has a fantastic video about pubic hair growth which you can watch here. However, if you’d like to read about it instead of watch it, here are my answers to a few questions.

Image from static.independent.co.uk
Image from static.independent.co.uk

Question

Why do we have pubic hair?

Answer

For many reasons! To reduce friction, decrease skin abrasion and injury, protect from bacteria (like eyelashes protect our eyes, as Dr Doe pointed out), and a visible sign of puberty. (and more!)

Question

If pubic hair does all that, why is there such a big industry dedicated to removing it?

Answer

For many reasons! Well, sort of. The biggest ones for today’s society is embarrassment and fashion. We body-shame ourselves (and each other) into the belief that pubic hair is an awful thing to have. And with bikinis getting smaller, the likelihood of pubic hair being visible is higher than it was a century ago. Sports athletes often shave for sports reasons (you can tell I’m not a sports person, right?).

Of course, the hair removal industry is mostly centered around Western Europe and North America (Canada and the US, specifically). There are other cultures that don’t have a problem with pubic hair.

Question

Is it so bad to remove pubic hair?

Answer

It is up to you. Going through the hair removal process can cause small abrasions on your skin, allowing for bacteria to enter your body. It also increases chances of ingrown hairs, unless you use a high tech epilator. Being hairless (or mostly hairless) can mean that there is more friction during sex (or even just walking!), which can also cause injury to your skin. As Dr Doe says, if you wish to remove your hair, do it because you want to.

References

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyITfS3MGFk

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/04/war-pubic-hair.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pubic_hair – I don’t usually recommend wikipedia articles, but this one has so many great sources that I can’t help but use it.

Concussion Fears

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

As I lay on the couch trying not to think of all things I should be doing. I kept coming back to scary thoughts of what this concussion could do to me. I wrote about what happened last week.

I was afraid I’d lose parts of myself. What if I didn’t enjoy reading anymore? What if I couldn’t write coherently? What if my personality had changed? What if my inability to find the right word didn’t go away? What if I had forgotten something important?

Between the stress of perceived deadlines and the above questions it’s no wonder I went against the doctor’s orders and started to read. I lost myself in a fun novel and it helped calm me down.

Those pesky questions were still there. I was reminded of a movie from the late nineties called Safe House. I haven’t seen it since 1999. I have no idea if it aged well over the past 17 years.

Safe house 1998

The movie, from what I remember, is about an ageing spy who was dealing with Alzheimer’s. The major tension came from trying to figure out if he was truly in danger or if it was all fueled by the disease. The concept of losing oneself terrifies me more than any horror movie ever could.

I had a few long and scary nights. Honestly I’m still worried about it. I’m writing this in advance to give myself ample convention recovery time. At the moment I’m still fighting with headaches and a little confusion.

I’m worried about what will happen if they never go away. What if this is me now. This is my life?

It absolutely could be worse. I can still read and after this post, and a few others, I’m fairly sure I’m still capable of writing. What really scares me isn’t what I know is wrong but what I don’t know that I’ve lost.

I guess philosophically it shouldn’t matter but is still scares me. I mean, if I don’t know, I can’t miss it… right?

 

Maybe I’ll get lucky and this will activate my X-Gene…

 

Protect your heads!

Éric

Influences on Reality

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Fiction has had a lot of influence in our daily life. Just look at all the gadgets that Star Trek suggested would be the way of the future, that we actually have now in 2016! Tablets, communicators, cell phones, etc. But I’d like to look at the places that have been influenced by fiction.

1. Stargate Command

Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado is the base for NORAD, but there’s rumour that there is a door that has a sign saying “Stargate Command”. Unfortunately, since the US military moved back into the mountain, only tours with “a mission-critical rationale for visiting the mountain, where the tour is essential in performing their daily functions in defending the homelands” may enter the complex. Darn.

2. Platform 9 and 3/4

Any Harry Potter fan would enjoy visiting King’s Cross station, and they’ve even set up a trolley halfway through the wall between platforms 9 and 10. The station also has “Hogwarts Express” listed on their screens at 11 am on September 1st. I would love to show up on that day at that time, dressed as a witch. Anyone want to do that with me?

Image from www.cdn.collider.com/
Image from www.cdn.collider.com

3. 221b Baker Street

Although the Sherlock Holmes house doesn’t exist at this address, there is now a Sherlock Holmes Museum that you can go visit. When Doyle wrote the series, Baker St only went up to #85!

Image from www.res.cloudinary.com
Image from www.res.cloudinary.com

4. Ghostbusters Firestation, NY

There is a fire station in New York, Hook and Ladder Company 8, that was the setting for the Ghostbusters headquarters. They have some cute little nods to the movie, both inside and out.

Ghostbusters_Firehouse_2_(2007)
Inside the building. Image from wikimedia.

 

Outside the station. Image from bradstudios.

Let me help you plan your trip.Jen has retired from working as a travel agent. Hope you’ve enjoyed Fandom Travel.

Ouch my Brain!

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

Last Tuesday I was attacked by alien shape-changing creatures. Don’t worry, like Dain Ironfoot, I head-butted them into submission.

Yeah, I’m lying… I wasn’t attacked. I bent over really quickly and hit my head on a table; giving me a concussion. I hit myself hard.

Bear

It’s one of the dumbest injuries I’ve ever given myself. It’s right up there with the time I tripped and sprained my ankle, while walking on flat carpet.

Like a dumbass I decided to walk it off. Went to Costco and then the next day I went to work. I had a headache, was dizzy, and had a hard time concentrating. I told my wife and she told me to call Telehealth Ontario. (If you live in Ontario, it’s a great free service where you can chat with a nurse. They’ve given me wonderful advice over the years.)

The nurse made it quite clear that I should go to the hospital. At this point, the nausea set in. I went to the hospital and the Doctor told me that I needed to go home a rest.

She gave me a list of things I shouldn’t do:

  • Go to work
  • Watch TV
  • Use a Computer
  • Read
  • Listen to loud music
  • Strenuous physical activity

When I got home I went to sleep. I slept 5 hours in the afternoon and then rested on the couch for another 3. I didn’t go back to work until Monday and I only turned on my computer to help film Silver Stag.

I’m supposed to follow that list for 7-10 days. I cheated on Thursday by reading. It made me feel better, not worse, and I took breaks whenever I felt bad. At work I’m taking frequent breaks and making sure I’m not over doing it.

My day job, my freelance clients, and Five Rivers; have all be extremely understanding. As have my family, wife, and friends. Thank you!

What does it mean?

For those lucky enough not to have given yourselves brain trauma, a concussion occurs when you get a blow to the head. Unfortunately, Hollywood has lied to you. A blow to the head isn’t a human off switch. It’s a road to brain damage.

In mild cases, like mine, people can experience:

  • confusion or feeling dazed
  • clumsiness
  • slurred speech
  • nausea or vomiting
  • headache
  • balance problems or dizziness
  • blurred vision
  • sensitivity to light
  • sensitivity to noise
  • sluggishness
  • ringing in ears
  • behavior or personality changes
  • concentration difficulties
  • memory loss

Thank you, Web MD.

As far as I’m aware I’ve only experienced:

  • confusion or feeling dazed
  • clumsiness
  • slurred speech
  • nausea
  • headache
  • balance problems or dizziness
  • sensitivity to light
  • sluggishness
  • concentration difficulties

Yay?

I’m Okay

Seriously, this has scared me, but the only issues that I’m still experiencing are headaches, light sensitivity, and concentration issues. (To be fair, I’ve always been clumsy, unbalanced, and sluggish.)

Hopefully with some rest and taking it easy, the remaining issues will pass.

 

Take care of yourselves and remember your brain is important.

Éric