Star Wars Celebration 4 Flickr Pics

Celebration IV may be over, but that doesn't mean the fun should. If you're a flickr member, stick your favorite snapshots from the event into the Celebration 4 group. I just added our good pics from last Saturday. I keep hoping to see my wife or I in someone else's photos.

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Star Wars Celebration 4

Buckle up for safety, I did

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

It was a VERY long day at the Los Angeles Convention Center, but it was very cool too. It was like the Con over in Plano that we've been to a couple times, only much much bigger and with some better entertainment. Our little Yoda backpack came along for the ride, with a special job as water bottle holder... which turned out to be a godsend.

I could have done without the crowds, long lines, etc... but it was still a blast. Whoever was in charge of putting things where must not have been taking their medication, because things were a bit of a mess. The exhibition hall (which has the coolest stuff) was amazingly cramped, while the store and fan area looked practically sparse. And why were the R2 builders crammed in a little room. The convention center was huge, but poorly utilized.

Saw the one man Star Wars show, which was a laugh riot. Killed a few hours watching fan films (more Pink 5 please). Ended the day with Carrie Fisher, who was amazing.

All in all a great time, just wish it was in Dallas so I could have split the day up with a nap at home. Even better, how about having it at the Gaylord Texan here in Grapevine, which is huge and right at the end of town. Hmm?

California Vacation

IMG_1689

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

Bridget and I went to California last week to celebrate our anniversary of our Star Wars Wedding and the 30th anniversary of Star Wars itself. We have a friend in Huntington Beach who graciously let us stay with her. That was great and her house was very nice.

I did have fun, but will be paying for being a mister grumpy face. I'm not good on trips, and driving around Los Angeles didn't agree with me. I was really happy when we got back though... but I guess that doesn't count.

The Star Wars Celebration 4 shindig was really neat though... more on that in a bit.

DVD Sleepers & Keepers

Amazon's sleepers and keepers list, "These DVDs are our perennial top-sellers, consistently selling the most, month after month, over the last several years." Top of the list? Star Wars (The Original Trilogy) and Firefly, of course!

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10 simple ways to save yourself from messing up your life

Here's the quick list... see the source page for further commentary:

Stop taking so much notice of how you feel.

Let go of worrying. It often makes things worse.

Ease up on the internal life commentary.

Take no notice of your inner critic.

Give up on feeling guilty.

Stop being concerned what the rest of the world says about you.

Stop keeping score.

Don’t be concerned that your life and career aren’t working out the way you planned.

Don’t let others use you to avoid being responsible for their own decisions.

Don’t worry about about your personality. You don’t really have one.


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Why Intellectual Property Is Different Than Real Property

Why is it so hard for people to understand the intellectual property is not the same as physical property? Granted, if people took the time to realize that many of the terms we use for things were picked by some special interest way back when to influence our perceptions... well we'd have to write a new dictionary. Wake up people! Tell your Congress critter that Disney doesn't deserve special treatment and it is time to roll back copyright protection back to being just 14 years.

From digg:

A good argument and counterpoint to a New York Times opinion piece on the idea that copyright deserves to last forever and be passed on from descendant to descendant.

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Frog

I think this frog is very cool. The other modules from this site are neat as well.

How to be a Great Dad - 12 Awesome Tips

Yep, I'm a Dad now and so articles like this actually have some merit. Expect to see more like this as time goes on. I need all the help I can get.

Here's the list, see the real article for more detail:

1. Put their interests first, always.


2. Protect them.


3. Spend your spare time with them.


4. Give them hugs.


5. Play with them.


6. Do the "mom" stuff.


7. Read to them.


8. Stand by mom.


9. Teach them self-esteem.


10. Teach them about finances.


11. Be good to yourself.


12. Be good to the mom.

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Grey's Anatomy and the Addison Show

Grey's Anatomy is one of the few shows I watch almost every week. My wife tends to control the tube, either that or Katie is watching Boobah. I enjoy Grey's style and think the writers are top notch. Tonight they attempted a spin-off.

I'll give them kudos for the way they introduced it. They wove the new Addison Montgomery Show in with a normal episode of Grey's almost guaranteeing that the Grey's audience would watch it. I'm very curious to see if this format came from the shows creators or from ABC marketing people.

I wonder this mostly because...

1. They achieved a higher viewership than if it had been a separate show


2. The extended show ran conveniently into ER's timeslot, while it was having a "special" episode


3. But they did it at the expense of the normal episode's narrative

The flow for this weeks Grey's Anatomy episode was almost completely destroyed by the pilot thingie. It made all the intense emotional moments seem stupid and out of place. Here's Addison running around in the California sun... oh, let's skip back real quick so Meredith's step-mom can kick the bucket for no apparent reason. The absurdity of the back and forth really highlighted some problems in the current Grey's plot lines.

If the writers don't get a bit more creative, and a little less cruel to its characters... the show is in for trouble. Let's get back to some troubles with the Addison Show...

Why California?

She's from New York, right? That would be an alright place to have the show. How about sticking her in the country a la Doc Hollywood or something. Perhaps send her to Boston, Phoenix, Austin, or anywhere but... California. Honestly, how many shows are set in the golden state? Every time you turn around there's another show like the OC.

And what was the show about anyway. At Seattle Grace we see doctors helping the sick and injured... this new show, tentatively called Private Practice from what I hear, seems to be about trying to help crazy Los Angeles people... be just a tad less crazy. I get the relationship cliches they set up, and they seem fine. All the actors are very good... but it seems so blah.

I was actually expecting Addison to be pregnant and the show being how she would grow in this new situation. Addison is a great character that they could have done something with, but it looks like that's not what we're meant to see.

I just hope that on the DVD for this season they split the two apart... maybe even leaving Addison's adventure as part of the bonus features. Cause it really ruined the normal episode, and I'd love to see it again sans Addison.

Armor Levels

Type	Standard Armor Equation	Max Armor	Professions
Caster armor	(level of armor) * 3	60	Monk, Necromancer, Mesmer, Elementalist, Ritualist
Light armor	(level of armor) * 3 + 10	70	Ranger, Assassin, Dervish
Heavy armor	(level of armor) * 3 + 20	80	Warrior, Paragon
Pet armor	(pet level) * 3 + 20	80	Pet

The Guy’s Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth and the First Year of Fatherhood by Michael R. Crider

Bridget picked this book up during my Half Price book buying binge yesterday. I’m glad she got it near the end of Katie’s first year, because I could reflect and understand everything this guy was saying. It is a funny funny book, and a must read for any soon to be dad.

I started reading it and couldn’t let myself put it down until I was done. That doesn’t happen very often, just with Harry Potter books mostly. I’ll give it a super thumbs up, not because it was the most well written book in the world, but because I enjoyed it so much!