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Misty Fjord National Park, Alaska
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Magical Machu Picchu
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Advent Joy: A Franciscan Benediction
During his acceptance speech at the Smile Gala 2011 where he was honored with the John Connor Humanitarian Award for raising funds and awareness for Operation Smile, Zachary Levi ended with his beautiful benediction.
ADVENT JOY - A FRANCISCAN BENEDICTION
May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may life deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world.
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen.
(Source: Unknown)
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Pros of Cons
I’ve always acknowledged that Glen is the original and true nerd in the family. He was the one who brought me into the geeky world of sci-fi and all its fantastical trappings. He is my guide in the mystical land that is the sci-fi convention. But as our annual (5 years running) pilgrimage to DragonCon came to a close last night with a Battlestar Galactica panel, I must say that I’ve come into my own nerdhood this year, as evidenced by the following:
1. I’ve attended in costume yet again, this year as a somewhat stylized Nerd Herder from Chuck’s Buy More. Previous years: as a Battlestar Galactica off-duty officer. Glen doesn’t do costumes.
2. I took charge of our itinerary, and it involved going to more panels than we’ve ever done before (photos took a backseat this year). And I did it paperless with my DragonCon app on my Droid (tech nerd!)
3. I dragged Glen to The Guild panel and to meet Felicia Day. Finally, something that I got into first before he did!
4. I held my own, asked questions at Robert Duncan McNeill’s (Star Trek’s Tom Paris and Chuck Executive Producer and Director) panel, and actively participated in the Chuck fan discussion. I actually knew enough stuff! Okay, still not nearly broad as Glen’s database on Star Wars and Star Trek, but sufficient.
5. Having gone to San Diego Comic Con in July, I have my 2-cents worth of comparison between the two (see below). Oh, and the fact that I went to Comic Con and Glen didn’t :) Then again, Glen ditched SDCC because he didn’t want to miss school, thus making him the bigger nerd still.
6. I volunteered and hung out with lots of nerds at NerdHQ, an off-site event at Comic Con, organized by Chuck star and The Nerd Machine’s Nerd 001 Zachary Levi.
Despite my recent advancements, I remain a nerd padawan. It was great to have my master back, educating me about the costumes we saw this weekend and what shows/games/movies/comic books they came from. One truly needs a wise mentor in cerebral matters such as these.
Here’s my quick and dirty take on San Diego Comic Con vs. DragonCon:
San Diego Comic Con: huge (130k), with main activities centered inside the SD Convention Center (recently, some off-site events in the Gas Lamp District, such as NerdHQ); snazzy and Hollywood-y; well-fueled by industry/corporate big wigs as evidenced by booths for network TVs, studios, gaming companies, toy makers, publishers, etc. which in turn translates into: tons of freebies/swag, fancy presentations in ginormous panels with lots of big-name celebrities and waiting in line at 2am to get into those panels.
DragonCon: big but not overwhelming (60k), with events spread across 5 adjacent hotels in Atlanta; run by fans for fans with tons of diverse programming (which means panels for every conceivable topic); different genres represented but firmly rooted in sci-fi and pop-culture as evidenced by the myriad of costumes; has way better cos-players than SDCC.
And to round up our con season, a couple of tips to future attendees:
> Know your con. There are different cons specializing in different genres. Find the one that caters to your specific interest. Best friend: Google.
> There is an overwhelming number of resources of information, from the official websites to blogs to Twitter accounts. Find out the basics: dates, membership fees/tickets, hotel accommodations, programming/panels/events, guests, etc. then slowly build your game plan.
> Plan well. You will not be able to see and do everything, so prioritize. Lining up for hours sucks but is a way of life for many popular panels and autograph booths.
> Plan your outfits. Costume or cosplay is optional but lots of fun. They can range from the elaborate to the absurd. Themes are largely dependent on the type of con you’re attending, but for multi-genre ones, anything from sci-fi and pop culture (including movies, TV shows, TV commercials and internet viral videos) are fair game. If costumes aren’t your thing, a cool and witty graphic or statement shirt is the popular choice. For that, check out sites like Snorg Tees, Mental Floss, Despair, TeeFury and The Nerd Machine. Or make your own at Cafe Press, etc.
> If you can and if they’re good, use the con’s official apps. They’re customizable, interactive, more updated and just cooler than the printed guide.
> To save costs, find roommates to share accommodations with. Just be sure you know them well enough to know that they will not murder you in your sleep or worse, steal your autographed photos of your favorite celebrity.
> Food inside the convention centers and hotels are a rip off. Buy snacks and drinks ahead of time at drugstores or groceries to sustain yourself while waiting in line.
> Eat well, stay hydrated and try to get some sleep. It would be unfortunate to have lined up for a panel or a signing only to pass out just as you were getting to the top of the line.
> Don’t forget your essential gear: camera, phone, charger, Ipad, tablet or e-book reader, Ipod, pen, and whatever item it is that you wanted to have signed or have your favorite celebrity take a picture with.
> Some celebrities are okay with taking pictures with you at the signing table, some aren’t - ask the agent/publicist/ assistant ahead of time to avoid embarrassment. Agents and con staff will ask you not to take paparazzi shots with your zoom lens.
> Some cons have designated photographers to do official portrait shots with the celebrities. If you want the whole shebang, plan on getting the photo done first, claim photo and then line up to have it autographed. Now, no one will ever doubt you met said celebrity and you have your new Facebook profile pic. To ensure success, timing and coordination of photo session, release and autograph schedule are critical.
> On the matter of payment for photos/autographs, check to see if the celebrity has an assistant to take your cash (no credit cards or checks) - they’re usually seated right beside each other. I personally find it awkward to hand the money to the celebrity but sometimes that’s what has to happen if he/she came alone. Save yourselves the embarrassment and avoid having to make them ask you for the cash - look for the sign that will indicate the desired payment, slip it quietly across the table then commence your fan moment.
> Be kind and friendly to other attendees: they’re excited to have fun just like you and have spent hard-earned money to be there too. Be courteous to staff/volunteers: many actually paid their way to help and serve you. Be respectful to celebrities/guests: they appreciate your enthusiasm for their work but they’re also humans who would like to eat, have a drink, pee or roam the con floor without people taking their photos every second.
Enjoy your con experience and let me know about it!
Live Long and Prosper. May the Force Be With You. So Say We All.
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Dream. Vacation.
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A morning in the life of ADD Me.
I wake up at 630am today. In bed, I plan to fold laundry while watching True Grit. I get up to look for the Blu-ray when I spot the Call of Duty Black Ops game. I tell myself: it’s only 630am, you can play until about 7am. So I go play a couple of rounds until I get upset at some rude online players. So sometime around 730am, I go upstairs to begin folding laundry. Along the way, I say good morning to the cat Mimzy and lay beside her to give her a morning rub for 5 minutes. Then I go stand, pick up shirts hanging to dry on the banister. I decided that they need a quick run in the dryer. So I go and toss them in. I bring a basket full of clothes to the bedroom and start folding. I remember that I was suppose to watch True Grit, so I go down and get the disc. I come back up, pop it in and resume folding. After 10 minutes, I get the shirts out of the dryer. I decide to clean the lint filter, a chore I do not particularly like. I become proud of myself of actually getting it done now when usually I tell myself I’ll get it next time. But because it’s a fire hazard, I go ahead and do it. I then think of tweeting about it. I meant to tweet: I cleaned the lint filter because it is a fire hazard even though I do not like this chore. There must a be a life application in here somewhere. Instead, I tweet thoughts about video gaming. And since I was sitting down at the computer, I decided to check Facebook real quick. On the top of the page was a post from an old acquaintance from high school We had a common friend, a girl who owned the carpool service I rode in. And I thought that I’d like to add her to Facebook, so I searched for her, found her and sent her a message. Further down, I check out a couple of other things, watch a couple of Youtube videos, comment on some people’s posts. Wow, many people seem to be up and about this Saturday morning. I wonder if I should go out for a swim. I check the weather online: 77 degrees. Not bad. But I remember, hey, wasn’t I suppose to finish folding laundry. Maybe I can go for a swim after doing that.
It is now 930am. Only God knows if and when I can make it to the pool today. Or ever.
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Disability Rights in the Philippines - Seeking Advice by Jose Cabaltera
The following was forwarded to me by a trusted friend, and I have since connected with Mr. Cabaltera on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/cabaltera). His message is found below.
I’ve only done a cursory search on this incident and it looks like the local news media in Manila has not picked up on this story yet. While I’m interested to find out what Opus has to say about this, there just doesn’t seem to be a logical reason why they would deny entrance to a person because of the fact that he is in a wheelchair.
The Philippines still has a way to go in observing the rights of the differently-abled. Change starts when events like these bring about awareness of existing laws and policies (REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7277 - Magna Carta for Disabled People CHAPTER III DISCRIMINATION ON THE USE OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS AND SERVICES - thanks Fer for the link) and real, concrete implementation.
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Disability Rights in the Philippines - Seeking Advice
by Jose Cabaltera on Friday, May 27, 2011 at 12:24am
If you’re tagged, I think you might be able to advise or point me in the right direction.
I was out on Saturday night at Resort’s World - the behemoth construction just across from NAIA’s Terminal 3. I went with a friend who wanted to introduce me to his barkada so we sat in the pseudo Las Vegas atmosphere, had a few cocktails while watching a parade of mini skirts walk by, line up for Republiq and await permission to enter. It was perhaps around 1AM when the group I was with had decided to move to Opus located in the same indoor plaza as Republiq. Three in our party had gone ahead to secure a table. Two others followed. Then my friend and I trailed after.
As I approached the door, an Opus’ bouncer spotted me, put his hand out in front of me as I tried to enter and said to my friend that I was not allowed in. “What?” I responded aghast! A short exchange ensued between the bouncer and my friend – incomprehensible, not with me, yet about me. We got nowhere with the bouncer, whose excuse not to let me pass was that it was the decision of management that I not be allowed in.
Surely, this must be some mistake, I thought, complete idiocy. So, my friend sent an SMS to an acquaintance in management on the inside in an attempt to gain for me entry into the bustling club. I backed away from the door, a little bit embarassed and relaxed at a table outside thinking to myself, ‘aiight. The management will come out, see me and realize what an oaf the bouncer had been not letting me in.’
A short time elapsed and the member of management came out fashionably clad in an ecru suit, looked at us and began talking to my friend about me – again incomprehensibly and not with me. My friend, sitting next to me explains, ‘you’re not being let in because he’s trying to protect you and the other guests.’ My head cocks vacant with disbelief trying to grasp the idea of what I’ve just been told. It’s a stupid assumption. Plus, I’ve been in places much more crowded than Opus was that night.
I looked at the guy and asked, “How do I pose a threat? I’m just going to be sitting at a table.’ He just looks at me with a wide-eyed countenance that felt like a helpless ‘my hands are tied.’ He didn’t respond.
I’m not necessarily a confrontational type. However, the reason for my being refused entry was blatant. I dressed cute. I looked good. There was no visible reason anything should prevent me from going into Opus and enjoying a night with new friends other than that which causes me to stand out from most crowds: my wheelchair.
So I asked directly, “Are you telling me that it is because of the wheelchair that I cannot go in?” The words burned my ears with a bitter truth and the manager maintained his helpless gaze. I asked again trying to coerce some sort of response out of him, “Is it because I’m in a wheelchair,” I asked more slowly, “that I won’t be let in?” No response. Not even a flicker of a tongue towards a yes or no: just his unyielding gaze that hid an awful truth. I looked at my friend who was visibly upset for me that his friend must make that decision to keep me from going inside and I let it go, albeit defeated and a trite humiliated.
Of course, management said nothing. But it doesn’t mean that damage was not done. Opus’ management had apparently instructed its staff to prevent people in wheelchairs from entering their premises. Why? Do we obstruct walkways? Do we take up too much space on a dance floor? I’ll sit away from the fire exit if I’m a hazard. It was incredible and I could not figure out the logic.
I had gone to another bar, a regular haunt that assists me to the second floor of their establishment without a bat of an eye. I don’t ever take it for granted but it’s certainly a nice touch for someone who’s disabled and cannot walk. Opus bar is in a mall and occupies a flat level so there were no physical obstacles that stood in the way.
I talked with someone who knows a little bit about Filipino law (more than me in any case) and he advised that it is possible that the management’s decision was because they did not want the liability of having me inside - which I completely do not comprehend. If I were a belligerent drunkard with a destructive streak, then they’d have an issue.
What I need to know in this country is this:
What recourse do i have? I’m not interested in a discrimination lawsuit – if that even exists here - but there definitely must be sensitivity training for Opus’ management and they need to know what discrimination is at every level. To walk away from a situation like that helpless beats down on one’s brain. I want to make sure that it never happens to anyone again. I welcome suggestions, advice, referrals.========================================================
Jose Cabaltera June 3 at 10:25pm ReportHi Tessa, please feel free to pass my story around. I volunteer (a LOT) of my time to the Circle of Friends Foundation that deals with PWDs in the Philippines. One of my colleagues there is an active member of the National council on Disability Affairs. She had consulted them and instructed me to file an official complaint with them. They will then file the complaint on my behalf with the Department of Justice who is obliged under the Magna Carta of PWDs to investigate the situation. So, legally speaking, I got the ball rolling. But I fear that it may take forever for anything to happen - it’s been two weeks. At least the word is getting around.
Please stay in touch and keep me updated. -
Moving photo from the New York Times.
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The Gardener
A seemingly obscure, if not odd part of what is one of the most important verses in the Bible:John 20:15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
What’s with the gardener bit? Today at Gwinnett Church, Jeff Henderson had a very interesting take on it, based on the Principle of First Mention*
Genesis 2: 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
He submits that like a gardener, Jesus works to restore what was lost: the perfect relationship between God and man back in the garden. He tills the land, plants the seeds, cultivates life. Resurrection is about bringing back to life what was once dead. Sounds like a great fit to me :)
Happy Easter!
*It is a principle in Biblical Hermeneutics (The framework for understanding and applying the Scriptures) that states that the first mention of something in the Scriptures is especially significant and sets the stage for how it is to be understood in the rest of the Word. - Source
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John 20
The Empty Tomb
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
