A very Happy Christmas/Hanukah/New Year to you all! I'm writing to you now from sunny Milwaukee, WI where I have just opened all of my presents and am now sitting and watching BBC America (with a fez on) as the hours count down to the new episode of Doctor Who... like ya do on Christmas Day. I have been meaning to post for weeks but December got pretty hairy at the day job and so it hasn't been easy to get time to actually construct thoughts into sentencey-things on the blog. But anyway, I digress.
Last time you heard from us we were in Madison, WI for TeslaCon 2: 20,000 Leagues Beneath The Aether. In case you missed it through Twitter, here are the two video blogs we filmed while at the con:
First video: Nov 19, 2011
Second video: Nov 20, 2011
I have to say, going to TeslaCon was the SINGLE GREATEST THING WE EVER DECIDED TO DO TOGETHER. A while back, sometime last year, we saw that Gail Carriger had announced on her blog/Twitter that she'd be appearing as guest of honor at TeslaCon 2, and so we did some poking around to see what the word was. Once we found out it was in Madison and not terribly expensive, we agreed to go. We marked the dates on our calendars and moved hell and high-water to get there. It was well worth the effort. We experienced steam punks of all walks of life and level of costuming ability, we listened in on intriguing panels (shout out to DJ Doctor Q for his wicked "steampunk in comics" panel!) and met fantabulous people (shout out to Krisin of Bionic Unicorn, Samantha of Blasphemina's Closet, Syntheia Finklepott and Kevin, the Airship Ambassador). We had delightful teatimes in the Tea Room and we danced like crazy at the official ball. Beyond all of the regular delights of a convention, TeslaCon is the brainchild of Lord Hastings Bobbins III (Eric Larson), the first steampunk immersion event of its kind. During the course of our weekend journey on the H.M.S. Trident we met the Aquilan Ambassador, saw the signing of a peace treaty, were attacked by the evil Doctor Proctocus, saw a fashion show, witnessed the kidnapping of dear Lady Bobbins (GOOD HEAVENS!) and discussed the prospects of next year's TeslaCon 3: A Trip To The Moon.
That's right. We're going to the FLIPPING moon next year.
If you're interested in conventions, steampunk, or just want to have a deuced good time, you should really consider buying a ticket and coming along for the ride next year. It's going to be so much bigger and grander than this year, and seeing how good this year was makes my brain rattle with the actual possibility of next year's con. This year's theme was inspired by Jules Verne, of course, but next year is a nod to Georges Mélies.... and SPEAKING of Georges Mélies....
...have you read "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" yet? Have you seen the movie? If you haven't read it, good luck tracking down a copy, because it's selling out like CRAZY now that the movie is in theatres. But definitely try to track it down, because it's a marvelous book and author Brian Selznick is totally innovative. It absolutely deserves the Caldecott Award it won. You should also go see the film, though. And although I'm usually very much against 3D movies -- headaches, you know -- this is one film I highly recommend you see in 3D if you can. It's just so beautifully done, and it's made to be seen in 3D. It's a love letter to Parisian urchins, clockwork automatons, and silent movies. It's incredibly well cast and gorgeously filmed. I spent most of the film hugging my knees and grinning joyfully because it's so damn beautiful.
Trailers are fun!
Aaaaaand while we're doing trailers... go ahead and watch The Hobbit trailer again. Because it's also flipping amazing.
Yyyyyyyyep.
In the meanwhile, wishing everyone a very happy holiday season... does anyone have their New Years Resolutions sorted out yet? The few thoughts I've had so far include the following:
- Finish playing Pokémon: Black.
- Read more comics.
- Read more MARVEL comics (since I'm mostly DC).
- Play Arkham City (DUH).
- Continue writing and get a short story published.
- Go to more conventions.
- BLOG MORE.
Off to open more presents; my extended family has arrived.
Live Long and Prosper, and huzzah!
~AG
