Monday, July 27, 2009 by Alexandria Harper.

Dude, I’m really tired. Comic-Con takes a lot out of you. I got back to Vegas about 2 p.m. today, picked up the dog from the baby-sitter (my sister) and came home. I sat and watched “True Blood” from last night and then hopped on the computer and edited and posted the Sunday photos to the Comic-Con page. You’re welcome!

I’m trying to load the video I took of the “Supernatural” panel but iPhoto is not cooperating. I may have to use a card reader for some reason. So those videos will be posted later this week.

In the meantime I offer two videos I posted to YouTube! from the 30 Years of Battlestar Galactica panel divided into two parts. A fan asks the panel why they decided to have the colonists land on New Caprica. One of the panelists discusses the genesis of the idea came from a previous incarnation of a Battlestar remake. It can get confusing so I thought I’d mention that.

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Sunday, July 26, 2009 by Alexandria Harper.

So it is with everything including 4 day nerd fests like Comic-Con San Diego. The show closed today at 5 p.m. shortly after the last event, a screening of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” musical episode “Once More With Feeling”. This was the second year the event was held for charity and sponsored by my good friends at Whedonopolis and TheWB.com.

I had a great time at this years convention and plan on attending next year.  As Bruce Campbell would say, but I digress.

I posted the photos from Saturday to the Comic-Con page. The captions for the photos have tidbits from the panels so they’re worth checking out for information. Sunday’s photos will follow tomorrow night after I make the trek back to Las Vegas. I also intend to do a wrap up of the event sometime next week so be on the lookout for that.

I can honestly say that I’m exhausted and looking forward to some sleep tonight!

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Saturday, July 25, 2009 by Alexandria Harper.

Happy weekend to you all. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to blog. There just aren’t enough hours in the day, or enough towers for AT&T in San Diego, to let me stay connected with my friends in cyber space. I tried to call my sister 7 times yesterday and the call dropped every time. I also couldn’t get a decent wireless signal, which is typical for a convention of this size. So, no Facebook, Twitter or blogging at the show until tomorrow when the crown thins out a bit.

I have just a few minutes before I have to hop on the Trolley for another funfilled day in Ballroom 20 which is my new home apparently.

Comic-Con is like a microcosm of the world. Everyone forages for food, competes for resources and is so busy trying to fulfil their agenda they just barrel their way through everyone and everything to get what they want. I have the bruises to prove it!

So I’ve taken some pictures but I can’t post them all right now there’s just no time. I’ve added a page to my blog called “San Diego Comic-Con 2009” where I’ll put all the photos with captions. I should have more time tomorrow. There’s also no time this morning to write a post about all the panels I’ve been to. I want to do justice to all the information and sneak peeks I’ve been privvy to so stay tuned for that.

Type to you soon!

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Thursday, July 23, 2009 by Alexandria Harper.

Good morning, visitors of the interwebs!

I’m proud to say I survived the first day of Comic-Con. It was touch and go for a while, let me tell you. First, the humidity was really messing with me when I got here. I don’t think I’ve ever been so dehydrated in my life. Like it says on my militant Camelbak water bottle, “Hydrate or Die!”

I was greeted by two of my colleagues just after I got in line to get my badge. Having an entourage waiting for you is a very nice thing. Thank you ladies! They got me to my destination, which turned out to be the wrong one. Note to self: must consult itinerary more often when you’re having dehydration issues. It messed with my normally awesome memory. Anyway, that mix up was just he beginning but I did learn that the people camped out at Hall H had been there since 6 a.m. Tuesday morning…for Twilight. Yes that’s right they were waiting for the The Twilight Saga: New Moon panel that’s today at 1:45 pm. Not Star Wars, but Twilight. I like the Twilight series as much as the next girl but I’m not going to camp out in the sun for two days hoping to see Robert Pattinson who most likely can’t attend because of a scheduling conflict. It’s on this side of ridiculous.

Anyway, once I did figure out where I was supposed to be, I couldn’t get back into the building. Learn from my mistake. Do not leave the building once you get your badge unless it’s absolutely necessary! I was bounced back and forth between doors so many times I wanted to strangle someone. I finally snuck in at D Hall, managed to find my way to Ballroom 20 where I met two fellow attendees, a father and son from Ohio. The family that cons together, stays together! I confirmed it was the line for Ballroom 20 with one of the red shirts (not Star Trek red shirts but security, and they are just as clueless and expendable I found out). Well, we ended up getting shuttled down to the show floor at 6 p.m. like cattle with no hope of escaping the corral. Finally, resolved as we were to see the pilots, the three of us trekked back up to Ballroom 20 and managed to get seats. The place was nearly empty, I assume it was because everyone else was sent to the show floor like we were–but we were faster and more wily!

Whew! So I got to see all three previews after all. I was exhausted but it was worth it. Well, it was for two of them anyway.

I didn’t really know what to expect with “Human Target” but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. There was good action, some great one-liners and a terrific guest star in the form of Battlestar Galactica’s Tricia Helfer. Mark Valley was likable as the death defying security consultant with a sense of humor. It was great to see Chi McBride from Pushing Daisies–he’s always great–and to top it off Jackie Earle Haley from Watchmen was awesome. His character was a sort of information gathering genius that was off his meds and a little scary, but that charming, dry humor kind of scary you can respect. Danny Glover had a nice cameo too. The show will be a mid-season replacement so I’ll let you know when it will air.

“V” was great too. They completely reimagined the characters which I think was a good idea. I have a special place in my heart for the characters from the original, which got in the way of my getting on the Battlestar Galactica bandwagon for awhile. The characters were compelling and I thought every actor did a great job. Kudos to Morena Baccarin, Joel Gretsch and Elizabeth Mitchell, and Alan Tudyk for outstanding performances. The pilot left me wanting more, which means it did the job it was meant to do. On top of that, with modern special effects, the show has lost the cheesy feel of the 80s version. You should definitely check it out. I’ll let you know when ABC will start airing the show.

Last and definitely least was ”The Vampire Diaries” which will premiere on the CW this fall. The show started out strong but it went downhill after the opening sequence. I was actually bored. There were vampires and I was bored–make note of that! The only good thing was Ian Somerhalder and he didn’t appear until the last Act. I’ll watch the second episode when it airs for Ian’s sake but I’m not sold on the show. Sorry Warner Bros., but this probably won’t bring in the 18-40 demographic.

I do want to thank Warner Bros. for giving us the opportunity to see their new shows at the convention. It’s nice to get a head start so I can steer my fellow genre watchers in the right direction.

No photos yet except one that I took on my iPhone of a poster to promote True Blood:

Talk to you soon!

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Sunday, July 19, 2009 by Alexandria Harper.

This is the first week of the year where I’ve said, “Man, it’s hot!” We were blessed with mild weather in June and now summer has officially arrived. It looks like we’re moving into a monsoon type cycle like the Phoenix area. I was discussing that with my neighbor last night because it rained yesterday. Not just a little itty bitty baby storm like we’re used to here. It freakin’ poured! Then we had lightening storms all night long. I felt like I was back in Phoenix! I wonder if blinding dust storms are just around the corner…

I’ve long blamed the humid, suffocating monsoon season in Phoenix on the artificial lakes. It used to be a dry heat, then they started building all these planned communities with water features and man-made lakes. Pretty soon July and August began to feel more like Atlanta than Phoenix and my make-up used to literally melt off my face in the afternoons. Men didn’t have that issue so much I’m sure, but we ladies did.

Now the same thing is happening in Las Vegas. We’re used to 2-5 percent humidity on average and today, for example, the humidity is 15 percent. That may not seem like much but when you’re used to 3 percent and it’s 115 degrees on top of it all…it’s a might bit uncomfortable.

That’s why I’m looking forward next week to those 80 degree days they’re having in San Diego for Comic-Con. My friend Rani and I have hashed out our panel schedule and I have all of my paperwork in order. Just have to swing by Trader Joe’s to get some more provisions, make a list of things to bring and start packing! If you’re going to the convention, you should check out Matt Goldberg’s 5 Tips for Surviving Comic-Con. Stay tuned for photos and other information for the Comic-Con convention starting next Thursday!

One other purchase I made to prepare for the con, and because they had me at “digital compass” is the new iPhone 3GS. Not that I need a digital compass, but it has a severally high coolness factor and who knows? I may need it sometime while hiking; I’m just sayin’.

I was hesitant to make the switch from my BlackBerry because I liked the convenience of using my fingernails to type. I was worried I would have too severe of a learning curve with the digital keyboard on the iPhone. My fears are allayed because I’ve only had it a few days but I’m getting proficient already.

Actually, like other Apple products I don’t know how I lived without it–I am a Mac Jedi you know =]. I can get all emails for all of my accounts on there if I so choose. I can use Facebook and Twitter using the free apps from the Apple Store. It’s an iPod too, so my little Nano will be used strictly at home to listen to music. Because the iPhone screen isn’t the size of a postage stamp, it’s actually convenient to watch shows and movies on. I can even connect to the university web site and answer discussion questions or read course material. In short, I’m glad I took the plunge and joined the iPhone revolution.

Speaking of Facebook and Twitter you can connect to me on either site to follow me at the convention. Find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/macjedi and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mac_jedi. If you don’t know what either of those things are let me know and I will write a novice guide to social networking. =]

By the way, I saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince last night. It was marginallly better than the last but for some reason David Yates has made Harry Potter a yawn inducing experience. There were a few good scenes and some funny parts but on the whole not as much action as the book. I used to go to see Harry Potter on opening day. I even used to take off work early to see it. Now it’s like any other film that I’d like to see but not overly excited about which is sad, really. I’ll watch the next two but I’m not going to rush to theater to see them or buy the DVDs on release day. I can wait.

On another note, the theater was packed with people so clearly the Harry Potter name is still drawing audience. Quite a few very young kids were in the theater in spite of the PG-13 rating and moments that would be scary  for younger children. More than once I heard a screaming kid and kid-size footsteps running up and down the stairs. Seriously, what are people thinking bringing a 4 year old to a movie like this?

I’m stepping off my soap box and bidding you all adieu for the day.

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Saturday, July 11, 2009 by Alexandria Harper.

Howdy, everyone! Lately, I’ve been getting over the creeping crud and doing homework like a good little girl. I need to get better because less than two weeks from now sleep will be hard to come by.

I’m preparing to attend my first ever San Diego Comic-Con at the beautiful San Diego Convention Center. So far, my penchant for organization is working in my favor:

Convention Pass: purchased in December, so, check!

Hotel: booked in March and double-checked last week, check!

Trolley Passes: purchased and are on their way to me via snail mail, check!

Panel Schedule: mmm, not so much.

That’s where I hit a snag. I’ve been pouring over the program posted on the web site trying to figure out what I really want to see. There are so many panels that overlap it’s hard to choose. Sunday’s program hasn’t been posted yet and I assume that day’s panel selections will make it really difficult to choose.

I’m really glad I had the forethought of purchasing a 4-day pass. Wednesday night’s preview includes screenings of three new TV shows debuting in the fall: “Human Target” (USA) - based on a DC Comic starring Jackie Earle Haley, Tricia Helfer and Danny Glover; “V“- a re-imagining of one of my favorite 80s sci-fi shows bursting with genre stars such as Morena Baccarin, Joel Gretsch and Elizabeth Mitchell; and “The Vampire Diaries” (CW) - the new lead-in to Supernatural starring Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley. Click here for descriptions from the Comic-Con web site if you’re interested.

I’ll be blogging, FaceBooking and tweeting the Con so if you can’t be there I’ll keep you in the loop. Like I said, I’m not really sure when I’m going sleep, or eat for that matter, what with all the activities, web updates and homework I’ll still need to do. The eating can probably be solved by trip to Trader Joe’s for handy provisions before I leave, and the sleeping…well, as they say, I can sleep when it’s over!

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Wednesday, May 27, 2009 by Alexandria Harper.

I haven’t forgotten about all of you! I swear! I’ve just been swamped at work and school with catching up from my vacations this month. I went to Brian Head, Utah the weekend after my trip to Palm Springs and I just haven’t caught my breath yet. Whew!

I plan on writing a longer post tomorrow with a list of the returning summer TV shows and discussing the shows that were renewed (and canceled for that matter) in the official announcements last week.

For now, I will leave you with this tidbit of information for Vegas locals and our summer visitors…

The Regal Texas Station Stadium 18 is offering a Flashback Features series this summer each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m for $5 a ticket. The schedule is as follows:

For more information contact:
Regal Texas Station Stadium 18
2101 Texas Star Lane, at Lake Mead & Rancho in North Las Vegas
702-631-2206

Tonight they were showing Top Gun but I didn’t get the email in time. I think it would be cool to see some of these movies on the big screen again. I am definitely a child of the 80s!

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Tuesday, May 5, 2009 by Alexandria Harper.

Today we celebrate Mexico’s victory at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. I probably should have eaten some Mexican food today but I’ll do that later in the week.

I’m taking a much need vacation here is beautiful Palm Springs, California. Before I made the trek across the desert the most interesting thing about Palm Springs to me was that Cary Grant used to live here. Now I see the appeal of this little jewel in the desert. It’s nice. The weather is great; just the right mix of high desert temps and humidity for my liking. Nevada’s weather is awesome but it’s too dry for me and I have to sleep with a humidifier on just to breathe! Don’t get me wrong; I won’t be planning a move to the land of wind-powered turbines anytime soon. I may be more inclined to visit again in the future though. I thought this was a one-time shot but perhaps I was mistaken.

I also didn’t plan to do much site seeing here. I caved and decided to check out the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to Mt. San Jacinto. The trams were, um, interesting. They installed new revolving platform trams in the early 2000s. It’s like riding a high-speed Space Needle up a mountain. It got a little hairy every time we went over one of the towers; the trams tend to sway “a bit” the conductor told us. I was holding on to the handrails for dear life a couple of times. You get used to it. By the time you take the tram down you’re a pro. People were even cheering! Not me, but, you know, other people were cheering. I’m just glad the tram didn’t take a header down the mountain and shatter into a thousand tiny pieces. Seriously, it’s safe. You should watch the video at the Mountain Station if you visit.

	Here’s one of the trams. I left the Valley Station and parking lot in the left of the picture for perspective.
	Aerial view of Palm Springs from the Mountain Station.

I got there just before 1 p.m. and didn’t take a tram out until 4:30! I loved it up there. I took a hike down to Long Valley and wandered around. I sat by a stream and watched the California Ground Squirrels play, listened to the wind in the trees and smelled that lovely pine scent.

	A meadow in Long Valley. Tranquility defined…
	One of the California Ground Squirrels that were hanging around the stream. This little guy was kind enough to pose for me sitting on a log.

It was like heaven on earth. There was still some snow in places and the temperature is usually about 30 degrees cooler up there.

	Just a little bit of snow left on Mt. San Jacinto.
	Here is a photo of me on one of the outlooks. It was really windy =]. An older gentleman that looked like shorter version of my step-dad took this photo. He was keeping up with the youngins!

On a totally separate note, TVbytheNumbers.com got the official word that “Life” has been canceled. Bummer! No word on “Chuck” yet. I am waiting with baited breath on that one. The season finale was so awesome! I know it was cheesy, but I LOVED it when Casey said, “Chuck me.” You’d know what I mean if you saw it.

That’s all for tonight folks. “Reaper” and “Fringe” are on tonight!

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Monday, April 20, 2009 by Alexandria Harper.

It is a happy Monday for me. Today marks the end of the first class of my Master’s degree. Yeah! Only nine more classes to go! The next one starts tomorrow. If I don’t take any breaks in between I should be done by mid May 2010. This class didn’t wipe me out too much so I think I can make it.

I’m downloading pictures from my camera as I type so I may actually post some of last year’s travel photos here this week. I haven’t down loaded my photos in a while so there were 1121 to download! iPhoto’s been chugging along for a few minutes, so I think I’m going to have to keep up with that better in the future.

I took a bunch of photos at the Las Vegas Celtic Festival and Highland Games yesterday so I’ll have to post some of those as soon as I get them ready. I had a great time. There’s something serene and wonderful about bagpipes. I’ve always liked the sound of them. There was some good food too. I had the best lamb stew on the planet at the McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon booth. Okay, I concede may be exaggerating just a little bit, but it was really good. McFadden’s is located at the Rio Resort and Casino in case you want to sample some for yourself. I didn’t get to do the mead tasting. It was just as well considering it was 87 degrees. I’m a lightweight anyway, so blistering heat and inebriation would not have mixed well for me.

On another note, I wanted to let you guys know that I’m participating in the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s Southern Nevada Race for the Cure® on May 2. If you’re feeling charitable or just want to check out more info, visit my race page at
http://race.komensouthernnevada.org/goto/alexandria.harper. I’ll be doing the 5K walk–no runnin’ for me. I leave that to my more adventurous friends.

Just a quick follow up to my previous post Is Vegas Bust?… The unemployment rates are in for March and Nevada’s rate went up .1 points to 10.4%. I hope this economic hailstorm clears up soon because Nevada’s getting pummeled!

Last, but not least, I know that the last couple of email notification didn’t include the link for my blog post. I’m going to blame gremlins. To attempt to alleviate this issue I’ve switched the notifications from Plain Text to HTML format, which give you the whole post anyway. If you don’t like this format let me know and I’ll change it.

That’s all for tonight. Catch you later!

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Sunday, April 5, 2009 by Alexandria Harper.

1. We’ve got the space for any sized event
Las Vegas is home to 9.8 million square feet of exhibit space and three of the top 10 convention centers in the United States are right here. The Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) alone has 2.3 million square feet and is home to some of the biggest convention events in the country, including the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and construction industry convention CONEXPO/CONAGG. If the LVCC doesn’t strike your fancy, there’s always the Sands Expo and Convention Center (1.8 million sq. ft.), Mandalay Bay Convention Center (1.7 million sq. ft.) or countless other hotels and casinos that offer meeting rooms for conventions great and small.

2. Experienced staff
Conventions are big business for Las Vegas. An average of over 22,000 meetings and conventions are held here every year. That means the staff at all of the venues in town know how to help you make your convention or meeting a success.  Many of the major players in the convention industry have corporate or district offices in town, which means corporate office staff knowledgeable of local information and hands-on customer service at your venue of choice.

3. Plenty of places to stay
Need a room? No problem, we’ve got over 140,000 of them, most of them are in hotels that resemble small cities and offer every accommodation you can imagine. Now is the time to book too. Many of the hotels are running great specials now  to lure back the tourism and convention industry. For instance, The Orleans Hotel and Casino, one of my favorite local casinos is offering $34 a night May 25-28 if you book online. The Red Rock Hotel and Casino (I see A LOT of movies there) is offering a Dinner and a Movie package that includes one night of deluxe accommodations, two movie tickets, two buffet passes for around $100. And when they say deluxe, they aren’t kidding. I’ve stayed at the Red Rock and was extremely impressed with the accommodations. Swanky and affordable!

4. Beautiful weather
With average temperatures in the mid-60s, super low humidity and 320 days of sunshine a year, Vegas’ is a great place to hold a convention. No worrying about rain delays! The winters are mild and the summer weather is tolerable. Las Vegans love their weather and it’s one of the major reasons why we live here. Make it one of the reasons you visit us!

5. We can get you where you’re going
Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport is one of the busiest in the nation, with flights from over 130 cities, many of them non-stop. And once you’re here, you can get around town by taxi, bus or monorail. Many of the larger conventions offer shuttle bus services from major hotels to the convention centers for the convenience of the convention attendees.

6. Activities galore
The nightlife in Las Vegas may have given the town a bad rap but there is plenty of other things to do in town that are less lascivious. If you’re traveling with your family, check out the Lied Children’s Discovery Museum (it’s fun for adults too), The Springs Preserve or the Adventuredome at Circus Circus. There are great places to explore near Las Vegas too. Visit Hoover Dam, Bonnie Springs, the Valley of Fire State Park or the Red Rock National Conservation Area or even take a drive to Death Valley National Park. Not everything is expensive, either. You can come to Vegas and stay within your budget. Check out this list of 25 Free Things to Do in Las Vegas.

Statistics courtesy of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s Authority.

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