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I’m back from the 5th annual Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Film Festival, and what a turnout!
This is one of my favorite annual events, and I’m proud to share the love of Sci-Fi and short films with about 900 other people in the Seattle area. The night consists of viewing 20 short films from around the world, with director Q&A and awards directly after.

If you weren’t able to make it, I encourage you to check out the links to some of the films below. You’ll just have to picture yourself in the Cinerama surrounded by plenty of nerdy movie-goers.

Charlie Thistle
My favorite of the event. This also won the audience award and 3rd place from the judges. The film has a Pleasantville vibe, is entertaining, thought-provoking, and has some neat effects. If you watch just one of these films, make it this one!

The Control Master
This took 1st place from the judges. The style is neat, and it’s fun, but not one of my favorites of the night.

The Kirkie
Fan Service for those who enjoy Star Trek, Star Wars, and many other geeky hobbies. This is a film for anyone who has ever felt like the nerdy one in a group. The audience loved it.

Elder Sign
Another bit of Fan Service, this time for those who enjoy Cthulhu. Created by the group who did “Casting Call of Cthulhu”.

Hanger No. 5
This film won the “Best Special Effects” award of the night. It was produced by Undergraduates from Northwestern University, which is wildly impressive.

Third Days Child
I have to admit, when I saw the title and synopsis for this film, I was skeptical. But it was amazing. It will get weird, and you will doubt me, but I swear you should stick with it. The director is interested in making this into a full-length film at some point, so if you have the money and are interested, try to get in touch with her!

Hands Off!
Angels are watching you. And by the title and that phrase alone, you may have guessed what this film is about. NSFW. Also NSF the young boy and mother sitting next to us. Heaven help them.

There you have it! Take a look at the films, and let me know what you think.

And for those of you who were there, some of my favorites that I couldn’t find full links for included Alma and Arthur’s Lore. Let me know if you find them anywhere!

The earthquake in Haiti left thousands dead and even more devastated. Everyone has been doing their part to help, and together we can really make a difference. There are tons of charities accepting donations, and I wanted to share a couple of my favorite places to donate to.

The Red Cross
www.redcross.org

The Red Cross is a trusted organization, and one of the first to demonstrate the good that can come from texting. By texting “HAITI” to 90999, a $10 donation will be added on to your next month’s phone bill. This is a quick, easy way to donate now, when it matters most. The Red Cross started this on January 12, and by January 15th, they raised $10 million dollars. If you’re a fan of social media and new technology, like I am, this is a wonderful way to show your support. Make sure we can continue to use technology for good!

Theo Chocolate
Theonistas Unite

You may wonder what Theo Chocolate has to do with Haiti relief. They are donating 100% of their sales of two of their chocolate bars to CARE, a humanitarian nonprofit organization. You can buy chocolate from a wonderful, local chocolate company, and donate to Haiti in one click. Not to mention, their chocolate is AMAZING and makes a wonderful gift. Buy a dozen, hand them out to friends, and feel good about supporting Haiti relief efforts!

If you have any suggestions of neat ways to donate, leave them in the comments below.

No matter what you do, make sure you keep the victims of Haiti in your thoughts and prayers.

A tall, strappy boot that won’t fall off of your legs (due to the full-boot back and zipper). Yes.

One of my favorite Advertising Blogs put up the following article:

“Fashion Meets Flash Mob”
BFG Blog

With my modeling and improv background, I’m a big fan of the “flash mob fashion show” idea, and think it was executed very well in this campaign. We’ll have to bring something like that to Seattle!

…Who’s interested?

I hate winter. Dry skin, cold noses, lack of snow-appropriate transportation, lack of sun… it’s my all time least favorite season.

However, a few things keep me sane throughout the months:

Kiss Me Lip Balm
www.philosophy.com
My name is Tara, and I’m a lip balm addict. I was once told it was like my crack. And this–this is the crackiest of them all. It’s the only balm I’ve found that actually helps my lips stay healthy during the winter, and does it with a nice sheen and no stickiness. It’s super thick and lasts forever.

Instant Manicure
www.partylite.com

You wouldn’t expect a great hand scrub to be found at a candle party, but alas. Perhaps they learned from my boyfriend, and realized that if candles are around, people WILL stick their hands through them. Whatever made them create it, I’m glad they did. This hand scrub exfoliates and softens, while making my cracking nails and cuticles look much nicer. If I ever need a quick pick me up, this definitely does the trick.

Dominion
www.boardgamegeek.com
This card game is relatively easy to learn, and tons of fun to play. I’ve been told the game play is similar to building a magic deck, but to me it just feels like shopping. You continue to pick cards you want, trying to get various high value cards to get the most points at the end of the game. Yeah, so I don’t explain games well. But I play them better than I can explain. You should check this out.

Jericho
www.netflix.com
In the winter, I like finding a new show or two and going through it. Alexander, a big fan of survival preparedness, heard of Jericho and wanted to check it out.

Jericho takes place in the aftermath of world-changing nuclear blasts around the country, in one of the last standing towns: Jericho, KS. I’m not normally a fan of survival or war-like shows, but this show has a huge human-interest focus, and the characters are well-written. The show also puts things into perspective. It may be chilly outside, but at least I have power, and the rest of the world hasn’t disappeared in a fiery, radioactive death.
WARNING: Do not watch more than 5 episodes in a row. 6 or more will result in some pretty intense dreams.
The show can be found on Netflix or through www.cbs.com.

Puzzle Quest
www.amazon.com
Lazy days in are perfect days for the Nintendo DS. When your boyfriend hasn’t stolen it from you, that is. My game of choice lately has been Puzzle Quest. Though the RPG element is a bit reminiscent of D&D for me, the puzzle aspect is absolutely addicting. And my character is currently riding a giant rat. Which is cool, I guess, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Overall, there are some fun things out there to make the most of the worst time of the year. Stay warm, stay entertained, and find time to get out of the house to see loved ones!

While it was my first go at PAX, it’s definitely going to be an annual tradition. With so many companies competing for eyeball impact, who took the cake?

Brink

With a 50 foot LED-screen on their improvised wall, and a complimentary one hanging from the ceiling, Brink made quite a walk-by impact. In fact, they had so many people lining up to watch their demo they used other booths for auxillary seating. Couple that with a team handing out (nice) shirts as quick as their hands could lift them over the counter, and this booth was a winner.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

They had a bus. A ninja turtle bus. It knew exactly who it was targeting: loaded down with memorabilia from years past, they were playing hard to the nostalgia factor. The bus itself was adorned with the old-school style cartoon characters, not the new 3d revamp. You knew it was silly, but it hit the kid-again bone pretty hard. Who cares that the franchise should be middle-aged ninja turtles?

Bioshock 2

Bioshock was dishing it out heavy, with a chalk painter working in the lobby on a dusty mondo-sized version of the Bioshock poster. They also had a room duplicating their ARG-like website, www.somethinginthesea.com. Apparently, five people solved the puzzle Saturday, and Sunday was a go for seven more. Nifty stuff, even if their multiplayer demo video was underwhelming and a waste of booth space.

Puget Systems

They make 3d monitors which make you a touch dizzy when you start out, but a bit of staring and some magic-eye-like squinting and you can get past the queasiness. Their setup was nothing spectacular (in fact, it made me want a 3d monitor less thanks to the nausea), but they smashed into the social media sector with the competition. Anyone who tweeted about their booth with the hashtags #pax09 and #pugetsystems was entered to win one of their monitors. You had to be present to win at 5pm to claim the prize, though. It was a great idea that went off the rails into the world of spam when they permitted every tweet to be an additional entry, encouraging contestants to flood their twitter followers with spam about the monitors. I personally sent 30 tweets, which I’m sure didn’t win me any new friends. Great idea, poor execution. Perhaps limit the number of entries per twitter account next time?

Intel

Intel ran a smart competition that called for adorning yourself with an Intel blue button. If you were found wearing the button, you’d be given a prize card that could be redeemed for–you guessed it–prizes. They set up shop in the front entrance to the main showroom, so everyone was sure to get a button on the way in. A button big enough to show up in everyone’s photos from the event. I didn’t win a thing, but I wore it the whole time.

Does that mean everyone else lost the impact roundup? Yes.

See you next year!

I’m a fan of Steve Carrell. And like most females I know, I desperately want to be Tina Fey when I “grow up”. So clearly, I am looking forward to their joint film: Date Night.

Check out the trailer here:

Date Night

I giggle every time Tina Fey insists that she will be “whacked off”.

The movie comes out in April, and I think it will make a fun “Date Night” of its own. They say laughter is an aphrodisiac…

If you plan on checking it out on a date night of your own, I would recommend seeing it at Gold Class Cinemas. They have a full bar and menu that can be delivered to your recliner seat while you watch your movie. It’s the best and easiest way to do dinner and a movie!

Check them out here: www.goldclasscinemas.com

*Disclaimer: I do marketing for Gold Class, but was drawn to the job because of how neat the concept is. I really do encourage you to check it out!

“Dandy de Altos Vuelos”
www.thephotographylink.com

The Photography Link is one of my fave RSS feeds, and this has been one of my absolute favorite posts. I love the styling, the lighting, and want pretty much everything the model is wearing. A good photo shoot puts me in a lovely, inspired mood. Hopefully it will do the same for you!