5 Fandom Friday: OTPs

First off, I had to Google "OTP." Apparently, I've been doing fandom all wrong, because I don't know all of the initializations. Anyway, OTP = One True Pair (characters who belong together). Now, I don't know if this means the characters ended up together like they should, or if they just belonged together. I'm going with the latter, because I don't know if I could do five with the former.

1 Malcom & Inara (Firefly). It would be a nightmare, yeah, yeah, I know. But the heat! If they could turn off their pride, they might be good for each other.

2 Samwise & Rosie (Lord of the Rings). I'm still a little annoyed that the LoTR movies didn't keep to the part of the story where Sam & Rosie moved in with Bilbo and were a family all together, with all the kids, etc.

3 & 4 Neville & Luna, Harry & Ginny (Harry Potter). In the books, Neville and Luna do not get together, but they manage a moment in the 8th movie. Doesn't matter. They were two of my favorite characters and I had high hopes for them. Harry and Ginny did end up together, and it was good.

5 Scarecrow and Mrs. King as probably my first "shipper" experience. I rooted hard for those two to get together, but when it happened, it actually killed the show (I'm sure behind the scenes stuff had as much an impact as writing, but if the show had ended with the wedding, it might have been okay.) They had to be on the list because...first.

Valentines, Galentines 2016

Happy early Valentine's Day! Right out of the gate, let me show you what I received this week for the alternative holiday of Galentine's Day. Scroll down to see the cards I got for my husband this year.

A few days ago, I went to the post office and was excited to find one of those keys that meant I had received something that wouldn't fit in my PO box. I practically ran to it, and yay!! One of my pen pals, known online as Fairy Art Mother, has a craft night every year with some girlfriends and they make Valentines. I was a lucky recipient of one of her Galentines!!

When I got the package home, I opened it to find an embellished cigar box. So fun!!

Inside was a smaller gift-wrapped package, and under that was a festive Mona Lisa, slyly smiling back up at me.

When I opened the present, I howled with delight. The little frame is sitting to my right as I type this. I might need to find it a safer home, because my desk is chaos, but I loved it all: the concept, the package, the decorations and the present. It's made me want to send Valentines (or Galentines), but I have a little too much happening right now to track down materials. Next year, though, watch out!!

Gabrielle d'Estrées et une de ses sœurs (Gabriella d'Estrées and one of her sisters), artist unknown, circa 1594

Valentine's Day has never been my favorite holiday, as I'm sure is the case with anyone who was not popular in school. There were the obligatory cards in the years when each student who wanted to pass out cards had to give one to every classmate. I got cards then. But once it was voluntary, they were scarce. Like a lot of people, I just shunned the whole thing, (instead of turning it into something fun, like I could have).

My first Valentine's Day with my husband is probably my favorite. Not because he got me jewelry or flowers. Oh, no. He got me a stack of Hellboy comics, volume 1-5 (I had loved the movie, but never read the comics). There's not really a faster way to a geek's heart than something from a favorite fandom.

I have not had the same success (getting perfect gifts for him), but I think this year I've done pretty well. I need to find something to go along with them, but check out the cards I got for him! They arrived last night and I don't think I'm going to make it - I'll probably give them both to him early.

They're both from my talented pen pal Amy, and you can find her amazing cards at her Etsy shop, in addition to all kinds of other great things. These cards are under the Valentine category, but she also has a Cthulhu and Friends category that is really worth a visit! (All of the categories are, but a shop that has an entire Cthulhu section? Come on!)

The left card is Cthulhu Pickup Lines (blank inside) & the right card... well, Cthulhu has a bouquet of cultists. On the inside is a tentacled heart. I'm kicking myself for missing the third Chtulhu valentine, but these cards don't say "Happy Valentine's Day," so I will get it later and hand it over at an appropriate time.

Cheers!!

5 Fandom Friday: Favorite Late to the Game TV Discoveries

I'm a joiner all of a sudden. I just joined The Nerdy Girlie's 5 Fandom Friday and hope to keep up with it. I discovered the blogalong (?) on a penpal's blog: The Unicorn Princess. I even made my own little banner! I'm joining something else and am starting another thing, so please come back tomorrow for those details!

This week's topic is: Favorite Late to the Game TV Discoveries. I know a lot people do these lists in reverse order of significance, but I'm just posting them in the order I think of them.

Babylon 5

This is my most recent discovery. Season one was tough to get through (I was warned of this by several people, including the friend who gave me the first set of DVDs), but it really picks up and gets fascinating very quickly in season 2. I got special, bonus geeker joy by responding to the intro for the first two seasons. Whenever the captain said "in the night," I would respond with "in the dark." (I'll send a goodie to the first commenter who gets the reference (offer expires 6 months from today).)

Doctor Who

I know, I know. Truth is, I was very aware of the show. Actually, probably more aware of The Scarf. But for some reason, it never crossed my radar growing up. I never saw a promo for it, or "coming up next" notice or anything. I didn't meet The Doctor until the show was revived in 2005, and boy howdy, was I all over it from the first episode. I've managed to see quite a bit of past Doctors, but not nearly enough. 

I'm hiding the rest behind a cut, because all of these videos are going to make for a long scroll for someone that is not interested. 

2016 Stamps Sneak-peek

Space. The Final Frontier. 

USPS 2016 Star Trek Forever stamps

Anyone that's been here before has probably figured out that I collect postage stamps to use on letters and small packages. Even though I have some fun vintage stamps, I've been pretty vocal on how jealous I am of other countries' less restrictive rules about what they can put on stamps (e.g. New Zealand's hobbits and Canada's Haunted Canada series). I haven't entirely changed my mind about that, but at least we're getting Star Trek stamps next year*! Plus several other space-related stamps.

A blog I read regularly, Letter Writer's Alliance (I'm a member, too), tipped me off about the announcement and sent me looking. You can see all of the planned releases on the USPS's blog post announcing the 2016 line-up.

In addition to the Star Trek stamps, I'm also excited about these space-themed stamps:

Views of Our Planets
Now that Pluto is out, they have a nice, even eight to work with.

Pluto - Explored!
 Neener, neener, planets. This not-a-planet got it's own series and you have to share.

Today, I learned that, in 1991, the USPS released a stamp declaring Pluto - Not Yet Explored (part of a series). It even had a Spock/Star Trek connection!

The Moon (Global)
Currently, the rate for the round global stamps is $1.20. They're great for sending postcards internationally, and letters (of a certain weight) as well (check rates). They're also great to have on hand for when you want to mail a small package and don't have room to put a ton of small-denomination stamps on it.

Honorable Mention

There are several other fun stamps I'm interested in for next year, but the only other one I'll post about is the Halloween stamp. 'bout time, USPS. I'd use these year 'round!

Excuses, excuses & an upcoming giveaway

I've been a little absent lately, but I haven't forgotten the blog!! I got my first migraine in 5 years a couple of weeks ago, which totally knocked me on my ass (weekends are usually when I put my entries together), then I got a scratched cornea during a procedure and had to wear a patch on my eye. Bummer, too, because not having regular posts is a good way to lose readers, and I haven't attracted that many yet. So, if you're still here, thank you!! My next post will be a show-off of some of my vintage space stamps, and there will be another giveaway, so stay tuned!

Right: Proof of eye patch. Also proof that I totally suck at taking selfies.



*Again. There was at least one previous Star Trek USPS stamp (33¢), but I wasn't aware of that until today. Envision me sitting on my hands (figuratively, since I'm typing), to keep from checking eBay for some.