The Land of Shadow

Hello out there

2018-12-01T19:47:08Z

I heard some folks around here have been looking for me. Hi!

shadowfax8 @ 2009-09-03T08:17:00

2009-09-03T12:17:59Z

Safe travels to everyone heading to Dragon Con today! I wish I were going to be there with you!

She's here!!

2009-04-04T15:10:34Z

Tori Elizabeth

March 30, 2009
4:14 PM

9 lbs, 3 oz
21 inches

I just couldn't let this one go by...

2009-01-30T00:55:38Z

For all you congoers out there:

My Dragon Con Heroes of the Day

Construction signs warn of zombies

All together now--

All we wanna do is eat your brains...

*snert*

Website update

2009-01-24T23:13:21Z

My host did some security updates this week, and since then the Java servlets that run the interface for the site have been down. Luckily, the database is intact this time, it's just the interface that's having issues. I have contacted the host about it, and hopefully I'll have it up and running again soon. Thanks to everyone who contacted me about it, and rest assured I'll have it fixed ASAP! :)

shadowfax8 @ 2009-01-08T21:06:00

2009-01-09T02:06:27Z

Happy Birthday rosiethehobbit!!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day and that the next year brings you a new home, new friends, fun, and excitement! *HUGS*

I was going to call you this evening, but then I realized it was your birthday and figured you probably would be busy. I'll try to give you a call this weekend!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T14:07:12Z

Heading out of town for the holidays today, but I just wanted to wish everyone on my f-list the Merriest of Christmases and all the best in the New Year!

PS Did I mention we're having a little girl? :)

Better late than never...

2008-12-03T20:53:39Z

Happy Birthday elenya54!!!!

I'm so sorry I'm late! The fam was in town for the last week, and I don't think I touched my lj the whole time. I hope you had a fabulous day yesterday! *hugs*

Quick WOTM Update

2008-11-07T13:00:36Z

I was out of town for part of this week, so...of course WOTM decided to go down. I found out last night that the host for the site did maintenance a few days ago, and forgot to restart one of the servers containing some of WOTM's data. All is fixed now--thanks to those who let me know!

A Day in the Life...

2008-10-06T02:04:19Z

It’s late, and I’m tired. I’ve made it through the marathon that is a long hectic day at work, and all the milestones of an evening with a 3-year-old: potty, dinner, bath, TV time (each of these involves at least a dozen separate steps to conquer, interspersed with many daredevil escapes).

But I’ve finally made it to bedtime.

I tuck him in, and he says, “Mommy, sing a song.”

I tell him, “No, no songs tonight”, because I’m exhausted and ready to have my quiet time before bed, and I was half asleep on the couch while he was watching the Backyardigans.

But he looks at me imploringly and says, “Mommy, please sing Baby Mine”...and a voice inside my head whispers, “how long will it last?”

The answer comes, as it always does: not long enough.

...and I begin to sing.

A bit of news...

Well, actually, I get to make it last a little longer...hubby and I are expecting our second hobbitling! He or she is due to make their arrival on March 24th. I’m 16 weeks now, and I’ll find out if it’s a boy or a girl in 2 weeks. Yay! I didn’t mean to keep it a secret this long, but things have been so busy these last few weeks that I haven’t really had time to think about spreading the news. I’ll be happy whatever we’re having, but this time I’m really hoping for a girl. We’ll see...

For the Dragon Con fen on my flist

2008-10-02T00:59:51Z

The room block at the Marriott opened today, and from what I've read, they're going FAST. Better make that reservation now!

shadowfax8 @ 2008-09-23T21:09:00

2008-09-24T01:21:30Z

Ok, so it's like almost a month after, but I still remember Dragon Con, so I thought I'd write a quick post about it. ;)

Con was MUCH better this year than last. Last year it had that icky feeling to it because so many people were unhappy about the crowds, security, etc., etc. This year had seemingly none of those concerns, likely owing to the completed renovations in the Marriott and the addition of the Sheraton as a host hotel. The vibe was definitely MUCH better, and helped enhance the good times.

It was also a good experience having my friend from college come along. She wasn't into everything I was into, but we communicated well and both managed to do what we wanted, spend time with each other, and have an excellent time. Our costumes went over quite well too. I got my pic taken in Ginny, my elf dress, and Kaylee, so I was happy with that, and Jess got hers taken in her Aeryn Sun and Zoe. I tell ya, for her as a con virgin, having your pic taken the first day has got to spoil you. Heh.

Had a wonderful time seeing old friends, as usual. Dragon Con is always such a great time to catch up with folks that you see only on lj all year, but get to hang out with at con. *waves as AOME, ER, the Bards, Larry and Bill*

It was also great to hang out with my extended roomies, Cara, Fuz, and Stacey. You guys always make con SUCH a great time!

So, pictures. I NEVER take enough. WHEN will I ever learn to just keep snapping the damn camera? Argh. I have some up on Flickr now, but we got a new computer and hubby disconnected my hard drive with the rest of my pics on it, so I'll have to settle for posting these until we reconnect everything.

Anywho, here's the few I've got--enjoy!

Dragon Con 2008

All Ready for Dragon Con

2008-08-11T03:35:28Z

After many trials and...well, it was pretty much all trials. But at last, my Kaylee costume is ready for Dragon Con!! Thanks ever so much to my friend rosiethehobbit for the modifications to my jumpsuit and the fabulous distressing job!

A Serious Post

2008-07-17T02:17:08Z

This year, I'm doing something to help a cause that has become dear to my heart--I'm walking in the 2008 Walk to Defeat ALS. A fandom friend of mine, Mel, was diagnosed with this awful disease earlier this year. Mel is in her thirties, and should be playing with her little boy and making plans for future Dragon Cons, and not dealing with the realities of this disease. As much as I wish I could, I can't do anything about that, but I CAN do this. The ALS Association does many things to assist ALS patients and their families, from moral support and friendship, to donation of items that will make life easier, to funding for ALS research. They have done much for Mel and her family, as well as many others. Please join me in supporting Mel, and the ALS Association, in the Walk to Defeat ALS!

Visit my Team Donation Page here

Thank you! :)

Random fandom stuff

2008-07-09T03:37:16Z

Wow, I haven't posted in a while! I guess mainly because I haven't done anything fannish in a while--too busy potty training a two-year-old!

Well, it's getting to be Dragon Con time again--I got the progress booklet in the mail yesterday, and discovered that my picture's in there! Cool! On the Tolkien track page, there's a pic of me and earendilgrey marching with the banner in last year's parade.

I am also working on a Kaylee costume for con this year, and

And this is why that's so exciting!

It's not spot-on exact, but the pattern of the two shirts is the same!! I'm pretty sure the original is more sheer, and it has those beads on the front, but this one definitely has the right print. I searched long and hard for it, found it on a catalog site that disappeared the very day I went back to buy it, and then searched longer and harder and found this one on ebay. Yay! Unfortunately I'll be wearing the TV show coveralls with a Serenity shirt, but who cares, I have an almost exact copy of one of Kaylee's shirts from Serenity! Now I just need to decide if I want a necklace, and get some flip-flops. Woohoo!

shadowfax8 @ 2008-04-21T21:01:00

2008-04-22T01:04:03Z

My Personality


Neuroticism	97
Extraversion	13
Openness to Experience	32
Agreeableness	57
Conscientiousness	98

You often resist any cravings or urges that you have, but sometimes you give in, however you are sensitive about what others think of you. Your concern about rejection and ridicule cause you to feel shy and uncomfortable around others. You are easily embarrassed and often feel ashamed. Your fears that others will criticize or make fun of you are exaggerated and unrealistic, but your awkwardness and discomfort may make these fears a self-fulfilling prophecy. You tend to feel overwhelmed by, and therefore actively avoid, large crowds. You often need privacy and time for yourself. You prefer familiar routines and for things to stay the same. You can tend to feel uncomfortable with change. You do not like to claim that you are better than other people, and generally shy from talking yourself up, however you do not enjoy confrontation, but you will stand up for yourself or push your point if you feel it is important. You take your time when making decisions and will deliberate on all the possible consequences and alternatives.

Take a Personality Test now or view the full Personality Report.

The best Ugg Boots.

I'm always amazed how these things get me exactly right, even when they don't necessarily ask questions that directly relate to the readout you get. Hmmm...

Two Birthdays!

2008-03-29T01:08:58Z

Happy Birthday shirebound and lame_pegasus!!!!

I hope you both have wonderful days--filled with hobbits and happiness!!

*squishy birthday hugs*

Bloody hell BUGGER

2008-03-27T03:26:20Z

Update on WOTM "lost" data:

Well, after various communications with my host, we have determined that the missing SQL data is gone, never to be restored. !@$@$%!#!!!!! I'm quite put out that it just disappeared, and also that my host has the assinine policy of overwriting all their backups every 72 hours, so that if you don't discover that you're missing things within 72 hours of them going missing, you're SOL because they've overwritten your previous backups! Never mind the question of "how the hell did it go missing in the first place?"!?!

*sigh*

Well, if it's gone, it's gone. I will be doing some more yelling at them, and I will also be backing up the data again as soon as all is fixed (I had a backup, but I hadn't redone it since the site closed--oy vey!). That'll teach me for trusting my host!

Anywho, the upshot of this is that everything that got posted on WOTM in the slash section between 2/4/08 and 2/18/08 must be re-entered into the database. By hand. By me, since I have already taken all the perl scripts off the server and dismantled all the links. Luckily, the headers are all still there, so all everyone needs to do is go to WOTM and determine what of yours disappeared, and send me Word files of the deleted stories and I will repost them ASAP. If you read this post, please send your stuff along to the webmaster email as soon as you can. I'll give it a few days, and then start emailing everyone who posted in that period. I'm truly sorry about this, all. But I promise I will back everything up again after I restore it, so this can never happen again.

PSA

2008-03-19T04:25:47Z

I just wanted to let everyone know that WOTM slash story entries posted after 2/4/08 have "disappeared" from the SQL database. I have an email in to my host to find out WTF they did and how I can, or if I can, recover the entries. Hopefully they will reappear shortly, but if not I may be emailing some of you to send me text for the 50-ish stories that have vanished so I can re-upload them! The rest of the site appears to be fine, but if you see anything else amiss, please let me know so I can address it! Thanks!

shadowfax8 @ 2008-03-17T19:37:00

2008-03-17T23:40:01Z

Happy Birthday marcgunn!!!!

I hope that the luck of the Irish brought you a wonderful birthday!! *hugs*

shadowfax8 @ 2008-02-29T11:29:00

2008-02-29T16:42:26Z

I just realized last night that today is February 29—leap day! And that reminded me of something else—where I was the last time leap day came around. I can't believe it's a whole 4 years ago! It was February 29th, 2004, and I was just waking up in a hotel room on Highland Avenue in Los Angeles, less than a block from the Kodak Theater. sleeplessmarea and I had spent the previous night at the "Into the West" party, gearing up for the big event: the "Return of the One Party" that evening at the American Legion Hall in Hollywood, a block from the actual Oscars at the Kodak Theater.

OMG, excitement was so high as we got ready to go to the party! I remember that we had our hair and makeup done at a mall, and then had to hurry and get dressed because the party started at 3 PM!

You know what? Since it’s no longer on the web anymore, I think I’m going to repost the text of my Oscar party report under a cut, if anyone is interested in reminiscing.

And as for what's not in the report, I will never forget the sex museum on Hollywood Blvd, lunch at Musso and Frank's, and dinner on Friday night with elderberrywine and serai1.

I just wanted to post a little note and to tell sleeplessmarea, elderberrywine, serai1, euro_fics, caminx, marcgunn and catw (now who did I forget?!) that I’m thinking of you all and remembering the wonderful Oscar weekend we had!!

Where were you that day, and did you watch the Oscars?

Shadow's Return of the One Party Report

It is my pleasure to inform you that I am no longer considering changing the name of this section to “Everything but a Hobbit Encounter”, because I have finally seen hobbits!! YAY!! And they are just as adorable as I’ve been told!! But alas, I am skipping ahead here, and should start at the beginning.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny in Hollywood, California, as we looked out on the morning from our hotel on Highland Avenue, two blocks from the Kodak theater. Everything was hustle and bustle, everywhere you looked, as folks began to get ready for the day’s festivities. My partner in crime, Marea, and I went across the street to the Holiday Inn to grab some breakfast before heading out to get beautiful.

The Holiday Inn looked much like the Comfort Inn where we were staying—bursting at the seams with eager Tolkien fans in town for The One Party!! Scattered Tolkien t-shirts and buttons identified our compatriots, and so we hooked up with two fellow Tolkien fans, Sandy and Walt, and shared breakfast in the crowded dining room. Quite a few TORn staffers that we knew were also having breakfast there, so we got the low-down as to how the preparations were proceeding, and were happy to hear that everything was almost ready to go!!

Our excitement mounted as our friend Cam picked us up after breakfast. Marea and I had both decided that since we’d come all this way and bought the fancy dresses, we wanted the whole nine yards as far as our Oscar look was concerned. So, we had both our hair and makeup done at a local mall in preparation for the evening. Then it was time to race home and get dressed, because the party opened its doors at 3 PM and it was already 2:30!! We donned dresses, jewelry, and shoes in record time, and met up with our friend Serai before heading for the party.

The American Legion building was right across the street from the hotel, and as we crossed we noticed the line of fancily clad and costumed fans lining the block all the way to and around the corner from the Legion building. Oy! It was going to be a long wait! But...luckily we saw the VIP entrance and inquired if there was also a special entrance for press. We were rewarded by being ushered along the side of the building to a press check-in area. My badge was found and issued quickly enough, but there was no press badge for Marea! We explained to the woman that Marea was my photographer, and that this was all set up in advance...but we didn’t seem to be getting anywhere! At this point, Monty Mickelson, the press director for the event, walked up and was briefed of our problem. Luckily, he recognized Marea’s name and located it under the freelance press list! This was bizarre, as Marea had applied as freelance press but had never received a response from the press agency, but we snapped up her pass and breathed a collective sigh of relief over the averted disaster. We then received our press kits, and were told the layout for the party.

The red carpet (which was actually blue) was along the side of the building there in front of us, covered with a tent-like structure and displaying a One Party banner, and the press area was behind a set of railings in front of the carpet and close to the building. The VIP area for the party was a large party tent behind the Legion building that could be reached by going through the press area. We filed these details away for later, and headed through the side door and into the main party.

As we stepped over the threshold, we were absorbed into the heart of LOTR fandom! Elves and hobbits mingled in cozy little groups and Tolkien fans decked in Oscar finery flitted to and fro as new friends were made and soulmates were reunited...and the air hummed with excitement and anticipation of what the night would hold! A large gold hologram of the One Ring rotated slowly against the rear wall, casting a yellow glow over the dimly-lit room. We realized that we were in a large auditorium, with rows of chairs set up on the floor and stadium seating along the sides and rear, and a large raised stage at the front. Gollum crouched on the right-hand side of the stage, keeping watch over the revelers, and a large projection screen spanned floor to ceiling behind him in anticipation of the Oscar telecast. Stairs at the back of the room invited us to explore the rest of the party, so we made our way to the front lobby.

Aragorn, Legolas, and Eowyn, among others, peered down at us from the balcony of the lobby and a large poster/card lined one wall, where party-goers bent to scribe their messages to Peter. A table was set up at the front of the lobby for raffles, t-shirt sales, and picture sign-ups, so we immediately joined the rapidly growing line and purchased our One Party shirts and picture pass. Our friend Serai joined us at this point, having just made it through the main guest line, and we headed down the stairs to the lower level of the party to the Green Dragon. In the dim passageway to the Dragon we ducked through a haze of spiderwebs, and met a hobbit-size cousin of Shelob crouching in the corner! What atmosphere! We dispensed with our formal photo in the Dragon, and were drawn by the wonderful aromas coming from Mordor (imagine!) to grab some dinner.

Mordor was a large room on the lower level, with projection equipment set up to broadcast both the Oscar telecast and the doings up in the main auditorium. Buffet tables lined two walls, and we chose from a wonderful spread of salads, pastas, vegetables, chicken and prime rib! Way to go, TORn! We trooped our dinner back up to the main auditorium and snagged seats in the last row of chairs on the main floor. This allowed us convenient access to the press area, as we were about 30 feet from the press door, and also allowed us easy mobility, as we could scoot the chairs back and jump up at will. By this time, the pre-Oscar show was being telecast, and the eager crowd sent up a whoop every time anyone associated with Lord of the Rings was shown onscreen. Even if the shot just panned past Elijah, the roar would go up anew. It was amazing!!

I wish I could say that I sat and watched the Oscar telecast with rapt attention, but there was just entirely too much else going on! Marea and I both had many friends and acquaintances present, and also some networking that we wanted to do, so we took turns popping up from our seats and chasing down people we needed to talk to!

And then the Oscar count began to grow...four, five, six, seven...we were glued to our seats now, jittering with hope and anticipation. The roar was deafening every time our beloved crew rose to accept an award, and the party crowd was on their feet and screaming so loud that it was hard to hear some of the speeches! I cannot even describe to you the absolutely incredible feeling of being in the midst of a thousand screaming Tolkien fans as ROTK thundered to its 11-award tally. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! I remember turning to Serai somewhere around eight and saying “Oh my God, we’re going to take them all!” And we both jumped up and down and squeed like rabid fangirls!

And then Peter won for director, and the hidden canons on the sides of the auditorium fired ticker tape into the air to rain down on the hysteria below. The cheers went up long and loud, and we all stood through Peter’s speech! One more award to go! The air was electric as Steven Spielberg (!!!) was introduced and he approached the podium to announce the winner for Best Picture. We bounced in place, we clenched our fists, we didn’t even breathe for the amount of time it took for Mr. Spielberg to announce the winner (hurry UP, Steven!)...and then it was pandemonium!! The place went WILD. Shouting, screaming, kissing, hugging, tears...the climax of three years and more spent watching and waiting and dreaming of this moment...and it had finally arrived! OUR cast and OUR crew had finally achieved recognition from not only legions of adoring fans, but from their peers as well! Such joy! Such satisfaction! And such an immense sense of gratitude toward these individuals who, even though they don’t know me, had managed to change my life so completely!

The celebration lasted for quite some time, but we could not afford to savor the moment any longer—we had to get out to the press area and get a spot on the railing for the celebrity arrivals! It was COLD outside on Sunday night, I’d say somewhere in the 40’s at the most, considering the fact that you could see your breath, and Marea and I had decided that there was no point in freezing. So, during one of my forays from my chair early on in the Oscar telecast, I scooted across the street to our hotel and fetched our coats from the room. And let me tell you, I am SO glad I did, because we were outside for most of the rest of the evening!

We staked out a spot at the far end of the Red Carpet, right along the blue railing. I was within the enclosed area, while Marea was on the other side of the corner railing, to take (hopefully) better pictures, and to potentially nab any celebs who missed us. There were several TV cameras next to us, but most of the other press had crammed into the area at the beginning of the carpet. At the time I was not sure why, but I was to learn one of the reasons the hard way later in the evening. And so, we waited. We chatted up Xoanon and his girlfriend from TORn, got acquainted with the press folks around us, and were told that the LOTR crew might not arrive until around 11:30. It was 9:30.

But, much to our surprise and delight, the first limo pulled up at 10 PM! John Rhys-Davies emerged with his wife and began to work the Red Carpet. We were THRILLED. We had missed JRD at Dragon Con in the fall, when he had unexpectedly cancelled his appearance at the last minute. We were quite smugly satisfied that we would now get to talk to him! We snapped a few good shots of John as he inched his way toward us, and finally, he stood before me. I extended my hand, which he accepted and immediately commented on how cold it was! I told him we’d been standing out here for quite a while now!

John Rhys-Davies Interview:

JRD: Oh, your hand is cold!

Shadow: Yes, it is, it’s cold out here!

Marea: We’ve been here for a long time.

Shadow: I wanted to ask you what you thought you would like the legacy of this film to be...what you would like people to remember most from this Trilogy.

*pause*

Shadow: Uhoh, a tough one.

JRD: Oh, that’s a tough one, isn’t it? Well, let me say that I think that Lord of the Rings is an exceptional book. It is arguably the greatest work of imaginative fiction of the latter half of the 20th century. To do justice to a great book, and a damn thick one like that, is something that film doesn’t often do. What it shows is that with the right director, and a great and courageous series of producers behind you, that you can take a work of literature and transform it into a great work of art in another medium. That’s very rarely done, and that’s the real legacy of this. This is the standard which future adaptations should seek to emulate, particularly of something that is so un-cinematic like Lord of the Rings. Tolkien did not believe that this book could ever be made into film, and we did it. And that’s great.

Shadow: You did it very well, if I may say so.

JRD: Thank you very much.

Shadow: Thank you.

Marea: Your favorite line in the series?

JRD: Don’t tell the elf! (in Gimli’s voice)

After our questions, Marea mentioned to John that I had a website, and would love to have a picture with him to post. So, John reaches over and hugs me to his side, and as we pose for the pic, I feel a gentle kiss laid at my temple. AAAHHHHH!!! Kissed by JRD!! WOW!! This accounts for my shit-eating grin in the picture below. *wink*

And then he’s gone, and the press area becomes quiet again as we settle in to wait. The evening thus far has been amazing, and I’ve just been kissed by one of the principal actors in LOTR, so I was...a bit flustered. I had plenty of time to get over it, though, because we waited at least another half hour for the next limo to pull up.

In the meantime, the folks from Ringers: Lord of the Fans did the Red Carpet, and we got a nice interview and photos with Carlene, Cliff, and Josh, some of the principal players in the filming of this Lord of the Rings documentary.

The press area immediately sprung to life as the next limo pulled up... and oh my stars! It’s LIJ and DOM!!!! SQUEE!!! Or at least, that’s what I was doing in my head, because it was hardly proper to scream like the rabid fangirl I am while acting as a member of the press. So Marea and I looked at each other and bounced in place for a few minutes til we got our composure back, and then we devoured our eye candy feast! Dom and Lij just looked AMAZING. Both decked out in black suits, Dom sported a wide purple tie, and Lij a skinnier black one. And we stared. We drank in as much hobbit boy goodness as we could; luckily they didn’t notice because they were too busy answering questions!

Dom was now standing before the woman next to me, responding to her rapid-fire questions. He was three feet away, I could have reached out and grabbed him! Unfortunately, I also noticed someone else close enough to reach out and grab him—his newly assigned minder from TORn. It seems the guys were wanted in the auditorium for something (I later found out that it was to introduce World Without Sundays), and I could all but see my opportunity slipping away! So I got her attention and asked for one question from Dom. I got no response, but it didn’t matter anyway, because now Dom was standing in front of me! And I asked him my question, the same one that I had asked JRD: What do you want the legacy of these films to be?

And then I was swallowed whole by his eyes. Mr. Monaghan gives new meaning to the term “eye contact”. Those blue/grey babies just pierce you, and hold you spellbound while he talks to you. He never looked away or around once while he was talking to me, he just held me with his eyes until he was finished. Elijah had moved next to him by now, and was a scant three feet away from me, but I could do nothing while Dom talked to me but meet that intense gaze.

Dominic Monaghan Interview:

Shadow: What do you think should be the legacy of all of this?

Dom: Probably the fact that hopefully people made friends through this movie, they all got together and had a shared experience, you know, through the internet and people got together and talked about the film. We’d like them to know that we did the same. I’m brothers with Elijah and Sean and Andy and Billy and Viggo and Ian and we’re all a family. That would be the legacy that we carry on, that we know each other for the rest of our lives.

Other interviewer: Will you stick with fantasy?

Dom: No, I wouldn’t stick with fantasy, I’d probably try and move away from that pretty quickly. Comedy? Sure! Billy and I are writing a script that’s going to be done in the summer, so we’ll try and do that by the end of the year…and I love American gangster flicks.

Other interviewer: Would you do music in the future?

Dom: Maybe, yeah. Who knows? I’m a blank canvas.

And then it did slip away. The minder grabbed both of my dear hobbits before I had the chance to ask for a picture, or even speak to Lij, and they were gone. I would like to tell you that I’m not at all disappointed. I’d like to tell you that it doesn’t matter that much. I am ECSTATIC that I got to talk with Dom, but to be so close to speaking to Lij too, and to possibly getting a photo with both of them...I was a bit crestfallen. I kept thinking of how I could have done things differently, what I could have said when that might have bought me the 30 seconds I craved...but an important thing I learned from this experience is that you have no time to think. Things happen split-second, and they revolve around the luck of being in the right place at the right time, and in this instance, I wasn’t, and that’s the way it goes. And there was still a long evening left to come...

So the press area quieted down again, but it didn’t take long for another limo to arrive. Ngila Dickson appeared next, Oscar in hand, but Marea and I ended up elsewhere. A conversation with a few fellow press gals had yielded the information that the gents stationed at the VIP area were not actually checking for bracelets, and that you could walk right in! So as Ngila arrived, Marea took off for the VIP area, and my cell phone rang three minutes later. “Come up the hill, look like you belong there, and take a right at the potted plant” were the instructions I received, and I stood there for a few moments debating the wisdom of leaving the press area. We had no idea who else was going to show up, but we thought our best bet for access was the VIP area, so I squeezed my way out of the press area and walked determinedly up the hill. And entered the VIP area without so much as a look from the security guy. SQUEE!!

So we cruised around the VIP area checking out the spread while trying to decide what to do next. We suspected that there were people arriving down on the Red Carpet, but we thought they would then be making their way up to the VIP area. We were afraid that if we left the tent we wouldn’t be able to get back in, so we decided to stay where we were for the moment. And the Oscar winners poured up the hill. We stood at the entrance to the VIP tent with our cameras, snapping photos as Grant Major, Peter King, Jamie Selkirk, Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall Cooke and Alex Funke all wound their way into the tent, Oscars in hand. Waves of applause and hearty pats on the back welcomed them, and they blended into the waiting crowd to receive their accolades.

A cheer went up as Fran entered the tent, and unfortunately I just wasn’t fast enough with the camera and I have a picture of the back of Fran’s head (which you can easily identify by the flowers in her hair *grin*). We decided to edge our way out the door of the tent so we could get a better spot, and found ourselves standing between two large ferns on the walk up to the tent. Barrie Osborne and his wife arrived at the VIP tent next, and we snapped a picture and congratulated Barrie warmly. And then he looks at me and says, “Do you want to hold it?” and extends his Oscar out toward me. Do I want to HOLD it?! I think I stammered “sure” as he placed the Oscar in my hands. They’re much heavier than you might think--at least twenty pounds—and I held it with both hands, because the LAST thing I wanted to do was drop the guy’s Oscar! Then I passed it to Marea, and she beheld it with the same reverence as I, before we handed it back. A smart person would have asked for a picture WITH Barrie while holding his Oscar, but as I explained before, all of these things are split-second, and he was gone. But I held a LOTR Oscar!! How COOL is that? Richard Taylor came next, and I got a decent shot of him except for the $%#@ plant that happened to want to come between me and his face at this point, but I didn’t know that at the time so we let him pass. Great, more plants. And now came Peter. We was surrounded by a flurry of people as he entered the VIP tent, and loud cheers and applause followed in his wake.

We were about to go back into the VIP area when we heard Lij’s voice over the loudspeaker. The actors were on the main stage! We tore down the hill to the auditorium, and went in through the side door just off the stage. And there we stayed, as Peter introduced every single Oscar-winning individual, and they each came up and said a few words to the crowd. I was so swept up in the moment that it took at least ten or fifteen minutes until it occurred to me to flip on the audio recorder I was carrying. Here is a link to the transcripts to some of the speeches, including answers to the boxers/briefs debate from Lij and Dom, a special addition to the ROTK EE DVD, and a wonderful wrap-up from Peter! I got many lovely photos, most of which include cameos by Larry from TORn’s head and the back of Dan Hennah, but I think they turned out fairly well!

At the end of the stage presentation, Dom and Elijah claimed that Billy was somewhere on the premises, and should be along shortly. So we ran back out the press area, discovered he was not there, but were fortunate enough to catch the LOTR crew leaving through the kitchen entrance on their way to the New Line party. We got some photos as they left (including this nice one of Peter) and cheered them on their way to the rest of their evening. Then we heard it—a beloved Scottish burr raised in song! So we raced back down the hill (lots of running around, no?) and arrived in time to hear and see Billy finish his rendition of the Proclaimer’s tune “Oh Jean”. The hobbits then left the stage to thunderous applause, so we went outside to wait for them to pull the kitchen entrance trick that the crew had pulled. And they never came. Their limos were still there, so we waited, hoping to rectify earlier bungles and get our interview, but STILL they didn’t come!

In the meantime, though, more limos pulled up. Bruce Hopkins, Sala Baker, and Lawrence Makoare had arrived! The Red Carpet was rather empty of press by now, so we just walked right to the middle of the press area and hailed Bruce. He remembered us from the Gathering of the Fellowship! Bruce explained that they had been at the New Line party, having heard that that’s where Peter and co. were going first, and had obviously crossed wires with them. Peter was now at the New Line Party, and they were here. Bruce talked to us about his literacy project, and posed for some photos with us, as well as taking pictures of us with his camera for his website! We thanked him very much for his time, and headed back into the auditorium as Bruce, Sala, and Lawrence headed for the stage.

We caught the tail-end of Emerald Rose’s performance, and stood peering into the Green Room between the stage and the VIP area where the hobbits were hanging out. Bruce, Sala, and Lawrence close the evening out onstage, and as it happened for Cinderella, the clock struck 2 and the ball was over. Security gently cleared the auditorium of revelers, and we found ourselves out on the street bearing gift bags from the One Party. We still believed that the hobbits were on the premises, so we headed back in through the press entrance to scope it out. If they were there, we weren’t able to get back up the hill to see, but our trip was fruitful as we got to say goodnight and thank you to Cliff and Chris from TORn. With stars in our eyes (and caught on our cameras), we made our way to our borrowed home in Hollywood.

For me, this was the climax of a long time spent in the fandom, since I saw FOTR in January, 2002. It doesn’t get any better than this! I hope you all had a wonderful Oscar experience wherever you were, and here’s to more great movies, LOTR encounters, and fanfiction. May the legend live on!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank TORn for putting on such an INCREDIBLE event for the fans. You guys just continue to give and give, and I thank you for it whole-heartedly. It was truly wonderful to reunite with all my TORn buddies from Dragon Con, and I hope to see you all in Atlanta in August! I would also like to wave to all the new friends I met in LA: Caminx, Serai, Euro, Elderberry Wine, Sandy, Walt, Lois, Lori, and many others I can’t even begin to name here. Marea, we did it again! YAY! And Elijah, wherever you are, our day will come and I will get to tell you what a wonderful actor you are and how incredible your performance in this trilogy was! You just wait and see!

-Shadow

shadowfax8 @ 2008-02-21T21:04:00

2008-02-22T02:08:00Z

Happy Birthday cara_chapel!!!!

I hope you have a fabulous day playing with puppies and doing anything but school work! Renn Faire is not far off, I can smell it in the air! Can't wait to see you again!

*big, birthday hugs* :)

West of the Moon is Frozen

2008-02-20T03:03:35Z

From the new West of the Moon "About" page:

Greetings! Welcome to West of the Moon! West of the Moon is, quite simply, a haven for all things concerning hobbits. The archive opened on February 15th, 2003, accepting hobbit-centric Gen and Slash stories, as well as poetry and filks.

For the first 2 years, the archive existed in a peer-reviewed format—stories were accepted into the archive on a case-by-case basis, after review by West of the Moon staff. In 2005, the format of the archive changed to “posting by approved author”, so that all authors who met West of the Moon’s standards were free to post what they wished.

The archive was “frozen in time” on February 18th, 2008 –almost 5 years to the day from its birth. At the time of freezing, West of the Moon was home to 216 authors, and a total of 1505 stories (789 Gen and 716 Slash) as well as 68 poems.

Come, pull up a comfy chair beside the fire, and settle yourself in for hours of fun and adventure, and tales both so joyful and heartbreaking that they will change forever your vision of these humble inhabitants of the Shire, and perhaps your perceptions of life as well. I do hope you enjoy this place as much as I have. Namárië!

Well, it's done. I must admit that it was much harder than I thought it would be--I feel as if I've sent a child off to school or something--it feels very empty.

As I said in my October post, I want to thank everyone who has been involved in West of the Moon, from those who were there when the idea took shape to those who still read stories on the site today. Thank you, all of you, for everything you have given. West of the Moon turned out to be more than I ever could have hoped for, and it’s all because of you. It has been an amazing journey that has forever changed my life, and I will cherish these memories always. Thank you for taking the journey with me.

-Shadow

shadowfax8 @ 2008-02-18T23:49:00

2008-02-19T04:56:00Z

After a marathon evening of rearranging West of the Moon, it's time to call it quits for tonight. Posting has been disabled, but the ability to leave feedback will remain for at least several days, due to a problem of the "had to write to host support" kind.

If I posted something for you in the last few days, can you please review it to make sure everything looks fine? Also, if I didn't post something that you sent me, please drop me an email and let me know. Hopefully I got everything, but one or two things might still trickle on to the site if I missed them. I will finish closing the site out tomorrow night, and post some stuff here about it.

Also, I'm thinking about leaving the links page up with only links to archives and author's websites. If you have a banner you'd like to see up there, please email it to me along with your link and I'll update the links page later this week. Thanks!

One more time!

2008-02-13T13:54:15Z

Well, here I am extending WOTM's freezing deadline again, but this time it's a short extension. Although I really wanted to close the archive on February 15th, five years to the day from its opening, I've decided to extend the date to Monday February 18. The reason for this is that I've received quite a few requests from folks that require my attention, and I just haven't had the ability to deal with them in a timely fashion. My son was sick last week, so of course my husband and I have the aforementioned daycare disease this week, so I just haven't had the time or the energy to address these requests as I should. Extending through the weekend will give people a little more time to post, and should also give me time to get caught up. Thanks for your patience, everyone, and to those who have emailed me, I'll get to ya shortly!