My Mockingjay T-Shirt

I was eagerly awaiting merchandise release for Mockingjay pt. 2, but it's been really sparse, at least up until now. So I had to go with the option of making my own shirt. Hey, a fan's gotta do what a fan's gotta do.

At first, I was going to bleach a Mockingjay design, but that changed into using paint. In fact, a lot of this process is derived from the process of making a bleached shirt.

I used gold glitter fabric spray paint and gold fabric glitter, both from Tulip. I found a Mockingjay silhouette online and printed it out. You have to very careful in cutting it out. After I cut it out, I taped it to the shirt. (Rolled the tape back on itself, etc.)

Then, I sprayed the fabric paint around the design. The paint splattered once or twice, but it wasn't too bad. Next up came the glitter. I'm really glad I went with it. I sprinkled it on, and it really enhanced the paint. Let me just say that one has to have a very steady hand when putting on the glitter. It can't exactly be brushed off once it's on there. But I did okay.

To seal the glitter on the shirt, I just sprayed another light layer of fabric paint. I had to let it dry for four hours. After four hours, I very carefully removed the paper "stencil." I was concerned that the beak would be too small, but it came out fine.

I was really happy with my shirt! See you on Friday.... :)

Sent from my iPad 2

Mockingjay pt. 2's Samsung Event

Last weekend I went to Best Buy.  Lionsgate had announced that most Best Buys were osting the opportunity to watch the final trailer for Mockingjay pt. 2, as well as trying out a virtual reality device and app.  I had called my local Best Buy and they said they would have it available.  So, I went.

I showed up a little early, and was told I would have to wait for the Samsung representative to arrive. I waited somewhere else for about 45 minutes and went back.  I'd heard about some fans having trouble with the promotion, such as employees not knowing about it, etc.  I had a good experience.  The rep said she didn't have the VR equipment, and that was fine with me.  There was an app, but it didn't seem to do much.  I didn't mind that, either.  The rep showed me how to play the trailer.

The trailer was great.  There wasn't a whole lot of new footage, just small extensions to scenes we had watched before.  There were small moments that make you jump.  One small line stood out for me where Katniss says to some people, "Stop killing for him!", meaning President Snow.  Several of my Twitter friends loved the line, too, and we were dying to mention it to everyone else, but we waited.

I was able to watch it a few times, and I got two posters that they were giving away.

I'm so glad I got to do this.  And, I can't wait for the film.

PS: they released the trailer yesterday.

Jurassic Blood

This past Friday I had to get up really early to go on an errand with Mom. When she was done we had some time to kill before we had to be at our next destination. After a fruitless search of looking for a place to eat, we passed by a Gulf Coast Blood Center.

Mom had to talk me into donating for a minute; I didn't want to at first. But then I relented. She brought up the point that I had gotten 34 units of blood during my time in the NICU as a preemie. So, I changed my mind.

After a preliminary test and some questioning, I was allowed to donate. (They wouldn't let Mom donate; her iron was too low.) A technician/nurse got me situated and showed me how to work the TV. Each chair had a TV attached to it, that was pretty neat. I had it turned to the country music station. The nurse then explained what the needle was like. I guess it was a little bigger than your standard "injection"-type needle. I say "guess" because I never really wanted to get a up-close look at it. He said it would hurt for a couple of seconds.

Yeah, it did hurt for a couple of seconds, but then it was over. I had to squeeze the stress ball once a minute or so. The whole thing only took ten minutes. I was donating whole blood; there were a couple other guys who were donating platelets, I think, and that takes longer.

Afterwards, they want you to drink and eat something, so you don't feel quite so woozy. I must say, apple cranberry juice hit the spot for some reason. (I did feel slightly dizzy.)

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Your next meal is supposed to be a hearty one, but I kind of fudged on that. Mom and I went to go see Jurassic World. It was fun, and predictable- but in a good way. It's gratifying to finally see a fully-functioning park, and all of your favorite dinosaurs are back. Once again, people misjudged how frog DNA factors into the dinosaur cloning. One plot hole I thought about was why no one thought of having an override function on the gyrospheres so they could come back to the center automatically.

("How many times did I tell you we needed locking mechanisms on the vehicle doors?"....)

Strange as it may sound, I loved the raptors, probably because one of them was named Blue- ha. It's interesting to think that they could be somewhat trained.

There's a whole ton of nostalgia in this movie, one being the music. I had wanted the old theme to be in the film so bad, and it is. I wish more of the original cast could have been in it, but at least we got BD Wong back. He's in the film more than you would think at first.

The audience knows what the Indominus Rex is made of, so it was kind of surprising that the characters take so long to figure it out. Near the end of the film, it's right in their faces. Like, "Ohhhh... We get it now."

Fun trivia: Bryce and the actress who plays her sister in JW also played sisters in "The Village."

All in all, it was a fun movie. I'd love to see Inside Out, and Terminator Genisys next.

Currently reading: "Life is Short (No Pun Intended)" by Bill Klein and Dr. Jennifer Arnold. 😀

Sent from my iPad 2

Mockingjay pt. 2 Trailer Thoughts

It's been a week since we got the first "real" trailer for Mockingjay pt. 2. Everyone had been wanting it for a really long time; I think some people were starting to give up.

I watched it the morning it was released, and I liked it. I was a bit surprised that they put parts from the end (or at least close to it). But then again, there aren't any games to build up to.

So.... Here are my thoughts:

- It opens with Finnick and Annie's wedding in District 13. It's nice, everyone's happy.

- The next scene is with Effie, and Katniss in her Mockingjay uniform. They're not in 13. So, I think this part is much, much later than you might think.

- Here's Boggs, they're in the districts. Here's Plutarch. I was pleasantly surprised to find Egeria (AKA Mira from Homeland) in pt. 2. I assumed Snow would've had her killed off.

- Here's Commander Lyme, from district 2. I think. "Everyone" recognizes this actress from a different show.

- "Tonight, turn your weapons to the Capitol." That is all.

- Then, we see Snow in his final confrontation with Katniss. (trust me, it is.). Again, really close to the end.

- We finish with a line from Finnick, and the logo and mockingjay whistle.

I really liked it. It was really good, and I was surprised by all the elements that are close to the ending. I especially liked the shot of Katniss in the city circle with the people from the districts. It's said in the first book that you have to be invited to the Capitol. Or else go there as a tribute.

So, anyway, really solid. Can't wait for the film.


Sent from my iPad 2