Winter Is Coming

I already noted what an unusual year 2016 has been, and the past several months have certainly confirmed it and not in the best way. Who knows what 2017 will bring. Trying to hope for the best.

On the brighter side of things, the remaining events of the year have certainly been fun. The Front Page is an excellent play - the cast was magnificent! The Drama Bookshop's discussion with James Grissom was delightful, check out both his book and his blog. Northeast Con did not disappoint. This was a real retro-con, the way conventions used to be before the convention culture went mainstream and birthed the pop culture monsters like SDCC or NYCC. I hope the inaugural event was successful on the organizers' side, and they will do another one next year. Meeting Carrie Fisher was brief but truly lovely, she obviously enjoyed interacting with the fans who attended her book signing. Neil deGrasse Tyson is, without any doubt, one of the best science educators. The event at NJPAC was both informative and entertaining.

Next year is starting to get a few things planned already:

January 28th - Rutgers University Geology Museum Open House
February 28th - Adam Savage & Michael Stevens: Brain Candy at Beacon Theater

April 7th - 9th - NY / NJ Mineral, Fossil, Gem and Jewelry Show
August 2nd-6th  - Star Trek convention in Las Vegas, NV

September 15th - 17th - Star Trek convention in Chicago, IL

September 29th - October 1st - Star Trek convention in Parsippany, NJ

October 5th - 8th - New York Comic Con

November 8th-10th - Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Boston, MA

Continued Fall Fun

Just updating my small list of upcoming events, and starting to wonder what the next year will bring. 2016 has been most certainly a very unusual year. Anyway, though visiting the Star Trek art exhibit (again) did not pan out, the end of September did not disappoint and the NYCC-high beginning of October was definitely a highlight! Adele concert was truly mind-blowing; this is how you sell the Voice!!! Tyson and Co were great fun - I just love the AMNH events! NYCC was predictably crowded and overwhelming but offered a tremendous genre spread on its show floor and in its Artist Alley. Seeing and hearing Mel Brooks in person was indescribable - truly a living legend!

November 3rd - The Front Page, a Broadway play starring Nathan Lane
November 7th - James Grissom and Joanna Gleason discuss Follies of God and Tennessee Williams
November 11th - 13th - Northeast Trek Con in Albany, NY (another brand-new event)
November 22nd - Carrie Fisher at Strand Books
December 15th - An Evening With Neil DeGrasse Tyson at NJPAC
February 28th, 2017 - Adam Savage & Michael Stevens: Brain Candy at Beacon Theater

Amazing Summer #2 (Happy Birthday, Star Trek!)

My grand tour of summer conventions is complete - what a rush! I don't think I'll attempt to do five conventions in six weeks again, as it was extremely tiring, but what a fantastic way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek! I suppose Wizard World's Chicago was a little bit off-topic, since I went there to attend the Back To The Future reunion, but I was still on a look out for Trek-related things and had a tremendous time. The new convention in New York City turned out to be a wonderful event - it had its pluses and minuses, but, unquestionably, it had some extraordinary programming. If someone could find a way to combine STLV and STM:NY, it would be the ultimate Star Trek convention. As such, I am very glad that we now have a variety of Trek conventions to attend!

Though September 8th has just passed with an amazing celebratory outpouring all over the world, the anniversary celebrations and events still continue, and, I suspect, will continue well into the next year. Overall, this anniversary has been an absolutely incredible experience!

September 16 -25th - Transported: Paley Center Salutes 50 Years of Star Trek
September 23rd - Adele concert at Madison Square Garden!!! (huge thanks to my sister)
September 27th - StarTalk: Everything You Ever Need to Know About Space Travel, Sci-Fi, the Human Race, the Universe, and Beyond (a book presentation by Chuck Nice and Neil deGrasse Tyson at AMNH)
October 7th - NYCC Presents: The 50 Year Mission: Star Trek Then, Now and Beyond (Scott Mantz interviews Mark A. Altman and Ed Gross about their The Fifty-Year Mission books)
October 6th - 9th - New York Comic Con
October 19th - The 2016 Urban Green Conference
October 24th - Young Frankenstein: A Mel Brooks Book: The Story of the Making of the Film (author event with Mel Brooks!!!)
November 3rd - The Front Page, a Broadway play starring Nathan Lane
November 11th - 13th - Northeast Trek Con in Albany, NY (another brand-new event)
November 7th - James Grissom and Joanna Gleason discuss Follies of God and Tennessee Williams
December 15th - An Evening With Neil DeGrasse Tyson at NJPAC

Amazing Summer

What an amazing summer! The continuing celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek is out of this world! Between all the news and events and collectibles and books, my days are full of Trek, and I wouldn't have it any other way! :)

Montreal Comiccon turned out to be a truly lovely experience - my very first trip to Canada, however brief, and a very nice convention to boot! Manhattanhenge was a nice event but not as impressive as I had hoped it to be, probably because the actual sundown was obscured by the buildings in the line of sight on the street selected for viewing by the museum.

Eddie Izzard is a true genius. His concert was a brilliant show; my sister and I had a tremendous time and actually managed to meet him and shake his hand at the stage door afterwards!

Continuing with the Trek theme: the Starfleet Academy Experience is an exhibit to be checked out. Great fun! I just might go again. The third reboot movie came out this summer - and I loved it!!! This movie had both the action and the spirit. As much as STID didn't feel like Trek, this movie most certainly did! Finally (as of this post), STLV hit the spot with 5 days of non-stop Trek! Highly enjoyable convention; it just doesn't get any less exciting!!!

August 19th - 21st - WizardWorld's Chicago Comic Con
August 26th - 28th - Star Trek Convention in Cherry Hill
September 2nd - 4th - Star Trek: Mission New York (a brand new con in the City!!!)
September 9th - 11th - Star Trek Convention in Chicago
September 16 -25th - Transported: Paley Center Salutes 50 Years of Star Trek
September 23rd - Adele concert at Madison Square Garden!!! (huge thanks to my sister)
September 27th - StarTalk: Everything You Ever Need to Know About Space Travel, Sci-Fi, the Human Race, the Universe, and Beyond (a book presentation by Chuck Nice and Neil deGrasse Tyson at AMNH)
October 7th - NYCC Presents: The 50 Year Mission: Star Trek Then, Now and Beyond
October 6th - 9th - New York Comic Con
December 15th - An Evening With Neil DeGrasse Tyson at NJPAC

June Updates

Washington trip has come and gone - great, great museums yet again (grandma enjoyed herself, and I got my own highlight - the National Gallery finally had my favorite Monet on display!). Angela Lansbury (truly, a living legend!) and Dana Ivey were phenomenal during the play reading - absolute delight!!! OITNB never fails to impress; the new season is heart wrenching and powerfully dramatic. The cast provided fantastic performances all around, and it was a pleasure to see them live in discussion. In addition, I had the pleasure to see "For The Love of Spock" again last Sunday. Fittingly, the showing was held at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia theater at Symphony Space.

July 8th - 10th - Montreal Comiccon
July 12th - Manhattanhenge at AMNH
July 16th - Star Trek The Starfleet Academy Experience at the Intrepid Museum
July 21st - Star Trek Beyond pre-premiere showing
July 22nd - Eddie Izzard at the Beacon Theater
August 3rd - 7th - the epic five days long 50th Anniversary Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas
August 19th - 21st - WizardWorld's Chicago Comic Con
August 26th - 28th - Star Trek Convention in Cherry Hill
September 2nd - 4th - Star Trek: Mission New York (a brand new con in the City!!!)
September 9th - 11th - Star Trek Convention in Chicago
September 16 -25th - Transported: Paley Center Salutes 50 Years of Star Trek
October 6th - 9th - New York Comic Con
December 15th - An Evening With Neil DeGrasse Tyson at NJPAC

Spring Updates

April brought some fantastic events: fossil show was a predictable fun, Gilmour concert - an indescribable sonic experience, tour in downtown New York - fascinating and educational. The premiere of "For the Love of Spock" truly hit all the notes. Adam Nimoy and his team have created a tremendous documentary, both a touching tribute to Leonard Nimoy and a beautiful gift to the fans.

I will have to forgo the Philadelphia Comic Con this year - truthfully, I was tempted to go only due to possibly getting a very specific photo op, which not only sold out while I was deliberating but was really quite outside of the budget I have for this year's conventions. Another time. :)

Same really goes for AACE meeting - time and logistics just don't align this year, unfortunately.

June 9th - 12th - trip to Washington, DC with my Grandmother
June 13th - staged reading of Lettice & Lovage by Angela Lansbury and Dana Ivey
June 24th - Times Talks w/ cast of OITNB
June 24th or 26th - screening of "For the Love of Spock" for the Kickstarter supporters in NYC
July 8th - 10th - Montreal Comiccon
July 12th - Manhattanhenge at AMNH
July 16th - Star Trek The Starfleet Academy Experience at the Intrepid Museum
July 22nd - Eddie Izzard at the Beacon Theater
July 23rd -  New York City Pizza Festival
August 3rd - 7th - the epic five days long 50th Anniversary Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas
August 19th - 21st - WizardWorld's Chicago Comic Con
August 26th - 28th - Star Trek Convention in Cherry Hill
September 2nd - 4th - Star Trek: Mission New York (a brand new con in the City!!!)
September 9th - 11th - Star Trek Convention in Chicago
October 6th - 9th - New York Comic Con
December 15th - An Evening With Neil DeGrasse Tyson at NJPAC

Updates

Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage at MSG was superb!!! What a way to start the 50th anniversary year!

Have to forego attending MonsterMania and Chiller - other things are happening on those weekends.
Slightly updated list:

April 8th - 10th - NY / NJ Mineral, Fossil, Gem and Jewelry Show
April 11th - David Gilmour concert at Madison Square Garden
April 16th - Untapped Cities Tour: The Remnants of Dutch New Amsterdam
April 18th - "For the Love of Spock" - a special talkback event at the Tribeca Film Festival
June 3rd - 5th - WizardWorld's Philadelphia Comic Con
June 23rd - 29th - AACEi Annual Meeting in Toronto
July 8th - 10th - Montreal Comiccon
August 3rd - 7th - the epic five days long 50th Anniversary Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas
August 19th - 21st - WizardWorld's Chicago Comic Con
August 26th - 28th - Star Trek Convention in Cherry Hill
September 2nd - 4th - Star Trek: Mission New York (a brand new con in the City!!!)
September 9th - 11th - Star Trek Convention in Chicago
October 6th - 9th - New York Comic Con
December 15th - An Evening With Neil DeGrasse Tyson at NJPAC

Still looking forward to the Starfleet Academy event on the Intrepid sometime in the summer and Trek Talks.

And It's February Already!

And it's February already! The year keeps chugging along with promises of lots of fun events!
It's the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek after all, a year of celebration!

The 'Toast the Titanosaur' event at the AMNH was a blast, this museum never fails to deliver! The professional seminar and RU Open House more than satisfied my curiosity. Unfortunately, I had to miss the signing of William Shatner's book, however, I will see him at four different conventions this year, so I will get a chance to do that again.

March 5th - Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage concert at Madison Square Garden
March 11th - 13th - Monster Mania
April 8th - 10th - NY / NJ Mineral, Fossil, Gem and Jewelry Show
April 11th - David Gilmour concert at Madison Square Garden
April 22nd - 24th - the spring Chiller Theatre
June 3rd - 5th - WizardWorld's Philadelphia Comic Con
June 23rd - 29th - AACEi Annual Meeting in Toronto
August 3rd - 7th - the epic five days long 50th Anniversary Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas
August 26th - 28th - Star Trek Convention in Cherry Hill
September 2nd - 4th - Star Trek: Mission New York (a brand new con in the City!!!)
September 9th - 11th - Star Trek Convention in Chicago
October 6th - 9th - New York Comic Con

In addition, there is supposed to be a Starfleet Academy event on the Intrepid sometime in the summer plus Trek Talks (like TED Talks but for Trek!) are going to be planned all over the country throughout the year! Certainly, plenty of things to look forward to.

Happy New Year!!!

Well, 2015 was certainly an interesting year. It contained so many amazing experiences, some truly of a once-in-lifetime variety, new wonderful acquaintances and friends, and plenty of events providing everything from barely contained excitement to real grief. Goodbye, 2015.

Here's hoping for a kind and calm 2016!