Category: About Queen Grasshopper

Welcome to Grasshopper’s Realm

Posted on March 15, 2021 by grasshopper in About Queen Grasshopper, Geeky Sunday

To say that I was thrilled when I saw this week’s Seriously Geeky Sundays topic is a huge understatement. I am excited to go down memory lane with this one–even if it reveals just how old I truly am. It doesn’t feel like it was that long ago that I was hanging out in chat rooms discussing the Backstreet Boys or logging into Angelfire to update my website.

Banner depicting a website from the early 1990s — 1996 here I come!

14th March – The World Wide Web of Us

Way back in 1989 on March 12th Sir Timothy Berners-Lee invented the internet. We all started our journey on the World Wide Web at different times, and while we’ve each had unique experiences we’ve all ended up in the same place; right here reading these prompts! Join in celebrating the anniversary of the internet by sharing your answers this week

When did you first start using the internet?

Personal computers were still evolving and were just becoming widely available to the general public when I was a teenager. Back then households had one computer. Yes, just one.

We got Internet at home when I was a Junior in high school, but I didn’t use it regularly until we moved and I started going to a different school. I remember feeling lost as I sat down in front of a computer in Computer Lab and asking the girl next to me how she found all those pictures of the backstreet boys on hers. By the end of that period, I was an expert in all things Yahoo search and JPEGs.

What nostalgic things do you remember from your early days of the internet? (Example)

We were all in the same boat of discovering this new and unexplored technology. We collectively felt a mixture of awe, a deep longing for knowledge, endless quests to gather as much information as you could on your favorite topic, and wondering where that new friend you made in the chat room was from.

If you found an awesome website, you wrote down the url, brought it to class, and shared it with your friends or you added it to your favorite links on your website (everyone had a links page back then).

With that being said, I have to go with Yahoo, Angelfire, Geocities, and chat rooms. I liked finding themed rooms to talk about all the teeny-bopper stuff I was into back then.

A small snippet of my old Angelfire site’s links page.

How long have you been blogging?

Off and on since I created my first web page, Mishkin’s World. It was your standard 90s mess of midi players, animated gifs, repeating backgrounds, and text (I remember a lot of people would turn their sites into journals and diaries before the term blogging became popular). Sadly, I could not find Mishkin’s World on Wayback Machine. I did, however, find the second site I made, Mishi’s Sanitarium.

Before your eyes gaze upon the horror that are these screencaps, I must fully warn you of the cringe; the absolute and utter chaos coupled with bad fanart. Click to view full size. And yes, I plan to redraw “Wolf Master” and the emo crying girl.

Did you ever belong to any online fan clubs or message boards?

You bet! If it had to do with the Backstreet Boys or Sailor Moon, I was there. I frequented Save Our Sailors all the time (SOS was a Sailor Moon fansite dedicated to not canceling the show and airing all of the seasons in the US).

What are your favourite sites on the internet?

Oh how times have changed. If you had asked me in 1999, I’d have listed specific urls, but now? I mostly just use social media like Facebook and Twitter. I don’t have a favorite site anymore, but if I had to pick one, I’ll go with YouTube. I get so much use out of that site. There are so many helpful tutorials, documentaries, time killers (ha ha), and great stuff to play in the background when I draw on there.

Do you have any geeky online stores to share with us?

Oh goodness, yes! A group of us back in high school thought we were the most badass hackers on the planet because we could get into the library computers and change the backgrounds. I mean, we all had seen Hackers, and suddenly Hackerman!

Me in all my strange 2003 glory! Behind me is my first PC. It served me well.

Cosplay Everyday!

Posted on August 23, 2020 by grasshopper in About Queen Grasshopper, Geeky Sunday

It’s time for another Seriously Geeky Sunday brought to you by the creative Heather at geeking-by.net!

It’s cosplay everyday here in Club High Castle

Cosplay is very near and dear to my heart. You should see the left half of my closet! Hanging there is an assortment of medieval dresses, Star Trek uniforms, and other odes to my favorite fandoms that I’ve collected over the years. The oldest thing I have in there is probably from the 90s.

23rd August – Cosplay

It’s international Cosplay Day this weekend and we’re joining in the celebrations by chatting about all things cosplay!

Have you cosplayed before? If yes, which character was your favourite? If no, which character would you like to cosplay as?

You have no idea, Grasshopper 😉 You just opened an entire world about me.

I was the QUEEN of cosplay in the early 2000s, and I loved every last second of it. As for my favorite character, that one is a tough one because every time I put on a costume, I’m having the time of my life, ha ha!

With that being said, I’ll have to go with my Jedi robes.

Back in 2002, a group of coworkers/friends and I decided to go as Jedi and Sith for Halloween. We had our costumes tailor made with professional materials, and when Halloween rolled by, the head Sith and his wife hosted a party where we went full on nerd with light saber battles!

What does cosplay mean to you?

Everything!

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday (any time I get to cosplay is my favorite day if I’m being honest). I love getting into costume, fixing my hair and makeup, and taking on the persona of something else. This is something I know I will never grow out of. Life is too short to not enjoy yourself to the absolute fullest!

Do you have a favourite cosplayer?

I don’t follow any professional cosplayers, so I don’t have an answer for this. However, when I see someone rocking a costume, I always give them a compliment because I *know* how much fun they are having and what it means to them.

What is the most unique cosplay you have ever seen?

Let’s jump back to 2002, the year of the Jedi Crew. I was stationed in Turkey at the time, and in addition to the party my coworker and his wife threw, there was a base-wide party at the consolidated club (they didn’t have a separate enlisted/officer’s club there). Of course, the Jedi Crew went. How could we not? This backstory is important because wasn’t always easy getting certain things from the States. We had our costumes made at one of the local Turkish tailors we were friends with.

I will never forget the elaborate Mecha robot costume I spotted at the club. It was fantastic and well made. If someone was going to win the costume contest, I wanted it to be him. I talked to the guy, and he said it took months to make. I was shocked to learn that he had fashioned it out of cardboard boxes and duct tape–his paint job and attention to detail was so excellent, that I would have never guessed it was just cardboard.

If I recall correctly, he got 2nd or 3rd place. 1st place was given to a bunch of guys dressed as Roman soldiers, complete with head gear and shields.

Have you ever done a casual cosplay (aka everyday cosplay) or Disney bounding?

Story of my life, ha ha!

Before covid, this was almost every day for me because I dress in my own, unique mix of modern and vintage. Disney bounding falls right into that. I was going to go to Disneyland for my 40th birthday next month and had planned an assortment of Disney bounding outfits, but covid had other plans, and to say that I am torn up/heart broken over this is an understatement.

Pick a group of characters from a fandom and tell us who they would cosplay as!

The Man in the High Castle

Joe & Juliana – Bonnie and Clyde
Frank – Indiana Jones
Ed – A French chef
Billy Turner – Dracula
Thomas – a Jedi Knight

Unpopular Opinions: Film & TV

Posted on August 1, 2020 by grasshopper in About Queen Grasshopper

Brace yourselves, unpopular opinions are coming!

I was tagged by the awesome @Winst0lf to embark on a perilous journey through my unpopular opinions, and dude, they are unpopular, so consider yourself warned!

A Popular Series You Don’t Like

The Big Bang Theory. I’m sorry, but I just don’t like it, and please don’t hate me! 😉 I find the laughing track to be overkill and obnoxious.

Every time someone asks me if I’ve seen this show, I pretend I haven’t because it’s so beloved, and I just don’t want to deal with it, ha ha!

A Popular Film/Show Everyone Else Hates But You Love

Battlefield Earth – I thought it was interesting, and I liked the depiction of a future an eternity from now where aliens have conquered Earth. I don’t think it deserves to be called the worst film of all time.

Battle: Los Angeles – I loved the action, the story, and the overall theme of helping others. This film doesn’t deserve all the hate it gets.

A Love Triangle Where The Person Ended Up With The Person You Didn’t Like

Where do I start with this one? There are so many that I just can’t stand, and those ones always seem to be the One True Pairing of the fandom, so I’ll narrow it down to a few!

Delenn and Sheridan from Babylon 5 – She deserved so much better than an overbearing alpha male (more like the alpha of all alpha males). I wish she would have ended up with Sinclair or Neroon. I feel that either of those two would have complemented her strengths, and the pair would have become a power couple without trampling over each other.

Every single pairing at the end of the Harry Potter series.

Every.Single.One—–Including Snape not getting over a crush from high school.

A Popular Genre That You Hardly Watch

Romance – I touched on this in SGS: What’s Your Cup of Coffee?, so I’ll focus on another genre that I don’t watch much of.

Most sitcoms from 2010 onward – I hate laughing tracks, and they tend to have every trope I utterly hate to the point of overkill. I just don’t enjoy most of them.

A Beloved Character That You Don’t Like

Brace yourselves. Trust me. Odds are you will not enjoy what I have to say about a certain Jim from The Office–You might want to just scroll past this one.

Jim Halpert – He is my least favorite character on The Office because he is a self-centered narcissistic individual.

From Wikipedia:

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a long-term pattern of exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration, and a lack of empathy toward other people.^[2]^[3] People with NPD often spend much time thinking about achieving power and success, or on their appearance.^[3] Typically, they also take advantage of the people around them.^[3] Such narcissistic behavior typically begins by early adulthood, and occurs across a broad range of situations.^[3]

Everything has to revolve around him. If it doesn’t, he either interrupts whatever is going on to make himself the center of attention or mistreats someone until he gets his way or the reaction he wants.

He only cares about himself and about the proverbial prizes (namely Pam) he *has* to have. He kept going after someone who was in a relationship (Pam). He ditched Karen the second it suited him (he literally ditched her in NYC after she moved to Scranton just to be with him).

When he couldn’t eat his cake and have it too (ie, work in Philly and reap all the benefits from not having to deal with an infant and toddler while working full time. Pam had to do all of that all by herself), he treated Pam like garbage the second she said or did something he didn’t like; when she accidentally messed up the recording of their daughter’s recital comes to mind. Pam had every right to lose her temper and initiate marriage counseling.

His one saving grace is the time when the pretty temp tried to sleep with him and he enlisted Dwight’s help to get rid of her.

A Popular Show/Series You Can’t Get Into

The Americans – I watched the first season, and there are just no likable characters. I hated the way the spy couple treated their new boss, and I got the feeling that they wrote it that way because the boss wasn’t a young supermodel.

A Popular Trope You’re Tired of Seeing

Female characters getting pregnant in the final season of a show because there’s some weird, outdated assumption that pregnancy is the only gateway to happiness.

A Popular Show or Film You Have No Interest in Seeing

This one is probably going to get me into trouble more so than my dislike for Jim, ha ha!

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Not a fan of that animation style or the current trend with cartoons to have characters exclaim everything in the loudest, most hyper active voice possible. I’m also not a fan of the CBS All Access delivery model.

Granted, this is based off of a trailer, but still; I can tell that it’s not my cup of coffee.

A Movie Show Or Adaption You Prefer More Than The Book

The Man in the High Castle – I love the book, but the show added so much more depth to it by adding characters and creating such a vivid world for the eye to see. I was completely immersed in it, and that’s something you can’t get from a book.

SGS: Conventions, a Unique Perspective!

Posted on July 26, 2020 by grasshopper in About Queen Grasshopper, Geeky Sunday

It’s time for another Seriously Geeky Sunday brought to you by the creative Heather at geeking-by.net!

When I saw today’s prompt, I laughed (in a good way!) because I have a different perspective on conventions than most people would have. A huge part of my job is working at them! For anonymity’s sake, I’m not going to say which conference(s). I will say this: nothing huge like SDCC or NYCC.

Headed somewhere. The amount of wing photos I have is astronomical!

There is so much that goes into planning conferences before they come to life: logistics, event registration apps, badges (including designing every last color and word), organizing the sessions/panels, and much more. It takes a small army to accomplish this, and I am happy to be a part of it.

Without further adieu, here is my unique perspective on today’s questions!

July 26th – Conventions

It was supposed to be San Diego Comic-Con weekend this weekend. So many conventions have been cancelled this year so we’re living vicariously this week as by talking all things conventions.

Have you been to a convention and if so, how many?

Due to my unique perspective, I’ve lost count!

Because I’ve lost count, I’ll use this opportunity to give you some advice.

Be kind to the person at Registration. Be kind to the person directing you to a certain area. Be kind to anyone with a Staff badge–There is a ton of work that goes on behind the scenes, we’re working long hours, and we don’t have any control over the prices or rules. <3

Club High Castle Con 2020 (can this be A Thing?)

Always complete the feedback surveys emailed after the event. Always! That is your chance to make suggestions! We take those surveys seriously.

What was the last convention you went to?

In February (when you see me posting travel pictures; 99 percent of the time, it means I’m working at a conference). February revisited one of my favorite venues (the hotel LOVES us, and I love them because they don’t blast the AC–yes, this is a problem in the winter at most hotels). I love them for other reasons too, but I always look forward to them because I know I won’t be shivering under my jacket as I check people in, ha ha!

I love it when we get lucky and have some free time to explore the city!

Horsing around on the Sky Deck in the Willis Tower

What is your favourite convention memory?

There are so many of them! I can’t just name one, so I’ll name a few.

One of our attendees pranking me (I just about jumped 10 feet in the air, and burst out laughing!)

There was a time when I saw an attendee posing a stuffed animal near one of our signs. I watched them snap a picture of it, and I had a certain hunch. I waved them over and asked if they’d like me a badge for their stuffed animal. I’ll never forget the sheer excitement on their face as they exclaimed,

“Yes! I really wanted to ask for one but was so afraid!” I made a badge for it, and gave them pointers on taking selfies with it and where the best signs were, ha ha!

Getting to see Smith’s building in Vancouver

High Castle filming location, seen in S1: EP2

I dress in rockabilly vintage style dresses, sometimes with bright, outlandish colors. There was this one panelist who was in this fabulously bright vintage suit, and we laughed and complemented each other on our outfits. It turns out we both dressed in brightly colored vintage style clothing all the time.

Walking around Denver when it was 12 F (-11 C) outside and getting lost multiple times trying to find the Mint with a coworker. When we finally found it, it was closed because it was a banker’s holiday. It was one of those things that we just laughed at.

After walking around Denver in 12 F weather on a quest, only to find the Mint closed.

The entire crazy final evening in Philly one time…man, where do I start with that one? It was like an episode right out of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I might have to come back to this one in another post because I’d have to tell the entire story. Just know there was chaos, laughter, and ???.

Which convention would you love to go to?

I’ve always wanted to go to SDCC or NYCC because the High Castle cast would always be there; now that the show is over, I’d still like to go to one and dress up!

Who are you hoping to see at a convention next?

The regulars. I always look out for them. Some of them have no idea I exist (unless they’ve been in my line), but their faces are so familiar that I keep an eye out for them.

Oh look, Purple Tie Guy is here! *
* Not an actual attendee.

This sounds strange, but it’s always good to see them. The regulars I talk to (including the prankster), are always a riot! I even decorate my station with fun stuff because I know Prankster and others love it.

What is your favourite purchase from a convention?

Do I go with life saving or fun? Why not both!

How I got it in my head that Denver was warm, I will never know. I did not pack the right jacket (a mistake I will never make again), so I ended up getting a Broncos hoodie from one of the local shops, and man. That thing has kept me warm for a few winters! I always take it with me now.

I like collecting miniature statues, keychains, and patches from my travels, so they are another favorite item!

I decided to start collecting travel patches in 2019

SGS: Galaxy Adventures!

Posted on July 19, 2020 by grasshopper in About Queen Grasshopper, Geeky Sunday

Today’s prompt is near and dear to my heart. I have always been fascinated by space. Fifteen year old Queen Grasshopper’s room was plastered with Nasa posters, one of which, I still have to this day (I’ve been meaning to frame it after all these years). My ceiling was covered in glow in the dark stars, and I’d lay in bed just gazing at them.

Would I ever go to space?
Would there be a colony on the moon by the time I was 40?
Would we go to Mars?

July 19th – Galaxy Adventures

Tomorrow is National Moon Day, the anniversary of when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. It’s a day in our history when our world got that bit bigger and that means it’s time to talk about adventures in Galaxies Far Far Away.

What is your favourite sci-fi fandom?

Sci-Fi fandoms can be wonderful, and they can also be hard–I mean it is only natural that a group of passionate people have their differences! This is a tough question because I’ve made so many lifelong friends through the various sci-fi fandoms that I’ve been a part of over the years.

I have traded gifts with friends (most of whom are on the other side of the pond 😉 ). I’m always on the look out for gifts to send to a select few during my travels, but 2020 has thrown a wrench into that for now. I look forward to the day I can peruse a gift shop in some far away state!

Through fandoms, I’ve laughed, I’ve created art, I’ve had arguments (I mean..who hasn’t?), and I’ve been introduced to new ways of thinking–opening up my mind to become the kind person that I am today.

So in answer to this question, I’ll look back at the good times and name my top three.

1. High Castle
2. Star Trek
3. Babylon 5 Psi Corps/Bester fandom

Runner up
Star Wars – many fond memories of my teens and early twenties of creating stories with my friends and doing group cosplays on Halloween. I still have the Jedi costume that was tailor made for me!

What is your favourite fictional planet?

The Martian Congressional Republic
Mars from The Expanse – I love how militaristic they are. I love how their society is one of do what’s best for everyone; in other words, Group Think. They are fascinating to me and I love any and every shot of Mars in that show! I look forward to seeing how the events of the show play out for them. I’m a little worried, ha ha!

Who is your favourite alien character?

This is impossible to pick just one, so I’ll name a few.

Weyoun from Star Trek: DS9
The alien queen from Alien
The predator from Predator
Kira from Star Trek: DS9

What is your favourite alien species?

This should come as no surprise to those who follow me: Vorta and Romulans. They’re sneaky, cunning, conniving, and attractive. 😉

What alien creature would you like to have as a pet?

Tribbles: they are cute, fluffy, and purr. Need I say more?

What is the most visually stunning alien landscape you’ve seen in a fandom?

I’ll have to go with any landscape involving the protomolecule from The Expanse. I love the glowing blue tones and the orbs; everything is so eerie yet beautiful. I love it!