Read, PA The Cantina (The Most Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy)

This is a good spot to post up anything that you might want to say to the whole group, if you don't think it needs a new topic.

 

I just got the Board name corrected

Our new name is the: Reading-York, PA FanForce

Our Board now matches the name Our Titles have also been corrected (Thank you, Steph, I think ). As for our actual Officers & such.. The only ones that have been decided are:

Rob (JediSoccerDad) is: FanForce CR & Co-President, Reading-York, PA
Dave (Rebel_Spook) is: FanForce CR & Co-President, Reading-York, PA
Steph (HanSolo29) is: VP, Reading-York, PA FF

I talked with our RSA Contact & having two CRs/Presidents was fine. I think the one VP also works in case there is a case where the two CRs are of different opinions, the VP can make the 'call'. Any other Officers can be talked about later on as we get the Group really going.

Dave, Steph, & I thought this would be a great way of getting two groups with a few members to join together and make a larger group. Since we are spanning from one area to the other, we will of course rotate meeting places to accommodate those that live in the different areas.

Everything else is up-in-the-air & will be decided as we go along. This is a fledgling group, so I am just excited to see it coming together and off the ground. Once we get started, I?m sure we will be able to do & plan out some cool meets, events, and other activities that give us an excuse to get out of the house

 

Btw, we're NOT excluding you Lancaster ppl (becuase we changed the name)

Dave & I figured that we would just control the entire area but the name became a bit long as: Reading-York-Lanacaster, etc, etc, PA

 

Ok.. I was watching the Food Network (yes, I am totally domesticated, lol), worse yet, Rachael Ray (ok, I should get a pass on watching her because she is hot, lol)..

Anyways, there was a cool coffee drink today..

1 cup strong coffee, cooled to room temp
6 big scoops coffee ice cream
2-3 tablespoons chocolate covered espresso beans
1/2 cup half and half or milk


Place coffee in blender with ice cream and half and half or milk. Add in a palmful of chocolate covered espresso beans, if you like. Blend until smooth and serve immediately.

I'll be trying this

 

Hey Rob, were you wearing a skirt when you typed out that recipe?..........lol

 

I thought I would post this because I almost wet myself when my wife told me. My wife works in a dentists office, and this rather large man came into the office to have some work done. By rather large I mean 6'3" ..280. So he's sitting in one of the operatories and then his "girlfriend" comes back to talk to him. His girlfriend is also rather large, as in a large man in drag. The two of them proceed to argue and then "she" leaves in a huff and sits in the waiting area, and as they are leaving they are bickering back and forth about how there was no need for her to come in the back and that the whole thing was very embarassing. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a homophobe, but my wife described "her" as about 6'5"..300, built like a linebacker and in a red dress. Like I said, I almost wet myself I was laughing so hard.

 

How did you know I was wearing a..!?

I mean, how bout those Bears!

 

Ok, what a way to make me feel good about paying bills..

Dropped it off at the local mailbox that was switched over to the new R2D2 Mailbox!

 

I thought those were not to be out for quite a while. Cool. Lancaster and Reading are on the list to get some, but York was left out.

 

That alone is a reason to move, Dave.. lol

 

I need some help. Everytime I hit enter to create a space, the message board fills that space with numbers like this.
Can someone help fix this?

 

Hmm, never seen or heard of that happening before. I guess that would be something to ask someone who handles things on the board technically.

 

I gotta get over to the R2 Mailbox this weekend & snap a PIC with my son, to send in. Did you guys (and gals) see that map? It's pretty cool

 

Sorry... Forgot to log in.. I was "Anonymous" in the last reply, lol..

 

Looks like I'll being swinging north off from 568 next week to get a pic or two of that R2 mailbox!

 

Ok, who is is saving up for the bidding for "lunch with Han"?

I know a cetain VP who probably is

I just want to ask him who 'really' shot first, lol

 

This is tangentially related to the fanfilm script I am working on but still disconnected enough that I feel it's appropriate to start the convo here. One major complaint I have with the PT (prequel trilogy) is the mystic and special nature of the Jedi is cheapened and degraded. The first problem is there were literally thousands of Jedi scattered across the galaxy, the next problem is they were killed so easily. Dime store Jedi and the overly emotional reactions of the leaders of a group that espouses the belief of a lack of emotion gets me into an emotional state I would rather not be in. Sir Alec Guinness and the fights of ANH are certainly less flashy, but more in line with the emotional state I imagined a Jedi to be. In Iaido (the art of drawing the sword) which I have been an active participant for near 15 years, it is considered a major no-no to 'telegraph' your actions or intent with facial expressions. That is one aspect I wish to incorporate in the fight choreography of this project. There is so much wasted motion and a lack of elegance that I want to bring back as well. Even if the Jedi is not invulnerable he should project such an aura and presence. In Kendo, Iaido, and Naginata we call this 'Zanshin' and to some extent 'Kime'. Don't bother looking these terms up on Wikipedia they are often grossly inaccurate. Zanshin describes a state of mind and readiness of the mind. Kime is the application of technique and the focus of that technique in that moment in time. The eastern martial arts are not the only ones who have this, even if most others don?t express it in the same terms. Western Boxing, Wrestling, and fencing all have these concepts and use them. What I would like to see is more of the Zen-like mind set that inspired the concept of the Jedi to Lucas in the first place. Not from a religious stand point but a philosophical standpoint.

What do you think everyone?

-x

 

I think the movies were trying to show that the Jedi had become soft and complacent, expecting the non-Jedi to just hold them in esteem without giving a reason to give them the respect. They also didn't expect anyone to know their weaknesses and exploit them. The problem is, this lack of respect flowed to the audience, and not just the characters in the movies.

 

Well, while I will agree that the fights in the pre-quels did have a lot of wasted motion, effort, and useless spinning( see Obi-wan, Episode I). The fights in Episode III were pretty awesome in my book, although I did see some openings that were left unexploited. On the other hand, the fights in the original trilogy were just..well, boring.
The fight between Vader and Obi-Wan in EpisodeIV was definetly like watching two broken down old men. Empire wasn't much better,and Lukes style in Return of the Jedi is clearly based on Savate, but if I have to watch him drag that back leg like it's broken one more time, I'm going to jump off of a bridge.
I understand what you are saying as far as the wasted motion, most fights between competent swordsman only lasted two or three moves, but I guess for the sake of cinema Lucas had to make things fast and flashy. He was trying to show the Jedi in their heyday.
Because I come from a Tae Kwon Do background, I can say that flashy doesn't always have to be useless. I think there is a middle ground betwwen practical and flashy.
As far as the jedi being cut down so easily in Episode III, again I guess for the purpose of the storyline, that's how it had to go down. I guess there are just certain lose ends that will never be wrapped up.
But, then again. What do I know?

 

I don't advocate a return to the slower, boring episode IV lightsaber dueling, even if I may sound that way. I think it's the same as real martial arts tourneys on ESPN, those of us who watch these competitions cringe, less at the flashy kicks and spins, and more at the poor technique postures or simple things like Hasugi (cutting angle) of the blade. I know people do not want to watch 'real' sword kata, they want cinematic action and get-your-heart-pounding violence. I think there is a way to find a balance. I would like to still see the occasional flip, or spin. the problem I have is gratuitous spins, like someone is making a demo reel of their acrobatics. Very few incidents should be as real as actual sword combat, 2-10 seconds would not serve the dramatic requirement, and wouldn't allow the audience any immersion. If you have ideas on how to do this when it comes time to choreograph, I am very much willing to listen to them. I don't want to see stick bashing, air slicing, and ridiculously over exaggerated pointless posturing (with muscle flexing)gah. As far as Lukes broken leg in ROTJ, I honestly always thought he was supposed to be injured otherwise I would noted that before. I just don't know on that one. Are you or any of the other people in the group interested in developing a lightsaber choreography, and props?

-x

 

YES, YES, YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!

Oh, sorry.. ::tries to control enthusiasm:: I would definetly be interested in lightsaber construction & choreography. I think we should work this in.

P.S. With regards to the discussion, I agree with multiple points. I do see how the flashier techniques became less realistic & more cinema-friendly. Having a Ving Tsun (Wing Chun) background myself, I lived on the fact that less was more efficient. However, I do appreciate the fact that in the Prequals each jedi and sith had their own style, some flashy, some not. For example, Mace Windu vs Aayla Secura. Every style seemed to have its good points and bad points, simular to martial arts as a whole. At this age in my life, I like some of teh flasheir stuff just because it's cool to look at, even though I might not think it's the most efficient.