Dragon*Con, part 5, Sunday

Sunday morning came all too soon... or should I say Sunday afternoon, coz we all fell asleep so late and then suddenly someone was knocking on the door of our room and Rose panicked coz she'd planned to meet the Michael's at around 11.30 somewhere, and in the end they came looking for her... no big though, it was after 1pm, but they'd just woken up and raced over to find us!! I have a feeling that this was the day I went over to the Atlanta Bakery and discovered that everything in America comes with a side dish! There was a pickle and a packet of chips/crisps with my enormous sandwitch, and just for good measure I ordered cheese grits since they had them... of course once I'd eaten the grits I could barely fit the roast beef sandwitch in so I shared that with Navy... or was it Michael?

What did I wear? Oh yes!! Kaylee again! This time I wore a little top that I hadn't really intended to wear with it, but it worked really well! I remember catching up with Lila, Rose and the Michaels who'd all been shopping, and heading somewhere to meet CallMeSerenity, and since we were early and the 'Q & A with Ron Glass' hadn't finished we popped in for the last few minutes, which was hilarious since Lila was wearing a jingling scarf/belly dancing waist ornament. I remember that Canter asked a terrific question of Ron Glass, who remembered her and told the people there the story of her having ordered copies of Firefly from the UK in order to introduce her friends to it in South Africa. I remember that Dark Jester was there, filming, as always, the Firefly/Serenity related events at D*C, and I started a trend when I asked him if I may take a photo of his camera with it's minature Jayne hat on top! I also bought my, now treasured, CallMeSerenity-knitted Jayne hat! (try saying that three times quickly!!) and I loved wearing it! It was amazing how many calls and shouts of recognition I received for the rest of the day/night as I wandered around the con...

Rose and I had decided to invite folk to our room to hold a 'room party' that evening, so we headed back there in time to tidy up a little )which pretty much involved us sticking all our stuff under tables and into corners and wishing we had more chairs. We'd met up with Jimi and his 'adopted sister' Laurel and her husband (Brian?) (who were truly wonderful and lovely folk) in the food court, and by phoning, texting and telling everyone we bumped into that we were heading to our room for a get together we pretty much spread the word... We had a few there to start with, though the moment he got in poor Jimi was ordered to lie down by MsG, and nobody dares to disobey MsG, so he did, and he slept soundly for the rest of the night! Folks came and went, we watched the 'Costume Competition' on the closed circuit, dedicated TV channel that showed Dragon Con things - I loved the 'bumpers' that had questions and answers, and amusing little film clips! The contest was hosted by two of the gang from 'Mythbusters' and some of it was wonderful and some was cringeworthy and there was a terrific little homage to Firefly in the middle!
At some stage the rum disappeared... I was really cross as it was in my and Jimi's care, and was apparently taken to another room party without even the courtesy of mentioning it to either of us... more annoying was the none of us knew where this other room party was - initially we were told it was in the Boothes room, but this was not the case, so it remains a mystery. (The rum did turn up at Tom's house the following night, but we never received an explaination or an appology...)

Rose and I and some of the others were planning to go to a midnight screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show but with a few guests still in our room and feeling pretty exhausted from the last few days I decided to give it a miss, but she, Clara and Engie (who were wonderful sports about us having a room party without really having asked them) went as planned and from all accounts had a wonderful time! Canter and I decided to go looking for the rum at some point, and while Michael (AB Michael, not Navy) and Laurel went party hopping with Tommy, Canter and I headed over to the Marriott to interrogate Spartans to see if any of them had our rum hidden on their person! Along the way we met up with Boothe and his adorable wife who was now decked out as a grey angel! I found Jesus at D*C, and we noticed any number of weird and wonderful figures! We searched several Spartans - but hadn't questioned anywhere near all 300 when we came across Naughtyman, Big Rosie and Doc Jubal, who was an amazing Hellboy!! Ah well, we'll have to find an excuse to continue interrogating the Spartan's next year! Some time later... much, much later, we headed back to our rooms, and I assume Canter went to her own bed, but I discovered folk still chatting, watching D*C TV and generally on the go in ours! The Rock Horror gang returned at some point and had had a ball!! In the end we had 7 sleeping the night away in our room... Jimi, Lila and I in one bed with NavySeils, Rose, Michael and Clara in the other! Somehow - sleep was had! Oh - at one stage Rose half sat up and was talking in her sleep (she'd done it before, so I knew the look!), she was lying across the bed with a Glaswegian Michael on either side of her and said "I have everything I need!" and lay down and continued breathing deeply! It was rather funny (even if I was half asleep)!

Dragon*Con, part 4, Saturday continued.

So after the parade... after the parade... ummmmm...

I know I must have gone and changed! I think I had jeans and a black top with my gorgeous, Tristan built, Kaylee jacket! I put my rather flat hair up in little knots, but they looked more like "Pucca ears" (as Lauren calls them) than Kaylee hair! I spent some time with Engie and Clara becuase we wanted to attend the 'Spike and Drusila' Panel which also had Elizabeth Rhom (from Angel) and was really fun and insightful! James Masters is a wonderful person who really keeps the audience entertained and there were some lovely moments with him and Juliet Landau! I think one of the lovliest things that was revealed was when one of the audience members there aske them "What was your favourite scene as your respective characters?" To my delight Juliet Landau referred to the very moment that I had been discussing outside with Lissa, ManwithPez and others from the FFF.net boards while waiting in the queue... the moment where they touch foreheads and then turn towards the 'chosen one' in the earliest episode they appeared in. Juliet told the story of how they were playing with their lines at the audition and that moment just occoured and how Joss loved it so much he kept it in the episode - the quintessential Drew and Spike moment! The other response from James was just as delightful! He said that any scene with Juliet was the real Spike for him - all the rest of the time he was just "trying to be Spike, because without Drusila, Spike was not himself!"

It was also the day of the BBQ which Jimi had organised with Zeph's help, so we duly arrived at the appointed place and time to find some rediculous drama had gone on! It seems that some Nazi security personell, perhaps feeling out of sorts due to the overwhelming numbers of people in the hotel, or perhaps just pissed off that everyone was having fun and not them, decided to lay a huge penalty on 3 of the lovliest and most unthreatening people in our group for ... get this... dropping 4 half sized business cards from the 10th floor balcony! Given that we'd seen a lot more things thrown from the balcony, and given that there were actual 'parachute races' involving plastic bags at a later stage from the 40th floor of the same hotel (which not only did not have any repercussions, but I have heard on the boards that there are plans for a bigger and better unofficial parachute race next year!) this was rediculous to say the least! Enter Lila and Canter!! Lila (my precious li'l sis, also known to FFF.net and the 76th as MsG) and canter took it in turns to tag team the security manager and call in the event organiser and got them to let it all go instead of cancelling their membership and banning then from staying next year! (as if they'd want to) So it all blew over, but it was a blot on an otherwise wonderful day! Stupid Nazi-esque security folk!

The food was amazing and there was so much of it left over!!! We met more friends and shared more stories! I can't keep up with all the people I am meeting!! The afternoon was spent in good company with wonderful friends! There was a raffle which was to raise some additional money to offset some of the command costs for the parade and the shindig to follow Dragon*Con! I am just so happy to be meeting up with these wonderful people who have been a huge part of my life for so long, albeit online! Following the BBQ Rosie, Lila, Cindy and I headed over to the Haytt to get changed for the official SEBC (South Eastern Brown Coats) Shindig which was taking place that night! Rosie had brought along several wonderful silk sari's and I decided that it was a good opportunity to wear my hairpiece, so I went and put that one, wore a black singlet top over a black bra and simple black pants and we added the stunning hot pink sari, bindi and make up in Laz, Erica, Rosie and Canter's room! Rosie even loaned me a silk fan which I delighted in using as a prop! I decided to go barefoot, and we headed to the ballroom in the basement of the Hyatt where the shindig was being held! There was a huge queue and there was some concern that we wouldn't get to go in, but when it came to the crunch we were among the last let through the doors... The music was wonderful - although it was really too loud! I am not a fuddy duddy... seriously!! But I was starting to get a headache purely from the sound levels and I had to leave before Ron Khulman was finished!! I discovered several days after D*C that he had invited me to a BBQ at his place on the night before it all started!! What a lovely guy he is to do that!! I hadn't checked my MySpace for several days (staying with other people means limiting yourself online) so I wasn't aware until post-D*C! Never mind - there's always next year!!

One of the things I most enjoyed about the Shindig was that here were people I had never even heard of who loved the same fandom that I love. The very same passion for a show (that should never have been cancelled) which had brought me to the USA in the first place had brought these people together too! There were Kaylee's in pink layer hoop dresses, Kaylee's in overalls, Mal's in coats and Mal's in shirts and braces, Jaynes in hats and Zoe's in vests, Wash's, Simon's, River's, I am certain that I even saw a Sheppard Book! I loved the couple who were dressed as Mal and Safron, complete with floral wreaths in their hair, who tok the centre of the dance floor for Saffron's wedding dance when the Bedlam Bards were on! I also loved that when Rosie, Canter and I started dancing together in a small circle that people kept joining us, it grew and grew until there were over 30 of us and I had this amazing tingling feeling that this was exactly like the whole fandom - a few come together and more and more people are drawn to the warmth and connection that exists. Before long it's impossible not to notice a group so large that it dominates the dance floor, or perhaps the whole internet fandom or perhaps Dragon*Con or perhaps the whole film industry!!! Who knows where this wonderful warm fandom can go - I just know it's a great feeling being a part of it all!

Given the noise factor and the fact that others were unable to gain entry and were congregating back at the Marriott, Cindy, Canter, Rosie and I headed over there to join them! Rose and the Michaels were there already as was Jimi! So we enjoyed another wonderful night of sitting, talking, drinking (rum this time - really nice, spiced rum) and meeting more new friends!! I think it was around 3am that Canter and I started to work our way 'home' and we were met by some rather drunk folk who really wanted to get into our pants but who walked with us from the guys dressed up as Devo whom they were hanging out with, via the Drum Circle...( interesting place and I am glad I popped in for 5 minutes just to say I'd been!), and we eventually 'lost them' at the lifts for our rooms! It was at least 4am when I went to bed - I have no idea how much or how little sleep I got during the whole of D*C, but I suspect the whole convention I went on as much sleep as I would normally love to get in one night!

Dragon*Con, part 3. The parade!

Saturday the 1st September, 2007 - a day that will be remembered by a lot of people for a lot of good reasons.

The day of the inaugural marching of the 76th Battalion, a tribute group intended to both show our loyalty to and appreciation of Joss Whedon's criminally short lived series, 'Firefly', and the film it inspired, 'Serenity'.

Just 9 months and 2 weeks ago a conversation led to a post on the fan site, fireflyfans.net, and from there the idea took on a life of it's own. It was like the 9 months had been some kind of gestation period, and today was the official birth of the 76th Battalion.

I got up, showered and put on all the components of my uniform for the first time... well, almost all of them. Col Tristan still had my coat and when I turned up it seemed he'd left it in his room... never mind, someone duly retrieved it!! As I looked down on the foyer of the Hyatt I had a shiver down my spine... there were already gathered there several of us in full uniform! By the time I got a lift down to the meeting place there were more, and soon there were other browncoats, including many I knew by their screen names, but hadn't met before! The atmosphere was amazing - we were just about bursting with excitement and pride, but we were also very professional. Our weapons were as uniform as our... well our uniforms! We took such pride in assembling and walking to the starting point of the parade route. As we turned to our left, to assemble just off Peachtree Avenue, there was a large sign stating that Star Wars and the 501st Battalion were on the left, all other genres were on the right. I had a moment of delicious contemplation that some day it would read 'Firefly and the 76th Battalion' to the left and all others would be to the right! I honestly think there is no limit with the passion and loyalty this wonderful show has engendered, and we will make our mark to the point that we cannot be ignored and will get out sequel(s).

While we were waiting there were some photos taken of us all - 35 people from all over the USA, plus Canada, South Africa and Australia! We also chatted with other browncoats, including a wonderful family who were dressed in such detail - the parents were a gorgeous (and very pregnant) Inara/Companion, and the father was an immaculate Mal, the kids - there were 3 boys - were Simon, Jayne and a perfect minature of the father's costume of Mal... and when I spoke with the mother, later, she indicated that the baby on the way would appear as their little Kaylee next year! How amazing is this fandom!!

The parade started and our excitement had to be tempered with our knowlege that we were supposed to be marching to war. It was difficult to march and think about the kind of characters we'd created when there were people calling out and cheering us all the way along the parade route! I alternated between trying to look serious about going into battle against the 'gorramn purple bellies' and grinning like a moonbrain that we were there and receiving such a wonderful response from the thousands of people lining the parade route!! It was hot, the humidity was high, the uniforms were heavy, we had bags, weapons, headcoverings and helmets, we had boots and vests and shirts underneath, but all I remember now is the looks on Tristan and Lazarus's faces as they turned and looked down the lines at the 32 people following behind. I remember the shouts and cheers as we came across thicker and thicker crowds lining the parade route! I remember the feeling of awe as we reached the final turn and saw thousands of people waving and cheering, some in Jayne hats, some just shouting "Go Firefly!" "Yay for the Independants" "Go Browncoats!" and then it was over! We were all piling in to the Marriott lounge and peeling off layers of coats and vests and laughing and comparing stories of people and things we'd all noticed! Then came the biggest surprise for me! I had an inkling that for coming from Australia I would receive a promotion, I was hoping for Liutenant, but when it came to 'India Company' (Australasia) I was promoted to Captain, and what meant most to me was the Tristan openly and honestly told them all that the 76th wouldn't exist without me! That meant more than any promotion or accolade on the planet! I have often felt left out, left behind, forgotten, expecially with various other things happening in recent months, none of them to do with the 76th, but none-the-less casting a shadow over something I love and am deeply proud of. That moment when he aknowleged my early involvent and attributed the initial 'push' to me made me feel that everything was OK again! Every little bit of saving (and a lot of crap I had to put up with at home) was worth it, just to be aknowleged in this way, and by someone I admire deeply. So - I am now officially the CO (Commanding Officer) of India Company (Australasia) for the 76th battalion, and best of all things are good. It all felt really good and I don't think I can really capture the pride and satisfaction I felt. Perhaps knowing I have Tristan's respect is more important than it should be, but the real thing is that I know I have my own self-respect! I hope I get to have more involvement from now on. I don't know what comes next, but it seems to me that the COs of the various countires and US regions will have to have greater input and communication. There is a lot of good that can come from the 76th and it's growing profile... not just in the realm of gaining greater focus on Firefly and Serenity gaining their rightful places in public awareness, but in building greater networks and friendships and giving people who love the characters and settings of Joss Whedon's 'verse a more effective voice to tell the networks and film studios 'We Want More!"

Dragon*Con, part 2.

We were woken at 9.30 am by the house-keeping staff who wanted to clean our room – I think we freaked out at the thought as we had so much stuff in the room that they couldn’t’ even move. I asked for more towels and left it at that. We’ll put up the ‘do not disturb’ sign tomorrow!

So we giggled and talked and took in the fact that we’re all here in Atlanta together at last! Rose and I took some cute pics of us in bed together then Engie climbed in and there were more pics… then we had to shower and decide what to wear for the day! I wore my Kaylee costume for the first time, and Engie loaned me a ‘tattoo shirt’ that looks to be along the lines of one of the one’s Jewell Stait wore in the film. I just wore my sneakers coz there’s going to be a lot of walking today!!

We went looking for Whimsy first – she and Tommy had arrived early that morning and we found each other in the foyer of the Hyatt in no time! It was so wonderful to hug her at last!! Then we went to lunch with the two of them, and Clara, Engie, Washie (Engie and Jimi’s friend from previous years). Rose, Engie and I had several ‘sisters’ photos taken and there were some lovely ones of the whole group! We had the loveliest waitress, and the cutest waiter who looked a lot like Captain Jack Sparrow! Rose and others had an impromptu sing-along to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and there was a guy who was the best ‘Silent Bob’ you would ever wish to see!
When we headed back to the convention we managed to attend our first official event, the “Q & A session” with Ron Glass and Mark Shepperd… only Ron didn’t make it so I got up and asked a reasonably good question and got to flirt with Mark a bit, in front of over 1,000 browncoats!! I also got lynched coz we were saying “Oh have you heard of this little TV series called Firefly?” “Yeah – but how good can it be? It got axed half way through the first season?” Whoah!!! I was just trying to make the point that we’ve all been there and had that excuse when trying to ‘convert our friends’ into browncoats, but the audience turned on me… I was lucky to get out alive!!
We spent much of the rest of the day absorbing the atmosphere. Dragon Con is amazing – there were over 30,000 people there on the Friday, and many of them were in costume of some kind! There were kids dressed up too, and I really hadn’t anticipated that, the cutest kid of the day was one dressed as one of the Power Puff Girls. There was a whole family dressed as members of Davy Jones crew… there were all manner of goth and zombiesque and quirky and fun and creative and crazy and scary and downright awesome! I couldn’t believe the diversity and imagination and dedication folk had put into their costumes and even their robots! Yes, there was an R2-D2 unit that moved and made the appropriate noises…

In the evening there were a couple of ‘room parties’ which I have since learned are the norm for conventions of this type! You get your friends together in someone’s room and share a few drinks, talk, chat, nibble whatever is available, enjoy the friends and atmosphere and if you are really, really sleepy you might even manage a tiny little nap on one of the beds in the room… on the way to the Marriott to enjoy ourselves with many of the 76th I discovered a shy Ninja Kitty... my gorgeous friend, Sara or Hell's Kitten from Fireflyfans.net and the 76th Battalion!
After our first party in Jimi, Washie & Fireflygal’s room we headed across to the International Tower of the Hyatt and joined the Boothes for some more enjoyment! Their room was much, much larger and I got to meet their gorgeous daughter, Audrey! Autumn wasn’t terribly well, but they were wonderful and gracious hosts! It was wonderful to see what people had dressed up as, especially Jack who does a wonderful Badger!
When all was said and done we headed home though I know it took several hours before we went to bed… it was around 4am when I finally fell asleep, I was excited about the parade in the morning and had to make sure all was organised before I went to bed… I had to be up very early and knew I mustn’t forget anything!

I'm in the USA!!!

I am here in Georgia with my friends Jimi and Ken and Ilse, at Ken's unit in Atlanta (well he keeps telling me it's Kennesaw, but as far as I am concerned it's part of Atlanta!) I had a pretty good time of the travelling (on the longest Friday ever), with one experience that made it less enjoyable - it took almost 3 hours to clear customs and immigration in Los Angeles, so I missed my connecting flight to Chicago, but despite a few minutes of panic I was booked, by United Airlines, on to a Delta Airlines flight directly to Atlanta... thus alleviating an excruciating flight to Chicago worrying that I might miss my connecting flight at that airport on account of a 35 minute period between my Los Angeles flight scheduled landing and my Atlanta flight departing! This way I actually arrived in Atlanta about an hour and 20 minutes earlier than I had expected and of course this meant I arrived an hour and 20 minutes earlier than my friends expected too! I hadn't had time to contact Jimi in Los Angeles (as I had to run to check in for the aforementioned flight), so after I had collected my luggage I found a phone card kiosk and bought a $10 card which allowed me to phone him and let him know I was already in Atlanta! I settled in to wait, but in no time Jimi, Ken and Ilse (who arrived from South Africa the night before me) were there with Bill who is also a native of Atlanta and who recently joined the 76th battalion! (the Firefly/Serenity tribute battalion of which I am a founding memeber and I am marching with them at their inaugural appearance at Dragon Con on Saturday 1st September!)

We squeezed into Jimi's car (Jimi is 6' 6" & Ken is 6' 1", Ilse, Bill and I were in the back) and drove back to Ken's place... Ken lives in a hotel style block of rooms each with a mini kitchen and bathroom and he arranged for Ilse (who's also known as Canter in case I refer to her as that) and I to have a room just upstairs from him. Jimi stayed with Ken and we got settled in and caught up! My Tim Tam's (chocolate filled 'cookies' with chocolate coating) appear to have travelled unscathed which I consider a minor miracle... so far we haven't found a broken one at all!!! And they love them here!! For a country where there is an amazing variety of foods available it is such fun to find something I can bring which is unique and a new experience for my friends here!

Bill headed home and at about 2am we decided to head to bed, but of course Ilse and I had showers and talked and talked - we're both in different time zones to what we're used to so we were wide awake and suddenly we found it was 5 am!! I lost count of the number of times I said "I'm in America!" and it became a bit of a catch cry between us today!!

On Saturday we woke up around 9.30 and by 12 midday we were at a place called 'Cracker Barrel' where we had breakfast! The food was amazing! I had 'biscuits' (lighter than scones but more like scones than anything I can think of) With gravy - which was thick and chicken based... it was delicious! It's a bit Southern thing to have biscuits and gravy for breakfast!! Ilse and I are learning that a lot of American culture revolves around food! Most of it fried or covered in gravy or served with so many sauces you can't decide which one is most delicious!! You are offered Coke or 'sweet tea' most of the time - Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola and sweet tea is actually iced tea - they look at you funny if you don't know this - but in this heat it's actually very refreshing and I already getting a taste for it! (especially as it isn't fizzy...) The shops are already filling with Halloween and 'fall' themed items - and the things here seem so inexpensive - you have to remember that the exchange rate isn't awesome though... better than it was a couple of years ago - but not awesome!
We went to Wal-Mart this afternoon - I bought a few essential items I either forgot or hadn't anticipated! (My toothpaste was confiscated as hand luggage on account of it being a 'liquid/gel' in a container that held more than 100ml!!!) The food items I recognised were mostly in a variety of flavours hitherto unimagined - like s'more's flavoured breakfast cereal or peanut butter and chocolate flavoured 'buds' to be added to 'cookies' or desserts...) or available in such enormous quantities we couldn't use them up in 5 years... let alone have enough space to store them!! The other thing about the USA is that everything is BIG!! I mean HUGE!! or... tiny miniature!! I have the tiniest shampoo and toothpaste you could imagine but milk usually comes in 4 litre bottles - a two litre bottle is small... nothing smaller unless you really look for it!! Weird... huh?

After heading 'home' to unpack and refridgerate things, we headed to another supermarket, Public, this time to meet another 76th member, Stevie (PVT Dae) - there is a photograph of this occasion which I will add here if I ever manage to work out how to upload/post them!!

We went to this amazing place for dinner that night, Williamsons Brothers BBQ, and met up with Tom and Laura... it was much better than I was worried it might be... I felt a little weird but fine with all my wonderful friends around keeping an eye on me! I talked with Laura a lot, mostly about stuff not to do with the 76th or anything... and Tom became an uncle yesterday when Kriste and Doug had a baby boy named Richard Grayson! My wombat, kangaroo and koala soft toys were passed on with many thanks from 'Uncle' Tom and it was fine. Weird... but fine.
I have now met 8 members of the 76th in all! Cindy/PFC Vex (who visited me in Australia recently), Jimi/SFC Alexander, Ken/LT Zephyr, Ilse/CPL Canter, Bill/PVT Birddog, Stevie/PVT Dae, Tom/COL Tristan O'Tearney and Laura/SGT Wendt. (In case you're wondering I am SFC Magda Martin. )

On Saturday night we also watched the newly released US special edition of 'Serenity' with the commentary on... it's Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Ron Glass and Summer Glau talking about their recollections of making the movie! It was so much fun to see and hear it with these friends, I will always remember that my first experience of watching it was with these precious friends from all over the world!

I reliased something about my journey, one of those things that catches my imagination... on Friday, whilst travelling around the world, I set foot in 4 Olympic cities in 24 hours... I don't suppose there's a lot of folk who can say that!! I shall also visit another one before I return home to Australia too!

Oh, and I will update my blog along the way as I can!

where's the wombat?

Hi peoples! This crazy little wombat is very sorry not to have been on line often enough to 'blog' recently - it's been over 4 months since I last posted anything! (I am so ashamed!) But I have a new obsession and I think it's about time I shared it with you all!

It's called.... Firefly!

I cannot believe how long it took me to actually watch the series on DVD, but whilst house-sitting for my friend, Aveline, I finally got around to it and ... in less than a month I have memorised whole episodes line for line, joined a fansite, dropped off the fansite in a freak computer-thing-of-some-description, re-joined the website, watched every episode with and without commentary at least 3 times each, watched Serenity (the movie) too many times to remember (at least 8 times?) and seen it on the big screen at a charity event! I do not do things by half-measures!

As a result of this I have a few new words in my vocabulary so here they are in case I use them and you have no idea what I am talking about:

Shiney - good, terrific, great, positive, awesome!
'Verse - universe
BDH - big damn heroes
BDM - big damn movie
Gorram! - (Probably 'God damned' but lets ignore that and think of it as a good gutteral sound in appropriate situations)

In addition to this names such as Innara, Mal, Jayne and Wash, River, Simon or Kaylee might pop into my conversation - and if I start to look dreamy and say things like "mmmmm Jayne... yum!" I am not becoming a lesbian (just incase you're a single, secure, Christian male, more-or-less sane and planning to ask me to marry you) but mentally drooling over Adam Baldwin's character!

I will go into some more observations and thoughts in detail at some later stage - just thought you'd all like to know is-all! (Oh yeah, I might start talking a little like a cowboy too!)