Embroidery sun (continued)

So have moved on to Toronto, for a conference this week, then back home to Vancouver finally on Saturday. Still working on my embroidery project in the evenings after the conference talks and as much networking as I can muster (not much tonight, but tomorrow is the conference banquet). I have the basic ideas for filling in the areas now. The square chain stitch (the orange border) is rated by my book as "easy" but I am finding it difficult. I will add my yellow beads in somewhere when I get home and can dig out a small needle. No luck finding one in the shops near my hotel here in Toronto. Doesn't anyone sew anymore?

Michigan embroidery project

I had in mind an embroidery project to do while I was here, as a way to keep the creative hobby juices flowing. Of course, I ended up starting only in the last week. I am working on a large sun design on the back of a T shirt. I have the outlines finished, shown below. Still to do are filling in the shapes. I have a book of embroidery stitches, will use this as an excuse to try out some of the space filling and border stitches. I also have some small yellow beads I wanted to incorporate, but I only brought embroidery needles and they are too big to fit through the beads to sew them on. I'll see if I can find a needle at a local store when I am in Toronto next week.

Xmen Apocalypse was quite enjoayble

I enjoyed Xmen Apocalypse quite a lot. I saw it last weekend at the fancy theatre in Okemos, MI. I had hoped to see one more movie here at that theatre before I left for Toronto, but the two new shows this week were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a lame-looking romantic comedy that I don't remember the name of.

Anyway, Xmen Apocalypse was really quite enjoyable. There were cameos by many recognizable characters from the comics (Archangel, Psylocke - actually played appropriately by a mixed race actress, Storm, Wolverine and others). It was a basically a "young team coming together" story with a bunch of extra fun. Let me spoil the ending: the villain with almost godlike powers was destroyed with teamwork. The origin details for Apocalypse don't match the ones from the comic, but those are really too convoluted for a movie plot, so I though this could be forgiven. In general, it gave the feeling for many of the characters from the comics even if all the details were not quite right.

I thought it was a much better movie than the recent Captain America one, although the critics rate them the opposite way. It could be just that the Xmen are the only superhero group I am somewhat invested in.

Naruto versus Bleach (anime)

I guess this is a topic you will either care deeply about or not know what I am talking about. "Bleach" (2004-2012) and "Naruto" (2002-2007 and 2007-2016) are long running anime series with characters with magic powers from various sources with a wide range of effects. They both feature teen main characters, Naruto and Ichigo for Bleach, who develop their powers through the show, with main focus of protecting their friends and family. This is a fairly consistent motivation, and neither initiate hostilities, but act in defence when provoked. In both series, there is an extensive group of team-mates and other characters.

• Music: Intro/Exit music are important for anime, and the themes change every season (sometimes even more often). I thought Bleach won out in terms of music, since it tended more towards Rock music (my taste) and Naruto to Pop and Country (not my taste). However, Naruto did have the intro song, "Hero's Come Back!!", which is really quite catchy, for the first season of the second part (Naruto Shippuden). I give Bleach the slight edge here.
• Side Characters: One of the strengths of both shows was the depth of interesting supporting characters. On one hand (Naruto): Jiraiya, Sasuke, Kakashe, on the other (Bleach): Urahara, Renji, Rukia. Goes way deeper on both sides. I'd have to call this a draw.
• Plot: Both anime had quite interesting plot arcs. Bleach, especially at the beginning, had a lot of false starts in terms of consistency and some characters that were brought on that never reappeared in a major way (i.e. Ganju). Naruto's creator had a clearer vision from the start for the consistency of his world and the characters in it. I give Naruto the slight edge here because of this difference. 
• Filler: Both anime were so successful that they did not go on hiatus when they reached the end of what was available in the Manga series. Rather, they continued with "side" stories invented by the anime writers. These so-called filler episodes ranged from painfully bad to just bad for both series. However, the filler at the end of the first Naruto series was especially bad. If you watch these shows, look up what episodes are filler and just skip them (google "Naruto no filler" for example). I guess I shouldn't judge either series based on its filler. 
• Endings: Bleach ended with a very poor plot arc. Naruto has just gone on and on with filler. I think they could still all be in a dream. I just can't be bothered to wait for the final episodes with the real ending. From movie spoilers I know Naruto ends up married to Hinata and she becomes a housewife. It's just sad all around. I call this category a draw.  
• Main Characters: This is the aspect of the shows where I decide for Bleach. Naruto is portrayed as a bit of a buffoon. He is socially awkward and not good at academics or strategic thinking. In the series, it is other characters that have to say he is charismatic - and we are supposed to believe it, even when he clearly is not. He goes off "training" for long periods of time and other, more interesting characters dominate the series for weeks. It is a relief. On the other hand, Ichigo is a smart kid with honest social skills. Bleach is the clear winner here. 

Basically because of this last category, I think Bleach was the better show. I do have to say that I (mostly) enjoyed them both. Remember to skip the filler!

Prog Rock: goes deeper than I thought, The Light by Spock's Beard is pretty good

I am a big fan of Progressive Rock, although where Prog Rock ends and Psychedelic, Space or Symphonic Rock begin is beyond my meagre understanding of music genre subtlety. I really like Yes, in fact they are my favourite band. In terms of things labelled as Prog Rock, there is a sharp drop-off to King Crimson and Genesis but I still like some of their tunes. Hawkwind is also on my radar, but mostly because of the involvement of writer Michael Moorcock rather than for their musical talent. As I have entered the realm of music streaming services, I have discovered the genre is deeper, lasted longer, and was developed in more countries than I knew. From Google Music, I found the bands Os Mutantes, Premiata Forneria Marconi, and Locanda Delle Fate with some great Prog Rock tracks. From iMusic, I just found the band, Spock's Beard. So, great name! The album, The Light, could end up being a favourite. It is available in iTunes, with the usual bonus track that no-one wanted. I suggest giving it a listen - and I don't get a commission - honest!

Movie Review: The Nice Guys

I went to see The Nice Guys yesterday. It was an entertaining movie, well acted with a good story. The child actress was strong, and Russel Crowe played his role perfectly. Ryan Gosling had a bit too much slapstick in his role for my taste, and alcoholism is a button for me. So, overall reasonable but not a movie I would have gone to normally. But... nearby here in East Lansing is Studio C! in Okemos and this is a great theatre. You can pay extra for huge, reclining leather seats with food and bar service that comes to you in your seat. They usually have six movies playing at a time, but this suburban theatre is not in general playing movies that appeal to me (probably a good choice on their part) so I have to be a bit less picky about what I see. It was Captain America the first week I was here (pretty good) and nothing new last week I could pick. Looks like Alice through the Looking Glass next week...

East Lansing Art Festival

This weekend the East Lansing Art Festival http://www.elartfest.com/#intro is taking place. This is one of the highlights of my annual visits to East Lansing, and I went yesterday to look at what was there this year. There are two sides to the Fair: the South Side is more inexpensive "crafts" and the North side is more expensive "arts". The main street, Grand River, divides the two sides.

On the craft side, I picked up a couple of T-shirts. The one on the left is from Full Ark [sic] Tees. He had some great designs. Unfortunately, from the link above he does not seem to ship to Canada. The one of the right is from a nameless tie-dye stall. This group really has my tastes pegged, and the shirts are very cheap. There are other tie-dye stalls at the festival that are much more expensive with boring designs - I don't know why anyone goes to them.

Also on the South side there was a woodworker, Jerry Neikirk, that had some great work. The stitch puller and the ice cream scoop below are from him, and he had some wooden pens that I also thought about getting. The bowl below is the only thing I got from the North Side. It was from Autumn Aslakson. I had bought a bowl from her last year, similar design but different shape. I had hoped to get a coffee mug in this design, but did not like the shape of her mugs (please read this without putting extra meaning into that comment). I must be picky about mugs, because I didn't really see any at the festival that worked for me. I just picked up one at the local second hand store afterwards. 

If I had unlimited money and was setting up a household, I would get some serving dishes from Robin Kittleson and some of the metal art by Cherie Haney. Oooh, nice stuff.