I have another weekend special for you.

Those of you in the Bay Area take note! This weekend is the annual IGN Bay to Breakers 12K footrace. Each year thousands of people turn out to participate in the race, the costume contest, and hear the winners of Battle of the Bands. It’s a family event that’s good for the body and good for the mind.

Many residents dress in costumes and participate in the fun run. After the run, Southwest Airlines sponsors a costume contest. Winners receive fantastic prizes like airline tickets for 2 anywhere SW flies. Wow.

It’s not just Superheroes. This year, 49er Manny Lawson is running for child fitness. Local schoolchildren have been running and walking in preparation for this weekend’s race. Some of those kids will be alongside Manny when he dons distinctive orange racing laces and Runs For Something Better.

Professional athletes hit the streets too. There are official race times, sponsored runners and pledge athletes, as well as something called centipede runners. Groups of children or adults must fasten to each other and wear head gear for the race. Neat, huh?

There are bands and refreshments along the course. Later in the day the stages will feature live music. I encourage all of you in the area to head out and take in the spectacle. It should be a lot of fun.

I like it when costumed individuals are welcomed in public.

Here’s just a glimpse of some the great characters that make it out to the race. Ellie Mae, Jethro, and Granny take time out from the busy life in Beverly Hills to get in some good exercise. These days you can’t go anywhere without seeing Storm Troopers in your rear view mirror. I don’t know if this group is with the 501st, but it’s a good bet. Spider-Man, Marilyn Monroe, and Jack Sparrow were there too. There are people dressed as grapes (very California don’t ya know) and bistro tables. I liked these last two guys. I don’t know if there was a third member getting a drink or not, but I dub them the Two Amigos.

I wonder who will show up this year?

Press Releases

The Wonder Girl battle armor is gonna be tricky. I tried to make a pattern for body armor. It was going well. I measured and everything. But when i put the pattern pieces together, none of it fit right.

Sigh.

Think I can convince someone else to make my pattern? *hopeful smile*

Today is a special day. A day of note.

Issue #3 of Serenity Better Days Comic Book hits stores today. So what? Well, it has special meaning for me. It all started. . .

One very muggy day in August of 2006, ManWithPez and I were visiting the artists section of Dragon Con and admiring Adam Hughes’s Wonder Woman covers (Have I mentioned WW is a fave of mine?). Allison Sohn, delightful artist, noticed we were dressed as Kaylee Frye and Simon Tam from Firefly. She pointed it out to Mr. Hughes and told us how much they enjoyed Firefly and Serenity. We got a little giddy that people we thought were cool liked something we liked.

Adam Hughes had prints of the Trade Paper Back Cover for Those Left Behind and we wanted one. Pez ran off to find an ATM that still had money (weekend + convention = empty ATMs). I stayed behind and talked with Adam and Allison. It was lovely. Nothing deep or meaningful, but just nice simple conversation with two artists that draw very pretty pictures (check out Allison’s sketch cards. Her Star Wars pieces are awesome). Eventually Pez returned and we began to purchase the item.

Adam had a story to tell us about the next Serenity comic book series. He had been asked to create three covers that would work as one large picture when placed together.

The creative minds had decided on featuring three characters on each cover. And would we mind very much if he could take some pictures of us in our costumes for reference pictures? Well yeah! We walked behind his table and posed a few different ways for him. He said it saves a lot of time to have a reference pose for lighting and fabric lay.

We did eventually walk away from the table with the print. The story though could not be shared because the comic had not been green lit yet. So, we sat on it. And sat on it. At Dragon Con 2007, Adam Hughes told us the book was real and he was using our photos for the cover. I was beyond excited. We still needed to keep it quiet because the covers featured people that fans believed were dead.

In February, Adam sent us an email containing our cover. It was beautiful. Our faces may be hidden by Jewel Staite and Sean Maher’s, but that’s us. A close inspection of Kaylee’s outfit will show the similarities to my own costume. It’s so exciting to know we have a very small role in one of our favorite worlds.

The moral of the story is always stop by your favorite artist’s table. Don’t be shy. They may let you take their picture or they may take yours. You too could be a cover model. *wink*

We had a River, however she was visiting Klingons. She was very sad that she couldn’t be a part of the story. Here’s a brief mention of our story on Whedonesque.

The polls are closed…for this round.

With 46%, Kitty Pryde won the most votes. More than 50 of you participated, thank you. Jem was closing in on her over the weekend, but Kitty’s support never wavered. Sadly, Lisa Hayes and Carrie Kelly weren’t as loved. It’s likely that at some time or another I will make all of these costumes. Don’t be sad if your choice didn’t win.

I will make Kitty’s Astonishing X Men uniform. The picture above isn’t quite right. The boots will be black not yellow. There is a high black collar instead of no collar. The shoulders aren’t as pronounced. Finally, the belt is yellow not red. See below. I’ve made an album of Kitty and Lockheed pictures in my gallery for reference.

Kitty will join the other costumes slated for D*C. Watch the blog for updates on construction and progress photographs. This will be my first time sewing stretchy material and I’m nervous as all get out. My sewing machine is one of those cheapo models for hemming and curtains. I don’t know how it will handle the more delicate fabric. Yes, it does have a zigzag stitch. I’ll look at patterns and already made suits to get started. Now, if only I can master this phasing thing…Wish me luck!

A little something for you to think about this weekend:

Cirque Dreams Studios is sponsoring a costume design contest. As the winner you will receive tickets to the Cirque and the excitement of seeing your creation on stage. The current contest is in New York, but is not limited to the Broadway bound audience. Each host city can participate in the event. Some of the past winners are featured on their site. Check their calendar to see if and when they will be stopping in your town. Unfortunately for me, I missed the show and the contest in my area.

Created and directed by Neil Goldberg, CIRQUE DREAMS Jungle Fantasy is an exotic encounter inspired by nature’s unpredictable creations that are brought to life by an international cast of 25 soaring aerialists, spine-bending contortionists, acrobats, jugglers and musicians. The astounding feats performed in this action packed Cirque Dream are enhanced with over 150 spectacular costumes and set in a fantastical jungle ignited by striking visual effects.
—news release

You don’t have to be a designer to enjoy the Cirque. I encourage everyone to see a Cirque show at least once in their life. They are incredible shows. The colors are mesmerizing. The movements and flow of the cast are breathtaking. And the feats will amaze you. Kids will thoroughly love the show. Afterwards they may try some of the crazy stunts, so keep an eye on them, heh.