Club High Castle Pre-Pandemic

We are in the second half of December, where the new year is glimmering just beyond the horizon. Christmas is almost here, and so is the season of setting new goals and striving to reach new heights--I realize I just sounded like a commercial for a gym membership, but hey, ‘tis the season! I like to look back at my previous goals and see if I remembered what I wrote and if I accomplished what I had set out to do. Let’s take a look at December 2017. My goal for 2018 is to finally—once and for all—to crack out of my shy Internet-self shell! I’m not a Marvel character with a quick, witty quip for every occasion. I’m not the most hyper active conversationalist, especially on the fast-paced platform that is Twitter (home of High Castle happenings). Well…I definitely forgot I wrote that, ha ha! My how things have changed! Mission accomplished? I feel like this is an ancient fear I had back in the Beforetimes or something. The key to this endeavor was not giving a fuck. That’s it. I s...

In this era of lightning fast doom and gloom news and social media tirades, the beautiful side of humanity is often drowned out and shoved to the back. We forget to pause and remember the little things, the tiny gestures that restore our faith in humanity.  Kindness matters. If I ever ran for president, this would be my platform. “Teacher, I have the wrong coins.”  Let’s rewind this a bit…okay, a lot. Let’s go all the way back to grade school. I was 5 or 6 years old, and my family was extremely poor. I remember the powdered milk that came in boxes and getting hand-me-downs from some of the other children in Sunday school. We even qualified for discounted school lunches at 40 cents. Young me knew what three coins I had to bring: a big one, a small one, and a tiny one (a quarter, nickel, and dime). One morning, I only had the tiny and small one. I put them in my pocket and worried all morning about not having the big one. The teacher had us line up for lunch, aft...

As Thanksgiving approaches (with lightning speed, I might add), I’ve been walking down memory lane and revisiting past holidays. As the years go by, fewer and fewer stick out in my mind (what can I say? It’s a side effect of getting older ;) ), but there will always be a select few that I’ll always remember and treasure forever. One of the few I can still picture in vivid detail was my first Thanksgiving away from home. It was 1999, and I was fresh out of Basic Training. That September, I was sent to Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi for tech school . I volunteered for the drill team  right out of the gate. I loved the marches, formations, my teammates, and the comradery; hell, I loved everything about Keesler. To this day, I look fondly on the time I spent there. Let's fast forward to November of that same year because this will end up being a novel if I don’t! The powers that be did what they could to let us go home for the holiday, but this isn’t an ideal world, and ...

It’s that time of year again, folks! NaNoWriMo is back! Last year I jumped in with vague impressions of a story and sank, but this year, I’ve got myself an outline, a plot, and an ending. Sisters: Behind the Iron Eagle , take two! I don’t know if the political climate is right for the original Sisters . I started it before a certain election. And despite the fact that I have disclaimers plastered everywhere, I am still wary about publishing it. I don’t want to give up entirely because I put a lot of research into it, and let me tell you, researching Evil in WWII will make your gut churn. I understand why Philip K. Dick couldn’t bring himself to dive deep into the horrors and atrocities of the Third Reich for his unfinished sequel to The Man in the High Castle . From Wikipedia, The Man in the High Castle [book] : Dick said that he had "started several times to write a sequel", but progressed little, because he was too disturbed by his original research for The Man...

There is so much I wanted to say, but I couldn’t fit every little detail, scene, and character interaction that amazed me into a single review. I may go back and do a Little Details I Noticed post in the future.  The Man in the High Castle (TMITHC) Season 3 is different from the first two, and while there were rumors of it having a positive outlook, I felt that it is the darkest and most depressing season of the show so far—this isn’t a criticism. If you haven’t watched it yet, strap in for the ride and grab a box of tissues while you’re at it. You will need them. Before I tread into spoiler territory, I just want to say that the acting, the visuals, and the costumes blew me away. Everyone involved with the show did such an exceptional job! Kenneth Tigar (Himmler), Rufus Sewell (Smith), and Chelah Horsdal (Helen Smith) deserve Emmys for their performances (well, everyone involved in the making of the TMITHC does!). And now for some spoilers! I’ve broken down the r...

I am watching through Season 3 of The Man in the High Castle and am feeling the urge to write because I haven’t written anything substantial in a long time—that show has a way of inspiring the muse. I’m watching the final episode tonight, and the fictional stakes couldn’t be any higher, oh how turbulent my emotions are right now. I’ve been avoiding spoilers by limiting my Internet access all week, while it is easy to do on days I work, the weekends are another story. I can’t wait until this self-imposed Internet exile is over with. I feel like I’ve been missing all the High Castle action on Twitter, but I just can’t binge good, thought provoking shows. I honestly tried! There’s just something about the anticipation of waiting for the next episode and wondering about your favorite characters that I can’t resist. I love thinking about the previous night’s episode—What is John going to do next? How will Kido react when he sees something? Will Robert survive the trip home? —until...

Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle Season 3 will be here on Friday! THIS FRIDAY! I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to it. I mean, we’ve had to wait two years for it. I’m already plotting avoid-spoilers-at-all-costs tactics because anything short of not using the Internet for 10 days is risky. 10 days = 1 episode per day because I like to savor each and every one! No show captures me quite like this one. I know that if I binge watch it, I’ll forget half of it...and then there is the fact that I cannot sit still for that long. Here’s to hoping my tactics work! Don’t forget:   The Man in the High Castle will be at New York Comic Con on Thursday, 4 October! EDIT:  The official TMITHC Twitter account says that it will be in the Hammerstein Ballroom at 6PM EST. Link: Official  Tweet Details: October 04, 2018, 12:45 PM - 1:00 PM NYCC Live Stage - Booth 174 - Javits Center Guests: Isa Dick Hacket Alexa Davalos Rufus Sewell Joel De La Fu...

I’ve been meaning to make a recap post ever since they dropped that badass trailer, but every time I sit down and think about it, I change my S3 theories and have more and more questions. Here is the trailer for those of you who haven't seen it yet or just want to enjoy 2 minutes of badassary: Season 3 Official Trailer I don’t even know where to begin! There are so many things going on in a multiverse of directions, that my head hurts (in a good way)! One thing is for certain: Season 3 is going to differ greatly from the previous two seasons. Is that good or bad? Only October 5th can tell. My Takeaways: 1. The Resistance plays a huge role in this season with Juliana at the helm, gathering support, sharing the films, and lighting a fire under people who were otherwise complacent.    2. There is a growing movement against Chief Inspector Kido that turns violent at one point (the clip they played at SDCC made it look like they were angry about fuel prices, but...

How is everyone’s summer so far? I feel like Summer is always the shortest season—probably because it’s my favorite. Time flies when you’re having fun! I’ve done a lot of drawing over the past few months. It’s crazy to look at art I’ve done just a few years ago  last year!?!?!? and see how different my style is now. And no, I didn't realize I did that Kathy drawing last year. I thought I did it in 2016! Mind blown. I don’t know what spurred the change. I just remember having a severe case of art block sometime last year. On a whim, I started sketching a photo as it appeared because I couldn’t think of anything to draw (I can’t remember which one, but it was probably High Castle related. I’d bet money on it, ha ha!). I enjoyed shading and sketching like that, so I kept doing it! It's honestly therapeutic, especially after a long day's work. I'll normally find a documentary on YouTube, have my reference picture up beside it, and start sketching. Other t...

After two long years, we finally have a release date for Season 3! October 5th, 2018 Before I delve into the panel at SDCC and the trailer, I want to give a huge thank you to @nerdeeklife for live tweeting it. As I sat down to put my thoughts together (with High Castle, there are always a million different thoughts running along side each other—sort of like the multiverse!), I decided to organize them into three parts: Takeaways from the panel Takeaways from the trailer Thoughts, theories, and questions Takeaways from the panel Smith is in a difficult, dark place and commits even further to the Reich. He finds out about the multiverse, and it becomes an obsession (remember the clip from NYCC? The expression on his face says it all).  The resistance plays a prominent role. When asked to describe Season 3 in three words during his takeover of @AmazonVideo IG stories, Jason O’Mara said, “Resistance. Twists. Turns.”  Juliana becomes a leader and a fighter wit...

I have been a bad blogger as of late! My apologies for the lapse in posts. Part of it is due to no news on the High Castle front (but that just changed!) and the fact that I haven’t finished my WWII era wall yet. Shame on me! ;) Let’s dive right into the exciting High Castle stuff! After months of silence, we finally have a whisper of news! I was beginning to think that we might not get a Season 3. There will be a High Castle panel at San Diego Comic Con with Alexa Davalos, Rufus Sewell, Jason O’Mara, and Stephen Root! Panel info: Saturday, 21 July 4:15 to 5:15 Room 6A Rumor has it that Amazon will drop a trailer, but don’t quote me on it. I can only hope. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us. There are bound to be some good Season 3 hints and maybe a release date. I look forward to watching the panel online (and of course, coming up with my own theories based on what they say). And so, I leave you with my latest High Castle drawing: ...

Last year I made High Castle themed shelf (which grew and took over an entire wall of my dining room!). In that same spirit, I’m working on a WWII/1940s era display. I’ve started posting work in progress (wip) photos on Instagram with how and where I got everything I have so far. You don't have to break the bank to make something unique. It doesn't even have to actually be from the era you're going for (although that would be nice). I am posting my progress in the hopes that it helps someone else out there who is trying to create something similar. Uncle Sam & Wooden Crate The tin U.S. Army recruiting poster is a replica, but it was only $8.99 on Amazon (who can beat 2 day shipping?). I got the crate at Home Depot for almost the same amount. Awesome Fanta & Coke bottles I picked these tasty gems up from the import aisle at the grocery store. They look antique and were only $1.25 each. Did I mention that they were delicious too? If you're go...

And now for part two of my trip! I revisited one of my favorite childhood places. I feel as though I appreciate Disneyland a lot more now that I’m an adult. The escapism of the park, its rides, scenery—everything—was fantastic. Downtown Disney If you look closely, you can see the Matterhorn near the left! Every year we’d save up our allowances for our annual adventure down I-5, and of course those adventures included a trip to Disneyland. How could they not? ;) I remember racing to Thunder Mountain Railroad as soon as it got late, when the crowds started clearing out. We’d zip through the empty line to ride it over and over again until closing time. Before I jump into the fun, I want to mention my one complaint: the timing. The week after my work event (right after Easter) was Spring Break. Hello, crowd city! I only mention this as a warning. Don’t go during Spring Break if you can help it. However, I still had loads of fun and STILL daydream about how much enjoymen...

I’m back! …And so ends travel season for 2018. Before I get into the fun, I just want to say I’m relieved that my favorite show (take a guess, ha ha!) hasn’t aired Season 3 yet. With people live tweeting spoilers as they happen nowadays, I’d have had to do a complete withdraw from the Internet for the duration of my travels and then some! How did I survive the 80s and 90s? ;) I fully admit that I’m addicted! I don’t have to worry about missing out and avoiding the Internet for goodness knows how long anymore, and I am glad. Let us hope we get #HighCastle Season 3 before 2019! Wonderful San Diego: Part 1 Exploring the USS Midway This was a chance I was not going to pass up. I’m still researching my grandfather’s WWII journey, and what better way to discover what life was like on a Navy ship than to walk around on an aircraft carrier. Reading stories and books is one thing, but being in the actual thing (well, close enough) is another! A special thank you to my moth...

Wednesday brought an unexpected snow day in my neck of the woods, so here are five things I did with the sudden surprise of free time! 1. I worked on Sisters I finished rewriting the ending—this alternate universe story now has an alternate ending! I’m still looking for a Beta Reader if anyone’s interested! Look at the goodies that are in store for you in this post: Call for Beta Readers 2.  I took in the waistline of a skirt I ordered online Heaven forbid women’s’ sizing be consistent even within the same brand! The skirt is beautiful, and I’ll still buy from them, but I’m just a little disappointed that the comfort I had in buying the same size all the time is gone. What is women’s’ sizing? We just don’t know. 3. I kept checking Twitter in hopes that there was a little announcement from the official HighCastleTV account regarding Season 3… Hey, I had to include this because it’s true! I kept checking! 4. I started a painting The mood fit, and I ...