Lightning combined with fireworks is pretty cool (I’m more excited about the lighting tbh)

Saw some of the flyovers from my roof — Air Force One, Qatar Force One (ugh), F-22s, B-2s etc. Was gonna avoid it, but the jets are so loud overhead I might as well go up to see them. Not going outside while my city is swarmed with outsiders tho.

Already seeing and *hearing* very low flying and very loud fighter jets overhead….. this is going to be a long weekend…

Very glad that this book showed up for review just before the holiday weekend… I’ve been very much looking forward to it, and will share my thoughts soon. It’s been a little while since I’ve been excited to open up a SW book, so I’m pleased. :)

Also had the chance to see the principle Roman ruins in Verona: the arena, the theater, the city gates, and an arch. The main piazza sits atop the original forum and is still in use. I did not manage to see two other sites I wanted: a huge villa in Sirmione and the Iron Crown of Lombardy in Monza.

Finally more Roman stuff on my last day in Italy: the reconstructed Capitolium of Brescia with its subterranean republic-era frescos and the famous bronze Victory in the temple cella they I’ve been dying to see.

Visited Cortina today and came across a stuffed animal and costume store selling their own Grogu in alpine attire.

This is a weird trip in that I’m squeezing all my historical must-sees in a very exhausting first day and last day. I have a veeeery ambitious list of things to try to see next Sat. But until then? I will attempt to actually relax on a vacation. If I even know how to not run myself ragged daily 😂

And of course, I can’t mention Lake Como without noting that Comum was the patria of Pliny the Younger. Even before the Star Wars stuff, I visited the ruins of the Roman bath house buried under a parking structure.

Finally got to visit Naboo! The closest I’ve come to Varykino in the past was SWG… or Milan.

Mando and Grogu would have been two hours shorter if Sigourney Weaver's colonel character had just sent Kleya on the mission instead.

Brb, gonna convene an ecumenical council to determine whether Anakin is the same in essence as Darth Vader

What a queue this year for Celebration. Took two hours for tickets but I got individual days, so that's good enough. And I booked the hotel I used to hang out at after Celebration 4 in 2007 -- will be crazy revisiting it after 20 years!

The one I got yelled at the most was the one where I said imperial war criminals shouldn’t get redeemed so easily and we should center their victims instead of war criminal angst. Really really funny considering my early fandom years as a big Empire guy too. Thankfully well past that now.

I thought I’d be pretty meh about SW merch this year but Hera’s kalikori was back in stock, and I always regretted not getting it from Dok Ondar’s years ago. It has no practical value but I’m fond of it and the role it played in SW Rebels so on my desk it will go.

The funny thing about HttE is that I read it after reading the KJA and Stackpole books first, always wondering who the heck this Thrawn guy they kept mentioning was and why was he a big deal anyhow? I may have even read his full bio on the Essential Guide to Characters before ever opening up HttE.

Instead of a big paper, I wrote the proem of an epic poem in Latin dactylic hexameters and provided a footnoted commentary on my own poem.

Wishing a Happy Parilia to everyone! It’s the birthday of the city of Rome, which is now MMDCCLXXIX years old!

Glad to see that Disneyland Leia will use the comics / Battlefront II outfit. It’s one of her best looks.

It was unreal that we could see all that live and at the angles and views we could. That comms blackout was stressful!!

Watching the command module separation live and in real time was unreal.

One more extract in case you don’t want to read the whole thing (but please do, haha).

🤔

Thinking about this piece I wrote a while back. For no particular reason. eleven-thirtyeight.com/2021/01/why-...

Mannnmm they’re describing the solar corona from space and I am so jelly. The solar corona during a total eclipse is my favorite thing I’ve seen in my whole life 😭

I was a bit of a jerk and called one of my friends when Loss of Signal started saying "we just lost contact with Artemis II" and really freaked the guy out. I waited a beat and then explained that it was bc they were on the other side of the moon.

A poignant moment #Artemis 🔭🧪

Hey!!! That’s me in the pic, on the right!

The CG footage on the NASA feed is a great visualization but it’s a bummer we can’t do something silly like send out a camera rocket to film it. Call it, uh, Actaeon. Or Callisto? Actually wait no maybe don’t, bad mythical omens there.

See what humanity can do when we work together! NASA, ESA, everyone involved. Can’t we just be like this always?

These stage separations are so cool to see. Again, something I’ve only ever seen in movies.

Launch!!!! Ahhhh

omg the rocket engines doing the cute little wriggle

This launch really is something special. Moving the crew arm really got me — only seen the like in movies and recordings.

@jesawyer.bsky.social I hope this isn't an annoying question. Years ago you posted WIP tidbits from the POE pen and paper RPG, and I was wondering if you would be able to share the page(s) for the Darcozzi Paladini? I love role playing them in POE1&2 so much and have thirsted for any lore! Thanks!

👀 I am fascinated to see if Leia and Leida interact at all, given their VERY different attitudes regarding their parents, their parents’ work, and Imperial society. Should be interesting foils.

Good morning Cambodia.

While some speech was going on, I was visiting the former Imperial City of Vietnam.

Andrew should have been arrested a long time ago. That the late Queen stood in the way of accountability is a mark against her that will not wash out, as it is a mark against anyone who does the same.

Something something Star Wars movies about playing with action figures. These guys have action figures. Where’s their movie? I’m waiting!

The Olympic opening ceremony is excellent so far. The first performance especially is my sort of thing. The second one is very entertaining.

Oh no I’m about to get back into the sims They made a royalty expansion, and dynastic gameplay has basically been how I’ve always played the game 😅 www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyMI...

Wait the Falcon ride makeover will have Coruscant on it? I am now 100% behind this change.

I will of course, wear my white formal gloves to meet Princess Leia at Galaxy’s Edge, just as I did when I met Anna and Elsa.

I had to take a passport-style photo just now, so I’m beyond pleased that I was wearing my brand new Athena’s aegis holiday sweater for the photo.

IMO Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan shows more creativity and artistic merit than the Odyssey by Christopher Nolan, at least judging by the trailer. We’ll see if it has anything interesting to say when it comes out or if it’s just a grey dull retread. PJO was and is genuinely impactful.

Warlord Zsinj is that you???? www.ilm.com/star-wars-be...

Thinking about this piece I wrote a while back. For no particular reason. eleven-thirtyeight.com/2021/01/why-...

I was not informed that we would be doing a turkey trot this morning, so I got to run my first 5K in 21 years without practice. Was not the most pleasant experience but I survived. Something to be thankful for. :p

Pictured: the religious policies of Theodosius and Justinian