Panns' Ponderings

Hello all!

With the return of first-run Supernatural episodes *glee* it’s time to take a break from the “Un-book” Club.

I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has “hosted” one of these get-togethers as well as all who have participated in the discussions. I’ve really enjoyed the discussions and having a “new” chance to return to some of my favorite episodes.

I’m figuring we’ll start up again in the summer once we’ve all had a chance to process whatever Kripke and company throw at us in the next three weeks.

Coming up in the summer, we have Shutterbugs hosting Heart, Mary hosting Salvation/Devil's Trap/IMTOD, Cindy hosting Croatoan/Hunted and Kitty hosting Nightmare. If any of you would like to “book” a weekend now, please PM me. Also if anyone else is interested in hosting, please let me know.

Something to think about is that just because an episode has been done, it doesn’t mean that you can’t return to it. For example, I did WiaWSNB, but I focused on the mind of Dean Winchester. Someone else might want to take a look at the use of light and shadows or the use to color to accent Dean’s trip “over the rainbow”. In fact, the next time that I’m up, I’m going to pick a scene from WiaWSNB and compare it with a scene from another episode.

Just a little food for thought.

I think I’ve figured out how to do a sticky-post in LJ, and will put one up with links to all the Un-Book Club posts.

Again, thanks to all of you, and see you all this summer!!

(Cross posted at LJ)

I've posted the link to the pictures taken by Schroan, Met and Mary here. (the link is on LJ so that I can update as needed)

Enjoy!

Greetings all! I’m still a little tired from the weekend convention, but I wanted to get some stuff down before it starts to fade. This isn’t going to be a “blow by blow” description. There’s no point in everyone posting the same thing, so I’ll give my personal impressions and experiences, and we’ll sort out who is going to be the official storyteller *coughMarycough*

Where do I start? Well, I guess in the words of Maria, I’ll start at the very beginning. (A very good place to start.)

And this convention started with a concert by Jason Manns. Well, really it started with meeting SJ, Met and schroan who are all wonderful people. But you all already knew that.

Now I came in too late to see the concert by Jason Manns, so I can’t report to that, so I’ll begin with Fredric Lehne. Fredric told us that he has been in the business for 30 years, and if you look at the 94 entries in imdb, sure enough, the first is “In the Beginning” which was in 1978. I’ve been confused as to the spelling of his name, and he said during the Q & A that was his fault. He tried to change his name to “Lane” midway through his career. In hindsight, he said, that wasn’t the best idea.

Fredric started by playing guitar and giving his rendition of “Sympathy for the Devil”. I hadn’t seen any clips from the Chicago show, so I thought that it was really funny when he sang “I shouted out who killed John Winchester . . . when after all it was Eric Kripke.” He apologized that it was the same song as Chicago and promised to have new material for Dallas.

I'll link a video of that in the comments.

On stage, Fredric was very comfortable and witty. When there were no questions, he told stories, and when there were he was informative with a definite sense of humor. For example, when asked if there was any chance we’d see the YED again, he suggested we ask Eric Kripke. He followed that up with “mention the words ‘spin-off;”. (Note: the quotes here are really paraphrases. I can jot notes, but I’m not up to shorthand!). Another time he talked about the yellow contact lenses and the fact that they discovered he could see white things on the ground with his peripheral vision. They used copious amounts of chalk in order to get him to hit his marks. So when a woman mentioned that he looked sexy in his yellow contact lenses, he made a mildly ribald comment something to the effect of that he would be happy to put them on, but she would have to leave her keds on so that he could see where she was.

Jason Manns was on next, and since I had missed his concert, it was nice to see and hear him. He was a little less comfortable on stage when there were no questions, but he had a good humor when he was answering questions. When the line finished he asked if we wanted to hear a song, and pulled out his guitar to sing for us. Sigh. I wish I had been able to see that concert.

Then it was Chad Lindberg’s turn. He’s very sweet and amusing. When asked what his favorite Ash line was, he said “all business up front and a party in the back.” A couple of times he did the hair flip as if he had a mullet, which was hilarious.

Next up, Eric Kripke. I don’t know if I can find the words to adequately describe. It’s like the time my roommate brought me to a Buddy Guy concert. I went expecting to hear some good music, and left in total awe of the experience. He was animated, energetic, eloquent, intelligent . . . well, you get the idea. I was very impressed by the way he balanced giving out information without giving us too much information. And they way his hands were in constant motion, just like his energy was constantly bubbling over.

And yet, he stayed until everyone who wanted to get an autograph received one. He chatted with people and took pictures with them. And there was a stack of pictures of him in case somebody didn’t have something for him to sign. A very nice, unassuming man.

I gave him our blog, and he seemed to really appreciate it. I posted the picture and description in the blog here.

The convention people seemed to keep the autograph line moving well. Fredric showed up a little . . .um . . . late for the autographs, so he had a separate line. I asked him to sign with a gold pen (cause he is the yellowed-eyed demon), and his voice dropped to a growl and he looked dangerous and said “are you being difficult?” Cool. I just got menaced by the YED! Later in the lobby he was more than happy to have us take some pictures with him.

I made up a scrapbook page for the “day one” people to sign. I’m not sure how to scan in a 12X12 to show you the signatures, but here is the page before the autographs.

And after the autographs, we got to see Eric and Fredric meet for the first time face to face!

So on to day two. I couldn’t stay the whole day, so unfortunately I missed Steve Carlson and Sandra McCoy. But to give you an idea of what the day was like, I had a scone first thing in the morning, and then didn’t eat again until 4:00PM because I didn’t even think about being hungry.

Wow. What can I say? First up was the photo ops and because I wasn’t at the gold member breakfast, I was in the front of the line. I got there around 9:00, not 7:30 like I told Met when she asked me. I then immediately felt guilty for being snarky cause I found out the people waiting in the duo picture line had been there since 7:15. (Sorry ladies!)

After the photo ops, Jared took the stage followed by Jensen and then by the both of them. Again, a full recount of this is something for another blog. After the stage time, was the autographing.

I found Jensen to be a little reserved, but very sweet. When I went in for the photo op, I was a bit nervous. (OK, really pretty nervous. Yes, people. I do get nervous.) So I told him that I was nervous, and he said “You’re doing OK.” I did get a chuckle out of him when I was leaving and said something to the effect of “well I didn’t faint so I’ve got that going for me.”

On stage he was comfortable and answered the questions graciously and occasionally with a bit of humor. I did notice that he reuses some of his funny lines from previous cons, but I don’t think anyone was complaining! He did agree to do “Blue Steele” after a brief protest, so we were all pretty happy!

And during the autograph session, I thanked him for all the long hours he does, and he said that he got out early on Friday, around 8:00PM. He said that anytime they are finished with a hint of daylight in the sky it’s a really early day.

As for Jared, like I said over in Gab’s blog, he was made for these cons. He was relaxed, funny and genuinely nice and outgoing. When I said that I was nervous at his photo shoot, he immediately said, “Don’t be nervous!” He patted my back and said, “you just have to smile.” And when I left I told him thank you, and he met my eyes (he looked slightly concerned for me, what a sweetie!) and said “thank you so much for coming.”

On stage he just rolled with it. Someone asked him to say “I lost my shoe”, and once again, he looked like a sad little boy. Then he started to talk to the next person, and broke off laughing. He told us that the woman who asked him to say that just lost her shoe. He was a little less serious than Jensen.

And when they were both together, Jensen had just finished his solo, so there were still some left over questions for Jensen. Jared was so funny ribbing everybody about it just as if he were a younger brother who’s older brother usually gets more attention. And when someone said “Hello Jared and Jensen”, he stopped everything to point out that he was first.

Jensen had a slightly different dynamic when they were onstage together. He was comfortable by himself, but with Jared he seemed a little less self aware, and a little more in it for the fun. It was great to see the both of them together.

During the autograph line, Jared stopped and looked at the scrapbook page I made for him to sign and complemented me on it. When I thanked him for the long hours that he does, he countered with the fact that it must have taken me some hours to do these pages. Again, very nice and relaxed.

And when I was in line “behind the curtain”, there were a couple of girls who had bought mini-banners for the boys to sign. They gave each boy the other’s banner, and the guys were putting goatees and eye patches on each other. They then asked to see what the other had done, and were very amused.

Here are the pages that I made for the boys. Sam. Dean. Thanks to everyone who helped me with the quotes, and thanks to Mos who made suggestions while I was working on the pages.

OK, this had been a bit longer than I expected, but I just wanted to share some of my experiences with you all while they were still fresh. I’m still working on the amazing pictures that schroan, Met and Mary took to make them available for you all. Stay tuned, and thanks to everyone at Creation, all the celebrities who attended, my TVG friends, the great people we met there (like the wonderfully kind girls who brought Plastic!Priestly and let us all take pictures with him) and my poor husband who drove with me so I didn’t have to pay for a plane and got caught up on his work in the room while I went off to be a fangirl.

Thank you.

Howdy all! I’m getting ready to go to the LA convention, and I remembered how SJ put up a blog before the last convention for people to send a thank you message to the attendees. And since Eric Kripke wasn’t at the last convention, and I thought about this too late to ask SJ to do it again, I figured I’d better do it myself.

Please feel free to leave a message for him in the comments of this blog. I’ll print it out at 3:00PM EST (sorry about the short notice) and if I have a chance to get his autograph, I’ll give it to him. Otherwise I’ll send it in.

Thank you.

For me, the mind of Dean Winchester is a microcosm of the Supernatural world. Sudden, sharp and scary. Dark and deep. Warm and supporting. Haunted and haunting. One moment, heartwarming, the next, heartbreaking. And layers upon layers upon layers. On the surface, smart and slick. Underneath hard, strong, stalwart and loyal. Under that, insecure, unsure and angry. And finally at the core a little 4 year old boy that saw his world come crashing down on one fateful night.

A four-year old core so strong, that when Dean has his heart’s wish answered, it’s not to end up on a tropical island full of Gumby Girls, as the adult Dean Winchester would, no doubt, want us all to believe. Nor is it to end up in Atlantic City gambling with a hot winning streak. It’s simply to have his mom back.

But first, let’s take a step back.

Dean Winchester is an interesting character who adamantly resists our attempts to intrude on his psyche.

“No chick flick moments.”
“Hold me Sam, that was beautiful.”

He must drive the torture writer’s room to distraction as they try to develop his character for us. And so they are left to employing extreme devices to give us a glimpse into the mind of Dean. We’ve seen a shapeshifter speak for him, we’ve seen him at the deathbed of his brother, and we’ve seen him face his inner self in a nightmare. And each time we the viewers have examined the glimpses to try and figure out how much of that is the true Dean Winchester. For me, however, nothing speaks more of the true Dean Winchester than the world we see in the episode of WIAWSNB.

Please allow me a brief digression here. I would be remiss if I presented this episode without mention of the amazing performances by both Jensen and Jared. Jensen shows us how Dean reacts when all his adult defense mechanisms are stripped away. He presents to us the devastation Dean feels as his “normal life” is once again ripped away from him. And Jared gives us a Sam Winchester who didn’t spend his whole life growing up wishing to be just like his older brother. A Sam Winchester who is, in effect, a stranger to Dean and to us. Also, I would like to compliment the direction of Eric Kripke who knew when to stick to his guns (having the brothers be strangers to each other) and when to bow to reason (letting Dean have a job rather than be an aimless drifter).

Back to being Dean Winchester. In Skin, we saw some of the resentment he had when Sam left. In DaLDoM, we learned about his anger towards his father. And in AHBL2, we saw that anger directed at himself.

But what does this episode tell us about the mind of Dean? I believe that this episode shows Dean’s strengths. Sure he can get angry with his father and brother. Who doesn’t occasionally get angry at those closest to us? Those people that we let under our barriers. And Dean is no saint. He has self doubts too, but he’s been on a long and twisted road most of his life. However, this episode shows us a different part of Dean’s psyche. It shows us Dean’s commitment to family, his ability to love and his inner strength as a hero.

First things first. In this episode, we reaffirm what we already knew. Dean is a family man. He wants nothing more than to see his family happy. He wants him mom back and Sam to be at school pursuing his dream of being a lawyer. And hey, dating an attractive respectable nurse isn’t too bad either. His brother is going to be married, his mom is going to be a grandmother, even his father died peacefully in his sleep rather than on a hospital floor having sold his soul. And if he and Sam don’t get along, well he can work on that. This is what Dean wants, a chance for his family to have the family life he saw growing up. Well, that is when he was watching TV in all those non-descript hotels while his father was out hunting. This is the life that he tried so hard to give his little brother as he protected Sam from the grim reality of life.

We also see Dean’s capacity for love in this episode. I’m not talking about the “Doublemint Twins” kind of love. Eric Kripke mentions it in his commentary, how Dean leans in to his mother's caresses. He doesn’t want it to end, he craves that close physical expression of love the way a man in the desert would crave a cool glass of water. And you can see the contentment he has dating a “respectable” nurse rather than spending every night with a different girl. “I get it. Why you’re the one.” And look at his face when he sees Jessica, who in reality he briefly met once. He’s so happy to see her alive and well and with Sam. His family, those he loves, are safe and happy and that means all the world to him.

And there he might have stayed forever. Or at least a couple of days in real time. Except for that last strength.

Eric Kripke said, “It sucks to be a hero. Their lives are filled with pain, danger and fear”. So why would anyone want to be a hero? And if they had a “second chance”, why would they choose to go back?

Dean is living in a fantasy brought about by the fulfillment of his deepest wish. And yet his subconscious knows that this isn’t right, this isn’t real, and begins to send him flashes of reality. And when he ignores those, it shows him what would happen if he never became a hunter in a “Wonderful Life-esque” fashion. He finds out that everyone he’s ever saved is now dead. Without his little brother as a sounding board for thoughts or ideas, he’s left to rail at his father’s grave, finally admitting the need to give up all that he’s gained because it isn’t right. I’ve said repeatedly that Dean is about saving people, and nowhere is this more evident than in the end of this episode. This is what he is. A hero. Despite the pain and fear and sacrifice, he has the strength to go back to his former life.

And at the end? Did you catch that? He realizes that this is all in his head. All those people he saved are still alive. He can lay down his burden without guilt at this point, and yet he doesn’t.

Family. Love. Strength. All part of our Dean Winchester.

And so I leave you with this question, if you’d like to answer. Over the episodes we’ve heard a lot about what Sam and Dean could/should do with their lives. And we know that Mr. Kripke has an ending to the series in mind. We’ve even discussed how we would like to see the story “end”. My question is:

Knowing what you do about Dean, what kind of “ever after” would you write for him?

The Supernatural Un-Book Club schedule for the next couple of weeks is:

Weekend of March 29th – Ocean with Benders
Weekend of April 5th – Whimsy with Nightshifter
Weekend of April 19th – FrenchLady with Home

Thank you for joining us!

Welcome to another Hellatus. But at least this Hellatus has light at the end of the tunnel, and the good news is that light is not hellfire! Plus, where this could have been a long drawn-out wait-until-next-October Hellatus, in fact, it is just a slightly extended mini-Hellatus.

YAY!!!

So to get us through to the end of this slightly-extended-mini-Hellatus, we are going back to our newly renamed “Supernatural Un-Book Club”. (Where the Book of Shadows is not on the acceptable reading list. Because we pretty much have season four already. We may need to consider it for next year, though . . . )

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that British Penguin is coming up next week with Born Under a Bad Sign (yes, I thought it was an odd choice for her too *grin*), and Ocean will be presenting the Benders in the weeks to come.

If you are interested in “hosting” an installment of this Un-Book Club, please let me know. Currently after Ocean I’ve got Whimsy and FrenchLady interested in hosting. And if you missed the description of the Un-Book Club, this is not necessarily the full-on commentary that we do with a new episode. It’s more like choosing an episode, and then picking something that strikes you for discussion. For example, it might be about the bond between brothers, it might be about foreshadowing for future episodes, or it might just be something you noticed in the episode. For example, the last time I watched "Croatoan", the music in the background of the last scene, amazing!

And, of course, hosting or not, all are welcome to join in the discussion!

Finally, a little off topic, but I have a request for help. I’m working on a project, and I’m looking for good Sam and Dean Quotes. If you have a moment, would you mind sharing your favorites? And in turn, I’ll promise to share with the class when my project is finished.

Thank you!

A while ago, I posted a blog here to try and list out the acronyms we regularly use at this site. The problem is that I can't update my blog, so the acronyms are lost in the comment section that for some unknown reason seems to have grown a bit.
So I'm moving the acronyms over to LJ in order to create a more dynamic list. If I've missed any acronyms, please feel free to post them, and I'll add them to the LJ list.

Thanks!

Click here to see the list.

As you all may have noticed, I really don’t post commentaries on the episodes. I usually just enjoy reading others, and posting comments. So I’m going a little outside of my comfort zone here, but I really think we could use a pleasant distraction. Especially right about now.

Darn you Kripke and Company! I went into watching this episode with just one theme in mind, trying to keep this simple. I simply wanted to watch and comment on the physical interaction between Molly and the boys. However, because of the brilliance that is Supernatural, we will be discussing the full interaction between Molly and the Winchesters and comparing it to their normal method of operations.

****Warning: if you haven’t seen this episode yet, there are spoilers to follow!***

The physical interaction, or lack thereof, between Molly and the boys is the reason I picked this episode. The last time that I watched this episode, I was struck by how the boys spend pretty much the entire time with Molly, but don’t touch her. Now, she interacts with the physical world. She opens and closes the door of the Impala. She also picks up a book and brings it over to Sam. And, we know that ghosts can touch people and vice versa. For example, Dean touches the spirit of Greely as he tries to hold the knife away from him. However I didn’t remember seeing the boys and Molly physically interact.

So I began watching, and my suspicions were confirmed. The boys do not physically interact with Molly. Even when Dean has to go past her to get into the hunting cabin, he moves around her rather than brushing past her. At one point, Molly and Sam sit next to each other to look at the pictures, but from what I can see, they are still sitting slightly apart. I know that at some point, she needed to get down from the hook after they destroyed Greely, but that is not shown on camera.

The reason that this was so odd to me, is that our boys have a very physical job. And they get pretty physical with their co-stars at times, including the damsels in distress (DID).

Why are everyone’s eyes glazing over? *snaps fingers* Focus, now!

Think about it. They routinely knock people out of the way of cars, pull them out of bathtubs, pools and lakes, etc. Dean even holds Bela when she is “drowning” although he doesn’t really like her and there is nothing he can do for her but to tell Sam to hurry up. And yet, at no point do they physically reach out to Molly. Once I saw this, I realized that the writers, directors, etc had given us a big clue that something was not right about this particular DID.

That was going to be the main part of my commentary, but then I heard this:

Sammy’s always getting a little J Love Hewitt when it comes to things like this. Me? I don’t like them. And I’m sure as hell ain’t making apologies for them.

(I love the way Jensen drawls that first line.) It was in hearing this line in the re-watch that I realized the verbal and emotional interactions between Molly and the boys are as telling at the physical. And this is for both Dean and Sam.

One of my complaints with this season and having Sam channel his “inner Dean” is that I think they’re missing something crucial. I know that Dean can shoot first and ask questions later, but Dean is about saving people and then hunting things. Just watch Houses of the Holy, where Dean rescues the DID from the man Sam was supposed to kill. Dean pulls her out of the car, and the baddie begins to drive off. Dean wants to go after him, but stays long enough to make sure that the girl is unharmed, and has a cell phone to call 911.

We see none of that compassion for Molly, at least at the beginning of the episode.

We weren’t just cruising for chicks when we ran into you sister, we were already out here. Hunting

Hunting for what?

Ghosts.

Look at Dean’s expression when he says this to her, and the look he gives Sam afterward. He’s not going to sugar-coat it for her. He doesn’t like them, and he ain’t going to make apologies.

And later in the hunting lodge:

You’re like Ghostbusters

Yeah, minus the jumpsuits. Look lady this is a fascinating conversation and all, but this highway’s only haunted once a year and we’ve got to sunup to wrap this thing up so what do you say we move it along, OK? OK.

Again, this should have been a big clue to me that something wasn’t right. Dean’s tone and body language both project that Molly is not someone for whom he cares or for whom he has compassion.

Then, when Molly is grabbed by Greely, Sam says:

We’ve got to find Molly.

To which Dean, who is about saving people first and hunting things second, replies:

We’ve got to find Greely’s bones and uh, no pressure or anything, but we’ve got less than two hours before sunrise.

Finally at the end, when they are telling Molly that she didn’t survive the accident, you see compassion in Dean’s face for the first time.

In complete contrast, if you watch Sam, he is instantly compassionate to Molly. The entire episode, he is slowing working toward getting her ready for the “reveal”. He goes above and beyond what he usually tells the DID about his thoughts and beliefs. On the first watch, I thought that they were just trying to expand Sam’s character, but when you watch with the end in mind, it becomes obvious that he’s priming her to accept the truth.

Anyway, the relationship between Molly and our boys was something that really stood out for me in this episode. And it made me reflect back to how the boys usually treat the people with whom they come into contact. What do you think? How else was this DID treated differently by Kripke and Company?

Hello everyone. I’ve been working on my Roadkill blog for a couple of days. I had it ready to go, when I read the news about the CW mid-season line-up. That’s kind of ruined my mood today. How does everyone else feel? Do you want to try this today, or wait a couple of days to absorb the schedule information?

Hello everybody! How is everyone doing? Hope everything went well for you all over the holidays, and still continues to go well!

OK, I have a question for ya'll. As most of you know, I usually post blogs during the hellatus cause that's when I get bored. And this is going to be one heck of a hellatus! (Or is that one hell of a hecklatus?)
Anyway I'm wondering if anyone is interested in a "Book club" or in this case, a "video club". I was thinking that we could take turns picking out an episode and commenting on it. Not the full-on commentary that we do with a new episode, but just pick something that strikes you and talk about it. For example, it might be about the bond between brothers, it might be about foreshadowing for future episodes, or it might just be something you noticed in the episode. Like the last time I watched "Croatoan", the music in the background of the last scene, amazing!

I posted this over at LJ too, so if people want to cross-post, you are welcome. And when it is a LJer’s turn, I’ll post a link here so that everyone can find it.

If you are interested in taking a turn “hosting”, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add you on to the rotation list. I’ll PM you when it’s your turn, and if you are too busy that week, I’ll just skip to the next person and come back to you later. I figure we’ll try one each week that we don’t have a new episode. And if you only want to visit and chat rather than hosting, that works too!

Since I came up with this insanity, I’ll go for this week. I’m picking “Roadkill” for my episode. I’ll try and get something posted in the next couple of days.

Hope to see you all soon!

(OK for some reason, having all these words in quotation marks in this blog reminds me of Austin Powers. "You see, I've turned the moon into what I like to call a 'Death Star'. ")

I have a question.

As December 5th approaches (the date, I believe, when Supernatural will shut down production), I’m getting worried.

I’m worried that there is going to be a lot of people out of jobs very soon, and not just on the Supernatural set.

I’m worried that shows that have a loyal audience but struggle for numbers may face a very uncertain future.

I’m worried that, very soon, the networks are going to try to sell me on a lot of reality TV shows and game shows, as if they are a viable alternative to scripted TV.

Please don’t get me wrong. This is not a bash against reality TV or game shows. I’m an avid American Idol fan, and have been since the beginning, but I don’t see them as a replacement for well-written comedies or dramas.

So, to my question. I usually hide in the Supernatural blogs, but I’m trying to venture out of my comfort zone to find out if anyone knows of any coordinated e-mail or letter writing campaign going on out there?

It’s just because I’m thinking that if not, maybe some of our resident writers could create a draft of a letter that we could either print and send, or e-mail in to the networks. It could be something to let them know that we support our programs, and will continue to watch them during and after the writers strike. That we are not interested in watching reality TV “substitutes”. That we are interested in knowing that both sides are engaging in good faith negotiations to try and end this strike. And finally, that we are concerned for all whose livelihoods are threatened by a continuing strike.

I’d be happy to create a blog with the text of a letter and the e-mail addresses of the networks. Or any other stakeholder in this conflict. Something where we can just cut and paste it into an e-mail, insert the name of the program that you are supporting, and send it off.

What do you all think? It this worth trying? I just feel that I need to attempt something. I keep thinking about what Cindy said regarding the children of the Supernatural crew having a happy holiday.

Please let me know what you think, and thank you for your time.

*****Warning: The following blog contains Supernatural Silliness*****

When, in the course of blogging events, it becomes necessary for bloggers to assume a common language in order to keep them connected with one another, they should declare the acronyms which they feel impelled to create.

-Blatantly borrowed and hacked from Thomas Jefferson


Greeting fellow SnObs. It has come to my attention that we, as bloggers, are quite fond of our acronyms. Perhaps a little too fond, but for those who did not take a typing class in high school (hey, I needed a break Senior Year), it can be critical in order to convey our thoughts in a timely manner.

And since I seem to be a blatant offender in the area of acronym creation, I guess it’s fallen upon me to consolidate and illusidate.

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist using that word. It makes me feel like an aristocat.)

If you are not a Supernatural blogger and have come here out of curiosity, welcome! I am afraid that this may be a bit confusing, however I still would like to thank you for stopping by.

Since this really isn’t “room” material, per se, I think I’m going to borrow this bulletin board here in the Sanitarium hallway. This will be for the posting of acronyms. So, in order to have, well, a little order, I’ve come up with a few guidelines.

1 – Let’s keep it PG. New bloggers may wonder what something like WTF is, but I would appreciate it if we could keep the language clean. (For anyone who is wondering, WTF would be “what the frill” for Scapers, and “what the frack” for Galactians(?).)

2 – Nothing too obscure, please. FrenchLady and I have joked about MD, but I don’t think many people would/could use “mon Dieu” in everyday blogging language.

3 – If you are going to add to our list, please put the acronym and short description at the top of your comment in bold. You can add the explanation underneath.

If this board becomes used enough to warrant it, I’ll sum up every couple of pages or so in a comment with a picture. So when looking for new acronyms, find the most recent posting with the picture, and read from there.

OK, let’s get to work. Here are the acronyms that I can think of so far:

SN - Supernatural
FSB – Flannel Shirted Boys: These are the “helpers” around the Sanitarium.
TSB – Tuxedo Shirted Boys: Have made an appearance in a certain bird’s birthday blog.
NFoD - Nostril Flare of Defiance
---this isn't to be confused with...
NFoE - Nostril Flare of Evil (used specifically for EvilSam of course)
PDE - Puppy Dog Eyes
EDoC - Extreme Dimples of Crabbiness
VOP – Voice of Power: e.g. at the end of The Kids are Alright when Sam demands that Ruby tell him who she is.

(Thanks to Kitty for summing up some of these, and supernatural.tv for the screencaps.)

Also, we usually condense the names of the episodes, so Bad Day at Black Rock would become BDaBR.

Feel free to join in whether you have an acronym to add, want to ask what something means or just want to say hi. Don’t be shy, jump in.

Thank you for joining me in this ES (extreme silliness).

It’s British Penguin’s turn!

OK, so it’s a little late in the day (thanks for the reminder Liesl!), but let’s all raise a glass to our friend Pengy for her birthday!

Come in, have some cake and say a rousing:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

Well, I’ve surprised myself. Two weeks ago, if you had asked, I would have told you that I’m a Hellatus blogger, and you wouldn’t see me here until the next Hellatus.

However, after waiting (not) so patiently all summer, I’ve found that 39 minutes and 51 seconds are just not enough! And I have to wait another week to get more? Inhumane!

So, I’ve borrowed a room for the meeting of the SOS group. (Supernaturally Obsessed Support group.)

Come in. Have a seat. There’s food over on the side board. Try those over there. They’re just like mini-Philly cheesesteaks. They’re delicious. We also have taquitos, cheeseburgers, pie, nurples, beer, appletinis (a new addition), dry white toast, Four whole fried chickens and a Coke. (the last couple of items are from the support group that used this room before us.)

OK, everyone good? Great, come and have a seat. I borrowed the comfortable cushy seats from the other parts of the sanitarium, no plastic folding chairs for us!

Now the topic for today is how to get through the mini-Hellatus, more commonly known as “the week”. (See, I told you I was a Hellatus blogger.) Now, I rely pretty heavily on my Supernatural playlist (my kids now know all the songs), but I’m finding that I may need a little more intervention. So I’m looking for suggestions.

*Stands at microphone. Taps microphone. Winces as feedback*

Hello, my name is Panns, and I’m a SnOb. Here is my suggestion on how to get through the week.

Drive to the local diner. Send passenger in to order cheeseburger with extra onions and pie. Wait 30 seconds, then burst in the front door to make sure that everyone is OK.

Who’s next? (I just ask that you keep this PG. )

Greetings all, and welcome to my last “Hellatus” blog of the summer.

I was going to cut right to the chase, and present one last game for us to play, but as you can see, I’ve been having fun this weekend, and just wanted to force you all to . . . I mean share it with you all.

I’ll call this “A Pumpkin Tale”.

About 10 years ago, we started our “Pumpkin Carving Party” tradition. We invite friends and family over, (BYOP – Bring Your Own Pumpkin) have pizza and carve pumpkins. I started out rather simple, but in past years, have challenged myself to carve more and more elaborate pumpkins.

About a week ago, I began searching for Supernatural patterns, and have not been able to find any. So this weekend, my husband suggested downloading photos of 67 Chevy Impalas and creating my own. Now realize, I’ve only carved pumpkins, I’ve never made a pattern before. And my artistic ability is pretty much on the “Dean” level.

Given all that, I’m pretty happy with my result. I mean, it’s not perfect. I need to move the hood line down a bit, and the back wheel-well needs to be a bit more flat, but other than that . . .

If that’s not proof that I’m a card-carrying SnOb, I don’t know what is.
Thank you all for putting up with my indulgence. And now . . .

Is it October yet?

Not yet, but soon . . . so soon!

I think we have time for one more distraction.

As we’re approaching the new season, I’ve been thinking about what we may see. And that has led me to think about what new “playmates” I would like to see with the boys. I know that this season is going to be very demon-heavy, but the core of this show has always been about the urban legends, and the boys driving on that “road less traveled” to small-town America.

And so, let’s chat about ghosts, monsters and nightmares. Is there someone or something that you would really like to see on the show? As always, I’ll take serious or silly. And while this is not about show cross-overs (we’ve already done that), I will accept creatures from other shows. (Like going after Stephen King’s “It”.) Also, since Dean will go wherever he can take his Metallicar, Mexican and Canadian legends are fair game. I don’t see the boys letting something like a border getting in their way of saving people and hunting things. (Family business, you know.)

Rules as always:

This is fantasy only, no real spoilers. (if we hit upon something real, it should be by accident.)
Points are awarded for creativity and detail.

And as always, I’ll go first.

The “legend” that I’d like to see is that of the Phantom Train. Heard and supposedly seen in Arizona and Texas (and elsewhere, I’m sure), the train heads across the desert, not following any rails, and lit from an unknown source. One story has it rescuing a foolish tenderfoot out looking for gold in the desert just outside of Tombstone. Other popular stories of phantom trains suggest that those who ride are dammed in one way or another. (We’re not talking about the Polar Express here.) Either way, thinking about the boys and the Metallicar taking on the old west, just makes me smile.

(My husband would like to put in his two cent’s worth in this blog. After being with the boys (his and mine, that is, not Sam and Dean) all weekend, he’s hoping Sam and Dean will go after Barney, the Teletubbies, or Boobah in a future episode.)

So, can anyone come out to play?