fun | RAFrenzy | Page 16

Speculation — My Favorite Pastime

I immersed myself in over a thousand Post Secret cards to get ready for my last two pieces. The range of emotions this evoked nearly took off my head. Each card is a story much like the six word story attributed to Hemingway although the Post Secret cards are more powerful for being non-fiction. There was a card every now and then that made me wonder if Gary Larson was at work:

For the uninitiated Post Secret is a blog begun in 2005 by Frank Warren, who gave a platform for people’s secrets. Once a week on Sunday, he posts 20 of the cards he receives. Yesterday the site celebrated a half billion visits, and almost countless blogs commemorated. Our own Funky Blue Dandelion was among them and with a little something more.

I have many more thoughts about the Post Secret dynamic, but I’m not quite sure they would fit on this blog.

As for the connection to Richard Armitage, isn’t he in the business of telling someone’s story? Oh yeah, he should be tagged in this post. :D

Postcard from the 2005 Post Secret archive collection.

January 3, 2012
Categories: Fandom, Tangents . Tags: crazy people, creativity, Frank Warren, fun, Gary Larson, musing, Post Secret, Richard Armitage, speculation . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 4 Comments

Do You Have a Guy Secret?

For those who aren’t Guy lovers, you won’t understand this post, but for those who are, I know some of you have a secret you’ve been keeping. A few Christmases ago, I felt like you:

Apparently Guy has been telling all of his secrets. They do say confession is good for the soul, and sometimes it can get you what you want. :D

Beginning today, feel free to email me your secret about Guy or Little Guy ala a PostSecret postcard. I’ll take them until Saturday at midnight (GMT+5), and then beginning on Sunday, I’ll put them up for votes. The one with the most votes by Monday at midnight (GMT+5) wins a brand spanking new Little Guy (see this post where I altered the deadline and the selection process some). In the meantime, please do not post them in comments, and keep it safe for work. Other than that, go for it!

Oh, and with respect to your anonymity, the winner cannot remain completely anonymous to me but certainly can to the general public. Also, if you want to enter anonymously and keep it that way unless you win, then make a temporary email account. With Gmail you can make almost as many accounts as you want, and the same may be true of Yahoo, just to name a couple.

Screencap and postcard are mine.

edit: for those who can’t see my email address in this post, it is RAFrenzyATgmailDOTcom

January 2, 2012
Categories: Robin Hood . Tags: action figure, contests, crazy people, favorite bad guy, fun, Guy of Gisborne, Little Guy, Richard Armitage . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 11 Comments

Tolkien Juxtaposition

No, this isn’t going to be heady. I’m too busy being heady in real life to bring it here.

Onward.

How wonderful it’s been for us Richard Armitage fans to brush up against the Tolkien fans. The association has had definite advantages with the most important being the diminishing of my self-consciousness. I thought I was rabid. Ooooh, I am nothing. I don’t even know how to er, fan properly, and really none of you do either. We are so lacking by comparison. We don’t have a YouTube channel, we don’t have an annual convention, we don’t have tours. So relax, we’re not quite there.

Give it time. :D

One thing we do have is a wicked sense of humor about the object of our affection, and our “object” returns it. Go here to begin. And I have to say thank you again to Richard.

Dear Richard,

Thanks for the laughs. In keeping with your admonishment, I forgive you for not making a verbal message. It wouldn’t have been nearly so much fun.

Signed,
A crazy fan, who enjoys Tolkien but not quite as much as I enjoy your version of it. :D

We also have better pictures:

Wait! That’s one of their pictures. See what I mean?! ;-)

This is better:

As always, you can click on any photo to enlarge, and then click again for the original size, which is even larger.

Top photo is from my stash of screencaps of Hobbit Vlog #5, which might make you go blind looking for RA.

Bottom photo courtesy of KuchingGirl and enhanced by Sheepa.

edit: before anyone takes me too seriously, I have to say that I love the last Vlog by Sir Peter. He’s a class act, and it’s only fitting as such that he would highlight his crew.

December 26, 2011
Categories: Fandom, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: behind the scenes, candid shots, crazy people, fake fan letters, fun, Richard Armitage, screencaps, Tolkien fans . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 36 Comments

What a Life!

Hobbiton! What a wonderful tribute to Tolkien and a magnificent playground for Peter Jackson and his crew. I became tickled at witnessing the descriptions of the village and couldn’t help thinking it a massive toy. But I mean no disrespect. I envy Sir Peter’s ability to do what he loves and bring such affirmation and adulation to a place he adores — New Zealand. And who wouldn’t love what we’ve seen? It’s lush and yet firm — the velvet rolling hills and jagged mountains peeking through at times and then overwhelming to remind of their solidarity and unrelenting pursuit of the sky. How many places on earth have those qualities? It’s a special place. And it struck me that those qualities are often manifest in Richard Armitage. It’s almost as if this place was made for him.

December 23, 2011
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: candid video, childhood dreams, fun, Hobbiton, love, New Zealand, Peter Jackson, Richard Armitage, Thorin Oakenshield, Tolkien . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 15 Comments

Something’s Happened

When I first started this site, I submitted an instruction to the Google bot to crawl (aka poll) my site only occasionally. Google sent a canned response that they didn’t have to abide by it. Mostly they have respected my request, but something changed about two weeks ago. For the first time ‘rafrenzy’ was not the top search string, and that string being at the top made it obvious I was mostly found by word of mouth. But now the search engines are running about four to one compared to my other referrals and ‘rafrenzy’ is far down the list. If you could see my stats list, it would be obvious more and more are curious about this Richard Armitage who is playing Thorin Oakenshield. What else am I to conclude if a piddly blog like mine and one that has tried to remain under the radar can be generating so many hits lately? Let me put it this way. If I keep going at this rate, I will be getting what amounts to 45,000 to 60,000 hits a month. And I know Nat and Servetus generate much more not to mention all of the other blogs in RA Universe (see the ‘Addict List’ or ‘Tumblr’). Yeah, something has happened.

If you’re new and wanting to know what Richard Armitage really looks like under that beard and armor, a little treat for you so you don’t have to scour this site for such goodness, and you can click to enlarge or snaffle. :D

oh heck! another one,

Usually I say something like Ohcheemama! when I see this. Some people say PHWOAR! or maybe Squeee! If you’re not sure, you’ll have to come along and learn the fine art of appreciating Richard in all his glory. Well, maybe not all of his glory. I do keep this blog safe for work.

I wonder when I’ll tire of publishing these pictures?

Screencap courtesy of the amazing Karima and candid shot courtesy of JJ via RichardArmitageNet.Com.

December 22, 2011
Categories: Fandom, PHWOAR!, Robin Hood . Tags: blogging, candid shots, fun, Karima, Ohcheemama, Richard Armitage, screencaps, Thorin Oakenshield . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 38 Comments

Are You cRAy-cRAy?

Yeah, I thought so. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re not quite crazy enough — yet.

It seems a tumblr account has dubbed Richard Armitage’s rabid fans as crazy. I’ve just got one thing to say about that. If this is crazy, damn! can I have more of it?

And it’s especially hard not to go crazy after the teasing we’ve received today. :D

September 2, 2011
Categories: Fandom . Tags: crazy people, fun, Richard Armitage . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 22 Comments

The Vidding Empire

This post gets the public service tag. :D

If you’ve read this blog for more than a few pieces, you know how rabid I am about fan videos, which I’m defining as videos set to music and starring the object of a fan’s attention — someone or something. They got me started on Richard Armitage, and my love for them has become so intense that I’m wondering when these things will gain much more notoriety than they currently enjoy. For now they are not really acknowledged much by the mainstream media, and a good part of the reason is the history of their illicit nature. In my search on the web, I found one piece from a mainstream media source discussing the significance of fan videos, and that was from 2007. Maybe there are a few more, but the key word would be few. However, at some point soon I think fan videos will have more formal recognition. So far for most people who don’t peruse videos sites and are over the age of 25, there has been no awareness these things exist, but that’s changing as more and more people (even your grandmother) are starting to surf YouTube.

Heck, SO’s almost 80 year old parents get on YouTube regularly, and my mother, who by the way, is considerably younger :D, also gets on YouTube. So if you’re 60 and you don’t ever get on YouTube? What planet are you on? ;-)

Actually, I’m assuming most reading this are the choir. So why did I even say that? Maybe there is one out there among you who has not ventured onto a video site for fear it’s just stuff like this:

and you got your fill of this kind of thing on “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Oh, you’ve never seen that show? LUCKY YOU. Really wrestling here with the temptation to go on a rant about why I hated that show when it was on, but one rant a week is enough. The show is still on?! God help us.

Of course this is a cute video, and it’s understandable why it’s in the top ten all-time watched videos on YouTube, but c’mon, after you’ve watched it 300 times, you would think it would get old. FYI: a few weeks ago this video passed its four year anniversary, and I can see its lasting effect with the eventual publication of How to Pay For College: The Advantages of Being a Mischievous Teether in the Digital Age by Charles Davies-Carr. ;-)

Okay, where was I? Oh, yeah, fan videos. Well, if you’re new to them, and I’m assuming you’re a Richard Armitage fan since you’re reading this blog, there is only one place to go, and my friends, it’s not YouTube. No, it’s a little place on the web hosted by one of the most intriguing fans, Elvira Sweeney. Here are some things I know about Elvira. She is artistic, prolific, a bit perfectionistic, and definitely industrious. Oh, and she likes RA. :D He was the inspiration for what I now think of as the RA Fan Video Empire, or just The Empire. So what is this place? It’s called RAfanvids, and if you have never been there, oh my are you in for a treat. Now the only proviso I will give you is that you must prep the storage on your computer so you can download to your heart’s content when you get there. You’re not sure about this downloading? No, you’ve got to change that notion. You can’t really enjoy some of these videos without watching a download. YouTube, Vimeo, et al will not give you the quality of a 1080 vid. You can only get the real impact of it by downloading and watching on your system or possibly your tv monitor.

Take this video for example:

You can watch it and love the music and the clips, but you can’t get the full effect of this unless you download and watch. It’s the eyes. You almost fall into them. Can’t get that from watching on YouTube — even in full screen mode. Oh, it’s better than the little window, but not nearly as good as watching your own copy.

Or consider this one:

Want to really feel like that leather is within arm’s reach, download! And of course the eyes are also compelling. By the way this video was done as part of Elvira’s “Vidding on the Cheap” series for all those people who think making videos with an old Mac isn’t possible. Guess again.

This is one of my favorite montage videos, and for good reason. I really feel I’m in the room with RA and he’s looking at me when I watch the download:

This was the video that convinced me I needed to watch everything I could from a download copy. Once I got this one on my computer and started watching, I realized that I had missed so much on YouTube, and if a video is not in a large format, putting the player in full screen doesn’t really cut it either. So I downloaded this one and was blown away. I also realized something about Elvira. She can read people. Anyone who puts as much emphasis on people’s eyes and expressions is focused on reading them. I would love to know what she really thinks of RA other than just liking him so damn much. LOL!

And the next two you haven’t really seen unless you’ve watched a download and especially in 1080. You watch these like that, and you will never be satisified with them on YouTube again.

If you still don’t want to download, you can just watch the videos on that site, and there are quite a few that are not on YouTube. So check it out.

One more thing. If you go over to RAfanvids, you may notice something is absent. But no worries, ’cause Elvira’s got it covered over here. :D (note: the link is an archive page and not all pages linked within it are available).

Candid shot from, uh, I’m not sayin’.

June 23, 2011
Categories: Fandom, Fanvids, Vidders to Watch . Tags: candid shots, creativity, Delicateblossom, Elvira, fun, Heather, public service, Richard Armitage, YouTube . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

the H*** wiv-et

I’ve been feeling kind of funny about posting comments from my “source.” Not that I don’t think they’re completely righteous. I do. But maybe all the emails from some others got to me. Despite the appearance of this blog, I really don’t think I’m all that and a bag of chips. Far from it. Trying to garner attention for myself is not my thing, so when I feel someone might think that about me, I usually run backwards.

Thankfully, I’ve been getting over that crap, and this blog has been wonderful in that respect. I feel like I’m actually stepping back into my childhood, and it’s been fantastic, and I hate words like fantastic, but I’m not even going to count how many times I’ve used it on this blog. Have I gone on long enough with my preface to what’s coming? :D Okay, I won’t leave you hanging much longer. All I’ll say is that these wonderful words from our own Fitzg are a great encouragement:

“Dear Mr. Armitage,
We’ve escaped the hermitage.

We’re beyond the mad and the shame –
And it’s you we all have to blame.

Our doctors deem us to be cases
Beyond their skills to address,
And throw up their hands at this mess.
And hie themselves off to the races,
To gamble their lives away in despair
At their failure to repair
The poor demented souls in thrall
To the blue of eyes and all –
The long limbs and voice so velvet…
Ah what’s the use, a lost cause are we;
Who wants a cure – the H*** wiv-et!

When all is done, some just squee …..(I swore I’d never say that word, so the h*** wiv it)
The rest just melt in pools of rapture
At the thought of this image to capture
And say, let it be, let it be….”

A letter from a demented fan, who has no future as a poet…:(

Don’t agree with the last comment, but I love this letter! Just what you would expect from a sassy librarian. Oh, and if anyone else wants to contribute a fake fan letter, knock yourself out! I’ll be happy to publish anything that celebrates the fun and yes, the thoughtfulness that we’re part of in the RA universe.

Comments about RA on ‘The Hobbit’ set coming up soon but not today. :D

Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com.

Photo courtesy of my stash.

edit: there is only one place where I have no problem taking center stage — doing business. If it’s business, I shift into another mode, and maybe that’s why I like business so much.

Note: in answer to the questions about the second photo, that is my daughter on the beach in San Diego; taken a couple of weeks ago.

April 21, 2011
Categories: Fandom, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: childhood, creativity, fake fan letters, fitzg, fun, love, Richard Armitage, sassy librarians . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 26 Comments

Moving Too Fast

Yeah, there’s why I’m blogging.

And time really goes quickly when having so much fun. This time last year seems like a couple of weeks ago when I was over half a day into running this blog. I posted my first piece a few minutes before midnight on April 5th. Didn’t have the courage to do it in the light of day as I wasn’t sure anyone would ever read it, and if they did, would I really want them to? LOL! No, seriously, I knew I was going to have fun with this no matter if only a few of you read it. It’s been much more fun than I conceived, and a little more than a few of you read it. Thank you for that.

So some statistics, which frankly, I’m mostly posting for my own encouragement.

233 published posts and almost that many in draft. I’m most proud of that number. For someone like me to write that much is astounding. I really didn’t think I could do it.

115,519 (avg. of 9627 a month) as of a couple of minutes before midnight on April 5, 2011, and a healthy percentage is unique. But lately I’ve been getting closer to 30,000 hits a month.

Busiest Day:

March 30, 2011 — Doing the Hongi was the featured post.

Not much surprise on this one. LOL!

Top search strings:

rafrenzy
richard armitage
armitage army
richard armitage girlfriend
richard armitage captain america
richard armitage nigella lawson
richard armitage girlfriend 2010

That top one tells me a significant number of you found my blog by word of mouth; otherwise, who in their right mind would type in rafrenzy? Okay, yeah, I know there’s a game by that name but doubt all or most of those searches were done by gamers. I’m surprised at the second string because months ago I inhibited the Google bot. Oh well. Still not up to speed on how to do all of that.

I never thought ‘armitage army’ would end up being one of my top searches, but then I did wax on about it quite a bit. As a result, the blog ended up on the first page of Google when the string ‘richard armitage army’ or any variation was used. That’s when I quickly inhibited Google bot, ’cause I’m fine being on the 18th page. More freedom that way. :D

Man, ‘girlfriend’ is hot! Yep, I knew that would be a top search, but I had no clue how much so. Kick in the head is that I’ve only used the tag ‘girlfriend’ or the word itself in four posts, and the first time used was done just to mess with people. LOL! Amazing, and it’s brought me tons of readers. Sorry I don’t have more about it but doubt I will have much in the future either. I hope those of you who landed here by searching that string were not too disappointed at my lack of coverage.

As for the other two strings, I had no way of anticipating them, but I’m so glad I got lots of hits for Nigella Lawson. I love those posts where she’s mentioned, and surprisingly, it’s only four again.

In case anyone might be wondering, no, I don’t have the ability to see who searched on what. The software is only configured to filter the search strings.

Top referrers:

Armitage Fan Blog
Me+Richard
Twitter
Facebook
C19
Wordpress
Mail
RichardArmitageNet.Com
Spooks Fan Blog
An RA Viewers Perspective

These stats also tell me that most of my traffic is word of mouth with only a little being from searches, i.e., WordPress, Twitter and Facebook being mostly indicative of searches. I didn’t even want to make a Facebook page, and I forget now why I did. Still not a fan of ~~Big Brother~~ Facebook. As for Twitter, that is my only concession to anything high profile, but I’m having so much fun there, I can’t stop. Oh, and thanks to you, Natalie, Servetus, Phoebe, Ali, Skully, and Mulubinba for making my place easier to find. And the ‘Mail’ are subscriptions.

Figwit Lives Bygosh!

Richard Armitage’s involvement with ‘The Hobbit’ has me feeling a lot better about this blog. Yes, sometimes I get a bit self-conscious about it. Thankfully, I quickly wise up and realize how much fun I’m having. But with my entrance into the world of LOTR, I’m finding I’m a mere novice at obsession. I’m so small time compared to some of these people. Oh, I’ve got nothing on the LOTR fans as I said in a fake fan letter to Peter Jackson, and all the time I’m realizing their ardor just spills out everywhere. Take for example the three second scene of Bret McKenzie in LOTR that’s now spawned all sorts of obsession with his character not to mention obsession with him I’m sure. Reading this made me feel so much better about my repeated examination of RA’s three second spot in Cleopatra. LOL! It’s clear I have not crossed a very important line — starting a website to it. Although he looks hot in the Cleo pictures.

But I do want to make it clear that I’m happy for Bret McKenzie, and it will be interesting to see if he makes it into this latest movie. With the talk circulating about it, I feel confident he will. Whatever happens, he strikes me as an amiable and interesting fellow, and he plays a mean ukulele. :D

Of course all of this has me wondering what will be the ~~fallout~~ result of RA’s involvement in ‘The Hobbit’? Thoughts?

And on another level, is obsession always a bad thing? Surely doesn’t feel like it. :)

April 2, 2011
Categories: Fandom, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: Bret McKenzie, crazy people, fangirl, Figwit, fun, Peter Jackson, Richard Armitage, Thorin Oakenshield . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 20 Comments

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Speculation — My Favorite Pastime

Do You Have a Guy Secret?

Tolkien Juxtaposition

What a Life!

Something’s Happened

Are You cRAy-cRAy?

The Vidding Empire

the H*** wiv-et

Moving Too Fast

Figwit Lives Bygosh!

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