Who are We?
Janine Baseley
A bit about myself … well, I'm a Kiwi from the wonderful city of Wellington (New Zealand if you didn't catch on). What on earth am I doing here? Well, that comes down to promising my mum not to marry a Brit when I came over to London in '94 for my big O.E. (Overseas Experience). I failed! I met an Aussie into sci-fi who introduced me to P***s Bar (former Star Trek themed pub) who in turn introduced me to my future husband, Dave (sci-fi nutter).
My involvement with the League of the Non Aligned group comes from Dave and our friend Corinne wanting to have a place to meet for like-minded people (similar to P*** but more welcoming). Once they had found the Horseshoe Inn, the group who gathered there became LOTNA.
Sci-fi is just one of my many interests but the sci-fi genre I really enjoy are well-conceived and written TV shows (Joss Whedon is number 1!). I grew up in N.Z. with, I think, the best of both worlds - receiving a good variety of TV shows from both Britain and America. I enjoyed Dr Who and Blake's 7 and also Buck Rodgers and Knightrider (cringe now) just to name a few. Dave has introduced me to a lot more shows - sci-fi, cult and fantasy. Some I like some I don't. But I've really enjoyed Buffy/Angel, Firefly, Babylon 5, early Stargate SG-1 (not the last few seasons - should have been cancelled long ago) and I was gutted when they cancelled Farscape (brilliant, brilliant show!). My favourite non sci-fi program at the moment is The West Wing.
As a result of our collective interest in sci-fi TV programs, Dave and I have been to many conventions. I find it is a great buzz to hear actors from favourite shows talk about themselves and their work plus get the opportunity to meet them briefly while getting an autograph. This has led on to active collecting of autographs from film and TV stars while they do theatre or attend premieres. We also like to go to the regular organised autograph events. One of the best ones has talks in conjunction with their celebrity signings and I got the opportunity to discuss Wellington with Elijah Wood and Sean Astin!
As I said I do have other interests - I love movies, most types (except horror) and judging from my list of favourites, adrenaline-pumping action flicks. Top 3 movies from the '80s - Die Hard, Aliens and Terminator. Top 2 from the '90s - Speed and The Matrix. (Please note, with the exception of Aliens, I am referring to the originals not subsequent sequels!). The best from the 00's is, of course, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Peter Jackson is a visionary and fellow kiwi). Cats, cats, cats - love 'em. The theatre, specifically musicals go down well with me. I don't go far without my camera - I have a million photo albums, don't I Dave? Living in England helps with my interest in architecture, collectibles (currently powder compacts) and laid out gardens. So there you go - that's me.