It's Almost Time for Christmas...Again

Well, Halloween is over. And so is the 2012 election cycle that felt like it would never end. And now we're on full throttle to the holidays.

Just in time for Christmas shopping is this awesome gem for the Trekkie/Trekker (won't debate that *hot* topic here!) from ThinkGeek -- a Spock LLAP oven mitt:

The Spock mitt would go fantastically with the Enterprise Pizza Cutter and bottle opener.

Wait, wait! One more! What nerdly friend doesn't want some delicious Trek Christmas cookies too? Cool and delicious!!

Whedon for Zomney

Well, it's been a few months since I've had 5 minutes to post anything. That's how this mommy-hood thing goes, I hear. But, we're deep into Fall, time is about to change, so I should have more time in the house and perhaps 5 more minutes to post fun, geeky things. Like this.

Joss Whedon (one of my favs) created a parody pro-Romney commercial, noting the Governor's ability to lead us right into a zombie apocalypse. Good times. Only thing that would've made this better if it was set in a slightly futuristic, post-apocalyptic future (a la Walking Dead or Revolution) with a few "shamblers" wandering in the windows behind him.

Enjoy. And Happy Halloween.

New Geekling = Limited Blogging Time

Wow, so yeah, having a new geekling really rocks your world. I knew it would, but couldn't have imagined just how much! Add in a move back to California, and you have total chaos. But 11 weeks later, we're starting to get into a bit of a groove, and I've found myself missing this little corner of the interwebs.

While we aren't making it to all the big summer blockbusters right now, I did catch "The Avengers" before Baby O's arrival. What a fun way to kick off the summer! Joss Whedon really delivered a big super hero tale that appeared to do justice to the larger-than-life team. I'm not a big Avengers comic book fan, but I liked how the characters come together in this movie, especially Hulk. Didn't really love the two Hulk movies, but Mark Ruffalo finally got it right. The one character I didn't really understand was Hawkeye; I didn't mind him being part of the team, but it didn't seem like his superpower quite compared to the rest of the team. This is what I get for not being much of a Marvel reader, I suppose.

Mostly, it was great to catch one of the big geek movies of summer, since we missed Spiderman, Batman, MiB, etc. Say what you will, but thank God for Netflix/Amazon Instant/iTunes.

Speaking of Netflix, one thing you do have with a new baby (besides diapers and crying) is time at home. And with a summer baby, you also get very little new TV to watch. So, Netflix it is! In the first 4 weeks of Baby O's life, we watched the first 4 seasons of "Breaking Bad." The Better Half is a HUGE fan of the show, and has been nagging me to watch it for months, especially before Season 5's premiere. I don't typically like intense dramas because the heavy nature of the story can bum me out and stay with me for days/weeks (see: Six Feet Under, The Sopranos), but I really do like Breaking Bad. Well-crafted storylines, great character development, and some amazing direction and cinematography. Bryan Cranston is role-of-a-lifetime fantastic.

And Bob Odenkirk's "Saul" is one of my new favorite TV characters. I read a recent interview with show creator Vince Gilligan (which I can't seem to find again, or I would link to here...sigh) that there could be a Saul spin-off, to which I say, "Bring it!!"

Season 5 just started, and I look forward to how the final season unfolds. I can hardly believe Walt's transformation over 1 year's time. Whew.

Alright, at least I've started to catch up here. Just realized I didn't get to Game of Thrones (S2), podcasts, SD Comic Con, and all the awesome web TV happening (Geek & Sundry and Nerdist Channel programming!), so more to come soon! Plus, I'll have new eyes for things for the geeklings since I have a n00b of my own now. I feel like it's my duty to raise the next generation of geek, and can't wait to show her so much! Is 11 weeks too early for Star Wars or Star Trek??

(One of my favorite shower gifts was the Star Trek Book of Opposites. Awesome. Totally awesome.)

Dreary Portland Weather = Many Movies Watched

Well, it may be Spring in other parts of the country, but Portland isn't quite ready to let go of Winter. After a few nice weeks in Jan/Feb, the weather has turned cold, dreary and even snowy here in mid-March. A perfect time to catch up on some movies!

First up was "Attack the Block" a British movie from 2011. I first heard buzz about this movie at Comic-Con last year, and have heard generally positive reviews from other geeks.

IMDB plot summary is pretty succinct: "A teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion."

Certainly not the most ground-breaking movie, but it was a fun, entertaining, rainy day sort of feature. The accents are magnificently difficult to understand at times (reminded me of the first time I saw "Trainspotting" and loved that English could be a totally different language from what we Americans are used to). You might recognize actor Nick Frost from similar genre movies "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz." He's a secondary character, but I think one of my favorites.

The aliens are appropriately creepy, and it has some decent special effects (given that this isn't a Michael Bay movie or something).

Movie #2, streamed via Netflix, was "Tucker and Dale vs Evil." Wow, this movie was really fun and funny. Comedy/horror is tough to pull off well, but this one worked for me! You might recognize the two male leads: Tucker (Alan Tudyk from Firefly and now on Suburgatory) and Dale (Tyler Labine from Reaper). Or maybe the female lead Katrina Bowden (of 30 Rock).

The story is one of prejudice (toward hillbillies) combined with a complete misunderstanding that creates a ridiculous series of events. Not since Army of Darkness have I laughed so much at a "horror" movie.

Watch the trailer:

Finally, movie #3 required a trip to an actual theater. "21 Jump Street" with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum was actually better than I expected. It's hardly a contender for an Oscar, but it was (again) ridiculous and funny, and pretty perfect for a hormonal, pregnant woman's fragile mood. Sometimes, all you want out of a movie is a good laugh. This movie definitely delivered a few of those! And, I like Jonah Hill. I heard a recent interview with him about his long involvement writing the script, etc.

Added bonus is list of guest stars including Rob Riggle (Daily Show), Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson!) and Ice Cube.

Side note: if high school is really like this now, it's too bad I am 20 years too late to be "cool."

Latest Avengers Trailer

We went to see the ridiculous, but fun, "21 Jump Street" over the weekend. I was super excited about the latest trailer for "The Avengers." I'm reallllly hoping to see it before BabyO arrives.

I'm a total sucker, I know, but it looks like a great summer romp! Explosions! Superhero team up! Joss Whedon! The only thing I'm still not sure about is Hulk, but I'm not a big fan of the CGI Hulks...

Anyway, fingers crossed that BabyO can stay put at least past May 4th.

CW's New Green Arrow TV Show

I may have heard that this was happening a few months ago, but having missed WonderCon this weekend and being a bit out of the superhero loop, I wasn't aware that the new CW pilot focused on Green Arrow (titled "Arrow" at least for now) is already in production.

Not a lot of details about the storyline/plot or other supporting characters yet, but one press photo was released. It's so dark, I'm not sure how to feel about the costume. At least superficially, it appears to be a departure from Smallville.

Thoughts?

Owls in Space!

After deciding on a space nursery, I realized it would be tricky to find pre-made decor at someplace like Babies R' Us or Target. Thankfully, in this age of the Internet, there are lots of other options. One of my favorites for interesting, unique items is Etsy. Etsy is great for all kinds of things and somehow less overwhelming than eBay. Added bonus: I don't have to deal with bidding (which I hate).

Two of my first Etsy orders arrived yesterday, and I have to say, I'm thrilled! Yay for creativity and customization combined with Internet commerce!

First up is this print that marries our space theme with my "pre-occupation" with owls. I'm trying not to dominate BabyO's room with owls, since that is my thing, but I couldn't resist this one from Nancy Lee's shop.

I ordered mine in a larger size than the 6x6 listing, no problem. And it's gorgeous! I can't wait to get it matted and framed. Even when BabyO's moved on from her space theme, I will gladly pull this print into another room of the house.

The second print is this "I love you from here to Cassiopeia" one from HopSkipJumpPaper:

There are a lot of options for paper color, and in keeping with our color scheme I got this one in aqua. It looks great! There are also ones from here to Jupiter or to Andromeda. It was a tough call to choose just one.

This space theme seems to be coming all swimmingly so far!

Welcome to 2012, Only One Month Late.

As they say, the road to hell is laid with good intentions.

Back in November, I had every intention of giving my little blog more regular attention, even if just small posts, but totally fell off the bandwagon. Well, I got pregnant last fall and have to say, didn't feel like being on a computer beyond working hours until just recently. Actually, I didn't feel like doing much beyond lying on the couch and watching Dr. Who all winter. Apparently the 2nd trimester is the "good" window and my energy is certainly better, so I'm trying to take advantage of it while I can. (I've been assured I'll be back to mid-afternoon naps in another month or so.)

During the 20 week ultrasound, we found out BabyO is a girl. I was absolutely certain it was a boy, so there go my powers of perception. Somehow, getting past that pregnancy mid-way point without complication made everything very "real." I'm not sure what other women go through, but everything felt kind of theoretical (or I was in denial) before that point. In the last 6 weeks, I've found myself laser-focused on critical issues like nursery colors and themes. Who has time to find a doula or schedule maternity classes when looking for the perfect glider and choosing a color scheme? Priorities, people.

Well, I'm happy to say, we've got our "theme!" (We've narrowed names down to 5-7, but again, priorities people.) I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but the Better Half works in aerospace and we are both big Sci Fi geeks, so naturally our nursery theme is: SPACE.

Baby Geek in development

Now, some people might think this is an unusual theme for a baby's room, let alone a baby girl's room, and to those people I say, Suck it. After spending more time than is reasonable looking at nursery ideas, I really got overwhelmed by many of the typical "girl" themes: lots of pink, lavender and white; fluffy pom poms; bunting (what is this??); birds/trees (actually, I like these, but kinda overdone based on a Google Image search); butterflies/ladybugs; and princessy decor.

Maybe a little much?

These are all fine in general, but I'm just not a girly girl. And I'm sure as soon as BabyO can make her own preferences known, we'll be inundated with Barbies, Disney princesses, etc. That's fine, but I just can't start there.

So, space it is! It's a bit of a challenge because a) not a lot of mass-produced space-themed baby stuff out there, and b) if it exists, it is very "boyish." Over the next few weeks/months, I hope to share some of the cool stuff I've found or made for BabyO's Space Room (TM). Given my personality (read: a little obsessive), it will be all I can do to limit myself to a few key pieces, even though my inclination is to get everything cool I can find.

My first project for BabyO's room is this wall plaque with the Star Trek: The Next Generation intro. It also includes glow-in-the-dark paint on the stars, sun, planet, and key text.

The second project is this little rocket. Technically I think it's a birdhouse, but I think we'll put a little alien friend peeking out instead.

More to come soon!

The Muppets vs Twilight

It's been forever, plus a day, but I'm back. Hopefully we'll start to see some cool geek-related stuff coming for the holidays, etc. so I'll be a bit more inspired to update here than the last few months.

As is the case with these awesome parody posters for the upcoming Muppets movie. In true Gen X fashion, I love me some nostalgia, and the Muppets were always among my favorites. I wasn't too into Fraggle Rock (I think I was too old when that aired) but I was a fan of Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas. Am I dating myself with these references? More than likely.

Anyway, the new Muppet movie (co-starring Jason Segal of How I Met Your Mother) comes out Thanksgiving weekend, right after the new Twilight: Breaking Dawn movie is released (this weekend, I think). So what better way to be relevant to the kids today than a parody of the Twilight saga?

(via Den of Geek):

A "Deadman" TV Show?

I saw this post about Eric Kripke (Supernatural) developing a new TV show based on the comic book Deadman and thought, "Wow! Can they really pull that off?" I had a roommate who loved Deadman comics, so I've read a few storylines over the years. Deadman was a circus performer, murdered and brought back as a ghost that can inhabit bodies to solve crimes. Or something like that. Here:

Deadman is a ghost, formerly a circus trapeze artist named Boston Brand who performed under the name Deadman, a stage persona including a red costume and white corpse makeup. When Brand is murdered during a trapeze performance by a mysterious assailant known only as the Hook (in fact his last words were "Gee, from up here it almost looks like that guy with the hook for a hand has a gun..."), his spirit is given the power to possess any living being by a Hindu goddess (created for the purposes of the story) named Rama Kushna (a corruption of Rama-Krishna), in order to search for his murderer and obtain justice. (Source: Wikipedia)

I don't remember too many particular stories, but I do remember them being fun, and Deadman having a snarky sense of humor that I enjoyed. Maybe I'll have to go dig something up to refresh myself on this one. (The 90's were a long time ago, people.)

I like Supernatural and am a fan of Kripke's work, so I remain hopeful about a Deadman TV show, especially if it goes to CW or F/X type channel. Don't even bother with the big 4 -- the general viewing audience won't "get" Deadman. Although perhaps it will have a bit of a "Quantum Leap" feel -- more jumping bodies, less time jumping -- that regular folk (hey y'all!) would enjoy.

Gratuitous Scott Bakula image:

Now the question is, who plays Deadman? And how do they get that outrageous red circus costume to translate to TV? A little garish for my taste...

Very Cool! Simpsons Skateboards

These new Simpsons skateboard designs from Santa Cruz Skateboards look pretty cool! But...why didn't they come out about 20 years ago? (via Comics Alliance)

When Politics and Geekdom Collide

I feel like there is more discussion of politics in geek culture (via comic books, novels, TV shows, movies) than of geek culture in politics. But occasionally, these two worlds intersect in the political arena.

One of those intersections happened last week with the debt crisis, with politicians drawing allusions to Lord of the Rings. What the what?

Stephen Colbert (a huge LOTR fan) summarizes the craziness best, as always. With "visual aids."

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Republican Ring of Power
www.colbertnation.com
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Who Doesn't Love a Good Propaganda Poster?

Featured on Laughing Squid, but I love me all kind of retro propaganda posters. Seems appropriate that social media get a propaganda make-over.

Great design by Aaron Wood.

Knights of Badassdom Trailer

Got back from Comic Con a week ago, and totally missed the panel where this trailer was shown. Luckily, Laughing Squid posted it earlier in the week. It looks like such a nerdy, good time! I've never LARPed but now I'd be interested in checking it out. How do I even find such a thing?

Coming to a theater near you (hopefully) in Spring 2012.

w00tstock: Comic Con Edition

One of my top 3 events at Comic Con this year has to be the w00stock 3.0. The Better Half and I saw a w00tstock in Portland last year and it blew my mind -- I had no idea how much live, nerdy goodness could happen in one place in one night.

If you haven't heard about w00tstock yet, the basic idea is 3+ hours of music, stories, and video shorts focused on nerd culture. Musicians Paul & Storm organized this round in the geek capital (for 1 week a year), also starring Wil Wheaton (Eureka, Leverage, The Guild, and of course STNG) and Adam Savage (Mythbusters). Each version of w00tstock mixes up all the other players, sometimes including local/regional performers.

Version 3.0 featured ukulele & YouTube phenom Molly Lewis:

Mike Phirman (of Hard n' Phirm):

And video shorts between acts, like Axe Cop (art by a 29 year-old; story by his 5 year-old brother -- it's awesome):

Others too, but I don't have links or names to all of them.

I laughed my butt off for so long my cheeks hurt when I left.

I've already vowed to the Better Half that if there's a w00tstock to be seen on the West Coast (perhaps further if time/money permits), we're there. In the words of Paul & Storm's classic "Frogger! The Frogger Musical:"

Now that you have got my back
I see a new plan of attack
And suddenly the path is clear
The way to get to there from here

From the turtle to croc to stump
Getting closer with every jump
We reach the end somehow
Then I look in your eyes
And now I’m home…

(Lighter's/cell phones waving in the air)

Happy Guildversary!

At some point I'll write a longer post about my admiration of Felicia Day, Queen of the Geeks, but today is a special anniversary: 4 years ago, the first episode the web series The Guild was released. I wish I could say that I was there when it started, but I'm glad I discovered it last summer. I watched the first 3 seasons before ever playing an MMORPG and thought it was fun and funny. I watched the whole thing again after playing World of Warcraft for about 4 months and loved it.

In hindsight, watching the webisodes may be what finally pushed me into trying an online multi-player game. Cool girls play too! Those look like people I'd want to be in a guild with and maybe even know in real life!

The Guild panel was the only one I made it to at Comic Con over the weekend. We stood in line with several other thousand people. It was totally worth it, technical difficulties and all.

Season 5 started yesterday, and Felicia Day is busier than ever. She's the poster child (no pressure) for illustrating that web-created shows can and do work. Personally, I think The Guild is an even better example of how fan support, crowd-sourced funding, and use of social media tools to market & get the word out can make an incredible difference.

Happy 4th Guildversary!

If you watch the show, check out this behind-the-scenes from design specialist Greg Aronowitz. Great pictures and clips!

And I leave you with this. It's true, my avatar is hotter than reality by far:

Life After Comic Con - Part 1

It's been months since I've been to the blog. I would feel bad, but honestly wasn't too motivated to share anything recently. I even saw X-men: First Class and some other relevant movie that I've already forgotten. I haven't read any comics, watched any geeky TV (well, Fringe, but I think I've espoused on that quite a bit already), gotten involved in any creative projects - crafts or otherwise, or gone to any nerdcentric events. Until now!

As some may recall -- I certainly do -- I missed the annual "Nerd Prom" otherwise known as San Diego Comic Con in 2010 due to conflicting health issues. I couldn't even follow the coverage from the interwebz as it depressed the hell out of me to know I was missing something/everything. So, I was pretty motivated to get back this year.

But here's the thing, over the ~15 years I've been attending, Comic Con has changed a lot. And I suppose so have I too. I could totally fall into the "back in my day" spiel, but that's not really what I want to say (and honestly, others have likely said it better). No, what I found was a more personal reflection on where I am at in my life, and how much I miss the creative/artistic/expressive elements that I find when at events like Comic Con. While no one can accuse me of being an artist, I certainly miss the creative outlets of my past.

When I first attended Comic Con, I thought for sure I'd be working in the industry, or at least industry-adjacent, by now. I worked for years in comic book stores, hanging out with other fans, but also meeting artists, writers, and others who work in some kind of creative industry. I worked for friends with artistic vision on their projects, playing a supporting role but proud to contribute. But as we got busy, and the demand for a more "professional" job emerged, connections to that creative element have largely disappeared. My career lead me down a much more analytic, process-oriented path. And I suppose like many who work in an intellectual field, I feel disconnected from actually producing something. I mean, beyond a PowerPoint report.

Going to Comic Con really called that out for me. Surrounded by tremendous talent, looking at the books produced & art created, hearing about projects initiated & almost complete, watching friends, acquaintances, and strangers push forward their work, their mark on the world left me feeling...meh.

So, dear readers (all 2 of you!), here I am. Promising myself to take some steps to find that creative side and finding new places I can lend my support. And doing my best to share the journey along the way.

For the Little Ones (or Me)

I know a lot of people who have had babies in the last 1-2 years, or are expecting later this year. Might I suggest the following Simpson's Alphabet poster for baby's room? It's both educational AND culturally-relevant(ish). And cute!

For those of you with baby showers yet to attend this year, ahem...see above.

(h/t Laughing Squid)

South Park Does World of Warcraft

I feel like I've fallen into a vortex, and really, I guess I have. I'll try to write more about this soon (as I've wanted to for a while), but needless to say the Better Half & I started playing World of Warcraft (WoW) late last year. And let's just say, it's been a very "immersive" experience.

Anyway, the new season of South Park starts this week, so there was a marathon on Comedy Central over the weekend. I saw this episode before I started playing WoW but had to rewatch it given more recent experience. All I can say about this episode: It. Is. Awesome.

Make Love, Not Warcraft
Tags: SOUTH
PARKmore...

You can see the whole episode on southparkstudios.com and if you play, are a gamer, or know a gamer, check it out.

"This could very well lead to the end of the world (of Warcraft)!"

Crafting Can Be Geeky Too

I've been thinking about getting crafty again. I spent several years trying out crochet, knitting, sewing, making plushies, jewelry, etc. Mostly for myself, but sometimes I'd make something for a friend or family member. I'd put myself firmly in the "novice" camp in crafting capability but I truly love such homemade/handmade projects, especially those that are cute (duh!) and/or geeky.

So you can imagine how timely this post from Comics Alliance was about geeky cross stitch patterns. Designs come from Etsy user weelittlestitches and I love them! Maybe I'll try out cross stitch as my next craft -- who doesn't need a nice throw pillow or hand towel with the JLA or cast of Firefly?