Literary Liveliness!

Ahoy! Hope you survived Halloween! I spent the evening hiding in my house watching a Long Island Medium marathon on Netflix. That counts as spooky right? I was going to go for Ghost Hunter International instead, but since I felt compelled to sit in complete darkness to avoid tempting any trick-or-treaters to stop by, I couldn't handle it. Maybe next year I'll come up with a wickedly geeky costume, but this year I didn't do anything, at all.

Anyway, I figure today would be a good day to update since there are quite a few things going on - almost all of which deal with books! How exciting!

First, if you didn't already know -- Ender's Game is in theatres today! I can't even begin to explain how excited I am to see this. And this won't be like all the other times a movie comes out that I've been waiting for, but then I never go see. I already bought tickets a couple days ago for a showing tonight. That's how excited I am! It's one of my favorite books, and it's got Harrison Ford in it. UM, YES. I actually re-read the book a couple weeks ago as a refresher. Did not regret this. Sometimes I feel bad re-reading a book, because there are so many new books I could being reading. But screw that, it's Ender's Game. Totally worth it... I will say the trailers progressively got worse for this movie. Its like the whole thing is a spoiler! But I guess if you haven't read the book, then it won't make sense what you're seeing so you wouldn't know it's a spoiler. But still! It's like every scene in the last few trailers have been from the second half of the book. Why would you do that?? UGH, NO. The only consolation for this advance screening as it were, is that it looks so freakin' epic. CAN'T WAIT.

Second, it's November! (Can we stop and acknowledge that I've somehow managed to keep this thing going for almost a year! As a life-long quitter, I find this to be an accomplishment!) Anyway, that means it's NaNoWriMo -- National Novel Writing Month! I obviously enjoying writing, so this month is always a joy! Check out nanowrimo.org! I wasn't planning on participating this year, since I haven't been writing anything but this blog for a while. But today I was like "eh, why not?" It's always amazing to see what you can do. I never hit my word count goal, but I'm always surprised by just how much I get done. So now I've got to start figuring out what the heck I'm going to write about. Last year I made some serious progress on a soap opera spoof thing. I'll never finish it, but it was a lot of fun.

Third, yesterday I read Hyperbole and a Half's new book! Please check out the blog if you haven't already! It's absolutely my favorite thing on the internet! Like, I fully expect you to click the link read just one post of hers, and then never visit my blog again. And I'm totally okay with that. If you like what you see there, then you have to get her book. It's equally fantastic. I've honestly never laughed so hard reading a book before, and her illustrations are amazeballs. Go check it out!

BUY ALL THE THINGS!

Um, not to brag or anything (but I'm so gonna brag...) I'm freakin' awesome...kind of...

This week you've probably heard that the latest Grand Theft Auto V released. The Fiance has been super excited, and like the freakin' awesome gal I am, I offered to trek over to Game Stop to buy him a copy since I'm about to jump back to traveling regularly and this way he could play all weekend long without a care in the world. Yup, awesome. 

Being the anti-social semi-hermit that I am, I do not frequent Game Stop. I'm quite content with Steam and Amazon, thankyouverymuch. But I ventured forth! The closest location for me is in one of those strip-malls that is a pain in the butt to visit, but even that didn't deter me. I navigated my way over to find that half of the complex (the Game Stop half, of course) is completely packed with not a spot to be found. And oddly all the spots are just about wide enough for a Vespa, so all the cars are wonky and taking up a space and a half, leaving those other spots that are so small that if you did manage to get in, you'd be leaving your car through the trunk. Not good. But again, I pressed on, and ultimately parked by myself about the equivalent of a couple blocks away.

I find out on my hiking trip to the store that a gym has moved in to the complex is to blame for the madness. As you've probably noticed, I have some serious mixed feelings about working out. So, I was pretty bummed to realize that all these cars belongs to people whose first task after work was to exercise, while I'm bitching about walking a block or two to go buy a game and sit on my butt all evening... Eh, to each their own I suppose...

Anywho, I get to my destination and waltz in -- yes, waltz -- gamer girls know what I'm talking about. There is something magical about being a lady in a video game store. It's like the opposite of a bull in a china shop...You and any other ladies in the store are automatically and simultaneously the hottest, coolest person in the room (well, at least that's how it feels...I was a sweats-wearing, frizzy-haired mess. But no matter. I was a girl buying video games.) I point to the game, and ask the dude behind the counter if he's still got copies. He does -- success!

And then the unthinkable happens... I fall for all the crap that Game Stop is known for selling. I had already decided to renew/upgrade my membership before I walked in the door, so you'd think that'd be enough of a sell for the kid -- he didn't even have to ask on that one! But no...

How about a protection plan for GTA?
Oy. "How about no," I think to myself and unfortunately do not say. (Where did my will go?! Re-roll dammit!) Yes, I even agreed to the stupid protection plan. And alas, my only rationale was "well the game is already damn expensive, what's a few more bucks?" which I've decided is exactly what they want you to think! Bastards. I admit this diminishes my awesomeness by a couple points. But this story is only one part how awesome I am, one part how ridiculous it is to visit this store sometimes...

As if this wasn't enough for the kit to make his quota for the day in one, frankly easy, sale...

Have I pre-ordered a game recently?

Ugh, no. What's the point. Most games are sufficiently stocked that I don't feel the need to be on a wait list for something I can just waltz in and pick up on the off chance "I just have to have it!" (which is just about never). And I don't do midnight releases. I did that once - drove and hour and a half with pre-fiance dude who wasn't smart enough to pre-order at the store in our college town. Then another hour and half back, only to find that there was no way in hell that guy (affectionately now known as "butthead") had any intention of passing over the controller to let me try my hand at COD... I often wonder how our friendship lasted after that, but I assure you it wasn't for too much longer...So NO. I do not pre-order. 

But then, the Sales Dude all cool-hand-Luke slides the list of pre-orders in front of me. I scan the list, and words like "Lego" jump out at me, reaffirming that whatever they're selling, I'm not buying...and definitely not as a pre-order..."Do you like Assassin's Creed?" Sales Dude asks ever-so innocently, pointing to the top of the list. Gah, of course I like it. I love it, truth be told. Albeit, I skipped the first one, and am only about half way through II. But I can't stop playing it right now, and I've already bought Brotherhood and III. So yeah, I know about Black Flag. Dang it... "It's only a $5 deposit" he adds to the jumble of thoughts rolling around at this point. C'mon man! *sigh* "Alright, fine."

[At this point, I decide to get it in Xbox 360, but for reasons I can't begin to describe other than panic. I won't go into the details about whether this was a smart choice or not; I'm sure you'll make up your mind well enough without my additional ramblings about next-gen. I've got a story to tell!]

Goodness. So what's left? I've bought the latest and greatest game release of the moment, got suckered into the warranty for said game, upgraded my membership, and pre-ordered. There was literally nothing left to sell. It was ridiculous. There should be a hotline for (awesome) fools like me, or a way to self-impose a ban on visiting gaming stores...What a mess! Sales Dude obviously loved it, proceeding to tell me about other limited edition gizmos people could order (thankfully he acknowledged that he was not trying to sell them to me, but just showing me as a fellow fan...although I think it's sad a sales guy actually had to tell me that, as if without the disclaimer I would have put it all on my tab...pitiful). Fortunately with nothing left, it was pretty easy to make my escape...you know, after I'd voluntarily been robbed of all my money and pride; and I hobbled back to my car. Which I actually struggled to find because it was so far away from everything. I'm sure the reverse-window-shoppers in the gym were getting a kick of watching me parade back and forth trying to leave with a smidge of dignity intact.

But then...despite all of this, just hearing my fiance's excitement when I called to tell him I successfully picked up the game combined with my own excitement from knowing that I will eventually be ready to play Black Flag, and at that point will be prepared with my own copy...yup, I'd say it was all worth it...

Maybe.

Harder to Say than it is to Play

Man, I'm on a roll! 3 or 4 posts in how many days? ...I guess I really am back for now!

I realized today that I haven't been very thorough in my discussion of gaming. I've managed to talk about D&D, and video games. The end.

Or is it??

Board games! How could I forget?! I totally grew up playing board games (rather than video games, honestly), but I'm ashamed to admit I've neglected them in the last few years. Fortunately my ol' college advisor (old college, not old advisor; although he did have a birthday yesterday...so maybe old. Haha!) reminded me the joy of board games last weekend. 'twas awesome. He and his lady have always had an impression collection of offbeat board games, and I've been inspired to share two of the best:

Car-casserole-oni?

This was the game we played last weekend that reminded me that board games rock. The rules were totally overwhelming at the start, but really it's super simplistic and awesome. Tile-based, board-buildin', turn-takin' goodness. Despite our complete clueless-ness, the Fiance and I managed to get first and second place (respectively), proving that anyone has a chance of success. Although I do have a theory that beginner's luck is just due to the veterans spending more time focused on teaching the noobs correctly than they are focused on winning.

Emphasis on "Stab Your Buddy"

Some of the wildest and craziest nights of my college experience were a direct result of playing this game. Particularly a victory with the Divine Intervention card that allows victor to mock his opponents relentlessly, and was carried out in such a way as to provide nightmare fuel for weeks...nay, years. Anywho, this is a card game that really has three components - fighting monsters, looting rooms, and stabbing your buddy. What's not to like? There is a board game version, which albeit not as good as the card game, it's better than no Munchkin. And there are like a dozen different versions and expansion packs, so it just keeps getting better. The artwork (see above) is super great, and the cards are all hilarious (including a pair of Boots of Butt-Kicking, complete with spikes affixed to the toes).

I'll think of more, and there are certainly plenty of others- including some classics. But for now that should be sufficient.

Game on!

Weekend Update

Three day weekends are my favorite. You get all the same days for mayhem as with regular weekends but it has a built in recovery/lazy day. Win!

Yesterday was all sorts of mayhem, so today was dedicated for R&R-- played some video games and caught up on some Doctor Who. We finally met River Song today which was very exciting. I swear learning about this show via pinterest and seeing all the spoilers without any context kind of makes River super relateable. I like her!

In other news, yesterday's mayhem included my first invitation to an academic party. Its been two years since I left so it was quite a surprise and compliment to be included. I mean, my department had always been very friendly but to actually qualify as a (social, not necessarily intellectual) peer was awesome. The timing made it even better- last night I also had plans to go to a 90s themed party...so naturally I ended up going to the academic party dressed in grunge. I can't begin to tell you how much I felt like a walking cliche-- the philosophy graduate at a party with her professors dressed in flannel and doc martens. Honestly it was awesome.

Even better, the party was actually to watch a puppet show. (I swear. I couldn't make this stuff up.) The host's friend is a professional puppeteer and performed for us a classic Italian puppet show, "Puncinello." You know, the one with the wooden puppets that hit each other with sticks? That one. So there I was dressed "in costume" (although I would wear that attire all the time if I could), surrounded by professors watching puppets beat each other up (it was hilarious by the way)...my life is ridiculous sometimes but I love it.

The Walking Contradiction

"Uh-oh, the power just went out for the whole block. That's weird..."
"I hate to break it to you, but it's probably zombies."

Yup. It's about time I discuss the undead elephant in the room -- zombies.

I've decided that zombies are a unique...beast. I once decided to a mini-research project on the history of zombies, but I'm not going to redo that here. But if you're interested, it's worth looking up. It was some pretty fascinating stuff...

I would also be tempted to provide a list of my favorite zombies of pop culture, but frankly my friends all surpass my knowledge and enthusiasm so my list would be rather embarrassing. For example, my favorite zombie movie is Zombieland, and I really really don't like The Walking Dead tv show (love the first three comic trades though). So I'm not going to pretend I know a thing about which zombies are best. But it did get me thinking -- in regards to my zombie-enthusiastic friends, I wonder if they actually wish it was a part of reality the way I wish I had gotten my acceptance letter to Hogwarts at 11. Not passing judgement, but it's kind of a funny thought - since for me at least, zombies are realm of fandom that make me actually grateful that it's not real.

Also, in thinking about the range of zombie qualities and their presentation, I discovered they really do possess quite the collection of contradictions or dualities. I suppose most things in life could have the same said about them, but that is not the point. Today it's zombies.

So yeah, we've established that people either (not so) secretly wish for the zombie apocalypse and probably consider Zombieland more of a study guide than source of entertainment, or there are those that if given the choice between real zombies or mandatory dentist appointment everyday for the rest of your life -- yeah, I'ma go with dentist.

In there presentation, it's kind of interesting to me that in most zombie movies/shows/comics/games it's either all about the zombies or not about the zombies at all. And even then if it's "about them" it's not really about them... I realize at first glance that probably doesn't sound right, but I'm still convinced it's true. Let me explain... on the one hand, you have zombies as a means to illustrate a social construct (e.g. "our dependence on technology has like turned us into zombies, dude") or to show how people -- the survivors -- relate to each other in a very controlled environment hypothesized by the writer (which is what puts most zombie stories in that dystopian genre). Even though the story or whatever is largely about zombies (it would be weird to call, for example, The Walking Dead, a survival story. It only makes sense as a "zombie story") but then again, it's really not about the zombies at all. Its about the choices those who experience them have to make to survive.

On the other hand, often times the zombies are entirely the focal point and it's not about the survivors at all. And these stories again use zombies to achieve another purpose -- gore and violence. Whether you like it or not (whether it's even really okay to "like" gore...which would be another topic of discussion), zombies are a vehicle for violence. So once again it's never really about the zombies in this case either, other than to pose the question "how many can I take out with this here chainsaw, eh?"

I think the only exception to these two presentations is probably the book Warm Bodies (for the record, the movie is just "eh". although I love About a Boy, so I'm glad to see that kid is back to work, and lookin' good if I do say so myself!). It doesn't focus too much on the survival of the non-zombies, and it doesn't focus on the destruction of the zombies just for the sake of it either. It's the exception that makes the rule, and I really enjoyed it. It's humorous at times, and full of existential goodness. Haha. (Apparently it's also based on Romeo & Juliet. I suppose this should have been super obvious when I read it, but I didn't pick up on it, and it didn't make a difference to me even after I found out. But I thought you should get a heads up.)

The only other exception I can think of right now, would be World War Z. I can't speak of the movie, since honestly the trailer looks like crap -- like they spent half the budget on Brad Pitt and said "eff it" in regards to decent CGI... anywho...I'm reading the book right now and it's pretty decent. The presentation is really unique, and super convincing. And again, from what I can tell it doesn't fall in either camp too strictly. Although I suppose it would be mostly about the survivors, but it's told as a 'history' of sorts so for some reason it makes it seem just a bit different than following along with a cast of characters trying to survive to the end. I dunno. I'll report back when/if I finish it (if you haven't noticed already, I'm notorious for not finishing anything, and I'm also currently reading Red Mars, which is super-fantastic.)

So where was I? Oh yeah, zombies. Duh... I think that's it for my thoughts on them. I realize it's not a bunch of contradictory stuff, but it is a surprisingly decent amount considering that most other genres don't have to deal with that. I mean, if you look at approaches to space travel or some other prevalent thing in science fiction, there are hundreds of different interpretations but they all tend to follow the same rules and constraints (just science -- physics...no big deal...). But zombies don't really have that -- I mean, everyone kind of sort of agrees on a couple key characteristics-- OH GEEZ, I'm getting into the "essence" of being a zombie...I'ma take that as a sign I should stop here...

P.S. - I'm a total chicken when it comes to scary stuff -- I don't do well with graphic violence, gore, horror, or anything generally perceived to be scary. So there are no pictures this time around, since searching for zombies on pinterest or google is frankly really gross and not worth the trouble...so instead I will leave you with this:

Yay thinkgeek.com!

Yup. Still *witty nerdy reference* here!

Wow, it's been two months and one day since I last posted. I fail. And I'm sorry, you lone reader (me, in the future. Ha.).

Honestly, I deleted the blog. Like a week ago in a fit of despair, but alas I'm back! So I suppose I should update...

1. I don't go to any gym anymore. Actually, like a true-blue geek, I had a panic attack before I even got there to what would have been my first workout. So I didn't go. Yup, went to the initial training class thing (who can resist a good class!) and then chickened out in the execution. Go figure! ...I won't begin to list all the other workouts I've tried. Most recently, yoga and running. But that's not very nerdy...so moving on...although fun fact - say what you will about Lucy Liu's Elementary, but she's always been awesome and I admit I enjoyed the Charlie's Angels remake, and apparently she too does yoga and running regularly to stay awesome. So there you go. Here's the actual article thing. (Okay fine, she does pilates. But that's pretty damn close to yoga. So whatevs.)

2. I finally saw Serenity. Hmm. I don't know how I feel about it. It was so nice to be watching a "new" Firefly adventure...But moly cow... I knew what was coming (thanks a lot pinterest!) but it still didn't lessen the blow! So sad... And honestly, the whole thing was mostly about River. And despite her being crazy awesome (emphasis on crazy), I still wasn't that interested in her story line. And the "revelation" at the end felt...dull...since I knew it didn't matter anymore. Gosh, isn't that so depressing?! Anywho, I still love Firefly. But I think I might actually pretend I hadn't seen Serenity. Sad.

3. What else?
I'm obsessed with Civilizations V and all it's expansion-y goodness. I managed to make it through the Steam sale without having to declare bankruptcy, so that's good. Highly recommend Don't Starve as well; that was another game that I simply could not stop playing...until a whole weekend was consumed with nothing but playing Don't Starve and running to the nearest fast food place, so, you know -- I don't starve. Ha!

I'm honestly on the fence about cancelling my World of Warcraft account. I know, *gasp!* But I haven't played since this winter. Maybe it's just a winter game? Seasons of gaming, like there are seasons of everything else in life. I dunno.

In the non-gaming world, I've also managed to slow down my comic book consumption. That is one expensive hobby! I think I'd be wise to hold out until trades start being more readily available for those series that I'm currently enjoying. Less fun, but whatever. (Geez, I feel like my geek card could be revoked at any minute...)

I can't think of any books I've read lately that were particularly awesome in the geek world. That's kinda sad...OH WAIT. I did read Mistborn. So I will definitely need to review that soon. Like, very soon. Like, pretty much expect me to write about that next time, since it's not looking good for me being able to talk about anything else.

Well, darn. The moral of this story seems to be that I have lately failed at my initial goal of being a 'better geek'. It almost sounds like I've gotten worse! Yikes!

...I can fix this!

Now with Video!

Oh man. I haven't updated in a while...apparently I haven't done anything particularly geeky in a while. Bummer!

Uh...I know how we can resolve this:

PICTURE FRIDAY!

...NO...

Even better...

VIDEO FRIDAY!!!!

First up-- because summer is here and it's almost the 4th..."Sexy Pool Party"
Ladies, don't let the screenshot fool you- it's freakin' hilarious.

Second-- because I miss Sherlock and can't wait for the next season... what if it was a comedy??? (I mean, it's already a funny/clever show, but what if it was marketed as a comedy?)

Happy Friday! :)

-BeetHats

C++, Star Trek's Red Shirts, Xbox One (Redemption), The Doctor is In--der's Game!

Goodness! I've been gone for a while... May is busy season in my line of work, and so there hasn't been a lot of geekery to report on until the dust settled...but in retrospect I realize it's still quite a bit to mention so be ready for a long-winded update!

Let's see...where to begin...

1. I've started a new mega-geek hobby!

A Geek Goes to the Gym!

Remember how I was all "working out is dumb, but I'm going to do it!" and came up with a whole plan for a combination of biking (and playing video games), rowing (and watching movies), and doing kickboxing what-not to feel like Chuck Norris?

Yeah. About that...

I got so bored. I ran out of movies (not sure how that happened), apparently am not that into video games right now (*gasp!*) and am too tired for kickboxing. Bleh. Lazy. So now my bike is sitting at my parent's house going unused. My rowing machine is hid away in the closet, and I may or may not have "accidentally" thrown away the kickboxing routine I had at one point really liked...

But...there is hope...

Again.

I joined a gym!

You Win or You Die

Seriously guys, if you aren't reading A Song of Ice & Fire, you need to start. NOW. Or what follows will make no sense at all. (What follows is also taken and expanded from my review on Goodreads. If you're not on Goodreads yet (aka literary-Facebook) then you should probably do that too.)

Moly flippin' cow! First let me say this is the fastest I've ever read a book in this series. And it took me weeks...maybe months. But I devoured this! In my own way, I guess. I've read a lot of books a lot faster. But this one takes processing since there is just so much information/details/events. And honestly, there are still those characters that you have to either take a break to just digest what you've read (for those that are awesome), or to take a break to gear up for the not-so-awesome characters.

Viva Las Vegas?

I just watched another TBS marathon of The Big Bang Theory last night- yay! One of the last episodes (after three hours) was when Raj, Leonard, and Howard go to "Vegas, baby!" (The Vegas Renormalization) In addition to the usual entertainment of this show/episode, I had the added bonus of being in Vegas while watching it. Let me just say, the episode is nothing like Vegas in real life, at all.

Okay, let me say more than that...

HOARD! & HODOR!

This last weekend was the weekend of dragons. No-- Dragons. Capital D. Because there were a lot of them.

First, I bought Season 2 of Game of Thrones...and watched it all. Yup. 10 hours of epicness, that resulted in a television-induced coma and mild depression. Sure, it was hard to get over some of the unnecessary changes they made that didn't add anything to the story or surprise fans that read the book. In fact, in some cases the changes made things more confusing, and harder to understand character motivation. Bah. Nevertheless, I still think they did a great job. Book two was hard to get through, and the show did a good job of keeping up the momentum from Season/Book one, and not getting too bogged down with internal dialogue (which wouldn't make sense in this format anyway). Plus- dragons! Dany's story really picks up at this point. And I'm super excited to see what happens next. Although it's not looking good. I think this giant series is an unfortunately mega-entertaining no-win scenario. Martin has deviously made us love and hate every character (except for Joffrey. He is the worst!). And has no problem killing off the single person we grow to love more than hate at the moment we realize it. Gah. I predict this ending with the dragons and Others destroying everything...or maybe its one of those series that just wont end. There is no way to put a bow on this hot mess.

Still Alive

To make up for lost time, today is a two part-er-

Part I. I briefly rave about Portal 2:

Mole-y cow! I love Portal 2. I took about a year to finish, which was not my or the game's fault. Played halfway through on Fiance's Xbox in one sitting. Forgot it wasn't my own xbox and that I didn't have it saved on my own to resume playing later. Then, was gifted his Xbox's hard drive, only to find out Fiance's brother cleared the drive of the game's save!

A Study in Sherlock

Good news! I've finally been allowed to return to civilization, thanks to my dad generously picking me up today while my car remains on a slab of ice. Yay winter...

As you may or may not remember from my last post, I'd spent most of my non-working hours during the snow storm watching Sherlock on Netflix. It's been in my queue for over a year now- number one spot too- but I've never watched it before. Oddly enough here was my thought process for selecting this show:

"Hmm. What to watch? I've been meaning to try Castle, but it's not on here. I could watch Bones, since that looks fun. But it's a crime show, I don't want to watch that...It'll start off with a murder, and freak me out...Hmm. What's this? Sherlock? I guess I'll give it a go..."

Captain's Log - Snowpocalypse 2013

So apparently most of the Midwest was finally pummeled with our dose of winter. Sure it had been in the 70s about a week prior. But who are we kidding- it's February. This was inevitable.

And I've decided that snow days are as close as I will ever be to understanding what it would be like to live in space...perhaps this is heightened by the fact that I work at home, but I think it could be universal.

For those of you that actually got notice that you didn't have to go to work, that likely meant you got to sleep in. I'm going to call that hibernation, for your hyperspace or intergalactic "travel". (Why did I put "travel" in quotes. This whole scenario is entirely hypothetical and made up...silly me.) Those of us whose commute to work includes a hallway and maybe a staircase, the snow makes no difference- we don't get to hibernate through our trip. We're like the captains, that have to report to our desk and command center and keep on truckin'.

Then there's the whole "omgosh-i-can't-get-out-of-my-house-to-go-eat!" factor. Suddenly the few frozen pizzas and cans of soup I picked up on a whim a couple days ago are now my rations?! What ever you've got in your cupboard is all you've got until the journey is over. You are in deep space, my friend. And that box of almost-stale crackers that you've been eyeing to throw away are now a part of your efforts at nutrition. Yikes.

Human contact is also at a minimum. My only space companion is my cat, who is no Chewbacca, let me tell you. So my objective in this isolation is to stay sane and keep contact with the outside world as much as possible...apparently I have failed in this regard, since I'm blogging that my house is apparently like a space ship. (I may have lost my mind). I think for those with fellow travelers, the challenge would also be to stay sane and remain in close quarters with your roommates and/or family for days, witnessing them each freak out with cabin fever, or wrinkle their face every time you offer them another can of soup.

Also, like any good space traveler, it's important to be active and exercise to keep your muscle mass and not dissolve into another plush couch cushion. Working out is now completely mandatory, just for something to do besides watching all of Sherlock in one sitting, as tempting as it may be.

Which brings me to my last point- I don't recommend watching Sherlock if you are traveling (Han!) solo. I just started watching that show when the winter weather started. And everything was great and clever and brilliant as British television tends to be. And then I got to episode three. Moriarty is the creepiest person I've ever seen on a television show. EVER. And being that I was alone on my little space ship, he was as invasive and disturbing as the assassin on the season finale of Firefly (who was actually kind of awesome, by the way.)

"Strains the mind a bit, doesn't it?"

Well. That's my theory. I'm certain you're all now convinced I've lost my mind. But really I just have nothing to report on this week, other than I've played way too many hours of Civilization V. You don't want to hear about that, really.

Signing off,
-BeetHats

Intergalactic Planetary Planetary Intergalactic

...Beastie Boy songs do NOT translate well to written word. Haha. Here's the video....

Well, we all survived Valentine's Day. Which, if you've seen the news at all, you'd know it was a close call. Not only did Russia have to deal with a crazy meteor, but an asteroid flew past Earth closer than some orbiting telecommunication satellites.

For those who aren't fond of links, or the news...isn't that crazy! This is the meteor!

Busy day!

And to think, I had originally thought the highlight of Valentine's was my cat managing to turn off the power strip my computer was plugged into last night, while I was in the middle of a random dungeon that took forever to queue...Valentine's Day is very popular time for World of Warcraft, I've decided. Apparently no one took my advice about watching action movies. Present company included...

But I am pretty excited about this weekend- which will include the new Die Hard movie, Vol. 2 of both Wonder Woman AND The Ultimates (Mega-thanks to Fiance who got them for me! Super hard to find in actual comic shops in town, by the way), a couple hours of D&D, roller derby awesomeness, finally watching Serenity, and don't forget Downton Abbey! May be the best non-Valentine's weekend ever!

I know it's Friday and that means I owe you all pictures. I'm feeling a tad uninspired by what I've found today. Instead of funny pictures, I'm going with more crazy-awesome-cosmic-event pictures.

Backstory: I got some random mailer for The Great Courses, which is actually a pretty cool site selling lectures on CD, DVD or for download, on a wide-variety of topics. I went with Understanding the Universe (currently on sale again- kind of a must), which is taught by Dr. Alex Filippenko-- who you may recognize from History Channel's The Universe. I'll have to let you guys know how it goes after I finish the lecture series! Might take a bit, it's 96 half-hour videos. Whew! ...Anyway, the course included a syllabus (yikes) and recommended reading and websites. One in particular is extra-amazing: HubbleSite. It's pretty much just a collection of awe-inspiring photos taken by Hubble. If you have time to browse, it's definitely worth a look.  I always loved my dad's copy of Cosmos, because of all the great pictures (no, I haven't actually read it...*sigh*)...

So here you go:

Wide View of "Mystic Mountain"

Spiral Galaxy M100

FREAKIN' AMAZING, RIGHT?! Surely, one of these galaxies are a long time ago, and far enough away...

-BeetHats

Geek Love

Ah, Hell Week...uh, I mean, Valentine's Day!

I was going to wait until the 14th to post about the holiday, but I decided better of it. I feel like on this I do have some geek wisdom on how to survive this week, no matter your relationship status...

Heh, didn't we all?

So if you are single, as I have been many many Valentine's Days, let me advise: it's not the end of the world. It may feel completely sucky and isolating, but it shouldn't and here is why. It's a day about love. And everyone knows there are different types of love, and not all of them are yucky, or heart-wrenching. Apparently in Sweden it's treated as Friendship Day, so you can celebrate all the "loves" of your life. I like to imagine that means all the Swedes call each other on this special day to say "hey bro, I love you." So, if you can't seem to ignore the day entirely, I say celebrate all the different loves in your life- friendship, family, etc. The Greeks would be so proud.

If you're still not into it- this is the perfect day to catch up on all the action-flicks you haven't seen in a while. Like, the ones that have zero love story. ZERO. I highly recommend Live Free or Die Hard. Any Die Hard is a good zero-love-story movie. But the 4th seems to go so well; remember how the asian chick and the bad guy were like a thing? Yeah, not a great Valentine's Day for them: in other words, it's a great film for a "misery loves company" approach. Casino Royale is another great way to go. The Avengers is another great one. And the Interpreter. There is no love in any of these movies, really. Just a lot of kicking ass. See what you are capable of when you don't have a significant other holding you back! Epic-ness! Enjoy!

Now, for those of us that do have that someone special, the day causes a wholly different kind of agony. Obligatory gift buying. And I've noticed when it's young love, it's high stakes. My parents have been together 25 years. This means a nice card and chocolates are sufficient. But for young love, it's a mess. When it's young puppy love or what have you, it pretty much means you have to set a price tag for just how much you care about this other person even if it's not something you've had to put into words yet. "I love you x-amount of dollars (or time) now tangible in this gift." But it's kind of a trap; too much too soon, too little after so long- there is no win.

I think Valentine's is much more successful to approach it as reflection and celebration of "how well do I know this person?" and then plan accordingly. Treat it as a challenge, when then makes it a bit of a game. For example, the best Valentine's Day gift I ever got actually was flowers. For the record, I kind of really dislike flowers. A lot. Fiance, he knew this but he also knew we couldn't celebrate Valentine's together. "Challenge accepted!" So he had flowers delivered to my place of work with the lyrics to one of Robin Sparkle's songs on How I Met Your Mother (our at-the-time-and-possibly-still-favorite-tv-show). Hours before receiving said flowers I wished Fiance a happy Valentine's on Facebook with a YouTube video of the other Robin Sparkle's song. 'twas EPIC, because it was like "man, we know each other so awesomely well!"

Also, I've decided Valentine's Day is a great time for geek gals to win some major bragging points for themselves and their equally geeky significant others. Here it is: the secret to an awesome present. This site has been the key to gift-giving success for 13 years. And I've used it consistently since I've discovered it. Like, every present I ever buy, I buy here. It may not be creative, Fiance knows he's going to get a gift there. But he never knows what and it's just pages and pages of epic-ness. Win freakin' win. Pair this with an awesome action flick that you know you'd love to watch anyway (like A Good Time to Die Hard!), and yippee ki-yay, you've got the most epic Valentine's day that not only you will enjoy, but all of your dude's friends will be so jealous while they are stuck in the latest Nicolas Spark's disaster. That or like, Step Up 25 (because they will never stop making those films either).

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!

-BeetHats

You Can't Take the Sky From Me

So for starters- I finally got my giant lot shipment of comic books. I picked through the ones that I had specifically requested (mostly Marvel, woot) but I have over 100 DC and other comics that I really don't want. Any takers? These suckers are all retro and have pretty wicked artwork...and will end up on Craigslist likely. Unless anyone has recommendations for how to get rid of a giant box of comics. Do comic book stores take donations? Lol But seriously...I have enough of 'em I could turn it into wallpaper.

Not that I would, for obvious reasons...but I could.

In other news, I've recently discovered I, like many others, "suffer" from complete adoration for the show Firefly. Thank goodness for Netflix, am I right? I never would have seen this show if it had just been cancelled and resigned to fan-posted clips on Youtube. Ah, Netflix-- you rock. Firefly- you rock too. At first I couldn't really get into it, I was just so confused by everything and was like, "eh, this belonged on the SciFy channel"...but I gave it another shot. And now I understand it's post-cancellation success. It's wonderful; I love this weird mishmash of western-science-fiction-asian-fusion-comedy-drama-adventure-things. LOVE. I can't say I'm a fangirl of Fillion (who is still awesome, undeniably), but it may be Shepard Book who is my fave. I'm done with the series yet, so no spoilers please!

Fiance and I yell "Let loose the bats of insanity!" every time River shows up.

So...now it's time for your Friday Picture. Yes, just one. If you need more...scroll up, dummies.

Okay. Fillion rocks too. And Jayne...okay. All of them. ALL of them rock.

Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!

-BeetHats

A Geek Yogurt Progress Report

Today is a progress report, if you will. Have I kept up my resolutions of geekery? How is that Geek Yogurt lookin'?!

Well I've played quite a bit more WoW recently that I have in a long time. I've learned that Worgens' have the best starting zone, and despite Pandas' being awesome their starting zone is awful. Pretty, but boring. Ugh...Also, the dungeons where the party is a total mess- the tank is lost, the healer is doing damage, and everyone else is just fighting for their lives- are sometimes the best. In fact, I think they are the best. I can't stand it when you get some angsty teen that's lecturing me about how I should be doing DPS. No one needs that... Oh well, it's entertaining either way, and isn't that the whole point?? Yes. Yes, it is... I still haven't broken out into being a more social player. I don't have a guild, and the only person I talk to is the Fiance. I'll have to work on that, I think. It'll be pretty depressing to realize that I'm so shy or awkward or whatever that I can't even make friends on the internets! This is supposed to be the saving grace for people like me that don't excel at being friendly in real life! Bah...Must try harder! (Just not this hard. Haha.)

I've gone way overboard on comic books. Probably could scale back a bit on that, and be doing just fine. I've adjusted my pull list a ton, but I'm finally happy with it (and still can't believe I'm waiting a month for it all!!!) And darn it, eBay has all those lots of comic books listed for super cheap. Well, cheaper than stocking up one issue at a time, I suppose. And now I've got 250 comic books on their way to arrive this next week...yay!?...So apparently if you give a geek a comic book, she'll go crazy and buy hundreds more. And if she buys hundreds more, she needs somewhere to store them! So my next project is to build a shelf to display and store my new and developing collection. I'm not much of a builder, unless it's Legos. And I think it might take too many to build a Lego bookshelf (although someone needs to do this, because that sounds awesome!) But I'll be sure to provide pictures and an update when it happens. And it will happen! ...New fave hobby! Mwahaha!

This is how I picture all of you dear Readers...

Oh yeah, and working out geek-style? That still sucks, despite the theories I convinced myself to be true at the beginning of the year. But I'm still truckin'. I average about three times a week of cycling or rowing. I definitely choose Game of Thrones for rowing; I think my anger at Joffrey gives me the strength to row for an hour. I really hate that kid... And cycling has been kind of boring lately, but I forgot my own advice and was just listening to music while I worked out. Yesterday, I put in Clash of the Titans (the new one), and watched that for an hour while biking. That was kind of epic. I think I'm going to use this as an opportunity to watch all the movies I have on my Netflix DVD queue that look interesting but not great. Kill two birds...The original Clash of the Titans I think goes to the top of my list, for sure.

The new one is not much better...

I think that's it for now. I'd say I've done okay. It's only been a month! I've rediscovered my love for old an old past-time, found a new hobby, and have a fun way to get healthy! I'm kind of all over the place on my blogging, I realize. But that's really par for the course (consider the source! ha. rhymes.) I already have a few new goals for down the road...which leads me to everyone's (by everyone, I mean me) favorite festivity- Picture Friday! (sure, there have already been pictures. But not official Picture Friday pictures!)

New Goal:
Eventually I would very much like to go to a comic convention, once I get more familiar with it all. Alas, right now I wouldn't be able to recognize anyone as being totally-awesome or not. I've given cosplay a consideration, but I'm a big fan of modesty- at least where my attire is concerned. So until they come up with a super hero that likes to just wear jeans and normal people clothes, I'm out of luck. That leaves me with maybe something in the realm of steampunk, or worse...

I'd just end up making fun of myself the whole time!

...but that really is kind of hilarious.

Also, Dungeons & Dragons. I've played before, on and off, for about 6 months or so. I really like it, so far. We're starting up again this weekend, and I am looking forward to it. We've joked about getting into LARPing. I don't see that in the future at all...but who knows? (No really, not going to happen. I have to draw a line somewhere...haha)

Now this is game I could excel at! Maybe...

So what do you- my few readers- think of my progress? Any other geek things I should try? Or suggestions?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller?

-BeetHats

Hiya, Batman!

For the sake of leveling up my geek factor, since after all that was the initial purpose of this blog, I've started reading comic books and graphic novels.

Classic

And I love it. Maybe too much (ha, like that's a thing).

I've only dabbled in the past in my days of working at a library; I had to shelf-read the graphic novel section to make sure they were in order. This was when the 2nd and 3rd X-Men movies came out, so it was inevitable that I would read a few. But I never really stuck with any of them once I left that job. But I'm still a fan of the movies, and am always drawn to the artwork and covers. I even made a comic book once in college, but that's another story, I suppose...

Anywho, I found on Netflix the biography of Stan Lee, and watched it with The Fiance. With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story. Check it out. It's really fascinating and on instant play. And it was a nice change from re-watching episodes of Archer for like the 10th time...So yes, Stan Lee. Super awesome (heh).

After watching it, I was like- man, maybe I should get into comics. But I'd tried in the past and was always so confused and had no idea what was going on; so originally I thought I'd vent about how hard it is to get into comic books if you weren't into them growing up...

BUT THEN, I went to the comic book stores in town. Just to check it out. Why not, right? ...And it was awesome. A revelation! A comic book fiesta! (One that my bank account is still trying to recover from...). I gave up on my usual plan of trying to find some random issue with a cool cover and hoping to goodness I'd recognize the story from what little I knew, or perhaps saw in a movie version (not a good plan, by the way). Instead I focused on what I now know are trade paperbacks- those collection of issues within a certain story arc. (A good idea!) I ended up with a pile of them - Batman, Avengers, more Batman, the original Iron Man, and Walking Dead. Boo-yah! And they were all so good, and I read them all in like 24 hours, so I went back to the store and got more! (Bad idea! The suckers aren't cheap!)

The first comic for Iron Man. So racist. Lol

Comics and graphic novels are like the happy place between movies and novels. After a while of reading them, I was like "man, did I even look at the pictures??" but obviously I had otherwise the dialogue alone wouldn't let me know what was going on. It was just so...second nature? I dunno. It was weird. But I still stopped to appreciate the really amazing panels that were crazy detailed and fantastic. Bonus.

And now I'm hooked. I can't believe I've been missing out on this for so long. I admit I've given up on trying to catch up on everything I have missed (with a few exceptions). I'm totally taking advantage of the New 52 from DC, and the Marvel NOW issues. And then I'm hoping to still work on trade paperbacks...you know, without going broke. Haha. And to support my local comic book stores in some way. Yay.

I've even set up a pull list with Midtown Comics (Here's the link.) I don't know if I can recommend them just yet, as I haven't received any yet; but I do like the variety and that I can manage it all from my computer. Also, LOVE that I can add back issues to my subscription shipment (Like The Red Star, which sounds pretty neat)...The only problem now is staying with my budget and being patient enough to receive them! Shipping monthly?? What was I thinking?!?

My pull list: Batman, Wonder Woman, All New X-Men, A+X, Deadpool, Hawkeye (so excited for this one!), Iron Man, Mighty Thor, New Avengers, Punisher/War Zone, Ultimates.

That's amazing...

Monthly subscription?? What was I thinking?!

-BeetHats

Picture...Wednesday?

While the interview is going to be tough to beat, I think it's time for another edition of Picture Friday...er, Tuesday....Wait, it's Wednesday. Ha!

Haha!



For those who don't know (a.k.a. any one reader who doesn't know me personally...if you do exist), my fiance and I are getting married at the end of this year. It will be a very geeky event, and I secretly kind of hope our officiant makes this same mistake... Just sayin'.

Happy Wednesday!

-BeetHats

Interview with a Star Wars Jedi Master

If you have been to a book store in the last few decades, walked the Science Fiction section and NOT noticed the many shelves dedicated to Star Wars - just stop reading here. I have nothing for you...

Seriously.

We are talking 100+ books. Dozens of authors. And a lifetime of devotion from millions of fans. How can you miss it??? (list of star wars novels)

No one I know compares to the level of my brother, Rodney, who I feel very confident in naming as a Jedi Master. He has been collecting and reading Star Wars novels for as long as I can remember. He has read (almost) all of them. I'm sure that if George Lucas saw the amount of money my brother has spent over the years, he'd be reclining in the Skywalker Ranch thinking that it really is easier than stealing a kid's milk money... Fortunately my brother is lactose-intolerant. So win-win.

After so many shelves in our house dedicated to Star Wars (I, myself, began to treat his collection as a little library), and so many losses to him in Star Wars Trivia Pursuit, my family has appropriately dubbed him an authority. So what better resource to discuss the legacy of Star Wars and their novels? I've only read about eight. Rodney has informed me there are about 120 published (of which he has read, and owns 84). So I'm certainly not qualified.

When I started the interview (a.k.a barrage of questions after dinner), my first question was "why Star Wars?" Sure, I remember the movies as a staple of our childhood; I don't think either of us remember seeing them for the first time. But I never felt compelled to read any of the novels, and to this day have refused to read anything but the Episodes (except for two: The Courtship of Princess Leia and Tattooine Ghost). Rodney insists his hobby started at the suggestion of our mother. (Go Mom! I mean, I always knew she liked SW, but this is still a surprise.) As a parent concerned with their child's lack of interest in reading as a kid, she took him to the Star Wars section at Barnes & Noble and made him pick one. Smartly, he went with the Original Trilogy (IV, V & VI). But he says that it was Shatterpoint that drew him in completely... Understandable since the only series he'd really enjoyed prior was The Series of Unfortunate Events. No contest. So again, "why SW?" Because Series of Unfortunate Events had a lull in publishing of the series, and Lego Bionicle didn't have books for adult-level reading, and our mom rocks.

Surprisingly, his favorite novel is still Shatterpoint. For being his second book, wasn't that kind of a disappointment? I was certainly bummed to hear that he doesn't think it ever really got better (that's a lot of years to read something that's just "good" but not great). He explains that to no fault of the other stories and authors, nothing compares to the initial excitement of reading the first book to draw you in; to make you realize this story is more than just fan fiction for a well loved movie series... It's also a Mace Windu book. That can't hurt anything.

For the record, he also really liked Death Troopers. His favorite series involved the Republic Commando Squad. But he testifies this in particular is the best "horror SW". Which I didn't even know was a thing. But apparently the secret to the series success is that even though it is one giant story arc and universe, each mini-series is very different and each author's style of writing is different. So it never gets dull. And fortunately  by the end of the '90s they retired their formula of presenting a evil doom-bringer that seemed unstoppable, giving the main character (i.e. Luke) some personal growth point to overcome, and by doing so they are capable of stopping the otherwise unstoppable foe. The newer antagonists are bigger and badder, and stick closer to the Empire's structure in that it takes many novels for the characters to work together to defeat.

Which ones did he keep avoiding or hasn't read yet? He hasn't kept up with the new ones that come out much, since they mostly deal with the Clone Wars and early SW events. Lucas has made it apparent he's more focused on recruiting new generations of SW fans than keeping his long-time fans happy. The new books don't come out as often, and while they keep consistency (apparently mistakes are few and far between), they are geared more towards the new generations of fans. This strategy doesn't seem to bother Rodney. In fact, he even has respect for the authors who only wrote one or two before realizing the force just wasn't strong within them (in other words, they sucked at it). Sure, they are a pain to read, but they must have made huge efforts to study SW to maintain their great record for consistency; a feat which only those really dedicated to SW would even attempt. For those he likes, I asked if he ever crossed-over to read anything else non-SW they have published? Not really. He enjoyed James Lucerno and Aaron Allston, but he doesn't read any non-SW authors unless they've contributed to other series he's dabbled in.

When I asked for specific books he disliked, he confessed that he couldn't finish the last of the Han Solo Trilogy. I agree that they aren't very well written. (Add the first one to my list. I guess that makes nine.) And the non-Chewbacca side-kicks are annoying. Like the cat guy. No good. And the Lando Calrissian Trilogy apparently includes flying whales. I dunno. Other least favorite characters? We agreed that Darth Bane's apprentice sucks- the whiney little girl with a bad temper. Yeah, her. (Ten! I've read ten!). And the Sorcerers of Tund. Who knew...

What am I saying? Rodney knew. Of course.

So where does he see the future of the SW universe? He isn't sure, and he doesn't think LucasArts is either. When Old Republic's MMORPG came out everyone focused on that particular arc. And Clone Wars TV shows are generating more revenue than the novels ever did; but they are also leading the way on the story's canon, pushing the books aside or even forcing re-writes when there are discrepancies. Now that Disney has acquired SW, it doesn't look like the way is any more clear. With the promise of future SW movies VII, VIII, & IX (well, that just looks weird...) that will very likely ignore the books, he's not sure what room they've left for new books at all.

But for those who are wanting to get into the book series now, he recommends reading the Episodes first, and then branching out to the other SW series that have the same authors.

It will be interesting to see where they go, and if Rodney follows. He's currently focusing on Tolkien's works; having read The Silmarilion three times now. (He does not re-read SW, other than for reference and study.)
Finally, I asked, "Do you think you'll ever read the Star Trek series?" Everyone at the table got quiet, and waited for an answer...

"No."


May the Force be with you!

-BeetHats

Ice & Fire. Ice & Fire. Ice & Fire.

Not Fire & Ice, as I always seem to think is the case. Alas.

Anyway. I've finally finished Clash of Kings. So it's time for a review, eh?

Let me start with a fun little story. I was just at annual work trip that I've been going to for years. But two years ago I went and had my interview and got my current job. And at that trip, I was reading Game of Thrones. (Review: it's frickin' awesome). So just a week ago, I was back at the same hotel for the same event...and only just started book two! Are you kidding me? The series has been out for more than a decade. There is no excuse for this! But there you go. Two years. Two books. I hope to finish three a little faster, within the next year. Geez.

Even though my pace in this book was dismal and after reading about 40% through on an old E-reader, I had to give up, wait two years and try again, I'm so very glad that I finished it. I still love Martin's writing style, which results in massive books that, even in paperback, are carried as a badge of honor for achievements in mental and physical prowess. Just sayin'.

I don't want to bore you with a summary, so I'm wondering what else is worth mentioning... For one, all the characters are amazing and their development beyond compare with any other series I've ever read. They all just seem so real. No one is pure evil or good. It's all a mish-mash of morals. You get halfway through this book, and you'll be like..."what, did I just cheer for a jerk??" (I'm looking at you, Theon.) or "was Sansa really that clever? who knew?!"

This book almost brought me to tears, a rare feat. The story was paced really well, and it didn't seem to have any characters whose chapters I wanted to avoid (unlike in Games). I may have stopped reading every day once I got to a Bran chapter, but I still picked it up the next day and kept on truckin'. Boo-yah! And before you know it, even his story got a lot better! ...My favorite was probably Jon Snow. I know Tyrion and Arya are both badass, but Jon chapters were always a nice respite from the political drama. I'm sorry but I can only learn so many Lords and Sers.

Also, I think the 'smut' was a lot less frequent in this book than Games (and definitely a lot less than any episode on HBO. Ugh.). So, honestly, that was a nice change.

Overall, I definitely recommend this series. And this book in particular (so far). I'm totally excited to read the next one (already have it started!). I know a lot of people have been telling me that three is a lot better than two, since it's "got more action". But I think two was awesome. So now I have no idea what to expect...Although I love that three just jumps in right in the middle of the end of two (if that makes any sense at all, without mentioning events).

In case you have seen the show, or read the books, and haven't seen these pics floating around the internet (particularly HERE). A few of my favorites:




Winter is coming!

-BeetHats

STILL Dead

Apparently Fridays are for pictures!

I'm reading A Clash of Kings right now, and I found this super hilarious photo:



And because cats are still awesome, even when they're evil:


(not my drawing at all, by the way. here is a pseudo-source for you: link)

Have a very merry weekend!

-BeetHats

Sheldon Cooper is on My List

Let's be honest, this commentary was going to be inevitable; even if I have only just started to really watch the Big Bang Theory...

My initial stance: intrigue. At the time when it really started to gain popularity, I was in the middle of getting my Bachelor's degree in Philosophy. Apparently some of the field's "catch-phrases" were being used as punchlines. So many friends, family and professors brought this show to my attention, often in the form of, "this Sheldon guy sounds just like you!" (or from my professors-- "...sounds just like US!" followed by a happy dance and an awkward attempt at a high five.)

Then I watched the show...And thus began, which I know now to be (thanks to BBT) as Schrodinger's Friendship (see: Big Bang Theory Wiki). In this case- I simultaneously like and dislike The Big Bang Theory (and even more specifically, Sheldon Cooper).

After my introduction to the show's existence, I just had to see it for myself. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I couldn't find the humor using philosophical or scientific terminology as a punchline, when it's being used in (usually) a correct way. This is just how people talk, right? (Although in this case people = geeks, I suppose. But those are my people anyway). Sure, I should be relieved that they were using it correctly, but that doesn't mean it's funny. It's just dialogue at that point, and I couldn't understand why it was always being followed by a laugh track. Are they laughing with them or at them?

Also, Sheldon is a kind of a jerk. Not a villain, but definitely disturbed (I don't care if his mother had him tested!) He's rude, stubborn, arrogant, and rude again. Who cares how brilliant his character is supposed to be; I'm pretty sure a comparison is not a compliment. (Thanks a lot friends and family...although in a moment of fairness, anyone who knows me personally may be justified at times in making said comparison. Except my mortal enemies.) So why would I want to watch a show where the alpha-geek is such a jerkish and unlikeable character? Sheldon Cooper, you are on my list!

Plus, the show's growing popularity has seemingly created, or enhanced, a sub-culture of geek wanna-be's (I wanted to call them "wanna-be-geeks", but then it turned into "wannabeeks".) Geek culture has now become mish-mashed within pop-culture. Generally speaking, geekery's trademark is not being cool (and if I may say so, not caring if one is cool). And there hasn't really been any desire from outsiders to imitate. But now that being a geek has become a trend, thanks to shows like Big Bang Theory, it's created a horde of wanna-be's. There are now people who have fake interests in our hobbies and pursuits. They laugh every time Wil Wheaton is on an episode, but they wouldn't watch an episode of Star Trek (any generation!) if you paid them...well, maybe if you paid them. It's become very frustrating to try to talk to someone about geek interests, when their interests are so insincere...Or conversely, they will only like something because Sheldon and his gang like something, but would never even considered it otherwise (no matter how many times you may have recommended it before).

Simultaneously, and as I've watched more episodes, I've started to actually appreciate how relate-able the show can be at times. I'm not a scientist by any stretch, and I've given up on staying in academia, but I am drawn to the show for it's smart dialogue and witty banter. Sometimes it really can be funny; e.g., Schrodinger's Friendship is pretty darn hilarious, I think. Plus, watching them play D&D or shop for comic books is kind of awesome. I remember how awesome it was on How I Met Your Mother when Ted confessed to meeting his then-girlfriend on World of Warcraft. So to it's credit, Big Bang Theory is like that just all the time...

And I've decided that it's laughing both with and at them. And sometimes it's even at ourselves. But that's okay. It means we aren't taking ourselves too seriously, which means we are on track to avoid becoming even more like Sheldon than we all probably are.

And that's another thing. Sheldon is kind of a intellectual badass. I haven't figured out why yet specifically. But I suspect it's because he 100% reflects the notion that a geek doesn't care if they are cool are not, or popular or not. He just is geek for the love of geek. And a balance of smarts and smart-ass. Could it be that perhaps I've become envious of my mortal enemy for attaining a level of geek-awesome that I can only hope to achieve? Probably. Dammit.

Lastly, I do have to give major props to the writers and actors of Big Bang Theory for bridging the gap between geek culture and pop culture so successfully. I mean, not many shows have had such a widespread audience that includes both geeks and non-geeks alike; they seem to have mastered their formula by incorporating Kaley Cuoco's character, Penny, and showing that we really can all get along. Most of the time. So there is no denying that the lines have been blurred; especially with the mass appeal of comic book heroes' movies, and other similar shows like the IT Crowd. And the wannabeeks? I suppose it's not so bad to have people want to be a part of what makes us so awesome, you know? And if it does result in someone actually learning to appreciate our hobbies and interests and pursuits then it's not so bad. The more the merrier, right?

Geek out-

BeetHats

Happy Friday.

Grumpy geek is grumpy.

Partly because I had thought of a great lil' post last night, but forgot it when I woke up this morning. I've got nothing. Except I remember something about being grateful that Pinterest is not Pin-tryst... I don't even know what that's about though. Even if it is a fun play on words.

So with nothing left to even closely compare to my awesome Alfred impersonation from earlier (which still makes me laugh by the way), I'ma use cats for cheap laughs:

Hopefully by next time I'll be more like this instead:



Happy Friday,

-BeetHats

Go Semi-Sedentary!

I was wrong. Calling the work day an 'instance' does not make it more adventuresome...I love my job, but still. Not a video game. Or D&D session. And I'm pretty sure my office-mate would be bothered if I wore a snazzy helm all day.

In other news, this geek is going to workout! After my cheer for my new years resolution of more geekiness,  I apparently muttered something to the effect of "...and get in better shape." *Sigh* I will definitely be calling my workouts 'quests', for the record. And hope that a chocolate-y snack is my reward (doubtful).

So, in the spirit of resolutions and a new year, here are my suggestions if you too are a geek looking to work out a bit this year as well:

Go crazy-action-super-star with it. Let me be very clear- lifting weights is boring. And I couldn't do a push-up if my life depended on it. Like, if I was Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins when Wayne Manor was on fire, and the giant log/beam thing was laying on top of me, and Alfred was all "hey, watcha do all 'em push-ups for if you can't lift this?" ...I would have died.

So what do I mean? Well, I've found that instead of doing a decent job at lifting weights (small, very light weights), it's much more enjoyable to do a kick-boxing workout without any weights. I'm not saying go and jump into something like P90-X. But find an all-around full-body work out that may or may not include weights. And then if includes weights, do it without them. I found RushFit- which is pretty much a Taebo type thing without Billy Blanks yelling at me to 'bend my knees'. So it's pretty much cardio and kickboxing.

And I suck at it. Hardcore. I'm sure I look ridiculous and am only burning half the calories I'm supposed to. BUT, I don't care. I just imagine I'm some crazy chick version of Chuck Norris. Plus, I'm moving around and being way more active than the crazy couch-potato version of me on a Tuesday. So that's got to count for something right??? I think so.

Alternatively, go semi-sedentary. If you don't want to jump around your living room or at all, then I suggest that you don't. Because you won't. Also, there is another way! I've discovered Spinning, and Rowing. Apparently, these are both really good sources of cardio, which is a good thing for people like me whose 'instance' includes sitting at a desk all day. Spinning is just indoor biking and helps build your leg muscles. And rowing is...rowing, but its great for your core and back. And here is the very best part! Although these workouts may not make you feel like an action star, they are workouts you can do while watching action stars! Boo-yah!

Seriously. I love the reviews for the recumbant spinning bikes, because they are often a dude that's like "I lost a mega-ton of weight on this thing, while playing video games..." What?! That's like the definition of win-win. I can now sit on my butt after work watching an episode (or two...or three) of Doctor Who...but it's good for me (and not just for my soul!)?? Sign me up. NOW.

So, that's my thoughts on that. I suppose I should say that you should talk to your doctor before you start any workout regimen...I didn't. But I don't know you! So, maybe you should do that first...Damn it Jim, I'm a blogger, not a Doctor...ha.

Wish me luck!

-BeetHats

World of Warcraft (now with less war, more craft!)

I spent most of yesterday playing World of Warcraft, for the first time in a few months. This was awesome. I even played enough that my fiance decided he wanted to revive his account. This was equally awesome.

But then I realized I had been playing on his laptop. Bummer.

So here I am, back on my own computer waiting for the latest patches to install, and I thought I would say hello again. Really get in the habit of updating this thing, you know? ...Also, I had a thought that I figured was worth sharing...

WHY IS WOW SO ADDICTIVE????
The most of yesterday that I spent playing- I didn't even do anything worthwhile! I spent half my time queuing for dungeons, and the other half roaming around trying to find rough leather because I didn't want to buy it in the auction house and I was super behind on my leather-working... are you kidding me? We're talking hours. HOURS. I only took breaks to work on laundry, so I could pretend to be equally productive in real life. And yet, it was a totally satisfying afternoon. Let's be honest, dungeon loot is way better than laundry loot- it never drops money for me since I never carry cash; and instead, all I found were the remnants of a pair of earrings that I had borrowed from my mother and apparently tucked away in a pocket for the dryer to destroy. Not nearly as fun...

So why? I really think it's just because it isn't real. I think that's the simplest explanation for why it's so enjoyable. You die? Meh, go find your body and hope you don't get ganked again. You tight on coin? No worries, sell a bunch of random stuff you don't need but always seem to have. Plus, you never have to clean, and the 'chores' are brilliantly called quests, so that it's an adventure to even go find some stupid carp thing that even the local fisherman is too lazy to go retrieve (and it's like, his job!).

Maybe this can give us clues as to making real life for "addictive"- perhaps I should start calling all my real chores 'quests' and going to work as an 'instance'. It just might be the trick...

Anywho, patch is loaded. I'm out of here!

-BeetHats