Geek Holiday: Christmas Movies

Ok, so usually I post on Sunday, but I felt that this next post really needed to wait until December, so I put it off a day.  I'm going to kick start this month by talking about Christmas movies.

I like to start the season with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  It's been a long time tradition in my family to watch it after over indulging on turkey.  With all the holiday 'what can go wrong' cliches (on steroids of course) that you can think of, it makes for some truly relate-able humor.  I don't get tired of watching this one every year.

Another yearly favorite is A Christmas Story.  Ralphy's struggle to make it through the holidays, with a quest to get the grail of presents, it truly is a classic.

And my absolute favorite to watch every year are the Home Alone movies (the first two of course).  These usually get multiple watches, a few of which are usually just through the climatic criminal smack down.  I don't know what it is, but I can't get enough of Kevin's triumphs.

I love many other holiday movies, from Scrooged to Jingle All the Way, but let's talk about the one movie that never makes a favorite list ...

The Star Wars Holiday Special.

<waits for gasps of revulsion to quiet>  I know, I know, but hear me out.

Now I had heard about this....gem quite some time ago, but never gave it any additional thought since every reference to it I heard was rather derogatory.  However, it truly came onto my radar last year while binge watching Nostalgia Critic Christmas movie editions.  Nostalgia Critic is hilarious, by the way.

Anyways, my initial thought was, "Oh, it has all the original cast, how bad could it have been?"  and decided to give it a shot. That was the last optimistic thought I had.  For all that I love Star Wars, this was cringe inducing.

However, I think it's worth...well, maybe not full on watching, but having on in the background (maybe while decorating your tree) at least once.  Kind of like one of those things you do just to be able to say you did it.  If you can't stand to watch it in its entirety, do give Youtube a visit and check out the Nostalgia Critic's abbreviated version.  His commentary is not only funny, but gives you the company that the miserable love.

Now to make a cup of tea and try to find my voice.  Have fun!

Celebrity Nerd: Weird Al

So first, I was bad and did not post last week.  I had been sick, and was not feeling particularly inspired to do anything more than sleep.  However, all that sleeping paid off, and I'm feeling better than I have in a long time.  This is good what with Black Friday looming large in the all too near future.  But on the bright side, TURKEY!  Yay.

Anyways, recently I was bopping around on Youtube, and like most people who have a clicking problem, eventually wound up on random things not related at all to what I was first looking at.  I ended up listening to song after song by Weird Al Yankovic.  I listened to old favorites, and some of his newer stuff that I had never seen before.

I first started listening to him back in middle school.  I was in a drama class, and we had to form groups and do a lip sync to a song of our choosing.  I suppose in retrospect, Weird Al was the inevitable choice for my group given who was in it.  Anyways, we stuffed pillows into over sized shirts and preformed to 'Fat'.  I was hooked after that, and since it was still the days when CDs were a thing, I went out and bought 'The Food Album'.  I still can't listen to any of the original songs they parody without thinking the Weird Al lyrics.

While browsing his rather extensive collection, I realized that there were quite a few awesome nerd/geek songs.  I thought it might be fun to compose a list of my favorite five.

5.  Yoda



The title is pretty self explanatory, but 'Yoda' is a song about the famous little green guy himself, set to 'Lola' by The Kinks.

4.  FOIL



This is one of my more recent discoveries, and I love it.  'FOIL' starts out referring to its typical use for food storage, so at first I thought it was another food song.  It takes an interesting twist though, and I think it fits in a nerd song list quite nicely.  'FOIL' is set to 'Royals' by Lorde.

3.  Word Crimes



'Word Crimes' is the perfect anthem for all the grammar Nazi nerds out there.  Weird Al gives the masses a schooling on the English language.  It is equal parts education and hilarity, and it automatically became one of my favorites before the song even halfway through.  'Word Crimes' is set to 'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke.

2.  The Saga Begins



A long time favorite of mine, 'The Saga Begins' is essentially a breakdown of Star Wars Episode I.  Set to Don McLean's 'American Pie', Weird Al, as Obi-Wan, takes us through the tale of young Anakin.  I know this is the second Star Wars reference on this list, but lets face it, Star Wars is definitely high up on the list of geek/nerd royalty.

I almost put 'The Saga Begins' at number one, but I felt that since this is specifically a list of nerd songs, that the number one slot belonged to another favorite of mine...

1. White & Nerdy



Cram packed with nerd and geek references, 'White & Nerdy' tops my list of Weird Al's nerd themed songs.  I think this song is a hilarious super stereotype of all the varying nerd-isms out there and worthy of the top slot on my list.  I think it's only made all the more humorous by being set to 'Ridin' by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone.

Weird Al, I want to thank you for your work.  You've been celebrating the joys of nerdiness long before it was cool, and I salute you.  So everyone, have a listen, and don't be afraid to take joy in the things you love.  Now if you'll excuse me, I feel a song coming on...

Geeks' Day Out

Hello, hello!  It's been a great weekend in this geek's household.  My husband and I both had the weekend off this time around.  We stayed up a little later than usual, slept in much later than usual, and simply relaxed.

We've been watching Fairy Tail, and have finally just about caught up to where we were the last time we were watching it.  It had been a while, so we decided to start over.  I've also been working on my story.  I wrote about 1,400 words last night, and hope to write a little more later today.

But loafing around the house hasn't been the only thing I've done this weekend.  My husband and I went on a little date today.  We started out at the library, where I found myself split between great luck and bad luck.

The good luck?  I'm about to finish the fourth Odd Thomas book, Odd Hours, and was hoping to snag the next one.  There were only two of the Odd novels on the shelf, and they happened to be the two I needed.

The bad luck?  The library was working on some reorganization.  Definitely a necessary task, and I am glad to see any house of books working on its contents.  However, I must say I was disappointed when I went to my favorite spot to look for potential reads and saw this...

The spinner of Science Fiction/Fantasy books was being redone, and all of the books had been pulled.  Being my go to section, it did cut my visit a little short, but I had what I wanted in hand, so I count the stop an overall success.

The next part of our outing was a stop at Best Buy.  My husband had received a mystery coupon, so we went to find out its worth, and then pick out loot based on the value.  Sadly, I have nothing of excitement to put here.  It was the minimum five dollar coupon, and being in need of some canned air, that's what we got.

The final part of our date was dinner and a movie.  Our budget friendly version cost less than ten bucks.  I had been craving a slice of Costco pizza for something like a month.  For anyone who hasn't been, they have the super giant single slices (much like Sam's does).  We grabbed a couple slices and a soda, and filled up.  With my craving quieted, we headed to the dollar theater.

I know a lot of people who want to turn up their nose at dollar theaters, but the one near us is actually quite nice.  I'm not a huge movie goer, and usually reserve those outings for movies I'm super excited about.  Most others I wait for Red-box or Netflix to get.  However, my husband comes from a family that regularly went to the movies, and likes to indulge a little more often than I do.  For those occasions, we usually hit up the dollar theater.  We decided to go see Maleficent.  It had looked interesting, but I wasn't convinced I wanted to shell out the cash to see it in theater.  It was pretty good, and I would probably even watch it again, but I'm still glad I waited to see it on the cheap.

Now we're home again and settled in for an evening of more loafing.  And probably Mac n' Cheese.  Mmm...now if you'll excuse me...

Hope everyone has a good week!

Halloween Madness

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween.  I know I did.  My brother came up to visit with his girlfriend, so we dressed up and went out for a night of drinking, dancing, and general merriment.

The club we went to was packed.  I have largely gotten over my intense dislike of crowds, but despite the fun I was having, I had to step out a couple times for some air.  I ran back in once I heard Thriller playing though.

Figuring out my costume was an issue this year.  Many costume elements from the past couple year are too big for me now.  And deciding on something new to do took a good bit of debating.  I decided to reuse what I could to be an assassin.  Pretty easy to dress in black, grab a cape, and be done with it.  However, I really wanted to add some sort of bodice to it, so I rummaged through my craft stuff and Pinterest boards.

I found a basic technique for making patterns, and several large sheets of black craft felt.  I went to work.  I didn't really document the creation process largely because it was entirely experimental.  I've actually never attempted any type of armor construction before.  There were mistakes, alterations, and plenty of experience gained.

This is the visual guide I used to create the basis of my pattern.  Using the tape technique, I made some cuts and came up with this.

I traced the pattern and its reverse onto the craft felt, cut it out, and stitched back up the cut lines created.  I then attached a bottom band, and added the side panels that would tie in the back.  That last bit was not as straight forward as I thought it would be, but I kept at it and got results that I was happy enough with.  

The fit ended up being pretty great, and all that it needed was some embellishment.  Seeing as I started this project two days out from Halloween, I kept it simple.

I felt happy enough with it to wear it out, and I thought it made a nice addition to my costume.

Like I said, lots of black, and tah-dah!  Semi-instant assassin.  I was ready to skulk through the night.

I will be the last thing you see before the light at the end of the tunnel...

It was pretty comfortable.  I'll admit the walk from the car to the club was a little chilly, but not horribly so.  If it had been colder, I could have easily worn a long sleeve shirt instead.  I did take the cape off though as it felt like a little much to dance in with how thick the crowds were.

A good night all around.  Now, off to eat some of that left over candy...

Naps and Novels

This last week was ridiculously exhausting.  The last entry existed because I had the foresight to write it ahead of time.  Today, however, I have merely this fill in for you.

This weekend was spent attempting to recover from the week.  In retail, the holiday set up is a huge event, and being the leader of its execution this year, I found myself ready to drop before my week had actually ended.  What time was not spent in a prone position was largely spent cleaning in the anticipation of guests.  So unfortunately, I don’t have anything geeky today.

However, in an effort to flex my writing muscles, I did find a list of short story ideas on Pinterest.  I took a little time to write the first one.  It isn't quite long enough to be considered a story, but I like how it turned out.  I think I will post these mini scenes to a different blog as they are written.

Speaking of writing, National Novel Writing Month is quickly approaching, and to kick start my book, I think I want to try the challenge.  I don’t know that I’ll be quite as devoted as I’d like to be, but I think it’ll help me get into gear.  With this in mind, I’ll probably only geek out once a week in order to not get too sidetracked from my writing goals.

Anyways, despite all the holiday fuss that seems to be taking over everywhere, I’m stoked for Halloween.  I finally decided on a costume, plans have been made, and I am determined to not open this second bag of candy until the end of the week.

Wish me luck on that one!

Geek Kicks: Keep Chucks Looking Good

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have a solid mental connection between Chucks the footwear, and Chuck the TV show.  I find both to be awesome, by the way.  *Spoiler*  Awesome or not, I’m still mad about the ending of the final season.  Is anyone else ready for them to make another season or maybe a movie?  I wanted to SEE the happy ending for them, not infer or imagine it…

*Ahem*

Now, I don’t know how much this post is about the ‘geek life’, but many of my geek friends are big fans of Chucks.  My husband would probably own a pair of Converse in every color if budget allowed.  I like to kick about in them myself.

It seems to me that the state of Chucks seems to be a split issue.  A good number of my friends rush out to get that ‘worn patina’ as soon as possible.  Me?  I hate dirty looking shoes in general, and dirty Chucks, what with all that white rubber, are no exception.

For those of you in the ‘keep ‘em new looking’ camp with me, you probably know that getting off the grime is not always easy.  You also know that cleaners that may affect the canvas and dye are also out.  I stumbled upon my favorite method when I was reluctant to use my last dish cleaning sponge on dirty shoes.  Instead, I grabbed one of my Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.

The results were amazing.  While not quite brand new looking, you wouldn’t have guessed that he had probably at one point scuffed about in a gravel lot trying to get them dirty.  I was thrilled.  My husband was just shy of horrified.

I warn my husband in advance now.  It gives him a chance to either mentally prepare, or hide them.  Actually, he still hasn’t tried that yet, which I take as cleaning consent.  The state of his Chucks probably wouldn’t bother me as much if he didn’t try to wear them out on our nicer dates…

Anyways, since it’s time for another cleaning, I thought I’d share the results with you.

Here they are before being cleaned…

And here are some comparison shots.

I simply wet the eraser with water and give it a bit of a scrub.  Presto, just like it claims, the marks are erased and the shoes are given a fresh start.

You could probably even get them a little cleaner if you put a little extra elbow grease into it.  My job has reduced my arms to noodly soreness though, so I stopped here.  I'd say I used up a little over half of my eraser, which is pretty good considering these had gotten pretty dirty this time around.

Until next time, all!

Bookworm: Odd Thomas

Books are magical.  It never ceases to amaze me how the written story of someone who does not exist can reach your heart more surely than the lifeless delivery of real news from the TV. 

I hadn't been reading much lately.  I had started a series that I’d been meaning to read for a long time and…well, I felt pretty disappointed about it.  So it got set aside, and instead of picking something else to read, I simply grabbed an old favorite to occupy me on my lunch breaks.

Then, as I previously mentioned, I started Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas.  I restricted my reading to my breaks, not feeling a need to rush given that I knew the plot from watching the movie.  But it was a long week this week, so upon getting home Friday, I got cozy on the couch with a cup of tea and my book.

For a quick summary, Odd Thomas is about a young man who has special gifts.  He sees the dead, and is compelled to help them.  When an stranger comes to his work accompanied by malevolent beings, Odd finds himself drawn to find out what about this man would attract such darkness.  With the aid of his gifts, he ends up trying to unravel a potential disaster before time runs out.

Back to what I was saying.  Left to my own devices, I will submerse myself so thoroughly into a book I lose track of time, place, and even hunger status.  And so, I finally finished Odd Thomas.  While it had taken me a ridiculously long time to read the first half of the book, the second half went by in a blur of pages and time.

Despite knowing what would transpire, I felt the anxiety of what was to come, the fringes of horror of imagery and events, and got choked up once again at the ending. 

Now let’s get something straight.  I. Do. Not. Do. Sad. Endings.  If I find that I have accidentally found myself in such a predicament, I will immediately follow up with the perkiest (movie, story, etc) possible.  But Dean Koontz manages to leave you with hope despite it all, and so I still felt peaceably about the conclusion.

I know many people who are very fond of Dean Koontz’s work, but this is actually only the second of his books I've read.  The first, years ago, was Watchers.  It was a little dark, intense, and with just enough horror that I felt pretty sure my scaredy cat self should not be reading it.  And yet I couldn't return it to my friend unfinished. 

But while I enjoyed it, I didn't ready any more of his works.  Like I said, I was…and mostly still am, uncomfortable with horror.  I didn't want to risk another reason to be scared of the dark.  It wasn't until my brother started reading some of his work after I started college that he even became a blip on my radar again.

Now I think I’ll be reading his books with more interest.  I've already breezed through Forever Odd, and Brother Odd tempts me from the couch as I write this.  Koontz knows how to write with the perfect level of detail, and keeps an excellent balance of humor and intensity.  I highly recommend this particular series to anyone who enjoys stories of the supernatural suspense variety.

Now as I mentioned, the pages call.  Until next time!