Doctor Who

I've kind of been avoiding talking about Doctor Who because I know how rabid I can get about this show and I'm such a fangirl, that I sometimes forget that there are people in the world who haven't seen this show or have seen it and don't like it. Actually no, I don't think there are any people who have experienced this show in such a way as to understand what its about and have not enjoyed this show. I find myself getting very judgey of people who will not give the show a chance or who brush the show off as "stupid." One of the things that makes Doctor Who is charming is that you can tell that when they started, they had a very low budget and they still made magic with trash bag monsters and and Daleks with plungers and wire wisks.

Doctor Who, for those of you who have managed to avoid BBC American and any number of rabid fans (because those are the only kinds of fans The Doctor has.), is the longest running show in TV history. This year, the show will be celebrating 50 years on air! The Doctor (no, Doctor Who is not his name. Only River knows his name) is a Time Lord, the last of his kind, from a far away galaxy who thinks humans are just the neatest things and he spends most of his time with a a human companion touring through time and space saving the world. Okay, not just our world, all of the worlds!

The Doctor, being a Time Lord, has the ability to regenerate into a new body when the old one dies. This is probably the smartest thing the TV creators could have woven into the mythology of the show. This allows an actor to only play they role of The Doctor for as long as he wants to and the show never gets into a rut and is always fresh. Each actor has his own interpretation of who The Doctor should be and how he will react to situations. Some Doctors are silly, some are serious and tortured. The Doctor is more than 900 years old and he's always learning about himself.

My first Doctor was David Tennant. I loved how he solved problems with his brain instead of weapons. He wanted to help everyone and make everyone OK even if that person wasn't supposed to be at the end of the day. I fell in love with the idea that there was someone watching out for all of humanity and for the innocent lifeforms on other planets. I'd like to think that whenever something good happened in history, The Doctor was there helping and chasing away the baddies.

If I ever have children, I will not be teaching them about any of religious deities, the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. I will be teaching them about The Doctor. The Doctor is the one who is watching over them at night and chasing the monsters out of the closet.

I was away from The Doctor for a few years while I was in college but when I graduated, I found myself living in a house with satellite tv and BBC America and a man who had never seen a single episode of Doctor Who. There were many, many evenings when he would come home from work and I would be on the couch, hiding behind a pillow from a statue of an angel. He didn't get it. He thought it looked stupid and didn't understand why I was so enthralled by the hokey special effects.

Between Matt Smith's first and second season, I convinced Chris that he really would like the show and should give it a chance. Luckily before the new season, there were several "Best of" and "Behind" shows talking about the mythology and the history of the show and lo and behold, he was converted. He and I have now watched every single episode since the reboot and our nerddom is scattered all over the house. There is Amy Pond art on the walls, I've made Chris a 4th Doctor scarf and we currently have three sonic screwdrivers.
Everyone needs to have someone or something to believe in. I believe in The Doctor.

Movie Review: Red Tails

This movie is going to do really well and that is a shame. It is amazing how Hollywood powerhouses can take such a fascinating story and make such a flat, lifeless movie. Yes, the aerial fight scenes were very pretty but there was no meat in this stew. All of the crashes and fights were Disneyafied, the love story was trite and shallow, the characters weren't developed, the directors followed the wrong stories and made things up even though the actual, real story is fascinating!

The story that the press likes to tell is that mainstream Hollywood wouldn't touch this movie so the director and producers made it on their own. Sounds so brave, doesn't it? I think Big Hollywood had the right idea staying away from this movie. I'm going to guess the conversation went something like, "We want to tell this story but not with this movie."

I admit I didn't go into this movie with a whole lot of expectations. Chris saw the made-for-TV movie some years ago and he was super psyched about this film. When the credits rolled, he turned to me and said, "I'm sorry I made you watch that." I smiled and said, "Well at least you enjoyed it, right?" "Nope." And then he used words like, "Disappointing," and "Disgraceful" and really, I didn't have the heart to make him feel any worse by adding much of my input.

The one redeeming quality this movie has is the same redeeming quality all movies set in WWII have: costumes. Hooray for the costumes!

So don't waste your money. I honestly don't see a movie worth getting excited about coming out until May 4th.

Hot Nerd Friday: Nathan Fillion

So many of my day dreams begin with the sentence "Oh, Captain Reynolds, your gun is so.... BIG!" Nathan Fillion is a sexy, sexy man. He's also a glorious nerd who doesn't take himself too seriously.

I could listen to him talk all day... I could watch him point guns at people for just as long.

So happy Friday everyone. It has been a rough week but now it is over!

Roll a D6

A little musical entertainment for this rainy Friday.

This makes me sooooo happy! I wanna join a new campaign (ever at risk of critical mockery at home) or at least play some Munchkin.

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

I saw this film on New Year's weekend in one of the smaller viewing rooms in the crappy movie theater about two miles from my house. Behind me on the right was an old lady who kept asking, "What's going on?" and "What did he just say?" throughout the entire movie... even after we got the volume turned up. Behind me on the right was a group of stoned dudes who kept saying things like, "Oooooooh, no way man!" and such phrases a bit too loudly also throughout the entire movie. This reinforced the idea that we hate this particular theater and we wished we hadn't been too lazy to drive to the one twenty minutes away.

That all being said, I enjoyed this movie. I like the first film better but in no way is this a bad movie. My boyfriend liked this one better because it was more action and less about the brain-work and methods that Holmes uses in order to solve mysteries. I rather like watching the genius process. I mean, I'm all for a movie with a good fight scene but isn't flexing a mighty brain so much sexier?

I was very sad to see Rachel McAdams' character go but honestly, I couldn't tell you if I liked watching her or if I liked watching the parade of beautiful, extremely form-flattering outfits she paraded around in. I guess that doesn't really matter though.

Moriarty is a superb villain. It is so incredibly delightful to watch an intelligent villain who is as calculated and thoughtful as Moriarty. Watching between he and Holmes made me happy down deep in the farthest reaches of my Hippocampus.

By all means, see this movie but try not to be disappointed when the big, beautiful brain inside Holmes and Watson's equally beautiful heads send most of their time telling the legs of their humans to run and shoot guns.

Review: Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol

This movie left me with a lot of questions.

Question One: Why have I never seen any of these movies before?

Question Two: Can we go rent the other three movies?

Question Three: Are the others movies this fun?

Question Four: Why didn't anyone tell me?

Question Five: Why don't girls like these?

I really enjoyed this movie but I have nothing to compare it to. This is the first Mission Impossible movie I have seen and it really did make me want to go find and watch the other movies. Now, let's take into account the fact that it has been about two weeks since I saw this movie and I have yet to actually watch any of the other movies. I'll get to it... I got hooked on something else.

Loads of fun, great action movie, I adore Simon Pegg. It isn't too much of a thinker but it is an absolutely great action film.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Felicia Day

If Felicia Day and I had a relationship status on Facebook, we would be "It's Complicated." (And that has nothing to do with Felicia Day being in a lesbian relationship with a chick she doesn't know.) There are so many reasons why I should adore Felicia Day but for some reasons, for all those same reasons I hate her. She is the queen of the internet. She is the woman who will get primo access at gaming conventions and then gets excited because you can pick flowers in Skyrim. She has been the girl Joss Whedon fridged, she's started her own online empire with The Guild (please let me date your avatar...) and she has made it cool to be a nerd and a girl AT THE SAME TIME!

I am utterly frustrated by her. How did she get so awesome? Why can't I be that awesome? How come she gets to do all these awesome things AND be a hot red head.

Okay fine, I'll admit it! I'm jealous of Felicia Day. When I grow up, I want to be her! I want her to come in from the future to my first grade class on career day and tell me that her empire and my dreams are a possibility! I want her to tell me that not only will nerds rule the world one day but they will include girl nerds! Yes, she is the person I would choose to switch lives with for the day even if it was a day she wasn't doing anything particularly special.

Gorramit woman, you're making the rest of us look bad!

The Joy of Podcast or How Chris Hardwick Saved Christmas

I have always been a big fan of Podcasts. The idea that I could get something free, legal and unique from the internet just seems novel to me so I have done all I can to support the medium short of giving them money because well, I started listening to them when I was in college and then I graduated into the recession... Anyway! Podcasts are awesome!

When I first started listening to Podcasts I didn't like the "talking" ones. I didn't want people to tell me about stuff or try to be radio djs, I just wanted them to play me cool music I had never heard before. The things I listened to were a very odd combination of classical styled Celtic music and Industrial dance music. Yes, I know. My brain has always been this broken. The Podcasts were a great way for me to find music I was discovering I liked but had no idea how to get unless I was in a club or someone played something for me.

But then, two years ago something terrible happened. Through some act of black magic, iTunes ate my entire library and very shortly after the screen on my iPod broke. I was left with cds and the radio. This is when I started liking NPR. My ex-boyfriend Jonathan (of Dr. Horrible fame) listened to a lot of talk radio and I didn't really understand why at the time. This reasoning was that music format stations have a finite number of songs they play (especially classic rock stations) and after a certain point, you have heard all of them. Talk radio gave you variety in your listening possibilities and while the content may not always be educational, in the very least it would always be new and different.

I felt very weird the day I made my local NPR station (KHSU!) a preset on my car radio. Somehow that made me feel older than getting excited about pots and pans or my sudden desire to learn to bake pies. Somehow actively wanting to listen to NPR made me feel old. Luckily, I got over this fairly quickly when they started having authors and actors I liked on as guests and I started discovering weird new music thanks to them. Talk radio was no longer a dirty word. I had made my peace with being talked at by intelligent people... in the very least, entertaining people.

When I finally got the job I have now (after more than a year of hunting, one good part-time job and two awful jobs) I was overjoyed that I would be allowed to listen to music and things while I worked because the job I have is mostly solitary. But even with 800 songs in rotation, I found myself getting bored pretty quickly and this is when I became reunited with the wonderful world of Podcasts. I had heard about a Podcast where a guy gets really nerdy guests on and asks these nerd heroes all the things that I wished I could ask them so I sought that out. Actually, I kind of just typed "nerd" and "geek" into the search bar on iTunes and started clicking things at random.

It turns out I'm really picky about what Podcasts I'll listen to. Not only does the host have to be entertaining and somewhat intelligent but the sound quality has to be good. I need it to sound like the person putting out the cast is doing more than talking into a standard computer microphone for an hour and then hitting "upload." Effort! I need to hear the effort!

It turns out that pretty much all but three of the Podcasts I ended up listening to are all from Nerdist Industries. They seem to have the highest quality audio and seem to care most about their finished project.

Let's fast forward to about the beginning of December when I start pestering my darling, Chris to fix my iPod like he said he would when it initially broke. (I got a new iPod and it was filled with my dad's hair metal and my mom's music for her kindergarten class.) He made faces at me like he always did and I assumed it wouldn't happen. "Podcasts! I want Podcasts for the road! You have no idea how much easier they will make the drive!" I don't think he believed me.

Surprise of surprises! The night we left for our tour of Southern California (seven Christmases in five days!) Chris and I had our own Christmas. There were lots of really nerdy gifts exchanged but the cherry on the top of my cake was that Chris had restored all of my music onto my new laptop and had then put it all on my iPod! And there were Podcasts!!! I just about died.

The Podcasts were a lifesaver. I ended up getting really sick on that trip and was unable to talk. So for 1480 miles, Chris Hardwick and a wide array of guests entertained us and made us smile so much our faces started to hurt a bit. He was hooked. Suddenly, any trip that was more than an hour required a Podcast. Chris started getting sad when I would listen to new episodes without him (even though I started listening to them to stay sane at work!) and Chris preached the good word Podcast to anyone who was (un)fortunate enough to be stuck in the car with us.

Yes, they are a great thing. I have gotten reports of two-day Zelda and Nerdist marathons after a brief encounter with the Nerdist podcast featuring Penn Gillette. I feel like a pusher in the best way possible. I want to get everyone hooked on these Podcasts because I don't want to be the only person at work with headphones on giggling like a crazy person in an almost silent office!

Here are some Podcasts I recommend:

- Nerdist
- The Todd Glass Show
- The Thrilling Adventure Hour
- Geek Friday (Though they haven't updated since Thanksgiving which worries me.)
- Irish and Celtic Music Podcast
- The Questionauts
- Big Pop Fun with Tom Wilson
- Mike and Tom Eat Snacks
- Geek Moms (Yes, even if you aren't a mom)
- The Nerdy Show

Nerd Love

(I would call it "Geek Love," but I read a book called that once and I was sorely disappointed when it was about a guy who eats glass knocking up a girl with a hunchback. Somehow, I didn't believe the back cover when I read it in the bookstore and HAD to take the damned thing home.)

Nerd love is when you and your honey buy each other sonic screwdrivers for Christmas and you get each other different ones. Nerd love is when your Christmas tree has little tiny space ships, Harley Quinns, and Nerf darts all over it. Nerd love is say, "Sure I'll do that... in a Bizzarro Universe!" Nerd love is being told to roll for initiative...in bed. (Nerd love is also when my darling gets mad at me for calling him Dungeon Master.) Nerd love is when your honey understands why you are crying so hard when The Doctor leaves your favorite companion and comforts you. Nerd love is allowing your honey to draw faces on your appliances to make it look like the machine is puking iced tea.

It is my opinion that nerds are capable of a deeper love than normal people. We already have this amazing way to hyper-focus on the things we adore so directing this adoration toward a human (especially one that will have sex with you!) is a very natural transition. If that other person, by some miracle of fate, also has the nerd gene, the possibilities are endless. Plus, nerd weddings are the coolest things ever. I mean, what's better than a Han Solo an Slave Leia cake topper? Or costume weddings? I mean, weddings have been going on long enough that it is really refreshing to see people stray from the norms. So many endless possibilities! Who wouldn't want to wrap a Fourth Doctor scarf around a bride and groom and bind them together forever in space and time? That's about the most romantic thing I've ever heard.

I am so extremely fortunate to have been in nerdy relationships for the majority of my dating career (it sounds creepy to call it a career) and I feel so fortunate to have found the perfect captain for my spaceship called SS Life. (Oh, that was a terrible joke.) I feel so bad for people who never get to experience nerd love. I think it should be its own category. Hetero love, Homo love, Poly love, Nerd love. I would love to see a study of divorce rates between self-proclaimed nerds contrasted with non-nerds.

I don't know that this all really has a point.... I guess the point is that I'm happy. I've found my nerdy bliss with someone who wants to explore time and space just as badly as I do and hey, we make great travel partners.

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know it's January 6th but I've been both busy and exhausted. There will be a Hot Nerd Friday but it will probably happen tomorrow. I got a new laptop for Nerdmas (Oh, it was the nerdiest of Nerdmases) and all of my pictures are on my other computer.

Some of you will be proud to know that I am now a Mac user. I am currently typing on a shiny MacBook. Yes, it is fantastic. Shut up... I know. I didn't really see before that there were any problems with my old laptop. Sure, the speakers didn't work, the battery didn't hold a charge and I recently had to get it completely reformatted but it was my lappy! I got it when I went to college! Well, I graduated two years ago so I guess it was finally time to replace the old girl. My honey was super stoked to get me a Mac. I think he's been plotting this transition ever since he learned that I use Macs at work. Aren't we just a happy Mac family?

Anyhow, happy Nerd Year. More tomorrow!