Nerd

Podcast Recommendation List

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For the last year or so, I have been using my phone more and more for podcasts instead of music.  Listening to people talking – sharing stories or advice or jokes – makes time go by so much quicker for me.  I keep finding interesting podcasts to subscribe to, and I want to share the wealth (and maybe get some recommendations from you)!

avatars-000149024528-pgc8x8-t500x5001|  Dear Hank and John

I love the Vlogbrothers, and I’ve happily ingested their content on YouTube (and bought some Don’t Forget to be Awesome merchandise), but I only recently subscribed to their Comedy Podcast About Death.  They answer listeners’ questions with dubious advice, and the whole thing feels very lowkey educational and humorous.  I have listened to 17 episodes in the last three days, so.  Obviously I like it.

cover170x1702|  Overinvested

This is a newly created podcast by Gavia and Morgan, two geek girls who are great at dissecting fandoms with both intelligence and passion.  As of this writing, there are only eight episodes out, but since they cover topics like “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avatar,” “Black Panther,” and “Batman v Superman,” Continue reading →

Captain America: Civil War REVIEW

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This review is an emotional outpouring, so there will DEFINITELY be spoilers. If you want to go into Civil War with an empty mind, kindly wait to read this until after you go to the theater. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

#TeamCap

This movie was advertised as #TeamCap vs. #TeamIronMan, and from the beginning I knew which side I would be on. Even though Captain America was the world’s most boring superhero to me for much of Marvel’s first movies, he is now nearest and dearest to my heart. This is 100% because of CA: Winter Soldier, and in particular, the scene in which his rousing speech encourages Nameless Tech Guy to do The Right Thing despite having a gun to his head. His loyalty and optimism are MY JAM, and I will follow him to the end of the line.

The weird thing is, I don’t think the movie wants us to root for Iron Man. Tony Stark becomes increasingly paranoid and emotionally compromised throughout the film, and whatever good motives he had in the beginning quickly reveal themselves to be based in fear and anger. Plus it’s never a good sign when the people you’re aligning yourself with frequently refer to people as weapons (as the Secretary of State What’s His Name does about Scarlet Witch, the Hulk, AND Thor).  Gross.

Steve Rogers never forgets that people are people. I am in love with his ideology that commits to trusting in the best of people – even if he is let down by a person here or there (even to catastrophic results), he refuses to give up on believing that people are capable of change and of good. OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN.

The friend I went with is #TeamIronMan, and she joked that I was only on Cap’s side because he is hot. This is a ridiculous accusation, because absolutely everyone in this movie is hot, which brings me to…

Hot People!   Continue reading →

BEFORE Captain America: Civil War

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My priorities are 100% out of order.  For the last four months, one of my primary worries has been:  WHO WILL WATCH CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR WITH ME???  I am not exaggerating when I say that every time I meet a potential friend, I steer the conversation toward superheroes.  And every time, the answer is, “Marvel?  I think I’ve heard of…Iron Man?  But no, I don’t watch them.”

As May drew ever nearer, I resigned myself to watching the newest Marvel movie alone.  This is especially sad because Captain America: Winter Soldier is my FAVORITE Marvel movie so far.  I’m so excited for its sequel!  And okay, so my priorities aren’t SO weird.  Finding someone who could share in my excitement felt like finding a real friend.  For four months, I didn’t have someone with whom I could share this nerdiest side of myself.

Until Luciana!  My part-time coworker at HD loves video games, indie music, and superhero movies.  I AM THRILLED, and we are going to see CA: CW tonight!  In honor of the truly momentous occasion, I’m going to share my review of CA: WS, which is, if I say so myself, a masterpiece of fandom.

*FLASHBACK*

Captain-America-The-Winter-Soldier-PosterI have a new obsession, and it is Captain America: Winter Soldier.  This is surprising, because his first movie is my least favorite in the Marvel universe, and he was by far the least interesting Avenger in The Avengers.  I went to see his newest movie out of brand loyalty, but I went to see it a second time because I fell in love.  This film covers all of my interests, creating a perfect storm of a story that draws me back again and again (and again?).

Hot People   Continue reading →

Game Rec: The Beginner’s Guide

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The Beginner’s Guide is a uniquely simple and emotional story-driven game about depression, anxiety, and the diseases of external validation and the impulse to “fix.”

Created By:  Davey Wreden
Initial release date: October 1, 2015
Platforms: Linux, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS
Time to Complete:  about 1.5 hours
Cost:  $9.99

What begins as a game that traps you inside the twin feelings of depression and anxiety, inviting you to empathy and concern, ends with the realization that perhaps these emotions do not need to be fixed.  In the fictional world of The Beginner’s Guide, “Coda” invites “Davey” to play his impossible games – prisons without exits, mazes without solutions, codes that cannot be broken.  Davey keeps offering us solutions where none exist, and the twist that sets this game apart is his eventually realization that this is wrong.  Coda is not sharing the games (his pain, his creativity, his soul) in order to be fixed.  Coda just wants Davey to share in these experiences alongside him.   Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About … Tom Hiddleston as James Bond

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with Elizabeth

I have used snippets of my Messenger conversations with Elizabeth twice now on my blog.  I am convinced that we are hilarious, pathetic, and witty, which are three of the things most necessary to creating a blog series.  Presented occasionally:  “Let’s Talk About…” with Elizabeth! 

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Elizabeth:  A reporter in DC is interviewing Tom Hiddleston on TV right now and it is not me.  Life is unfair.

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Tricia:  Whoa, there’s so much going on here!  First, obviously, how dare he dance with and/or touch anyone but you or me!?  But also, is he going to be the next James Bond???  I don’t know how I feel about that!
Elizabeth:  Yeah, there are rumors, apparently, but I’m not necessarily down with that.  Mostly because I want him to do comedy, but also because I’m not a huge James Bond fan.
Tricia:  The role just seems like everything he is not.  Whether he’s playing villains or heroes, he’s always very emotional, and that’s why I love him.  James Bond is always emotionless.
Elizabeth:  And a misogynist.  You can’t redeem Bond.
Tricia:  Unless he REMAKES James Bond. 

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Elizabeth:  Remember all the furor over “blond Bond” Daniel Craig?
I’m so glad we’ve moved into an era of acceptance where Bond can be a blond chiseled and sexy white guy instead of a brunette chiseled and sexy white guy.
Tricia:  I see your sarcasm, but I really liked Daniel Craig’s Bond.  HOWEVER, I feel it is important to say that although I want Tom Hiddleston to be in everything, I actually think Idris Elba is the best Bond choice.  We need some racial diversity while maintaining the Bulky Man Box aesthetic.
Elizabeth:  Idris Elba!   Continue reading →

Netflix Rec: What I Watched in March

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What's_Your_Number?_Poster

What’s Your Number?
2011
Rated R

Anna Faris and Chris Pratt are a celebrity dream couple (and their few scenes together in this movie are hilarious), but I’ve been largely unfamiliar with Faris’s movies.  I’m so glad I gave What’s Your Number? a try!  It’s relatable (am I too old to find someone? too slutty? too picky?) and genuinely affirming.  Instead of being a romantic comedy that preaches the misleading promise that you should find someone you “deserve” who will make you the Best You….it teaches a really heartwarming lesson that you should be with someone who loves you for who you are, weird art habits and impulsive trespassing included.  And if that person just so happens to be Chris Evans…?  So much the better!

BONUS:  Because Faris is going through her list of ex’s, we get some really phenomenal cameos with famous Hollywood hunks, like Zachary Quinto, Joel McHale, Anthony Mackie, Martin Freeman, Andy Samberg, and the aforementioned Chris Pratt.

Road_to_el_dorado_ver3

The Road to El Dorado  
2000
Rated PG Continue reading →

Tom Hiddleston Sings with Stephen Colbert

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I was going to post this in my Sunday Summary blog post, because that’s where it belongs. BUT there is nothing that is so exactly designed to suit my tastes as this video of Stephen Colbert gently coercing Tom Hiddleston to sing as a guest on his talk show, and I couldn’t wait to share it.

My dear friend Elizabeth, who knows me so well, messaged me about this video’s existence only hours after it was uploaded to YouTube.  She couldn’t watch it immediately because she was at “work,” but I convinced her to stop being productive and fangirl with me.

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This video is a gift to humanity, and although life can be bleak and confusing and traumatizing, there is also THIS:  Tom Hiddleston and Stephen Colbert singing old country gospel songs while grinning into each other’s faces.

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Colbert?  Hiddleston?  Are you listening??  PLEASE CATER TO MY WHIMS AND MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

LIVEBLOGGING: The Moon-Spinners

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When I was a kid, we had the VHS version of The Moon-Spinners that I absolutely loved.  I watched it multiple times, and when it was released on DVD I got it for nostalgia’s sake.  But I haven’t watched it yet!  I brought it with me to Greece (because it’s set here), and I had two very important questions I needed answered:

  1.  Is the guy still as hot as I remember?
  2. Is the cheetah still as awesome?

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  • Yuck, I hate how movies used to put loads of credits before the film without even a cool James Bond montage of psychedelic symbolism. 
  • Crete is on my destination wish list, but not the public transit there…in the 60s, at least. 50s?  70s?  I have no sense of the recent past. 
  • Hayley Mills is British? Huh, I didn’t remember that.

Fran:  I say, I wonder if you’d be so kind as to put that (dead fish swinging in her face) somewhere else?
Man: *stares uncomprehendingly*
Nikki:  THE FISH. COULD YOU PUT IT SOMEWHERE?  IT’S A BIT STRONG. COULD YOU PUT IT SOMEWHERE ELSE?
Man: *continues to stare uncomprehendingly*
Fran: I don’t know why one always thinks foreigners will understand English if one shouts.

Film and Television
No Merchandising. Editorial Use Only. No Book Cover Usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by REX/Moviestore Collection (1659596a) The Moon-spinners, Joan Greenwood, Hayley Mills Film and Television
  • I understand the Greek!! It’s like, the simplest words, but still!
  • Of course they enter town on donkeys while a fancy wedding is taking place. That has not been my experience…maybe I need to tour island villages until it happens. 
  • Telegram? Is this the 40s??? When did telegrams happen?
  • Musicologist? That sounds like a cool job, traveling around to find and record folk songs. 
  • You can tell they’re the female protagonists because instead of getting upset by some truly rude behavior, they put their hands to their foreheads and chuckle about it. 
  • “I bet the Englishman is super old and boring,” she says, not realizing he is a dreamboat. I HOPE HE’S AS MUCH OF A DREAMBOAT AS I REMEMBER. 
  • Those short shorts and THAT ACCENT as he vaguely threatens his stalker!  

Continue reading →

Lord of the Rings Tag

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When I saw that If We Shadows Have Offended posted this tag, I gasped out loud and immediately knew I had to do it here, since Lord of the Rings always reduces me to becoming a slavering fanatic.  Let’s go!

1. When did you first discover The Lord Of The Rings?

This is a little embarrassing for my nerd persona, but I read them in, like, 6th grade and only liked them.  I didn’t read them very thoroughly either, because I thought Aragorn wound up with Eowyn and was SUPER confused when Movie Aragorn started getting romantic with Movie Arwen (in my defense, Book Arwen barely exists).

I first EMOTIONALLY discovered The Lord of the Rings when my brother invited 7th grade me and one of my guy friends to see it with all of Roy’s high school friends.  Roy was trying to set us up, but little did he know I would leave the theater in love–with a story, not a boy.

#storyofmylife   Continue reading →