Geeky Girl's Guide to Life

Pride and Precedence

Published February 24, 2014 | By Blondie

I may have went to college to hone my skills as a writer, but being an English major means, there is a lot of literature classes that will be assigned to your future semesters. Reviewing and breaking down works of fiction done by others is a major part of the writing process. It is examples of why things work or don’t. The only real choice I had to make to make in my literature courses was to take British literature or American literature course. I went with British, because I was a massive Jane Austen fan.

Oddly, in none of my college or high school courses was I ever required to read any of her novels. That is extremely shocking, I know. I have to wonder if this is the reason why I chose Mansfield Park as my favorite. It was my first exposure, knowingly, and even more shocking, it was the movie at that. My fellow lit alums are probably scandalized by that confession, and understandably so. I say knowingly, because I had been watching the film version of Emma, repeatedly, before Mansfield Park graced the screens. The difference is that my twelve year-old mind never connected with the writer Jane Austen or that Emma was actually hers when I was watching it.

Mansfield Park was an adaption of another of Ms. Austen’s work onto the big screen. The character of Fanny Price just spoke to me. I related to her character in so many ways and still do. I fortunately didn’t have to be removed from my family and sent away to live with my cousins as a friend slash servant because my social status blurred the lines between propriety and family responsibility. I just grew up in a normal household with my normal family, so I had that going for me. Fanny’s situation aside still left this strong willed girl, whose head was filled with imagination. Unfortunately, she still had to be aware of her limitations. She was still expected to play by the rules of society. Society didn’t give her a whole lot of options, but she still had choices. Ignoring the whole “I’m in love with my cousin, Edmund!” thing, Fanny was in love with someone she was not supposed to ever consider because of her social status. She accepted that her love could never be, but she still held on to a tiny sliver of hope. This was more than most women in her time allowed themselves.

Fanny new her place and played by the rules. It didn’t mean that she didn’t look for loop holes or judged and chose by the consequences. Fanny’s uncle had such a high opinion of her when she grew to the age of marriage that he decided to have a coming out ball for her. Fanny may have been in love with Edmund, but she firmly didn’t want to be handed over to some man by her uncle like he was handing over the title to a car. She stuck to her beliefs regardless if that meant she would be forced to go back to poverty.

Fanny does get tempted to fall for the easy choice. She gets an offer of marriage from a man, a charming one at that, who represents everything that she doesn’t believe in. But does Mr. Crawford ever try to woo the poor girl. If I am honest I got a little wooed myself. Even with all of this, she does finally make the right decision in choosing her own beliefs and feelings. She knew she could never love him regardless of the type of man he was, but mainly due to her heart belonging to another. I think she would have chosen a life on her own than to ever settle making me respect her that much more.

This is why Mansfield Park struck such a cord within me. I have always felt like a girl that is aware of her place in the world, but is not willing to sacrifice that which truly makes me who I am in order to satisfy others. My love and devotion for Mansfield Park is understood and accepted, but for other Jane Austen fans, I usually get this response in return, “So Pride and Prejudice is a close second, then.” I am not saying that this is all true of the fandom, but Pride and Prejudice is usually expected to the favorite. If it isn’t, then the acceptance of a close personal bond with one of the other novels, with the exception of Northanger Abbey. That novel is usually considered a four letter word among the Austenites. Not that it is bad, just clearly not a favorite for Austen to have written let alone to read it. When I tell people that I actually prefer another of the novels above the beloved Pride and Prejudice as a second favorite, I get odds looks of disbelief. Even in such a fandom of unified enjoyment and respect, there is a hierarchy.

Persuasion is actually my second favorite, because I am a hopeless romantic and love the story in this novel. Stating this, however, does not diminish my love and feelings for Pride and Prejudice. For her time, Elizabeth Bennett was pretty radical. She was comfortable enough to not follow the social order and beat her own drum. Her sarcasm and wit is enough for any kind of inspiration. I just have my own loves and ways of loving when it comes to Jane Austen. You would not believe how many retellings and Jane Austen inspired novels I have read over the years because that is how much I love it.

For my fellow Austenites, I want to say this. It is okay to love any of the other five novels more than Elizabeth Bennett’s and Mr. Darcy’s romance. It’s okay. Hell, it’s even okay to love Northanger Abbey more. Honestly, if it wasn’t treated like a dirty secret, and I had gotten my hands on it when I was twelve, I probably would have been in love with it just as much as I love Mansfield Park.

Pride and Prejudice is a wonderful novel that is fun and provoking, but Austen was a great writer in general. This carried over to her other novels which were just as good. It wasn’t her first novel nor her last. The woman had a talent that I personally envy. I can only hope that I can write at least one thing as amazing as anything she has.

These are my preferences in order.

Mansfield Park

Persuasion

Pride and Prejudice

Emma

Sense and Sensibility

Northanger Abbey

I must also take a moment to point out that while not all film adaptions are perfect representations of these novels, there are some decent ones.

I recommend the recent BBC adaptation of Emma. I fully believe that this is the best interpretation of any of her novels that has ever been made. They do take liberties at times, but I believe Jane Austen would have approved.

The 90’s BBC version of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth is always a favorite, but if you want something a little shorter. The last version with Keira Knightley and Michael Macfadyen is a pretty decent condensed version.

Also I think the 1999 version of Mansfield Park is fantastic.

Ginny Weasley Has My Vote

Published February 11, 2014 | By Blondie

J K Rowling has recently come out saying that she regrets having Ron and Hermione end up together. She believed that Harry and Hermione should have gotten married. Now for every Harry and Hermione shipper there is an astounding unified whoop and hooray. At this point it is a coulda, woulda, shoulda hope that cannot be taken back.

I like to fancy myself a writer. I certainly have not felt the joys of having anything published and can certainly not fathom the success that Ms. Rowling enjoys, but the regret for any writer is very much a real thing. There have been several stories that I have written that I wished I could change, especially after witnessing the productions of my plays at my old high school. Your work being presented to you in such a manner that is no longer confined to your mind can throw a lot of curves at you. New interpretations can bring to light that which was never conceived before. This is all part of the process.

Once something is presented one way, especially in such a public forum, changing anything is not only extremely complicated but not easily accepted by the masses. Writing may be something that is created by the writer, but once shared with an audience, ownership expands out to them as well. The audience may not be legally entitled to any kind of monetary rights, but they own their interpretations. Artists attempting to go back and change things or sharing their regrets never go over very well.

George Lucas is probably the most famous for attempting to fix or change his beloved work. The tweaks to his original trilogy were thought downright unholy by most of the fandom. The lack of appreciation for his prequels made Lucas slam the door shut on sequels that were proposed when Episode I began production. Lucas, unfortunately, took these harsh fan opinions very personally and scrapped the idea before finishing the prequel trilogy. Since selling the franchise to Disney, the sequels have been made real and are being put into production. The importance of this point? The majority of the fandom still feels the same about the about the entire franchise as they did back when the prequels were made. Now it just seems that Lucas has more confidence in his decisions regardless is the fans support him or not.

This is all to point out again that if you choose to make any kind of change or comments on a body of work that has already been shared with an audience of one or one million outside of your own mind, that audience is entitled to comment and feel about that same body of work in any manner that they please regardless if that opinion is the opposite of the creator. The voice of the audience is a powerful and persuasive tool. It can help change the path of a television show and even change the path of an upcoming sequel. It just cannot change that which has already been made. This is what brings me to Miss Ginevra Weasley.

Rowling’s sentiments of changing who Harry ended up marrying puts in to question the kind of girl he did end up marrying. This regret may have been due to a rumor where Steve Kloves, screenwriter for all of the Harry Potter films, turned to Ms. Rowling and questioned why Harry didn’t marry Hermione. This could be completely untrue, but even with her current second thoughts there is just too much built into the relationships of Hermione and Ron and of Harry and Ginny throughout the series that I am confused by her sudden remorse.

Ignoring the movies, because as amazing as they all are, they do not hold the detail that the pages of the books hold. If it is questioned as to why Harry would marry someone like Ginny with only the films as reference, then I could hold nothing against that. The film version of Ginny, and no I am not talking about the skills of the actress playing her, is pretty flat. I read an article about things J.K. Rowling got wrong, and Harry getting together with Ginny was one of them. The author felt that Ginny had no personality and could only be called nice. This author was even reminiscent of Cho Chang. This isn’t exactly a fair assessment of the redhead, unless you had only seen the films. The novel version of Miss Weasley is much more colorful. I would even say that she is all of the best qualities of her seven brothers all rolled up into one. She’s smart, funny, and feisty. Who doesn’t remember the Quidditch match scene where she purposely flew her broomstick at Zacharias Smith for making terrible remarks about the Gryffindor team?

Two of the things I most admired about Rowling’s writing in the Harry Potter novels is her ability to draw such rich characterization even from the tiniest of parts and her ability to foreshadow throughout the book and from book to book. Rowling just doesn’t make bland characters. The series is written from Harry’s perspective, and we are limited on what we see and what happens because of that. Ginny slowly becomes a part of Harry’s life a little more and more throughout each novel. I am not judging Rowling on her regret by disagreeing with her. I am however confused by this regret.

When I started on the Harry Potter train I had just finished watching the second film after it came out on video. I had friends that had tried to get me to read the books for years but I just never got around to it. That summer I finally decided to sit down and read the series. I binged my way through the first four, finishing only days before the fifth novel came out. I was immediately hooked then. I loved all of the characters and was probably a little more prone to the Weasley clan. The fact that Julie Walters played such and amazing Molly Weasley on the big screen didn’t hurt. I began to notice the youngest Weasley and would keep an eye out for her, especially after her role in the second novel. I started out sympathizing for the poor girl having to grow up and go through puberty with seven older brothers. The twins alone are enough to scare off anyone. Ginny was always there in the novels, and not just as a side note or a passing comment by her brother, Ron, to Harry. She was physically there and noticed by Harry, whether Harry felt it was important or not.

When the fifth novel came out, there was a scene in the hospital after Arthur Weasley was attacked. Harry was being very self-loathing and self-pitying as he was prone to do in this very angsty novel, when Ginny simply has enough and puts him in his place. That was the moment when I added two plus two. Putting together all of the other Harry Potter novels, along with the fifth, I knew that Ginny was going to end up with Harry. She had practically been groomed for him. Harry always wanted to be officially apart of the Wealey family the only other official way of doing this outside of adoption is through marriage. As much as Hermione and Ron have been with Harry through all of the trials and hardships, they could never fully grasp or understand the true evil and fear that was Voldemort. Ginny may not have come into direct contact with the older and more organized version of the Dark Lord, but she met the cunning and enigmatic and very evil teenage version of him, making her the only other person in the entire series that has any possible idea of how Harry feels and what he is going through. Hell, we knew more about Ginny’s boyfriends when she was dating them than we did about Malfoy’s goons. Don’t believe me? Go back and read about the Yule ball. There will be just a little too much information about what Ginny Weasley was doing, then there probably should have been when Harry was supposedly occupied with pining after Cho Chang. The knowledge we have about Michael Corner did mostly come from Ron, but it was there. A couple of talks about the boyfriend would have been enough to show Ron’s annoyance, but why would Rowling continue talking about it in such detail, if it weren’t important.

Hermione and Ron’s romantic relationship didn’t start to fully evolve until the fourth book, but the movies began to hint at that relationship earlier than that. As much as Harry was around Hermione, I don’t believe I ever saw any inkling of possible romantic feelings by Harry towards Hermione. The only time he really saw her as a true girl was when she got dressed up for the Yule Ball. His attention was however quickly diverted to Cho Chang when she arrived after.

I don’t see it. Rowling has clearly been one to say that she knows so much more about the world of Potter outside of the books. She even knew how the story would truly end when she wrote the first one. She may have never guessed what a fabulous on screen version of Hermione Emma Watson would bring to her world or the lack of use that Bonnie Wright’s character would see on screen when Rowling first started creating the Potter world, but the film franchise could have played a large part in her current thoughts. In the end, for an author who is known so well for her foreshadowing and characterization skills, Rowling certainly had to spend a lot of time planning and sorting out the path to have Hermione end up with Ron and Harry with Ginny. It is the only thing that makes sense to me, maybe not others. I feel it was certainly the path that I was intended to take.

Just let Ginny Weasley be and enjoy her much earned happiness with her husband. I personally wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of her bat bogey hexes, besides the fact that I’m sure she could kick any ass that said otherwise. She did survive seven older brother after all.

My Top Five Favorite Marvel Female Superheroes

Published February 3, 2014 | By Blondie

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of guy superheroes that I get excited for. I am salivating as much as the next nerd for the new Captain America movie. I just personally believe that girls can kick ass as well as the next guy. I am a Buffy fan, so this should be no surprise. Allow me to showcase some of my favorites. Some you know, and some you may not.

1. Phoenix –

Whether she’s bad or whether she’s good, Jean Grey’s incarnation or should I say several incarnations of the Phoenix is definitely a wild card for any side that wants to have her in its back pocket. There are two main schools of thought concerning the Phoenix’s origin. The first one, Jean Grey is such a bad ass mutant, or level 5 as they call it, that the Phoenix is actually the name given to her full psychic abilities and persona which had been dampened for Jean’s safety as well as pretty much everyone else by Professor X. This was the version they leaned towards in in the third X-men movie, and honestly not my favorite. The second one is of the Phoenix as a cosmic entity that uses Jean Grey as a host, and has been known to use other characters as well, the most popular being Jean. Not only do her telekinetic and telepathic abilities increase astronomically, but she gains cosmic abilities that can effect anything in the universe at a subatomic level as well as manipulate life and death like she’s changing nail polish colors. Cosmic powers pretty much trump most in a fight, but Jean has to take a page out of the Hulk’s book otherwise she just might destroy the universe during her next tantrum. Did I mention she’s been known to eat stars when she’s feeling peckish?

http://marvel.com/images/gallery/character/1009496/images_featuring_phoenix#0-22704

2. Captain Marvel –

Carol Danvers has held many aliases over the years, her most notable being Ms. Marvel. Don’t let her name changes cloud the fact that she is one tough lady. She was formerly a pilot in the Air Force and worked as special ops for the branch after being captured and tortured during a flight test that crashed. When I say tortured, they beat the mess out of the poor woman. Injuries and all she managed to escape and deal out some payback. Why is this detail so important? This happened before she got superpowers. Ms. Marvel #32 is rough to read, but solidifies her as a badass. Due to an explosion of an alien Kree device, Carol is given powers. She can fly, has super strength, and can absorb energy, throwing it right back as a weapon. Unfortunately over the course of her life, she was kidnapped by the alien race, the Brood, tortured and experimented on turning her into the entity Binary. There was also that run-in with Rogue who held onto her just a little too long and permanently absorbed her powers and memories, leaving her in a coma. She eventually wakes up and regains her abilities, but not her memories. After all of that she fell victim to alcoholism, which honestly isn’t surprising with everything that’s happened to her. She did eventually sober up, and even had Tony Stark as her sponsor. She is currently flying under the name of Captain Marvel in honor of the original and deceased Captain Marvel. She once again becomes victim to amnesia due to her recent self-sacrifice to save New York and the world. She is definitely one awesome lady and one I hope to see on the big screen.

http://marvel.com/images/gallery/character/1010338/images_featuring_captain_marvel_carol_danvers#13-921407

3. Spider-Woman-

Jessica Drew has a couple of versions in the Marvel universe, but the most recent and well know version makes the original look like a girl scout. Jessica got her powers in the womb after her mother is exposed to an experiment on spiders. As a child, she begins displaying similar powers to the spider, such as the ability to climb up walls and an energy, venom blast coming from her hands. During a fight between her father and mother, Jessica blasts her father in order to save her mother, but the strain makes the child pass out, only to wake up from some kind of stasis as an older teenager in the welcome arms of HYDRA. She is manipulated by the organization and turned into a weapon. She eventually discovers the treachery and does a little soul searching before becoming an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. under Nick Fury, who has her become a double agent and sign up for HYDRA as well. I would say that she becomes and Avenger during this time also, but Jessica became the chosen form for the Skrull queen during their invasion of Earth because of her ties to both organizations. Jessica never made it past her recruitment of HYDRA being taken and help captive until her escape from the Skrulls along with several other heroes that were captured. She does fully join the Avengers team after her return becoming one of their most valuable characters.

http://marvel.com/images/gallery/character/1009608/images_featuring_spider-woman_jessica_drew#123-25374

4. Storm –

Growing up watching the X-Men cartoon, Storm was just the pure impersonation of class to me. Her ability to control the weather was unquestionably formidable, but it was her clear and level mind that was often the voice of reason for the team when Professor X was not around made me admire her. She did break at times losing her temper and control over her powers every once in a while. She could be rendered useless when her severe claustrophobia attacked. The woman has a past as well. She was homeless as a child and turned to thievery to survive. When her powers began to emerge, she was treated as a goddess with the tribe in Africa that she was staying with. All were major challenges that shaped the amazingly fierce and balanced woman that she became. As much as I loved Halle Berry playing her in the film, I just don’t think the movie really showcased this important side of her. She was always a wise asset and leader when needed. It was a shame that the film couldn’t show that.

http://marvel.com/images/gallery/character/1009629/images_featuring_storm#228-35229

5. Rogue –

I was an X-Men fan first due to the 90’s cartoon, and Rogue was the easy choice for my number five. I learned about her living with only her mutant power of absorbing others energies and life forces after the shows ending. At the time I never realized that Rogue didn’t always have Carol Danver’s strength and power of flight her whole life. I was too entertained by her sarcasm and southern charm as she mopped the floor with the bad guys to care. Now I know better, and though the movie version was not the Rogue I wanted, it was the version that is most common. You can’t help but empathize with her over the power she has been known to refer to as a curse on more than one occasion. She can’t touch anyone meaning she can’t have any kind of real or intimate relationship with anyone. Cuddling is high risk with her. Anytime a cure is mentioned, it’s no wonder she’s the first one to jump. Even though I was bummed to hear Anna Paquin’s scenes in the next X-Men film were dramatically cut. I was hoping that we would get a post Carol Danver’s version of Rogue, who is honestly a little handier in a fight. Alas, I guess I’ll just have to wait till the Blu-ray comes out to see those special features.

http://marvel.com/images/gallery/character/1009546/images_featuring_rogue#41-891077

All images are not owned by Geeky Girl's Guide to Life and were taken from Marvel.com

Top Ten John Hughes Movies

Published January 20, 2014 | By Blondie

I was in a John Hughes mood tonight, and I wanted to highlight my top ten favorite movies. It was a very sad day when this man passed. I will be forever grateful for what this man has added to my life growing up, and I hope that someday I can achieve something that is close enough to its equal with my own writing. Whether he wrote it or directed it, he practically ruled the 80’s comedy with one tiny finger. He is one of my favorites and his contributions to film will be forever missed.

The Breakfast Club – Hands down, my absolute favorite movie of all time. I don’t care that the movie was clearly filmed in the 80’s. This movie is untouchable and generations of high school students to come will always be able to find themselves in one of these characters. The richness of the writing and the reality put into this film make it a yearly watch in my books.
Sixteen Candles – This is one of the funniest teen romance comedies that I have ever seen. Though I don’t really know what Sam saw in Jake Ryan beyond his dreamy looks, it doesn’t matter. I am along for the whole ride, cheering for her when he shows up at the wedding. I am a hopeless romantic at heart, and I will just eat this mess up.
Weird Science – This is the movie that gives all geeks and nerds hope that when life fails them, they can just build something and make it better. I just don’t think anyone else has successfully created a woman who can change reality at a whim. The bar scene is in today’s world is terribly not PC, but it is probably one of the funniest things I have ever seen Anthony Michael Hall do.
National Lampoon’s Vacation – It one of the best comedy’s ever made, spawning sequels that aren’t as equal, but still entertaining, the exception being the Christmas sequel. While the Griswolds suffered through several plights and hijinks on their way to Walley World, I think every one of us wanted to be a part of their family even for a little bit.
Ferris Beuller’s Day Off – Every kid in high school dreamed of skipping school after seeing this film. Unfortunately, we all quickly realized that we lacked Ferris’s impeccable preplanning skills and general mass appeal to ever pull off the day he managed. We will just have to settle for living through Ferris and his sheer epicness.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – Yep, it is so good that it deserves its own spot. I have a lot of movies I would like to watch during the holiday season, but there are only a handful that are absolute necessities. This is one of those few. It just isn’t Christmas without it. It actually makes you feel a little bit sorry for Clark. He may come off as being goofy or idiotic, but the man is truly a hard worker and good father. He is the man that allows us to deal with every annoyance of the holiday with humor and at the same time reminding us of the spirit of the holiday. Wow, who knew there was something deep in that movie? Surprised me too.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles – This is my traditional Thanksgiving watch. The hilarity in this comedy of these two unlikely companions is comedy genius. We have all had some kind of experience that poor Neal has in this movie. When he loses it with the car rental associate, everybody feels some kind of internal relief. We have all wanted to go off on somebody like that. Even though it is full of shenanigans, it again has this heartwarming story about not judging a book by its cover. People can surprise you, and sometimes you can find a best friend.
Home Alone – This may not make everybody’s top 10 list, but I was a kid when this came out. Trust me, you are all lucky that Beethoven didn’t make this list, because that movie spoke to me as a child. Putting Macaulay Culkin’s current, sketchy lifestyle aside, this movie is still powerful enough to overshadow it. What kid didn’t want to have run of the house especially when you have so many people dictating what you can and cannot do. This was every kid’s dream. Not only did Kevin make us feel like we could take on any criminal with resourcefulness and mad Erector Set building skills, but he reminded us that even though it can be fun, we still need our family.
Pretty in Pink – While this was a total chick flick, this is one of the few romance dramas that still conflicts me to this day when Andie makes her choice. Sometimes I’m Team Duckie, and other times I’m Team Blane. Every once in a while I dismiss either one of them and stare dreamly at bad boy Steff. This was a good look for James Spader. The point is that every girl wants both a Duckie and a Blane. Sure Duckie may not have had the money or the looks that Blane did, but the man was devoted. Regardless whether Duckie ended up with Andie or not, I don’t think she appreciated his loyalty and friendship the way she should have. But that’s love huh. Sometimes it isn’t meant to be.
Mr. Mom – Michael Keaton stole my heart here long before he put on the Batman suit. This is a great movie about the family dynamic, not to mention a great tutorial about how some things cannot be winged when it comes to children. We learned not to give babies chili, not to overdo it with detergent in the washing machine, and that housework and childcare is just as hard and exhausting any other 8 to 5. Oddly enough, this movie has had a lot more meaning in today’s world then it did in the 80’s. With the recession and improving gender role equality, this is happening more and more in today’s world.

Tapping My Nose at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Published January 13, 2014 | By Blondie

My Tuesdays were to be exciting this year with the announcement that Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. and Supernatural were going to be airing on the same day. I am just glad that New Girl is online, but I was willing to make that sacrifice for Whedon and my boys. I haven’t been this excited about a Tuesday, since they aired Angel right after Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But alas, I am now firmly planted upon the fence that sits between love and loathe when it comes to Whedon’s newest television endeavor.

Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. is kind of a radical concept in film and television. We have had television shows before that were adaptations of a film or simply spinoffs or continuations of one. This show stands out, because it sits outside of the normal film to television construct. It is a spinoff choosing to focus on one of the more important aspects of the Marvel movies that has yet to be fully explored. The presence of S.H.I.E.L.D. is in every Marvel movie that has been made, and now we simply get to learn more about them. But why is that so unique? The world that the show exists in is the very world that the Marvel movies exist in. What happens in this show can effect what happens in Marvel movies to come, and vice versa.

I have yet to see any kind of ripples from the show make it into the movies, but that is okay for now. It isn’t a device that should be taken lightly or overused. It will take away from making the show its own. What the series is currently developing into its own is what I am having issues with. Being that it is the first season, which can be rough for any new show, and that it is a Whedon production are the only two reasons I am honestly sticking around to see what happens.

When any new television show is being introduced my first question to ask is could this show be interesting for five seasons. It doesn’t mean that a show will get five seasons, but it has to move forward. This question only needs a yes or no answer and should be found in the very first episode. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. clearly defined its intentions in its first episode as a specially assigned group of people out to find the extraordinary, a concept vague enough to be answered in hundreds of ways throughout five seasons.

Then we have to have people to care about and connect with, a reason to continue to tune in weekly. We already have Coulson, a beloved character from the films. His familiarity brings us in along with the question of his mere existence, since the last time we saw him was his death scene. Unfortunately, one man cannot do the show by himself. He has to have some kind of support, which comes in the shape of his chosen team.

Now we have a cast that is mostly new to fans and needs to be developed. We also have a beloved character whose questionable existence cannot be answered immediately or the draw of the show will be lost. We also have well known superheroes that exist in the world and could very well pop up. Everyone would love to have Tony Stark constantly barge in and irritate the S.H.E.I.L.D. agents, but how would we get a chance to care about the show and continue watching it on the episodes he did not. While I assume and hope that these characters will make appearances in the show it will be rare and only for exceptionally big events. Outside of quick cameos by Maria Hill and Nick Fury, cameos that honestly couldn’t really be avoided too long considering their place in the organization, the show has only made well placed comments or dealt with connected issues concerning the characters and movies like the quick opening scene cleaning up the mess in England left over by Thor after the events in the second film.

The show has really done a great job not leaning on these easy tactics that would guarantee instant viewers. It has been focusing on building the characters. Unfortunately, that is all it has been doing, and we only really know half of them. The problem I have with the season so far is a clear overall focus. Yes, we have had to track down relics and stop them from getting into the wrongs hands in each episode, but there is yet to be a clear pull that we are looking forward to being resolved or flipped over by the end of the season. Not only is it unclear, but there could be more than one avenue they choose to follow from what has been aired so far. Being halfway through the season, we should have some idea by now.

Does this mean that there is no hope left for this show? Absolutely not. It could very well be suffering from common first season afflictions, where shows test out characters and plot devices trying to latch onto those that work and remove that which does not. We as an audience play a massive role in what happens, because believe or not writers and creators do listen to the audience. They are not going to give you full creative control, but they are very aware that if you don’t watch, they can’t keep making the show. We are very powerful when it comes to our favorite televisions shows. If they didn’t listen to us, Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Castiel from Supernatural would have only been in one or two episodes. We are the reason they had many more.

What I am hoping for in the last half of this season is a direction of what is going to carry us to the end. If this happens, then I guarantee one hell of a cliffhanger that will force us back for season two’s premier. I want this show to succeed. As a comic book fan, S.H.I.E.L.D. was everywhere, meaning this show has so many stories to tell. It is not closed off to one teenager’s hard realizations about responsibility. They have full access to all of the possible stories from the comic world as well as being completely believable with anything new they come up with. Because of this, there is no reason for this show not to succeed. As a Marvel fan and a Whedon fan I will probably hang on regardless of quality till the end, because I am loyal. I just don’t want that to be the only reason.

Computer Love (Not the kind you think)

Published January 9, 2014 | By K Leslie

In 2005 I was 23. Having spent ages 19-21 out of my mother’s house in a different town, I had come home. I was looking to go to school, and have a better future rather than living paycheck to paycheck as I had been. I wasn’t born with a silver (or mother of pearl) spoon in my mouth, so I knew the only way this was going to happen was if I went to school.
There were a few problems with this. The main one being my lack of transportation: I come from a small city that had no public transportation. If you wanted a cab, you better know to call a day ahead; otherwise you would spend a good portion of your day waiting on one. In order to get a car, I needed a job. I had a job, working for a popular clothing company, whom I love to this day. I was not full time, so I needed a second job.
Because I was depending on my family to get me back and forth to work, I had to be careful about where I found another job. Because the clothing store was in the mall, I applied to other jobs within the mall. I briefly worked at a bookstore. I was so excited. Being a bookworm, I figured that working at a bookstore would be in my top 10 jobs. This job was not for me. Everyone who worked in the store was depressed, and it had a way of dragging my mood down as well. The manager that seemed to be on duty every time I worked did not have a car, yet would have to take a deposit to the bank daily. The final straw was the day she belittled me for not having a car to take her to do the deposit. I asked her if she could hear herself. She sputtered and huffed off. I was done. The general manager thanked me for my honesty as I left.
While I kept the clothing store job, I found another job at a daycare center. It was a 20-minute walk from my house, so it was perfect.
In the midst of working two jobs, and saving up for a car, I was lonely. I had friends, but my friends were off doing their own thing. By that age, most of my friends were engaged, had been engaged, and had popped out a kid or two. I spent a lot of time on my own.
Growing up in a typical black family, your geeky experiences are few and far between unless you seek them out. I was a bit of a black sheep in my family (still am), so I was hesitant to let my geek flag fly. One thing my family did not know is that quite often, I used to Internet to talk to and meet people. If my mother would have known, she would have clutched her pearls and screamed about Internet predators. Plus the Internet let you open up to people that you rarely would have. It’s how I slept with my school mascot 6 years after high school (don’t ask). With the loneliness and boredom, I decided to dip my toe into online dating.
After putting up a profile on OkCupid, I browsed the profiles. And that is how I met Dax*. Dax and I hit it off instantly online and decided to meet up for a date. The problem was I was in the middle of moving the rest of my belongings home, and accidentally stood him up. I felt horrible, and composed a long heartfelt apology. Dax accepted and we were going to try again. As a gesture of good faith, I was going to him. I borrowed my mother’s car and headed that way. It was a decent date, one of the better ones that I had been on at that time. As a result, we fell into a relationship with one another. We spent as much time as we could together. That was primarily weekends as he had a full time job, and lived in Indianapolis, and I had two part time jobs and lived an hour away. I also didn’t have a car, so he was gracious and would pick me up on the weekends.
Things were going really well, until I met his family.

(…To Be Continued)

*Dax is not his real name.

That time I went on Twitter and met my geeky soul mate.

Published January 1, 2014 | By K Leslie

Twitter is an amazing thing. I follow a random group of people. From Awesomely Luvvie to Anderson Cooper. I am all over the place. I have varied tastes, so of course I am going to follow a multitude of people. I am a fan of Star Trek. Deep Space 9 and The Next Generation are my favorite. I have had a crush on Brent Spiner since I was 6 years old. Because of this, I follow the casts of both on Twitter. I happened to be on one day and Brent Spiner tweeted the best thing I have ever seen in my life:

In case you cannot tell, It is Data naked with Spot and Geordi brandishing his violin.

Oh. My. God.

After some investigative work (Read: bugging the shit out of anyone that retweeted the picture) I found the creator of the picture and she shared some more of her incredible artwork with me! I had to ask her for an interview, and she complied.

Everyone, meet Christine Parisi!

What’s your name?

Christine Parisi, although I have been thinking about adopting a pseudonym for my new found fame. I’m considering the name Alanis Morrisette, since that is a totally original name that I made up. It won’t be confusing at all. Or maybe I’ll just use my initials as to avoid sexism like J.K. Rowling and go and the ambiguous, C.M. Parisi.

Where you from?

Chicago, IL. Although I actually grew up in the burbs. Big surprise that my art is not really addressing any heavy social justice issues.

Tell me what you do?

I was a high school art/English teacher for many years. I got cut like so many other teachers in Chicago, and now I am trying to be a full-time artist. I substitute teach to supplement my income. I love being a substitute. It’s so easy. I did this watercolor Chewbacca while I was subbing the other day because I read Girl with a Pearl Earring the day before.

What kind of geek are you?

I’m a cool geek. Like, I know it’s “cool” to be a geek now. But I’m pretty sure I was always cool. Below is a picture of my boyfriend and I in our matching WOLF sweatshirts. See? COOL! (Leslie Note: You are totally awesome and the shirts prove it)

Are you a total trekkie?

I really can watch it forever. I think we should teach it in schools. I flipped out when I found this drinking vessel at a thrift store the other day. Also, I’ve been Star Trek characters for a few Halloweens. Below is my borg costume. It had a working mechanical arm that I’m not wearing in the picture. I used an erector set for the motor and had different attachments, like forks and stuff. So, I don’t know if that means I’m a total trekkie. (You are the best borg. You should know this)

What series of Star Trek is your fave? For the record mine is a tossup between TNG and DS9.

TNG hands down. I had to stop watching DS9 but I did go back to it. Bajorans just annoy the S&%# out of me. I really liked Voyager except that episode where Q is romantically interested in Janeway. That’s totally unrealistic and would never happen. (Bajorans can be a bit….much.. BUT THE SISKO!!!)

Tell me about how you got started making your art.

I was trying to master acrylic portraits and I found myself lacking subjects. I was painting these kind of dark, punky, sexy girls (see below) because people really like them and I wanted to practice painting bodies and faces. However, I also wanted to sell art, and I thought, “ who is going to be interested in a picture of a person unless it’s either a sexy-ass person or a celebrity?” So, I just did a Data portrait and someone bought it immediately. I started feeling like I was getting really good at capturing a likeness from a photo, so I started mashing things up and getting more confident using my imagination. It’s hard to create realism and light if you don’t have a photo of the exact thing you are painting. So, once I started getting REALLY good I felt ready to do the Venus of Data, for which I had to combine photos from different sources. Obviously Brent Spiner didn’t pose nude for me, so I had to imagine the male body, using the female from Titian’s Venus and Manet’s Olympia as a template for shading. I don’t feel like I have mastered any styles or even fully developed a style of my own, but it’s getting there. I think a humorous or sci-fi angle will tend to incorporate it in my future work, but I also want my technique to catch people’s eye. There are SO many talented portrait artists out there and I want to find a way to set myself apart. I’m still experimenting. That’s where I’m at right now.

How did it feel when Brent Spiner (Le Sigh) retweeted your pic?

Oh my god! I was freaking out. I was not a twitter user. I made an account and jumped in there and posted a better version of the painting like “Me! I did that! Me!”. I don’t know who took the photo or how it got to him, but the buzz was awesome. The next day, Spiner sent me a PERSONAL MESSAGE!!!!! Virtual degrees of separation between me and Brent Spiner=0. (I AM SO JEALOUS AND I MUST NOW HAVE YOUR HAND THAT TYPED TO HIM #NOTCREEPYATALL)

Where can we see your art at?

Right now I have a lot of work hanging at GMAN tavern in Chicago. The show has been up since Oct. Since it is next door to the Metro, an excellent music venue, I have sold art to Amos Lee, Cults, and Three Floyd’s Brewery. That coupled with the Spiner thing, I’m kind of on cloud nine with all the famous people buying my art. The Venus of Data is there next to a print out of all the tweets. It has not sold yet.

How do we purchase one of these awesome pieces?

www.facebook.com/christineparisiart Message me through the page or my email and I will give you details on specific prices for prints. The prices for the originals are listed on the FB page.

What kind of crossover television show would you love to see and why?

Star Trek TNG SVU!!! Why? Because Picard would not stand for space rape. (YAAASSSS!!!!)

Head on over to Christine’s page and let us know in the comments which one is your favorite!

A New Year for the Box Office

Published December 30, 2013 | By Blondie

We all know about the big ones coming out like the new Marvel movies, but there might be a few gems heading to the theaters that may not get the hype or publicity as the big guns. Here is a list of some that look interesting for the coming first half of the year. Sadly, some of these may not have the strength to make it to a theater near you, but you should still keep an eye on their release to video.

The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box

This is the story of a boy searching for his family, unknowing that this journey will lead him straight through unimaginable monsters and evil believed only as legend. This is based on the novel by G.P. Taylor titled Mariah Mundi: The Midas Box.

http://www.fandango.com/theadventurer:thecurseofthemidasbox_169401/movieoverview

Knights of Badassdom

Basically, it is LARPing gone bad. Three best friends try to make their experience as real as possible and end up truly raising a little bit a hell in the process. The trailer doesn’t lead to much of what the film is actually about beyond highlighting the cast. Names like Steve Zahn, Ryan Kwaten, Summer Glau, and Peter Dinklage are what give this movie some consideration, but in the end it may not be enough to carry it. This is one of those movies that has no middle ground. It will either be epic or completely horrible.

http://www.fandango.com/knightsofbadassdom_146712/movieoverview

A Fantastic Fear of Everything

A former children’s author turned crime novelist forces himself into paranoia after researching various Victorian serial killers. It looks to be a quirky one, but I was sold at Simon Pegg.

http://www.imdb.com/rg/s/4/title/tt2006040/?ref_=ext_shr_eml_vi#lb-vi3374490393

The Monuments Men

During World War II, a military outfit is sent out to retrieve stolen works of art and masterpieces from the Nazis. What makes this even more intriguing is that it is based on a true story.

http://www.fandango.com/themonumentsmen_161603/movieoverview

The Grand Budapest Hotel

I should probably point out that this is a Wes Anderson film. In my experience, people are either fans of his movies, or they are not. This is the story of a concierge and his life at the hotel and with those he meets. I am clearly not doing the quick synopsis justice, but Wes Anderson films are random, which is the draw. You never really know what’s going to happen. I am personally excited for it.

http://www.fandango.com/thegrandbudapesthotel_168547/movieoverview

Muppets Most Wanted

Yes, I know Disney will do its fair share of publicity for this movie, but I feel it will always need more. As long as tickets sell at the box office, they will continue to make them. A Muppets fan can’t argue with that logic. This newest installment has a Kermit lookalike switching places with our favorite green frog and trying to use the Muppets and the theater to achieve his nefarious plans.

http://www.fandango.com/muppetsmostwanted_161864/movieoverview

Transcendence

A scientist has made great advancements in A.I., so much that he is now confident that he can map any human brain into a computer. People fearing the dangers of such an advancement attack the scientist with radiation leaving him to die slowly. If an effort to save him, his brain is mapped into a computer.

http://www.fandango.com/transcendence_163447/movieoverview

Thirty and Nerdy

Published December 23, 2013 | By Blondie

Just twelve days in for my thirtieth year, and my life has taken one of the most amazing, mind blowing turns I ever could have imagined. Not really, the most exciting thing I accomplished today was doing household chores. The magical transition into thirty didn’t change anything that I thought it would, and honestly, that’s really okay.

When I turned twenty-nine last year, I began to panic a bit looking at my life knowing that it was nowhere near where I had imagined it to be. Thirty to me was a milestone, a point in my life where things should have been figured out. I had started a list of what needed to be done, so that maybe the last six years have meant something. I needed to become completely independent and get my own place. I needed to get a car that wouldn’t constantly fall apart on me. I wanted to finally finish the first draft of the damn novel that I have been trying to write for the past three years. I also put “maybe start dating” on the list, but for those who know me very well know that dating has never really been a concern for me ever. I just thought that I was supposed to have some kind of headway in that department by thirty.

I didn’t get everything figured out in time for my birthday, but I did hit a few. I did manage my own place and had a reliable vehicle thrust upon my person regardless of want, but these really only happened in the last couple of months. The novel is still sitting in the early stages awaiting real time for me to commit to it. As for dating, not so much. When I woke up the day after my birthday, I realized that it all didn’t really matter. I am pretty happy in general with who I am and where I’m at. It is by no means perfect. I want to write full time, but since it doesn’t pay the bills yet, I have to work. The dating thing has never been something that I have felt the need for. I’ve always felt that if it happens then it will. In the meantime I have things to do.

Those I guess would be the things that people would probably point their finger at me for and try to call me a failure. I could get called out on those or my weight or even my nerd tendencies. As responsible as I strive to be and feel I am, I am a very much a kid at heart. I believe that it balances me. If I wasn’t I would probably not be any fun for anyone. The flip side of that coin is that I could be considered immature because I still watch cartoons or that I wear t-shirts with comic book characters on them. We as people need this kind of fun to balance out the responsibility. Being too serious and over worked is hard on a person’s system, and mindlessly indulging the inner child at all times doesn’t allow for any growth. Thus you need to find the balance.

My parents recently came to visit, and my mother wanted to take me out and get a few things for my apartment for Christmas. I told her that I wanted a doormat, a shelving unit, and a clock. Pretty practical, right. Well when we got to the clocks I choose a Star Wars clock that has the original Star Wars cover as the main canvas of the clock. My mother checked, as she always does, if I was sure that I wanted it, and I said yes. I didn’t want a boring clock. I wanted something that would make me smile when I looked at it. My mother may have made a different choice for herself, but she knows that this is how I work. With a slight shake of her head and an amused smile on her face the place the clock in the cart.

Thirty isn’t scary, nor is it really any different from any other month I’ve lived through this year. I didn’t have to throw out my Buffy DVD’s or sign up for an online dating site in order to immediately get married and have children. There is no specified plan for this particular age. I am still me and don’t foresee it changing anytime soon, and least of all for some silly number. I am still a nerd girl and damn proud of that. Thirty-one isn’t going to change that either. I will continue to plan on being me. I really should have never questioned it in the first place. I perceived an expectation from society, and it just doesn’t work for me. I have no business trying to force myself into a mold that I have long decided was not for me. You know what I bought to commemorate this momentous birthday? No fancy jewelry for this girl. No, I bought myself a photo op with Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki at the next Supernatural convention. How’s that for thirty and nerdy?

10 Years of Love Actually

Published December 16, 2013 | By Blondie

I cannot believe that it has been ten years since Love Actually graced the big screen. My first thought when I heard this was that I was getting old. My second thought was how I was barely at the legal drinking age when it came out, which is sad, because I feel alcohol can be a necessity when it comes to this movie and how you are feeling when you watch it. So this little movie has been around for ten years, and I have probably watched it at least that many times if not ridiculous amounts more.

The movie is not specifically about Christmas, but it does take place during the holiday season. It has become a tradition to watch it every holiday and just maybe more if the mood strikes me. If this isn’t a film jingling out evenly time songs about the winter festivities, then what is the movie about? It is about love, actually. Pun sooo intended.

For those who have not seen this film, I will apologize about spoiling anything. It is not my focus to do this, but it will probably happen. In my defense, we are celebrating the decade run of this film, so it’s been around. I say this knowing that there are still quite a few of you that have not seen Love Actually. Hopefully by the end of this little rant, you will give it a chance. Let it be known, as fun loving and sweet as this movie can be, it is not for younger audiences, a fact that is quickly highlighted in the first ten minutes. Do not let the little ones watch this. There is strong language and nudity that is not exactly alluded to in the trailers. You have been warned.

This film is a British film, and although it is spoken in a language that we Americans may be able to understand, it is very much a foreign film. It is chocked full with an amazing cast of England’s best and brightest that is only ever in question by the fact that they chose Hugh Grant to play the role of the prime minister, and not Mr. Grant’s casting in general. There may just be a general distaste for politics in the movie altogether when our president is played by Billy Bob Thorton. Both excellent actors, just not who would be pictured running two of the most powerful nations in the world. Being that the movie is British and full of British actors, then you should be warned that the British humor shows up quite a lot as well. I have been told that it can be an acquired taste, so it has been presented for you to do as you wish with. Now on to the fun stuff.

The main theme is love, which is told in a series of smaller vignettes that intertwine between one another severely or loosely as we jump back and forth between them. The important aspects are highlighted within each of these small stories and they are not always the fun side of love. The basics include familial love, puppy love, attraction, growth, lust, friendship, unrequited, loss, and mourning.

As many times as I have watched this movie, I have grown with it. I understand certain aspects more now having gone through them then I did ten years ago. There are still certain feelings that have held true for certain stories every time I watch it. I may have identified with one character or another over several viewings, but I seem to still be closer to the character of Sarah.

Sarah’s story is that she has a crush on her coworker, which is fantastic for her later on when he reciprocates these feelings, unfortunately that’s not why I identify with her, though the man is quite the catch. What makes her story so important is her love for her very mentally sick brother. He is in a home, but calls her at all hours of the day and night. She not only deeply cares for her brother, but feels solely responsible for him. As much as I try to convince myself that I would choose differently based on the logic that nothing will change the situation of her brother if she decides to go from constantly sacrificing herself for her brother’s every need to supporting him fully with his needs but also balancing it with her own, the decision to not choose family is very understandably tough.

There is a scene where Sarah is driven home after a holiday office party by her crush. He had asked her to dance at this party, which is the first real sign of any kind of mutual feelings by him for Sarah. He, as gentlemen do, walks her to the door, and after some adorable awkwardness they share a kiss. This is the moment where all the hopeless romantics cheer, because the supposed impossible, according to Sarah, happened. Because the fine man crush enjoyed himself so much, he happens to invite himself to stay, a suggestion that Sarah is all too ready to agree with. She asks for a minute and does a happy dance out of sight which I did mentally with her. Then comes the part that makes me turn the volume of my potty mouth up to the highest levels.

Eventually Sarah starts to engage in activities that I honestly cannot blame her for one bit, but before anything more serious can take place, her phone rings. Her brother is having a delusion and is frantically seeking her counsel. She quickly calms him down and ends the call, apologizing to her bed fellow. The festivities have only just begun to recover from her delay when the phone rings again. It is the third and final time that the phone rings that gets me riled up as she removes herself completely from the situation with either stupidity or amazing willpower to focus and attend to her brother. I tend to lean towards stupidity as I cuss her out for a good two minutes, neighbors be damned.

I say this, but honestly, I love and adore my family. My closest friends are my family also. I may put them before myself too much at times, but I am a very mothering person. I feel that it is my job to take care of them, whether it actually is or not. That being said, as much as I cuss out poor Sarah for choosing her brother in that moment, I can’t help but wonder if I would choose any differently if it was me. We tend to be harsher on those we see ourselves in.

The other character I tend to relate to is Natalie. She is fresh in what she is doing even though it is clear she hasn’t exactly figured out what that is. My favorite part about her is her personality. She is honest, genuine, and a bit quirky. This may challenge her professionalism as it did in her first meeting with her boss the prime minister, but I love her more for that. I am a bit quirky myself, so I like this girl. She has a bit of a filthy mouth, which I am known for as well, so that is also a bonus for her. One of my favorite parts of this whole film is towards the end when is coming down the staircase to join her family in leaving, and she questions the room, children included, asking, “Where the f@#$ is my f@#$ing coat?” I remember texting one of my best friends immediately after this telling her that we needed to move to England, because we would probably be more appreciated there. She is adorable and real and for some weird reason considered the chubby one. I didn’t get that, and neither did the prime minister. She was young and so was I when I first watch it, so I have always connected with her.

There are many other people to follow, enjoy, or even become disappointed with throughout the progress of the movie. It is a rollercoaster of a film and it does not apologize for it. I have personally fell out laughing, screamed out it in horror, teared up or cried depending on the exact mood, or just radiated with happiness throughout the entire viewing of Love Actually. It has been a wonderful ten years of viewing this film yearly, and still manages to remain fresh. Happy anniversary and thank you for entering my life.