The entire first episode was pretty much a gross-out, but the highlight, without trying to spoil anything, involved a horse.
YOU CAN NEVER UN-SEE IT!
It's on Netflix Watch Instantly, if this lovely screen cap roused your interest...
Monday, October 31, 2011
Daily Dorkgasm
You've only one day left to sign up for this thing you'll never finish!
National Novel Writing Month happens every November. People decide they'll write an entire first draft of a 50,000 word novel in the month of November, and then they start it, but don't actually finish! (perhaps some people finish, but who the hell are those people???)
Anyway, the website has a cute crest, so go look at. Consider doing that thing you've always said you'd do! Or at least make a start! Because attempting to finally write your novel can't be a bad thing. Even if you don't finish, at least you'll have made a start!
Also, be sure to check out the Office of Letters and Light's April writing challenge Script Frenzy!
National Novel Writing Month happens every November. People decide they'll write an entire first draft of a 50,000 word novel in the month of November, and then they start it, but don't actually finish! (perhaps some people finish, but who the hell are those people???)
Anyway, the website has a cute crest, so go look at. Consider doing that thing you've always said you'd do! Or at least make a start! Because attempting to finally write your novel can't be a bad thing. Even if you don't finish, at least you'll have made a start!
Also, be sure to check out the Office of Letters and Light's April writing challenge Script Frenzy!
Mugshot Monday
Unless that little old lady is Dorothea Puente!
It's Mugshot Monday, so strap yourself in, because you might cringe a little.
Dorothea Puente was born and raised in California. Orphaned at the age of nine, she went to Fresno to live with relatives until she married at 16 years old. She had two daughters, one of whom she gave to family members and the other she gave up for adoption. Her husband got a little pissed off about this and wound up leaving her. She started telling everybody he'd died of a heart attack instead of admitting that she was dumped.
After hubby numero uno (yes. there are more coming.) left, she tried to forge checks for a while, but was caught and sent to jail for six months. Once she got out of prison, she found hubby numero dos and had a crazy 14 years with him.
 |
| Dorothea. Unloving mother. Not so devoted wife. |
In 1966 she divorced hubby 2 and moved on to a two-year marriage with hubby numero tres. Disappointed with that, she found hubby numero quatro, but he was an alcoholic, and that didn't mesh with her flip-floppy in and out of prison lifestyle, so they were divorced after only a few months of marriage.
Hubby 4's alcoholism did give Dorothea a nifty idea though. She started prowling bars for older men to seduce! Yay! After she caught these fish, she'd forge their signatures to claim their social security checks. Of course, Dorothea, not having a great police record, was caught pretty quickly. She was charged with 34 counts of treasury fraud, but once she was out on probation, she started back in with her old tricks. The trouble was, these old men in bars noticed when their benefits went missing.
 |
| Can I buy you a drink, tiger? |
In 1981, Dorothea finally figured it out. She began renting out an upstairs room on F Street in downtown Sacramento (my Sac-town friends, I smell a field trip), and only taking elderly or mentally unstable lodgers. Social workers praised her for taking in the tenants other landlords so often rejected.
Sweet of her, right? ONLY SHE WAS KILLING HER TENANTS AND TAKING THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY CHECKS!!!!!!! She stole from a couple of tenants, who complained, and were promptly done in. When the police investigated the deaths, they went along with Dorothea's stories that the tenants were old and in poor health.
Finally one tenant complained to the police about not getting his mail. It was a smarter move than complaining to Dorothea directly. She was sent to jail for theft for five years.
During her time in prison, she started corresponding with soon to be hubby numero cinco. After she was released from prison, Dorothea and new hubby moved into her old digs. A couple weeks later, she hired a handyman to move a large box for her. She said it was just full of old books and junk, and they dumped it alongside a road. Yup. There goes hubby 5.
BUT she still had that joint checking account from her fifth marriage! Good job, Dorothea! She continued to collect his pension checks. She even went so far as to write letters to his family saying he was too ill to write or call, but not to worry, because he was totally alive.
After she hired a homeless alcoholic named "Chief" (I
When a police officer stopped by to ask about the disappearance of one her tenants, and noticed all the disturbed soil, Dorothea was arrested for the last time. Police dug a total of seven bodies out of her basement. In downtown Sacramento. This house. Right here. --->
Dorothea Puente was charged with a total of nine murders. She wound up being convicted of three of them. She died in prison this year of natural causes. Whatever that means...
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Science Fair Saturday
There's an anthrax vaccine now, so I guess that's pretty neat-o, right?
It's been around for a while now (I'm not talking decades, but months, certainly), and now, I guess some folks are frantic as they are puzzling out the ethics of testing the vaccine on children. Kids can't get anthrax from it, but adult testing has yielded some rare, but not-so-fun side affects.
I'm not really sure where I stand on the whole thing since 1. it doesn't look like it'd hurt kids, and testing would help scientists figure out the appropriate dosage for tykes, but 2. there's not really any immediate threat of your kindergartner getting bio-terrorized. Also, my opinion is not anybody's business (unless it's election day. VOTE!)
BUT reading articles on stuff like this always gets my brain wheels goin'! What vaccines have been tested on kids in the past? Any terrible doozies? How does vaccine testing work anyway?
So I did some research (not the fun, real kind, as I, unfortunately, am not some wave-of-the-future scientist. Didn't you know? I just write musicals. And this blog. And in my diary. No. You can't read my diary.), so I GOOGLED!
 |
| Take a ride on the Anthrax Cycle! |
It's been around for a while now (I'm not talking decades, but months, certainly), and now, I guess some folks are frantic as they are puzzling out the ethics of testing the vaccine on children. Kids can't get anthrax from it, but adult testing has yielded some rare, but not-so-fun side affects.
 |
| This will cure your ginger! |
I'm not really sure where I stand on the whole thing since 1. it doesn't look like it'd hurt kids, and testing would help scientists figure out the appropriate dosage for tykes, but 2. there's not really any immediate threat of your kindergartner getting bio-terrorized. Also, my opinion is not anybody's business (unless it's election day. VOTE!)
BUT reading articles on stuff like this always gets my brain wheels goin'! What vaccines have been tested on kids in the past? Any terrible doozies? How does vaccine testing work anyway?
So I did some research (not the fun, real kind, as I, unfortunately, am not some wave-of-the-future scientist. Didn't you know? I just write musicals. And this blog. And in my diary. No. You can't read my diary.), so I GOOGLED!
Fun Facts about Vaccine Development! YAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!
1. The first phase of vaccine development often consists of two to four years of tracking down antigens.
2. Growing bacteria in petri dishes sounds kinda fun.
3. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, whose poems I had to was lucky enough to read in college, introduced inoculation to Western culture when she told of having her kids inoculated against smallpox while in Turkey. Those clever Turks!
Happy Science Fair Saturday, dorks.
Daily Dorkgasm
K-Pop.
What?
K-Pop. You know. Pop music. From Korea.
Korea?
Don't worry. South Korea.
Do you even speak Korean?
Anyong ha se yo?
What?
No. I don't speak Korean.
Then why K-Pop?
Because I DO speak sick beats and stunning music videos, okay? Have you seen these outfits??
You're so weird.
Shut up and watch these videos. You're mean.
What?
K-Pop. You know. Pop music. From Korea.
Korea?
Don't worry. South Korea.
Do you even speak Korean?
Anyong ha se yo?
What?
No. I don't speak Korean.
Then why K-Pop?
Because I DO speak sick beats and stunning music videos, okay? Have you seen these outfits??
You're so weird.
Shut up and watch these videos. You're mean.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Fan-Gasm Friday
Know what I love? People in costumes.
I love Comic Con. I love Renaissance Faires. I love drag queens. I love the Society for Creative Anachronism's meetings in public parks.
Costumes are probably what drew me to acting and dancing and writing growing up and as an adult, too. Going to the theatre, even if the show blows, is always partially good simply because there will most likely be people in costumes. Often, there will be wigs.
But let's go back to the Society for Creative Anachronism for a bit. I happened upon them in college one evening. As I strolled through Union Square Park in NYC with my best friend, I heard screaming and the clashing of what sounded like swords. Walking towards the ruckus proved that I was not just overly imaginative. I had indeed heard swords. They were being swung through the air at wooden targets and men, women, boys, and girls wearing makeshift armor.
In New York City in the 2000's, one does not really ever know what one will see, but people in oddly fitting chain mail, battling with medieval weapons is not usually high on the list of guesses. However, that's what we found that night. When everyone got tired of swinging their homemade and/or ordered online weapons around, they took a Powerade break. My friend and I cautiously approached these armed strangers and asked something along the lines of "what the hell?"
One spotty-faced boy with plastic sports glasses strapped to his face said, "We're the Society for Creative Anachronism. We have a permit. It's okay."
Thank goodness he told us about that permit, because obviously that's the only reason we were asking. Also, thank goodness for the internet, which explained the Society for Creative Anachronism, because my previous sentence is a lie.
The Society for Creative Anachronism, or SCA is, according to their website, "an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skill so pre-17th-century Europe. Our 'Known World' consists of 19 kingdoms, with over 30,000 members residing in countries around the world. Members, dressed in clothing of the Middle ages and Renaissance, attend events which feature tournaments, royal courts, feasts, dancing, various classes & workshops, and more." So what does that really mean? People wear costumes from different time periods and do whatever they want in them while claiming that those things are from SOME time period other than the one in which they currently live. Sounds pretty fun to me.
I love Comic Con. I love Renaissance Faires. I love drag queens. I love the Society for Creative Anachronism's meetings in public parks.
Costumes are probably what drew me to acting and dancing and writing growing up and as an adult, too. Going to the theatre, even if the show blows, is always partially good simply because there will most likely be people in costumes. Often, there will be wigs.
But let's go back to the Society for Creative Anachronism for a bit. I happened upon them in college one evening. As I strolled through Union Square Park in NYC with my best friend, I heard screaming and the clashing of what sounded like swords. Walking towards the ruckus proved that I was not just overly imaginative. I had indeed heard swords. They were being swung through the air at wooden targets and men, women, boys, and girls wearing makeshift armor.
In New York City in the 2000's, one does not really ever know what one will see, but people in oddly fitting chain mail, battling with medieval weapons is not usually high on the list of guesses. However, that's what we found that night. When everyone got tired of swinging their homemade and/or ordered online weapons around, they took a Powerade break. My friend and I cautiously approached these armed strangers and asked something along the lines of "what the hell?"
One spotty-faced boy with plastic sports glasses strapped to his face said, "We're the Society for Creative Anachronism. We have a permit. It's okay."Thank goodness he told us about that permit, because obviously that's the only reason we were asking. Also, thank goodness for the internet, which explained the Society for Creative Anachronism, because my previous sentence is a lie.
Daily Dorkgasm
Today's Daily Dorkgasm is risky.
Why?
Because I'm linking you over to a blog with more content than mine. It's colorful. It's genuinely funny. Please enjoy it as much as I do.
x,
The Dorktress
Hyperbole & a Half
My 2 favorite posts.
Why?
Because I'm linking you over to a blog with more content than mine. It's colorful. It's genuinely funny. Please enjoy it as much as I do.
x,
The Dorktress
Hyperbole & a Half
My 2 favorite posts.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Geek of the Week
JARED KLEINSTEIN
Jared's in the middle.
Jared started the site last week, and it has exploded, with over 7 MILLION hits. Tebowing.com has since been featured on CNN, in the Wall Street Journal, and pretty much everywhere else on the internet.
Apart from all that, Jared is also just a pretty nice guy who enjoys hand massages and works at Streeteasy.com, website that aids New Yorkers in their quests for the perfect apartment.
And that's our Geek of the Week!
Hers Day Thursday
You dorks know of Dame Dr. Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell, right? Right??
Who is she? A 68 year old Irish astrophysicist.
What'd she do? DISCOVERED RADIO PULSARS!
Namely, this one CP 1919 ----->
While working towards her Ph.D, Jocelyn noted that regular radio wavelengths pumping through space. The wavelengths kept popping up on her charts from a radio telescope every 1.337 seconds, and Jocelyn, being an intelligent astrophysicist in training said something along the lines of, "obviously these radio wavelengths are coming from a far off rotating star and not from Little Green Men."
She was totes right, ladies and germs. (That doesn't mean aliens don't exist!)
Shittily, her professors were awarded the Nobel Prize for a paper about the discovery of the first pulsar, and she was not. Being a classy broad, she holds no grudge.
Also, she's won a slew of medals, awards, and honorary degrees, including the J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Prize, since then to make up for it. And did I mention she's a Dame? Yeah. A Lady Knight.
How's that for Hers Day Thursday?
Extra Credit Reading here, here, here, and here.
Update 9:53PM This was on BBC Radio 4 a couple days ago. Who knew??
sexy, sexy glasses!
Oh. Well, you should, so here's some info for your mind brains.Who is she? A 68 year old Irish astrophysicist.
What'd she do? DISCOVERED RADIO PULSARS!
Namely, this one CP 1919 ----->While working towards her Ph.D, Jocelyn noted that regular radio wavelengths pumping through space. The wavelengths kept popping up on her charts from a radio telescope every 1.337 seconds, and Jocelyn, being an intelligent astrophysicist in training said something along the lines of, "obviously these radio wavelengths are coming from a far off rotating star and not from Little Green Men."
fancy wavelengths from CP 1919
She was totes right, ladies and germs. (That doesn't mean aliens don't exist!)
Shittily, her professors were awarded the Nobel Prize for a paper about the discovery of the first pulsar, and she was not. Being a classy broad, she holds no grudge.
Also, she's won a slew of medals, awards, and honorary degrees, including the J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Prize, since then to make up for it. And did I mention she's a Dame? Yeah. A Lady Knight.
How's that for Hers Day Thursday?
Extra Credit Reading here, here, here, and here.
Update 9:53PM This was on BBC Radio 4 a couple days ago. Who knew??
Daily Dorkgasm
Snowy loves booze.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Vampire Vednesday!
There are plenty of vampires out there, which is good since every Vednesday is Vampire Vednesday here at the G.D.
And it just so happens that today I learned a fascinating fact about my all-time favorite vampire Count von Count!
In some vampire myths, a way to deter a vampire is to throw seeds out a door or place a fishing net outside a widow.
"Why," you ask?
Because upon sighting the seeds or the net, silly old vampires are compelled to count the seeds or the holes in the net and forget their desire to suck your blood! Sometimes, the crazy bastards got so caught up in the counting, they stood there until the sun came up! Rut roh!
Anyway, Count von Count obviously draws from this! ALL MUPPETS ARE BRILLIANT! And here's Captain Picard helping the Count count!
And it just so happens that today I learned a fascinating fact about my all-time favorite vampire Count von Count!
"Why," you ask?
Because upon sighting the seeds or the net, silly old vampires are compelled to count the seeds or the holes in the net and forget their desire to suck your blood! Sometimes, the crazy bastards got so caught up in the counting, they stood there until the sun came up! Rut roh!
Anyway, Count von Count obviously draws from this! ALL MUPPETS ARE BRILLIANT! And here's Captain Picard helping the Count count!
Daily Dorkgasm
I Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Dead but Cool
This week's edition of Dead but Cool isn't actually about a dead person. I know, I know! Already thinking outside of the box! When will the innovations cease? NEVER!!!!!!!
And speaking of innovations, Jae Rhim Lee is as innovative as they come. She's designed a suit for wearing when you're buried. What's so cool about that? Watch and be amazed. It's well worth your time.
Thanks to Hudson M. of Clinton Hill for the suggestion!
And speaking of innovations, Jae Rhim Lee is as innovative as they come. She's designed a suit for wearing when you're buried. What's so cool about that? Watch and be amazed. It's well worth your time.
Thanks to Hudson M. of Clinton Hill for the suggestion!
Tumblr Tuesday!
It's Tumblr Tuesday!This week's recommended tumblr is small, but active, so I feel like we all have a lot of greatness to look forward to!
SEXY LADY TALK is filled with original ink and marker sketches of old ladies saying that stuff that old ladies say. Some of the drawings are accompanied by weird, rambly audio recordings of old lady monologues. Pretty out-there stuff. I'm looking forward to seeing where this tumblr goes!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Mugshot Monday
Giant Dorkgasm has existed for almost a whole week now. *applause* Which means that today's day of the week theme should be the last one. Oh, I do still have one or two more segment ideas up my sleeve, but I'll get to those when I get to those. Right now, it's time for MUGSHOT MONDAY!!!
Every week we'll highlight some truly heinous person from history! Maybe it's a mass murderer like Vlad the Impaler (this will happen. There's no doubt in my mind.) or maybe it's Lindsay Lohan! Boo! Or maybe some creepy triplets who ate their parents? I feel like patricide is way grosser if performed by multiple birth babies.
Anyway, this week's criminal is *drumroll, please* JANE TOPPAN!
Whaddya mean, you've never heard of her?? Well, whatever. You won't be able to shut up about her soon, because holy shit, she's CrAzY!
Born in 1857 with the name Honora Kelly, Jane was the child of Irish immigrants who lived in Boston. Jane had a sister, two years her senior, and together the sweet little girls watched their mom die of consumption and their dad become a crackpot alcoholic. In 1863, when the girls were 6 and 8 years old, Papa Kelly got sick of them and dumped them into the Boston Female Asylum, which probably hasEVERYTHING nothing at all to do with Jane's soon to strike cra-cra-ness.
After two years in the asylum (so Jane is 8 years old now, people. Keep up.) she was blessed with the opportunity to become an indentured servant for the Toppan household in Lowell, MA. See where she got the new name?
Side note: Jane's older sister left the asylum at age 12 to become a hooker. She died young. Shocker!
So anyway, suddenly it was 1885, and Jane was 28 (what'd she do for 20 years? No one knows. Just like Jesus.) She started training to become a nurse in Cambridge, MA (Rah! Rah! Harvard Crimson!), and was oddly enamored with the act of upping and downing morphine dosages of patients so she could watch them slip in and out of death. She was particularly found of climbing into bed with her victims as they were dying.
Anyway, since Jane was obviously a kick-ass nurse, she was promoted to Mass General! She got sacked, but not for murdering people. Apparently she was too lenient with prescriptions. In 1895 she got tired of easy hospital targets, so she poisoned her landlords. Then the Toppan girl (from Lowell, MA, remember?). Not satisfied with that, Jane killed a lady, and then moved in with the lady's husband to comfort/murder him. While Jane was there, she went ahead and murdered that guy's two daughters, too, because if you're on a roll, you're on a roll. After cuddle-killing that entire family, Jane moved back to Lowell and tried to court/kill the widower of the Toppan girl she killed. Fortunately for him, he wasn't buying it, and he sent her away.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, someone decided it was a little funky that an entire family died at the same time, and a toxicology exam was conducted on a body. POISON! OMG! A warrant was issued for Jane's arrest, and she was taken into custody. Of course, being completely batshit bonkers, Jane was fine with confessing to eleven murders. She was locked up in a looney bin where she later let slip that she'd actually killed thirty-one people, and that her goal in life was "to have killed more people — helpless people — than any other man or woman who ever lived..."
Extra credit reading here and here and here.
Every week we'll highlight some truly heinous person from history! Maybe it's a mass murderer like Vlad the Impaler (this will happen. There's no doubt in my mind.) or maybe it's Lindsay Lohan! Boo! Or maybe some creepy triplets who ate their parents? I feel like patricide is way grosser if performed by multiple birth babies.
Anyway, this week's criminal is *drumroll, please* JANE TOPPAN!
Whaddya mean, you've never heard of her?? Well, whatever. You won't be able to shut up about her soon, because holy shit, she's CrAzY!
Born in 1857 with the name Honora Kelly, Jane was the child of Irish immigrants who lived in Boston. Jane had a sister, two years her senior, and together the sweet little girls watched their mom die of consumption and their dad become a crackpot alcoholic. In 1863, when the girls were 6 and 8 years old, Papa Kelly got sick of them and dumped them into the Boston Female Asylum, which probably has
After two years in the asylum (so Jane is 8 years old now, people. Keep up.) she was blessed with the opportunity to become an indentured servant for the Toppan household in Lowell, MA. See where she got the new name?
Side note: Jane's older sister left the asylum at age 12 to become a hooker. She died young. Shocker!
Anyway, since Jane was obviously a kick-ass nurse, she was promoted to Mass General! She got sacked, but not for murdering people. Apparently she was too lenient with prescriptions. In 1895 she got tired of easy hospital targets, so she poisoned her landlords. Then the Toppan girl (from Lowell, MA, remember?). Not satisfied with that, Jane killed a lady, and then moved in with the lady's husband to comfort/murder him. While Jane was there, she went ahead and murdered that guy's two daughters, too, because if you're on a roll, you're on a roll. After cuddle-killing that entire family, Jane moved back to Lowell and tried to court/kill the widower of the Toppan girl she killed. Fortunately for him, he wasn't buying it, and he sent her away.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, someone decided it was a little funky that an entire family died at the same time, and a toxicology exam was conducted on a body. POISON! OMG! A warrant was issued for Jane's arrest, and she was taken into custody. Of course, being completely batshit bonkers, Jane was fine with confessing to eleven murders. She was locked up in a looney bin where she later let slip that she'd actually killed thirty-one people, and that her goal in life was "to have killed more people — helpless people — than any other man or woman who ever lived..."
Extra credit reading here and here and here.
Daily Dorkgasm
Last night, a short film I was in was presented at FLICK at the Magnet Theater in NYC. It's called "Googly Eyes," and you should probably watch it. Guess which one is me...
Anyway, the Magnet Theater is an improv theater and school. Once a month they screen crazy short films. Last night they not only screened "Googly Eyes," but also this gem...
"Klondike: A Support Group" by Ryan Farrell. Check it out! Support funny people!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Daily Dorkgasm
Just in case you wound up here on accident, here's a definition.Dork, 1. n. Someone who has odd interests, and is often silly at times., 2. n. Someone who can be themselves and not care what anyone thinks.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Daily Dorkgasm
It's that time again! Today's Daily Dorkgasm is brought to by the letter W, as in WTF?
I love me some movie monsters. I love me some musicals. However, when these two things have been combined, they generally flop with both the critical and financial sectors. Frank Wildhorn's Dracula, anyone? The off-broadway Frankenstein? (I sat behind a very disgruntled older couple who thought they had bought tickets to Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein musical.) Neither one got that much praise or moola at the box office, sadly. (I always die a little when a musical, no matter what it is, doesn't become a giant sensation. I'm a tad obsessed.)
But never mind, because history is not deterring the producers of the new King Kong - Live on Stage. It's being produced in Melbourne, Australia before it scales BroadWAY in 2013. You've only got two years to get all your crazy out as the idea of this show continues to blow your mind.
I'd be worried, but Craig Lucas is writing the book. Yes. Craig Lucas.
And the star of the show is being built by the folks at Global Creatures, who made all the amazing Walking With Dinosaurs arena shows. Read the Variety article to sneak a peek!
I love me some movie monsters. I love me some musicals. However, when these two things have been combined, they generally flop with both the critical and financial sectors. Frank Wildhorn's Dracula, anyone? The off-broadway Frankenstein? (I sat behind a very disgruntled older couple who thought they had bought tickets to Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein musical.) Neither one got that much praise or moola at the box office, sadly. (I always die a little when a musical, no matter what it is, doesn't become a giant sensation. I'm a tad obsessed.)
But never mind, because history is not deterring the producers of the new King Kong - Live on Stage. It's being produced in Melbourne, Australia before it scales BroadWAY in 2013. You've only got two years to get all your crazy out as the idea of this show continues to blow your mind.
I'd be worried, but Craig Lucas is writing the book. Yes. Craig Lucas.
And the star of the show is being built by the folks at Global Creatures, who made all the amazing Walking With Dinosaurs arena shows. Read the Variety article to sneak a peek!
Sciene Fair Saturday
Did you know we're just a little over a month away from NASA's launch of the next Mars rover Curiosity? Pretty exciting stuff, and just when nearly everyone you know had misinterpreted the end of the shuttle program as the end of NASA in general.
But there's no need to fear! Maybe we will move to space in your lifetime. I mean, don't hold your breath or anything, but do
The new Rover will launch on November 25 and is scheduled to make it to Mars in 2012. Which is pretty freaking awesome.
A little history of Mars missions can be found here.
Anyway, I'm definitely looking forward to new images from the surface of Mars and to, oh, learning all about WHAT'S UNDER THE SURFACE OF MARS!!!! Because Curiosity is a probing little bitch, and she's gonna get her fingernails all up in that Mars dirt to probe for ice and/or traces of aforementioned ice! Keep it cool, Curiosity!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Fan-gasm Friday
Know what I love? You're gonna judge me, and yes it has its ups and downs. But I love my Kindle. I'm not shelling. I just genuinely love it.
It's not something I would have ever purchased for myself. I, too, used to sneer at e-readers of all shapes and sizes. "What's wrong with books? Haven't you ever heard of the library?"
Well, SHUT UP, old self! You can read library books on the Kindle! You can also download pretty much anything in the public domain for free, as well. I've read 40 novels this year, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I can access the books I want to read as soon as I want.
My one gripe? You can't read comics on it. It's black and white. Images look meh on it. Comics aren't formatted for this sort of thing. Look at that screen. No, really, are you looking? Not a comic book. Le sigh...
BUT GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!
The Kindle, which I fan-gasm for, just sealed the deal with DC Comics to be the exclusive e-reader for their comics! How's it gonna work?? I'll tell you! The Kindle Fire, bitches! I start purring when I look at it. Faster, smaller, smarter, CHEAPER than the iPad!!! AND YOU CAN READ COMIC BOOKS ON IT!!!
Set back? Well, looks like my old friend Barnes & Noble is now pissed off at DC and will no longer carry any of their comics in their stores. I can acknowledge that this is a touch sad. However, I grew up in a tiny town in the middle of nowheresville. Population=itsy bitsy. And even us hicks in itsy bitsy land had a dedicated local comic book store. So part of me wonders, who actually buys comics at Barnes & Noble? I mean, if your town is big enough for a B&N, isn't it big enough for a comic book store or two?
That's all I got to say about it. Here's what the NY Times says.
BUT GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!
The Kindle, which I fan-gasm for, just sealed the deal with DC Comics to be the exclusive e-reader for their comics! How's it gonna work?? I'll tell you! The Kindle Fire, bitches! I start purring when I look at it. Faster, smaller, smarter, CHEAPER than the iPad!!! AND YOU CAN READ COMIC BOOKS ON IT!!!Set back? Well, looks like my old friend Barnes & Noble is now pissed off at DC and will no longer carry any of their comics in their stores. I can acknowledge that this is a touch sad. However, I grew up in a tiny town in the middle of nowheresville. Population=itsy bitsy. And even us hicks in itsy bitsy land had a dedicated local comic book store. So part of me wonders, who actually buys comics at Barnes & Noble? I mean, if your town is big enough for a B&N, isn't it big enough for a comic book store or two?
That's all I got to say about it. Here's what the NY Times says.
Daily Dorkgasm
Are you ready for the coolest headline ever? Are you?? Can you take it???
"Mountain beavers evolved thicker teeth to eat volcanoes"
Imagine a little arrow pointing to a part of that volcano. The words by the arrow would read, "the volcanic layer that gets eaten by the effing awesome mountain beaver. Mountain beaver don't care."
I'm weeping at the awesome of this.
Mel is simply stunned.
"Mountain beavers evolved thicker teeth to eat volcanoes"
Imagine a little arrow pointing to a part of that volcano. The words by the arrow would read, "the volcanic layer that gets eaten by the effing awesome mountain beaver. Mountain beaver don't care."
I'm weeping at the awesome of this.
Mel is simply stunned.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Theatrical Thoughts
Let's just keep rollin' 'em out, huh? So maybe Theatrical Thoughts will be a regular feature, too. Who knows? Who cares? God, I feel wild and rebellious like Charlie Sheen all pumped up on Tigerblood!Anyway, my theatrical thoughts this week are rambly.
Unlike most girls my age who like musicals, I did not see Newsies in the movie theatre in 1992. Nor did I see it on VHS in 1993. I waited until it had already built up the beginnings of its bizarrely charming cult following. So in 1999 I saw Newsies for the first time at a summer camp where we performed about half of the songs from it in a big variety show for our parents.
In case you
Anyway, my theatrical thoughts are, "do I wanna trek out to Millburn, New Jersey to see Newsies: The Musical live on stage at the Papermill Playhouse? Or do I just wait until it opens on Broadway next year. Because we all know it will. Right? Am I right, ladies??"
Also, I'm theatrically thinking, do I want to see Newsies: The Musical? I mean, duh, yes, I do. Of course. BUT will it be as good a the movie? There's no David Moscow, Ann Margret, Robert Duvall, Bill Pullman, or Christian Bale in this one. But there are additional songs by Alan Menken AND a book by Harvey Fierstein. Plus, it got some sick reviews.
Will it only add to my enjoyment of Newsies and dancing boys in general? Or will it taint (hee hee. taint.) my memories a la the Young Frankenstein musical????????? Questions for the Angels.
Daily Dorkgasm
Today's daily dorkgasm is a collection of nerdy license plates, because nothing says "dork" quite like informing the driver behind you that you know old-school html color codes.
Enjoy, dorks!
Hers Day Thursday
Again, with the theme days!
Thursdays shall be for the ladies. Not sure what I mean by that, but we'll discover as we go, yes? Good.
I had the great good fortune to attend the New York Comic Con this past weekend, where the surprise hit panel was Womanthology. Do you know about this? I did not before NYCC, dang if I ain't excited for it. See? It's got be typing in hick speak!
Womanthology is a comic anthology of all new material by 140 creators. Those 140 awesome (female) artists, inkers, colorists, and writers range from never picked up a pencil to been working in the industry long enough to retire. The whole thing started when artist Renae De Liz (of The Last Unicorn) saw some self doubt
A few months later and the whole thing has EXPLODED! Women teamed up, and they crafted what sounds like (and looks like, based on the stuff I'm finding online. Try here and here and here) beautiful and exciting new work. A Kickstarter page was set up, with a goal of $30K. They currently have raised over $100K.
The graphic novel will be in your local comic book shop in January and available in major bookstores around March (according to the panelists at NYCC).
Anyway, back to the panel. Bonnie Burton, Mariah Huehner, Renae De Liz, Nicole Falk, Suzannah Rowntree. They all worked on Womanthology in one way shape or form, project managing, drawing, editing, and inspiring. They had a lot of great stuff to say about the work itself, but they also spoke about comics, art, and life in general. Well, really they talked about comics, but it can all be applied to life! That's the best part about comics!!
If you weren't there, I'm not gonna give you a play by play, but the gist of the whole panel was this: 1. Believe in yourself, 2. Keep doing what you want to do and don't ever think you can't, 3. Put it on the internet. We all wanna see/hear/learn about what you did! You rock! Put it into the universe.
I walked into the room not really knowing what I was going to hear or see, but I walked out feeling like I was Supergirl. (and not just because I chose to cosplay...)
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Gross-out
um... Just watched Doctor Who - Planet of the Ood (series 4 episode 3). Waaaaay too many gooey brains, and I never ever wanted to see a person peel off his head skin. Guh-ross.
HAH! You can NEVER un-see this!
HAH! You can NEVER un-see this!
Dead but Cool - Lewis Carroll
Since this is a new blog, I'm introducing sections as I come up with them (apart from the theme days, which are set; you'll figure them out soon enough).
Anyway, welcome to the first edition of "Dead but Cool," which is all about, you guessed it, cool dead people! Well, cool dead person. I'm only doing one at a time. Unless it's some cool dead set of triplets or maybe murderous siblings. Whatever! Here's to Lewis Carroll! Mathematician, clergyman, author of the ultimate bizarro books, and child pornographer extraordinaire!
Lewis Carroll, or Charles Lutwidge Dodgson as he was named at birth, lived from 1832 to 1895 when he died in Surrey at the ripe old age of 64. In his lifetime he wore many hats (get it?), but of course is best known for the stories he told the three Liddell sisters and eventually published as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There.
He's a bit of a hero of mine, minus the pervy photos of little girls in costumes, for his brave imagination and for making it okay to write books without plots. You go, Lewis Carroll!
Wikipedia
Lewis Carroll Society of North America
Project Gutenberg
Anyway, welcome to the first edition of "Dead but Cool," which is all about, you guessed it, cool dead people! Well, cool dead person. I'm only doing one at a time. Unless it's some cool dead set of triplets or maybe murderous siblings. Whatever! Here's to Lewis Carroll! Mathematician, clergyman, author of the ultimate bizarro books, and child pornographer extraordinaire!
He's a bit of a hero of mine, minus the pervy photos of little girls in costumes, for his brave imagination and for making it okay to write books without plots. You go, Lewis Carroll!
Wikipedia
Lewis Carroll Society of North America
Project Gutenberg
Vampire Vednesday!
Wednesdays are for vampires. Maybe they'll occasionally be for zombies. It's my blog. You do not get a vote.
My two favorite lines from Stephanie Meyer's New Moon:
"It was bad enough my best friend was a werewolf. Did he have to be a monster, too?"
Painful, right? It gets better.
"Victoria was already hunting me. It was just luck she hadn't found me yet. Just luck and five teenage werewolves."
Okay, so maybe there's not anything about vampires in there, but I had to get these horrid Bella Swan-isms into the universe. I'm on Breaking Dawn right now, and I keep wishing I was that demon fetus breaking her ribs from within her womb. Oh, sorry. Spoiler? Whatever. Here's a picture, you bloodsucker.
My two favorite lines from Stephanie Meyer's New Moon:
"It was bad enough my best friend was a werewolf. Did he have to be a monster, too?"
Painful, right? It gets better.
"Victoria was already hunting me. It was just luck she hadn't found me yet. Just luck and five teenage werewolves."
Okay, so maybe there's not anything about vampires in there, but I had to get these horrid Bella Swan-isms into the universe. I'm on Breaking Dawn right now, and I keep wishing I was that demon fetus breaking her ribs from within her womb. Oh, sorry. Spoiler? Whatever. Here's a picture, you bloodsucker.
Daily Dorkgasm
Enjoy today's Daily Dorkgasm! Suggested by Danny M. of the Lower East Side.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Daily Dorkgasm
For all you green nerds, DeLoreans are coming back on the market, but as electric-only vehicles! They're going to have a range of 70 to 100 miles, so they're perfect for your day to day commute. And just in case you're worried about parking it, please enjoy watching this video made by some kid who obviously has braces. Where'd he find a DeLorean?? WAIT! Where'd he find TWO DeLoreans side by side????
Tumblr Tuesday!
My favorite tumblr of the week is "If You Can't Say Anything Nice."
Not only is the author's avatar a picture of 1960's style Batgirl, but it's pretty much full of amazing. Videos of people singing in zoos, highlight clips from The Mighty Boosh, the occasional fantastic original video, and pictures of stuff I like to look at. What more could you wish for?
An example of the gems you'll find there:
Not only is the author's avatar a picture of 1960's style Batgirl, but it's pretty much full of amazing. Videos of people singing in zoos, highlight clips from The Mighty Boosh, the occasional fantastic original video, and pictures of stuff I like to look at. What more could you wish for?
An example of the gems you'll find there:
Debut
Welcome to Giant Dorkgasm.
Here's the deal: I've had blogs on and off. I update, I forget to update, I remember suddenly that I have a blog, I feel constricted by themes or auras I want to project out into the big wide web, I waste hours changing templates while not generating posts, I hem, I haw, and eventually I give up.
I'd say "Not this time!" but let's face it, this will probably fall into oblivion, too. Oh well.
I do have a plan this time, though. No more constricting what I can and cannot blog! If I wanna write a post about how much I loved Comic Con, I shall! If I want to post about writing a musical, I shall! If I wanna put up a bunch of links to funny YouTube videos, I effing shall! Who cares?!
Anyway, brace your face for a lot of crap and maybe even a little awesome.
Here's the deal: I've had blogs on and off. I update, I forget to update, I remember suddenly that I have a blog, I feel constricted by themes or auras I want to project out into the big wide web, I waste hours changing templates while not generating posts, I hem, I haw, and eventually I give up.
I'd say "Not this time!" but let's face it, this will probably fall into oblivion, too. Oh well.
I do have a plan this time, though. No more constricting what I can and cannot blog! If I wanna write a post about how much I loved Comic Con, I shall! If I want to post about writing a musical, I shall! If I wanna put up a bunch of links to funny YouTube videos, I effing shall! Who cares?!
Anyway, brace your face for a lot of crap and maybe even a little awesome.
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