In Related News...Marvel's Phase 3 Announced

I'm a bit behind as this news broke yesterday, but I had a lot going on last night, so...better late than never. 

Yesterday, Marvel made another huge announcement at the El Capitan theater in LA. This was a planned announcement and from reports the place was packed. Appearances at the event included: Joss Whedon, Scott Derrickson, the Russo Brothers, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans.

The purpose behind the whole shebang: announcing the release dates for the Phase 3 movies. Phase 2 is almost complete and will end with the Ant-man movie due to be released in July of 2015.

So let's get right into it shall we? Phase 3 will kick off with Captain America: Civil War on May 6th, 2016. They initially quoted a title of Serpant Society to throw people off until Iron Man (Downey) and Captain America (Evans) came out on stage to announce the correct title. It was also mentioned that this would be a cinematic Civil War, which leads me to believe that's code word for: will stray from the comics. The Captain America movie will be followed by Doctor Strange on November 4th, 2016. As of yet, Benedict Cumberbatch is still unconfirmed, otherwise they would have announced it at the event, which they did not. I'm crossing my fingers.

Next up, we have Thor: Ragnarok on July 28th, 2017. This movie will see Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston back in their iconic roles as Thor and Loki. Following that, on November 3rd, 2017 will be Black Panther. It's been announced that the Black Panther will be played by Chad Boseman, who is known for his work in shows such as: Lincoln Heights and Persons Unknown. The movies: 42, Draft Day and Get on Up. Black Panther is set to make his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War prior to the stand alone movie.

The last three: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 May 2018, Captain Marvel July 6th, 2018, Inhumans November 2nd, 2018 and Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 May 2019.

Sadly, there are currently no plans for a solo Hulk movie with Mark Ruffalo or anyone for that matter. But a fan can dream...hope...sell her soul to Crowley. Well, maybe just dream and hope--I'm kind of attached for my soul.

Extra Extra...Read All About It Marvel News

The rumor mill has begun to spin wildly once again, as the story broke today that Marvel had found their Dr. Strange. According to multiple articles, nothing is definite but Marvel is about to begin final negotiations with none other than the super sleuth of 221b Baker Street himself, Benedict Cumberbatch. Aside from Sherlock, you may also know him from such roles as Smaug from The Hobbit, Khan from Star Trek into Darkness and the upcoming role of Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.

The coveted role of Dr. Strange had previously seen Joaquin Phoenix in talks with Marvel before those talks ended. Other names in the hat: Tom Hardy, Ryan Gosling, Ethan Hawke and Jared Leto. So, who exactly is Dr. Strange you ask? He is a Marvel character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in the 1960s. Dr. Strange is a neurosurgeon who uses sorcery, mysticism, and martial arts to protect the earth from magical threats. The stand-alone movie is going to be directed by Scott Derrickson and produced by Kevin Feige (Marvel Studios' head honcho).

So far, this casting rumor is the most promising of all, as most names previously mentioned were either just thoughts or found to not be the best fit. Cumberbatch's name has been in the mix since quite early on and his track record has proven the guy is an uber talented actor. In my humble opinion--which may or may not be biased because...well...Benedict Cumberbatch *ahem*--he is going to be great in the role. I'm hoping that the next update we see is an official greenlight from Marvel that Cumberbatch has agreed to do the role. Meanwhile, pre-production has started on the film itself which is currently slated for a 2016 release.

Best Two Minutes of Your Life

So, it's been almost a week since the official trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron leaked it's gloriousness all over the Internet. I've watched it repeatedly. In fact, if you have not watched it yet, stop reading this instant. Don't worry, your rock will still be there. Go to YouTube and type in Avengers Age of Ultron. It'll only take two minutes, you'll thank me later. But remember to come back, you need to keep reading. 

Avengers: Age of Ultron is of course the highly anticipated sequel to the hugely successful Marvel's The Avengers (third highest grossing movie of all time). So needless to say, the sequel is expected to be huge. I wouldn't doubt if it knocks it's predecessor of its high horse. 

The movie centers around one of the most recognized villains of the Avengers, Ultron--an artificial intelligence with a robotic body covered in armor made out of adamantium. Adamantium being the same substance that was bonded with Wolverine's skeleton and is nearly indestructible.

I'm not going to give a play by play of the entire trailer. It's not necessary, since you've seen it now (plus, I only have so much time on my lunch break). But it's for certain that there will be much destruction in this movie. A few seconds of footage shows our Avengers in dire straights: Thor dropping his hammer (Mjölnir), Hulk smashing, Captain America's shattered shield. Insane! Can it be May 1st, 2015 already?

Constantine

Tonight was the premier of the fall's most highly anticipated TV show, or so says NBC. It doesn't hurt that it was the only new series premiering on NBC this week. It followed after the premier of the new season of Grimm (an on-again-off-again favorite of mine). For those that have not been following the details of Constantine, like me, let me provide a little bit of background information before I delve into my thoughts on the premier.

Constantine is a DC comic series (ongoing) launched in 2013 to replace the 25 year old popular series Hellblazer, much to the chagrin of many. I have not read either series so I am impartial, but I will probably check out a few issues of Constantine. You know, for posterity's sake. The character himself was created by Alan Moore during the 1980s.

For those that want to know, and admit it you do, IMDB summarizes the show as follows: A man struggling with his faith is haunted by the sins of his past but is suddenly thrust into the role of defending humanity from the gathering forces of darkness. Thank you IMDB for those thrilling words. Would it kill you to use a comma?

It's a decent summary but based on what I saw in the episode, I would disagree he is haunted by sins of his past. It's pretty obvious for the majority of the first episode that he's haunted by the biggest failure in his past. I'm not going to reveal it just yet, because I'm not big on spoilers and there may be those out there that are waiting to watch it.

I like what I've seen so far, it was intriguing and I'll definitely tune in next week. The main character is of course John Constantine played by Welsh actor Matt Ryan. Matt Ryan is probably best known for the movies Layer Cake and Fly Paper as well as voicing Edward Kenway in the game Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag.

In the premier, Non Est Asylum, we find our protagonist in (you guessed it) an asylum. He checked in of his own free will to be "convinced" that demons don't exist, when he knows they do. There was heavy use of symbols and ancient languages in the episode, which was very akin to another favorite show of mine that deals in angels and demons.

So overall, what do I give the season premier of Constantine? I'll give it a solid 3.5 out of 5.0. I really enjoyed John's snark and humor as a character--Matt is pretty easy on the eyes as well. Plus, the accent, ladies love an accent (I know I do). Anyway, back on point. I have a good feeling about this show and I think it's really going to find it's own and only keep on getting better. Of course, for DC fans, this is a big deal. With this premier, we now have not one, but two DC related TV shows on prime time TV. The other being Gotham on Fox. Marvel is hot on their heels, with the duo Agents of Shield and the upcoming premier of Agent Carter in January. So stick around folks, and give Constantine a try while you're at it.

Switching Things Up A Bit

You may have noticed some slight changes to the blog. I've gussied her up a bit and updated my profile. Why the change you ask? Well, I volunteered to be a contributor to the website of one of my favorite podcasts, Seven Days A Geek. I'm not trying to brag (well maybe a little bit), it's an explanation. What does this mean for the blog? Well, not too entirely sure yet. I hope to find out more details soon. However, what I do know. I'll be cutting back on the random posts--the ones where I was basically writing just about anything that popped into my head, for the sake of having written a post. I'm going to be focusing more on content and geeky topics that I like or would fit with the website.

With that being said, it more than likely means I can't guarantee a post everyday, but I'll certainly try my best. As most of you know, who know me, work takes up a huge chuck of my day and my baby niece currently takes up chucks of my evenings (I love helping to take care of the adorable little monkey though).

To be honest, when I decided to give blog writing another go I never thought I would get this far. I'm proud of myself for sticking to it. For not letting the old excuse of "not having enough time to write" stop me in my tracks again. Another side effect from my renewed spark for writing: I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo again this year. For those that don't know what that is, it's the National Novel Writing Month. It occurs annually during the month of November. I participated (if it could even be called that) last year. I did not write the goal of 50,000 words. I'm definitely aiming much higher this year, a starting goal of halfway (25,000 words), then going from there.

Anyway, that's all the news that's fit to print. Who knows, it could turn out that there won't be any major changes to the blog once I start writing for the website. But, I'm excited and looking forward to this opportunity.

A Fan's Convention

I just finished watching William Shatner's Get A Life, which is a short documentary about what it means to be a Trekkie (fan of the TV show Star Trek). This documentary is probably not new to most, but it was my first time seeing it. I really enjoyed it, being a big Star Trek fan myself. For those who were like me and have not seen it, here is a brief synopsis: William Shatner reached out to fans from all over to get their personal stories about why they were fans of Star Trek, centering around Creation Entertainment's Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas.

I'm not all that familiar with Creation Entertainment and their conventions, other than that I have heard of them and I'm on their mailing list for the Supernatural Conventions. I have yet to actually go to one of their conventions, in any city, for any of the shows that they have conventions for. Star Trek and Supernatural are just two out of the many many fan experiences that they offer.

My exposure to a convention has been limited to our local Phoenix Comicon which has grown exponentially in just the past three years that I've been working there as a volunteer. Prior to 2012, I had heard about Comicon, but had never attended. I'm now at the point where I couldn't imagine not being a part of this amazing pop culture event. I owe it all to simple happen stance, a co-worker was involved and asked a friend (and also co-worker) to volunteer. I was interested and went along to apply as well. The rest, as they say, is history. I have been a photo booth coordinator for three years running and I love it.

So seeing this documentary, it made me think of my own experience with a convention and the experiences of people I've met. Conventions are for the most part, about the fans. It's about giving like-minded individuals the opportunity to be in an environment where they can interact with each other and with their heroes. It's a place where they can be themselves without fear of admonishment or ridicule. You have people of every age, race, orientation--with varying degrees of passion for the things they love. There is a general understanding that you don't have to like everything or love something as much as someone else, to be accepted or get along. Are there exceptions to the rule? Of course, but they're minor blips in the grand scope of the entire event. Despite the stress and the consistent feeling of being constantly on the go, I have had nothing but great experiences at Phoenix Comicon and most people I see/work with would agree.

As much as I love Phoenix Comicon, I certainly want to broaden my horizons when it comes to conventions. I want to be see what differences some of the other larger conventions have, such as: Emerald City, C2E2, Dragon Con, New York Comicon, the big daddy of them all San Diego Comicon. In February, I have plans to attend my first Creation Entertainment convention, the Salute to Supernatural con right here in Phoenix, part of their additional cities tour for the 10th Anniversary. Then we'll see from there.

Conventions are a fantastic way for fans to express themselves and to just enjoy the things that they geek out about. I highly recommend attending one if you never have. It's a unique experience that continues to evolve and become bigger and better with every year.

Not That Impressed

I'm not that impressed, my overall feeling about American Horror Story Freak Show. For multiple reasons, I'm not sure if I'll continue watching the show. I don't have much drive to watch it and the story so far is not gripping. It certainly makes sense for it to be set in the 50s, this type of story could only be set in a time period when people feared the different and strange. My problem is not with the setting but with the character development. I have yet to be drawn in and care about the plight of these characters. I don't care much for Elsa, even though Jessica Lang is a great actress and does a good job of pulling off a German Accent, the character is very predictable. While, it may have seemed like a good idea to recycle most of the cast of the last series, I have a hard time not comparing the new role to the old one. Then of course (also as predicted) there is the murderous creepy ass clown. He's dirty, mute, crazy...likes to stab people to death with a pair of scissors. I'm not going to be having clown filled nightmares anytime soon but they certainly dialed up the creep factor with this clown. I'm not sure if I'm more disappointed by the fact that they added the clown or that they didn't give him more depth and intelligence instead of just being an erratic monster. I may give it one more shot but I'm not rushing to watch the new episode, not when I have other things recorded instead.

Triple Post Struggles

It was definitely not easy to try and churn out three post tonight after a long day at the office. It didn't help that I was multitasking the entire night either, but...I managed to pull it off. Firstly, there was a four hour long podcast I was trying to finish, still an hour to go on that tomorrow. Then of course being Monday, it was Gotham and Sleepy Hollow night, while also watching two episodes of Once Upon A Time, because apparently we had somehow fallen behind with that one. Some where in there was also the hour long weekly Supernatural Radio show. I try not to miss it--one: because there's always good music, two: because it's been a Monday night tradition of mine for a year now. A busy evening to say the least, but partly of my own making. I could have waited to watch the shows, but then that would also mean waiting with the podcasts associated with those shows. What else am I going to listen to at work tomorrow? The podcasts are the only other thing besides music that keeps me entertained. So the sooner I can catch up on my podcasts...the better.

Damp Cowboys and Muddy Outlaws

Sunday morning we woke up and prepared ourselves for breakfast at the Bisbee Breakfast Club before we mad e our way to Tombstone for Helldorado Days. Breakfast was delicious and we were all feeling incredibly stuffed--to the point where it felt as though we could have been rolled out of the restaurant. I've discovered a new way to eat eggs: with cream cheese. It's tasty and I found myself wondering how I had never tried it before. But of course, I plan to eat it more often now.

We stopped at the scenic pull off to the old Bisbee copper mine and took some photos through the fence. There was a running stream that wound its way all the way down to the very bottom where it pooled in a dark brown pond. It was a fantastic view. From there we drove the short distance to Tombstone, watching out the car windows as the dark clouds loomed over head.

We hopped puddles crossing the street from the parking lot to the main street. We sought shelter under the awnings and walked beneath them all the way to the winery--Silver Creek Winery from Tombstone. They do wine tastings and I was looking forward to sampling different wines then the last time. By the time we finished (and left with three bottles of wine) the rain storm had subsided and we were hopeful it would hold off long enough to be able to properly look around. One of us in the group had not been there before. Sadly, it was just the tail end of one storm and there was another lined up and waiting. One gun fight took place in the middle of the street while the clouds dribbled on the outlaws and lawmen. They had to hold tight to their hats as the wind whipped through, letting go to draw their guns. Three outlaw went down and spent a good five minutes lying on the wet dirt road. The show ended and the heavens opened in applause letting loose more rain water from above.

It was around that time we decided to call it a day, weather radar had been checked and it didn't look like it was going to let up at all. Besides that, it was getting on into the afternoon and we didn't want to head back home too late.We did have a three hour drive ahead of us and we weren't quite sure what weather to expect on our route. A quick stop at Starbucks prepared us for out trip home and luckily we had smooth sailing for a majority of the way. About an hour outside of Phoenix, we hit a dust storm and there were moments the high wind pushed against the car while we pushed through the fog-like curtains of sand. 15-20 minutes later we made it through the blowing dust and continued on through clearer visibility. Just outside of Phoenix we caught up with the storm front and it was pouring again. We made it home in time to watch The Walking Dead, Talking Dead, and to eat a bite. The adventure ended there.

Karaoke Queens take Bisbee

This is a bit overdo, but as I always say...better late than never. I'm fairly certain I've been using that phrase since I heard it in Ghostbusters 2 (Cheech Marin's line when the ghost Titanic arrived). But I digress...Bisbee. We got a late start heading down south and arrived around 2:30pm starving to the point where our first stop had to be for food, instead of our actually destination (my friend's house). Our mistake: not eating enough for breakfast, or none at all, before hitting the road. I honestly wasn't hungry that morning but I still felt quite foolish for skipping it none-the-less. It was difficult to think straight.

One Applebee's meal later, we met up with my friend Jaimee and dropped off our stuff at her house before hopping into the car. We got to Bisbee rather late, found parking, entered the beer fest and tried to figure out where to start. We were surprised to have received 15 tickets to use at only one ticket per mini beer. Someone could easily get drunk off that much beer, even in mini form, but as we realized the water and soda also required tickets. So, someone could pace themselves with water between their beer tastings. Unfortunately, we did not have very much time to spend in the beer fest--it ended at 6 and last call was at 5:45pm.

Luckily, there was no shortage of bars in Bisbee. We walked around a bit more before going to the Screaming Banshee Pizza place, but due to over an hour wait we only had drinks (mini beer shots) instead of food. From there we walked through town some more and stumbled upon a small jazz style band playing in an inside courtyard. The air was thick with a certain medicinal smell which incited giggling fits in us. We thought it best to leave the area before the band thought we were laughing at them.

Next, it was time to check out another bar. After IDs were checked at the door, we were pleasantly surprised to find a karaoke setup inside. We found an empty spot at the back of the bar beside the stage were the karaoke system was setup. This is the second time that we randomly found karaoke in Bisbee, so needless to say we had a very good time. Five hours later, I (the designated driver) drove us back "home" where we immediately crashed and went to sleep--singing along with every song will do that. An amusing side-note: we put our name down as Winchesters, a tradition we started the first time we all met, and once again a random person recognized that it came from Supernatural. The Supernatural family is everywhere.

New Adventures Ahead

Well new to a certain extent. I'm driving back down south this weekend but further than Tucson--to Sierra Vista, Bisbee and Tombstone. I visited these locations in August, going back for special events: Helldarado in Tombstone and a beer fest in Bisbee. It should be a real good time. I'm typing this post with one hand, while the other is holding a baby. As you can imagine it's slow going and not an easy task. So this will be the shortest post I've written in a while (probably). But, I'm sure you'll understand. I'll make up for it with tomorrow's post. Until then.

Guess Who's Back? Back Again, iPhone's Back, Tell A Friend

That's right folks, finally. I was blessed with a functioning iTunes this evening when I returned home from work. I restored the phone to factory settings, then backed it up with what was saved on my computer. But, you were going to the Apple store, you say. Yes, that was the plan. Again, that plan was thwarted, but it was no big deal. I knew restoring was an option and how bad could it be? Why do I keep tempting fate? Poking the sleeping Apple gods. Four hours later, my phone is back to being normal, with the damn update. It turns out the last time I backed up my phone, was longer ago than I thought...oops. Needless to say, I had to: reenter all my passwords, install 4 apps, delete a ton of podcasts that I had already listened to, delete emails and setup new features. It was a tedious process, one that I hope to not go through again anytime soon. I swear, if I have the same problem with the next update...ok, deep breath, not going to think about. To quote a wise baboon: It doesn't matter, it's in the past. But through it all, there was one good thing to come out of this. I got caught up on quite a few shows while I was waiting for the restore, the update and the back-up. So there's that.

The Wrath of the Apple Gods

I spoke too soon. Mere seconds away from the update being finished, I get an error message. The update could not be completed. My phone goes into safe mode and requests to be re-connected to iTunes and the only option it leaves--restore to factory settings. I turn off the phone and the computer and I go to sleep because by this time it was past midnight and I had been waiting long enough for the update. I went to work the next morning with the plan to stop at the Apple store to have them kick the phone out of safe mode which they've done before with a previous phone. After work something else came up so I didn't make it. So, I decided to plug it in and restore it. I have a version saved on my computer that I can sync onto the phone to get it back to where it was before (or close to it). But now, a new issue has arisen. My iTunes doesn't want to cooperate. This means another day with no phone, which isn't a tragedy but it is annoying. There will still need to be a trip to the Apple store. I tell you, I've always been fond of my iPhone and I've had minor issues before--it's starting to wear thin. If I had the ability to add more storage to phone, that would be one way to make things better. But that's of course not how the iPhones are made. They can not be changed or enhanced beyond the mandatory updates. I still have at least another year left on my contract, so a new phone is out of the question at the moment. However, once my plan is up, I may consider alternative options. I didn't think it would ever come to that. The moral of this story: the Apple gods are mingy, capricious ass-butts. Bad form Apple, bad form.

A Face Palm Moment

As you may be aware, I've been having problems (annoyances) with my phone in regards to installing updates. Mainly due to the fact that I have limited space available. In order to download the update it requires at least 4 GB of space on the phone, which I don't have. But here's the kicker, the moment of realization--a real doh! moment. A friend reminded me, there was a way to by-pass the issue of trying to free up space, it wasn't necessary--I could skip sacrificing apps to appease the Apple gods. We are all so used to automatic updates, or updating once we are connected to WiFi, because of it's ease and convenience. We have been conformed to rely upon it and therefore have been blinded to the old process of updating the phone via the computer and the iTunes program already installed on it. That's right, the computer, using the USB cable. It will download the update and install it on the phone without the need for extra space and bonus...everything currently on it stays. I will admit, I felt like a dummy for resigning to leave my phone to it's fate of no longer functioning properly. The only downside: it takes forever. Two hours later and it's still not quite finished yet. But I'll take it, if it means I can finally get the phone working and not have to lose more apps. Twitter, Facebook, Mail--the biggest offenders of space usage and I use them all frequently. So I was dead set not to relinquish any of them, and now I don't have to. Tomorrow I update my mother's iPhone...the battle ends. To the victor go the spoils.

The End of Another Weekend

It happens all the time...there's no stopping it, and no way to get it back. Another weekend has come and gone. Those two days of freedom used in any way you wish. It ends abruptly--or so it always seems. Monday rolls around and it's back to waking up via alarm clock radio, dragging one's self out of the comforts of the bed to prepare for the day ahead. Some days are easier than others. Some days you regret ever getting out of the bed, other days you're so glad that you did. It may seem like a guessing game, as though you can never be quite sure what the day will bring. While this may be the case for a percentage of the time, it is not always up to chance. It's every bit up to you to shape how your day will go, then it is to the workings of fate. Certain things may be out of your control at the moment, but it won't always be that way. You have the ability to decide what kind of day you're going to have. You choose the way you react to events and allow your mood to adjust accordingly. Could you be grumpy when something doesn't turn out the way you had planned? Of course. Could you not let it phase you and keep that frown upside done? Affirmative. Your attitude towards things is what you make it to be. Are you entitled to venting your complaints every once in a while? Feeling sadness and disappointment? Absolutely. But it all comes down to self-control. Not letting yourself get too carried away by how a day turns out, can make all the difference. I had a very hectic day at work. I could have been grouchy, stressed, annoyed...possibly all at once (I will admit to some slight annoyance at one point). But I kept plugging away and accomplished a decent amount. I still had more to do when I left, but tomorrow is another day. So here's to keeping a positive attitude and kicking the work load in the ass.

Zombies Are Back!

Today marked the season premier of the new season of The Walking Dead, easily October's most anticipated TV show premier. Who doesn't love zombies at Halloween time? This episode was action packed and very good. I called a couple things and was happy to see my theories proven true. There were just some really awesome moments in the episode and I was not disappointed. Fantastic way to start things out. I'm certainly looking forward to the upcoming season and finding out where this new path takes the characters. The premier of course meant that the after show, Talking Dead, hosted by the very funny Chris Hardwick was back as well. I'm a fan--his podcast, Doctor Who specials, SDCC (San Diego Comicon) panels, Talking Dead and most recently At Midnight. I have yet to see one of his stand-up shows, but would love to. Some day.

I'm Back!

Yes, there was no blog post yesterday. I know, you were probably very worried. Please set your mind at ease, for now I give you two blog posts in one day. This is of course to make up for my absence yesterday. Now, if you read my previous post, you should not have been surprised by the lack of words. I was busy having an enjoyable time out of town. I drove down to Tucson, having left later than I had originally planned, and arrived at around 2:30pm. I left my things and the car at my friend's house and we hopped into her car to head downtown. Yesterday there were a couple different events going on in Tucson: Tucson Meet Yourself and Second Saturday. Our first stop was my friend Jessica's favorite brewery, Borderlands. It's a pretty cool place with great beer. We met a couple more of her friends there and we all had a beer before moving on to get something to eat. We walked from the brewery to where Tucson Meet Yourself had been setup. There were ethnic performances and food from all over the world, all representing their culture there in Tucson. After scouting what they had, my friend Holly and I settled for some Chevapchichi from a Bosnia place, it was delicious. WE grabbed dessert and sat on the grass inside the main tent to watch the performances. First, there was a band that played Baltic/Hungarian/Greek style music basically a big mix of styles from Eastern Europe and Greece. The next performance was belly dancers who danced for the crowd. Funny enough, my friend Jessica actually works with one of them. After the dancing ended, we headed back out into the swarming crowd, grabbed some pirogies and fried bananas then wandered out of the festival area. We wanted to head back to the brewery, I wanted to buy some beer to take back home with me and in the process we passed through streets set up for Second Saturday. That basically meant a bunch of vendors had tables setup on the sidewalks selling just about everything. We came away with a snow cone. I purchased by beer, brought it back to the car and then we decided to go to another brewery for round two. Because there was a football game going on that night, there was no space at that particular place so we went for another one. The second was back in the direction we had just gone, almost back to the first brewery. We get there, have a flight and then leave. While we were there, we get hungry and they don't serve food, so a plan for food was thought up. It was back to the car for us. This time we drove, to a pizza joint, that also served beer. We shared a 14 inch pizza, drank some 5oz samples of different beers and chatted while watching the rest of the game. We finished out the night by driving out of town to a scenic view to look at the stars. Tucson is a dark city, which means all the city lights are much dimmer than here, so it's easier to see them without having to drive to far out into the sticks. It got cold and we headed back to the house. So ended the adventure.

Fun Plans Ahead

I will keep this short, mostly because I'm tired, but also because I'm only now having the time to get to this. Between catching up on shows and taking care of the baby, the opportunity did not easily present itself. There's also not much to talk about...except for my plans for the weekend. I'm heading down to Tucson tomorrow to hang out with some friends for the 1st Annual Chili Fest. There will be chili...there will be tasty local beer-- it's gonna be awesome. I'll spend the night, head back up Sunday morning then spend the day putting up the Halloween and fall decorations. I'm looking forward to a fun, relaxing weekend. I sure as hell have earned it.

One of Those Days

One of those days where you just feel drained. It limits your willingness to do anything but sit in front of the TV and potato it up on the couch. The only difference between other days: add a baby. It's a bit odd, watching shows like American Horror Story Freak Show with a baby. Now of course I know that she can't understand a damn thing. I guess it's really just the new experience of having a baby in the house. I'm pretty sure I've gotten off topic again. But that's just the state my brain is in. Plus, the TV isn't helping to reduce distraction. Really, my point is: I'm not capable of getting much today. At least nothing that's coherent enough. So that's my brain status. Sweet mother of sin, I hope tomorrow is not as rough as today was, I'd like to not spend most of my evening as a vegetable. Just part of it, that'd be ok.

The Post-est With the Most-est

Does it make sense? Not really. But I liked the sound of it and thought it appropriately described my feeling on the subject. My last blog post got the highest number of views in a while, that wasn't entirely baby related. It's no wonder that those get attention--who doesn't love babies? Especially when they're not yours. Heh. Anyway, this is not about that, its about posts and really about the writing in them. It makes me happy to see there's interest, even if I don't know for sure that each of the 22 people actually read through the whole thing. But there was a bit of feedback via Facebook so I know a few did. I'm hoping that it's at least showing through how much I enjoy it--the writing, the creativity, the story telling. It's been a long running part of my life since grade school. I created little stories in class about all kinds of things, stories that earned high marks and high praise. To this day, my grandfather still asks if I remember the booklet of stories I put together and gifted to him and my grandmother and then proceeds to pull it out from a cupboard. I basically made a copy of all the stories I'd written in school, hole punched them and tied them together with string. Tween me was very impressed with my efforts. My love of writing has continued on through the years, through each hiatus and episode of self doubt. I have enough material saved up that could easily add up to a couple novels combined. Maybe one day there might be a new collection of short stories, by yours truly. A new set of creativity tied up with string.

Well That Didn't Take Long

It's already come to the point where a single DVR is not enough to hold all of the TV shows we currently want to watch. I avoided one heart attack earlier having been saved by the DVR upstairs, and cancelled one other show (sorry Tattoo Nightmares:Miami, my sister can watch you on the regular receiver). The DVRs are reserved for important shows, namely what the majority of the household wants to watch and the majority is not currently interested in bad tattoos. It's enough that Live Free or Die and the Life of Mick Dodge or whatever are being recorded from the National Geographic channel. Get this, my sister says she likes them because she learns about nature. Sweet baby jesus, so go hiking in the woods and learn about nature, don't watch it on TV.

But I digress--so we're moving on. While many shows have already started, there are still a few more coming up, most importantly the new season of The Walking Dead. Luckily, Strain is hopefully ending soon and there will be nothing else to compete with my zombies except for OUAT (Once Upon A Time). I did decide to keep watching it. So my high volume days continue to be Monday and Tuesday. Throw in a couple shows that I watch occasionally or not at all but mom does, and you've got DVR mayhem. But, I'm used to it and I will be able to figure out a way to watch everything, while still finding time to write, read, and help with the baby. It's all about piece meal-ing it out. I think I might try creating my own schedule, see how that works. Let the experiment begin!

Just Another Manic Monday

It was really just more of your average Monday. Woke up, was sad the weekend was already over again, then dragged my feet until I left the house. Even the coffee this morning didn't really do much to lighten my mood. It wasn't until lunch time and after some m&ms and a snickers that I felt less like a rainy storm cloud --chocolate was the silver lining. I spent the morning plugging away at my email, listening to podcasts, it was the same routine in the afternoon. Basically what  I would consider a productive day. Stopped at Anna's Linens on the way home to buy a new chair cover for the reclining chair in the living room. Max likes to sit on it and rather than let it get hairy or clawed, we use the cover to protect it. The last one had started to wear out so we tossed it. The next thing that I have to buy is some more double sided tape for the bottom of the couches and chairs--also to deter clawing, it works very well. Then it was home sweet home for dinner and TV watching. We went with something easy, pizza. Ended up watching Once Upon A Time, during which yours truly fed a bottle to the baby while mommy went to Walmart. After that was Gotham to end the night. We're all too tired to keep watching anything else. There's still an episode of Sleepy Hollow to watch, plus the Supernatural Special that was on tonight. Those will be the first two on the list for after work tomorrow, followed by Agent's of SHIELD, the season 10 premier of Supernatural, and Forever. I love fall TV.

Baby's Next Adventure

Lilyan had an even bigger adventure today. We ventured out for some lunch at a local restaurant with myself, my sister, the baby, and our parents. We sat outside on the patio, it was hot but there was a breeze going and plenty of shade. We enjoyed a nice lunch and of course there were more people fawning over the baby. The couple at the table next to ours kept whispering about how cute she was. After lunch, we stopped at the grocery store real quick and the same thing--aww look at the cute baby. So she was out and about longer today than she has been so far and did very well. Not much to tell about this new adventure, I know, not very exciting. But it was a good milestone. This proved we can go out and do things with her without having to worry to much. She really enjoys sleeping, that helps.

Baby's First Adventure

By adventure, of course, I mean that I had an errand to run and we decided to bring the baby along. My boss from my seasonal job asked if I would stop by so she could give me my review for the last season. My sister wanted to let her see the baby. She got stopped by two older ladies while standing in line for coffee. They asked every question they could think of and gushed over how tiny and adorable Lilyan is. My boss cooed over her too. But who wouldn't, right? Babies are adorable. After my review, we were getting ready to leave, after my sister had fed the baby her bottle and she was stopped by a very nice Indian man and his son. He asked how old she was and how much she weighed. When my sister said she was 3 months old and weighed 6 pounds and 3 ounces, he remarked to his son, "Oh that's tiny, you were 8 pounds." He congratulated my sister and they went about their way. On the way out the door there was a table of young Asian ladies who got so excited over Lilyan that they started acting like a couple of j-pop fangirls. At least according to my sister, I was already outside and didn't hear when she passed by the table with the stroller. All in all, my sister was one proud mama, with how much attention she and the baby received. I really enjoyed the free coffee.

From Normal to Crazy in Four Hours

Let me tell you a bit about my evening tonight. I get home from work, having left late (story of my life) and I ate a bowl of mac and cheese for dinner. Next I got to feed the baby, which was great. After she was burped by mama, I sang her to sleep. So that all seems pretty normal.

Then the craziness ensues...I turned on the live 100th episode of the Seven Days A Geek Podcast broadcasting on Radio Fubar. The show started out fairly normal, with four of the five hosts. They played some games, had some folks call in and then it all spiraled into uncontrolled hilarity. There were some great moments, but wow. One host fell in love with the Cuban guests from Miami, two hosts got frustrated and the other just enjoyed the ride. Four hours later it was still going, no format and the show notes were out the window. But because the Radio Fubar website offered a chat setting, it made interacting easy and fun. Otherwise, the show would have probably been a bit hard to follow. However, it was a live show (a celebration) and I do think the hosts deserved to let loose. Making it to 100 episodes is a big deal and being one of my favorite podcasts, I'm happy for the boys that they made it to this milestone. I hope they have many more episodes in the future. If you care to give them a listen, which I recommend, check out www.7daysageek.net.

Alternative State Fair

I was listening to a new favorite radio station, Alt AZ 93.3 today, which replaced the old KDKB Rock station. I was a bit saddened by this at first, but I have two other rock channels, one modern and the other classic rock. So those both more than make up for the lost channel. Plus this new station plays great music so there's that. Anyway, a commercial came on for the Arizona State Fair. In the midst of this commercial, they mentioned one of the bands headlining a concert on one of the fair days. Weezer. I've been a fan of Weezer since High School--my freshman English Teacher was kinda obsessed with them. On days when we didn't have a lesson plan (which wasn't often) he'd play their music in class. So imagine my delight when I found out they were coming here. Not only that, but the station was having a contest to give away tickets to the show. I was all over that. After entering for the contest I hopped onto the State Fair website to see who else was coming and to my continued amusement--Sublime will be there too. I just heard Caress Me Down on the radio the other day (same station) and it dawned on me that I had not heard the song in forever. I know that song very well along with Santeria. I may go to that show as well, sadly, no contest for those tickets. General admission is free with fair admission, but you can buy reserved seats for $25, which is not bad. I wonder how long I'll have to wait before they give away the tickets. We shall see.

Lots of Good Stuff Today: Baby Lilyan and an Essay Contest

So first off, baby Lilyan is finally home! We are all super excited. I rushed home after my dentist appointment today and got to hold her for the first time. The last time I got to hold a baby (related to me) I was 6 and it was my little sister, now a mother herself. I still can't believe it sometimes. The baby is doing great and after two bottles and four or so hours of sleep (first time it was about two hours after the first bottle and three hours after the second. She's about to get her third bottle soon. She's a very calm baby and hardly cries so my sister definitely got lucky--she takes after her aunt.

I'm going to keep this short, because I'm tired--it was a long day. I submitted a short essay for a contest about 20 minutes ago. It was for GISHWHES and the winner would have their essay published in the Coffee Table Book. It's funny, I actually already had something typed up, my previous blog post, The True Meaning of GISHWHES. The word limit was 300 words though, so I had to trim it down a lot. But it fit perfectly for what they wanted for the essay entries. However, it's left me a bit thin on creative juices now though. So I'm going to call it a night.