Five Reasons I Love Being A Geek...

Your eyes are not deceiving you. The above picture is of a TARDIS. Not the real TARDIS, though, in my dreams...It is a cupboard made for me by my own father - this was my Christmas present from him to me. Handmade. Just for me. I'm still pinching myself because it doesn't seem real.

This is one of the numerous reasons why I love being a geek. (Not the live chicken eating geek.) And it's also one of the reasons I love my dad. And my mum, of course. They both sneaked it into my house the other night and would have gotten away with it if it hadn't be for those snooping kids...oh wait...Facebook...they would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for Facebook. Mum could not resist posting a picture on Facebook.

Let's launch into my top five reasons why I love being a geek. (In other words, why I love being me.)

5. In the words of John Green:

"…because nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff… Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself love it. " 

In this case nerd and geek are interchangeable. They just are. I love being enthusiastic about stuff. And my enthusiasm spills over. It shows in my work, especially when I am teaching about anything I am slightly enthusiastic about. When I was able to teach Looking For Alaska by John Green I was excited. When I watched The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug for the second time I was enthusiastic to the point of jumping out of my seat. (Great film by the way, if you haven't seen it...) In short, being enthusiastic about 'stuff' is fun.

4.

Fandoms. This is definitely a two edged sword because some fandoms can be terrifying. Just open tumblr and type in SuperWhoLock - fantastic but bloody scary at the same time. Fandoms are a way to forge instant friendships and create life long enemies. Hence the two edged sword. There is something magical about finding out that there are others out there who love diving into the world that someone else has created and just make it richer. Just tread with caution.

3. My general knowledge from being a geek has just grown exponentially. I'm not exaggerating because you have to have a broad general knowledge to keep up with allusions within nearly every graphic novel, novel or TV series. You have to research ideas to further your own understanding of the things that you love. Hell, just read Y the Last Man and see how many things you can learn about English Literature, various cultures and just basic morals etc. Basically, through embracing the geekiness in my soul I've improved my knowledge on numerous concepts and pop culture, of course.

2. Conventions - where else can you find yourself surrounded by like minded folk who are enthusiastic about stuff. I know that there are quite a few people out there who have started to complain about SDCC (San Diego Comic Con) becoming too 'mainstream' but the first time I went I thoroughly enjoyed it. I flew from New Zealand to California to attend two days of SDCC. Just two. I woke at a ridiculous time in the morning in order to get on line to get tickets. I would love to attend again this year and make it a hat trick but I'm not sure if the timing will work. (Fingers crossed)
I just love being able to look at all the stuff I love under one roof and find stuff I didn't know I loved. Hell, even the pretzel dogs were exciting.

1. I want to cheat and say everything - I love everything about being a geek but my final reason is that there are so many different mediums out there that make being a geek fun. Film, television, novels, tumblr, YouTube, graphic novels, collectables. The list goes on. There is something out there for everyone. This translates into the fact that everyone has their own little nerdy/geeky loves and we should all embrace them. (Okay, so maybe I did cheat a little on this last one. Mediums can quickly be replaced by everything...but a girl has to have some vices, right?)

So there you have it. My five reasons I love being a geek...My question for you, though, is what was the first geeky thing you remember doing? Mine was recovering after my sixth or seventh surgery and watching The Empire Strikes Back on VHS. Dad had recorded it from the telly and had cut out all the ads for me.

Peace and pancakes everyone.
x Jaime

Where are our Super Heroines?

I was watching a SourceFedNerd video the other day on YouTube (if you haven't watched any seriously check them out - I absolutely love them!) about the teaser still for Guardians of the Galaxy and an interesting point was raised by one of the hosts regarding the fact that we are getting a "talking racoon with a machine gun before we get Wonder Woman on the big screen." (SourceFedNerd Guardians of the Galaxy and the Future of Marvel Movies click for the video - it's pretty interesting)

Image Link

It's a valid point and, although I am definitely still going to see the film when it comes out, it is concerning that we still don't really have a strong base for female led action or super heroine films. This idea isn't new, people have been talking about this for a long time but it is becoming more widespread, especially with the constant stream of media that we devour on a daily basis. So, where are our strong leading women? (I avoided the obvious alliteration there because it's cliched...) I mean, I'd pay to see a Wonder Woman film or Black Widow film.

Before I continue I just want to mention that I am not here to "stir" the pot or anything. I love my action films and any comic book/graphic novel adaption - hell I'll watch nearly any kind of film but this doesn't stop me from noticing the lack of female led films that don't revolve around a love triangle or some bizarre rescue-damsel-in-distress model. And, if I'm not seeing them, then others aren't as well.  I also understand how big movie companies work. They are after butts in seats and, more often than not, male led films are the draw card. But this needs to change and one big reason for this is we want to ensure that we show the strength that women can bring to a film - not just as sex objects, manic pixie dream girls or distressed damsels - but as equals who have similar ideas to our male counterparts. Not to mention similar strengths, motivations, desires and dreams...

So, where are our female led Marvel or DC films? (Or Vertigo, Dark Horse, Image or what have you.) I am actually going through the films that I have seen recently and trying to recall one that has a strong female role model who doesn't fail the Bechdel test. (I know that the test isn't a perfect way to gauge films but it's a start so I'm going with it.) Obviously, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire does. It's a great film and a great 'start' but what about other films that are led by women who aren't all about trying to "capture" a man.

Image Link

There is one other film that stood out to me last year and, unfortunately, it can't pass the Bechdel Test but that is because it only starred one female character: Gravity. Alfonso Cuaron has been a favourite of mine since directing the third Harry Potter film. I know that many people disliked that film but I have a soft spot for it and I don't need to defend it. Anyway, Gravity was brilliant and Sandra Bullock had the gravitas (intentional pun...) to pull it off. Just as Tom Hanks was able to carry the weight of Castaway Bullock easily carried Gravity. She also gave people (especially women) the idea that women can be astronauts. I know that many people go through the stage of wanting to be doctors or nurses or astronauts but, unfortunately, these are stages for many because, as we grow older, we find ourselves moving toward more feminine jobs...even that is wrong. We find ourselves moving toward jobs that have been labeled 'feminine'.

Gravity and Catching Fire (or The Hunger Games films in general) prove that female led stories can be hits. Heck, even Bridesmaids proved that women can carry comedy films. However, it's not the comedy films that I'm too worried about, it's the action films. Where are the women proving on the big screen that they can keep up with and, sometimes, do better than the men in the same universe? I asked my students last year to name five superheroes. Just five. Care to take a guess on the first names that came up? If you guessed all white males or even just males then you win. I don't know what you win but you win none-the-less.

When I mentioned characters such as Storm, Shadowcat, Wonder Woman, Sif, Black Widow and so on many of the students gave me a blank look. Now, I am more nerdy than most of my circle of friends and definitely more so than my students but for many of them not to even think of female characters tells me several things. The most obvious is the lack of representation on the big screen. People can't name these characters because they haven't heard of or seen them. But, secondly, it makes me question who are the characters that we look up too? I have included myself in that because I'm trying to recall who my childhood idols were (are?) and, so far, most of them are male aside from April O'Neil, Jubilee and Princess Leia. Even then I have issues with her Highness - especially in Return of the Jedi. (Fact: The Empire Strikes Back is the best of the Star Wars films.)

Maybe it is because of the amount of media that we are saturated with now-a-days but I do find myself wondering who my students look up too? Who are the strong female role models in their lives and, for them, what is considered a strong female role model? Of course I don't think everyone should be idolising Wonder Woman or just comic book characters. There are real life people out there who have done amazing things; male and female. I also guess that this is a small aspect of a larger problem surrounding ideas like equality and stereotypes. After all that's said and done there is more to this question than we give it credit. Although I would like there to be one single answer I can say with certainty that there can't be. But, maybe this bit of writing can be seen as food for thought. And, as there a millions of thoughts about this running through my head I will address this topic again. Maybe focusing on one point at a time. Until then I leave you with the following final note:

What I would be really interested in seeing on the big screen is a Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy/Catwoman film. I know they aren't technically super heroes but I still think it would be an interesting choice and, this time, Batman, the Joker et al can be relegated to background characters. Plus, think about the mischief they could get up too.

Question: Who were your childhood cartoon idols and which female super heroine or villain would you like to see with her own movie?

New Year New Start New Blog

I haven't written a proper blog post in nearly two years. Well, that's a lie. I've written them but just haven't posted. There are a million reasons, excuses or whatever you want to call them but the main reason is actually a combination of two things. Firstly, time. I'm teaching full time and, until recently, I was working two other jobs while trying to get my marking and writing done. And, the other part, is a confidence issue. (It sounds dreadfully pretentious but I struggle with liking my writing. I read over posts and spot minor errors that make my inner teacher sense growl in anger...)

This is not to say that I haven't missed the life of writing on a schedule but, let's be honest, I've never been good with the scheduling part of the blogging life but I'm going to work on improving that.

So - New Year, New Blog, New Start.

Less of the updates of teaching etc because there are much better insights from other teachers on the 'net. I want to focus on the things that I like...the nerdy things that make me smile.

Reviews of:

• Games 
• Films
• TV Shows
• Geeky things...

When I have things under some semblance of control there will be possible crafty things that have some form of nerd/geek cred...

Lastly - I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas and are ready for what the New Year has to bring...

x Jaime 

When I yell I sound like...

...A cat being strangled. It isn't fun to listen to and it sure isn't fun to do but that is beside the point.

Today I'd like to do a little segment called 'Things I've Learned'. For those of you playing at home the simple rules are to list things (normally obvious things) that you have learned recently. So, here goes my list for today.

1. When filling up the car either enter a set amount or make sure you read the right gauge while free-filling. In other words, litres are different to dollars. I stupidly thought I was reading the dollar sign and stopped when it got to 30. Oddly enough, it was the litres sign. $61.77 dollars later. 
2. Teenagers are a lot more naive in some contexts than they are in others. In other words - yes, teachers understand pig Latin and, no, you cannot swear in pig Latin. 
3. When setting the electric fence, make sure it's off before you move it. (This also applies to peeing on an electric fence...no mean feat for a female...)
4. When trying on clothes, ensure the door is shut, latched, barricaded - just to avoid any mishaps. 
5. When teaching - if you've lost the lesson plan...fake it. 

Anyway, my weekend was hectic but I did manage to watch Sunday on TV1 which was all about 9/11 ( 11.09 depending on where you live in the world.) As I sat there watching the familiar scenes I found myself feeling upset that people have the capability to hurt each other that way. There is no excuse for that.

I have always tried to see the good in people. Admittedly, for some people their 'good' might be buried a little deeper than usual. Yet, I find it terrible that we have the ability to inflict pain in so many different ways. I know that there are people out there who see the world in black and white and that is part of the reason I went into teaching - to challenge people to think differently.

Sorry, that got a little heavy. What I mean to say is that my heart goes out to every person who has lost someone they love - be it on 9/11 or  any time.

I'm babbling. So to curb my written diarrhea I shall finish here.

Hope everyone had a super weekend. I'm off to mark some essays.

In which I jot down some ideas...

I've been thinking, which never usually leads to productive things, rather, random whimsical thoughts traipse through my mind not unlike butterflies drawn by the smell of decaying flesh. Now that I have that rather odd image in your brain I will attempt to decode what thoughts attacked my mind throughout today. Most of it has to do with this little old blog here.

Thought the first was to do with making regular updates. I know that many of you have a schedule that you stick to come hell or high water and, being the responsible adult that I pretend to be, I'm going to attempt to update regular like. The most common schedule that I've been thinking of is the Monday, Wednesday, Friday one and I think I'll give that one a go. So - Here fore, I (insert name here)* swear to update each and every Monday, Wednesday and Friday unless otherwise occupied in which case I can defer when I update but not before giving notice. (Sounds dreadfully official right?)

Thought the second has to do with personalising my blog. I have attempted this in the past with mixed to disastrous results so this one may take a little longer than expected but I thought I would add it to the list since I'm being all mature and grown up and the like.

Thought the third revolves around this idea I had for a post in which I outline the reasons being a dork is cool. It hasn't fully formed and it has something to do with how obsessed I was with dinosaurs and Jurassic Park when I was little and how that evolved into my love of all things left of centre. So it was going to look like an evolutionary chart of mini geek/dork to the dork I am today. Plus I found myself saying the word dork today and enjoying the sound it made...don't judge me...some words are just fun to say. Spatula, for example, is a word I love to say. It always makes me smile.

And the final thought is not really important and somewhat embarrassing so I shall wait until I grow some balls (which is hopefully never since I would probably freak out if I woke in the morning and...well...you've all seen those B Grade body swap movies...) before elaborating on that one.

I think that is all for this Monday. Now I can start planning for Wednesday. (Which also happens to be the day I find if the publishing house wants to publish my novel or whether I should start looking for an agent - which could be a post in itself.)

::*::flounces around the room looking for her dinner::*:: Bye all.

*I didn't forget my name just really can't be arsed to write it out in full...

My thoughts on the Royal Wedding...

No list today though I know that there are only two days left of BEdA. Instead, I am going to share my thoughts on the Royal Wedding that is happening today. Now, unless you have been living under the proverbial rock, you know what I am talking about. The Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton.

Now, being from New Zealand, we still hold the royals in high esteem and I will be one of those avidly watching the broadcast tonight. This is, after all, the wedding of the century, so this is the wedding for our generation. And I freely admit that I am excited about this. I may not have been one of those girls who dreamed about being a princess when they were little, I was more plucky sidekick than leading character, but I have to admit that there is something about this wedding that has even the most cynical of people excited to see it.

Kate and William* seem perfectly matched. I may not be a strong believer in love other than a chemical reaction but I do like to see people happy. So far, that does seem to be the case with the royal couple. My thoughts on the matter, if you were interested, are that if you can find just one person who makes you happy and vice versa then that is great. Especially if you happen to be the second in line to the British throne.

They also give a strong front to the people and, both of them, have that way with people that make them seem real...if that makes sense. William has inherited all the good points from his parents and they both seem to bring out the best in each other. What more could you ask for in the person you are about to marry.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what I think, say or believe because this is their day and, regardless of the pomp and ceremony, I truly wish them the best for their lives together, however long it may be. It is the same for any couple entering into marriage. It doesn't matter if I feel that it is a silly ceremony because it is their ceremony and they deserve the happiness that, hopefully, goes their way.



In finishing, I wish the Royal Couple the very best. May their future together bring all the joy and happiness that they truly deserve.

Enough of this sappiness - semi-normal broadcasts shall resume tomorrow. Until then...

*I leave out the title because I am feeling lazy not out of disrespect. In case you were wondering.