Exciting News . . .

After working on a special project for a couple of weeks, I am finally able to make my big announcement:

Geektastic is moving to Wordpress!

I've really enjoyed using Blogger, but after much back and forth, I've decided to self-host my blog (using the Wordpress plugin).  I will begin posting at the new location on July 1st.  To make the transition smoother, I will continue posting updates here (with links to Geektastic 2.0) until September 1st.

I have a very good friend currently working on a design overhaul, so it's still rough around the edges, but feel free to take a sneak peak at www.tabcarson.com/Geektastic!

Geek of The Week: Monday

On her Tumblr blog 6s & 7s, Monday shows off her knitting, needlework, and drawing projects and occasionally posts random pictures that amuse her.  She recently got a lot of attention (and rightly so!) for her adorable Companion Cube sweater.  She's also a comic book and anime fan, plays WOW, and is a major Trekkie, (She's got a "Next Generation" sweater in the works.)  I highly suggest following her blog, especially if you are geeky and crafty.  (Her ability to knit, cross stitch, and draw makes me very, very jealous.)

Five Film Questions

Film blog Kid in the Front Row* recently posed some interesting questions:

1. Has a film storyline or character ever inspired you to say or do something in your life that, otherwise, you wouldn't have said or done?

Yes, constantly.  The first instance I can consciously remember would be begging my mom to buy me a stuffed white owl so that I could reenact Labyrinth in my backyard.

2. Artists die, but their work stays, as long as we keep viewing it. Why is the past important? Where do Chaplin, Capra and Hepburn fit into a world of iPhones and social networks?

The past, especially film's past, is so vital because it influences everything that comes after it.  Where would horror films be today without F.W. Murnau's camera work and lighting in Nosferatu or Hitchcock's amazing suspense building?  Tarantino wouldn't even have a career without martial arts flicks and exploitation films.  No director works today without being influenced by someone that came before and good actors take cues from their predecessors.


3. What do you dislike most about movies?

I don't know if there's anything I dislike about movies themselves.  I dislike how producers/studios seem to favor remakes and rehashes over creativity and unique filmmaking.  I have seen some gorgeous, amazing films that are produced as indies because the major studios didn't have enough faith in them.  Although independent films are wonderful, they miss the huge audience afforded to mainstream movies.

4. Please sum up in only ONE word, what you are looking when you watch a film.

This one was really hard.  I would have to say "magic".  Obviously, I'm not talking about literal Harry Potter magic.  The flick has to suck me in.  It has to be believable, even if it is about something that could never happen.  It has to dazzle me, even if it's intended to be realistic.

5.  When you think of your love for movies, what one image comes to mind? (could be an image from a movie, could be a flashback of you as a kid eating popcorn, could be anything!)

For me, it is the dark theater with the bright, flickering screen.  The room is hushed, but not completely quiet and you can just make out the outlines of empty seats and the heads of the other moviegoers.

* Kid in the Front Row is an awesome film-related blog.  The Kid is very knowledgeable, extremely prolific as far as blogging goes (I am SO jealous), and not afraid to share his opinion.  I highly suggest taking a look if you're a film lover or if you're looking to break into any aspect of the movie-making business.

The Hits Keep Coming!

Fresh off of professing my love for Indy Grrrl comes my favorite name for a blog ever: The Drunken Severed Head.  This blog is for the horror/sci-fi/cult film lover and is both funny and full of information.  Lots of cool pictures, especially old movie posters, including this one, which I would love to have hanging on my wall.  The blog has a niche audience, but if you fall in that niche, it's a great read with lots of hidden treasures.

I also stumbled on this blog, which has amazing pictures.  Unreliable Girl and Indy Grrrl both make me want to take more pictures, but I don't know if that's a good idea, especially since that was my weakest unit in Journalism and I still can't take a good picture to save my life.  Practice does make perfect, though, so if you're willing to suffer through bad photography to get to the good, you'll see more photos here.

If you haven't already, drop me line with comments or suggestions about the new look.  Your opinions are much appreciated!

I'm In Love With a Blog

Bored and looking for new reading material, I looked through the Blogs of Note archive and found this gem. As I read through a handful of the posts, I discovered a kindred spirit. Indy Grrrl is a fan of many of the same things I love - including (but not limited to): kitties, Target, fun socks, books, movies (especially horror, and best of all, cult/cheesy horror and sci-fi), Alice in Wonderland, Tarantino, and "Twilight Zone". She lives in Baltimore with her tattoo artist husband and a cavalcade of beautiful cats. Remember what I said about style? This girl has it - in spades (or possibly candy pink hearts). Color me Jello x 10.

In Other News . . .

Besides failing miserably at blog design, not much else is going on. (Apologies to the readers who had seizures!) I went back to a black/gray/white color scheme because it seemed like the simplest option. After all, if you're a regular reader, you're not coming here for super cool backgrounds (hopefully). I would like an awesome logo, but I don't have enough skill to make one for myself. I'm offering a $25 ThinkGeek gift certificate to the reader who can come up with the coolest logo.* (I'm a huge fan of robots and zombies, so extra points if you include one or both of those elements!)

If you have suggestions for "Geek of the Week", "It Came From the $5 Bin", or really anything else, please comment. (Keep criticism somewhat constructive, please. If I suck, at least offer some advice on how to suck less.)



*If you submit a logo, please email me at zombettiesfrommars@gmail.com. That way, I will be able to send the gift certificate to you!

Focusing On My Goals . . . Oh Look, It's a "Tales From the Dark Side" Marathon

Every week I say to myself, "This is the week you're going to do everything right. You're going to wake up early enough to eat breakfast; you're going to put on makeup and do your hair. On your day off, you're going to do something productive." The reality is that very few of these things happen. Like most people, I usually end up spending the day in my "Twilight Zone" T-shirt eating microwave hot wings and watching "Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman" and old episodes of "New Detectives". Oh wait . . . no one else does that, do they?

A few posts back, I said I wanted to post every day. I really do want to do that, but I can never seem to find the time. The worst part is that I'm not doing important, necessary stuff. I'm doing lame, time-wasting things like playing Plants vs. Zombies or looking up movie trivia on IMDB. (Actually, I don't think those things are lame, but I'm sure other people do.) I am going to try to post every day, but I may not be able to tear myself away from facebook.

A while ago, I posted about The Nook. My loving husband (we just celebrated our 2nd anniversary!) and my dad went in together to get me this awesome device as a birthday/anniversary gift! It is amazing to say the least. It's very easy to use and has some awesome features, including screensavers that appear on the screen, even when the device is off (they use no battery life). Here it is in all it's beautiful glory (Kris even picked out the pink cover!):


Once I've used it a bit more, I may write a whole post about it, but for now, I'll just say that I've been referring to it as "my precious" all weekend.

Before I sign off, I highly reccommend that you check out Pralines and Dick, a relatively new blog that is a shining example of what I hope this blog will someday be. Color me jealous over how funny these girls are! You can't go wrong with a Wayne's World reference and their Netflix Mystery Theater is hilarious. Definitely worth a read.