Nerdfest 2009

Kris's 26th birthday was earlier this month, and we celebrated by throwing him a big bash at my aunt's house. It was nerd-themed and awesomeness abounded. I made the cake from the video game Portal and most of the guests dressed like stereotypical nerds.

Kris as Bill Gates

Bill Gates Badge

Nerdy Guests!

My Portal Cake vs Portal Cake in Game

Long Time, No Post

So, obviously since I haven't posted since May, I've been a little busy. Lots of stuff going on including me getting promoted, the death of Kris's Corolla in a sad-but-true accident, and Kris getting a new job - in computers no less!

So, here's a quickie update . . . I got promoted to manager in June, which was exciting because I now work full time and make over $10 an hour for the first time in my life! (And there was much rejoicing . . . yay.) Kris got into a moderately bad car accident the day before he left to meet me in Omaha (suckage), but because the car was paid off, he got a hefty insurance payout. He bought a moderately priced car, which left us enough money to pay off some bills and buy a few fun toys. We now have a 42" flat screen TV and I finally have a laptop (Aww . . . I love you Lappy!)! Proof positive that good can come from bad. And, finally, the most exciting news . . . Kris is no longer a mechanic. He is now a IT guy for a bank! Instead of slaving away in a hot bay, he now gets to spend 12 hours a day (3-4 days a week) watching a bank of computers. Sounds boring to me, but he loves it.

The reason I decided to pick this blog up again is that there is a TON of new stuff geared for geeks coming out and I am very excited!

Thanks to a generous gift of a Red Lobster gift card, we got to go out on a cute lil' married date tonight and we saw Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs . . . which was awesome. So many funny jokes, especially if you are a geek/nerd. If it seems like little kid fare, think again. Even though it's animated and technically made for little kids, I felt like it really appealed to adults, and mostly to those who suffered being made fun of for being different throughout their childhood, adolescence, and probably early adulthood. Go see it and go see it in 3D, the flying food makes the extra $3.50 worth it!

Among the flurry of trailers before the movie was the Fathom Event sponsored encore of Rifftrax presents Plan Nine From Outer Space! For those not in the know, Rifftrax is the brainchild of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" alums Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett. It's basically the same concept as "MST3K" (making fun of movies), but applied to a wide variety that include cult classics, big blockbusters, and new releases (Twilight, for example). You can download the audio tracks of the riffs and begin them simultaneously with the film. Ed Wood's iconic and reviled Plan Nine From Outer Space is torn to pieces for the delight of theater audiences on October 8th, 2009 at 7:30 PM in participating theaters all over this great nation. Click here for more info and/or to snap up your tickets. (We already got ours!)


Among the many new TV series premiering this fall (and the return of our favorites . . . "Big Bang Theory", we're looking in your direction!), my personal favorite is "Glee". A shy Spanish teacher attempts to resuscitate the once-great glee club, while dealing with his own personal problems. Will Schuester, tired of the favoritism placed on the lucrative McKinley High cheerleading squad (the Cheerios) coached by Sue Sylvester (the always hilarious Jane Lynch), decides to recruit students into "glee" and return as regionals champs. He finds that the kids attracted to the glee club are (of course) the school's social misfits . . . an overachieving fame-crazed brainy girl with an awesome voice but horrible social skills, a shy, stuttering punk/goth girl, a divaesque plus-size chick with a powerhouse voice, a wheelchair bound nebbish guy who can sing and rock the guitar, a stereotypically gay kid who has a choirboy voice, and the typical dumb jock with a deep side.


The music is amazing (a mix of show tunes, Top 40 hits, and classics) and the performers are extremely talented. There are a lot of funny moments (high school football team dancing to "Single Ladies" during a game, anyone?) and if you you're a drama/musical fan, you'll love this show. While it has it's fair share of stereotyped characters and situations, the show does try to use them in original ways (think "Popular" and The Breakfast Club). "Glee" is on Wednesday nights on Fox at 9:00 PM.




A show I just discovered (thank you, Netflix Instant) that probably everyone else knows about is "The IT Crowd". For those of you, who like me, are slow on the uptake, "The IT Crowd" is the BBC series about the disgruntled IT Department at mega-conglomerate Reynholm Industries. Roy (Chris O'Dowd) and Moss (Richard Ayoade) are the poor, put-upon peons of the company. Forced to work in the dank basement of the otherwise slick, modern office building, they are joined by Jen (Katherine Parkinson), their new manager, who knows nothing about computers. She decides to be their go-between, and hopes to make them more "normal". An added bonus is the appearance of Noel Fielding (of "Mighty Boosh" fame) as the up-and-comer turned Gothic prodigal son, Richmond Avenal. British humor combined with nerdiness makes an awesomely quirky and addicting show that every geek, nerd, and dork should check out.