A day in the life of thwarting paradox...

My Spawn came with me to see my therapist yesterday.

My Spawn agrees that she and I have the same brain.

My therapist and I agree that she and I have the same brain.

This is the same therapist that I've suggested many a show to. She now trusts my entertainment savviness completely.

Spawn and I told the story of how I now have Spawn addicted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Originally she was unsure of it. So I made the same deal with her that I did when it was Doctor Who and Supernatural. One episode a day and then she can go back to her anime.

Buffy 1.1 ends in a cliffhanger. She was so annoyed and had me queue up 1.2. By then she was hooked and she finished 1.4 just before bedtime.

It's been nearly a non-stop Buffyfest since then.

My therapist just looks at Spawn, laughs and says "See! That's how she gets you!"

Spawn: "I know, right!?"

Then the three of us proceeded to co-geek the fuck out of Supernatural. It's a wonder we get any therapy in at all, LOL.

There are times I wonder if my therapist and I are cast in someone else's favorite show. That episode would have been killer.

Little One (and I) need official "Don't Feed the Yao Guai" T-Shirts

This is the ACTUAL letter I just sent to Bethesda suggesting this:

I was just telling my daughter about the time I had the level 2 animal friend perk.  Anyway... I was running around in a very open area, admiring the way my ass looked in recon power armor, when all the sudden I start getting pinged from laser blasts off in the distance.  Before I could even look around and figure out where the shots were coming from an entire HERD of Yao Guai ran past me and mauled the poor little sentry robot to teeny weeny little itty bitty bits.   

I was so amused. 

It was one of those 'once in a lifetime' gaming moments that can never really be repeated. 

So, after telling my daughter that story, I also told her about how my husband and I used to say "don't feed the Yao Guai" all the time when I was playing Fallout 3, like every day! (and admiring how my ass looked in recon power armor) 

My daughter is an aspiring geeklet.  We're going to be doing YouTube video's where she's the geeky little star.  We're amassing a collection of geeky T-Shirts for her to wear on her show. 

We would LOVE LOVE LOVE an official "Don't Feed the Yao Guai" T-Shirt. 

If you actually make them, would you please do a kid size for her and some adult sizes for me and my husband?  It would go great with the Vault 101 sneakers I just bought. 

Much love,
a loyal fan...
@CompanionAnne

Twips (Twitter Tips) episode 2, 3 things you might not know about Twitter...

1:  Tweets that start with @ can only be seen by mutual followers.

This is fine if you want to carry on a fairly private conversation via Twitter.  However, if you're using Twitter as a social networking tool, try rewording the tweet so that it doesn't open with the @{twithandle}.

2:  Responding to Direct Messages require a mutual follow.

Pretty straightforward info right?

Not if you're using BOTS (anything automated) to Direct Message your new followers with a direct question.  Seriously, there is nothing more annoying than being asked something, and then not being allowed to respond because the person asking the question isn't following the conversation.

It's like walking into a party and being asked a seemingly honest question by the host, right before they walk off without waiting for your response or even seeming to care.

3:  Bots are annoying.  Please stop using them.

I understand that you may have been promised a zillion followers if you just buy into someone's 'automated' program that swears it will free up your time while still expanding your social network.

Sorry,

You were lied to.

Oh, it might expand your network all right... with a bunch of other robots.

If you want quality, real, organic, home grown humanoids to follow you... try actually being one first.

I never take my TARDIS off.

I received this wonderful TARDIS necklace as a gift.

I just had to post an open thank you.  I never take it off.  It's like a religious symbol for me now.

... 3D TARDIS necklace, courtesy of ThinkGeek.

Terminator Love

A few days ago I was riding in the back of a cab and musing to myself silently...  I found myself thinking about the appearance of Linda Hamilton in Syfy's Defiance.

Oh Linda... so much love... so little time.

You were the first Sarah Connor.  Could anyone live up to you?

I was extremely skeptical of Lena Headey in the role of Sarah Connor at first, but she eventually won me over.

Now... much to my extraordinary delight... a new face is going to be applied to the character I have loved for the better part of the last three decades.

Emilia Clarke, whom I fucking adore the hell out if as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, will be playing Sarah Connor in the upcoming Terminator: Genisys.

When I think about the similarities between Daenerys and Sarah, this just makes sense.

Both women begin their journey with no clue about the personal power they possess.  Both women were literally thrust into the arms of warriors.  Both women found love.  Both women lost that love.  Both women rose from those ashes to become extraordinary.

I've always identified strongly with Daenerys as a domestic abuse survivor and I share her experience as someone transformed by a warriors love.

But I want to come back to the original point of this post.

I have always held a deep abiding love for the the movie Terminator.

Why?

Because it's one of the greatest love stories ever told.

What?  Are you crazy?  It's a cheesy sci-fi/action flick!

No, it's not.

Well okay, yes it is, BUT that's not all it is.  It's also one of the greatest love stories ever told.

Think about the relationship between Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor.  He literally crossed time and space just to be with her.

"I came across time for you, Sarah.  I love you.  I always have."*

Can you imagine what it was like for Sarah to be on the receiving end of that kind of devotion?

And let's not forget the performance of Michael Beihn.  Ye Gods, where do I even start?

He can be strong without being an ass and he can be vulnerable without being a wuss.  He was the perfect choice for the role of Kyle Reese.  I'm not sure anyone** could fill those shoes.

Now, much like my connection to Daenerys, I also have a connection to Sarah.  I can't go into details, but I will say that the Beloved One is exactly the type of person who would cross time and space just to be with me.  I know exactly what it's like to be on the receiving end of that kind of devotion.

Fortunately, I differ strongly from both of these women in one particular regard.  My Beloved One hasn't died tragically on me, for which I'm eternally grateful.

I also kinda doubt my ability to survive him.  Sorry, as much as I admire these women... I have no desire to follow in their footsteps.  The Beloved One and I have a deal.  I get to be the one who dies first.

Now, I know there are skeptics when it comes to Terminator: Genisys.  The story is overdone and poorly sequeled, as is the case with many great attempts at well told fiction.  But, it's not the tired, time travel, sci-fi drivel that has me worried.  I'm pretty sure they're going to botch that... I agree with the nay sayers on that point.

It's the love story I'm concerned with.  If they botch that, I'll be seriously pissed.

For now, I remain hopeful though.

--

*NOTE:  I could not find the actual clip where Kyle speaks that line.  If you have it, let me know!!

**Jai Courtney, who played Varro in the Cable TV series Spartacus, will be taking on the role of Kyle Reese.  I wish him the best, but...

--

!!SPOILER!!

If you've never seen the original Terminator movie, don't read past this point.

One of the most touching elements of this original love story is the photograph of Sarah that Kyle carries with him.  It's an old polaroid.  Worn, faded, and creased from being folded in his pocket.  

Kyle tells Sarah that he always wondered what she was thinking when that photo was taken.

In the end of the movie Sarah is recording a tape for her future son John, and wondering what she's going to tell him about his father.  She drifts off... she's thinking about him.  She's so sad... she's on the verge of tears.

SNAP

Some little kid running a hussle takes a picture of her and tells her that if he doesn't sell it to her, his father will beat him.  She doesn't fall for it, but she buys the photo anyway and looks at it.

It's the same picture.

That thing Kyle had been wondering?  What was she thinking about when the picture was taken?  

She was thinking of him.

Dead Like Me (aka Adventures in Nerdy Pair Bonding)

It seems like ages ago...

The Beloved One and I lived in a bi-level apartment.  I LOVED that place.  The lower level was kitchen and living area.  The upper level was two bedrooms and a bathroom.  The Beloved One had his desk set up in the living area, and my 'office' was in the second bedroom.  We used to call it the dungeon and the tower.

Anyway...

One day I was upstairs and curled up in bed with my laptop.  The Beloved One came up to check in on me and bestow affection, as he is want to do frequently throughout the day.

After kisses he asked "whatcha watchin?"

"Dead Like Me."

"Dead Like Me?"

"No no, Dead Like Me."

"Hm, what's it about?"

"It's about a girl who get's killed by a toilet seat entering the atmosphere from the Mir Space Station.  Then she's recruited to become a grim reaper."

*eyebrows raise*

"I'm only about 20 minutes into it, I can back it up!"

"Oh, sure."  In his 'I'll stay for one episode and snuggle' voice.

...

We didn't leave the bed for the rest of the weekend, except for a brief interlude between seasons one and two where I demanded to go out to a diner for breakfast at 7am.  We pounded down the entire thing, and LOVED every second of it.

...

Years later we still quote the funnies often in our daily conversations.  These are inside jokes that have continued to amuse us quite a bit.

Sadly, it is no longer on Netflix instant.  But, they do have the DVD's.  Just a day or so ago we giggled heartily repeating "I have illegals in my bottom," in funny English accents.

Heh...

Guess what's next in my Netflix queue now.

American Horror Story, Freek Show, and the music therein...

I was really caught off guard when the character of Elsa Mars (played by Jessica Lange) started belting out the song Life on Mars in the first episode of season four of American Horror Story.

This season brings us "Freak Show", set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida.

The performance caught me off guard because the song seemed out of place for 1952, as did the outfit Ms. Mars wore on stage.

You'll have to forgive me for my ignorance on this one.  I do claim to be a David Bowie fan, but I'm only familiar with his work from about the mid to late 80's on.  Life on Mars was released in 1973, the year of my birth.

Mildly intrigued, but not enough to investigate at the time, I moved on.

Then I caught Episode 7, Test of Strength, where the character of Jimmy Darling (played by Evan Peters) belts out his cover of Nirvana's Come As You Are.  Now that one I KNEW didn't belong!

Prompted to actually investigate this time, I headed for the wikipedia and started searching.

I was amused to learn that the outfit worn by Ms. Mars while performing Life on Mars, is in fact the same one that David Bowie wore.

HAH!

To which I say:  GOOD JOB SHOW!!

Military Bronies React To Wonderbolt Academy

Blame the Beloved One for this.

Here I am, diligtly researching my next resources project, when he plays this on the big TV... and suddenly my post goes straight to hell.

Anyway...

This little gem comes to us from FOB Equestria, a band of Military Bronies out to end the stigma that MLP is just for girls.



I've also taken the liberty of finding the most epic t-shirt ever, and posting that here as well.

This post just got 20% Cooler

Reblogged: This Is What It’s Like To Watch “Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban” For The First Time - by Daniel Dalton

The Beloved One and I are watching TV while I diligently work on suckering my social media tentacles onto, well... everything!  Overheard (because I'm not really paying attention) "That was the worst live funeral I ever live tweeted," which made me LOL because, social media (bitches).  I went on the Google's to see if I could find out what that was from (my Google-Fu was not strong enough to find it, but) and found THIS instead.

I read the whole thing and LOL'd my ass off:

Read the whole thing HERE.

Social Media! (bitches)

I'm currently adding the array of my social media links to my Blogger.  I looked, and blogger didn't really have a widget that did this on it's own (to the extent of my liking).  However, my background in web design gives me some unique skills in creating a work-around to make my own.

Challenge.  I no longer own domain space to simply upload a cache of image files to the web.
Challenge.  I don't want to upload an album of social media icons that I didn't create into one of my online galleries (i.e. pinterest or flickr)

Solution:  (because I'm just this fucking good)

1. Get a free web page somewhere.
2. Create a space of social media links.
3. Open each little social media icon image in a new tab.
4. Copy the URL.
5. Custom edit a text/html widget on Blogger.