What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 11/21/14

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Geek-and-proud

Welcome to another week in geek!

This week's I have some random stuff that I'm into lately. Enjoy!

I rented this movie earlier this week and just sat to watch it the other day. I also recently saw 21 Jump Street for the first time and loved both! They're self-aware, buddy cop action comedies that don't take themselves too seriously. Both of the films have been breakaway hits and they even joke in the movie about indefinite sequels (one of my favorite parts of the already hilarious film). There are great cameos, a solid ensemble, and just hilarious commitment to the bits by stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. I definitely recommend checking it out, it's well worth your time and absolutely worth a night's rental.

Facebook just released their latest standalone app for mobile devices, which like Messenger & Pages, allows for a better experience using some of Facebook's best features while on your smartphone. Groups is a fantastic aspect of Facebook, allowing for more contoured discussions and close-knit circles to come together versus the hundreds of friends and pages cluttering up the news feed. The app also helps you find new groups and just is a solid tool to have especially if you manage groups yourself or just have a lot that you're a part of.

I haven't talked a lot about this show on here, but this is one of my favorite series of all time. The show ran on ABC from 2004-2010, and has some of the best character explorations I've ever seen. The mysteries keep you engaged and the story is a powerful one once it is all said and done. I'm currently getting my partner into the show and we're chugging along the first season. She's been enjoying it and it's neat to be with someone seeing it all for the first time. I rewatch the show often and it holds up to repeated viewings. I even see new things I missed the first time around, such as narrative seeds they plant earlier than I realized or just how appreciating story elements now at a different point in my own life. The series is readily available on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon

Thanks for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 11/14/14

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Welcome to this week in geek!

I have a random selection of awesome things I'm into this week so lets get to it!

I recently downloaded this app for the first time to finally check it out for myself. I've been hearing a lot about it in professional circles and have read about it so I thought it would be good to see what was being said around my institution. It is consistent with the current zeitgeist about the app; a lot of sexist, angry, trivial, stream of consciousness posts. I agree that these things aren't being said because of Yik Yak, the app is just providing a platform for them. I'm interested to see how people to adapt to this app in the social media landscape, and where students and young people go next once Yik Yak isn't "cool" any more.

I just watched this movie after hearing some good buzz about it when it came out earlier this year. It is written and directed by Jon Favreau (and also stars him as the titular chef, Carl Casper) of Iron Man fame. The movie is about a chef who has lost his passion for his cooking and has an existential crisis when a food critic smacks down his work online. He eventually opens up a food truck and begins to piece his life back together with his estranged wife and son. The film is a lot about the emotional relationship we can have with food and cooking, as well as the art of a masterfully prepared meal. It is a fun, light, heartwarming movie with some excellent actors in supporting roles like Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey, Jr., Dustin Hoffman, and John Leguizamo. I recommend you check it out, especially if you're a foodie!

This web series was created by Jerry Seinfeld and it is exactly what the title suggests. We see Jerry ride around in vintage cars with popular comedians and they chat while they get coffee. It's simple yet brilliant in its minimalism. He's had guests on such as Jon Stewart, Aziz Ansari, Louis C.K, Patton Oswalt, and Tina Fey. Every episode is fun and unique and I've enjoyed pretty much all of them so it's great to spend some time with since it is a wholly authentic effort on Seinfeld's part since he's having real conversations in real places with these people. It feels very raw and benefits from it.

Thanks for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek

What I Was Geeking Out About: October 2014

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Welcome to this wrap up of my weekly geek outs!

I'm always getting excited about a lot of stuff. Every Friday I share what I'm into and this is an attempt to serve it all up together in one place. Check out everything and hope you find something you like!

Thanks for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 11/07/14

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Welcome to another week in geek!

I'm again highlighting a diverse array of things that I have been enjoying as of late. Hopefully some of them are stuff you check and enjoy as well!

This new NBC show from creator David Caspe (who also created the awesome show Happy Endings) stars Casey Wilson and Ken Marino. It is loosely based on Caspe and Wilson's real life relationship and recent marriage. Wilson and Marino are some of my favorite comedic actors and they are given some great material to work with here. If you have watched Happy Endings, it is very similar to that with more of a focus on relationship humor. It's quick, witty, and has ended up as one of the few new shows this fall season I think I might stick with (sorry Gotham).

I'll withhold judgement on this new Congress until it is sworn in and gets to work, but the link above goes to the aspect of elections I end up being more fascinated by; ballot measures. I see it as a more fine tuned barometer of where the country is at on particular issues. Marijuana legalization (sale and use) won in two states, as well as minimum wage increases in a handful of states. Personhood amendments were also voted down in a few states. With stuff like marriage equality and marijuana, I've seen a drastic change just in my short lifetime. I'm intrigued to see where it all goes since this is where I see major societal change happening constantly versus the inaction coming from Congress.

I have to give a long overdue shout out to The Tonight Show since the mantle has been passed to Jimmy Fallon. He has brought his same fun energy and new media savvy to the venerable program, making all the episodes easily available on YouTube (link above), as well as Hulu. He also has several viral videos churning out of his show, having one almost every week it seems like, beating out the fading Jimmy Kimmel Live attempts (in my humble opinion). I mostly like to catch his "Thank You Notes" as well as the games he plays with his guests over his monologues or interview (which feel a little dated at this point). I highly recommend this show!!

Thanks for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 10/31/14

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Welcome to this spooktacular week in geek!

Bad Halloween puns aside, this week I wanted to highlight some of my favorite geeky horror films. Most of them have some sort of comedy element to them but are still fun Halloween watches with friends or family. Hopefully you've seen them all but if not, I highly recommend them all!

This is one of my favorite movies of all time in general and was what I thought of first when I thought up the idea for this post. It's a classic British comedy with zombies (or zomedy, see what I did there?!) from 2004 starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in their first of the "Cornetto Trilogy" of films that recently concluded with The World's End. The movie has a lot of great gags, is full of heart, and is all in with the action. I love it and you need to watch it if you haven't before (or even if you haven't watched it in a while).

This classic comedy from the 80s is a supernatural romp with some comedy legends like Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis. I still find it a fun ride these many years later and it is a cultural touchstone for sure. The theme song alone is awesome and worthy of any Halloween playlist!

This one is a little different since it holds a unique place as a sci-fi horror film from back in the day. It inspired several sequels and prequels and is an awesome movie. Starring Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, we were first treated to the Alien back in 1979 and the movie still holds up very well. The basic premise is that Ripley is a lone survivor on a ship lampooned out in space as a vicious creature kills all of her fellow crew members. Weaver rocks in this movie and she definitely gets to play a great, strong, female character here. Check it out if you haven't gotten around to it, it is well worth your time.

Thanks for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 10/24/14

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Welcome to a special edition of my weekly geek outs!

This special edition of my weekly geek outs is centered on the awesome streaming service, Hulu. As with Netflix, there are a bunch of great shows available to stream on Hulu, some original shows to their site, others exclusively streaming there. I wanted to highlight some of my favorites for you all to enjoy which hit on some very different genres, so there is a little something for everyone!

This show was originally a web series which eventually got picked up by E! and now has a home on Hulu. There are three seasons of the show which is a great satire of The Bachelor/ette. It features all of your favorite comedic actors (most of whom are in short but memorable appearances) and is just so great with its biting look at these reality shows. I am pretty critical of those shows so I love the way they skewer them on Burning Love. Check it out for a good laugh!

This British superhero show is available to stream in the US exclusively on Hulu. There are five seasons of the show and it is a gripping look at how superpowers might actually play out. It's dry, dark, funny, and epic. Different characters come in and out of the show, providing a look at how different people are dealing with the odd turn of events where people get a wide, random array of superpowers. It's an interesting show and one I find myself talking about with a lot of other TV lovers out there.

A Hulu Original, this show has a very simple premise. All it entails, is characters coming to a dinner booth, and talking. That's it. In this minimalist approach though, the show is able to grab you with what the characters discuss and keep you glued to the screen. A mysterious man gives the people who visit him an offer of their wildest desires, all they have to do is a simple task. What the task entails though, ends up being terrible, vile, and awful. We see how far the characters are willing to go to get what they want. The catch is, we just see them talk about it. We never see what they do. You have to watch it to truly appreciate the art in this show. Please do yourself the favor and watch the first season. There are five episodes so it isn't too much of your time.

Thank you for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 10/17/14

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Welcome to another of my weekly geek outs!

This week is a random mixture of things that are going on in my world. Hope you enjoy them!

I've been following the Happier blog for a little while now, and I had gotten the advice recently to keep up with jotting down daily happy moments. The Happier app came to my attention, which is an awesome way to curate your happy moments and can create a positive community around you of people sharing their own moments and appreciating yours. It's a create, simple, free app for download that I encourage you all to take a look at. It's important for us to appreciate the moments, big or small, that make us happy each day.

The new Mac operating system came out yesterday and I just got it installed this morning. I like it already! It's a nice, fresh new coat of paint and adds some cool new features (which you can read all about here). I appreciate that Apple is making these updates free for users, which I think is the way to go. Maybe once the next huge update comes then we'll pay for that premium product but these iterative updates, just like with iOS, should be free since it helps all users have more secure, functional devices. Looking forward to playing around in Yosemite some more!

  • NYC

I spent a fair amount of time in New York City when I interned there during the first half of this year. I really enjoy the city and how much there is to do there. Most of my graduate school cohort is still around that area so I'm going down to visit next month. I look forward to hopefully ending up somewhere around there further down my professional journey. There is just so much activity going on there and I like to be a part of it or at least near it! Does anyone out there have a favorite part of NYC?

Thanks for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 10/10/14

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Welcome to my weekly geeklies!

(^ Shout to Alice from Twitter for the inspiration for this one! ^)

TV is on my brain a lot lately and I just wanted to get some long form thoughts out about some shows that are coming back now and will be back soon! What're you watching?

This connects with the next item on the list (which just adds to each ones awesomeness). The new season of Arrow premiered this past week and continued the steady positive streak for the show. Coming off a great second season, the third season premiere promises another engaging season, with the inclusion of Ra's al Ghul as the big bad. Looking forward to what's in store!

I've been looking forward to this show since Barry Allen showed on up on Arrow last season and the series was originally teased. The premiere met my high expectations and realized all my anticipation. Grant Gustin does well as The Flash and the show is unique enough while also being familiar within the DC TV universe with its sibling show, Arrow. I look forward to all the crossovers and the new stuff coming from this show. The premiere definitely did not disappoint! Check it out!

I was talking about this show at lunch the other day and reminiscing about how great it is. All the great side characters, the classic gags, and quotable moments. The show has been very consistently enjoyable over its six seasons, and I'm almost glad it is ending this next season (which premieres in the spring). Its inspiration or spiritual predecessor, The Office, went on for far too long and had skippable seasons, which is a tough thing to admit about one of my favorite sitcoms of all time. Parks & Recreation is looking like it is going out on top and I'm eagerly awaiting its return!

 Thanks for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek

What I Was Geeking Out About: September 2014

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Welcome to this monthly wrap up of my weekly geek outs!

September is in the books so that means it is time to curate my weekly highlights of my geek outs. There a wide array of things going on in my life this past month so I appreciate you engaging with all that I had the pleasure of involving myself with.

Thanks for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 10/03/14

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Welcome to another edition of my week in geek!

Hey everybody, here is what is going on in my world lately!

My partner Jenn and I completed The Color Run here in Bangor, ME this past weekend, and it was a blast! The run is 5K that has a great energy and a overarching theme of positivity. There is color galore, awesome jams, and great people all around. I'm not a runner by any stretch of the imagination and the run has a great vibe that is about the fun of the event and not about the competition. There are no winners and you can run or walk. They do events all over the country and even are going international. I highly recommend checking it out and you can see a few pictures of the event on my Instagram!

I was perusing Hulu the other day and stumbled upon Comedy Central's Drunk History, one of its many solid new programs like Broad City, @midnight, & Nathan for You. This show has a simple premise, they get a friend drunk and they make them describe a historical event, to obviously humorous results. The catch is that the drunken stories are reenacted exactly as they are told by famous actors. You have to see it to truly appreciate it but there is a solid slate of episodes available from the show's two seasons (it is also coming back for a third season next year). The show was also originally on Funny or Die, so there is a whole other swath of episodes posted there to check out. As a history major and one who appreciates absurd comedy, this show is perfect.

I've been playing this game with friends for a while now, and it is always a fun, fresh, and crazy time. I just got the fourth expansion and look forward to getting the recently released fifth expansion as well as a '90s theme pack that I had no idea existed (check the site for details on all the expansion packs). It's a simple card game like Apples to Apples where one player puts down a prompt and everyone else puts down their best answers but with a little more absurdity and crassness than it's more family oriented counterpart. It's a great way to get friends laughing together when you have a large group and I look forward to getting some more board games to share as great party activities.

Thanks for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek