What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 08/14/15

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Geek-and-proud

Greetings!

Here's what was going on in my world this week:

Constantine was a short lived but beloved show focusing on the famed demon hunter of the same name. It was really given much of a chance to succeed from what I could tell, and in an act of respect (as far as I can tell), the character of Constantine depicted in the show (portrayed by Matt Ryan) will be making his way to Arrow this upcoming season. I'm really excited to see Oliver Queen and Constantine interact, as it continues to build out the amazing TV DC universe that is being created (more on that in the next bit). While admittedly I did not watch the show Constantine, I know this is an awesome thing to exist in the first place, and maybe it will inspire to check out the episodes of the show that are out there.

On the topic of the ever expanding DC TV universe, The Flash has introduced time travel and alternate realities, which has me geeking out over how this show is just going all in on cool comic book connections. One that has been confirmed is the inclusion of the original Flash from the comics, Jay Garrick. We'll have some double Flash action in an episode (or episodes?) of the upcoming season of the show, so get ready! (The article linked above does a great job of explaining the history and setting up the TV show depiction of Jay Garrick)

  • Secret Warriors on Agents of SHIELD

While this isn't super new information, I'm keeping with the pattern of stuff in comic book TV shows. Which SHIELD has felt more like a companion series to the Marvel Cinematic Universe than a driver of it's own destiny like the DC TV universe, Season 3 of SHIELD should be pretty awesome, and will build up nicely to Captain America: Civil War, our next Marvel movie tent-pole. Season 3 will be including more superpowered folks in the aftermath of the events of Season 2, with Skye/Daisy Johnson taking a larger role as she accepts her mantle of Quake from the comics and seeks out her powered brethren for this special team of "Secret Warriors". With the introduction of Inhumans, the Kree, and now this, we're building up a far richer sandbox for the TV show to play in on it's own that is still beholden to the rest of the MCU, but it also feels like the stakes are higher now since more is happening on a bigger scale.

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What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 08/07/15

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Geek-and-proud

Hey there, folks!

Here's what was going on in my world this week:

I blew through the entirety of this offering this past Sunday with my partner. We also recently watched the famed cult original movie together (I had seen it prior, my partner had not) so we were excited to check out this prequel series. It continues the enjoyable absurdist comedy tradition of the original and many of David Wain and company's work. I definitely recommend watching the original movie and the new series. You'll be glad you did!

I bought an Amazon Fire TV stick recently since I got rid of my PlayStation 3, which served as my media center hub. I now have a Blu-Ray player and media streaming sticks (my other one is a Roku Stick) for my two TV sets. While neither work perfectly, for the price, size, and convenience, I feel very happy with both purchases. Where the Roku is a basic, straightforward experience, Amazon is totally integrated with their digital libraries (television, movies, and music all included). The major caveat being you need to be a Prime member to take advantage of all of their content. Otherwise, you would need to purchase/rent exclusively from Amazon for it to feel worth it. The streaming media game is only going to grow so it is fascinating to see the competition create new ways to get content to consumers.

As I emotionally come to terms with Jon Stewart's departure from the Daily Show, I just started to dig into the podcast for his show (which only features Stewart in the most recent episode) and delves into the behind-the-scences production of the television show. They cover everything from pizza, rejection, bagels, and their veteran immersion program. It's a neat look into a one of a kind show and I know it will help me cope and appreciate a show I love even more.

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What I Was Geeking Out About: July 2015

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Geek-and-proud

Hey there! Here's what was going on in my world last month:

Every Friday, I share what's on my mind from the past week. There was so much to geek out about last month, and to help you sift through it all, here's my monthly wrap up of all the stuff that was going on in July (this was another odd month with a lot of travel and stuff going on, please forgive me!):

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What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 07/31/15

in

Geek-and-proud

Greetings!

Here's what was going on in my world this week:

I rented this movie from Redbox the other day and it was certainly worth it. I had heard a lot of good buzz from its initial release but just never got around to watching. Once I saw it available to rent, I put it on my list. It is a haunting, intriguing, original, disturbing, and entertaining sci-fi thriller that confronts the realities of artificial intelligence and human hubris. I really enjoyed the movie and it is definitely worth checking out for any sci-fi fans out there. It is easily the Snowpiercer of this year for me.

  • Twitter

There has been some interesting news lately about Twitter, it's revenues, possible changes, and overall the future of the site in the social media landscape. They have already made changes that make it feel more like Facebook, and it only seems to be wanting to go more in that direction if all goes according to the recent rumors. I love Twitter, and I don't think it needs to alter the core of the site too much. It has been my more preferred social media site for the past couple of years, and I hope it continues to be that way.

I happened upon this cool lifestyle company recently and ordered a few goodies from it. They have shirts, stickers, hats, and pint glasses with cool Maine logos on them. As someone who was born here, it always will have a soft spot in my heart, and getting stuff from local companies like this to represent my home state makes me happy. Buy local, people!

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What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 07/24/15

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Geek-and-proud

Hello, friends!

I know it's been a little while since I've posted one of these, but nevertheless, here's what was going on in my world this week:

Jon Stewart's time on the venerable fake news show is coming to an end soon, and his final stretch of episodes began this past Monday. The Daily Show has been mandatory viewing for me for years now and the quality of every show has been consistently amazing. All of Jon Stewart's episodes over his 17 year run are live streaming on the Comedy Central website (through August 6), where you can also find extended interviews with recent guests. Bid Jon adieu with me and the rest of his fans in these final weeks.

  • Routine

Lately I've been feeling a bit both in and out of sync at the same time. I have been keeping with my regular sleep routine (which is very important to me) but I haven't been writing as much as I would like. Inspiration certainly has it's place and sometimes I just have to wait for it to come, but I feel strongly that consistency and hard work are important, especially with where I hope for this whole thing to go. I think my recent travels earlier this month and last month has played a role in upsetting my rhythm. I'll be staying local for the foreseeable future so hopefully I can meditate, reflect, and write.

  • Thrift Shops

My partner and I (now that she is back in Maine) have been shopping around for some new things to decorate and furnish with. We got some great deals and found a solid bookshelf (we'd been needing one badly for a while now) to house all our books and my movies. I have donated often to various thrift shops and have found a lot of cool stuff at them over the years. I highly recommend supporting your local shops or places like Goodwill, Salvation Army, or Plato's Closet. You save money, help people, and support sustainable reusing of all sorts of stuff.

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What I Was Geeking Out About: June 2015

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Geek-and-proud

Hey there! Here's what was going on in my world last month:

Every Friday, I share what's on my mind from the past week. There was so much to awesome stuff to geek out about last month, and to help you sift through it all, here's my monthly wrap up of all the stuff that was going on in June:

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 07/03/15

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Geek-and-proud

Greetings!

Here's what was going on in my world this week:

  • Massages

I celebrated my one calendar year work anniversary this past week, and it unintentionally coincided with some self-care I took upon myself. Part of this was getting a professional massage at a local spot, which was sorely needed (see what I did there? Because I was sore...). I always carry my tension in my shoulders and lower back, which isn't helped by hunching over a keyboard most days. I'll definitely have to look into making this a regular thing or maybe even doing yoga on a regular basis. Something would be helpful to ease my tension and keep me loose and nimble.

  • Counseling

I went to speak with a counselor this week as well. It is a part of an employee assistance program, where staff can get a few free sessions with local counselors to work out any issues they're having, which is certainly a nice benefit of working at my institution. While I won't go into the details of what I talked about here, just suffice it to say that it is so important in taking care of ourselves to not forget about our mental health. I always value the opportunity to work through things with someone whose job it is to listen and help. Massages are great too, and both are crucial to staying well, physically and emotionally.

  • 4th of July

I have the pleasure of coming down to the Greater Boston Area this weekend for the Independence Day celebrations to visit my partner, Jenn. There seems to be no shortage of festivities around here and it is always nice to hang out here and spend quality time with my partner. We're seriously considering moving ourselves down here in the near future so it is always cool to check out the scene here and continue to vet it as somewhere we could settle down and put some roots down. Be sure to check out my Instagram for photos from the weekend!

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What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 06/26/15

in

Geek-and-proud

Greetings!

Here's what was going on in my world this week:

  • New Student Orientation

This past week has been our summer New Student Orientation at my institution. It's always a fun, exciting time welcoming new students to college and this was the first time I've been able to go through the entire process here. I even helped plan and track everything ahead of this week, so it was really nice to be able to see everything come together. A great NSO can go a long way with paying dividends for the upcoming academic year. If we really a good job getting our new students excited to come to our institution, properly prepared, and generally just feeling like they have support for this big life transition, we can retain more students and have them thrive instead of just survive. I see myself easily (ideally) transitioning to a position with orientation in the near future. It's just so much fun as well as important for the rest of the institution's operations.

I was really excited to see the news this week that we finally have our Peter Parker/Spider-Man casting for the new Marvel Cinematic Universe iteration of the beloved character. Tom Holland will be portraying the webslinger, and since he is a relative unknown, there isn't much baggage coming for the actor, which is good. He has the look and physicality down, so I'm intrigued to see if he has the comedic chops, which is so important for the character, especially go along with the current vibe of the MCU. I'm we'll see much more of Holland ahead of his debut in Captain America: Civil War in May 2016.

Seinfeld is one of my favorite shows of all time. I've seen most of the 171 episodes of the show, but I know there are some I've missed. Hulu now has the entire series streaming as of Wednesday, June 24 (only for their paid subscribers). It brings so much more value to the table for people paying into their service, and now, with a Showtime add-on on the way, it is continually proving to be a solid competition (or companion like I do) to Netflix and the other up and coming streaming services.

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What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 06/19/15

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Geek-and-proud

Howdy!

Here's what was going on in my world this week:

I just finished this new season a few days ago (I promise not to spoil anything), and I was pleased with how it progressed. It wasn't great, but it was good and much better than a lot of other TV out there right now, I feel like. The slow burn character work is reminiscent of something like Mad Men or Breaking Bad, which I know isn't for everyone. I enjoy it (most of the time) but I found myself frustrated at times with the consistently dark viewpoint it had where nothing ever works out well. I also yearned for more coherent and deep back stories for the inmates. What they had was always great and I wanted more! I look forward to see where season 4 takes the story (and how long they can keep the show going).

  • Chicago

My long awaited trip out to visit my friend out in Illinois is happening this weekend. I'm really excited to take another adventure out to someplace I've never been, especially because I'm seeing my friend who I haven't seen in about a year. We'll have a lot to catch up on and I know it will be an awesome weekend. I don't really know what to expect of Chicago as a city but it is always neat to see new areas of our country as well as new college campuses specifically (which I know we'll get around to a couple over the course of the weekend).

I recently confirmed everything for what is an amazing, unexpected opportunity to help support some awesome student affairs colleagues who are putting on a panel at San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) this year. They've been doing this session for 5 years now (they've also presented at ACPA) and it's a great connection between the worlds of student affairs and geekdom (sound familiar?). I'm happy to help cover their session, check out San Diego, and soak in all of the convention that I can. I'll also be getting some things off my "Before I'm 30" list, which include dipping my feet in the Pacific Ocean, and going to SDCC. Be sure to stay tuned here for coverage of the panel as well as my adventures out to San Diego next month! I'M SO EXCITED!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

What I Was Geeking Out About: May 2015

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Geek-and-proud

Hey there! Here's what was going on in my world last month:

Every Friday, I share what's on my mind from the past week. There was so much to geek out about last month, and to help you sift through it all, here's my monthly wrap up of all the stuff that was going on in May (I skipped a week last month for my birthday, just in case you're wondering where that week is):

Thanks for stopping by!