All posts by Carl V. Anderson

Geekdom revisited.

On the eve of New Comic Day I think that another geek-related post seems appropriate. I found this on Jenn See’s site here which references this post. Evidently Robert created this game in which you list 10 things that make you a geek. I like his explanation of geekiness: “So here and now I am going to come out of the geek closet and list a few things about which I am pretty passionate, about which I know at least slightly more than the average person and about which I am constantly in fear of talking too much”. Read Jenn See’s as its really fun and then add your own in the comments section.

Here are my 10 “examples of my glorious geekiness”, as Jenn put it, in no particular order”

1. Comics! I love em! Won’t go into this as a I elaborate here.

2. Lord of the Rings Extended Edition DVD’s. I’ve watched them quite a few times, watched the appendices even more than I’ve watched the movies, and frequently drop hints to others that they should watch these.

3. British comedies! Vicar of Dibley, Monty Python, Jeeves and Wooster, As Time Goes By, Mr. Bean, Are You Being Served, That’s My Boy, All Creatures Great and Small…these are all great and I’ve watched them many times over.

4. Neil Gaiman. I’ve read Neverwhere and Stardust at least once a year since they were first published (both of those links include the beginning of the first chapters of each book). I read his online journal daily. I’ve given Neverwhere to at least a dozen people as gifts. I have autographed copies of his books. I have CD’s of him reading his stories. My entire top shelf at work is a Gaiman shrine with his books, Sandman and The Dreaming figurines, and Gaiman related items that have been made for me.

5. Classic literature and movies based on classic literature. Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Emma, Sense and Sensibility…I’ve watched these dozens of times. And I love the modern stuff based on classics. 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless, Get Over It…these are just a few that I’ve watched over and over. I’ve read the classics that these are based on as well. I’ve also watched the Wonderworks collection of Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea countless times and read the books as well. They are wonderful. Recently Mosker loaned us the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. This was 5 hours of pure bliss!

6. Old cheesy television shows that I loved as a child. Dr. Who with Tom Baker, The Muppet Show, Star Trek, Night Gallery…these are shows my brother and I watched and I love them today and feel a special connection to him when I watch these now. I also love Star Hustler which was on after Dr. Who on PBS and closed out the broadcast day. I’m still sad that Jim Henson is dead and that there won’t be any more original cast Star Trek movies.

7. Music videos. I spend hours watching videos on Launch and Real Rhapsody in addition to VH1 and CMT. I love all kinds of music but actually own The Corrs, Shania Twain, and Sarah Brightman DVD’s. These are 3 of my favorites.

8. Books…one thing I couldn’t imagine living without. I love to collect them, read them, re-read them, and share them with others.

9. Labyrinth…I’ve seen this movie more than any other…I may have watched this 100 times, I kid you not. Its embarrassing but this movie reaches back into something deep inside me and thrills me every time I see it. I searched for years to find the novelization of this to see if it added anything to the movie and finally found it recently courtesy of ebay.

10. Computers…I’ve built my last 2 PCs myself, I’ve built PCs for friends, and I’m addicted to computer games. Good PC games are like living in a book or a movie…they’re amazing! There are too many that I love to make a list but the Thief series has definitely been my favorite overall.

There it is, a long but incomplete list. I didn’t include Star Wars, anime, Jeunet (there’s a post coming about him soon!) Please make yours! You’re all geeks according to Robert’s definition. Let us know. Feel free to put in links. If you have difficulty with this put them next to the word you want to be the link and I’ll fix them in editing.

Feel free to make shorter lists if you want…although each of you probably have 10 things your obsessed with to the point of being geeky. Your pets? Dark beer? Sports?

If your comments don’t show up right away it may be because they are ‘awaiting moderation’. If this happens I’ll get them posted asap.

New Gaiman

I can’t begin to describe how excited I am that Neil Gaiman’s newest book is almost finished! Its hard when your favorite author is a relative newcomer as they can never write fast enough for you. This is scheduled to come out in September.

Anansi Boys comes out September 20th and Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride comes out the 23rd….September is shaping up to be a great month!

Alive and kicking

Today our dog, Razz, turned 100. We were joined in celebration by the Dancing Tarts as well as the better half and little ones of Jimmy’s House. In addition my sister Abby and her husband Mike joined in the celebration. Pictures of the festivities can be seen on Knitting Cybrarian’s site here. My 12 year old daughter Tori (boy that makes me feel old) and my lovely wife Mary can be seen holding Razz in various pictures. Special thanks to Laura, Nick, and Julie for taking pics.

To complete the dog-themed afternoon we watched episodes from the Best of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog dvd. This was a fitting end to a great party……for me to poop on.

Them Tarts do indeed dance!

So I’m sitting at my computer trying to graciously allow the Dancing Tarts quality female time together when the peace and tranquility of women visiting pleasantly was shattered by the sounds of The Proclaimers’ song I’m Gonna Be(500miles) . Shortly after that I looked up to see that the Tarts were actually dancing! Interestingly enough as they started to dance I was reading this poem by Shel Silverstein:

Everything’s wrong,
Days are too long,
Sunshine’s too hot,
Wind is too strong.
Clouds are too fluffy,
Grass is too green,
Ground is too dusty,
Sheets are too clean.
Stars are too twinkly,
Moon is too high,
Water’s too drippy,
Sand is too dry.
Rocks are too heavy,
Feathers too light,
Kids are too noisy,
Shoes are too tight.
Folks are too happy,
Singin’ their songs.

Why can’t they see it?
Everything’s wrong!