it's fhtagning awesome!

But just when you thought your were going to go insane from the awesome, she also has new Eye of Sauron soap.  If that doesn’t make me excited and quest filled every time I hop in the shower I’m not sure what will.

includes the sweet scent of sandlewood and power

I had a virtual sit down with Geeky Cleans proprietor to talk about her quest for awesome.

Earthbending smells sorta like grass, firebending smelled like roguish danger

Earth Bending!  Who wants to have to carry a little bottle of water around everywhere anyway?

Am I the only one that remembers him?

Brachiosaurus?  Perfect question!  I really am a dinosaur NUT!  I read the Michael Crichton novel so many times that it fell apart.  I’d have to be a Tyrannosaurus!  I’d go back to Jurassic Park 2 and set that frakkin’ Spinosaurus straight for killing my pal!

Get it, they're in amber! hee!

I think nerdy soap is right up there with nerdy tee shirts for things that make me happy, thanks for playing!

But what really made my day was cracking open a box of comic books I hadn’t opened since 1989.  The piles of Junior Woodchucks, Porky Pigs and Bugs Bunnies were cute, the small collection of gothic horror comics held up well today, and I loved thumbing through my old Transformers collection, but this one stood out enough for me to share it with you:

“Tandy Computer Whiz Kids,” a seemingly exciting adventure involving kidnapping and computers — two mainstays of 1980s after-school fare. What’s that down in the corner? “Compliments of Radio Shack?” pay it no mind — I’m sure Radio Shack has nothing to do with it.

Not long into the adventure, the plucky Tandy Computer Whiz Kids get a high-tech addition to their classroom: A New and appropriately labeled Tandy Color Computer 2. With a Color Disk Drive (somebody explain THAT one to me), and most importantly, a DCM-3 Modem!

How did they afford such status-ish nerdbling? By selling designer drugs on the streets of suburban Peoria? Of course not. And a Color Computer wasn’t all they bought — they also picked up one of those 200-in-one Electronic Kits (lucky bastards — I only had the 50-in-1).

The plot thickens, because something happened to somebody or something that I couldn’t quite make out between all the product placement. Urgency turns to danger, as the kids’ teacher pulls out her RS Cellular Phone (let’s all take three collective guesses on what the RS stands for). It’s cute retro-technology, but I’m sure they’ll move on soon enough.

…or not. Detective Sly McMustache wants a crack at that sweet piece. (I mean the RS Cellular Phone ™. What else?)

ENOUGH WITH THE PHONE. HOLY CRAP! There’s at least 3 pages of exciting Phone Call Action!

Finally free of the annoyance that was that lunchbox-sized phone, the kids have to get that computer online FAST. Get ready with the acoustic couplers! On the plus side, we’re pretty much free of the product placement now….

…dammit.

Then the kids type some stuff into a BBS, spend an hour downloading a picture of a kitten in 4 colors, and the mystery is solved. Or something. I don’t know, but detective ‘Stache McPocketpager got all the credit. If I could only be as cool as those kids… if only there was some way I could have access to that sweet technology. Oh, well. That could never happen in real life. I’ll just close my comic and…

Oh.

I could blame my family.  Maybe I have a chip on my shoulder cause my mom let my sister name me after her friend’s dog (I don’t, I think it’s awesome, so whatever a reverse chip on the should is). 

 We named our Cocker Spaniel Lady.  My brother had a cockatiel named Gumby.  I had hamsters named Buffy and Xander.  And then there was my rat named after an actress on Xena who talked to a rat in a prison cell.  Oh and a had a love bird named Carlos because one of the characters on Freaks and Geeks named his RPG dwarf that one episode.

We got kittens this weekend.  We were going to call them 1 & 2 (there was a 2 for 1 deal going on at the pound) so then I jokingly called them Brother Cavil and Leoben.  But Drew said I couldn’t cause they are girls, so, I am pleased to announce the arrivals of Caprica and Athena!

This cat is totally crazy. She likes to kitten attack.

Here they are reenacting the garage scene where they decide to start the Cylon rebellion (shush, I know that's technically Boomer, it's the model that counts!)

do do do dooooo do do

and her replying

do do do dooooo de do

and then, when we are feeling especially epic

dododo dododo dododo do do deeee dooooooooo

So, here is my random summer list of favorite bouncing up n down in your seat get ready for the awesome tv themes.

1 – X-Men Theme

There’s just so much awesome here.  Cause there’s all the good guys, and ooo they’re powerful, but then there are bad guys too and they’re ALSO powerful and they’re RUNNING TOWARDS EACH OTHER!!!!

Epic

(Since the song is copyrighted, it’s only the picture, but there’s a link to download it in youtube.  Or just do your own dodododoooooododoo’s)

2 – Veronica Mars 

 I watched this entire series on DVD, episodes at a time.  I never fast forwarded through the song.  I did, however, do a little happy dance while it was on.  And hum it while I walked about my house.  And duets with my roommate when we were washing dishes.

3 – MacGyver 

 In retrospect, it’s mostly shots of him falling down, or almost falling down.  But, like the mullet, only MacGyver can pull it off and still make it look sexy.

4- Duck Tales 

 You can’t stop yourself.  You know you want to do it.  Just give in, I’m going too… AWOOWOO

5 – Big Bang Theory 

 This is another one that we never fast foward through, and my husband knows all the words, and will sing it to me every episode.  Usually there is a duet, and usually it’s loud, at least during the “We built the pyramids” part.

6 -  Animaniacs

When I was in the 6th grade my piano teacher arranged a version of the theme song for me on the piano.  The version included several crescendos, which were the coolest things in the world for a 12 year old pianist to do. (It’s where you take the back of your hand, and using the tips of your fingers start at the high end of the piano and play all the white notes (usually) going down to a certain spot.  Mine were epic and went as far as I could reach.  She’s pretty much the best music teacher ever.

So, what are your favorites?

Ooooo!  I hadn’t seen all of these My Little Pony Mods.   BuzzFeed ranks 50 of the best.   They make me smile.  Here are my favorites.

Hell, I kind of love them all.

*credits to artists after the jump.

Sometimes I miss the heft of the corded telephone.

One of these in my house would make me so happy.  iRetrophone from etsy seller Freeland Studios.  Sadly, I don’t have an iphone.  Maybe if I asked nicely they’d make one for the EVO?

Also available in Steampunk, if you live in that alternate reality.

Let the speculation and crazy hysterics begin.

A glorious GeekSix 4th to you all.

So here I sit inside my house. In Utah. Where all the big fireworks took place yesterday because no one is allowed to do anything here on a Sunday I guess.

But from the upper balcony I can hear the whirl and whiz of the store bought variety of fireworks mixed with the occasional big bang of the illegal contraband that someone sneaked in from probably Wyoming. Yes Wyoming. Home of real fireworks and beer for those who live in Utah.

But it also has me thinking back on July 4th’s of the past. And for some reason one keeps popping to mind. A truly geekrific trip in all.

See a couple years back my friend was stationed at Fort Bragg in the city of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Or as they like to call it Fayettenam.  It really is a military town for the most part and everywhere you go you are reminded of that. And some how he got me on a plane to come visit him.

Wow you must be saying. Sounds awesome. I know right? Now before you tune out let me get to the highlights of my trip for you and why it is sitting in my frontal lobe as I type.

• I had never been to North Carolina. I flew into the Raleigh/Durham airport. And leaving the airport, being with miles of Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest was pretty cool for the academic in me.
• Out of the four days I was there, I ate Buffalo Wild Wings three times.
• My friend, the one who ask me to come, asked me to make sure to sign for a package for him my first day there. Turns out that was porn he did not want his girlfriend to find.
• We had to go to South Carolina because that is where the good fireworks are. My friend dropped about $800 on that round of gunpowder. Sadly that is not his record.
• We proceeded to fire said fireworks in glorious fashion in a relative’s backyard…next to a bog. Part way through we started sending heavy smoke grenades and flash bombs into the bog to try and blow up bullfrogs. The fuses didn’t go out in water.
• The next morning I discovered four holes in the shirt I was wearing the night before. All burn holes.
• We went to Camp Lejeune with an old Marine to hang on the beach. On the way home it informed us we were probably surrounded by sharks the entire time and if we were above ourselves in a helicopter, we would have seen them circling.
• A bbq pit totally torched itself because someone forgot to empty the grease can. It caught on fire. No one knew how to put out a grease fire for some reason. Yes they did use water. I eventually told them they had to smother it.

That was a fun year.

Happy 4th of July everyone.

SQUEEEEEE!!!! I’ve always been torn between wanting to be the first female Dread Pirate Roberts, or just making out with the current Wesley version of him…

Somehow I think having a replica of his sword will not help me in my decision.

BUT! The same company, Factory Entertainment is making a Inigo Montoya sword.  Obviously so my husband and I can recreate the best.sword fight.ever.

Though I’m a little worried of what would happen if I fought left handed.  I’m kinda a bumbling bookish sort of warrior.  Don’t let me tell you that story about the cannon and my right big toe, people might make fun of me.

But it’s a classic. And, as DVD sales figures corroborate, it’s left a mark on today’s thirtysomethings.

At it’s core, it’s every kid’s fantasy — including my own — that a world of adventure exists just under our feet. “The Goonies” was one of the first VHS tapes I ever owned, and more than a decade ago, it was the movie my wife and I watched as part of our first date in a stranger’s basement (long story for another day).

The kids

I’m a sucker for stereotyped ensemble casts (something the ’80s gave us plenty of). The characters are so black-and-white that anyone can find a member to identify with. The cheerleader, the smartass, the exasperated older brother, the genius — no matter who you were, you could find yourself in the cast of “The Goonies.”

In a particularly good ensemble cast, you find pieces of yourself in all of the characters — I shared Mikey’s love to drag my friends into pickles, Chunk’s love of all things junky, and Data’s propensity for gadgets. (I used to spend hours in the garage trying to mimic his creations.)

The soundtrack

This was the golden age of “Big Movie” scores — of blaring french horns and dramatic strings, and “The Goonies” was no exception. But composer Dave Grusin added another layer to the soundtrack, imbibing it with an almost fugue-like feel with undercurrents of jazz.

Add to that the pop soundtrack which features the famous bopping single by Cyndi Lauper and a host of other 80s staples (REO Speedwagon and The Bangles), and it’s a one-two punch of nostalgia.

The villains

Director Richard Donner nailed the portrayal of The Fratellis. They’re kid friendly enough to keep nightmares at bay, but they’re not over the top and bumbling. Beneath the comedic occasional pratfall, effort was spent reminding the audience that the criminals aren’t just bad guys with a heart of gold — they’re actual villains.

The locale

Before I saw this movie, I didn’t know Astoria from Aberdeen. But after seeing the rocky cliffs, misty shores and lush forests of the Oregon coast, it cemented a desire to one day live there.

The cool dampness embodied mystery, and the fog took the harsh edges off of the corners of life. To this day, I’d love the opportunity to relocate to a place like that.

And, most importantly, the lifestyle

This movie resonated with me because of my independent and idyllic suburban upbringing, a lifestyle which has all but vanished today.

Our backyard gave way to a small cornfield surrounded by a forest. If you tromped long enough through the forest, you came out on the back side of a cemetery. During the summer, my parents wouldn’t see me from after breakfast to just before dinner. My friends and I would drag our bikes all over suburban Michigan, having adventures along the crick in the forest, and making up tales about the names on the graves in the cemetery.

Contrast that to today, where I don’t let my child ride her bike more than three houses in any direction, and that’s with me constantly peering out of the blinds. Our back yard opens onto a nature area replete with trees and a small creek — but I seize up in panic at the thought of her ever venturing out there for a moment, much less all day.

Watching that movie (which my trusty old 4-head VCR can still squeak through) brings back not only the memory of adventure could lie beneath any corner of suburban Michigan, but the innocence of the era that accompanied it.

What about you? Do you see Goonies as a corny kid flick or something more important? My self worth is based on your discussion below!