Let's Look At Pretty Stuff And Play With Axes

I'm grumpy and tired and I haven't put on a bra in like three days (HIGHLIGHT), but I promise I'll have more interesting silliness for you guys soon. In the meantime, here's some prettiness:

"Devil Bridge" by porbital on DeviantArt

Ahhhh. Just looking at that feels better. (Can you believe that's a photo of a real place?)

And check out this amazing dragon pin from the early 1900s:

via Vagabond Collector of Anything and Everything

Those color fades in the wings are rockin' my world. Also that tail swoopy!


The past few months I've been cutting John's hair, which I'm sure explains a lot to our local friends (WHAT I'M TRYING), and is also why I've been watching a lot of Youtube tutorials on cutting hair.

 Anyway, I'm liking this one: everything we need is right there in the garage!



Plus I could really see myself venting some frustrations at the same time. What do you think, John? John? [looks around] John? Hey, where'd he go?


And finally, for the ultimate grumpies-killer, here's a German advertisement about a post-apocalyptic robot looking for Christmas:

Yes, the holidays are over already, yes, I still maybe cried a little. (When he goes up the stairs at the end - gah!)

Hope your week of getting back to work and real life is going well, gang, or at least smoother than mine. (Tomorrow, WE BRA. Maybe.) John's been out repairing some water damage across the street all week, so you know that old saying: "When the cat's away, the mouse does whatever the heck she wants, same as always, except she's hungrier now because no one's here to make lunch."

Pretty sure that's how it goes, anyway.

42 Geeky Resolutions You'll Actually Want To Keep

I think we can all agree: New Year's Resolutions suck.  Even if you manage to keep one, it's always something awful and tedious that no one - NO ONE - wants to do, like eating more greens or learning how Snapchat works.

Ahh, but you know what doesn't suck? Wish lists. Things we already want to do, but just need a little nudge and/or proper scheduling to get around to.

So I thought I'd put together a geeky wish-list and turn it into this year's resolutions. Stuff for us fans that could make us better fans. Stuff to help us learn more about each other, share the things we love, and maybe find some new things to love along the way.

And best of all, this list couldn't care less if you go to the gym.

Here's what I've got so far:

This Year I Will Read:

- 1 classic sci-fi novel I've never read before
- 1 new/modern sci-fi novel
- 1 graphic novel
- 1 indie comic book
- 1 classic children's book
- 1 fantasy novel that's more than 600 pages

This Year I Will Watch:

- 1 classic sci-fi movie (something made before 1980)
- 1 classic fantasy movie
- at least 6 episodes of an Anime I've never seen before
- at least 6 episodes of a sci-fi/fantasy series I don't think I'll like
- at least 6 episodes of an old sci-fi TV series
- at least 6 episodes of a new sci-fi/fantasy series

This Year I Will Play:
 
- 1 new board game
- 1 new card game
- 1 new video game (in a style I don't usually play)
- 1 new role-playing game


This Year I Will Write:

- An encouraging comment on at least one social media post per day (FB, Instagram, etc.)
- A fan letter to someone I know IRL
- A fan letter to someone I don't know IRL
- A compliment on the check for every good server - with an equally nice tip

This Year I Will Wear:

- A closet cosplay of a favorite character (even if I never leave the house in it)
- A cool hat 
- Something my inner 6-year-old would love
- Something fandom-related to work
- Something I've always wanted to wear, but have been too afraid to try

 This Year I Will Go:

- To a local museum I've never visited before
- To a new gathering of geeks: a convention, art show, local comic shop, etc.
- To a game night with friends (or I'll host one myself!)
- To a local craftperson's hobby shop: stained glass, woodworking, model making, etc.
- To a local Maker's Space, if I can find one

This Year I Will Make:

- Something light up with an LED I wired myself
- A fandom food (something mentioned in a book, show, or movie)
- An action figure or Pop Vinyl aged with craft paint (paint on, wipe off)
- A display for that collection or thing gathering dust in the closet
- Something silly that makes me smile

And finally, for the miscellaneous category:

This Year I Will:

- Compliment every kid I see wearing something nerdy
- Join a new fan page or discussion board online
- Buy or make one new piece of geek art, then display it somewhere everyone who visits can see

- Try a new skill: sewing, chain mail, sculpting, coding, origami, quilling, resin, etc.
- Try a new tool: Dremel, soldering iron, scroll saw, heat gun, etc.
- Ask a kid what their favorite show is, then watch at least one episode of it
  (Bonus points if you know the kid and can watch it together!)
- Recommend something geeky to a non-geek: a book, show, podcast, etc.

And just to go the EXTRA mile, I got John to turn the whole list into a handy printable for you guys:

Click to embiggen, then right-click to save the image to your desktop.

You'll notice I didn't include any suggestions for shows or books or movies, because that's where you guys come in. Let me see your lists! What should every geek watch, read, play, and listen to? (Er, maybe stick to just a few suggestions at a time...)

And beyond that, what am I missing? What else would you add to your geeky resolutions? Or what's your favorite already here? (I'm kind of partial to the "cool hat" one. :D)


Thanks for making it through 2017 with me, gang. Thanks for being my tribe. Every year I want to reach further and try harder, just to make you proud - and because I know you'll be just as proud of my failures as you will of my successes. So here's to lots more failure, more sometimes-silly successes, and more just plain trying in 2018. I love you all.

(Lily loves you, too.)

 (Tonk, however, couldn't care less. ;p)