Hot Nerd Girl

Tag: hot nerd girl

  • Thirsty Games – The Hunger Games Drinking Game

    Note from HNG: Hey Nerds and Nerdettes, your favorite virtual drinking buddy is back!  You may remember Vivian’s fantastic Firefly Drinking Game post (or not, depending on how drunk you got while playing it) and this time she’s created a Hunger Games Drinking Game that will make you Rue the day you didn’t drink while reading it (what? too soon?)  So without further ado, heeeeeeere’s Vivian!

    Hey there! Guest Nerd Girl Vivian again. Since you were all so incredibly supportive of my last admission of addiction, I thought I’d share another one with you. And that is… books. Books are great. Books are underappreciated. And books are sexy. There’s a vicious cycle that I’ve been caught in for many, many years. It goes something like this:

    Step 1: Fall in love with a book.

    Step 2: Find out a movie is being made based on said book, and get very excited.

    Step 3: Be disappointed with the movie.

    In case of sequels, repeat.

    And so it was with The Hunger Games. I was a little late to this party, and I didn’t start the first book until just a few months ago. But I made up for my tardiness with unabashed, obnoxiously vocal adoration. I was that person who worked “that’s like when Katniss…” into every conversation. If woman and young adult literature could wed, I would ask these books to be mine forever. And we would honeymoon in District 7.

    I was so devoted to the books that I resisted watching the movie trailers or clips, or looking at the casting choices, until I’d finished the series. (I had the same strategy for the Harry Potter movies, which only lasted through about four of them before I caved.) I just didn’t want anyone else’s images in my head, and I also didn’t want to be disappointed. But then, immediately after finishing the third book, I did watch the trailer, and… daaaaammmn. It was so beautiful. And thrilling. I don’t think I exhaled through the whole thing. And my expectations for the movie shot sky high. To be fair, I was not actually disappointed by the film. I loved it. I had issues with it, but when a movie focuses on a girl whose major personality trait is her inability to outwardly express her thoughts and feelings, a lot of the book’s magic will inevitably be lost, and I accept that. Overall, the movie served as a sort of Cliffs Notes companion to a book I can’t get enough of. So I enjoyed every minute of it. (Well, almost every minute. I found Cinna’s scenes maddeningly boring and those damn CGI mutts were doomed to suck. Also, “enjoyed” is a really strange word to use when describing a movie about kid killing.)

    So this one-trick capitol-engineered pony is back, with a new literary drinking game for all of you who love these books like I do, and for those who just want an excuse to drink alone. Cause why should drinking games be reserved for movies? Answer: they shouldn’t. I suppose that this could feasibly be played with the film, but as a friend of mine so harshly put it “the alcohol intake would be just as watered down as the emotional impact of the movie.” Zing. So, really, enjoy a book. And a beer. Let your young adult fiction flag fly. (Note: This game is specifically based on the first book. I don’t think it would carry over to the other two very well. Or prove me wrong.)

    Let the First Annual Thirsty Games begin! And may the odds be ever in your favor!

    Drink when:

    Katniss fires an arrow. This seemed like the logical place to start. Drink twice if she misses her target.

    Drink.

    Anyone uses the words “Girl on Fire.”

    Anyone climbs a tree.

    There’s a lot of time spent hanging out in trees. Maybe next time, bring a book. And a beer.

    Katniss has a foodgasm. Suzanne Collins spends whole pages describing those meals, and it’s one of my favorite things about the book that really couldn’t be adequately conveyed in the film.

    Katniss expresses naïve statements about not understanding her feelings for Peeta or Gale. Oh, the wonderful romantic confusion of young love triangles… whilst trapped in an arena of death, broadcast to an entire nation. Sure, not an easy situation; but still, that girl is as dense as District 12 bread.

    She mentions her mother’s depression. Cause, ya know, just drink away those my-husband-was-killed-in-a-mining-accident-and-now-my-daughters-and-I-are-going-to-starve blues.

    Katniss (or anyone, if you’re going all out) incurs bodily injury (but doesn’t die).

    Drink twice for emotional injury described as physical pain. Katniss is so emotionally closed off that feeling feelings gives her chest pain and makes her throat close up. That’s my kind of girl.

    Drink when Haymitch drinks. Drink twice when he vomits.

    Here’s the big one: Drink for each tribute projected in the sky. That first night is a doozy!

    And, just for funsies, some themed drinks!

    The Capitol

    1 part Goldschlager

    2 parts Sprite

    1 dash grenadine

    serve in a highball or martini glass, rimmed with pink/green/some unnaturally artificially colored sugar

    Girl on Fire

    3/4 shot of Amaretto (almond liqueur)

    Top off with Barcardi 151.

    Light the shot on fire. (Yes, light it on fire. Be careful, please.)

    Drop the shot in a half-filled pint glass of beer, and down the whole thing.

    The Haymitch

    Gin.

    Enjoy!

  • 7 Guys Worth Nerdgasaming Over

    Just replace the Tribble with one of these 7 delicious men and I’ll be a happy camper

    My sister-in-law and I were at WonderCon on Friday and somehow we got on the topic of “Cheat Sheets.”

    And no, I’m not talking about the school variety.

    The “Cheat Sheet” I’m referring to is a list of people you’re allowed to get it on with and your significant other can’t hold it against you.  You both get one and the list is full of people you don’t even remotely stand a chance with.  For example, Robert Downey Jr. and Christian Bale are on my SIL’s list.  Isla Fisher and Gretchen Mole are on my brother’s list.  They are only allowed 5 each.

    Now, I’ve written a number of articles about sexy women, the 2 most popular being 10 Hottest Babes of Sci-Fi and Maxim’s Hot 100 Lucky 13 but I have yet to write a post about nerd-worthy sexy men.  This kind of blows my mind. It also got me thinking about my own list and who would be on it.  I certainly know it when I see it if I’d hit it…but can I narrow it down to a list?

    It’s was a difficult challenge but one that I was willing to accept.

    Yeesh my job really sucks sometimes 😉

    After much thought, meditation and Google image searching, I’ve put together my Cheat Sheet. I couldn’t narrow it down to 5 so I get 7.  Because I’m HNG and I say so.  So there.  Naturally everyone on my list fits nicely into the nerd ‘verse….cause that’s all I ever pay attention to anyways…ahem.  Sorry if you don’t bat for this team and it’s not your kind of list.  I’m an equal opportunity sexy list maker and I can’t (nay won’t!) neglect the fans who will appreciate this.

    So without further ado, here’s my list in alphabetical order:

    Orlando Bloom

    I studied for my college finals every December for 3 years in a row while waiting in the 5+ hour line for opening day of the latest Lord of the Rings movie.  I graduated Cum Laude so I must have been doing something right.  The first time I saw Legolas on screen I was 100% convinced that I was going to marry him one day.  Then all the teeny boppers jumped on that bandwagon (especially once Pirates of the Caribbean came out) and it turned me off big time.  But still, I can’t help it.  I think he’s adorable.  Thankfully most of those teeny boppers have moved on to RPatz.  I used to see Orlando outside my work sometimes, once with Dominic Monaghan (and cue borderline creepy stalker pic) and my heart would still leap into my throat.  So he stays on the list.

    Nathan Fillion

    Does this one really need an explanation?  I didn’t think so.  But I’ll give one anyway.  Actually, I wrote a whole blog about it back when HNG was brand spankin’ new and I stand by it.  But aside from the fact that he’s Malcolm Reynolds, Captain Hammer, Richard Castle, The Holy Avenger, etc etc etc…Nathan himself has an amazing sense of humor.  I don’t pay much attention to my Twitter account (although I probably should) but every once in a while I go on and just read back through his tweets for fun.  I’m often told that I look like Stana Katic, Nathan’s source of sexual tension on Castle.  I disagree about the physical similarities but I would gladly trade places with her and experience some of that sexual tension for myself. ….please….?

    Tom Hardy

    Five of the men on this list are foreigners with deliciously sexy foreign accents.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m as proud an American as they come, but GD I love a good accent.  There’s a scene in This Means War when Reese Witherspoon meets Tom Hardy for the first time and she asks him to say something again because it sounds so awesome.  I could not have said it better myself.  Tom Hardy first came to my attention as the Captain Picard clone in Star Trek: Nemesis.  I went to see it on opening day with about ten guy friends.  About five minutes into the movie I started crying (because I’m a movie psychic and I’d already figured out what would happen to Data) much to the horror of every guy I was with.   I will never forget the moment when the friend next to me asked me if I was ok and I looked over and saw ten grown men staring at me like I had tentacles sprouting from my face.  It was HI-larious.  But I digress.  The other thing that stood out was Tom.  He’s been charming me ever since, crooked teeth and all. Seriously, he was my very favorite character in Inception. I think I’m the only person on the planet that isn’t looking forward to seeing him as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.  I know he’s going to be brilliant but the thought of him like that just makes me cringe.  But I’ll still watch it.  Over and over and over again.

    Chris Hemsworth

    If you’ve been following the blog for a while this will come as no surprise.  If you are a newbie, allow me to explain.  I’m a big Thor fan. 1. He’s my favorite comic book character and 2. I’m a ridiculously proud Scandinavian who grew up listening to stories about Odin and Asgard while we made lefse and sauerkraut.  The first time I remember seeing Thor on a movie screen was when Vincent D’Onofrio reluctantly accepted the title in Adventures in Babysitting, one of my very favorite movies of all time. So I had very high hopes for whoever Kenneth Branaugh cast in his Avengers set up.  I wasn’t sure what to think about Chris Hemsworth at first.  I remembered him being Kirk’s daddy in the latest Star Trek and I thought he was mighty cute but not big enough to be the God of Thunder.  Then he took his shirt off and I had a conniption fit.  OMFG.  Seriously Chris, you just have to say the word and it is on like Donkey Kong.

    James McAvoy

    I think my attraction to James mostly has to do with his Scottish accent.  And his eyes.  And the fact that he’s a brilliant actor.  And his eyes.  And his accent.  All of which I discussed in my review of X-Men: First Class. But aside from all that, he’s uber talented.  Mr. Tumnus is one of those literary characters that is beloved by fans of The Chronicles of Narnia and James did good by our favorite faun.  Plus, he rocks the Jane Austin-type stuff and you know us girls eat that shit right up.

    David Tennant

    Another choice that needs no explanation.  Easily the sexiest of all the Doctor incarnations, his 3 series and 8 specials are the most popular and well-loved of the long running Doctor Who BBC show.  Then he had to go and seal the deal with Harry Potter and Fright Night, forcing me to adore him forever.  His face is so malleable, he can twist and turn it in countless ways.  But when he just stop and smiles, your heart melts.  David, I am so sorry (see what I did there?), but I just can’t quit you.

    Michael Trucco

    Now, my brother’s name is Michael and normally I’m totally weirded out by the thought of banging someone with the same name as someone I’m related to but in this case I will totally make an exception.  I fell head over heels in love with Anders the second he showed up on Battlestar Galactica.  Lee who?  Seriously, I wanted to punch Starbuck in the face for the way she treated him.  Even the fact that he was a Cylon could not diminish my love.  It sucked when he went all vegetable and yet I would still probably hit that.  I’m a little grossed out by myself right now but damn, that is a fine ass man.  He also had memorable guest spots on Big Bang Theory and Castle (where my celebrity look alike got to have a nice little love triangle with TWO of the people on my list.  Bitch.)

    Runners Up:

    Richard Madden – Game of Thrones

    Kit Harington – Game of Thrones

    Chris O’Donnell – Batman Forever (but never ever ever Batman & Robin *shudder*)

    Patrick Stewart – Star Trek: The Next Generation, X-Men

    Henry Cavill – The Tudors, Immortals, Man of Steel

    Jamie Dornan – Once Upon A Time

    Jason Mamoa – Conan the Barbarian, Game of Thrones, Stargate: Atlantis

    Ben Browder – Farscape, Stargate SG1, upcoming Doctor Who episode

    Alexander Skarsgard – True Blood

    Ryan Kwanten – True Blood

    Joe Manganiello – True Blood

    Tristan MacManus – Dancing with the Stars (I know, totally random, right? But I’m a theatre/dance nerd too and he’s frakking adorable)

  • WonderCon 2012

    The WonderCrew: Troi, Geek Outlaw, HNG, Mama Jedi

    The first time I went to WonderCon was way back in 2002 while I was in college in San Francisco.  I was the only girl in the group and was rocking my Batman Underoos and a very ill-fitting SFSU sweatshirt.

    A Spider-Man sticker on top of a Batman logo…I’m trying to remember if we had some sort of Marvel vs. DC thing going on that day….

    Since moving to Southern California I wasn’t sure I’d ever go to a WonderCon again but fate had other plans (namely construction) and planted WonderCon in Anaheim this year.  I had to go.  Now, normally I like to spend at least two days at a comic book convention; however, WonderCon inconveniently fell on St. Patrick’s Day weekend and the Irish blood in me refused to give up the St. Patty’s Day festivities.  Therefore, I settled for going to WonderCon on Friday only.

    This was the first Comic Book Convention for my Mom, my sister-in-law Troi and my friend Hayden (aka Geek Outlaw).  We’re all going to San Diego Comic Con this Summer so it was good practice for them.  My Mom wore the HNG t-shirt I had made for Long Beach Comic Con and guys were flirting with her all day.  What can I say?  I have a hot mama.  Hayden wore his Geek Outlaw outfit which was so weighed down by his geeky accoutrements that he literally had to mosey.

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J67TEVdIN0]

    –

    First things first.  Star Trek.  Star Trek actors are the only celebrities I get star struck by.  I’m not sure why that is other than the fact that I heart Star Trek sosososososososo much.  Seriously, Harrison Ford could walk up to me and I’d be like “yo, what’s up dude?” but if Patrick Stewart did that I would freak the fuck out.  So it should come as no surprise that when I saw Anthony Montgomery (aka Ensign Travis Mayweather) I freaked the fuck out.

    See that look on my face? That’s pure joy right there.

    I was in the process of purchasing a comic book and getting my face sketched on the back of it (more on that later) when Hayden and I realized that Anthony was in the booth right next door.  I couldn’t move yet because of the sketching so Hayden went over and warned Anthony that a Super Trekkie was in his midst.  I tend to be a very shy person but as soon as I got the go ahead from the sketch artist that I could move I practically mauled the poor man.

    I swear I don’t normally do this type of thing!

    He now holds the distinction of being the only Star Trek actor that I’ve hugged.  Twice.  Seriously though, super super super nice guy.  I even told him my Connor Trinneer story and he got a laugh out of that (short version: I had just arrived at Whole Foods in Hollywood and saw a guy holding a baby and trying to get a grocery cart.  I got the grocery cart for him and when he turned around and thanked me I realized it was Connor Trinneer and I almost had a heart attack right on the spot).

    Anthony was there promoting his new graphic novel Miles Away.  Y’all should check it out because it looks really good and because I heart him.  A lot.

    Back to the comic book I was purchasing before I saw Anthony….

    Artist: J caught my eye because she’s a fellow HNG who wrote a comic book. Seriously, she’s badass.  She combines the comic with music to create a whole experience for the reader.  I love and support my fellow HNG’s and you should too.  So check her out.

    And she makes a darn sexy Wonder Woman too

    One of her artists, Will Olmo, did a quick sketch of me on the back of the book.

    While looking for an artist I saw at LBCC (alas, I never found him and I can’t remember his name) I ran into two other artists that I will be paying close attention to from now on.  The first one is Mike McKone who happens to live just a few miles away from me.  I’m going to try and hit him up for an interview.  The second is Gerimi Burleigh creator of Eye of the Gods and Morningstar.  We first noticed Gerimi because Hayden is a fan of the country western genre and Morningstar has a cowboy twist to it.  After talking to him, you can’t help but like him.  Super talented and super nice.  Plus, he has an awesome name.

    Geek Outlaw and Gerimi Burleigh

    DC is fighting hunger in Africa with their We Can Be Heroes campaign.  To bring attention to the cause they had a photobooth set up wherein you could get your picture taken with shadowy images of the Justice League.

    They printed a picture for you (or in Hayden’s case, a crapload of pictures…the printer went nuts over his sexy photo and wouldn’t stop printing them). The photos will be accessible online and on the DC facebook page at some point.

    My scanner doesn’t like this picture for some reason so I’ll replace it when they get the digital versions up

    We went to an Amazing Spider-Man panel where I saw and got super excited about this:

    It’s Punisher! In space!

    But the best panel was Nerdist Industries Live! I really hope that no one reading this is too young to remember MTV’s Singled Out.  It was back when MTV still played music videos and there were only a handful of reality shows, namely Real World, Singled Out and Love Line (though LL may have come later…I can’t remember, I haven’t watched MTV in years). Anyhooters, people mostly remember Singled Out because it introduced the world to Jenny McCarthy.  I remember it because it introduced me to Chris Hardwick.  My love for him has only increased over the years what with The Nerdist, Talking Dead, and various hilarious commentaries on E! pop culture shows.

    He introduced several people who will be participating in the new Nerdist youtube channel.

    Those of us in Ballroom 3 had to pay dearly to see this panel.  Warner Brothers decided that right beforehand they would force everyone waiting for The Nerdist to watch an episode of The Secret Circle.  It was worse than Chinese water torture.  And this is coming from someone who enjoys Twilight (I know, I know). It did give Chris the opportunity to tell jokes about sexy witch scissor sex (that’s how you complete the circle, right?) which almost made it worth it.  Almost.

    Other Chris Hardwick gems:

    Nerds make the shiny things that distract the mouth breathers.

    A nerd’s true superpower is to try to understand something and try to live it more than any other living creature.

    At the end of the panel Chris had two Angry Bird stuffed animals.  The first he threw right to a kid in the front row who made them all feel horribly guilty for cussing.  The second he decided to throw as far as he could.  The guy next to me was crazy still during the whole panel but he wanted that GD Angry Bird.  I’ve never seen a man that size move so fast.  It was pretty epic.  And the guy was STOKED.  Of course I captured it on video.

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3GAz77TDqs]

    –

    On to cosplay photos!

    We got to take pictures in front of an Avengers poster while holding Cap’s shield.

    Somehow I ended up being the buttkicker in both photos

    And then with Captain America himself.

    There was Batman.

    And Rogue.

    Hulk…at least the top half of him…

    And Spidey (who was insanely flexible).

    And then there was whatever the frak this guy is.

    That’s a nice leg and dangly-thing you got there Mister

    To represent the gamers we had some Halo.

    And some Halo Barbies.

    Scorpion had some crazy white contacts lenses that gave me a really great mental picture of what Roose Bolton’s eyes must look like.

    Abraham Lincoln was in attendance just in case any vampires showed up.

    Battlestar Galactica was represented.

    This is the best Doctor #10 I’ve ever seen at a Con.  He was spot on.

    These fellow HNG’s made their Tardis dresses themselves.  As a very non-domestic lady I was extremely impressed.

    It takes this artist 8 hours to put this Firefly display together every time he goes to a convention.

    Represent.

    My favorite shirt of day.

    I heart Transformers.  Haha, j/k, it’s a Gundam.

    And, of course, there was plenty of the Force.

    Last but not least, Hayden’s favorite, the Ghostbusters.

    That was a really hard pose to hold.

    ….and all the times Troi and I decided to photobomb Hayden’s pictures… 🙂

    Our souvenirs, including an R2D2 for my nephew.

    WonderCon turned out to be a good time had by all.  The newbies are sufficiently stoked for SD Comic Con and I got an 8-bit Starfleet communicator. What more could a girl ask for?

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Firefly and Beer and All Things Good
    
			
    Remember this pretty lady? We went to college together at San Francisco State and she’s put together a kick ass guest blog for you today.  So without further ado, heeeeeeere’s Vivian!
    

    Hello, nerds of the internet! Guest nerd girl here, because ya know what? It turns out there are loads of us! That’s right, many of us may still hide our Star Trek box sets and take down our autographed Watchmen posters when boys are coming over, but trust me, our numbers are great and our will is strong. So I’m coming out to the world (the world-wide web, even) and saying YES, I AM A NERD.
    

    I enjoy so many nerdy things. I grew up on Star Trek and the Cruise-less Mission Impossible series. My first love triangle was trying to choose between Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. I love X-Men and Shakespeare and young adult books set in space (or wizarding academies). My nerd interests are deep and vast (*dirty*). However, there is one passion that surpasses them all, and I would like to share it with all of you.
    

    In fact, I have a confession to make. I have an addiction. It’s powerful, and at times it dominates my entire life. I am addicted… to Firefly.
    

    Now I know I’m not alone in this, that there are many in my ranks, and that offers me a degree of comfort. Still, no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to shake this need to have Serenity and it’s crew in my life. (Full disclosure: I’ve never tried to shake this need. But I’m pretty sure that if I ever did, it would be completely futile. So I don’t.) This sickness infects both my work life (my senior year of undergrad I wrote a final film studies paper on Serenity. My professor was not as taken as I was.) and my personal life. When surrounded by a new group of people, I will almost always eventually sneak a Firefly reference into the conversation and do a quick scan. The person whose eyes light up: my new friend. No reaction: boring times ahead.
    

    Oh, this old jumpsuit? I just throw it on when I don't know what to wear.
    

    And, fellow nerdy internetians, I have another love. Beer. Everyone has their thing. Some people juggle geese. *quick scan* As for me, there are few things in this world that I love more than a good beer. You can call me pretentious (please don’t), but I live in Los Angeles, and that means I am constantly aWash (see what I did there?) in an endless supply of “craft” “artisanal” delights. And as I’ve always said, why do a thing when you could do that thing while also drinking beer? (Ok, it’s not the most eloquent motto, but it’s never failed me.) So, in that spirit, I would like to present to you my Firefly drinking game. So put on your brownest coat and pour yourself a tall Mudders Milk. Just enjoy responsibly, like the big damn heroes I know you are.
    

    Down to business. Let's be bad guys.
    

    The Rules
    

    Drink when:
    

    Someone speaks in Chinese. Or, really, any language other than English. I tend to assume it’s Chinese. Is that racist?
    

    A fight breaks out. This can range from someone getting hit once to a full-out brawl. Originally I had this down as any time a punch is thrown, but as such the opening scene of the Train Job would get you pretty gorram punch-drunk.
    

    There is an exterior shot of Serenity. (Drink twice if there’s a shot of a shuttle detaching.)
    

    DRINK!
    

    Jayne caresses a weapon.
    

    I'll be in my bunk.
    

    Inara kicks Mal out of her shuttle.
    

    River cries/cowers/tears her hair. Poor, crazy River.
    

    There’s mention of Terraforming. Drink twice if it’s talk of terraforming side effects.
    

    Anyone says “Shiny.”
    

    This face? Totally shiny.
    

    Wash’s dinosaurs are on-screen. This happens more than you may think. Keep an eye on his console any time there’s a scene in the cockpit. Is it called a cockpit in a spacecraft? I don’t know, I’m a nerd, not a flight technician. Anyway, back to the game…
    

    Mine is an evil laugh!
    

    There’s a mysterious reference to Shepard Book’s past that WILL NEVER BE ANSWERED EVER. (Well, except in that one-off comic. That was pretty cool.)
    

    Wash and Zoe have sexy times. This can include kissing/flirting/simultaneous nudity.
    

    Everyone is gathered in the kitchen. (I usually exclude River from “everyone,” as she’s more often than not off somewhere else cowering and crying. *see earlier rule.)
    

    Specialty Rules
    

    Take a shot when the blue gloves show up. Not one shot per glove, mind you. Two by two… by my math, that’s a lot of shots.
    

    My favorite: BLUE SUN! When someone sees the Blue Sun logo (anywhere, on anything), they point at the screen and yell “BLUE SUN!” Everyone else takes a shot. The pointing and yelling is not really necessary, but mainly involuntary because you’re drunk and excitable. What? Is that just me?
    

    There's one! I see it! Everyone drink!
    

    As I play this game I also tend to take a drink for my favorite moments. This isn’t really a rule, per se, but I find it hard not to raise a glass to Kaylee calling Mal “Cap’n Tight Pants” or Jayne’s “That’s why I never kiss ‘em on the mouth.” So there’s the optional rule of “drink for awesome stuff.”
    

    When Kaylee talks about her nethers, you obviously drink.
    

    Whaddaya think, fellow nerds? These are my favorite rules, though by no means all of them. Any ideas for additional ones? Thanks for letting me share this with you. Nerd girls of the world ‘VERSE unite!
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    My birthday present to you…a Batgirl photoshoot!
    
			
    Nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh – BATGIRL!
    

    Tomorrow is my birthday (don’t even bother asking, I’m not going to tell you how old I am) so I decided to give YOU, my awesome readers, a gift for sticking with me for the past year and a half.
    

    I wrote a little story to go along with the pictures…sort of a pseudo-comic if you will.  I hope you enjoy it.
    

    Oh, and please feel free to thank me for putting my friend into my Slave Leia costume.  I figured that if I have to rescue a damsel in distress, she might as well be scantily clad and amazingly hot.  Just looking out for you my friends.
    

    Anyhooters, here goes:
    

    The night is dark. Dark and dangerous. A lone heroine stalks the night keeping an eye out for trouble.
    

    She climbs over the rooftops, lithe and agile. She watches and waits.
    

    

    A scream tears through the silence.  Someone is in trouble!
    

    Oh no! A thug has a helpless damsel in distress in his grips!
    

    

    The thug eyes her skeptically. He doesn’t see her as a threat. He has made a horrible mistake.
    

    She shows him her mean right hook!
    

    

    The thug is stunned and doesn’t see it coming when she plants her totally practical stiletto boot square in his chest!
    

    HNG prevails. 
    

    The streets are safe once again.  At least for now…
    

    Don’t worry fair maiden, HNG will always be here to keep you safe.
    

    To the victor goes the spoils…wait…I mean, allow me to escort you home fair maiden…
    

    HNG takes to the rooftops once more.
    

    

    A Superhero’s work is never done.
    

    Bad guys beware: she’ll be watching. And waiting. And looking hot while doing it so don’t get any ideas buster.
    

    A HUGE thank you to Jon Upson for taking such amazing pictures (check out his website here) and to Darcy and Joy for joining in on the HNG shenanigans (as Jon would say).
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    The Star Wars Experience
    
			
    My Dad came to SoCal to visit my brother and I and being the family o’ nerd that we are, we decided to go to the Discovery Science Center’s Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit in Santa Ana.  I’ve always wanted to visit the giant black cube that looks suspiciously Borg-like so this was the perfect opportunity. 
    

    I honestly don't know which of us is more excited….probably me.
    

    The museum itself is mostly a kid science wonderland so if you don’t like small children running full speed into your legs all day (that’s gonna leave a bruise) then I would suggest going on a weekday.  The Star Wars exhibit was a lot like Star Trek: The Experience (or Star Trek: The Tour….or Star Trek: The Exhibition….) in that it was costumes, props and models used in the movies. 
    

    One cool thing about having it at a science center was the interactive games they brought in, like this Moisture Farm that my sister-in-law (whose name is Troi btw…no really, it is and it’s pretty awesome) and I couldn’t figure out…probably because we’re over the age of 10.
    

    Quick! Get a small child over here to figure this thing out!
    

    My 3-year-old nephew is finally getting to the age where he can really appreciate science fiction and if I have anything to say about it he will be savant-like in his knowledge of all things nerdy. This is how my sister-in-law woke him up this morning:
    

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLSGOWJG1TQ]
    

    –
    

    The costumes kind of freaked him out (and cost me what would have been an awesome picture of him standing next to a Jawa) but he LOVED anything mechanical.
    

    I can haz AT-AT?
    

    Apparantly it runs in the family.
    

    Three generations of machine buffs
    

    Here are some close ups of the Millenium Falcon.  The detail was unbelievable.  Thanks to the lighting I had to take all of these pictures with my phone.  They turned out way better than the pics I took with my point and click camera.
    

    Here’s a few pictures of me with my patented double thumbs up pose.
    

    Stormtrooper? Double thumbs up!
    

    

    Han and Chewie?  Definitely double thumbs up!
    

    Darth Vader?  Worthy of two chicks doing a double thumbs up!
    

    Speaking of Darth Vader…they had his helmet displayed in three pieces allowing us to see the complex breathing apparatus that serves as the main portion of his life support system.
    

    Here are some costumes from the prequels. I desperately wanted to put that Anakin costume on my nephew cause he totally looks like a Skywalker.
    

    And here are some costumes (and puppets) from the three Star Wars movies that didn’t suck.
    

    Just another day of hanging out with Leia, R2 and Threepio.
    

    I may have molested a Wookiee or two.  Ahem.
    

    I attempted to ride in the hovercraft but I think I was too heavy for it because it was really slow.
    

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U1gQxm4Vyw]
    

    –
    

    The Discovery Science Center has an impressive space section but I’ll keep the picture show Star Wars-related and just show you one last video of my sister-in-law and I in a wind tunnel.  Mostly because I think it’s really funny.  And if you’re wondering what I’m handing her at the end, it’s strategically timed eyedrops.
    

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIBuRfOzqBw]
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Cooking with Hot Nerd Girl: Klingon Blood Wine
    
			
    Bottoms up!
    

    Nothing says “party” like a large punch bowl full of fresh blood wine.
    

    Blood Wine is the favorite alcoholic beverage of the Klingons, a race of warrior aliens from the planet Qo’noS.  Originally an enemy of the Federation, the Klingons have been allies for quite some time.  Just don’t ask them about how their foreheads went from being smooth to wrinkled…they don’t like to discuss it with outsiders.  Traditionally Klingon Blood Wine is about twice as potent as whiskey and can’t be tolerated by most humans.  Don’t worry, this recipe (from the Star Trek Cookbook) is pretty tame.  The base recipe is without alcohol but you just feel free to add as much vodka as you want.  I added some and it was delish.
    

    You could go out a buy a bottle of Blood Wine (I got mine at the now defunct Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas) but why do that when you can make your own?
    

    Yup, I've also got a bottle of Romulan Ale
    

    So, without further ado, here is how you make Klingon Blood Wine according to Neelix:
    

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0MxCxKOI4o]
    

    –
    

    Here’s the recipe excerpt from page 126 of the Star Trek Cookbook (sorry, they don’t use exact amounts for this recipe so just do it to taste):
    

    “Klingon Bloodwine is exactly what it says it is: fermented blood and sugar.  To make an excellent re-creation of Klingon Bloodwine, you can use straight up “Just Cranberry” from Knudsen sweetened to your own taste with Welch’s pure dark grape juice.  If you want to lighten the color of the cranberry juice just a bit, use Welch’s white grape juice.  Want it to have some nice floating red corpuscles?  Run fresh or frozen cranberries or red raspberries through your blender (or chop them if you’re like me and you don’t want to have to clean your blender) and add them to your juice.  That makes it fresh and sweet, the way Worf drinks it.”
    

    This is what happens when you drink too much of it
    

     Previous installments of Cooking with Hot Nerd Girl:
    

    Butterbeer
    

    Ambrosia
    

    Lembas Bread
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Long Beach Comic Con wrap-up 2011
    
			
    On Saturday I went to Long Beach Comic Con, a fairly young comic book convention that is small enough that comic books *GASP!* are still the primary focus.
    

    Imagine that.
    

    Anyhooters, it was pretty epic for me because I attended as a “professional” aka a member of the press.  My list of press passes has been steadily growing but this was my first for a comic con so it was very exciting for me.
    

    😀  <–  See?  That’s me being excited.
    

    Here are some of the highlights:
    

    If you don’t know what Team Unicorn is then you need to crawl out from whatever rock you’ve been living under. The second I walked up to them one of them put her arms out and said “you’re a unicorn!”  It was a proud moment for me, let me tell you!  Yes, they are hottie mctotties, but what really struck me was how nice they were.  They stood there and talked t-shirts with me (we all agree that Cafe Press sucks major monkey balls) for way longer than they needed to. Friendly hot girls? Yup, they exist.
    
 Michelle Boyd, Rileah Vanderbilt, HNG, Clare Grant, Milynn Sarley

    I turned around and there was Clare Grant’s hubby Seth Green so naturally, I had to get a picture with him too.  I’ve been a fan of this guy since My Stepmother is an Alien so when he and Alyson Hannigan teamed up again on Buffy it was like nerdvana.  Random fun fact: Seth was also an uncredited vampire in the orginal film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  When I met him I blurted out that I was a big fan of his wife, which is very very true, but Seth, if you ever read this, my love of you came first 🙂
    
 That Robot Chicken show is pretty cool too

    After that we headed off to a light saber demonstration by Saber Guild, a not-for-profit costumed performance group.  Apparently they do a lot of performances for charity which I’m all for.  Some of the Jedi and Sith were better fighters than others but they were all very enthusiastic and the kids in the audience were super into it.
    
 Big Daddy in the house

    Here’s a video I took of the climax of the battle and the young Padawan who helped defeat Darth Vader:
    

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BekCv3LAH8]
    

    –
    

    Renowned horror master John Carpenter was in attendance.  Not gonna lie, he didn’t look thrilled to be there, but he’s one of the most prolific sci-fi/horror directors of all time so I was glad that he was.
    
 Big Trouble in Little Long Beach

    Apparently Thomas Jane was there (representing Raw Studios with Tim Bradstreet) because at one point he came over the intercom and, speaking verrrry slooooowwwly, asked all of the men to stop what they were doing, take out their “pieces” and wave them around.  I’m just going to assume that my dirty sense of humor correctly deduced what “pieces” meant.  Alas, I didn’t see him which was a bummer.
    

    On to costumed characters!
    

    Wonder Woman was actually there with Wolverine but Wolvie kept getting pushed aside so that WW could take pictures with Asian Superman.  Never thought I’d say this but Wolvie was kind of a bitch.
    
 Gotta love those stunna shades

    I’m pretty sure that this pop can tab creation is supposed to be Iron Man.  Old school Iron Man circa 1963 before he hired Maaco to paint his suit red and gold.
    
 The magnetic chest plate gave it away

    Believe it or not, these two crazy kids had never heard of Night of the Living Trekkies, they just randomly decided that dressing up as Starfleet Zombies would be awesome.  I’m still not sure how I feel about my favorite franchise being combined with my biggest fear…kind of seems like a conspiracy against me.
    
 So wrong. So very, very wrong.

    This guys claims he’s dressed up as a video game character and NOT a Doctor Who character but I choose not to believe him and I straight up told him so.  I’m pretty sure I made him laugh under that rubbery exterior.
    
 No dude, I am not your mummy

    Speaking of Doctor Who…I was pretty stoked to find this hot female Dalek.
    
 Exfoliate! Exfoliate!

    On to the next franchise – Star Wars!  Jango Fett was hanging out by the light saber demonstration.  Obviously doing recon.
    
 That’s my “badass” look. Intense, I know.

    Big Daddy Darth Vader was hanging out by the Occupy the Death Star booth.
    
 What can I say? I’ve always had a thing for bad boys.

    He thought I was adorable.
    
 I don’t let just any masked man pinch my cheeks

    This robotic R2D2 was controlled incognito by a guy who kept his hand in the bag over his shoulder.  People would walk up to it and it would move, confusing the heck out of them.  It was pretty funny.
    
 See the confusion?

    Y’all know I heart me some Harry.  There were no Gryffindors in sight but there was a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin.  Although, to be honest, she looked way too nice to be a true Slytherin.
    
 With hair like that she’s gotta be a Malfoy…right?

    “Occupy” paradies were all over the place but this was probably my favorite.
    
 It’s funny cause it’s true

    And last but not least, I leave you with two awesome t-shirts.  This first one I found at a t-shirt vendor.  I didn’t have the balls to buy it but I thought it was fucking hi-larious.
    
 Tempting…

    And me wearing my brand-spanking new Team Unicorn t-shirt the morning after.
    

    

    So I was just kidding, I have one more thing for you.  A video shot as I was leaving LBCC.  You can see me in motion for once!
    

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA9kpRtBKCw]
    

    
			
    
		

		
	
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    Xena: Warrior Princess Photoshoot
    
			
    Soooo, it doesn’t typically take me 6 months to complete a project but this also wasn’t your typical Summer.  I undertook a huge move and a lot of changes to my life in the past 6 months.  So what started with this resulted in this.  The donations came in pretty quick (thanks to those who donated!) but life was still crazy so I updated in August when the blog turned One.
    

    Now, 2 months later it’s finally here!  Sorry for the delay, crazy life = crazy timeline.
    

    epic win
    

    I was lucky enough to work with professional photographer, Jonny Ups. He’s a high school friend of mine who I haven’t seen since graduation but, thanks to the wonders of facebook, have kept in touch with.  Since high school he’s become a seriously ah-mazing photog.  I take pictures of people walking away, he takes pictures of rock star’s shoes.  What can I say?  We’re both full of quirky goodness.  Also, he wore this shirt to picture day.  It’s quite possibly the greatest t-shirt ever created. Anyhooters, a HUGE thanks to Jonny Ups for taking the time to photogrograph the Xena pics!  I look forward to working with him in future photo shoots!
    

    So here you go, the costume y’all voted for – Xena!
    

    

    

    Another big thanks to my friends Darcy and Joy for helping out on picture day.  You guys rock my socks 🙂
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    HNG Turns One!
    
			
    It’s hard to believe that it has been exactly one year since I embarked on this nerdy venture!  I didn’t think it would go beyond my friends and family but the blog now has fans all over the world.  I’m more than a bit flabbergasted by the whole thing.  Hopefully it continues to grow because I’m having way too much fun to stop now!
    

    In honor of Hot Nerd Girl’s one year anniversary, I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the all star blogs from the past year.
    

    MOST POPULAR
    

     
    

    The 10 Hottest Babes of Sci-Fi post I wrote back on December 7, 2010 has consistently been the top rated post.   This doesn’t surprise me one bit.  Hot chicks are pretty much universally loved by all and I’m convinced that the world would be a much more peaceful place if it was run by beautiful women.  Unless men started fighting over them….then maybe not so much.  Ok, maybe scrap that whole theory.  The point is, hot girls with geek cred rule.
    

    MOST SEARCHED ON GOOGLE
    

     
    

    The Facepalm Progression was little more than a quick joke meant only for the facebook page when I first introduced it this past February.  My Mom didn’t get it so I added the very well-known Picard “facepalm” and “double facepalm” pictures and put the full progression on the blog.  It got some chuckles and then one day it exploded in Google land and is now the top source of internet traffic to the blog.  Whudda thunk??
    

    MOST POPULAR MOVIE REVIEW
    

     
    

    There are a few different ways I could have gauged this but ultimately I went with the one that got the most attention when I posted it in May.  It got quite a few comments both on facebook and on the blog and was shared on several other websites.  It also happened to be my favorite movie of the year thus far and the one I probably geeked out about the most.  It was, of course, my favorite horny dude, Thor.  Ye Gods I heart him so much.
    

    BIGGEST SHOCKER
    

     
    

    My birthday last February 2nd was full of win!  I got all kinds of Star Trek-related goodies but one in particular came as a complete and total shock.  One of my earliest posts was written on September 8, 2010 and recounted the time I met Manu Intiraymi at a Star Trek Convention in San Francisco in 2002.  Well, Manu found that blog.  On my birthday.  Seriously. Best. Birthday. Present. Ever.  We corresponded via email and agreed I’d get a follow up interview which I have yet to take him up on (gotta get on that!)
    

    PHOTO SHOOTS
    

    The photo shoots are always a hit.  I’ve done a lot of mini shoots for various posts with the outtakes ending up on facebook.  The three big shoots were Halloween (TOS uniform), Slave Leia, and Lucky 13 (aka Superman undies).  I tallied up the votes for the next photo shoot and Xena was the clear winner.  I’ve received all the donations for the costume but my move to San Diego put the shoot on hold for a bit.  Once I’m (finally!) all settled in, I’ll get that all set up so look for those pictures in the next couple of months!
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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