I’m sick for the second time in a week and I have a gopher that is destroying my yard and my life. So lame. Just before I got sick the first time I participated in a Star Trek discussion with Isaac and Mark over at World’s Best Podcast for a new section of the podcast they are calling “Ten Forward.”
If this all rings a bell it’s because I participated in a Daredevil discussion with them about a month ago.
For the first episode of Ten Forward we discussed our favorite episodes from Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. I LOVE talking about Star Trek so this was a really fun one for me. Hope you like it!
Just like before, WordPress has issues with the above audio player and it can take a while to buffer. If you’re having problems just click here to listen to the podcast. Sorry about that, I’m trying to figure out how to fix it.
Look for more stimulating Star Trek conversations in the future!
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 WhoBBC 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)
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.
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.
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?
Hey guys, what are ya talking about? Huh? Oh, Tribbles? That’s cool.
–
Right now my brother is halfway around the world serving his country.
Right now I am sitting comfortably in my house in sunny San Diego.
He is a better man than I, it’s true.
But there’s one thing we have in common right now. We are both rewatching that great soap opera in space, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
–
DS9 is the red headed step-child of the Star Trek universe. A little too dark, a little too stationary, a little too outside the norm compared to the other series. It started off with Commander Sisko showing obvious disdain for Captain Picard, one of the most beloved characters in the entire franchise and it continued to take the road less traveled. You either loved it or you hated it. I remember when the The Next Generation cast spoke of Nemesis being their last movie there was talk that Sisko’s batch of oddballs would be skipped over in favor of the Starfleet-full Voyager crew. Obviously neither was selected and JJ Abrams took the franchise in a completely different direction. But the message was clear, you’ve had your fun now don’t expect anything more.
In my opinion DS9 was the most poetic of the series. It wasn’t clean and bright. Instead of just adventure it had intrigue. Instead of a story of the week it had story arcs that spanned all seven years. It marked the first killing of a major character since Tasha Yar back in the first season of TNG.
It brought imperfection to a previously perfect universe.
I loved it for that.
Here are 5 more reasons why I heart DS9:
1. The Women
Y’all know I love strong women and Star Trek is full of them. In Star Trek women are equal to men. Period. It’s what our mama’s fought for. But one strong woman stands in a class all her own and that’s Colonel Kira Nerys. A battle-hardened freedom fighter, Kira struggled with her new role as part of the status quo, often picking battles with her superiors and searching for a new cause to believe in. If she lost a fight it wasn’t for lack of trying. Fiercely stubborn, she could quickly change gears and be extremely kind.
And on the other end of the spectrum you have the Dabo girls. Submissive, obedient, scantily clad but strong in their own way as they fought to find a place for themselves in the universe. Leeta, for example, started off as a Dabo girl, formed a labor union, joined the resistance against the Dominion and ended up the wife of the Grand Nagus.
All in a days work Leeta
However, the honor of my favorite female Star Trek character ever goes to Jadzia Dax. I’m pretty sure that we would be BFF’s if she was a real person. I was way into RPGing in High School and College and I was almost always a Trill joined with the Dax symbiont….usually Tra’cia Dax. I know, super original, right? What can I say? I have no excuse other than the fact that I love Jadzia so much. A friend and I used to promise each other that we’d name our daughters Jadzia. And while I don’t see that happening if and when I ever have a kid, I still totally love that name. I named my pet rats Jadzia Maria Dax and Ezri Ann Dax. Don’t ask me where the middle names came from; I totally pulled them out of my butt. I even painstakingly drew Trill spots down each side of my face when I wore my TNG uniform once. I cried the ugly cry when Jadzia died. Not when the possessed Gul Dukat went all Pah-wraith on her, but when she and Worf said their goodbyes. Ugh.
Sucks to be me!
2. The Religion
The other four series dabbled in alien religions occasionally, namely Klingon rituals, but DS9 is the only series to have it be a major plot point. Some would probably argue that this made Gene Roddenberry turn over in his grave. Gene was famously agnostic and had a strict no-religion rule that was stretched occasionally but rarely broken. DS9 portrayed religion as a complicated and tenuous thing. It wasn’t always good, it wasn’t always bad. Politics got in the way. But even Sisko accepted it in the end. The powers that be got away with this because it was the Bajorans who were religious, not the Starfleet officers. Deep Space Nine itself acted as a gateway to the celestial temple and was therefore the location of many heated debates. Bajoran piety affected everyone on board, especially Quark. He not only lost a crapload of income during the Time of Cleansing, but got bitch slapped by a brand spankin’ new union when he tried to cut his employee’s wages. Because religion is such a hot topic in the world today, what with wars being fought and elections being influenced by them, it’s easy to see why Star Trek would want to discuss religion. Star Trek has always taken current events and explored them in such a way that it becomes clear when we’re getting it right and when we’re frakking it up. It took guts for the producers of DS9 to make it such a large part of the show and for that I applaud them.
3. The War
I’ve never been in a war. I don’t know what it’s like to fight for a cause or to fight merely for survival. I really hope that I never have to. I come from a military family and I hear the stories they are willing to share. I have stood by proudly and watched as my Dad retired and my brother graduated from boot camp. I’ve cried when they left and cried when they returned half a year later. I’ve never been in a war myself but I can tell you that it is not easy to send someone you love to one. Naturally, anything with a war in it has a bit of an impact on me.
War in space can seem remote when you’re watching it on TV or in a movie. You watch as spaceships get destroyed but you don’t see much about the people inside them getting hurt. Deep Space Nine took the battle to the ground. We didn’t just see the starships battling it out with phasers and photon torpedoes, we saw the soldiers in the trenches.
Including my favorite Ferengi
“The Siege of AR-558” is one of the greatest hours of television ever produced. I will freely admit that I cried like a baby the first time I saw it and every time I’ve seen it since. It showed war for the messy, confusing, exhausting thing that it is. It didn’t sugar coat it and it didn’t try to make it seem glamorous. Our loved ones fight for us so that we won’t have to think about these things but it’s something that people need to be reminded of every once in a while lest we forget to be grateful for their sacrifice.
4. The Money
In general Star Trek avoids the topic of money like the plague. They acknowledge its existence only long enough to balk at it and proclaim that they have no use for it, that the betterment of mankind is payment enough for their service. Don’t get me wrong, I love that. The idea of a world without greed is especially appealing in these perilous economic times. But there’s something very amusing about watching Quark scheme and plot for gold-pressed latinum. Or watching Jadzia Dax throw it down as she spanks all the Ferengi guys at tongo. Or having to pay to use the holodecks instead of just walking in, never knowing what dirty program had been played just a few minutes before.
As much as I would like for it to be true, I just can’t imagine a life without some kind of currency. They never satisfactorily explain how normal people within the Federation purchase clothing or food without money. I would argue that they simply replicate everything but I’ve seen too many shops and markets and bottles of Chateau Picard wine for that to be the case. So how does that work? Someone walks in and they just give him bottles of wine? Why doesn’t everyone have huge swaths of land to do with as they please? I know that World War III wiped out much of the population but it’s recovered enough that there’s not enough land on Earth for everyone to do whatever they want with it. I seem to remember that the DS9 crew gets some kind of allowance so that they can partake in Quark’s Bar and the holodeck for recreation, etc. etc. But if the Federation doesn’t have money, where are they getting the funds for the allowance? I’ve heard the term “credits” thrown around a few times but then a producer will say that credits don’t exist in Star Trek. I finally looked it up here but it only confirmed my suspicion that no one really knows.
At any rate, the presence of gold-pressed latinum on the station has made for some very amusing episodes and I’m glad that it’s there.
5. The End
I’m one of those people who likes things to be all wrapped up. I don’t like loose ends. Maybe it’s the list maker perfectionista in me. As much as I love Star Trek and The Next Generation, they didn’t have proper conclusions imho. Star Trek was cancelled before they could write one (although it was wrapped up nicely in the movies) and TNG’s left me unsatisfied (both on TV and in the movies). DS9 has a real, honest to God ending. Yes, it left on a cliff hanger with Sisko but it gave you the feeling that this was truly the end, the last time you were ever going to see your friends together in one place, that there would never be a moment like this again so you’d better savor it. I wept like a baby during that final episode.
In short, I love DS9 for all the ways in which it ISN’T like Star Trek. Which is kind of weird because I really REALLY love Star Trek.
Whatcha talking about? Huh? Huh? Oh, still Tribbles. Ok cool.
“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
– Quark, quoting Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, last spoken line of the series
I don’t throw parties very often but when I do I usually pull them off pretty well. I hadn’t had a birthday party since I turned 21 so I figured it was as good a time as any to put one on. Naturally, it had to be nerd-themed. The invite specified that costumes were required and I was really excited to see what my friends came up with.
Because so many amazing pictures were taken, I’m going to post the pictures of the prepping, food and costumes on the blog and I’ll put the rest of the pictures on the facebook page for Picture Friday. So be sure to check that out!
We spent a good 3 days prepping for the party. This included cooking, baking and decorating. My sister-in-law Troi did all of the baking. This was only her second time ever working with fondant and I was beyond impressed with how the Darth Vader cake she designed turned out.
Rolling out the fondant
She then had to spray it with a steamer to make it shiny. She’d never used the steamer before. Turns out it’s like a power washer so she had to stand about 3 feet back.
Steaming the fondant
This was the end result. Feel free to tell her what an awesome job she did (especially for being a rookie!) in the comments.
Best. Birthday. Cake. Ever.
She also baked Star Trek snickerdoodle cupcakes (my favorite). I was put in charge of the chocolate insignia toppers. I’m an ok artist but have never drawn with chocolate before. Some of them came out better than others.
You try doing this freehand
In the end they looked pretty good.
The rest of the desserts included Star Wars cookies, chocolate hazelnut and french vanilla lightsabers, Star Wars lollipops (a perk of having your birthday near Valentine’s Day), Nerds candy (which myself and several other people thought was hilarious), and Lembas Bread (donuts wrapped in “mallorn leaves” NOT the Lembas Bread that I ridiculously attempted to make here).
All of the food we made was themed. I was going to use this perfect opportunity to film more Cooking with Hot Nerd Girl segments but we just didn’t have enough time so I’ll have to recreate them again sometime in the near future. Some of the recipes were from The Geeky Chef, some were from JustJENN, and the rest I just made up or came up with names for existing foods. All of the food labels have Marvel characters on them, and yes, I know that it’s weird to have Hulk on a food named after Yoda, but I liked the stickers and I couldn’t find them for any other franchise so I went with it.
The whole spread
The double-sided lightsabers were from JustJENN. I made both meat and veggie versions.
The other main dish was Hasperat, a spicy vegetarian Bajoran favorite. This one came from The Geeky Chef but I modified it quite a bit.
For sides we had Arc Reactors (my sis-in-laws AMAZING deviled eggs), Ewok Food (sort of like Chex mix), and Spicy Yoda Ears (edamame). The Ewok Food and Yoda Ears came from JustJENN but I modified them.
For dips we had Yoda Poop (guacamole), Sarlacc Pit Dip (onion dip), BRAAAAIINS (tapenade), and Grapok sauce (salsa).
The big hit of the night, however, was the Carbonite Jell-O. This came from JustJenn but if I had to do it over again I would have spiked the Jell-O. This was an adult party after all. I was just so crazy busy that it didn’t even cross my mind while I was making it. Next time!
Admit, this is the most awesome party food ever
I made three themed drinks. Klingon Blood Wine, Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster, and Ambrosia. Turns out that Ambrosia turns your whole mouth blue. Oops. The Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster was the most popular.
On to the costumes!
I think I had one too many Pan-Galactic Gargle Blasters before the party started because while taking pictures I had a tendency to either molest or fake-fight my friends.
Sarah as The Silhouette from Watchmen.
Jason as a nerd with his real nerd credentials (chemistry). His t-shirt says “DNA is life, the rest is just matter.”
Troi and I built this Darth Vader costume from scratch. The best part? Her cape, which flows when she walks. My nephew got away with wearing just a Star Wars t-shirt. But barely.
Brian as Malcolm Reynolds. He took his browncoat off just for this fist fight.
Gene as a Sith Lord.
My brother has a tendency to deploy during all of my major milestones so I had this cardboard cutout of him made a couple of years ago. He’s dressed as a Vulcan.
Jeff as Sub-Zero.
Every time someone would ask Brett (eyepatch) if he was “so-and-so” he would nod and say “yes” – can you guess who he was? His friends came as illegal aliens (which was hilarious).
Vivian as Shadowcat. Remember this lovely lady cause she’s got a guest blog coming up.
Chelsea and Justin as Princess Leia and Han Solo. Chelsea’s R2D2 lunchbox had a little player in it that said “help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope!”
Karen and Hannah created their own cosplay characters. Karen even had little wiffle balls that she would throw at people. One of them hit me in the eye which was way funnier than it sounds 😉
Don as Donatello complete with nunchunks.
Nick and Meghan as Twi-tards. You may remember Meghan because she braved the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn, part 1 with me.
Brian as my noble Starfleet Captain.
Hayden as Venkman. My nephew was obsessed with all of his blinking lights and his ghost trap.
Matt and Julie as members of the Zoltan cult from Dude, Where’s My Car?
Star Wars Episode 7: The Return of Mama Jedi!
Matt as an ultimate Star Wars geek.
Christian as a TNG-era Starfleet Capatin.
Danielle as Batgirl using her Batphone to fight crime.
Jake as The Punisher.
The Empire and the Rebellion together at last.
And the winner of the “Friend Who Made The Biggest Effort To Get Here Award” goes to my friend Danny who took a private jet (!!!) from Northern California.
I'm on a plane, I'm on a plane, take a good hard look at the motherfucking plane!
For that, he got a grope from yours truly.
See my nephew back there? Yeah, well, just after this picture was taken he stuck his lightsaber right between my legs. It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen him do and I WISH I had a picture of it!
I know that this post is uber long but I still have sooo many awesome pictures so seriously, check out the facebook page on Friday where I’ll be posting all of my favorites.
Thanks to everyone who came!! And a HUGE MEGA SUPER DUPER thank you to my Mom and my sister-in-law, I could never have pulled this off without them. I wuv you.
I’m not gonna lie, I’m more of a pie girl than a cake girl…Mmmmmm…rhubarb….but one thing that cake has going for it that pie doesn’t is it’s artistic possibilities. Seriously, you can do ANYTHING with cake. As a Food Network afficianado I know this for a fact.
A friend recently sent me a photo of a Clone Trooper cake made by her friend Loriann at Ah, How Sweet bakery and it got me thinking about what other awesomely nerdy cakes might be out there. The following cakes were made by Loriann: Pink Laptop, Steve Jobs Apple, Pac-Man, Starry Night, Clone Trooper, and Jack Skellington. All of the rest I found via Google so if it’s your cake and you want credit for it, hit me up and I’ll be happy to oblige. In an attempt to save some space (there were just too many that I loved!) I clumped some of them together.
So grab your R2D2 eggs and your whisk and get ready to see some kick ass cakes!
Let’s start with my favorite franchise, shall we? That would be Star Trek for any first time visitors. Here are a couple of nice insignia cakes:
Oh no! The Klingons and the Borg!
Phew! Our heroes are here to save the day.
And then, of course, there’s this:
Not creepy at all Data, not creepy at all…
On to Star Wars. We’ve got these familiar faces:
And these:
You want to see some Doctor Who? Ok fine:
If you’re as big a fan as I am of the “Vincent and the Doctor” episode, this one is for you (add a little “For Amy” text on the cake for some extra credit):
Nothing says “I do” like a nice Aliens wedding cake:
This would be the ultimate birthday cake for my friend (and uber Ghostbusters fan) Hayden:
How about we switch gears and look at some fantasy cakes. Here’s one for the Lord of the Rings fans:
And one for the Harry Potter crowd:
And an epic tribute to Dungeons and Dragons:
Are you a gamer? Here you go:
Or if you’re really old school:
Or if you’re really REALLY old school:
If you’re just into math and technology in general:
But what about us comic book fans? It’s ok, I got you covered. Here’s all your favorite heroes in one delectable creation:
And my personal favorite:
I really missed the giant alien squid in the movie version of Watchmen but they definitely nailed this guy:
Whether you’re a Walking Dead fan or just like zombies (that would NOT be me) this wedding cake is for you:
Nightmare Before Christmas is ridiculously awesome and also full of undead dead characters:
If you’re a child of the 80’s like me then you’ll love these. This Bumblebee cake is from the Michael bay movies but I couldn’t find a great Bumblebee cake from the cartoon and this one is pretty awesome so I’m rolling with it (hee hee, get it?):
Heroes in a half shell! Turtle power!
And so ends are cake odyssey. I hope that you’ve enjoyed the trip as much as I have. I’d like to end it on this classy note:
Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth of Roddenberry Productions
About 10 days ago I got an email asking me if I was interested in joining Rod Roddenberry at a private viewing of his documentary Trek Nationbeing held for his friends and a few fans.
Uh…does the Enterprise have warp nacelles??
It was not a difficult decision 😉
Rod and his peeps were kind enough to let me bring two guests so I grabbed my Mom and my friend Darcy. The screening was at a sports bar, the irony and hilarity of which did not escape us. But seeing as I’m one of those weirdo chicks that like sci-fi AND sports, it was kind of perfect for me (Go Chargers!)
*sigh* …… jocks….
Rod, his wife and his friends were all incredibly nice. I had so much fun chatting with them before and after the screening. I have a copy of The Continuing Mission that I’ve been collecting signatures in for years. I asked Rod if he would sign it and he said he would be happy to. He then proceeded to sign it up in the corner explaining that he wanted to leave the main area open for the big signatures of the big stars. He’s very humble and almost in awe of the role fate has given him. Instead of exploiting it like so many other children of Hollywood, he has funneled this opportunity into his environment and science-based Roddenberry Foundation. He’s big on scuba diving and has become passionate about protecting Earth’s oceans. Just this past October the Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone was inaugurated, helping to pave the way for all of those advancements in medicine that make Star Trek such an idealic version of the future. Y’all know I love it when people help each other.
Rod picking out his place in the upper left corner
I’m sure that many of you have seen Trekkies and/or its follow up Trekkies 2. If not, you should. I am ridiculously good at poking fun at myself and I think that most of the world is far too PC so I can appreciate the comedic portrayal of the more “out there” fanatics of Star Trek. While that is all well and good and has its place in pop culture, Trekkies is severely lacking representation of the rest of us (i.e. the people who DON’T dress up and sing folk songs as the wife of the dead astronaut in “The Royale.”)
Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry set out to change that, to show us Trekkies and Trekkers as the beautiful and highly intelligent individuals that we are. A group of fans joined together by arguably the greatest science fiction franchise of all time and a man most of us have never met. Somewhere along the line the focus changed and, while the aspect of “normal” Trekkers was still vital, it also became a documentary about Rod’s journey to discover his father, a man he hardly knew himself.
My Dad was away on Westpacs a lot while I was growing up so I can empathize with what it’s like to feel like you don’t know your Dad but I can’t even begin to fathom what it must be like to lose your father at age 17. Close or not, losing a parent cannot be easy at such a vulnerable age.
Rod was very brave in wanting to know everything about his Dad, the good, the bad and the ugly. I mentioned some of these triumphs and tribulations in my tribute back on October 24th but Trek Nation goes infinitely deeper. Over the course of 10 years Rod interviewed dozens of people about Gene Roddenberry, from fans who idolize him to former co-workers who felt very bitter towards him. The one common thread between them all was that they got it. They understood Gene Roddenberry’s vision and, in many cases, fought for it. Watching Rod go through this whole process is touching and his humility when faced with his father’s greatness is endearing. It’s obvious that this was a true labor of therapeutic love, not just for his parents, but for Star Trek and the fans so that we too can understand the imperfect human behind the Great Bird of the Galaxy.
At the screening Rod mentioned that they only used about 5% of the footage they shot (10 years worth, remember?) and I’m hoping that the DVD has much of what ended up on the cutting room floor. I could easily watch 12 more hours of this. The decades worth of footage and the natural shifts in focus result in a documentray that feels totally organic and never forced. At one point in the editing process the test audiences felt that there was too much emphasis on Rod and so they shifted it back to Gene. The sheer volume of material allowed them to tweak it to perfection. The subject matter isn’t always pretty but it’s always pure. One of my favorite parts of the documentary is the montages of the costumed Trekkies. The manner in which they are filmed is simple yet stunning. Trek Nation is ultimately a love letter to them.
Something tells me that Gene Roddenberry would be proud.
If you haven’t seen Trek Nation yet, it’s airing on the Science Channel Dec 28th and 29th.
A while back (maybe September?) I posted on the Hot Nerd Girl facebook page that I was having a hard time figuring out how to organize all of my Star Trek stuff in my office. The fans
a) thought it was a really great problem to have
and
b) demanded pictures.
I promised I would take some once it was all done. I’m still searching for a few of my smaller posters but it’s done for the most part. Just in time for Christmas and all of the relatives coming to town 🙂
So here are the pictures I promised as well as some background on some of the items. Sadly, about half of my collection is in storage in Idaho (had to put in somewhere when I went to college) so hopefully someday I can run up there and bring it all back down to SoCal.
This is my whole office area aka my little slice of heaven aka where all the magic happens. I infiltrated the area above the TV as well. Because I could.
Yes, I interrupted my game of God of War III for you.
1. The Posters
Regarding the posters: the one on the right you’ve probably seen me gushing about on the facebook page because my picture (and some of yours as well!) is part of the mosaic. I finally got it framed and hung up which was no easy task since it had to hang over the giant monstrosity that is the entertainment center. The Spock poster I’ve had since middle school and I literally took it with me everywhere I moved. That’s 13 moves and 13 walls it has hung on. He’s been one of the few constant companions I’ve had and I find his presence very comforting.
No matter what I did I couldn't prevent the reflections on the glass. Sorry.
2.The lifesize Worf
I got my lifesize cardboard cut out of Worf from my step-uncle. He used to keep it in the coat closet. When visitors would come over and hang up their coats they’d get startled by Worf and usually scream at which point my step-uncle would laugh and laugh and laugh. It was my kind of prank. When he retired and moved he passed Worf down to me.
My own personal Chief of Security
3. The Autographs
I’ve got quite a few autographs, including several in a Star Trek: The Next Generation book. Of these four I got three of them in person: Nichelle Nichols, Michael Dorn, and Marina Sirtis. The Majel Barrett one I got while she was alive but was no longer appearing at conventions. I heart her so much that I bought it anyways. I wish I had met her. I did meet her son, Eugene “Rod” Rodenberry Jr. at a convention in 2002. He was a nice guy.
Super awesomesauce
I came upon my World Premier of Voyager cast autographs via my cousins best friend. She worked on the series and knew I was a big fan so she gave me her Voyager cast photo some years back (did I mention that she’s now one of my fave peeps on the planet?) It’s kind of hidden behind my Tribbles because I have so many damn stuffed animals.
If you don’t know their name, just call them “Robert” and chances are you’ll be right
4. Data and the Holograms
My Data bust was a High School graduation present. In the past he sat on my bookshelf with all of my Star Trek books…of which there are way more than I care to admit….but he now has a place of honor on top of the entertainment center. I have an insane love for this bust and I’m not really sure why. I guess I was seduced by how ridiculously awesome it is. The picture on the left is a hologram (see below) and the picture on the right is of me, my brother and my nephew at the Star Trek Exhibition in Riverside (California, not Iowa).
Spinerfems ftw!
For my birthday a few years ago my friend Hayden took me to Star Trek: The Tour down in Long Beach and bought me a hologram picture of us being “beamed.” I wish I had access to this technology because I would take SO MANY holographic pictures.
Hey Scotty? How about throwing in a couple of Romulan Ales when we reach the surface? Cool?
5. The Mousepad
This may seem like just a mousepad BUT it actually holds a lot of significance for me. I got it when I went away to college. Why is that important? Well, because I went to school in San Francisco because it’s the future location of Starfleet Academy and I wanted to be as close to Starfleet Academy as possible. And yes, I am completely serious. In addition to my university diploma, I also have a Starfleet Academy diploma and a Kobayashi Maru certificate (signed by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy no less). This is a prime example of why I consider myself a Nerd/Geek/Dork combo.
Yes, I'm THAT big of a nerd.
6. The Ships
My Dad is a total perfectionist and I adore him for it even though it meant I couldn’t leave my homework out as a kid. When he does something, he does it perfectly. When we were kids he bought 3 Star Trek models and painted them. The two smaller ones have been lost for years but the largest one, the Enterprise NCC-1701-D is alive and kicking.
Thank God for invisible thread
I have another NCC-1701-D that is 2 feet long but it’s one of the items up in storage.
My Dad also gave me my Star Trek mobile. It’s a little faded after all these years but it glows in the dark and I love it.
If I ever have kids this is what they have to look forward to
7. The Scripts
I am very lucky in that I’ve been surrounded by amazing people my whole life. I also refuse to put up with a-holes so maybe that has something to do with it too. One of the areas in which I’ve been very blessed is my parental units. Through divorce and random circumstances I’ve ended up with six parents. One of them is Dean Minnerly aka “Popi.” (Literally) one of the most kick ass dudes I’ve ever known. He works in the technical side of the entertainment industry and, as a side job, was a contributing writer on The Next Generation for the first two seasons. One of his biggest contributions? Helping to kill off Tasha Yar.
What’s that? You want proof? Ok. Go to Netflix and turn on “Skin of Evil” (you know, the episode with the giant tar monster that kills her). At the very beginning of the episode Tasha and Worf are talking about Yar’s upcoming martial arts competion. Worf asks who she is competing against. He dismisses her first competitor, saying that she will defeat him easily. Then she mentions that she’ll be fighting Lt. Minnerly next and Worf gets worried. That’s right folks, Dean (who is a martial artist in real life) wrote himself into the episode.
Epic win.
Sadly, he did all of this just before he came into my life so I never got to participate in the TNG awesomeness, but he did give me an extremely rare cast jacket, several scripts, and some HI-larious stories.
Ok, time to go back in the safe.
Aaaaaaand on that note, I think I’ll stop there. There’s more I could show you but that would make for a VERY long post. Don’t worry all you non-Trekkies, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Thor, Transformers, etc. etc. are also represented here albeit in a much smaller capacity.
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.
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 Alienso when he and AlysonHannigan 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:
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 Whocharacter 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!
October is a bittersweet month for me. On one hand, there’s Halloween and all of the fun festivities that the holiday entails. But October is the month when several of my loved ones have passed away so there’s also a lot of sadness. Even though I never met him personally, the one anniversary of someone unrelated to me that I have written in my calendar is Gene Roddenberry’s. Every October 24th I honor the life of one of my heroes, the man who created and nurtured the glory that is Star Trek. This year in particular is notable in that it’s the 20th anniversary of his passing. It’s uber hard to believe that it’s been 20 years already. Even though I was a kid I have very vivid memories of the day he died.
So in honor of Mr. Eugene Wesley Roddenberry, here are 16 Facts You Never Knew About Gene Roddenberry, for your nerdy enjoyment:
1. Most people know that Gene was a pilot during WWII but are unaware that he was a civilian pilot for Pan Am after the war and before becoming a Los Angeles police officer.
2. He was involved in at least two plane crashes. The first while piloting a B-17 Flying Fortress during the war that crashed due to mechanical failure just after take off and killed two people on board. The second was while a passenger on a commercial flight from Karachi to Istanbul that crashed in the middle of the Syrian desert in which he was one of only eight survivors.
3. He was the speechwriter for LAPD police chief William H. Parker and modeled the character of Spock after him.
4. He had affairs with Nichele Nichols and Majel Barrett in the 1960’s during his first marriage. He and Majel Barrett had been lovers for years when he decided it was time to marry her and asked her to join him during a visit to Japan. Gene did not adhere to any particular religion and since they were in Japan they chose to have a Shinto-Buddhist wedding on 6 August 1969. They regarded this as their real wedding, but his divorce was not yet final and they made it legal with a civil ceremony on 29 December 1969.
5. He tried to reboot Star Trek with the original cast in 1977. The project was called Phase II. The network abandoned the project just before filming was set to start. The project was modified and turned into Star Trek: The Motion Picture thanks in large part to the success of Star Wars.
6. The Next Generation character Wesley Crusher got his first name from Gene’s middle name. His first name became the middle name of Voyager character Thomas Eugene Paris.
7. In physics a “Roddenberry” marks the distance traveled at the speed of light during a “traveler year.” Using the theory of relativity scientists have determined that a “traveler year” is 70.7 % of a normal earth year or .707 of a light year.
9. Random personal fun fact: I used to have to go to the Roddenberry building on the Paramount Lot for work all of the time. The building is very boring and has nothing indicative of its namesake other than a nameplate. I was very disappointed.
10. He almost died in a house fire with the rest of his family when he was a toddler but the milkman came and woke them up in time.
11. He is the first television writer to get star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Random personal fun fact: when I lived in Hollywood my apartment was just off of the section of the Walk of Fame that has most of the actors from the Original Series so I walked all over them every day)
12. During WWII, Gene had a friend named Kim Noonien Singh; after the war Kim disappeared, and Gene used his name for some characters in the Star Trek series (Khan Noonien Singh from The Original Series and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and Noonien Soong from Star Trek: The Next Generation) hoping that Kim would contact him.
13. During WWII, Gene wrote a song lyric “I Wanna Go Home” which became popular among the other troops.
14. My favorite Gene Roddenberry quote: “Time is the fire in which we burn.”
15. In 1992, a portion of Rodenberry’s ashes flew and returned to earth on the Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-52. On April 21, 1997, a Celestis spacecraft carrying a portion of the cremated remains of Roddenberry and 23 others were the first to be launched into Earth’s orbit aboard a Pegasus XL rocket from near the Canary Islands. On May 20, 2002, the spacecraft’s orbit deteriorated and it disintegrated in the atmosphere. Another flight to launch more of his ashes into deep space along with those of Majel Barret Roddenberry is planned for launch in 2012.
16. For Star Trek‘s 25th anniversary, two months before his death, Roddenberry gave TV Guide a list of his top ten favorite episodes:
Gene Roddenberry created the greatest science fiction franchise of all time. He didn’t set out to create a phenomenon or to inspire generations of scientists but his “wagon train to the stars” literally changed the world. As a man he was far from perfect, but as a visionary he is unparalelled. Countless inventions and advancements are a reality because he inspired people to “make it so.”
I heart you Gene Roddenberry. I heart you so much.