Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

May your holiday season by happy and bright.

<3, Mandy, Colt, Mollie and Frigga

P.S.—For a nerdy holiday treat, check out the 12 Days of Doctor Who.

It's winter break time!

I won't be blogging on a regular schedule for the next couple of weeks due to being away from home and various holiday festivities. But I hope you have a wonderful Christmas—if you celebrate, that is—and a very safe start to the new year.

I'll see you in 2014!

Nerd News: Paul Rudd is Ant Man, Expendables 3 teaser, WhoLock and more

Vol. 4, Issue 46

You guys. I think me not posting Nerd New yesterday was fate, because FEAST YOUR EYES*:

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Happy early Christmas to me!

And now we can get on with the actual post, which just so happens to be the last NN of 2013! I'll be going on vacation over Christmas break (more on that later), so you'll have to find your own pop culture news for a while; I hope it won't be too terrible. I will, however, try to post any crazy awesome huge news on FB if anything comes up while I'm away.

In other movie news:

• Paul Rudd is officially Edgar Wright’s Ant Man.
• Don Cheadle’s Rhodey will make an appearance in The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
• Sony’s planning an expansion of the Spider-Man universe with a Sinister Six movie.
• Some eagle-eyed fans spotted the URL to this Electro viral site in one of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 trailers.
• Here are some new images from X-Men: Days of Future Past.
• Joaquin Phoenix’s name is being bandied about as a possibility to play Lex Luthor in Batman vs. Superman.
• Paul Walker’s stuntman brother could help finish Fast & Furious 7.
• Robert Knepper (Prison Break, Carnivàle) will play Antonius—who isn’t in the books?—in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.
• Neil Burger will not be directing the Divergent sequel.
• The Star Wars: Episode VII script isn’t completed yet.
• Simon Pegg will star in the new movie Absolutely Anything in which he plays a schoolteacher given magical powers by aliens. (Like ya do.) The aliens will be voiced by Monty Python legends John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin and Terry Jones.
• Neil Gaiman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are definitely working on a Sandman movie.
• Disney has announced a new South Pacific-based animated feature film called Moana. The synopsis is: “The main character will be Moana Waialiki, a sea voyaging enthusiast, and the only daughter of a chief in a long line of navigators. When her family needs her help, she sets off on an epic journey. The film will also include demi-gods and spirits taken from real mythology.”
• Here are three fun easter eggs found in Frozen.
• The next Avatar movies will be filmed in New Zealand.
• Samuel L. Jackson is in talks to join the live-action Tarzan adaptation also starring Alexander Skarsgard and Christoph Waltz.
• Hugh Jackman is considering the role of Blackbeard in (one of three Peter Pan remakes) Pan.
• Duke might return in G.I. Joe 3.
• Check out these super creepy characters from Mad Max: Fury Road.
• Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) has been cast as Sarah Connor in Terminator: Genesis.
• Here’s an animated prequel for 47 Ronin.
• And a motion comic prologue to I, Frankenstein.
• A teaser poster for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For has been released.
• There’s a possibility of a sequel to Shakespeare in Love looming.
• Ed Helms is at the helm *ba-dum-tss* of a Naked Gun reboot.
• Sony has registered several domains that point at the possibility of a Sonic the Hedgehog movie. (Thanks, Wes!)

Here are some trailers:

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

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A Fantastic Fear of Everything

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The Grand Budapest Hotel

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How to Train Your Dragon 2

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Interstellar (Thanks, Colt!)

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

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Transcendence

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We interrupt our regularly scheduled program ...

To bring you this important message about Nerd News:

Thanks to this week being absolutely crazy—why you gotta be so jam-packed, Christmastime?—I ran out of time last night to finish today's post. But I'll have it done by tomorrow morning; I promise!

To tide you over until then, I give you this:

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Please forgive me?

P.S.—Have you joined the 2013 Curtismas Card exchange?

Meet Frigga!

I feel like I've told this story a hundred times since last Thursday—sorry to those of you who heard it more than once ... or twice ... or three times—but I'm going to tell it again.

Last Thursday (my birthday), a coworker was late because she was "rescuing puppies" from her yard. While leaving to head to work that morning, she'd noticed a mama dog and her two puppies out in the cold. Alex (my coworker) took them into a vet and then came into work. She sent around photos of the little family, and I immediately was interested in keeping them from a trip to the humane society.

I sent Colt the pictures and he agreed to visit them at lunch. When we did, we fell for the mama, and decided by the end of the day to adopt her on a trial basis—depending on how Mollie got along with her, we'd decide to keep her officially by the end of the weekend. (The two puppies got adopted, too.)

It didn't take more than a couple days for us to make the decision to add her to our family. Long story over, I'd like you to meet Frigga:

She's named after Thor and Loki's mom. (We wanted to keep the pop culture mom theme going.) She weighs a whopping seven pounds, and the vet technician estimated her to be between 1- and 3-years old, so we're going with 2.

Mollie's not entirely on board with the idea of a little sister, and there have been a few growls from the both of them, but I'm hoping they'll eventually learn to be at least semi-friends.

This happened on Saturday, so my hope might not be entirely unfounded.

30 Before 30 | December update and wrap-up post

The big day has finally come and gone—I am officially 30 years old. Either it hasn't yet sunk in, or the fact that I'm in my 30th decade of life doesn't bother me really at all. In fact, the past few days have been absolutely fantastic. And if they're any indication of the year to come, it's going to be a very good one.

Much like I expected, I wasn't able to complete every task on my list. 2013 was a very busy year. Through trying to complete this list, however, I've learned things about myself. Some of the leftover items I'll add to my life-long bucket list, and others I'm just going to put on the back-burner and revisit my interest at a later date.

Here's my list, with December's updates:

1. Get another tattoo.
2. Go to Disney World/Land.
3. Lose 10-15 more pounds/feel better in the skin I'm in.
4. Find an exercise plan/class and stick with it.
5. Read at least 30 books.
6. Create (and stick to) a better savings plan.
7. Try indoor skydiving.
8. Get my passport.
9. Get a gel manicure (and not ruin my nails by picking it off).
10. Reopen the Pants Design Etsy shop/increase sales on RedBubble.
11. Eat at five new (to me) Austin-area restaurants.
12. Visit a new state.
13. Attend at least one con.
14. Cook at least three meals at home per month.
15. Hold at least six C&CC giveaways.—Five done! So close.
16. Finish learning how to knit.
17. Complete the blanket I started as a first anniversary (i.e., 2011) present for Colt.
18. Re-watch three TV series.—1.5 done.
19. Learn to better use CSS and HTML.
20. Get an additional pet.—I couldn't cross this one off until my actual birthday, but sometimes unexpected happenings are the best kind! I'll do a larger post on our new family member tomorrow.
21. Start a 365 project.
22. Become a mentor (again).
23. Go on 12 fancy date nights.—1: Oct. 23; went to Melting Pot for our three-year anniversary. 2: Dec. 12; went to Wink for my birthday.
24. Hold a fandom party.—I had a get-together with friends for my birthday that involved fandom-related foods and nerdy shirts, but I wasn't really able to plan anything as over-the-top as I would have liked. Maybe in 2014.
25. Push myself out of my comfort zone.
26. Shoot a gun (at a range).
27. Get a new car.
28. Finish decorating the bedroom.
29. Partake in three anonymous Pay it Forwards.—1: July 26.
30. Find the perfect shade of lipstick (and learn how to apply it properly).

I did a final update of the original post; you can find it here. In all, I completed 13 out of 30 items, and made progress on six or seven others. Not too shabby.

Things I've learned about myself via this project:

• Colt and I are not really "fancy date" people; we're much more dinner and a movie folk.
• I do not often go through drive-throughs.
• I watch way too much "live" TV once the season starts.
• I need to find/make more time for being creative.
• We must make time to attend a con next year, too.

Regardless of the outcome, I definitely had fun making an attempt at completing this list! And I'm looking forward to what's to come.

Nerd News: Godzilla trailer, Sherlock teaser, Marvel couture and more

Vol. 4, Issue 45

Hello friends! Today is my 30th birthday. *cue the streamers and confetti!* Although I’ve known it’s coming for what seems like years, it kind of snuck up on me! And I totally didn’t complete my 30 Before 30 list … but I’ll do a recap of what I did and didn’t do over the past year next week. For now, I’d like to ask you for a present—of GIFs! Please help me drown my sorrows celebrate by sending me your favorite GIF via Twitter! I look forward to seeing what you share.

Meanwhile, in TV news:

• Here are some new photos from the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special. And be sure to check out the first trailer, below!
• The eighth series will not be split in two, says Steven Moffat.
• Have you read John Watson’s blog, Sherlock fans? They’re full of feels. (Thanks, Rebecca!)
• Also, be sure to check out the interactive version of the new trailer for the show. (Thanks, Rebecca.)
• Chris Elliott (Cabin Boy) will guest star on Community.
• Natalie Dormer will be appearing once again on Elementary.
• Sleepy Hollow’s season finale has been extended to two hours.
• The CW is looking for a lady of color to cast as Barry Allen’s love interest in the Flash show.
• A new Terminator series will work with the upcoming films.
• Fox’s Gotham series will not have Batman, but it might have Bruce Wayne.
• Terry Brooks’ Shannara books are being adapted for the small screen; Jon Favreau will direct the pilot, which is being developed by MTV.
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt is bringing his HitRECord project to television.
• Family Guy’s Brian isn’t staying dead after all.
• NBC is making plans for more live musicals. I don't know either.

Here are some teasers:

Community

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Doctor Who Christmas Special

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Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark (I kid you not.)

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Sherlock

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Everpurse giveaway winner

We have a ...

Congratulations to:

Check your email, Bethany, for information on how to claim your prize.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and thank you to Gadchick for sponsoring the giveaway!

Be sure to check out Gadchick for more great info on the latest in tech chic.

obsessed.: End-of-year mashup mixes

I am a huge fan of mashups. I love when someone talented takes two seemingly unrelated songs and mashes them together to form something new and even more awesome than the two songs by themselves. (I might have voiced this particular obsession before.)

For the past few years, December has not only meant birthdays and holidays and winter(ish) weather, it's also meant an awesome end-of-the-year mashup: the annual United State of Pop by DJ Earworm. The 2013 mix was released last week, and it's terrific. The video is pretty dang fantastic, too.

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Previous years' editions can be heard via DJ Earworm's Soundcloud.

I also ran across another year-end music wrap up by Daniel Kim. The video's not as well done as DJ Earworm's, but the song's got enough different songs in it that it's doesn't compete; it compliments.

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I'm sorrynot sorry if the above songs cause a widespread outbreak of chair dancing.

I'm also sorry (for serious this time) about the Bieber and the Miley Cyrus.

P.S.—Have you signed up for my Christmas card exchange?

2013 Curtismas Card Exchange

As I might have mentioned in previous posts, December is my favorite month of the year. Even if you're not a huge Christmas celebrator (or someone who has a birthday this month *cough*), I think you can admit that there's something about this time of year that's just a little more jolly than the rest of the 11 months.

As part of celebrating the season, I like to create and mail Christmas cards—Curtismas cards, if you will. *ba-dum-tss* I also love receiving cards, so ... it's time yet again for the annual Curtismas Card Exchange!

If you're interested in receiving a card from The Murtis this holiday season, please fill out this form. There's a place on the bottom of the form for you to fill in your email address if you're willing to send a card in return; I'll email you our mailing address once I receive your form.

Here's a look at past cards:

2012

2011

2010

And here's a peek at the 2013 edition:

I hope to see your name on the list!

Nerd News: Sherlock photos, Spider-Man 2 trailer a Veronica Mars clip and more

Vol. 4, Issue 44

Hi friends! Welcome to the first issue of Nerd News for December. It wasn't the busiest week for pop culture, but there were some fun announcements made. Read on!

In movie news:

• In the post-credits scene in Thor: The Dark World, that’s not Natalie Portman that Chris Hemsworth is kissing.
• X-Men: Days of Future past sees one major change from the comic it’s adapted from: It’s Wolverine that travels through time, not Kitty Pryde. Here’s why that change was made.
• A bunch of images from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 have been released. Here’s a grainy shot of the not-so-Green Goblin, another of Dane de Haan’s Gobliny face, and some of Spidey and Electro. Check out the first trailer for the movie below!
• Batman vs. Superman’s Wonder Woman has been cast: Gal Gadot (Fast and Furious franchise) will play the Amazonian princess.
• The production of Fast and Furious 7 has been put on hold due to Paul Walker’s death. (RIP, Paul.)
• Veronica Mars has a release date: March 14, 2014. See below for a clip!
• A full-scale model of the Millennium Falcon has been created for Star Wars: Episode VII.
• There is a picture of the entirety (sort of) of Smaug on the side of some New Zealand Air planes.
• Here are some new photos of other characters from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
• Christoph Waltz might be joining Pirates of the Caribbean 5.
• Here are some photos of Daniel Radcliffe as Igor in the set of Frankenstein (which also stars James McAvoy as the titular doctor).
• YA novel Daughter of Smoke and Bone is being adapted for the big screen.
• Jurassic World will be a sequel, not a reboot.
• Here are some new photos and plot details from Transformers 4.
• J.J. Abrams is making a Lance Armstrong biopic. (That makes four Lance Armstrong movies in the works.)
• Leonardo DiCaprio will be producing a biopic on Calvin and Hobbes creator/artist Bill Watterson.
• In release date changes: Warcraft will now open in March 2016, the Mummy reboot will open April 22, 2016, and fantasy adaptation Seventh Son has been pushed back to Feb. 6, 2015.

Here are a couple of trailers and that promised Veronica Mars clip:

300: Rise of an Empire

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The Amazing Spider-Man 2

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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

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Veronica Mars

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Win an Everpurse, courtesy of Gadchick!

If y'all have been readers for a while, you might remember that I write occasionally for Gadchick, the amazing online tech magazine/blog for women and brainchild of Diana of our city lights.

I happen to think that both Gadchick and Diana are the absolute coolest, so when Diana contacted me to ask if I'd be interested in holding a Gadchick-sponsored giveaway as part of my 30 Before 30 progress, I said "Heck yes!" before I even knew what it was that she was thinking of offering as a prize.

I should have known it would be something that's a great mix of girly and tech.

Meet the Everpurse, the purse that charges your smartphone while you're on the go.

Diana reviewed the Everpurse yesterday on Gadchick, and in the review she goes into detail about how the system works. It's a super cool idea—we are totally living in the future, friends—and I recommend checking out the review to learn more.

Thanks to Gadchick, one of you lucky ducks will win a purple fabric clutch Everpurse. You can enter via the widget below; you must follow Gadchick on at least one social network—Twitter, Facebook or Instagram—in order for your entries to count. The giveaway ends next Monday at midnight, and I will contact the winner once the giveaway has closed.

In the meantime, definitely check out Gadchick on the Web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram and via the Gadchick app!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck, friends!

Monscellany: Mr. December and November's Photo-A-Day photos

Well friends, we've reached it—one month left in 2013. A month filled with holidays and good cheer. I've always loved December, and although this year has absolutely flown by, I'm excited it's here yet again.

To cap off the year, let me introduce Mr. December: Jake Gyllenhaal.

(If you'd like to download this for yourself, just click on the image and it'll open in a new window; you can then right/control click and save it. Each page should print at 6"x9".)

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And here are my November photos from Fat Mum Slim's photo-a-day project:

(View a larger version of November's prompt list here.)

You can join the fun, if you like—here's the December prompt list.

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I've got a few fun things planned for this month, including more progress on my 30 Before 30 list. Check back tomorrow for details.

And, happy December!