Le Wrath di Khan — Star Trek II: the opera

Jan 312009
 

I saw this posted on GeekDad this morning and of course, I had to repost. Hah!

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as an Italian Opera

From the folks at Robot Chicken:

Neil Gaiman in the Button Trailer

Jan 292009
 

I just watched this new Coraline trailer on Neil Gaiman’s website and found it amusing as all hell.

Enjoy!

Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book wins Newbery Award

Jan 262009
 

Awesome news!

From ALA website:

2009 Medal Winner

The 2009 Newbery Medal winner is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean, and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books.

A delicious mix of murder, fantasy, humor and human longing, the tale of Nobody Owens is told in magical, haunting prose. A child marked for death by an ancient league of assassins escapes into an abandoned graveyard, where he is reared and protected by its spirit denizens.

“A child named Nobody, an assassin, a graveyard and the dead are the perfect combination in this deliciously creepy tale, which is sometimes humorous, sometimes haunting and sometimes surprising,” said Newbery Committee Chair Rose V. Treviño.

And Gaiman posted via twitter that you can listen to the entire book here.

Congratulations to Neil Gaiman!

………………………………

And if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the Coraline trailer that Gaiman has stated is the first trailer he’s really liked:

Hail to the king — Bruce Campbell

Jan 262009
 

A friend sent me a link to this an article over on Wired‘s geekdad blog: Someone at USA Network Finally Understands Why We Watch Burn Notice

In case there was ever really a question there…we watch for Bruce Campbell of course! And yes, I do love that his role has been beefed up. Bruce is starring in Burn Notice indeed!

Bent pinkies are not the end of the world, folks

Jan 252009
 

I’ve been getting a lot of messages lately from kids and parents who have read this post. The biggest points made are about being made fun of by other kids and parents considering cosmetic surgery for their child.

I’m sorry to any who have gotten made fun of for having bent pinkies. I never did. If it’s someone you consider a friend making fun of you, then tell them it bothers you. Anyone else? Just try to ignore them. Their issues are reflections of themselves and aren’t really about you. Easier said than done though, I know.

And oy! I say no to surgery! Having a bent finger isn’t going to hamper your (or your child’s) hands movement much if at all. My dad spent 3 decades as a musician and was never bothered by any finger movements he needed to do. Plus, surgery may actually cause more damage than was there before. And really, why subject someone to unnecessary surgery!?! (Oh and yes, of course, if it’s an extreme bend, talk to your doctor, etc, etc)

I actually like my silly bent fingers. I was very young when I first realized not everyone had bent pinkies. But I also knew that my dad had them too and I liked that because it somehow meant I was like my dad. As the years went on, I’ve learned about more and more people in my family who have them. There’s some sort of strange bond there. Hah.

Writing Prompt: description as told to a blind person

Jan 192009
 

I love National Geographic’s photography. I saw this picture of an aerial view of elephants in a national park in Kenya and thought the image was breathtaking. And then I thought—since I often have this thought—how on earth would you describe something like this to someone who is blind?

So there you have it, your writing prompt. Describe the scene to a blind person.

Enjoy!

Rukia Darling (Ruki)

Jan 122009
 

Just realized I never posted an introduction for Ruki on my blog. What kind of cat owner am I? :P

This is Rukia Darling, Ruki for short. Rukia is the name of a character in one of my favorite manga series, Bleach. Darling was just to be obnoxious. She’s two years old and I’ve had her for just about four months now. My days are a whole lot better now that she’s here. :D The picture is of her plopped on my bed, where she usually sits when I’m working at my computer. Although these days I’m often finding her on my desk while I try to work instead.