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A Companion Series for His Dark Materials? Yes, Please!
In case you haven’t heard, Philip Pullman has announced that he will be publishing a companion series to his hugely popular His Dark Materials trilogy, and for many us, this is some of the best news that 2017 has given us so far.
The first book in the series is set to publish in October of this year, and I know that many will join me in very impatiently awaiting its arrival.
In honor of this news, Margaret and I decided to take a couple of Buzzfeed quizzes to see what our daemons would be. The results were funny, if not surprising.
Quiz #1 ended with us getting the same thing. So naturally, we moved on to quiz #2.
Where it happened again. We are apparently the same person.
Here are the links to both quizzes in case you want to take one for yourself. Quiz #1 Quiz#2
Now excuse us while we curl up and re-read the entire series before October.
Batman v Superman Review or A Conversation Between Two Disappointed Nerds
A few days ago, I finally got around to watching Batman v Superman. I had heard many things about the film, most of it negative, but I tried to go into it with as open a mind as I could. However, it didn’t take me long to realize that I was going to hate this movie. What follows is the conversation I had with Margaret (co-publisher of BOB Press) while I watched the film. I think it speaks for itself.
Roberta: Oh dear. We are about the watch Batman v Superman.
Margaret: Oh no. Be brave. And remember to breathe.
R: It's not starting off well.
M: It doesn't get any better.
R: O dear.
R: So that dude's dead.
M: Yep.
R: Do they explain what just happened? The fuck?
R: Now she's going to have to clean up all that water on the floor! What a dick!
[Somebody is going to have to clean that mess up. I would be pissed! And then force him to clean it.]
M: Yeah. There isn't a lot of explanation in this movie.
R: This is the worst.
M: Yup.
R: However, Ben Affleck does make an attractive Bruce Wayne. At least there is that.
[Hellllloooo, Mr. Wayne.]
M: Haha. Yes! I was waiting for that.
M: Silver fox for the win!
R: You know me well.
M: :) he is the only saving grace in that movie.
R: So I've heard. Why does it matter that he is Lex Luther's son if Lex Luther, in this universe, hasn't done anything?
M: It doesn't matter. It's a pointless plot device.
R: Omg the music for that scene was awful.
M: Which?
R: The one where Lex Jr. is discussing what's his ass
M: Oohhh. Yeah. That was awful. [Like how she knew what I was talking about?]
R: I normally don't notice the music. But Jesus Christ. Omg just all of the music is awful.
M: They make it too important in that scene which is why you noticed. And the score in general is just bad and not timed will to the action.
R: Omg the transitions are driving me insane. It's even worse for Owen. Why are some of these scenes not combined? [My boyfriend is a video editor and was screaming his anger at whoever edited this film. Seriously, we were getting whiplash with how often the movie switched from place to place.]
M: Because then they wouldn't have a movie. Just an episode of tv.
R: Why doesn't Clark Kent know who Bruce Wayne is? He works for a newspaper!
M: Another plot hole.
R: Jeremy Irons is not nearly old enough to be Alfred.
[Nothing against Jeremy Irons. I love him. He is great. But he only looks slightly older than Bruce Wayne so it took me a minute to realize who he was. Also, it seems that Alfred has also become a master mechanic. He also looks a bit like an older Tony Stark. Which is fine by me.]
M: Bruce Wayne is too big not to be known.
M: And he really isn't.
M: Not sure who I would have in his place though?
R: Just bring Michael Cain back.
M: Michael Gambon maybe?
M: Haha. Yes!
R: Ooo I like Michael Gambon. And if we are going off the age of the actors, Alfred would have been in his twenties when Bruce's parents died. No way. Also why does Lex Jr. know Clark Kent? How did nobody notice the bong sound that Clark's chest made when Lex Jr. tapped him? Jesus Christ!!
[Unless people in this universe bong when you tap them?]
R: Since when is Wonder Woman sneaky?
M: Right!?
R: This dream sequence has more of a story than the actual story and I don't like it.
M: Haha.
M: This is why book editors need to work with movie editors.
R: Yes. Because nobody dreams like that. It was far too vivid and it went to scenes where he wasn't involved which doesn't happen in dreams.
M: Unless MAGIC
R: At this point, I'm waiting for a wizard to just pop out and be all “haha you are my puppets and this is my adrenaline fueled fantasy!”
M: Haha
M: To true
R: What the hell is Clark's problem with Batman? What a hypocrite!
R: He leveled an entire fucking city!
[Bruce Wayne was there! He was witness to the destruction first hand. He watched people die. If either of these two have a right to be pissed at the other it’s Bruce Wayne!]
R: And actively killed a man! And probably thousands more died as a result of his city leveling shit! What a fucker!
R: Batman's not even operating in his fucking city. Back the fuck up bro!
M: Right!
M: I hate this movie.
R: This is the freaking worst. At some point the news was like, we need to know what happened in the desert. And I'm like “Yes! We would love to know what happened in the fucking desert!”
M: We would ALL LIKE TO KNOW
M: lol
R: I totally missed something about peach tea.
M: Yeah, I don't remember that either.
R: Well she freaked out about the peach tea and then everything blew up. This is so dumb.
M: Okay. Weird.
R: “I've found out what you've done.” Please enlighten us!
M: He doesn't even know.
R: So all of this was to pit Batman and Superman against each other? So, if he has revealed that he has pit them against each other why would they not work together to save his mom? And why doesn't Lex just kill Superman himself if he had the Kryptonite to do it? The fuck!
M: Because no on would have liked a Batman and Superman v Lex L movie
R: “I'm going to convince him to help me.” Start beating him up right when I get there.
[Seriously, if you land in a crater instead of landing gently, like we all know you can, someone is obviously going to be on the defensive.]
M: lol
M: typical men
R: Like, I think he tried once to tell Batman that Lex was playing them and then just started throwing him through buildings.
[I’ll try this next time I want someone on my side. Yeah. That’ll work.]
M: haha
R: In case you forgot the beginning of the movie, here it is again. Also, why did Lois have to be there to say it was his mother's name. Why couldn't he say that! And why would he say Martha? Why didn't he say “My mother!” Jesus fucking Christ.
R: And why couldn't he have just landed (gently) on the roof and said, “Hey, Lex is pitting us against each other and wants me to kill you in order to save my mother.” Why didn't that happen?
M: No idea. There is nothing in this movie that makes sense.
R: Fuck this movie.
R: Omg he created an orc.
M: haha
R: So was the orc the back up plan? And if so, what the hell was he going to do with it if Batman managed to kill Superman?
R: I also like the news report being all, “Luckily it's the end of the work day, so there aren't a lot of people there” since they got so much shit for the last movie probably killing thousands of people.
R: Yes. That is definitely how nukes work.
R: Hahahahahahahaha the island is uninhabited!!!
M: Conveniently so.
R: I'm going to lead this now radioactive orc into the city to get the spear Lois dumped into a deep pool of water.
R: This music is so awful!
M: This needs to be a mystery science theater.
R: Does Wonder Woman come in and save all their asses cause that would be fitting.
R: Wonder Woman was the most useful person in the entire movie and she was in it for 5 minutes.
[I must say that Wonder Woman looks pretty badass. Hopefully that movie is a little better.]
R: That was a mess of a movie. And that's being nice.
M: If only you wrote movie reviews.
But she was right. I don’t normally write movie reviews, but I just had to with this one. Especially since I had basically already written it via Facebook messenger.
As you can tell, my thoughts on this movie are less than positive. The story was lacking in sense, the transitions were awful, there were far too many plot holes, and Lex Jr.’s motivations completely eluded me.
Why is he so angry with Superman when, in this universe, Superman hasn’t been around long enough for him to have done anything to Lex Luthor Sr. so why all the (seemingly very personal) hatred? It’s just not explained at all. On top of that, Lex Jr. doesn’t seem to be very fond of his (late?) father, so...Why? Just why?
Honestly, I was just expecting some big twist that would match the ridiculousness of this movie. Like, I don’t know, like OMG IT’S JOHN CENA!!
We are almost one full month into 2017 and, if you are anything like myself, you are finishing up all the books you started in the last few days of December. As my “to read” stack begins to diminish, I need to find the next book. And the next. And the next. Because I never have just one book waiting for me.
I have a variety of ways to find these new books. Wandering though bookstores, checking out the local library, friends, etc, however, when I am stuck at work ( like i am now, shhh) I always start with Publishers Weekly (PW). Every season they post a list of upcoming books from a variety of publishers. Thankfully, PW breaks down the lists by genre so I can go straight to the sci-fi/fantasy list my nerdy little heart desires.
Here are the five books from their list that I am excited to read this year:
Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn
“Decades after economic and environmental collapse destroys much of civilization in the United States, the Coast Road region isn’t just surviving but thriving by some accounts, building something new on the ruins of what came before. A culture of population control has developed in which people, organized into households, must earn the children they bear by proving they can take care of them and are awarded symbolic banners to demonstrate this privilege. In the meantime, birth control is mandatory.” (from Goodreads.com)
New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson
“A new vision of the future of New York City in the 22nd century, a flooded, but vibrant metropolis, from Kim Stanley Robinson, the New York Times bestselling author of science fiction masterworks such as the Mars trilogy, 2312, and Aurora.” (from Goodreads.com)
The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss
“Mary Jekyll, alone and penniless following her parents' death, quickly finds herself drawn into the secrets of her father's mysterious past. A clue leads her to believe that Edward Hyde, her father's former friend and a murderer, may be nearby, and there is still a reward for information leading to his capture - a reward which would solve all er immediate financial woes. Her hunt leads her not to Edward Hyde but to Diana, his daughter, a near feral child left to be raised by nuns.” (from Goodreads.com)
Walkaway by Cory Doctorow
“Hubert Vernon Rudolph Clayton Irving Wilson Alva Anton Jeff Harley Timothy Curtis Cleveland Cecil Ollie Edmund Eli Wiley Marvin Ellis Espinoza—known to his friends as Hubert, Etc—was too old to be at that Communist party.
But after watching the breakdown of modern society, he really has no where left to be—except amongst the dregs of disaffected youth who party all night and heap scorn on the sheep they see on the morning commute. After falling in with Natalie, an ultra-rich heiress trying to escape the clutches of her repressive father, the two decide to give up fully on formal society—and walk away.” (from Goodreads.com)
Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry
“There is one version of my story that everyone knows. And then there is the truth. This is how it happened. How I went from being Peter Pan’s first—and favorite—lost boy to his greatest enemy.
Peter brought me to his island because there were no rules and no grownups to make us mind. He brought boys from the Other Place to join in the fun, but Peter's idea of fun is sharper than a pirate’s sword. Because it’s never been all fun and games on the island. Our neighbors are pirates and monsters. Our toys are knife and stick and rock—the kinds of playthings that bite.
Peter promised we would all be young and happy forever.” (from Goodreads.com)
I must be who I am and people adjust to it. Don't try to rush or influence the decision. Do not let what you think they think of you make you stop and question everything you are. Surely between the various yous, you can find that you not only have enough going for you to keep you going, but to "take you far." Maybe even to Alderaan and back.
As most Potterheads know, Pottermore has just collected a bunch of J. K. Rowling's and the Pottermore crew's writing into a collection of three eBooks. How awesome is that! They are available on Pottermore.com, and they are only $2.99 each! Finally we get to have a bunch of the stories within easy access. And as if it couldn't get better, there is some exclusive content as well. Take my money!
2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Along the same vein, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is just around the corner! Need we say more?
3. Luke Cage
I binge watched this show this past weekend, and it was awesome. It's well written and acted. And the music is great. There are also a couple of nods to Luke Cage's comic book identity, Powerman, which I'm sure is greatly appreciated by fans of the comic books.
4. Hocus Pocus
It's October! Which means that we have the perfect excuse to watch Hocus Pocus everyday until Halloween. I mean, you could do it outside of October, but now people can't judge you for it. Take advantage!
5. Rogue One
This is especially exciting since it comes out the day after my birthday and I'm a huge Star Wars nerd. Happy birthday to me! Every time I see the trailer, I just get more excited. Please don't disappoint me!
6. New Day POP! Figures
I know that this is wrestling, but I’m a total wrestling nerd. And how awesome are these! I want them so bad. And why do I wan’t them? Beecaaaussse...New. Day Rocks. New. Day Rocks.
I promised that I would share my tips and hacks from my time playing Pokèmon Go. I have playing Pokèmon Go since it came it, and as of this writing, I am level 18. In this post I will include some tips that I have found helpful on my journeys, and a hack or two.
1. You gotta catch ‘em all.
Yeah, they’re not kidding when they say this. One of the best things you can do for yourself is just catch everything that you run into. Even the Pokèmon that you don’t need or want. Every Pokèmon gives you at least 100 XP (sometimes more depending on throw bonuses) and 100 stardust. Stardust is essential to leveling your Pokèmon so naturally the more you have the better off you are. I think it’s obvious why you cant XP. Pokèballs are easy to get as long as you have access to some Pokèstops, so don’t worry about running out. You can always get more.
2. Evolve those Pidgeys!
This goes for any Pokèmon that is super plentiful in your area. Catch all of them and stock up on candies. Then evolve them to get the XP. You don’t even have to keep them if you don’t want to. Just do it for the leveling. Confused? Let me explain with Pidgeys.
Pidgeys are everywhere. So what I do is catch a ton of them and stock up on candies. I catch a bunch of them and evolve them into Pidgeottos. It only costs 12 candies to do it and you can get well over 50 Pidgey candies a day if you’re catching them all. You get 1000 XP every time you evolve something, so just doing this can get you a solid 4000 or more XP depending on how many you are able evolve.
3. Keep Pokèmon with high CPs.
If you’re catching lots of a Pokèmon that you want to evolve, wait until you catch one with a high CP before evolving it. That way you spend less Stardust and candy leveling it up. I have also gotten in the habit of keeping Pokèmon I find with really high CPs even I have evolved one already. Sometimes the move sets that come with an evolution are less than ideal, so it’s good to have a strong one around that you can evolve later to try and get a better move set and a generally stronger Pokèmon all around. I’ve done this a lot with Eeveelutions and it’s totally worth it.
4. Name your Evee.
There have been a lot of theories our there as to how to guarantee the Eeveelution that you want. However, there is only one that has really worked.
You have to name them after the Eevees the Eevee Brothers had in the original anime.
Sparky = Jolteon
Rainer = Vaporeon
Pyro = Flareon
Ta-Da!
5. Do Surveys on Google Opinion Rewards
This is an Android only trick. Sorry iOS users. Want to get some of things from the store but don’t want to spend actually money/suck at keeping a gym long enough to get Pokècoins? (I’m both of those.) Well, here’s a solution! Kind of.
Google Opinion Rewards in an app you can download and take surveys for Google Play credit. The surveys are super short and easy. The downside however, is that you don’t get that much money from it, and you only get like 1 survey every 24 hours if you’re luck. I’ve been on it for about a week and half and I’ve made $.45. So this method will take you a while to get any reasonable amount of credit, but at least it’s something.
6. Be Safe.
I know that this seems obvious, but there have been reports of muggings and car accidents due to people not paying attention while they are playing Pokèmon. Always be aware of your surroundings. Don’t walk around at night catching Pokèmon unless you are with a friend, and don’t play while driving! Have fun, and be smart.
Like most people in America right now, I am playing Pokèmon Go. How could I not? I have been a fan of the games for so long, and now have the chance to walk around and catch Pokèmon on my phone! Is it my birthday?!
No, it’s not. But nonetheless, this is one of the best gifts technology has bestowed upon us.
I ended up downloading the game the first day it came out in the US, and I would saw that I am moderately addicted. It doesn’t help that there are a ton of Pokèmon just in my apartment complex, so I often sit on my couch and catch them from there. Seriously the best thing ever.
Of course, like most, I started the game not knowing how to do anything. It doesn’t help that the tutorials in the game, if you can find them are lacking to say the least. Nothing is fully explained, and most of the things I have learned have either come from trial and error or searching the web for other people who have already made the errors. Basically, don’t feel bad if you start the game and have no clue what is happening. None of us did.
For the most part, the game is enjoyable. Of course, I live in Portland, OR so I have no problem finding PokèStops to restock on supplies, and Pokèmon abound. The locations of the gyms are lacking though. They are often in very awkward places, and have this obnoxious tendency to be just the left of a bench, so you can’t really sit and battle. It also doesn’t help that battling is rather difficult to get the hang of, so not only are you awkwardly standing there while everyone judges you because they all know what you are doing, you also have to figure out a rather complicated system that doesn’t necessarily go off of how powerful your Pokèmon are but more about how fast you can move your fingers. It’s sometimes enough to make you want to explode.
However, I’m not really in the game the battling. I’m more interested in just catching them. And you still level up and evolve your Pokèmon without battling. So I’ve mostly just been doing that.
Anyway, that is my brief overview of my impressions of the game after playing for a few days. It can get super addicting if you’re not careful, so play wisely and safely. Don’t catch Pokèmon in the dangerous areas, and realize where you are before battling a gym. The Holocaust museum is not the place to play Pokèmon!
Tune in next week for some tips and hacks provided by yours truly!
