Oh Nerdy Christmas Tree

We decided to open our Batman and Friends ornament container this year and decorate our tree in all the nerdy goodness we have. What nerdy goodness do you have that you like to use to decorate?

Here are some highlights:

Friday 80s Flashback for December 28, 2018

[Closing Out 1988] -- It's time for another Flashback, but what to do in this space between the aftermath of holidays and the beginning of a new year? Well, as this topic is about looking back, I figure we could look back to the end of another year, perhaps 30 years ago. Here are a few things that occurred this week in 1988:

• Bulgaria stopped jamming Radio Free Europe after more than 3 decades
• USSR performed nuclear tests at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
• John Tarrant, the first Australian born Zen teacher, received Dharma Transmission

And if you would like to know what was topping the Billboard Hot 100 the week of December 25 - 31, 1988, you can read and hear more after the break. (Note: None of the bands pictured on the SMASH HITS magazine cover above appear in this week's Flashback.) 

Friday 80s Flashback for 12/21/2018

[Scrooged] -- There was a time when the phrase, "Bill Murray is starring in a comedic take on Charles Dickens' immortal classic, A Christmas Carol," might have prompted disbelief. Hel, it might even have given some folks cause for concern. But Scrooged (1988) wasn't a complete train wreck. It wasn't exactly a runaway hit, either. Even though I do count myself among the fans of Scrooged, I'm a little surprised to be typing my next sentence: Scrooged became 30 years old as of November this year! Was it ahead of its time? Has it aged well? These are questions I'll leave to others. I'm more interested in the soundtrack. Of course, Danny Elfman composed and recorded the film's score. But I'm talking about the pop radio soundtrack, tunes that tried to enter our annual vernacular of Holiday music. Now, not every track on the Scrooged Original Soundtrack (1989) was Christmassy. But if you want to revisit the few that were, well, read and hear more after the break.

Man-Eaters #3

Man-Eaters issue #3. Characters are tracking a big, dangerous feline. Like a panther or some such. So, when one of the characters takes out her radio and says, "Bring in the dogs," I wasn't expecting ... this.

Friday 80s Flashback for December 7, 2018

[Madness] -- I don't know about you, but I find myself using "mad" or "madness" as a descriptor often these days. And I don't mean a pleasant kind of off-kilter oddness as exemplified by the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. No, I mean, "Aaaaaah! The world is off its godsdamned rocker and we're spiraling downward to oblivion!" In times like this (have we ever been in times like this before?), I like to turn to some of the odder tunes from my staple of 80s artists. Well, odd but yet upbeat. So, this week we'll feature three songs from across Madness' career. I've chosen two you might not have heard (or at least not remember hearing), and one song that I'm fairly sure you will recall. I have not, however, included what is likely their best known song. Post your guess as to what that song might be in the comments, which you can access with this week's playlist ... after the jump.

Friday 80s Flashback for November 23, 2018

[Black Friday -- Redux] -- As I often do during a holiday, I'm re-using a previous Flashback post (with a few corrections/updates). This one was originally posted in November 2012, but the tunes are just as fresh, and the topic just as relevant, today. Here we go!

It's the day after Thanksgiving, colloquially known as Black Friday here in the States. It's a special, special day when all those prices that have been steadily jacked up over the past few months are lowered (just a bit). Some folks could not even wait for this morning, and began shopping last night or at least camped out (2015 link | 2018 link) in the hope of nabbing huge deals. As the 80s are often considered the decade of materialism during which "shop till you drop" became a mantra, I thought I could find a few tunes to reflect the inanity of Black Friday. Read and hear more after the break.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Dangrdafne Review - first “season” only

While I was away on vacation I had some free time. I had heard so many good things about this show that I decided to check out and hey it was Halloween week.

I was a little nervous because I do not like really scary or gory things. Luckily, this was just right. It reminds of Goosebumps for kids. Lots of suspense and some scare and “gore” but nothing I couldn’t handle.

I really liked the show. Kieran Shipka is excellent as Sabrina but sometimes I can’t stop seeing and hearing Hermione from Harry Potter (although to me, that isn’t too bad of a thing).

I love the chemistry between Sabrina and Harvey and appreciate the more open relationship when it comes to feelings and thoughts for teenagers, refreshing overall.

The friendship between the 4 teens is also a highlight for me. It is nice to see kids getting along and fighting for each other and seeing the bullies get their due.

My most favorite part of the show... Michelle Gomez as Ms. Wardwell. She is incredible. Terrifying, wonderful, hilarious, just perfect.

I am looking forward to “season” two but not sure when I will get a chance to see it. I recommend this show and even if you are prone to scare or gore, I think you will be ok. I think it is worth it for the great story and actors.

3 paws