DIY Ugly Christmas Sweater

We're having an Ugly Sweater Party at work on Friday. I've never been given an "ugly sweater." If anyone in our family is knitting sweaters, it's me, and I try to choose designs the receiver will like. My aunt suggested shopping the secondhand stores for one, but it appears that people are buying them and then re-selling them for upwards of $30. I am completely baffled by this. I blame the hipsters and their "ironic" wearing of everything.

I did find a plain green sweater for $4 at Salvation Army, which I used as the backdrop for my own nerdy/ugly sweater. Behold!

Everything except the lights around the neck and Darth Vader's face was made from felt. It's a great material because there is no fraying, so it can be attached with hot glue or sewn on without having to hem it.

I cut the stars, snowmen, and gingerbread men by tracing around cookie cutters. 

The Santa hat was cut freehand, and Darth Vader's face was cut from an old T-shirt I bought to turn into a pillowcase. I left about an inch around the face to prevent fraying. 

I added a few more nerdy touches: the gingerbread men are wearing Starfleet shirts (in red, of course). I got the idea from a Foxtrot strip. The snowmen are dressed as the 4th and 11th Doctors. Here's an in-progress shot from before I attached all of the pieces.

I embroidered the snowman faces, but all of the other details are done with Sharpie markers. Both look great on the felt. All of the pieces are glued on except for Darth Vader's face, which I sewed on using blanket stitch. 

The finishing touch was my only purchase besides the sweater: a set of Christmas light beads that I found from Oriental Trading Company. They cost $15 including shipping, which is pretty steep, but I think it's worth it.

And one final shot of me in my sweater. The neck is a lot wider than I usually wear, which adds to the "ugly" effect and also shows off the Christmas lights rather nicely.

Happy Christmas, live long and prosper, and may the force be with you.

Advent Calendar, Day 14

Today's activity: Go see "A Klingon Christmas Carol." Qapla'!

Jason and I had such a fun time! This has been going on in Chicago for four years now, but neither of us knew about it until last year. We were unable to go last year, so I was very excited to be able to go this year. We got our tickets through the Chicago Nerd Social Club, who had a meet-up last night with discounted tickets. We met some great people. The people running the show were very nice--they let us take a group picture on the set after the show. Unfortunately it's not up online yet.

The show itself was very well done. The stage was tiny, so they only had a few basic set pieces that were moved around between scenes. The play itself was performed entirely in Klingon, with the English translation projected on the wall behind the stage. There was also a Vulcan narrator; her lines were in English. The basics of the story were the same, but some details were changed to fit the Klingon "culture": in addition to being a money lender and a man without honor, Scrooge (or SQuja') is a coward. He must learn that a Klingon never backs down from a fight.

There were also tons of Trek references thrown in: SQuja' and the Ghost of Kahless Past travel from place to place by "transporter" (shining a spotlight on them with the transporter sound). He is also dressed like the original Klingons, before their makeup included forehead ridges. The Ghost of Kahless Future had the Klingon helmet from Star Trek: Into Darkness. And the opening narration informed us that "Marley was dead. As dead as a redshirt."

If you like Star Trek and you find yourself in Chicago, this is a definite must-see!

Advent Calendar, Day 11

Today's activity: Write a Christmas crack-fic.

"Crack-fic," for those of you not up on fan fiction lingo, is a story set in an existing fictional universe where all of the characters behave in an abnormal way. It's not supposed to be dramatic, or sexy, or philosophical. It's funny and kind of stupid (or really stupid). Jason and I have several that we have written together, and today we started one for Christmas.

It's called "An Enterprise Christmas Carol," and it's set on the Enterprise-D from Star Trek TNG. Picard is Scrooge, Q is Jacob Marley, and Wesley is Bob Cratchit. We didn't write the whole thing tonight; right now Picard is in the middle of his encounter with the Ghost of Christmas Past...Nick Knight from Forever Knight. The show was on TV in the early '90s, and was the first to do the "vampire detective" schtick. Nick is over 800 years old and every episode intertwines his current life with flashbacks from his past. Hence, Nick is given the role of Ghost of Christmas Past.

Oh, and our version of Picard is from Bizarro-land. Where the Picard from the show is full of wisdom and compassion, our Picard is an omnicidal megalomaniac. He is also proving to be quite resistant to mending his ways.

Here are some choice quotes so far.

Riker: Christmas a humbug?...What is a "humbug," anyway?
Data: It is a species of dung beetle found on the planet Betamax-4, so named because of the high-pitched humming sound it uses as a mating call.

Picard: Mr. Worf! Make sure you set up slave camps AND prisons!
Worf: Thy will be done.
Picard: Excellent. That takes care of the surplus population.

Q: You're going to be haunted, Picard. Three ghosts. Past, present...you know the drill. I came here to rub it in your face.
Picard: Don't you mean, "to warn me"?
Q: Oh, that's why they sent me, but that's not why I came.

Nick: I am the ghost. The Ghost of...erm...Vampire of Christmas Past. I will flashback to things of yesteryear. Oh, we may end up in Toronto in the late '80s. Or...anywhere, really. I've had a productive life.

I gotta say, one of the things I love about my husband is that we have the same twisted sense of humor. More lulz are sure to come.

I used the stick arms for the snowman to make reindeer antlers. Behold, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Snowman!

Advent Calendar, Day 5

Today's activity: Have a snowball fight.

So our Plan A was to use actual snowballs. Kinda hard when there's no snow. I ordered some fake snowballs from Think Geek, but they haven't arrived yet. Time for Plan C!

Yup, we ran around the apartment and tossed rolled-up socks at each other. Good times.

Today's snowman design is based on one of the most iconic snow-based characters of all time: Frosty the Snowman!

Via IMDB

Here's my version, minus the pipe and broom:

Happy birthday!

And for your viewing pleasure, this hilarious take on a well-known Christmas carol.

Holiday cheer? Make it so!

Thanksgiving Round-Up and Advent Calendar Garland (Geek Edition)

Jason and I had a great Thanksgiving, with lots of food and laughter. The Mystery Science Theater marathon was great. It was hosted by Joel, who was dressed as the Frugal Gourmet, but without the beard he ended up looking more like Chris Kimball from America's Test Kitchen. Anyway, they alternated between Mike and Joel episodes, with a little trivia game after each movie giving hints for the next one. Here's the lineup:
-Space Mutiny (a classic! One of my favorites)
-I Accuse My Parents (the only one I hadn't seen before; it was great to see a new one)
-Werewolf (most notable for the song medley they sing over the end credits. Tusk!)
-Cave Dwellers (the host segments are great in this one, especially the one about foley artists)
-Final Sacrifice (one word: Rowsdower!)
-Mitchell (everyone thought it was going to be "Manos: The Hands of Fate" but "Mitchell" is included in the latest DVD set they were advertising, in addition to being Joel's last episode)
The marathon ended with a cameo from the 'bots (who didn't have any lines) and then Joel encouraged everyone to have...a Patrick Swayze Christmas:

I wonder if this means they're going to do another online streaming event for Christmas. That would be AMAZING. 

When I was a kid, my parents would buy us candy-filled advent calendars, with one piece of chocolate each day in December up through Christmas Eve. We had an ornament calendar, too, that we re-used every year until the cardboard holder fell apart. I think we still have some of the ornaments, though. When I got older we traded in the candy for a garland of socks, with a piece of candy or small gift in each sock. We also did activity advent calendars for a few years, which is what Jason and I came up with for this December.

We came up with a list of holiday activities, which I typed up and printed out. The garland is made from stuff I found in the dollar bins at Target. The ornaments and gingerbread cookies were from separate garland kits, and they are pre-cut paper shapes. The penguins were from a foam decoration kit, and I had to punch the holes myself. After trying to perfectly center my quarter-inch hole in the top of each hat, I discovered that I already had a much smaller hole punch that would have been perfect for punching holes in the hands instead. Oh well. It looks fine as it is, and I would rather not re-string the whole thing.

I wrote the number on the front of each piece and glued the day's activity on the back. Then I decorated the front with the stickers that came with the garland kits. I ended up stringing it on thin yarn instead of the string that came with the garlands.

So what kind of activities do we have planned? It was kind of tricky to find things that work for us, because (A) We don't have kids (yet) and (B) We're both gone by 8 in the morning and don't get home from work until after 7. That leaves us with a limited amount of time during the week. For the weekdays, we'll both have several chances to choose a favorite holiday movie (like Die Hard!) Jason wanted to include Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem on our holiday movie list, but I nixed that. I can handle scary movies, but I don't like gore. We also came up with things like making hot chocolate or cutting paper snowflakes. I spaced out our "big" activities for the weekends, like baking cookies and going to see A Christmas Carol in Klingon.

Yes, in Klingon. 

This is going to be hilarious.

Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness opened this weekend! Hubby and I saw it last night. We had wildly differing opinions about Star Trek (2009). I loved it; he hated it. I went into this one excited, and he went along, by his own admission, for my sake and because he wanted to point out all the flaws afterwards. Into Darkness does have some flaws, even big ones, but we both agreed that it is overall a good movie. Well, Jason said it was "okay," but he also said it was "way better than the 2009 movie."

I'm going to begin my review with my spoiler-free observations, and then head into a discussion of the plot.

First off, this movie is shot much better than ST09. The lens flare is toned down quite a bit, where it is no longer the main camera effect. The camera shots themselves are also much more stable. It's good to know J.J. Abrams can keep the camera still for longer than half a second. I also like the continuing nods to the original series (though I'll discuss that more in the spoiler section). We got mention of the Gorn, Tribbles, and Harry Mudd, as well as Section 31 from Deep Space 9.

The acting was excellent. Jason pointed out Noel Clarke in an early scene, also known as Mickey Smith from Doctor Who (side note--season 7 finale this weekend!). Benedict Cumberbatch is excellent as John Harrison, the main villain. IMDB gives his character's real name, so go there if you want spoilers. Peter Weller as Admiral Marcus has some great scenes too. The main cast is just as good as they were in ST09. I especially enjoyed Chris Pine's performance. It was good to see Kirk get some actual character development. It was nice to see Nyota (Uhura) have some action scenes. Infinitely better than, say, dancing around in a skimpy costume to cause a distraction.

I'm looking at you, Star Trek V.

Oh, and this is a minor spoiler, but I was glad to see that someone at Starfleet finally decided the chairs on the bridge of the Federation flagship should include seat belts. Seriously, I know they have artificial gravity, but with all of the times we see people on the bridge getting knocked around, they needed seat belts badly.

Jason and I agreed that the opening scene was needlessly stupid. If a submarine can't go into space, why should a starship be able to go underwater? My other complaint about the movie was the way they handled things at the end, which will be discussed in the next section.

Overall, I'd give Star Trek Into Darkness 4 out of 5 stars.

HERE THERE BE SPOILERS

You have been warned.

I can understand why they decided to put Khan into the movie. He is the most iconic villain from the original movie continuity and, as Spock Prime points out, he was their biggest foe. They handled his character very well, both in terms of writing and acting. I can even buy that Kirk sacrifices himself to stop Khan and save the ship.

But did they really need to create the exact same circumstances from the end of Wrath of Khan? There were just way too many similarities. It went from feeling like a nod to the original movie to saying, "We couldn't think of anything original. Watch Wrath of Khan with Kirk dying instead."

And then they didn't even follow through with it! I'm still not sure whether I think this is good or bad. On the one hand, it undermines Kirk's sacrifice and shows that Abrams is still playing it safe. Plus, it would be very interesting to see how everyone goes on without Kirk. On the other hand, I didn't actually want to see him dead. Spock's death in Wrath of Khan is ultimately undone as well, so maybe they're combining the endings of II and III? I suppose what I would have wanted was for someone (probably Spock, to tie in with the opening) to save Kirk after he has shown he is willing to sacrifice himself. I would also have created an entirely different circumstance for Kirk to put himself in.

I am very intrigued by the idea of the militarized, possibly evil Starfleet. Admiral Marcus was such an evil slimeball that I almost wasn't sorry when Khan snapped his neck. I felt bad for Carol, though. Good to know she's made of tough stuff. I suppose the next movie will have to feature this "inevitable war" with the Klingons. Maybe they'll bring the Romulans in, too. I would love to see the Federation and the Romulans team up; ever since I read Diane Duane's Rihannsu series I thought it would be great to see some ties established. Maybe they can even bring in Ael. Wishful thinking, I know. I would love to know what Diane Duane thinks of the new movies.

Here is another unlikely prediction: the Borg. They have shown up in every series but TOS; they even appeared in the prequel series, although they were never named as such in order to preserve continuity.

Wizard World Update!

Jason and I were looking up the updated guest list for Wizard World yesterday. I was thrilled to see Charisma Carpenter on the list. There are going to be a ton of Buffy/Angel alumni there, but she definitely takes the top spot on my list (sorry, James Marsters!). I remember the first episode of Angel I ever watched was their 100th episode special. I had no idea who this "Cordy" girl was, but I liked her, and I was completely baffled when she died--off-screen, no less--at the end of the episode.

Like I said, this was my first experience with a Joss Whedon show. Seriously, if I ever meet him I will not know whether to shake his hand or punch him in the face.

Since then I have seen every episode of Angel at least once. It is still the only show where I own the entire run on DVD. Cordelia is still probably my favorite character. I love how much her character develops, especially considering her start on Buffy. I think I will have her sign one of my DVD sets...I will have to see if she is on the cover of any of them.

Morena Baccarin is going to be there as well. I would love to meet her, but I have a feeling that would involve waiting in line with an uncomfortable number of creepy middle-aged men. I went to a panel last year (at Cyphan) with Jewel Staite, and unfortunately sat next to someone who must have been the inspiration for Fanboy. I felt so bad for Jewel having to answer his questions, which showed that he knew more about the show than she did. He was also leaning forward in his seat and preventing me from getting a decent picture. So yeah, my goal is to avoid guys like him as much as possible.

I am also still completely psyched about meeting Patrick Stewart and Christopher Lloyd. I already know what I want C.L. to sign. Last week, I found this on clearance at Toys "R" Us.

I want him to sign the hood of the DeLorean. I thought about having him sign the back of the package, but that would mean I could never open it. Personally, I have never understood the appeal of leaving toys inside the box. I want to take it out and play with it! And Jason still wants his (Sega) Genesis Device signed. I still think that is a brilliantly hilarious idea.

Now I just need to figure out what I want Patrick Stewart to sign...Man, Wizard World is going to be awesome this year. So excited!

May the Fourth Be With You!

Yes, May 4th, the unofficial Star Wars Day. I am celebrating by wearing my Lego Star Wars shirt that says "Support Our Troops" along with a picture of Lego Stormtroopers. I also have a geeky countdown to share with you: my Top Ten Favorite Aliens from TV and Film.

10. The alien from Alien. When it comes to villainous extraterrestrials, ALIEN can't be beat! From suffocating you, to bursting out of your chest, to managing to single-handedly wipe out almost the entire crew of the Nostromo, this is one seriously dangerous creature. "Fun" fact: in the original ending, the Alien was going to bite off Ripley's head and record a mission log in her voice. I think if it had ended that way, I would still be afraid to go to sleep with the lights off. Brr.

9. Chewbacca from the Star Wars movies. Who doesn't love Chewie? Not only is he incredibly big and strong, he is loyal to his friends and smarter than he appears at first glance. He needs no further explanation.

8. Harry from Third Rock from the Sun. The absent-minded, lovably stupid member of the Solomon family. Probably knows more about Earth pop culture than the rest of the crew, because he spends all of his time watching television. Has hidden depths. And a transmitter in his head, to contact their leader, the Big Giant Head. The BGH made a few appearances in later seasons, played by none. Other. Than. William. Shatner!

7. The guy who turns out to be an alien at the end from UHF. If you have never seen Weird Al's movie, it is worth checking out (and, at least at the moment, it is up in its entirety on YouTube). During the ending scene, it is revealed that one of the characters is actually an alien, complete with a transformation sequence and "beaming up" to his space ship. I do not want to give away who it is, because the surprise gave my brother and me one of the biggest laughs in the entire movie. Johnny still says it is his favorite scene. I will say that his character was originally going to be played by a young comic named Joel Hodgson. Joel declined, because he had this idea for his own TV show where robot puppets make fun of old movies. He probably made a good call there.

6. Guinan from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The thing that I find so intriguing about Guinan is all of the mystery surrounding her. She is very old, and wise, and her people were taken over by the Borg. She and Picard apparently have a history, which is never fully explained. Also, I love her costume. It looks like an intergalactic graduation robe and cap, available in multiple metallic colors! Whoopi Goldberg wanted a part in Next Gen because she credits Nichelle Nichols' Uhura as her inspiration to become an actress. So the writers created a character for her. Because Whoopi Goldberg is that awesome.

5. Delenn from Babylon 5. Jason introduced me to B5, and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite shows. It has a complex, well-planned out storyline and includes multiple alien races. Delenn is a member of the Minbari, who were at war with Earth before the show took place. She is the Minbari ambassador, and actually turned down a chance to be the leader of the High Council because it would mean giving up her position on B5. At the beginning of the second season (where I am now) she actually transformed into a sort of human-Minbari hybrid. She is pretty badass. I have a feeling she might move even higher on the list once I get further along in the series.

4. Ranger Mira Nova from Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. This surprisingly good spin-off from Toy Story featured a host of original characters, including a butt-kicking blue-skinned princess from the planet Tangea. She joined the Space Rangers after Buzz Lightyear saved her planet, and ends up becoming part of his team. Her ability to walk through walls, referred to as "ghosting," comes in handy pretty often. She is also a skilled fighter and knows how to stand up for herself. You know, for kids! And for once, I do not mean that sarcastically.

3. Yoda from Star Wars. Ancient and wise, he is. Voiced by Frank Oz, who was recommended for the part by his good friend Jim Henson. Mentor, dispenser of wisdom, and far more powerful than his size would make him appear. Subject of a song by Weird Al Yankovic. The shiznit Yoda is.

2. Spock from Star Trek. He is my favorite character from the original Trek, bar none. Any other choice would be most illogical. I am not sure exactly what it is about Spock. The ears, for one thing. Beyond that...I think he is a great foil for Kirk and Bones. He is the straight man during the really campy scenes, the outside observer who is not (entirely) human but still finds the human race "fascinating." Leonard Nimoy was actually responsible for most of Spock's trademark actions. He came up with the idea for the Vulcan nerve pinch because he did not think his character should get into fistfights. The idea to say, "Live long and prosper" was his too. He also suggested the Vulcan salute, but actually borrowed the gesture from the rabbi's blessing at the end of Jewish services. Oh, and he looks good in a 1920's gangster suit. On the awesomeness scale of one to ten, Spock is a perfect ten. To top him, someone would have to take the awesomeness up to...eleven.

1. The Doctor from Doctor Who. Oh, snap. See what I did there? 'Cause the Doctor has been played by eleven different actors? Right, then. Moving on. Where to start? The Doctor has been around since 1963, and is still going strong today, which makes it both older and newer than Star Trek. Sure, there was a period of nearly 20 years where all we got was a crummy TV movie, but you cannot keep the good Doctor down. I fell in love with the show during David Tennant's run, so he will always be the definitive Doctor in my mind. Still, Matt Smith and Christopher Eccleston are both very good. From what I have seen of the other Doctors, there is not a bad actor in the lot. The brilliant thing about Doctor Who is that it has evolved to change with the times. Your main actor is not interested in doing another season? No problem. He gets a big, dramatic send-off where he literally changes into his replacement. I could go on and on all day, but this post is long enough already. If you are a fan of the show, you know what I am talking about.

Question for the comments: Who is on your list?