How To Grow Your Geek: Parenting and More!

Darcy Reviews “Point Blank” (An Alex Rider Novel)

susiethegeek — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:49:11 +0000

The spy who wanted to be a schoolboy

Hey guys,

Thought I would do another book review for you, I have been reading a lot. Just have not have time to write stuff up. But I finished the second book in one of my favorite series, so I had to share.

Point Blank (A Alex Rider novel) – a review by Darcy Low

“Trapped! When an investigation into a series of mysterious deaths leads agents to an elite prep school for rebellious kids, MI6 assigns Alex Rider; fourteen year old reluctant spy to the case. Before he knows it, Alex is stuck in a boarding school high atop the Swiss Alps with the sons of the rich and powerful, and something feels wrong. Very wrong. These former juvenile delinquents have turned well behaved, studious…..and identical overnight. It’s up to Alex to find out who is masterminding this evil plot; before they find him. The clock is ticking, but this time; is Alex’s luck about to run out?”

Anthony Horrowitz is back with the second Alex Rider book, and this one is far darker than the first one. It’s month’s after Alex’s first mission and he is back to his old school, trying hard to fit back in. But after all his training and what he has experienced, he has changed as a person. When he witness drugs being sold to some of his friends at the school, he uses his skills to bring them in. (In a very funny scene, even if it you had to suspend your belief a bit.)
After MI6 comes in and cleans up the mess, they tell Alex about a new mission they want to send him out on. A very rich and powerful businessman son dies under mysterious means, and all clues point to a boys boarding school high up in the Alps. It is a type of school that only allows a certain number of students at a time and is run by a VERY creepy old guy called Dr Grief. This guy could be a James Bond villain easy. He is a African doctor that has come up with a system that he says will turn around kids of the ultra rich that are rebellious and and embarrassment to their parents.

I like how they set that up too, these are parents that are too busy or just have no idea on parenting; to deal with their own kids. So they pay big amounts of money and ships their sons off to the school. I see everyday people at the mall dropping their kids off, hoping someone else can watch them for a few hours. So I can so see this.

The story takes a while to get going, and you are almost halfway though it before you get to the school itself. At first I was worried, but then I started to figure out what the writer was doing. He was letting the suspense build and build, then once the action got going; you had better hold on tight!

Alex is sent in undercover as the son of a Grocery store chain CEO, he is “Punked” out and is sent to live a week with the family. The parents are told the truth about him, but their daughter is not. She is a very spoiled and stuck up, and hate Alex from the very start. In one part her little games almost gets him killed, which ends in one of the best lines I ever read in a book.

Once he gets to the school, he meets the students. They all seem the same, studious, polite and very boring. Not the rebellious kids that he was told was sent there. They all seem to act and move and react the same way, almost like they were the same person. All but his roomate, who tell Alex that these are NOT the same kids he came in with. They have all been changed overnight and he is very scared.

The only way off the mountain is two ways, by the helicopter that brought Alex, and a long ski slope that has not been used in a long time.

The school itself is guarded by over forty German soldiers, and Dr Grief’s second in command is a woman that looks like she like to dish out pain. Pretty odd for a school, wouldn’t you say?

Overall I was wowed once again by this book, it took a while for the plot to get going; but like I said once id did it was a roller coaster ride. The villain’s plans for how his is going to take over the world is believable to me. I could see that happening and how it could have worked. But there were two things that really set this book a part from the first, was a little plot point I hope they continue in the later books. Don’t worry it’s not a spoiler. Mr Blunt, the head of MI6 that is always sending Alex out is rather cold when it comes to putting him in danger, at one point Alex uses a device to call them in and get him out of the school. When Mr Blunt is told this, his reaction is; let’s give him another 24 hours. Then we will send someone in, let him get more information we might need. His second in command, Mrs. Jones; is starting to disagree with him more and more, and is starting to feel they are taking far too many risks with Alex being so young. Could be conflict there I am hoping that keep going back too.

The other thing is the ending, I won’t say anything on that other than; is that really him? Or could it be the other one??? hmmmmmm

If you have not read any of these books, I really recommend it. Teens will like the fact that someone our age is doing the whole James Bond thing, and parents will like it for just the same reason. All of the spy stuff is written just as good as the movies.

You’ll like this guys, give it a try.

Darcy

HTGYG Show #64: Part 2 of “The Lightening Thief” – the Movie Review (Spoilers!)

susiethegeek — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:05:44 +0000

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Spoiler Alert!

This episode, we focus first on the movie of the first book in the Percy Jackson series,Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief, by Rick Riordan. Amanda helps me review the movie just released, and we go over the similarities and differences from the book version. Then Gary calls in with a great overall review of the movie’s watchability and general quality as a movie itself. Thanks Gary! We think that this movie is definitely watchable for kids, and the books are a must-get!

Don’t forget – Feb. 27 is The BOOM EFFECT Auction! For details visit the website here! Come with your heart and wallet open!

Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek – at-gmail -dot-com, or call my voicemail number at 206-202-7309 and leave your thoughts. You can also visit our forum at the Farpoint Forums. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek!

Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton

Promos: The Boom Effect Auction and The Chronic Rift

HTGYG Snoring Promo! Brand New!

susiethegeek — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:12:27 +0000

Hi guys!

I was up last night, having trouble sleeping, and was inspired to make a new promo. You’ll hear why if you listen! If you are a podcaster, please consider playing this, and even if you aren’t, share it with your friends!

Thanks,

Susie and the kids

Check us out at How to Grow Your Geek!

Music by Jonathan Coulton

HTGYG Show #63: Part 1 of “The Lightening Thief” – the Book Review (Spoilers!)

susiethegeek — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:25:09 +0000

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Spoiler Alert!

This episode, we focus first on the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Lightening Thief, by Rick Riordan. Amanda helps me review the book in preparation for us seeing the movie just released, and we even tackle the inevitable comparison to Harry Potter.

Then Wyatt calls in to tell us about the Alien vs. Predator demo, which is suitable for teens. And finally Kevin reviews the original Halo game, as he is now catching up with the series very slowly. I did edit this a little, and you can hear some of Kevin uncut in an upcoming new promo for HTGYG!

Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton

Promos: The Boom Effect Auction

HTGYG Show #62: Games Roundup – PS3(Uncharted 2), DS, and more!

susiethegeek — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:13:38 +0000

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It’s time for some fun! This episode, I discuss the cool tech gizmos we got for Christmas – our PS3 and Blu-Ray players, and how that is making our streaming content to the tvs easier! We also have a game review of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves on the PS3, and my cousin Wyatt joins our team as a reviewer for all things console and XBox Live! Then I get Amanda to give us a review of her Nintendo DS Lite and the games Scribblenauts, Club Penguin, Cake Mania 3 and the Hardy Boys:Treasure on the Tracks . Please let us know other games you would like reviewed, so we can keep Wyatt busy on the team!

Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton

Promos: The Casting Game

Darcy’s post – Facebook, decisions and parents.

susiethegeek — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:24:43 +0000

Hi Guys,
As some of you already know, I no longer have a Facebook page. It wasn’t them, it was something Dad and Jenny decided was best for me. So i wanted to talk about that and parents in general. Because I think it’s important and maybe help my younger followers.

First off, let me say Facebook was cool and fun. But there were things going on I didn’t know about until later. See, once you put yourself out on the internet, and you’re young like us. It’s going attract bad people and creeps. I was totally locked down, only people I added was people we know. And dad says I still got like six or seven people trying to follow me that he said looked very scary. (That was weekly.)

So when they disabled it, it was because they were doing a random age check, to see how old I am and asking a lot of questions. They were super nice, but the more information they wanted, the more dad and Jenny was like this is not a good idea.(She never liked me to have one, now I understand more why.) So they sat me down and explained things to me and why they felt it was a good idea for me to not have one any longer. At first I admit, I wanted to fight back and say I want to keep it. I mean I gave up the forums, now this? But I am always thinking of you guys, so I agreed it was best I just have Twitter and my journal. People still try to follow me on twitter, but only been two so far.

Susie called me a role model. I still don’t feel like I am, I am always just me and do what I feel is good and right and what dad and Jenny say of course. But I can’t just think of myself if I am a role model, I have to think of others. I want you guys to have fun, but I want you guys to be safe too.

So I hope I can give you some tips on the internet and also talk about not getting everything you might want and why that’s a good thing.

First off, our parents have the hardest job ever. I mean think about it for a second. No one knows how to raise us kids, I mean there is just no manual, no one person that has all the answers, no web site to go to. When Dad first adopted me he sat me down and said, I have no idea what I am doing. I never raised a kid before, so you are going to have to help me out here. Don’t be afraid to come to me with anything and never be afraid to tell me anything. Together we can make this work. And know what? We have been doing that ever since. Now Jenny is the same way, she never had kids before. All she ever had was a sister. So she has a different approach with me. We are like sister’s sorta, but she can punish me and yell if needed so she’s still the mom. So I guess parenting is really a lot of guess work. That’s what Grandpa tells me, you fall back on how you were raised by your parents, and you try things to see what works.

So we have to help them out by obeying them and trying to be good. Not always easy, but that’s growing up. Everyone makes mistakes, they did; so we will too. And surprise, parents know that. Sometimes they even tell you they made the same mistakes.

Okay getting back to the facebook thing. I love the internet, I use it a lot for research on books and movies and in school. I love to look stuff up. I also like to play games on popcap, play Champions on Line and send emails. The internet is huge and fun. But because it is huge, it comes with a lot of danger as well. As you already read above. And I got a email from a adult that said they got people trying to follow them that scares them as well.

So bottom line? Even if your friends at school has it, or your best friends? I’d say stay away from it. Just because something looks cool and shiny, doesn’t make it so. Just too many weirdos out there. I don’t want to scare you guys, but maybe I do a bit too. I want to be honest most of all.

If you get on the internet, ALWAYS have a adult or parent around. And if anything makes you feel bad or uncomfortable let them know! RIGHT THEN.

And listen, if you have friends you just GOT to talk to; call them up or go visit. If they live somewhere else, email. (I email a lot!)

Our parents have a hard job, and they might tell us no or make us do stuff we don’t like. But they do it all because they love us and want us safe.

Love you guys, I’ll do my best to be a good role model for ya.

Darcy

The Tooth Fairy – A movie review by Darcy Low

susiethegeek — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:19:59 +0000

Rocks, Teeth and life lessons.

Hi Guys,
Thought I’d do another movie review for you guys, a new one this time. And I thought I would add something dad told me to do when I watch movies. It has helped me, so maybe it will you too.

The Tooth Fairy – A movie review by Darcy Low

“Derek Thompson is ‘The Tooth Fairy,’ a hard-charging minor league hockey player whose nickname comes from his habit of separating opposing players from their bicuspids. When Derek discourages a youngster’s hopes, he’s sentenced to one week’s hard labor as a real tooth fairy, complete with the requisite tutu, wings and magic wand. At first, Derek “can’t handle the tooth” – bumbling and stumbling as he tries to furtively wing his way through strangers’ homes…doing what tooth fairies do. But as Derek slowly adapts to his new position, he begins to rediscover his own forgotten dreams”

Okay let me ask you, if you had the chance to see Dwayne Johnson in a pink Tutu; wouldn’t you rush to go see it??? Yeah you sound like my Dad. Hehe. Yep, this movie is VERY silly. But it’s a lot of fun too, and surprise; it has a message to it.

Derek Thompson is a Hockey player who has seen his better days. He still plays, but because of a injury he is in a rut and has left his dreams of something better behind him. But he doesn’t mind a bit, in fact he is enjoying himself. For the time being.

Now I don’t know a thing about hockey, all i ever watched has been baseball and college football. So sorry if i get anything wrong here.

Derek is a blocker, they send him in when the guy with the hockey puck needs to be defended. He goes in like Mike Tyson, when he checks a guy they usually lose a tooth. That was how he got the nick name The Tooth Fairy. But when a younger player comes along with a even bigger ego than his, he starts thinking about how he isn’t as young as he used to be and he becomes bitter.

He is in love with a woman that has two young kids, one boy that is about my age and one little girl. The boy is a very good guitar player, and dreams of becoming as famous as Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He has great talent and big dreams. The little girl is maybe six or seven, and is losing a tooth. (See it coming don’t ya?)

When the boy asks Derek if he thinks he will ever be a famous rocker, Derek uses his own bitter experience and tells him no, there will most likely be someone much younger that will come along and will have even more talent. (Thus killing the boys dream.) When the little girl’s tooth finally comes out, he is there and takes the tooth. Telling the mom he will put it under her pillow later. He puts it in his pocket and of course forgets about it. (Strike two) When the girl gets up there is of course no tooth and no money under the pillow. So our hero once again explains how dumb it is to have dreams. (Thus killing her belief in magic.) Oooooo, strike three. You’re otta there!

Having forgotten all about everything, Derek wakes up in the middle of the night and finds a glowing note under his own pillow. He has been summoned before the head tooth fairy herself, and is told that for naming himself the tooth fairy and killing peoples dreams; he is sentenced to spend a week as a tooth fairy himself. (Wings, Magic Dust and Wand, the whole works.) He has to obey the rules and do the job right, or more time is added on.

And that is where the fun begins.

This is a classic fish out of water tale that has been done time and time again. Nothing really new here, but the movie was really okay for all of that. What sets it off are two things, the cast of stars. The head Tooth Fairy is Julie Andrews, (Doing the Princess Diaries thing where she is nice but doesn’t take any guff.) A WICKED funny appearance by Billy Crystal as the magic supply officer. (Think of his character in Princess Bride and add in M from James Bond.) The bit with the magic dust that makes the person forget whatever happened three seconds before is too funny! “What’s that?” “magic dust, it makes the person forgot anything that just happened.” Poof! “What’s that?” “magic dust, it makes the person forgot anything that just happened.” Poof! “What’s that?” “magic dust, it makes the person forgot anything that just happened.” Poof!
Hehe! it had Ashley and me rolling!

Finally is Derek’s Fairy Trainer, (Played by a actor from the show the office. I never watch that show but he is pretty funny in this movie. Forgot the name, sorry.) He is very tall and skinny, and he is a fairy who was born with no wings. (Some are born with and without.) He knows all the ins and out of how to be a tooth fairy, but because he has no wings he can not become one. Yet he longs for them anyway.

The training of Derek is wicked funny, and all the gags will have you laughing. Each time he has to get a tooth is a riot, and remember now he still has to live in the real world as a hockey player and he is still in love with that woman. And he has to win over her kids.

Like I said it has been done before in movies but this wasn’t bad. Here is the second reason why for me.

In the end, you come away with a life lesson. You have to follow your dreams, and if they don’t work out, don’t destroy someone else’s dreams. That is what he has to learn for himself, how dreams are important and how magical they really are. And how we should never dash anyone’s dream. Because who knows, it could be the next person to cure cancer, or write the next great song. You have to believe in your self and help others to do the same.

So did he in the end? Was it a happy ending for everyone? Well you will just have to see for yourself huh?

So if you need a giggle, and we all do I think. Go see this, you will come away with a little more than you thought you would have. I did.

Darcy

HTGYG Show #61: Helping Captain Oblivious and others!

susiethegeek — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:29:37 +0000

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This week I discuss some attention issues we are having with my son Kevin (we call him Captain Oblivious) at school, in the hopes it might help some of you. I’d love to hear your suggestions and comments! I also encourage you all to visit The Boom Effect auction to help Tee Morris and his daughter, and the Elf Princess Defense Fund to help SVAllie and her daughter with their custody battle bills! We are all family, and if we don’t stick together, who will?
Thanks!

Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton

Promos: The Dollhouse Podcast and What the Cast?

Darcy Reviews “The Spy Next Door”

susiethegeek — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:59:20 +0000

The Spy that wowed me.

Hey Guys,
This review is going to long, but I think you will like it. I did some homework on it.
With everything that has been going on, I figured we all need something funny. Kind of time to step back from everything that is going on for a bit. For me, there is one guy that always helps, one guy that no matter how much stress and sadness in the world can still get me smiling. (besides Dad I mean.)

Who you ask? Simple, my hommie.

Jackie Chan.

I have been a huge fan of him since I moved in here, Dad has everything of his that’s out on dvd i think. hehe. The first kung fu movie we watched together was Legend of Drunken Master. (yeah I know, some parents going say that’s not a kid’s movie. But it was SO MUCH FUN!) Since then I was hooked. So when I saw this movie coming out, I just had to see it. And I think you guys are going to like it as well.

The spy next door – A movie review by Darcy Low

“Spying is easy, babysitting is hard. Former CIA spy Bob Ho (Chan) takes on his toughest assignment to date: looking after his girlfriend’s three kids, who haven’t exactly warmed to their mom’s beau. And when one of the youngsters accidentally downloads a top-secret formula, Bob’s longtime nemesis, a Russian terrorist, pays a visit to the family.”

Okay first off let me say, this is a movie that has been done before. Everyone from Hulk Hogan to the Rock. A fish out of water story about some tough guy who meets his match when he has to babysit a group of kids. Well, forget those movies. While they were funny in part, they don’t hold a candle to this one.

Jackie plays a spy who is ready to quit the force and settle down. He is great at his job, but after falling in love with his next door neighbor; he has decided it’s time to put away all the cool gadgets, stop all the globe trotting, and finally get married. He goes on one last job, stopping a Russian bad guy and putting him away. (When the movie starts, with one of the coolest songs EVER; we are treated to scenes from his movies back when he was younger, which really helps to flesh out his character and gives us back story on Bob. Props to the writer on that one!) the only trouble for our hero’s wishes his one slight fact. His neighbor’s kids, yeah; they are less than impressed with him. In being a spy, he has to blend into the background. So he pretty much plays a dork. Just a average guy, sweat suits, dark horn rim glasses, his job is selling pens. Oh he is nice enough, but to kids he is just not dad material. For the mother though, this is just what she is looking for, someone stable and reliable. Someone to come home to and who will always be there, not “Someone who will run off, with not explanation.” She has been hurt before, as has her kids but a father who left.
The kids themselves are great, each one is completely different with their own sets of problems. (I want to touch on that later, I think it’s important.) The oldest, Farren; is a thirteen year old girl. She is still waiting for her dad to come back, and feels Bob is a threat to that. If he marries her mom and her dad does come back, what then? Next is Carl, is a geek, loves computers and music; and is very smart for his age. He likes girls but can’t figure out how to talk to them, and getting bullied by two school bullies that tend to throw him in the trash on a daily basis, doesn’t help. He just doesn’t trust Bob. The youngest, Nora is the baby of the family. She starts out the movie by liking Bob and even sticks up for him. But when her older brother tells her Bob is really a cyborg, she starts to have her doubts.

After Bob gets the Russian, he decides it is time to win over the kids. And when his girl friend’s father takes ill and she has to leave to go to him, (hey it’s a Disney film, what can you say?)he sees this as the perfect moment. He tells her to go and he will watch the kids for the week she is gone. He sees this as a bounding moment, the kid’s see this as heck week for Bob. Things are going smoothly, until the Russian escapes with the help of his gang. It seems he has had helped from someone within the group Bob used to work for. The Russian has developed a formula that eats oil, but when that formula gets downloaded accidentally; the race is on.

Now Bob has been called back into action, he not only has to spot the Russian yet again, he has to win over three kids, make sure that they are safe, make certain his future wife does not learn the truth about what he really does, and he has to find a Halloween costume at the last minute.

Can he do it? Will he stop the Russian in time, can the world be saved yet again? And all in time to get the kids up for school the next day?

Like I said, been done before; but this time it all works. I think that is in part on the actors in the film, I mean Billie Ray Cryus as a spy? George Lopez getting knocked out four times? (Once by a turtle?) We are talking win here people! But the real glue that pulls this together has to be Jackie Chan himself. His rubber face reactions, his comic timing, and just his personality; makes anything you watch with him enjoyable. And this is just plain fun to watch.

A little bit about Jackie Chan:
Jackie Chan, (His real name is Chang Kong Sang) was born on April 7th, 1954 in Hong Kong. He is not only a actor, but a singer as well. Even has albums out and does something called Cantopop and Mandopop. He was trained in the Chinese opera theater at a early age and is probably where the acting bug bit him. His nickname is Pao Pao, which means “Cannonball” because he weighted 12 pounds as a baby! WOW. His father worked as head cook for the American embassy, and Jackie is the only person I ever heard of who flunked out of first year of primary school. (hey finger painting is tough.) He trained for a decade in the Peking Opera and became part of the Seven Little Fortune acting group.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_Opera_School#The_Seven_Little_Fortunes

At the age of just eight years old he stared in his first film, Big and Little Wong Tin Bar; along with another well known actor Sammo Hung. he continued acting in small roles in films and even did one where there was no martial arts at all, All in the Family. That is the only one so far that he hasn’t done some kind of stunt work in.

Jackie Chan also has stated that he considers one of my old time favorite actors, Harold Loyd as one of his influences, and you can really see that in his films. oh one last bit of trivia for you. In 1976, his went to Dickson College and worked as a construction worker, where he gained the nick name “little Jack”. So that was where Jackie Chan was truly born I guess.

If you guys want to know more about him, and the good work his does for kids and charities, head over to:

http://www.jackiechan.com/

I go there a lot, he is just a cool person.

Okay, I wanted to talk about the kid’s character in the film a bit; as I mentioned above. As I said they were all different from each other, all had different ideas, different needs, ect. But yet if you were to take all of that, and mixed it all up; you know what you’d get? You’d have a teenager. Seriously, everything addressed in there three kids, that is what makes up your kids. Which is why I think certain people in Hollywood and certain Vampire writers, just don’t get it. What we teens get is always stereotypes. What they need to do is, do more research, do your homework like grown ups always tell us. Want to know about kids? then don’t hire a lot of talking heads who have not been kids for years, as us. We will tell you. Just my two cents.

Anyway guys, check out this movie. It was a lot of fun and really good. I know when it comes out we will be buying it.

Have a great one!

Darcy

Check out the Boom Effect Auction, including some crafts from me!

susiethegeek — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:38:12 +0000

Hi gang! In case you hadn’t heard, Philippa Ballantine and friends have set up an auction for Tee and Serena “Sonic Boom” Morris, to raise money for SB’s trust fund. Please check out the auction, called The Boom Effect, which will take place live on Feb. 27 online, or you can send a proxy bid.

I sent in two handmade glass bead necklace and earring sets – you can see them below. Please consider bidding on these or any other items you like on the site!

Thanks,

Susie

Green Goddess Necklace and Earrings Set

Heart of Gold Necklace and Earrings Set

Darcy Reviews Julie and Julia

susiethegeek — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:11:40 +0000

” A culinary legend provides a frustrated office worker with a new recipe for her life in Julie and Julia, the true stories of how Julia Child’s (Played perfectly by Meryl Streep) life and cookbook inspired fledgling writer Julie Powell (Played by Amy Adams) to whip up 524 recipes in 365 days and introduce a new generation to the magic of French cooking. Stanley Tucci (From Devil wears Prada.) co stars in director Nora Ephron’s delicious comedy about joy, obsession and butter. Bon appetit!”

Okay, I want put a idea out there, with asking a question of you guys. Why do people love cooking so much? I mean some people? I have a idea, it’s going to sound crazy; but think about this. I think it all goes back to when we were little and we played in the mud and did finger painting. I mean think about it, remember when you did that when you were little and how much fun it was? Okay now look at cooking, what are you doing? You got your hands in there, kneading bread dough, mixing ingredients, basically just getting messy. The only difference is, you can’t eat mud pies. hehe.

The movie is just great guys, it is told by showing the contrast in both character’s lives. For Julia Child, you see her going to France for the first time and you can see her love of cooking and the love between her and her husband. You can just see how much fun she is having getting into cooking classes, and working on bringing French cooking to America by writing a book about it. The cooking classes are a riot, she goes into the “men only class”. Wait until you see the chopping of onions part. Too funny. It is great seeing her love of cooking and her relationship with her husband. Just great.

The other part of the movie is about Julie, she’s a office worker who just moved into a small apartment with her husband over a pizza restaurant. She is a lot like Julia in that she has a love for cooking, and watches the old black and white cooking shows on tv. She is unhappy with her job, and wants to do something different. She wants to write, but has no idea what about. When her husband suggests cooking, she comes up with a wild idea; as you can see from above. 524 recipes from Julia’s cookbook in a year’s time.

What is cool about this movie is you can see both contrast and singularities in both women. The struggles of getting a book published, and the day to day struggles of them both. Lives so different from each other, just with the one thing in common. Cooking.

This a fun movie with a lot of laughs and a lot of good drama as well. This is one I would also recommend to the new writers in the second life group as well. Because a lot of what they talk about, are things Mr Stackpole has mentioned a lot of time about publishing. I really thought that was cool.

Kids may or may not like this, I am not sure. Might get them into cooking though, never know.

On a personal note:
I have been baking and cooking for as long as I can remember. It was something my mom loved, and she taught me a lot. I still love it, and when I go to a bookstore, I always get something on cooking. Even if it’s just cards in a box. Even when we had little money, mom and me would make a day out of doing something in the kitchen. I still cook, in fact that’s my main job here at home. Dad cooks as well, but I will be the first to try new things.

Which is why I loved this movie so much, because all of the love these women have for cooking I feel myself. It’s fun, it’s relaxing and it is a great why to remember mom.

You will like this one too guys, even if you don’t cook. It’s still two great stories. So seek it out, pop some popcorn and enjoy!

And as they say Bon Appetit!

Darcy

HTGYG Show #60: Part 2 of our 365 Days of Astronomy Podcasts

susiethegeek — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:08:24 +0000

Sponsor: Try GotoAssist Express free for 30 days!

In honor of the successful completion of the first year of the 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast, and of my daughter’s inclusion in the highlight podcast, I wanted to send out the episodes we did for you. Here last two episodes we made for them, one about Helium and the Sun, and the other about the Kuiper Belt, and Kevin even makes an appearance in the last one! I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed making them for you!

If you would like to help with the relief activities for the people of Haiti, you can donate to the Red Cross or Doctors without Borders, who are both leading the efforts to help the victims on the ground in Haiti. I personally recommend these organization and support their work!

Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton

Promos: The Dollhouse Podcast and Technorama

Darcy Reviews “The Stowaway”

susiethegeek — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:20:24 +0000

Hey guys,
Got another book review for you, and I think you will really like this one a lot. It is an action packed fantasy adventure, written by the son of someone I am sure you all know. It is full of Magic, Pirates, Demons, a boy with a secret and a story within a story. Sound good? Let’s get started.

The Stowaway – A book review by Darcy Low

“Barely a teen and already guarding a secret that could jeopardize his young life, Maimun is marked for death. With the help of a mysterious stranger, the boy escapes his village and flees out to sea, stowing away on the pirate hunting ship, Sea Sprite, where he comes across a most unlikely ally: the dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden. With a half-demon determined to destroy him, and a crew of sailors resentful of the trouble he’s caused, Maimun must find the courage to prove his worth, both to his friends and to himself.”

The Stowaway is very different from any other book I have read before, it starts in the middle. Yep, you heard me right. When the story opens, our main character, Maimun; has been taken captive after a ship to ship battle out at sea. We find him chained aboard a pirate ship, and being questioned. The pirate not only wants to know his story, but how he came into procession of a very powerful magically stone. A stone that is sought after by two waring gods, and could destroy the entire world. Our story then becomes Maimun’s story, as he buys for time and tries to think of a way to escape.
This is one story I didn’t mind the back story so much, in fact the whole book is written in the first person. Which really helps. We learn that Maimun is just a normal boy growing up in a small village, all he knows of the world outside are stories he has heard from people traveling though. When his village is attacked and destroyed, he is entrusted with the safe keeping of a magical stone. One so powerful, gods both good and evil want it and will do anything to get it. His family killed in front of him, young Maimun is rescued by Perrault, a fighter/magic user himself. Together they run from a demon, Asbeel. Who wants the stone for his evil master.

When I first started this book, I almost stopped reading. Thinking I must be read the second or third book of a series. But after looking, i realized what the writer was doing. Different, but really cool! the whole book is action packed, with the characters being just one step a head of the demon. But it is the character of Maimun that makes you want to keep reading. You see everything though his eyes, seeing the world of Forgotten Realms that he only heard about in stories, seeing magic for the first time, learning how to defend himself and when to run. You get into his character and want to see what happens next to him.

I don’t want to tell how he winds up getting captured by pirates, that is what the whole story is about. The back story of how he got there. You will just have to read to find that out.

I waited until now to tell you who the writer was of the book, I am sure you caught the name Drizzt there. Well he is in the story, but only VERY briefly. This isn’t his story, in fact if you think this book was written by R A Salvatore; you are partly wrong there.

This is the first book of a series written by father and son, R A Salvatore and his son Geno. Pretty cool huh? Geno does a great job of bringing the Realms to life in his pages, as well as showing a lot of the fantasy world to readers and video gamers that have read books or played games set in those dangerous lands. I enjoyed Maimun’s character and am really pulling for him to get out of the trouble he’s in. In Geno’s hands, Maimun is both capable and inexperienced, a dangerous combination given what he has to do to deal with. He’s obviously powerful enough, for some reason unknown to us so far, that others fear him, but not skilled enough to take care of himself.

Seek this one out guys, you will really love it. I am looking forward to reading more, and seeing how things turn out. It leaves you wanting more.

Darcy

HTGYG Show #59:Helping Tee and Serena!

susiethegeek — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:00:47 +0000

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This episode is about appreciating family – our own, our podcasting family, our social media family- and how we can help a family in need. Tee Morris, one of the first and most inspiring podcasters out there, recently lost his wife Natalie. He and his daughter Serena are now facing a future without Natalie, and we are asking you to help. Please check out the ChipIn link to donate to Serena’s trust fund, and check out The Boom Effect to find out how you can help an auction that will also go to Serena’s trust fund. Thanks!

I end this podcast with the poem “The Tale of Custard the Dragon” by Ogden Nash. I originally recorded this for a friend for Christmas, but I thought it would be a nice poem for Serena if she gets to listen to it!

Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton

Promo: Tuning in to SciFi TV

Darcy recommends “Pigeon Impossible”

susiethegeek — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:11:17 +0000

Hey Guys,
As I said earlier, Jenny and I watch a lot of you tube. I wanted to share something really cool I found. We was flipping though stuff and we found this.

http://www.youtube.com/v/jEjUAnPc2VA

It’s a animated movie called Pigeon Impossible, and it’s really funny. It’s real short, like a few minutes, so can’t say too much without spoiling it. Let’s just say this is one spy who is having a really bad day. hehe. And one greedy pigeon.

Hope you guys like it.

Darcy