Bloggers Block, No Time and A Million Other Excuses…

By @hmsbeefnuts

Hey there, it’s me, hmsbeefnuts. Now I’m only into my second week of my new, less strenuous amount of time writing for my beloved All Geek To Me, and already I’m finding it hard to keep up. I know it’s a poor excuse, especially since I have always found time to write blogs, mostly 3 a week, but at the moment, life is getting in the way. The fact that I’m enjoying the majority of it immensely is the only reason I’m not more ashamed of my bloggers work ethic. Simply put, I’m far too busy in work, and with the people I love most to be able to fully commit my time here, and yes, it is sad that I feel like I’m letting down my fellow geeks, especially Geeky Gem, but I hope she understands, and forgives me for the increasing number of low maintenance blogs. I also hope that anybody who reads this and gives a damn will forgive me too, I am trying my best, I promise.

I have been reading Storm of Swords: Book 2 Blood and Gold by George R. R. Martin. I have just read the Red Wedding Chapter. Now I spoiled myself a few months ago with a Wikipedia search, so I knew it was going to happen, but damn! Martin sure likes to kill off my favourite characters. Apart from the upset at the horrible goings on in Westeros, A Song of Ice and Fire just keeps on getting better, I can’t wait for Season 3 of Game of Thrones.

I’ve also been enjoying Dexter, and Finding Bigfoot, still have not played much of my game library, and have not been to the cinema for like a month. I am going this Saturday however, so I’ll try and fit in a fair few, get really stuck in.

I haven’t even had time to watch my Indiana Jones Blu Rays. It seems I am a changed man, more likely to be found pretending to be The Joker or Cpt. Hook, than to be watching Batman and playing Halo. Christmas time is approaching ever so fast. I have purchased the majority of my presents (thank you Amazon.co.uk) but the time is just disappearing like a hobbit with the One ring around his finger. Speaking of which, I can hardly believe that the Hobbit will be out in a few weeks time, I am so excited, yet I know very little about it. It seems I’m out of the Geek Loop a little.

Anyway, I shall bid you farewell, as I have a Dexter to watch, and sleep to catch up with.

MONDAY MUSINGS

By @hmsbeefnuts

Hello. Welcome to another Monday full of my musings. This blog is a bit of a weird one to write, but it has to be done. I know that this isn’t really a blog about Geeky Gems, Caelrona, Kirkiechick or my life, but if you will permit me, this one will start off as more of a personal kind of blog, but fear not, I’ll try to fit in some sort of geekery later on. I shall be taking a bit of a back seat around All Geek To Me Towers over the forseeable future. It’s been a bit of a crazy year for us here at All Geek To Me. We started this blog after a former attempt failed to mature into anything. Geeky Gem and I decided that we should try again, and we worked hard and came up with All Geek To Me. Since January, we have built up views and day by day, week by week and month by month, we have grown our views and site visits. I am very proud to say that as of the time of writing we have had 58,000 views, a number that we scarcely dreamed was possible.

11 months and 273 blogs later, we have built All Geek To Me into something we are all immensely proud of. Now I know it’s just a blog, but we appreciate every view, every comment, every like and follow. I still remember my first like for a blog, the excitement was palpable, and it still is a thrill to know that anyone read a blog I wrote, and actually took the time to comment, or like, so thank you to anyone who has ever done so. It is then, with great regret that I have to reduce my time here at All Geek To Me, however, I do have a good excuse. Recently I have kind of fallen head over heels in love with the most beautiful, amazing woman I have ever seen. She has an adorable 4 year old son, and we have been seeing a whole lot of each other. I don’t want to reduce this to dangerous levels of soppyness, but at the moment, I could not be happier. The social situation has not been kind to my time however, and I simply do not have time to write as much as I used too, and although I don’t really want to give up writing blogs, something has to give. I will still be here once a week to tap out a blog on my trusty keyboard, but the rest of the time I will be in work, or with my two favourite people on Earth (sorry, soppyness leaked in).

So with that done and dusted, time for some geekyness. November is a crazy time for video games, and although I have no time to play them, my geek soul would not let my wallet pass up the chance to part with some cash. Forza Horizon, WWE 13, Assassins Creed III, Black Ops 2 and Halo 4, have all been released and purchased by me in the last couple of weeks. I must be insane, as I have hardly touched any of them. What I will say though is that I have given up on multi-player. I have let my Xbox Live membership lapse, I have no interest in Black Ops multi-player or Halo for that matter, from now on, I’m strictly a one player kind of guy. What I will say is that Halo 4 is absolutely beautiful to look at, and a lot of fun to play, and I have had fun with all the games so far, just not had a whole lot of time to play them yet.

Movie wise, I haven’t really had time to watch anything in recent weeks, but The Hobbit looms large on the horizon, and I can not wait. In the world of books, I can confirm that I have finally finished A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow, and have started Blood and Gold. That has taken me almost a year to read, but I finally knuckled down and did it, and what can I say? It’s fantastic, truly one of the greatest fantasy masterpieces ever written. I know I’m late to the party on this one, but bear with me, I’ll get to A Dance With Dragons in good time.

TV is a bit of a sore subject at the moment. I have been enjoying Dexter, The Office, Parks and Recreation and WWE Raw. I have also been forced into watching The X Factor. Dear God what a horrible, horrible show, but sometimes, you have to do these things, and at least it is almost over, it is right? Please say it is…

So that’s it for this week. I hope you enjoy the other blogs that Geeky Gem, Kirkie Chick and Caelrona are bringing you over the next 7 days, I know I will be. I’ll see you next week with something a bit more substantial geek wise.

Wednesday Whimsy!

 

By Geeky Gem

Wednesday Whimsy by Geeky Gem, what’s this I hear you say? Well Mr Beefnuts have given me special permission to write this weeks whimsy. Now I am going to try to stick to his format and basically talk about a few things I have been doing over the past few weeks.

Well that being said shall we begin?

I have recently brought myself an Xbox 360 and have already started losing many hours of my life to gaming, I havent done this for some time. Yes, I still own my Playstation 3 and I am not about to dump it but I have wanted to get one for some time, so I did. this is the part where I tell you what games I have been playing one might surprise you one may not.

Lego Pirates of the Caribbean

I really enjoy the Lego games they can be real fun and nice easy bit of gaming if you don’t fancy anything to taxing. This one follows all four movies as you play as many characters to become a True Pirate.  The other game I have been playing is this bad boy –

Skyrim

This is my first Elder Scrolls game that I have played and so far I love it, I turned it on to play it and then all of a sudden it was five later. I have feeling I am going to lose a lot more time to this game and I can’t wait. Did i mention it has Dragons? Just saying.

The other thing I like to do when I am not gaming is reading and at the moment I am reading both a book and a graphic novel. My current book is new and was recommended to me by some one I have met online though Pottermore. So Thanks Olivia.

City of Bones

This is a book by Cassandra Clare and is the first book in The Mortal Instruments series note this is soon to be a major movie release. This is not however the reason I picked up the book, it was purely because Olivia said I would like it ans she was not wrong. The story is simple Clary Fray has witnessed a murder but this was no normal murder the victim was a demon and now she is plunged into a world of demon hunters. I am really enjoying it, so if it sounds like the book for you give it try.

My graphic novel of choice at the moment is not a re-read of part one but a first time read of part 2.

Kick Ass

I loved Kick Ass, the first graphic novel was fantastic and I cant wait to read Kick Ass 2 let alone see the new movie due out soon. It’s just so fast paced and so out there. The art is fantastic and if you have never read it you really need there is so much more to it than what you see in the movie.

Another of my pass times is watching Television and not one but two of my favourite shows have started again the US and even with one of them showing here at the same time the other isnt and for the first time in ages I couldn’t wait and I have seen it.

Dexter Season 7

If you have never seen Dexter then shame on you, it is a brilliant show and as it enters its last two season we are drawn into the final chapters of  Dexter’s story. How will it end, hopefully not the way his life started covered in blood, who I am kidding of course that is how it will end. Season 7 starts where season 6 left off with Deb finding Dexter in a less than perfect situation.

Now you dont have to be a genuis to figure out what other show i am about to mention, all you to have done is read my blogs and know me a little.

The Walking Dead Season 3

This is the story arc I have been waiting for, The Walking Dead survivors are back and they have a whole new situation to deal with and this has one of the most evil comic book villains coming up and I for one can not wait. The Governor is just pure evil and I hope they play it out like that, the season opener was really good and i cant wait to see what else they have coming up.

Well there we have it folks, my first and maybe last whimsy. That being said I have really enjoyed sharing this with you. What is it the young people say Laters.

My Geeky Trivia

By Geeky Gem

Once in while you come across a show that just keeps you coming back for more week after week. For Hmsbeefnuts and I one of these shows happens to be Dexter, if you have never seen the show it’s about a guy who by day works for the Miami Police Department as a Blood Analyst but by night he is a Serial Killer who hunts out other killers that the police cant catch. Its a fantastic show based on a series of amazing books. Here are some things you may not know about it.

Dexter’s boat is named Slice of Life.

Dexter frequently uses aliases that make reference to Bret Easton Ellis books books and their film adaptations. These include using Patrick Bateman and Sean Ellis.

Though they play brother and sister in the series, having met on the show, Michal C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter married on 31st December 2008. They subsequently divorced in December 2010, but continued to work together in the show.

The name of the main character, “Dexter,” is also a Latin word meaning “right hand.” The implied complement is the Latin for “left hand,” “sinister,” reflecting his hidden dark side. In 2010, author Jeff Lindsay confirmed at a book signing in Edinburgh that he chose the name Dexter because it was the opposite of “sinister”, reflecting the character’s surface normality.

During Season 1, Dexter and Rita watch the movie Terms of Endearment, which features actor Jon Lithgow. Lithgow would later star in Season 4 as Arthur Mitchell.

In the finale of season 3 Dexter finds out that Rita has been married before. Her marriage license is displayed. It says she was born on 19/4/1989, but her wedding date is also listed as 16/8/1989, making her just under 4 months old for her wedding date.

While most of the shows are set in and around Miami, Florida, the series exteriors are mostly shot in Long Beach, California, with interiors shot at the Sunset-Gower Studios on Sunset Blvd. Second-unit crews shoot additional material in Miami to help add to the realism of the show.

Michael C. Hall revealed he was afflicted with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in January 2010, but continued to work on the series. Most of his fellow cast members were surprised by the news, because he had not disclosed his condition during production. Hall is presently in remission as of mid-2010.

The use of bird’s-eye views of coasts and cities from a helicopter has started a drinking game in some places (including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and other cities in South Florida). Dexter talking about his childhood merits one sip, while a helicopter’s view while flying above the relevant scenes merits two sips. (The glimpse of a helicopter from below doesn’t count.)

John Lithgow plays Arthur Mitchell, his father’s name is Arthur.

So there we have it some nice bits of trivia about this awesome show. Join me again to see what else I have for you.

Wednesday Whimsy

By @hmsbeefnuts

Thursday is named after the mighty Thunder God Thor, but today isn’t Thursday. It is Wednesday, and as we all know, Wednesday is named after the God of both Weddings and Retro Gaming, WedNES (sic). WedNES, was in the Greek Pantheon and was son of Zeus and the beautiful Princess Peach. Greeks would pray to WedNES on the occasions of weddings, or indeed, when they were experiencing a particularly hard level of Mario Bros. The usual offerings were a mysterious liquid called Gamerfuel, or some marzipan and icing. This of course is complete rubbish that I have made up, in order to start Wednesday off in a whimsical tone. With that done, onwards to some stuff!!!

June has started off quite well movie wise. Thus far this month, I have seen Snow White and the Huntsman, Prometheus and Red Tails. I have enjoyed all three, so that’s a positive. Next, I am very much looking forward to the re-release of JAWS. I have never seen this in a cinema, and very much want to, it is one of my 2 favourite films of all time after all. Please local ODEON Cardiff Bay. Please show JAWS. I will love you forever, well, love you more than I already do, which is a not inconsiderable amount.

Talking of Cinema, the subject of snacks enters my mind. What are your favourite Cinema nibbles? I know people who basically bring a full picnic into a movie, and others that don’t even sip a drink. Personally, I like a sandwich/hot dog, or nachos, I can’t stand popcorn, and a Pepsi Max or 7-up. When I was in the States, the cinema snack selection was vastly superior, chicken fingers and curly fries, with a refillable Mr Pibb, hell yeah. There is something so disgustingly amazing about the nacho cheese that draws me to it again and again, horribly delicious.

In TV land, I am finding it very hard to deal with the loss of Game of Thrones. It is far far to long to wait for Season 3. I will have to find a replacement show, and as it happens, Dexter starts soon, so I can replace Westeros for Miami. I know True Blood is back this week, and I really loved the first 3 seasons, but season 4 lost me, it was too much with the fairies and stuff. I haven’t yet seen the second (third?) season of Spartacus, so I will definitely be giving that a go, and Finding Bigfoot comes back soon too, so maybe it won’t be so bad after all.

I have bought a lot of Batman Graphic Novels in the past, not so many in the last year, but I have picked up the re-released No Mans Land Vol. 1 & 2. The Dark Knight Rises is supposed to be, at least slightly, inspired by these books, and so I will work my way through them before I go and see the film. I am also stuck half way through A Storm of Swords Book 1. I’m finding it such a chore to read at the moment, the more I write, the less I want to read it seems. Although I have been working my way through The Monster Hunters Survival Guide, by. A lovely book explaining how to kill, or subdue numerous monsters throughout the world, it is wonderfully illustrated, and I feel by the end of it, I will be fully prepared for every monstrous eventuality. My favourite chapter, has of course, been on Bigfoot.

Games were announced at E3, games that look amazing and I really want to play, and as with reading, I don’t have much time to play games any more. Nintendo’s E3 conference was a bit of a damp squib, although I still want a Wii U. I’m shocked that they didn’t announce a 3D Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Star Fox, F-Zero, Metroid, Smash Brothers, or Donkey Kong. However, New Super Mario Bros. U looks good, and some of the Nintendoland mini games look fun, but surely this game needs to come free with the Wii U, just like Wii Sports came with the Wii.

Finally, I will leave you with some awesome looking trailers for Tarrantino’s Django Unchained, and Disney’s new animation Wreck It Ralf. Check them out below, and catch you soon.