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Six months ago, I revamped my blog to focus solely on nerd culture. It’s been lots of fun, however what I wound up losing in the refocus was a personal touch. I started writing pieces that more closely resembled articles than blog posts. But I also enjoy having this creative outlet to explore and discuss nerd culture, so I don’t want to lose it. Instead, I’ve decided to start doing monthly nerd life updates!
These updates will include much briefer re-countings of what I’m currently watching on TV, the fandoms I’m fan-girling over, books/comics I’m reading, and more!
So without out further ado, I hope you enjoy my first Monthly Nerd Life Update!
Movies & Television
It has been ages since I've been able to finish a television series (mostly because everything I watch is currently on air), so I am excited to announce that my partner and I just finished Parks & Recreation! I say “excited,” but honestly I’m extremely heartbroken. Saying goodbye to Leslie and Ron and April and Andy and Tom and Donna feels like saying goodbye to the characters from Friends, or more recently, the cast on Game of Thrones.
The good news is that the series had a FANTASTIC ending. It really felt like the crew took the last three episodes to just have fun and give their fans a low-key send-off. Some of my favorite episodes were in this final season actually, but I'll refrain from going into too much detail on those, as I plan on doing a much more in-depth post on that.
If you follow my blog, then you'll know that I'm also a fan of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, though since returning to work from maternity leave, I have seriously slowed down the number of episodes I consume in a week. Try zero... It's not that I don't like CAOS—I do, I really, really do—I think I just wanted to savor the remaining episodes because I'm not ready for the long wait until more are released!
Finally, this is less of an update and more of a commitment. Because I am glued to a seven-month-old, I don’t get to watch many movies these days, but I swear, if it kills me, before the month is up, I will watch either (but hopefully both) Pet Semetary and The Avengers: Endgame!
Books & Comics
I might read too many books to do this succinctly, but let me try:
I just finished reading Circe by Madeline Miller, which has been a great study for my other blogging role on Allinthepantheon.com, a communal blog space that I share with dozens of other writers, who each take on a role of a Greek God and roleplay as if they were living amongst mortals. It's a blast as a writer, but it's also amusing to follow as a reader.
Anyways, back to the book Circe. If you're looking for a fast-paced, brutal tale about Greek Gods, then this book would be severely disappointing, but if you're wanting to walk hand-in-hand with a Goddess, to live with her through her banishment, her heartbreaks, and her survival, then Circe is worth reading. Read my full review on Goodreads!
Another book I recently finished was Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. For those who weren't aware—as I wasn't aware—Doctor Sleep is the sequel to The Shining. That's right, there was a sequel!
That being said, before you rush out the door—or in my case open your Amazon app—and get yourself a copy, keep in mind that Doctor Sleep is really more like a book set in the same world than it is a sequel in the traditional sense.
Now, anyone who knows me or follows me on Goodreads, knows that I'm a major Stephen King fan. Every book or short story of his I read, I walk away inspired or having learned something new about the craft. For that reason, I've decided to write a more in-depth review of Doctor Sleep and have plans to write one about the movie when that comes out in November too.
Lastly, I have decided to re-read Sandman vol 1 (and hopefully to continue reading the series, as for some reason I stopped after the first volume last time). I'm glad to be re-reading it! I missed so much the first time through. The panels jump a bit at the start, like there were times I didn’t know I was in Dream’s POV, or that we’d gone forward in time, but on the second read, I am catching more of the important stuff.
Come to think of it, there might be a blog post on this one in the future too.
Games
I mentioned this on Twitter, but this month was a trifecta for me: it was my partner's birthday, our anniversary, and Father's Day. So for one of those holidays—I truly can't remember which—I bought him Red Dead Redemption 2 and I am currently waiting for him to come inside so that we can play it!
Another video game I purchased this month after much pleading from my brother was God of War. We started playing it this week and I am already in love with this game!
First off, Kratos is the all-time parenting goal. Okay, I'm mostly kidding, but his stern nature and awkwardness in the role as a father cracks me up.
Aside from enjoying the dynamics between Kratos and his son, I'm also just really enjoying the storyline and the gameplay. I haven't played any of the other God of War games, but from what I can gather, Kratos has been in hiding with his family, but after his wife's death, he was left to care for their son. Only, they are rudely interrupted by some God(?) and forced out of hiding.
I really can't wait to see where this game goes!
I'm going to switch gears here and talk about something other than video games.
For those of you that didn't know, my partner and I were crazy Magic the Gathering fans... and then we had a baby. Now it's difficult to find time to play, but for our anniversary we opened up a couple new packs of cards. Sadly, I can't say anything really sparked my interest...
Cosplay
My last cosplay was Hannah from the Rat Queens comics and that was nearly two years ago! It's been too long! So I've decided the time has come to dust off my sewing machine and start planning another cosplay.
We’ll see how it goes, what with the time and energy it takes to raise a baby and all, but I plan on making a Hawkgirl costume for Halloween for me, and some other superhero-themed costume for my son.
Any suggestions or recommendations anyone has can be left in the comments!
Fandoms
Honestly, since Game of Thrones ended, I currently feel fandomless. All of my other "things" are on break or are no longer doing it for me. I haven't watched hardly any of the new episodes of The Walking Dead, I'm struggling to get through the Capaldi run of Dr. Who, and I can't seem to find any time to continue watching Attack on Titan.
What's a fan to do?
Gear & Collectibles
I’m not sure I’ll include this section in every monthly nerd life update because I no longer accumulate collectibles and nerd gear at the rate I once did, but this month I moved out of my old office and had to take down my nerd shrine, so I wanted to share it with you all because I was so proud of it.
Pictured above are some twelve-inch Jack and Sally figurines from The Nightmare Before Christmas and a Pyrhha Nicos figurine from RWBY (which I'm just now realizing, I should really write more about because it is an amazing animated series that far too few people know about). In front of Pyrrha is a Baby Groot plushy that my best friend (blogger Twiggy, actually!) gave to me a few years ago during a particular hard time in my life. Next to that, you'll find a Halloween Lego smorgasbord, collected and gifted to me by my partner during our first Hallowctober together. Lastly, in the backdrop, is some of the coolest Link from The Legend of Zelda fabric that I've ever seen!
The sad news is that I now longer have an office to showcase all of these awesome things, but the good news is I get to put it up in my new cubicle! There might even be more space for it honestly.
Remember to leave your suggestions for baby's nerd-themed Halloween costumes in the comments! And also feel free to suggest any fandoms that might be able to replace Game of Thrones! Thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Stay nerdy!
Jessaca
author of The Awakened series