Tag: Doctor Who

The road so far… why can’t I keep up with TV shows?

For the LIFE of me I do not understand why I am currently in my 5th hour of Chopped re-runs on The Food Network, yet I haven’t watched any of the final season of Da Vinci’s Demons. You know, that came out in October… OF LAST YEAR. I was practically begging STARZ to livestream the season straight into my brain, yet when it came out… nada.

The road so far... why can't I keep up with TV shows? www.verynerdycurly.com

What was keeping me from a mostly shirtless Tom Mison with long flowing locks and a smile that turned my legs into jelly? Why wasn’t I immediately bathing in the production values of this god damn pretty show? I dunno. Suddenly it seemed like too much effort to marathon it and make myself an emotionally available Hallmark card because it was the final season and I wasn’t ready? Maybe. Or maybe it was just easier to see which house a fiendishly annoying middle-class couple would choose on this episode of House Hunters, which I’m pretty sure I had already seen.

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When did I become such a passive viewer? I am the bane of the television world in that I never watch live and it takes me weeks… months… god even years to catch up on an episode or season that I let slip by. And I honestly don’t understand why.

I have a very addictive personality and part of me wonders if that’s why I try not to binge watch anything anymore (except apparently EVERYTHING on the Food Network and HGTV, I swear I’ve gained 10lbs just watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives). When I first started Game of Thrones I watched three seasons in a week. Like, I lived and breathed that show when I wasn’t in class or at work. I was left destitute after I’d finished because it would be a whole MONTH before Season 4 started. I managed to keep up with it, but I still haven’t seen Season 5 beyond the first two episodes. Why? Too much effort? I don’t actually want to be Khaleesi??

The same goes for Supernatural. I was determined to finish the ENTIRE SERIES SO FAR before San Diego Comic Con… two years ago. I was making pretty good progress. The first five seasons went down like a fine whisky (because they’re the best, let’s just be clear on that), but struggled through season 6 and I’m still stuck in season 7 purgatory two years later. Season 7… that really did get to be too much effort.

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I got so into those two series as I dived in, that I think I drowned a bit. It became too much and I had to step away. It just seems that I just kept stepping away… until I was about thirty miles away with car keys in my hand ready to drive to Tampa. But then it happened with new shows that I was really excited for. Remember all that stuff I wrote about The Librarians? The review, the lists, the interviews with the cast and crew? I was keyed in to that and the fandom from the get go, I could have had a great run with that content wise and I loved the premiere. It was everything I wanted in a television show.

But I still haven’t seen all of the first season.

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Yeah, and it’s myself. WHYYYYYY, KRISTINA?! WHYYYY?

I was afraid of getting sucked in I think. I was worried my excitement would switch ovre to it and leave everything else I was already excited about all the time. Maybe?

I was so excited for Peter Capaldi’s Doctor that I fell off the bed when he walked out during the announcement event. I wrote about him quite a few times, gushed about his work, and actively reassured people he’d be fantastic. I still haven’t seen ANY of the last season. Though honestly I think a lot, if not all of it, has to do with Clara and that I despised her and didn’t want to deal with her seesawing characterization and the fact it wasn’t Doctor Who anymore but Clara What.

The road so far... why can't I keep up with TV shows? verynerdycurly.com

There’s a few reasons for all of this apparently, and yet not really a common denominator. Do I just not care anymore? Are my fangirling days and anxiety waiting for the new episode to air over? Or am I just in a (very long) slump and things will pick up again?

If you were expecting this to end with some sort of philosophic claim about the human mind in an age of technology and having too many choices and thus diminishing our desire to become properly engaged with our media, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m sure that’s a think piece somewhere and it probably has a great deal of merit.

Meanwhile, if anyone has any tips for me, I’d love to hear them because people are being stupid on The Food Network.

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Scrumptious Saturday: TARDIS Blueberry Cupcakes

One of my favorite things in the world to do is bake. I love baking. I bake for kicks, out of boredom, out of stress, and in a desperate desire to make everyone love me. So when I finished my errands this morning I was debating what to do, and then I saw my bottle of Police Box sprinkles and… well, GERONIMO! I’m a HUGE fan of Doctor Who, so any excuse to be a Time Lord in the kitchen is a good one. Every other Saturday I’m going to be bringing you some sort of delicious recipe with a nerdy twist. So let’s get started on our first Scrumptious Saturday!

TARDIScupcakeBehold, TARDIS cupcakes! They’re blue! They’re fruity! They’re covered in tiny little sugar police boxes! I supported The Geeky Hostess‘ Kickstarter campaign for these geeky sprinkles ages ago (and stupidly forgot to update my address so I only got one of my bottles after I moved, oops) and hadn’t really used them. It was time to remedy that, and what better day to do that than Doctor Who Day (aka Saturday)?!

Now, I knew I wanted to make a TARDIS cupcake, but what flavor is the TARDIS? I thought maybe banana, as you should always take a banana to a party, or maybe apple to play off the an apple a day keeps the Doctor away (though who wants to keep the Doctor away??). But I just kept coming back to blue. They had to be blue. So a look in the fridge and I saw blueberries! Perfect! But there weren’t enough to make a full batch (damn, why did I eat them for brekkie?), so perusing about, I spotted maraschino cherries and figure if I was making cupcakes, I should just go all out and make them indulgent. Now I had the fruit, but I knew blueberries wouldn’t turn my cupcakes blue. I needed some help.

When wanting to color your food with the help of food dye, I cannot recommend gels enough. The drops aren’t going to give you the crazy colors you want without saturating your batter. Gels don’t require as much as the colors are always so much richer. So pick some up at your local grocery store or craft store if they’ve got a baking session. You’ll really notice the difference!

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WHAT YOU NEED

  • 1 stick/ 1/4 lb unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 1 tsp baking bowder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp Police Box Sprinkles by The Geeky Hostess
  • Blue food coloring gel

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MAKE THE THING!

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and insert liners into a cupcake pan. Pro tip: don’t have cupcake liners? Use coffee liners! Just cut to size.
  2. Cream butter and sugar together at medium speed until fluffy (3-5ish minutes). Add the eggs one at a time at low speed, but beat well.
  3. In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Don’t have a sifter? You can use a strainer or colander… or just pretend you sifted.
  4. Beat portions of the dry mixture into the creamed mixture, alternating with milk. Start with dry and end with dry. Add the food coloring gel (and add more if you want a deeper color) and mix together for two minutes.
  5. With a spatula, fold in the vanilla extract and then the blueberries and cherries. Follow with the sprinkles!
  6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack.

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For a frosting I mixed marshmallow fluff (which actually contains no marshmallows btw) with blackberry jam and a little more of the food coloring gel, but these would be good with any sort of frosting really! Make sure to top with some more police box sprinkles once your’e done for that extra timey wimey feel and a nice crunch.

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Let me tell you, these are AMAZING. The blueberries are nice and tart and the cherries add a nice sweetness and a bit of texture. Your mouth will undoubtedly turn blue, but just count it as part of the experience! The cupcakes are light and fluffy and are a delicious fruity treat.

So try them out! Let me know how it goes :)!

5 Fandom Friday: My Very Nerdy Christmas Wishlist!

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So my super awesome friend ( and co-SherlockeDCC host) Megan runs The Nerdy Girlie, and a number of weeks ago she started 5 Fandom Friday, where geek blogs all over would post weekly about a pre-determined topic and share their thoughts on said topic. It’s a great idea and I’ve been meaning to jump on board for awhile, but I’ve finally gotten my act together! Call it the holiday spirit ;)

So! This week is all about what nerdy Christmas gifts we want and here are my deepest geekiest desires this holiday season. My mom just bought a house, so Christmas this year is a bit different (we’re doing a family Secret Santa), so none of this is going to happen, but it’s still fun to “window shop” as it were.

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1. Hey Buddy tote bag (RedBubble). God I love tote bags. My friend Cara McGee has created an entire line of dumb sharks and they’re just hilarious. I really do need to pick one of these up!

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2. ALL THE DRAGON AGE BOOKS (Amazon)! I picked up the Dragon Age Inquisition art book and it’s GORGEOUS. It’s just phenomenal to look at the depth of detail BioWare put into the world building and careful considerations of every single character. I am a recent and hard-hit Dragon Age convert and I tend to submerse myself in new found obsessions. Bring it on.

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3. TARDIS bathrobe (ThinkGeek). Because who DOESN’T want to travel all of time in space in a fuzzy bathrobe? Sadly it doesn’t come with a Peter Capaldi.

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4. Wake Up Light Alarm Clock (Philips). I live in the basement where it is dark and cozy and no matter what I do, my phone’s multiple alarms just aren’t getting me out of bed. The bright light suddenly blinds me and I cocoon back up. I’ve heard a lot of great things about these natural light alarm clock that gradually lighten up the room to wake you up easier. I think it’d really work for me and for the other night owls out there.

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5. Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR (Canon) Ah. The biggie. I could be even more ridiculous and ask for the $1500 model, but let’s be a LITTLE realistic, eh? My manual SLR was stole a few years ago when my flat was broken into and ever since I’ve been without a real camera. I’ve got a point and shoot, but it’s from my time in Japan (five years ago now) and the focus has been gone for about a year and it doesn’t really… work. I love the Canon line of cameras and my SLR was an EOS Rebel. Some form of DSLR has been on my wishlist for years. One day.

Well, that’s my list for today! You can read Megan’s here and learn all about 5 Fandom Friday! Join on in! What’s your nerdy Christmas list?

Was Robin Hood Real?

The Doctor is going to Sherwood Forest.

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I feel ya Clara (though what are you wearing?) I love Robin Hood too. Vigilante types with a charming smile and the law unto themselves. Give me Robin Hood and Sir Percy Blakeney any day over Superman. When I first heard that Mark Gatiss was going to be penning a Robin Hood related episode for Peter Capaldi’s first season of Doctor Who, I nearly wet myself. All my favorite things rolled into one. If there’s something I love more than Sherlock Holmes it may just be Robin Hood. And that’s everything from the original Middle English ballads to that foxy fox to the horrible Kevin Costner movie (because omg Alan Rickman). Robin Hood: Men In Tights was my first Mel Brooks film and I could probably quote it word for word. I love the stories so much I have a truly horrible and cheesy German Robin Hood musical on DVD (and you can totes watch parts of it on YouTube).

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So, you can understand my excitement that The Doctor is going to meet Robin Hood.

“But wait just a gosh darn tootin’ minute!”, I hear everyone say, how can The Doctor and Clara go see Robin Hood? He’s just a story…

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Continue reading Was Robin Hood Real?

Get Capaldified: 5 Shows to Watch Before Series 8

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I love Peter Capaldi. No, you don’t understand, I love him. A beautiful versatile and cathartic actor, this damn man has made me cry and howl with laughter so many times I think I have a hernia. He’s a fearless and emotional actor who is going to do amazing things with his new role as The Doctor. When the speculation was abuzz about who was going to be the next Doctor, we all had our favorites. When Capaldi’s name was thrown into the ring, I jumped on it. I thought it was a dream and far too good to be true. It was the perfect casting in my eye and when the announcement was made… I fell off my bed. It’s true. I flailed and screamed so much I genuinely fell off my bed. I was so excited and I am STILL so excited. When he briefly appeared in the 50th Anniversary episode I screamed again.

I fucking love Peter Capaldi.

His first proper adventure as the 12th Doctor premieres on the 23rd of this month on BBC One and it’s feature length. Not only that, it’s getting a red carpet premiere in Leicester Square and you can watch it in cinemas around the world. To say we’re all ready for The Doctor’s return is an understatement.

Some of you, however, may not be as well acquainted with the glory that is Peter Capaldi, so allow me to point you to some shows, or at least episodes, that you should watch to gear up for Deep Breath.

Continue reading Get Capaldified: 5 Shows to Watch Before Series 8

The Way Station: Steampunk, Doctor Who, and total drunken Nerdvana [NYC, USA]

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The magical existence of The Way Station may not be new to many of you. It’s been a staple in Brooklyn and nerdy drinkers in NYC for the past three years, but it’s a place that deserves constant attention. It’s just that cool. The Jules Verne inspired bar with a Whovian twist is on Washington Ave, not too far from the Botanical Gardens. Owned and operated by Andrew “Anders” Heidel, The Way Station brings a classy bit of nerdiness to those seeking some adventure across the East River.

Continue reading The Way Station: Steampunk, Doctor Who, and total drunken Nerdvana [NYC, USA]

Episode 1: The Way Station

“What’s more terrifying than a Sharknado? A tsunami full of squids!”

I chat with Andrew Heidel who owns and operates The Way Station, a steampunk and Doctor Who themed bar and event space in Brooklyn.

Heidel has one hell of a nerdtastic CV. From working on SyFy and Farscape to publishing to constructing steampunk weapons, he’s seen it all. Guys, he was Adam West’s publicist! Better yet, he lives it all. Those are just a few of the reasons that make Brooklyn’s Way Station the nerdiest, and quite possibly, the best bar in NYC. It’s a complete labor of love from its conception to Nerdioke every week. You can read more about my trip to The Way Station here.

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You can find The Way Station online at waystationbk.com, twitter, and facebook. Don’t forget to visit The Way Station at 683 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238. Open from 4PM to 2AM.

Mentioned in this episode:

  • The Salt Cracker Crazies Jug Band [facebook]
  • The Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet [website]
  • Anders is also an author, and you can purchase his short story collection in eBook format or paperback/hardcover on Amazon.

Credits

  • 8-Bit Doctor Who theme by EightBitBaconStrips [YouTube]