New Year, New List... and a Party!

So New Year's 2012 is almost here and like most people, I have a small list of things I would like to have happen next year. Unlike most people, some of things I have included on my list aren't exactly resolutions... just things I kinda want to get done. My list so far, in not particular order:

I mean seriously, this wallpaper is just not pretty. :-\

• Get an awesome job.
• Write a new song.
• Actually play guitar more than a couple times a month.
• Finish watching Farscape and Legend of the Seeker.
• Learn something new. (Language? Art? Games? Anything!)
• Lose even more weight (Doing well so far on this one!)
• Complete at least a couple of my many unfinished video games. (Especially since I started yet another one... *sigh*)
• Start drawing on a regular basis again. (Already got a head start on this one!)
• Buy a car. (The awesome job might help with this, haha)
• Put some money BACK INTO my savings. (Hello awesome job? Can you hear me?)
• Spruce up my house... for example, get rid of the ugly-ass wallpaper in my living room. *blech*
• Find a way to put my degree in computer science to use. (Like with an awesome job of some kind...)

So yeah, that's my list so far.

Other that the list making, I have been preparing for the hopefully-super-fun New Year's Eve shindig my boyfriend and I will be throwing at our place. Food, movies, music, and video games... fun, right? But in the typical crazy Shantelle fashion, I decided to make a turkey dinner for our party. An 18 pound turkey. With potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce... yeah, you get the idea. Half of me is saying, "WTF ARE YOU THINKING!?", while the other half is saying, "Mmm... turkey.... *insert Homer Simpson gurgling sounds here*." It should be fun though, even if I went a little overboard. I'm pretty excited for the most part, haha.

Well, that's all I have to ramble about for now. Until next time!

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Comments and/or questions are always appreciated, so please feel free to leave me something!
And as always, thanks for reading! (^_^)

Happy (Almost) Christmas! Here's Some Music!

Proof of my accomplishment, haha!

Ok, so I am seriously excited for Christmas to be here. I've wrapped all of our gifts already, gotten some cookie recipes printed out and ready to go, and bought all the ingredients for said cookies. I feel super accomplished, haha.

I've also been listening to a lot of Christmas music on Spotify. Actually, I've been listening to all kinds of music using Spotify. They don't have Beatles music available on there, which is kind of disappointing. But I've got enough Beatles CDs, so I'm all set, haha. If you are curious as to what Spotify is, check it out at www.spotify.com.

Since I am talking about the holidays and music, here are a few favorites from my current Christmas playlist!

1. Burl Ives - A Holly Jolly Christmas
2. Bing Crosby - I'll Be Home For Christmas
3. Chuck Berry - Run Rudolph Run
4. Frank Sinatra - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
5. Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
6. Bing Crosby - White Christmas
7. She & Him - Baby It's Cold Outside. Also their version of Blue Christmas.
8. Barenaked Ladies w/Sarah McLachlan - God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman 
9. Chris Colfer and Darren Criss (from Glee) - Baby It's Cold Outside
10. Coldplay - Christmas Light

Wanna see my fully playlist? Check it out here: http://open.spotify.com/user/125264058/playlist/2qq2kguhNmvkd8j62G8W0l

By the way, if you are on Spotify, add the playlist I made for this blog. Why? Well because I would like you to add some of your favorite music to it! Here is the link: Geek + Music + Food = Blog... Playlist! I've already added a few songs to it myself, just to get us going.

Have a great holiday season everyone!

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Questions? Comments? You know where to leave them!

And as always, thanks for reading!! (^_^)

Fax Plus Borg Equals...

I was bored this evening, and was reading random tech-y stuff when I came across the word "facsimile". Ten minutes later this happened:

These are the kinds of things I come up with when I am bored, haha.

Anywho, hope I gave you a little chuckle at least. Later!

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Comments? Questions? You know where to leave them!
Thanks for reading!

Pre-Thankgiving Excitement: Sci-fi, Games, and Whales...

So, Thanksgiving is in a couple days, and I am super excited! I am seriously ready for turkey, stuffing, potatoes, et cetera. And although I will be home alone cooking for hours, I will definitely not be bored. My plan? Well, my boyfriend bought me Okamiden for my Nintendo DS, so there's that.

And most likely I will be hitting up Netflix. There are a whole bunch of shows on there that I want to catch up on, so that will keep me pretty occupied. I just recently started watching Farscape on there, which is a pretty amusing so far (and yes, kind of oldish now, haha).


Other than that, there is also my own brain around to keep me amused. Not to pat myself on the back, but I am pretty awesome at keeping myself amused. Big plus to being the dork that I am, haha. I draw random doodles and stuff most of the time. Sometimes I sing songs to the beat of random sounds happening in the house (Like the washer agitating clothes, or water dripping outside if it's raining).When I'm in the kitchen waiting for food to finish cooking, I make believe my oven mitts are whales. Seriously, they look like whales! Don't argue with me! Look at the picture!

Like I already said, I'm a bit of a dork. And maybe a little crazy. Although they say when you are crazy, you don't usually know you're crazy... so maybe I'm not, lol. Anyway, those are my ramblings for today, hope you enjoyed them. (^_^)

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Thanks for reading, and please feel welcome to leave me a comment. I always enjoy reading them, and will almost always reply with something. (^_^)

Harry Potter Weekend? Heck Yes!

So my friends and I had a pretty awesome weekend. We have been planing this Harry Potter weekend for the past couple months or so, and we were SUPER excited that it was finally here. And I have to say, it did not disappoint! On Friday, my friend Heather and I made Harry Potter themed decorations to put up around my house. Then Friday/Saturday we made all sorts of Harry Potter themed food and drinks. All of this lead up to our two day Harry Potter DVD watching event on Saturday and Sunday! I swear, I felt like a little kid on Christmas waiting for Heather and my friend Ashley to show up, haha.

We ended up watching movies 5-8 only... and then it because Battlestar Galactica Weekend, which looking back is kind of funny considering the change from a series of kid-friendly movies to... well, a not so kid-friendly sci-fi show. But either way we had a fantastically fun and geeky weekend, and that all that really matters, right? Right?! haha.

So anywho, we took some photos of our HP decorations and food, so here they are!

Why yes, the Whomping Willow does reside in my front yard! (Sign made by Heather)

Platform nine and three-quarters sign that Heather made for my front door.

My living room, with the banners Heather and I made, and also Heather's Sorting Hat!

 

Leaky Cauldron sign that I made for the kitchen.

Pumpkin juice!! It was actually really yummy, and I am not a huge fan of pumpkin.

Tiny caldrons filled with "Berty Bott's Every Flavor Jelly Beans." (Actually, just Jelly Belly jelly beans, lol)

Chocolate Frogs! (They were awesome Heather!!!)

Delicious (and gluten free!) Cauldron Cupcakes.

Mrs Weasley's herby roasted chicken with onion-garlic mashed potatoes. (And stuffing! Don't forget stuffing!)

Love Potion! (Also yummy!)

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Thanks for reading!


Questions? Comments? Click on the comments link and leave me something! (Please? lol)

Boredom + Trees + Camera = Collage

Took some photos of trees in my parents' backyard yesterday. I was bored today, so I decided to make a collage out of them. It looked pretty neat, so I thought I would share it with all of you. Enjoy! :-)

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Questions? Comments? Talk to me!
Thanks for reading!

Happy Frakking Halloween!

Halloween is seriously the most geek friendly holiday ever, so it's no wonder that I love it so much! I mean, on what other day can you dress up as whoever or whatever you want, and not get funny looks from people? haha.

As usual, my boyfriend Dan and I dressed up in costumes, invited our friends over for a Halloween party, and passed out candy to trick-or-treaters (my favorite part!). And my friend Heather managed to get photos of me in costume; this was a major feat, as I was running with my head cut off making delicious food, lol.

Only Dan, Heather, and I wore costumes, which was kind of disappointing. But seeing the trick-or-treaters in their adorable costumes totally made up for it. Wish I could have taken photos of their costumes, but their parents probably would have thought I was a creeper if I had, lmao! But I do have a couple photos us to share at least! (^_^)

This is a photo of Dan wearing his costume yesterday (Oct. 30th) making omelettes for lunch. Who is he? He's Gordon flipping Ramsey! (Kitchen Nightmares, Hell's Kitchen, etc.)
 

 



Here is a slightly bad photo of me in my Temperance Brennen aka Bones (from the tv show Bones) costume. Seriously, what kind of face is that, haha. I'm a dork sometimes.

And last but definitely not least, the best TV crossover ever! Myself as Temperance Brennen aka Bones, and Heather as Myka Bering (Warehouse 13).




This Halloween only just ended, and I am already excited to find another costume for next year. I'm thinking if I can find a blond wig I could be Olivia Dunham from Fringe. That would be sweet! For now, I'm just going to kick back and relax, because I will be spending the day cleaning tomorrow...lol. Until next time!

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Comments? Questions? Random suggestions? Hit up the comments link!

And as usual, thanks for reading!!

No, I'm Still Not Finished With That Video Game

I like video games, but I have a pretty short attention span when it comes to them. Because of this, it takes me FOREVER to make it all the way through a video game. The longest length of time? Two years! It's not like the games I play are extremely difficult, I seriously just cannot sit there and play for long enough periods of time to actually finish a game.

Take Pokemon, Blue Version for example. I have been playing that game for about four months now, and I still have not made it through the first cave in the game. Part of the reason is because I keep getting stuck. But mostly, it's because when I get stuck, I don't have the patience to sit there and figure out how to get un-stuck.

In fact, now that I think about it, I have only ever finished two video games completely:

Warioland 4 (Gameboy Advance)

and

Tetris PLUS (PS1)

Now this geek is disappointed in herself. :-(

*wanders off to play (and try to finish) Okami on the Wii*

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What video games are you still trying to finish?
Questions? Suggestions? Two-cents?
For all this and more, hit up the comments!


And as usual, thanks for reading! (^_^)

Sometimes, Coincidences Can Be Hilarious

There are times when I am checking my Facebook or Twitter, and two updates just happen to coincide with each other, with very funny outcomes. Here are a couple I have actually had the mind to capture. They make me giggle ever time I see them, haha.
 

This one was funny mostly because Heather (serenitymeimei) was super pissed, when (seemingly) the Dalai Lama comes waltzing in here, telling her to stop her negative thoughts. Something tells me that if he had an evil wisdom tooth he would be just as pissed, lol.


The most amusing this about this one? Both of these people know me, but do not know each other. Best coincidence ever, haha!

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Questions? Comments? Stuff to share? Hit up the comments!!

Thanks for reading!

Who's On This Geek's Playlist? - October 2011

The Megas - Get... ACOUSTIC

My boyfriend found these Megaman covers online a while back by this band The Megas; first their electric guitar and vocal album, then their album of acoustic re-recordings, Get... ACOUSTIC. I have grown very fond of the acoustic covers, and they always seem to find their way onto any playlist I make. Here are a few of my favorites!

For more information on The Megas, go to their website: http://themegas.com

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Got any music suggestions? Questions? Feedback? Go ahead, leave them all in the comments area!

Thanks for reading! (^_^)

 

Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs, 56, Has Died

Steve Jobs passed away today  at age 56. Truthfully, I have never been a fan of Apple products,; to lie and say otherwise would be an insult to this man's memory. I can however tell you that I appreciate the many innovative ideas Jobs has made known to the technology world: The personal computer, the iPod, and the iPad. And of course there was Pixar, which he owned from 1986 to 2006. I wonder if we would have had Toy Story (one of my favorite movies) if he wouldn't have snapped Pixar up when he did. Who knows?

I do know that he will be missed by a lot of people... his family, his friends, and his many fans. His death leaves some big shoes to fill, and to tell you the truth, I don't think Apple will be the same without him.

If you would like to read more on this story, I suggest the write-up available on cnet.com.

Read It Here

RIP Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011)

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How does this news affect you? Feel free to leave something in the comments.


Questions? Comments? Please feel free to hit up the comments section. Thanks for reading.

Warehouse 13 S3 Finale... Holy Crap! - No Spoilers, Promise!

It was EPIC. Period. It's pretty hard to put into any other words how I feel about last night's 2-hour finale episode of Warehouse 13. Then why the heck am I writing this blog entry? Mostly because my brain is still processing everything  that went on last night. I;m going to be good and not get into details for those of you who are still waiting to watch the finale. By the way, if you are one of those people... Watch it, damn it! Watch it now! Peer pressure!!!

Need some reasons to? Here they are!

1. Someone Dies! Not telling you who though... Bwahahaha! 
2. Big Secrets Revealed! You are correct, still not telling.
   
3. Some MAJOR Game-changers! Besides somebody dying you ask? Yes!

Ok, if those reasons were not good enough, well then I'm not sure what else to say. Just know this: Even though this episode was very up and down emotionally for a lot of Warehouse 13 fans, I seriously think this has been one of the few times I was not disappointed by a season finale. This episode definitely lived up to the hype in the promos, which in my experience does not happen often. And because of this, among many other reasons, I am SERIOUSLY psyched for Season 4! Is it 2012 yet?

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 Did you watch it? What did you think? Let me know!

Questions? Comments? Lets hear those too! I look forward to hearing from you! (^_^)

Happy Serenity Day 2011!

Happy Serenity Day everyone! Yes, it was on this day in 2005 that Serenity premiered in theaters here in the US.

September 30th, 2005 was an exciting day for me and my group of friends, And of course, like a good Firefly fan, I was at my local theater with my friends and my boyfriend that day. We even dressed up like characters from the show just for the occasion. Sure, we were the only ones there in costume, haha, but that is what made it fun.

Just for the heck of it, here are a couple photos of us from that day in costume. (^_^)

My boyfriend Dan as Wash, myself as Zoe, and my sister Krystal and friend Amanda as Hands of Blue people.

My boyfriend as Wash, myself as Zoe, my sister as a Hands of Blue person, and my friend Heather as River.

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 Are there any other Firefly/Serenity fans out there reading this? Do you remember what you were doing on the first Serenity Day? Let's hear it!

And remember, any questions or comments are always welcome!

Shantelle's Top 4: The Best Shows on SyFy

 
4. Haven


This town's secrets just seem to get deeper and darker as the series goes on... love it! Great characters, great story. Always leaves me wanting the next episode to air sooner rather than later.

3. Eureka

This show's storylines always keep you on your toes. Happy that we are getting another season, but not so pleased that next season will be their last. :-(

2. Sanctuary


Absolutely LOVE the characters in this show. Season 3 has made Nikola Tesla (Jonathon Young) one of my new favorites. Also love how every season seems to end on a cliffhanger... I admit it, I can be a sucker for suspense. Especially when it is used correctly. I cannot wait for Season 4!



 
1. Warehouse 13

What's not to love about Warehouse 13? 

The relationships between the characters? Funny, touching, and sometimes quite intriguing. (H.G./Myka, anyone?)


The stories attached to the multitude of awesome artifacts? Brilliant!

And this season has left me asking "WTF?" more than once... but in a good way. I think that's what makes me love this show so much.

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Like my list? Or think you have a better one? Then let me know! Questions and comments are always appreciated. Thanks for reading! :-)

Nom On Some Homemade "Pizza Hut " Style Cheesesticks!

Are you craving those cheesesticks from Pizza Hut? This recipe should take care of that! They are very easy to make, but after they're finished it's difficult to keep from disappearing, haha.

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Shantelle's Homemade "Pizza Hut" Style Cheesesticks

Ingredients:

1 (10 ounce) can regular Pillsbury pizza dough (Not thin crust!)
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup olive oil (approximately)
Mozzarella cheese, shredded, as much of it as you like. :-)
Marinara sauce, for dipping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425º.
2. Unroll dough onto cutting board. Cut into 16 even strips.
3. Place each strip on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 6-8 minutes until slightly golden brown.
5. While dough is baking, combine all DRY ingredients.
6. Remove baked breadsticks from oven and brush with olive oil and quickly sprinkle evenly with half of dry topping.
7. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of breadsticks, then sprinkle the rest of the dry seasoning over that..
8. Set oven to broil then place cheesesticks back into oven. Broil until cheese is melted and a light golden brown.
9. Serve with warm marinara sauce.

Makes 16 breadsticks.

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Plan on trying it out? Let me know how it turns out! Questions and comments welcome and appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you! (^_^)

Facebook's New Feed : WTF... or not?

So I woke up this morning to find almost every status update on my Facebook feed saying something to the effect of, "WTF Facebook?! I hate this new feed setup!" Next came the barrage of "I Hate The New Facebook Feed" photos (like the one below) and all-caps rants about the new feed setup, all littering my feed.

In the time that I have been a user of their services, Facebook has changed their layout, added new features, and changed their customization and privacy options quite a few times. And these changes always seem to lead to the same kind of uproar from their users. Yet most of these same users, after their threats of deleting their accounts, or even starting a boycott of the website (these claims always make me laugh), almost always end up keeping their Facebook accounts anyway. And you never hear a peep from these users again about the "horrid updates" they were so outraged about. That is, until there's another update.

I admit, that photo viewer that they introduced a while ago bugged me a bit. But all of the other things offered by the service more than made up for it, at least in my opinion. In the end, the thing that always keeps me from griping about any of these changes too quickly (or at all) is the fact that Facebook is a free service. I would understand being upset if we were paying a monthly fee or something, but that's not the case. And it's not as if there aren't any other social networking sites.

So I am posing a question to anyone out there actually reading this blog:

If these updates are so horrible, why do you stay?

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All comments are welcome. I'm looking forward to your input!

Exams... Funny? *confused*

I know, it's kind of strange to miss anything about school (unless we are talking friends or... well, fun stuff) when you finally escape its clutches. But then again, I never said I wasn't little strange, haha.

I was taking this online practice test for the A+ Certification exam, and when got to this question (see screenshot to the right) it made me start reminiscing about college; more specifically, college exams.

Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of taking tests. The pressure, the eerie silence of the classroom, not to mention the fear of a horrible grade. Multiple choice, even being one of the easier test formats, still brought about these same stresses for me. However, some instructors seemed to find a way to relieve some of the the stress, at least in my case, by adding something to multiple choice questions that one usually doesn't expect in an exam; humor. And it was used much like it was in the online exam I screen-captured and posted here.

I noticed this in only a few exams the whole time I was matriculated, but looking back, those were the exams I did better on. So it makes me wonder, why can't this method be used in all multiple choice exams? I'm not saying on every question or anything... just one or two questions per test. Am I the only one who has wondered about this?