Sci Fi Jungle

The Dark Hunters Manga from Sherriln Kenyon

I really enjoy paranormal romance, sci fi romance, and mixtures of fantasy, sci fi with a romantic element.  (Other than vampire love stories which I really just don't get, I mean really... that's a bad choice in a mate if I ever heard of one)

Sherrilyn Kenyon's books are a funny as well as action packed.  I just finished reading "Dream Warrior" which is the story of the Greek God Cratus, who is Zeus' enforcer.  In this story, (not letting actual mythology get in the way) Cratus is cast out of Olympus for saving a baby's life.  Add in a dramatic good versus evil battle with the Gods of Darkness and its a rollicking good time.

I noticed at the end of the book there was an advertisement for a new Manga coming out that will be the first of the Dark Hunters Manga.  Writted by Sherrilyn Kenyon and illustrated by Claudia Campos.  It looks like it would be interesting.  I think Kenyon's fast action and snappy patter would lend itself will to the graphic novel format.

I love the humor in these.  Like the God that lives in a mountain cabin decorated with "Country Bears."  I could just imagine some Greek Gods shopping for farmhouse sinks!

  

The Future is Wild

10 thousand  years in the future a mega ice age is threatening humanity.  So what do they do? They send a kid in a sophisticated time machine space ship to the future to scientifically analyze the environments and habitats of future Earth. 

On the way CG (future teenager) picks up a crew of current day Earth teenagers, and a mischievous Octopus Spider Monkey creature from the future called a Squibbon.   Their ship, the Time Flyer, has a tone of cool futuristic gadgets.  Like a personal force shield for protection and a navigation system that can go through time which is a bit cooler than your average Garmin GPS.

  

The show airs on Discovery Kids on Saturday nights.  Its a fun show.  My 4 and 5 year old boys enjoy it, and I do as well.  I am happy to see them watching something with a Sci Fi sensibility.  What is more Sci Fi than the study of life on a future Earth?

I also like the rock and roll influenced soundtrack.  Nice.  The animation is reminiscent of Star Wars The Clone Wars, and its not too bad for computer animation.

Help This Blog is Floundering!

SciFiJungle was my first blog.  I now write three and have a fourth domain that I am trying to decide what to do with.  The other blogs get a lot more traffic than this one.  I think I need to write more posts, more interesting posts, and consider doing some marketing.  I think its a good domain name and great topic I think maybe I just need to have better search engine opimized phrases or something. 

Should I print up custom tote bags?  I had this great idea to have bookmarks printed up with our graphics and web address and then stash them in Sci Fi books and give them to the local bookstores to hand out.

Speaking of 40

If you look at the AP economic stress map I bet there is a big red blob hanging over my house.  Heh heh heh.  Laugh my friends, laugh or you will cry.  In order to keep myself busy in between job hunting and Scrabble Cubes, I have been doing a lot of reading.  Tip: your local library actually lets you borrow books for free.  Wow.

I really enjoyed "A Woman Worth Ten Coppers" by Morgan Howell.  I am on the lookout for her other series about some chick hanging out with orcs.  Umm Yea, I am going to try to find that set used.  I will buy the sequal to 10 Coppers when it comes out.  It is coming in October and will be called "Candle in the Storm."

Now, how to get a coupon for Sephora so I can get some good eye cream. Where is that AP economic stress map again?

Sci Fi Indoctrination for Kids

I have two sons - 4 and 5 years old.  To be fair, the 5 year old is going to turn 6 in July.  Yes, I am a little bit like Britney Spears.  I am cute like her too.  On those days when she is drugged out, krazy, and bringing the paparazzi to Starbucks with her.   I wish I looked like her in the "Circus" video, however I lack the personal trainers and in fact the work ethic to get in shape like that.

I do however always wear underwear in public, and strap my kids in their properly installed car seats.

Anyhoo... when my kids are not watching all the movies that feature penguins (those cute little critters in a tuxedo) they are being indoctrinated into some nice kiddie sci fi.  Bakugan, Transformers, Power Rangers, Pokemon... all good stuff.  I am on the edge about the Star Trek movie.  I think they will like it on DVD, but be a bit scared from the action if I took them to the theater.  They did watch Transformers with no problem, but on DVD.  My 5 year old has been known to get scared at anything creepy in a move.  He made me walk out of Happy Feet at the part were the sea lion was trying to eat the pengiuns.  I have still never seen the whole thing.  And don't even get me started on Kung Fu Panda, which I ended up having to watch BY MYSELF on DVD because we had to take the kids out of the theater due to 4 year old not staying still.  Then they saw it at school on DVD and refused to watch it with me.  Do you see how rotten children can be?  Making your mom watch freakin' Kung Fu Panda at age 40 with not even a kid as an excuse.  Harsh dude, way harsh.  As my mother would frequently say... "sharper than a serpent's tooth is an ungrateful child."  Sorry Mom for all that stuff I am sure I did to you.  Really.  My bad.  On the Britney Spears scale you were the best mom in the world and so am I.

Star Trek

For Mother's Day the kids daycare had babysitting so we dropped the kids off and went to see the new JJ Abrams remake of Star Trek.  To tell you the truth, I was ready to have a problem with the movie after seeing the previews.  They made it look like any old action movie, and I was concerned that they would lose the essence of what makes Star Trek so Trekkie-worthy.  (Yes, raises hand, I am a bit of a Trekkie.  Just a bit)

I really enjoyed this film!  It was great.  Tons of action, made so that anyone new to the franchise would be able to enjoy it, yet full of lots of nods to the original series.  The relationships of the characters were spot on, and that was what made it enjoyable.  The plot was a bit of a mess, but who are we to care when the pacing is so fast that it keeps you moving along and suspending disbelief with no worries.

My favorite was Zoe Saldaña as Uhura.  She rocked the mini-skirt as well as Nichelle Nichols did.  She is utterly beautiful and had just the right mixture of skill and poise to represent up on the bridge.

The Enterprise - the ultimate Stratosphere hotel isn't it?

Here is a picture to prove I really was there.

Super Dickery - Funny Comic Book Covers

Check out SuperDickery.com - they post classic funny comic book covers from Superman and others. Like this one where Jimmy Olsen is begging Superman for weight loss products!  The site is full of hysterically funny and awful cover art.  Well worth looking over. 

Lots of Wonder Woman bondage issues, Jimmy Olsen being treated to the Worst Adopted Dad Ever, and Lois Lane being treated like crap.  I was convinced these were edited, but I fear they are the real deal.  Yikes - Superman really was a dick.

This is from their page:

http://superdickery.com/index.php?view=article&catid=28%3Asuperdickery&id=75%3Athe-fat-boy-of-metropolis&option=com_content&Itemid=24

Cat + Cardboard Box = Funny

Fire up your video card.  Appropos of nothing, I bring you Maru the cat and the Big Box.   If you need a laugh please watch the video below in which a chunky cat jumps in and out of a big cardboard box.  People - you just cannot make this stuff up.   I just about busted a gut on this one.  This is safe for work (if you have the sort of job where you can watch silly videos without getting into trouble, that is) unlike the "turtle making love to a sneaker" clip.  ("eeee")