Somedays We Need Cat Pictures

I don't think there are enough cat pictures on the internet to make this day any less dreary. The damp cold rain makes me want to put on a sweater and snuggle in bed with my cat and wait for better days.  Unfortunately I can't do that.  However I can add more cat pictures to the internet and hope that things will be brighter tomorrow.

Gifts Ideas

Every year around this time of the year I start the internal debate as to if I have sufficiently acquired enough gifts for those people that I care about. I enjoy giving gifts. I think it is fun. I enjoy seeing the surprise on the persons face when they open something that rocks their socks off. It isn't easy to surprise half the people on my shopping list and most of it requires use of the internet to acquire, unless it is a craft, and then I either go local or do it myself.

I don't want to tell you what to buy a person, because I believe that everyone deserves a little bit of thought when comes to a gift, but I will share with you some of site that I enjoy and have found a few of the odd, interesting and just plain amusing gifts at. (Also the numbers have no significance, other than the fact when I am writing a list I like to use them. It is not a rating system.)


1.  ThinkGeek

Dib is a fan of ThinkGeek Pillows!

- I love ThinkGeek, because what ever you passion is, they try to have it. There is everything from Star Trek/Wars to Doctor Who to Game of Thrones. They cover almost anything that has to do with video games and popular television shows, and a lot of other really neat things also. It is geared to a variety of ages, and if you sign up for their email notifications, sometimes you can get some really good deals on shipping.


2. TopatoCo

Dib loves putting cat hair on shirts!

-  I love tee shirts, and I love web comics. TopatoCo is a marriage between the two. They do have other things besides tee shirts, but because of my love for tee shirts, that is all I have ever purchased. I can attest that their shirts do not shrink, and that the print does not fade after multiple washings.  I know that most people can not give every person a tee shirt, but I then you can certainly fill their shoes with the various buttons, stickers and stuffed animals that they have.

3. Fred & Friends

Iggins loves shopping online!

- Weird and Off Beat probably should have been my middle name, but my parents knowing that I would be teased to the ends of the earth if they had actually did that instead of Marie. This site is where I can find all the interesting things that makes some ones stocking buzz or their birthday gift rattle. You know that thing you got from me, it might have been a Fred & Friends product. The beauty of Fred & Friends, is that most of the time you can find their products in those fun off beat stores locally, or if you are really desperate for that free shipping Amazon.

4. The Literary Gift Company

Iggins approves!

-This has been described as "The Intelligent Gift store with an Academic Theme". I think this is a fun site for anyone that has a love for reading or writing. There are more than just books on this site, and the wide variety of items that a person can find is refreshing.  I will admit that I am very much amused by the bookshelf wrapping paper, and considering that I do get a lot of books for people in general, it it is a little bit of fun to wrap a book in a picture that a book would go.  If you have never been to this site, I would say at least check it out. It isn't a cup of tea for everyone, but I know there are at least a dozen or two things that I would love from there.

Star Trek Into Darkness: a review

I like Star Trek. I have many fond memories of Star Trek. I have seen that last several movies in the theater, even the bad ones, because I can't help myself. Netflix has granted me the ability to watch Star Trek with the original crew, which has satisfied my need for cheesy optimism on days that I am clearly lacking optimism. So when, my husband suggested that we see the new Star Trek into Darkness as a date night, I was thrilled. 

Anytime there is a movie done that has such a huge following and very long and complicated history, it is hard not to place certain expectations on said movie. Having talked with some friends who had already seen the movie and heard about some of the comparisons between Star Wars and Star Trek done by the same director, I considered myself prepared for the worst.

Star Trek Into Darkness was not the worst Star Trek movie I have ever seen. It is is not the best Star Trek movie I have ever seen either. I did not hate the movie. I actually had a lot of fun watching the movie, because of the amount of cheese that was in the movie. If you feel the slightest bit nostalgia for the good old days, they chopped up all the best bits from the previous series and mashed it into this movie.  For the most part the movie is pretty to watch, with all the lovely uniforms and shiny polish of the ship, but as one or two of my friends had noted and was probably in half a dozen reviews, the lens flairs in the movie did get a little out of control. If the lens flairs became a drinking game, then I would probably be in an alcohol induced coma. 

Benedict Cumberbatch played the role of Khan, which while I could watch Benedict Cumberbatch do anything an enjoy it, (he could read the dictionary out loud and I swear my vocabulary would improve tenfold and I would never be bored the entire time) there is something to be said about Ricardo Montalbán . Ricardo is probably always going to be the Khan of my heart.  Don't get me wrong Benedict Cumberbatch did beautiful job, and I could watch him rage for hours at end, and then I would be just like those fan girls that are in love with Loki from The Avengers, but I think that Ricardo Montalbán set the standard for what you want and expect out of a Khan. 

After much discussion with my husband about this movie over a night cap, we came to the conclusion that over all it might have been better if instead of hitting all the high notes of the Star Treks of days gone by, if they took this new reboot and went on an adventure.  It would have been much more satisfying to see the crew in the beginning of their five year mission boldly going out and discovering new life forms in uncharted space.  They still could have worked in some of the cheese from previous Star Trek encounters but it wouldn't have made the movie so very predictable at the end.

Over all I would recommend this movie as a good date movie, because while it isn't fabulous, it isn't drop dead boring. 

Rating: Three Enterprises out of Five