Christmas Prezzies

Santa was very nice to me this year. I'm hoping he was just as good to all of you.  Here are some things you'll (hopefully) be hearing more of next year (when I put these together/read/watch them).

As a kid I was really into semi precious gems. I actually tried to find geodes at the beach one year (spoiler alert: I didn't find any - they don't form on beaches). I'm thinking of cutting the geodes open rather than smashing them with a hammer so I have display worthy pieces at the end (assuming of course some of the geodes look cool inside). I've also seen these crystal growing kits around and wanted to try one, so that's great.

I've been getting into these mini dollhouse DIY kits. You get all the component parts and put the diorama together. Once my homemade alchemy one is done I'll do a few of these.

Metal puzzles! They take a few hours - and a whole lot of patience - to put together, but they look incredible when done.

And it wouldn't be a holiday without some books! I got a Viking book and a DVD learning set. I got some other books as well, but as these themed, they made the blog post.

Did you get anything fun for Christmas this year?

I Wish You a Merry Christmas

And a Very Happy 2017!

Cool Christmas Presents

I had a wonderful Christmas, and I hope you all enjoyed or are enjoying your holidays.  I'm blessed with some family members as nerdy as me, and so got some really cool presents.

I LOVE my new kitty socks - especially the one breathing fire at a planet.  Who needs dragons? Well, I do, which is why I think my new dragon guarding its eggs cake pan is pretty amazing. Not sure how evenly the cake will cook (I've never used a shaped pan) or how I'm supposed to ice the cake, but I'm eager to find out. And last but not least, a pair of Schrodinger's cat earrings.  :D

Video: The Night Before Catmas

If you haven't seen it yet, here's a cute video of a cat messing with someone's Christmas tree. :)  It's from the Cole and Marmalade youtube channel, which is filled with cat videos.  Enjoy.



If you're looking for something more relaxing, here's Lil Bub's Magical Yule Log video.  It's a cat in front of a fireplace.  For an hour.  If an hour isn't long enough, you can extend your watch with this video, or this one.

Shout-Out: Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

I normally use these shout-out posts to spotlight newly released titles (or older titles I've recently become aware of), but with Christmas being tomorrow, I wanted to do something that dealt more closely with the holiday season.  And while I'm not sure if I'm still Christian, I love the pageantry surrounding Christmas.  And let's not forget that Christian began as a pagan celebration...

I love Hogfather and if you've never read Pratchett - or this particular book - you've been missing out. The story delves into some of the older, darker aspects of the holiday.

ITS THE NIGHT BEFORE HOGSWATCH. AND IT'S TOO QUIET.

Where is the big jolly fat man? Why is Death creeping down chimneys and trying to say Ho Ho Ho? The darkest night of the year is getting a lot darker...

Susan the gothic governess has got to sort it out by morning, otherwise there won't be a morning. Ever again...

The 20th Discworld novel is a festive feast of darkness and Death (but with jolly robins and tinsel too).

As they say: You'd better watch out...

Merry Christmas!

I didn't have time to set up a Christmas tree this year (and wouldn't have been home to enjoy it if I had), so here's a lit tree I pass at Yonge & Dundas square in Toronto on my way to the subway.  (Thankfully I won't be seeing the real tree today.)

I hope you have a Wonderful Christmas, with friends and family. :D

Christmas Fantasy & Sci-Fi Reading List

Looking for some holiday reading to get into the Christmas spirit?

I went through the SF section a few weeks ago looking for books to display. There were numerous mystery novels so I was hoping for a decent endcap of sci-fi stuff. In retrospect, given how these books take place in other worlds it shouldn't have surprisesd me how few there'd be. I guess it's surprising there are so many. I'm sure there are books I didn't find, so if you know of ones that didn't make my list please comment them. Here are the books in no particular order.



Carol For Another Christmas - Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Hogfather - Terry Pratchett
A Yuletide Universe - Brian Thomsen, ed.
Miracle & Other Christmas Stories - Connie Willis
Wolfsbane & Mistletoe - Charlaine Harris & Toni Kelner, ed.
A War of Gifts - Orson Scott Card
The Claus Effect - David Nickle & Karl Schroeder
The Stupidest Angel - Christopher Moore (not shelved in sci-fi, but applicable)
The Frost-Haired Vixen - John Zakour
Dr Who: Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas - Cavan Scott & Mark Wright, ed.

Added in February 2013:

Krampus: The Yule Lord - Brom

Season of Wonder - Paula Guran, Ed.

A Cosmic Christmas - Hank Davis, Ed.

A War of Gifts - Orson Scott Card

Wolfsbane & Mistletoe - Charlaine Harris & Toni L. P. Kelner, Ed.