Fanboy Wife

Flash and Black Lantern Snowflakes

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

In addition to the Green Lantern snowflake, I made Ash one with a Black Lantern and one with the Flash logo.

Happy Holidays!

Mon-Oh and Snowflakes

2011-12-22T10:45:00.000-06:00

I’m sorry I haven’t been posting lately. In November, I was sick with mono (Ash was sick with Mon-El) and didn’t have the energy to mock my husband. I’m finally starting to feel better.

Since I’ve been sick, I have completely neglected my fair share of the cooking. Last week, Ash came home from work and asked, “What’s for dinner?” I told him that instead of making supper I decided to make him snowflakes. He was less than pleased… until he took a closer look!

Ash liked my Green Lantern snowflake.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T06:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Halloween!

Ghostbusters Halloween Costumes

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

As it turned out, I had to make Ash’s jumpsuit for his Ghostbusters costume. The original plan was for him to buy coveralls, but he couldn’t find any that fit. He went to several stores (in 3 states), but he couldn’t find anything that worked. All of the suits were too small, had short sleeves, had the wrong pockets, or they were the wrong color. After giving up on buying a jumpsuit, we had the daunting task of selecting fabric. There’s only one place in town that sells fabric, and they didn’t have the right color, so I had to dye the cloth myself.

I also didn’t have or know of a patter to use for the Ghostbusters suit, so I had to wing it. I severely modified an Elvis jumpsuit pattern by changing the sleeves, pant legs and collar. I also had to add the pockets, and I didn’t include them all. Adding the patches was the easiest part!

Ash’s suit was easy compared to my costume though! I chose to be the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (because I hate myself apparently)! I didn’t document my progress on my beastly costume, but I am pleased with the results. I made everything: the hat, mask, cowl, shirt, gloves, pants, and shoes! It truly sucked making my Stay Puft Costume, but I am pleased with the results. I definitely have the “hottest” Ghostbusters costume!

Ghostbusters Play-Doh

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love Play-Doh. I never grew out of the joy of squeezing a sculpting medium and creating things. When I was in college, I took four semesters of ceramics just because I like squishing and building with clay! When I was a kid, I never got name-brand Play-Doh though. We always had the homemade kind, and I never had any desire to play with kits or molds. When I was in college, I never used any molds either. I like hand building the best.

Ash, on the other hand, would have killed to have owned a Play-Doh The Real Ghostbusters play set. The friend who owned the Ecto-2 also had a Play-Doh play set. It includes an Ecto-1 that has molds for making a pair of Ghostbusters. I think they’re Peter and Egon. The hood has a goblin mold, and there’s a ghost mold too. There’s also and extruder that can make 4 ghosts at a time and proton pack accessories. The plastic mat with a street scene, plastic knife, and directions are still in the box! Heck, even the original Play-Doh is still in the box. Of course, it’s as hard as a rock, which made Ash a little sad. The glow in the dark dough is pretty nasty looking, but what else would one expect from 25 year old Play-Doh?

Proton Pack 10

2011-10-21T06:00:00.003-05:00

It’s done! It’s done! It’s finally done! I have finally completed Ash’s proton pack, and I couldn’t be more relieved. This thing took forever to complete, and it was way too much work for a Halloween costume. It even lights up! However, I’m fairly pleased with the results. To try to disguise my papier-mâché medium, I “weathered” the proton pack. I painted silver around the edges, painted black over the top, and then I lightly sanded off the black paint. After that, I re-varnished the scuffed areas.

Here is a list of supplies that I used for this project:

Cardboard (old boxes)
35 mm film containers
Small plastic bottles and lids
Tape
Glue (Elmer’s, E6000, hot glue, tacky glue, and super glue)
Paper towel tubes
Little pieces of wood
Plastic tube
Wooden dowel
Papier-mâché (cornstarch and water, newspaper)
Metal wire
Wood putty
Sand paper
Gesso
Spray paint
Acrylic paint
Metallic paint
Red taillight tape
LED pumpkin light
Sticky Velcro
Wires
Flex tubing
Straps
Screws
Washers
Pins
Nail polish
Electrical tape
Ribbon cable
Matte varnish

Here are my tips for anyone else who wants to create a homemade proton pack for his/her Ghostbusters Halloween costume:

Stuff all empty boxes/cavities with newspaper so they don’t slouch when drying.
Don’t use spray gesso; use the regular stuff instead.
Wrap electrical tape around the handles for durability.
Nail polish is great for the little details.
E6000 is the best craft glue ever, and it is wonderful for attaching wires.

Proton Pack 9

2011-10-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Halloween is fast approaching, and I’m still not done with this evil proton pack! I had to order the ribbon wire online. Even though it’s not a perfect match, it was close enough and only a few bucks. The other wires were harvested from an old TV antenna. Even though the wires were originally black, I painted them red. I know I still have a lot to do, and Ash hasn’t even found a jumpsuit yet!

Happy Birthday, Ash

2011-10-14T06:00:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Ash’s birthday, and this was the cake I ordered for him! Yes, that’s supposed to be the Ghostbusters logo (with glasses). Yes, the inscription is “Happy Birthday, You’re Not Special.” Even though the logo is a little sad, and the writing isn’t fantastic, I wouldn’t classify it as a CakeWreck. The cake almost said, “Happy Birthday, Your Not Special,” but I caught that grammatical error in time!

(Bonus points to anyone who can guess the “happy birthday, you’re not special” reference.)

Atom Eve’s Pregnancy

2011-09-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

I know Invinciblepresent Atom Even and Rex Splode #2 came out awhile ago, but I’m just now getting around to mocking the cover. In the first issue of Atom Eve the title character was introduced as a little kid, even though the cover showed an adult in a provocative pose. I didn’t even look in the issue, but based on my past experiences I bet that Atom Eve isn’t really pregnant like the cover clearly shows. She looks pretty angry too. Is she upset because of her pregnancy, her mismatched hands, or her dislocated hip?

Omegamen Fractals

2011-09-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have no idea who Omegaman is or what this comic is about, but I like that there are fractals on the cover!

Thor’s Hammer

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

I wonder just how effective Thor’s hammer would be at pounding nails. I have the feeling that kids who get this toy hammer just end up beating their siblings with it!

Superhero Yoga: Psylocke Pose

2011-09-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

I thought I should wait to build up my flexibility before attempting the Psylocke Pose. Since I decided I didn’t want to cut off my left arm, I figured it would be okay for me to balance on it. If I had PhotoShop, I could have erased it.

First of all, it’s pretty difficult to turn one’s upper torso the same direction as one’s rear end. I wouldn’t recommend it. Second of all, I could barely hold my right arm up that high when my spine was all twisted, so there was no way I was going to try to hold a sword. I was injuring myself just my twisting and turning and putting a lot of pressure on my kneecaps, and I didn’t want to add something heavy and pointy into the equation. Thirdly, my head is turned a little too far, but I thought my expression was pretty funny.

Superman’s Muscles

2011-09-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

I’m a little concerned about Superman’s skin. Does he have any? Do any of the men in the Legion have skin, or is it very thin and their costumes are painted on with latex body paint? There must be something wrong with Superman and the other male superheroes because we shouldn’t be able to see all of their muscles with such clarity. The women don’t seem to have this disease or disorder because I can’t see their musculature. Unless of course in the superhero universe male superheroes are so strong their muscles show through their skin and clothes and female superheroes are weak and frail.

Flashpoint Reverse Flash

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Who the heck is the Reverse Flash – the slowest man alive?

Superhero Yoga: Half Spider-Man Pose

2011-09-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

Not only is Spider-Man a nerdy photographer who is part spider, but he is also a contortionist. The Spider-Man Pose from Ultimate Spider-Man is for Advanced Superhero Yoga. The best I could do is a modified version, otherwise known as the Half Spider-Man.

This pose requires flying through the air, but balancing on one fist is an acceptable modification. Since this is impossible, I had to balance on another foot. I was also unable to hitch my leg around my right shoulder, and I also failed at hyper extending my left elbow. At least I was able to do the web-slinging mudra!

Green Lantern Gun

2011-09-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Because of the Green Lantern movie, there are a lot of Green Lantern toys and merchandise available. Ash wanted this gun, but considering that there are only two people in our family I know that I would be the only person getting shot! I’m very happen that we decided to buy Boggle instead.

Duplicate Comics

2011-09-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

A symptom of fanboyitis is owning multiple copies of the same things. In Ash’s case, he sometimes has the same book in hardcover and soft shell. Other times, he might have a CD and a vinyl record. However, I was a little surprised when I saw that he had the exact same Legion comic twice. Did he think Superboy in a hair net was really funny and he needed an extra copy?

Renaissance Festival Bingo

2011-08-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

There are two times of year when the Renaissance Faires are in season: end of spring and beginning of fall. Since the fall season is getting underway, I made a Renaissance Festival Bingo card. Print it off and mark the squares after you see what’s listed. Unfortunately, I have seen all of the items listed on the card. (I still have nightmares about a certain smiley face codpiece!)

Proton Pack 8

2011-08-26T06:00:00.006-05:00

I bought Ash a Ghostbusters logo and Venkmen patch on eBay for his Halloween costume. The shipping was really fast, and Ash likes them. He is responsible for getting the coveralls because there is no way I am sewing after I spent all of this time making the papier-mâché proton pack. I don’t think I’ve spent this much time on making any of Ash’s other Halloween costumes.

I keep thinking I’m done with the final layer of paper, but then I find a little flaw or lump or divot and have to go back and fix it. I especially want the corners to look sharp and geometric. So, I keep sanding and adding more layers. Even though I make costumes for us almost every year, this is one probably has taken the longest! (A couple years ago I made Ash a pretty impressive mummy costume made out individual bandages sewn together complete with hieroglyph inscriptions and amulets. Two years ago, I made him a satin Elvis suit that I decked out with hand-sewn jewels.)

After I got everything built with the paper and paste, I bought some wood putty to fill in the low spots to help make the surfaces smoother. After even more sanding, and a lot of vacuuming, I was able to prep the surface for painting.

I thought I would try spray gesso instead of regular gesso because I knew I would have a look of little spaces to paint around and I wanted a smooth surface. Let me just say my experiment was a waste of time and money. Krylon Gesso Spray is just very expensive and stinky spray paint. I also think it attracts bugs because as soon as I put on the first coat a dozen insects decided to crawl on my project and die.

Since I bought the spray, I didn’t have any regular gesso, so I touched up the surfaces as best as I could with some cheap acrylic paint I had. I didn’t save any time since I had to paint by hand anyway.

I had a lot better luck with the black spray paint. I bought camouflage paint since I wanted a matte finish and I like it! I’m starting to resent this project a little less. I just hope Ash appreciates his homemade paper proton pack.

Superhero Yoga: Atom Eve Pose

2011-08-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Not only does Superhero Yoga inspire me to go to a real yoga class with a certified and quailed instructor to fix the damage I’m doing to my spine, but it’s also making me feel fat! Perhaps I shouldn’t attempt to compare myself to contortionist cartoons right after eating tacos?

The Atom Eve Pose is from Invincible Presents Atom Eve. It’s another one legged pose. I did manage to get one photo taken when I was balancing on the ball of my foot, but it was very blurry because I was about to fall over! If only I didn’t a stomach, liver, or any other internal organs, because I think this is my closest match yet with Superhero Yoga!

The Walking Dead TV Show

2011-08-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

I know Ash has been reading The Walking Dead, and he enjoys it. He’s usually pretty entertained by flesh eating zombies. Ash was a little disappointed that he couldn’t watch the TV show since we don’t have cable, but he knew that it would be available to buy eventually.

Even though season one of The Walking Dead has been on DVD for awhile, he waited for it to go on sale before buying it. I’m quite pleased that he waited for it to be cheaper, and I hope this frugality will spread to other shopping trips.

Anyway, I was a little wary about watching this show with Ash. Most of the time I get bored and irritated when watching comic-based movies and television shows, such as Green Lantern and Smallville. However, there are some zombies I enjoy, like the deadites in The Evil Dead movies and musical. Sean of the Dead was extremely entertaining. I also liked Night of the Living Dead, but I can’t stand the sequel when they’re in the mall.

So, Ash and I watched it recently, and it wasn’t too bad. I think watching it over a period of time was helpful too. Usually, when Ash watches shows on DVD, he has a non-stop marathon. The makeup artists for the show did a nice job, and the story isn’t entirely predictable. Ash likes telling me the differences between the comics and the show, but I can handle that. Whenever we watch anything doing with ancient cultures, I have to point out everything that is inaccurate.

Proton Pack 7

2011-08-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

I did have to break down and buy something to use as the hose on the pack pack. Considering that this is the first thing I’ve had to buy for Ash’s Ghostbuster costume, I’m not too upset. Ash and I went to a home improvement store, and I guessed we’d find something in the electronic wires aisle. Surprisingly, I was right! (My next guess would have been the irrigation section.) I got a pack of flex tubing for a couple bucks. I had to hang it up for a few days to get the major kinks out of it, but it should work pretty well.

I also had to build cups to hold the tubing for the proton pack. My plan is to add the hoses and wire and such after I get the proton pack sanded and painted.

Superhero Yoga: Saturn Girl Pose

2011-08-12T06:00:00.002-05:00

Yoga must be popular 1,000 years in the future because the girls in the Legion certainly are flexible! The Saturn Girl Pose comes from Legion: Dream Crime Part Two. Once again, I couldn’t curve my spine nearly as much as the superhero. I swear I was able to balance on the ball of my foot for a second, but I must have dropped back down right before the picture was taken. Additionally, I didn’t get my hands bent back enough, but I’m amused by my melodramatic facial expression. Unfortunately, I couldn’t shrink my head and waist down to match Saturn Girl’s proportions.

Proton Pack 6

2011-08-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Ghostbusters ray gun thing with this proton pack is driving me crazy! I can’t believe how much time I’ve spent on this already, and I know that I’ll have more work to do yet. Since I’m doing my best to use things around the house, I bent a few pins and finagled them to work as switches.

Superhero Yoga: Duplicate Girl Pose

2011-08-05T06:00:00.003-05:00

Even though I’ve only taken about a dozen yoga lessons, I have decided to invent my own form of yoga. Instead of taking classes with a highly qualified yoga instructor who is certified at the 200 of 500-hour level, I’m going to draw my inspiration from comic books! It’s called Superhero Yoga, which is where I will attempt to twist myself in the same positions as demonstrated by superheroes on the covers of my husband’s comic books. On one hand, I’m doing this to prove that there is no way a person could contort herself in these positions. On the other hand, it’s yet another way for me to mock something my husband loves!

The first pose is inspired by Duplicate Girl from the Adventure Comics #528. Duplicate Girl is in the Legion and can replicate herself via super-mitosis. She also fights evil wearing go-go boots.

Since I never went to yoga class in heeled boots and mod dress, I figured I would attempt the Duplicate Girl Pose in regular workout attire and barefoot. While I couldn’t lean over at a 45˚ angle, hold my bent leg out behind my body, crush my vertebrae while curving my spine backward, or bite my own shoulder, I was impressed that I could balance on one leg long enough for the picture!