Geeky Gamer Girl

Time Lapse View of Earth from Space

2011-11-15T22:35:00.000-08:00

Makes you feel so small, doesn't it?

Just wanted to share this amazing video

2011-11-15T22:30:00.000-08:00

Review of Ghoul by Michael Slade

2011-11-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

Michael Slade is the pen name of Jay Clarke, Lee Clarke, and John Banks. John and Jay were both trial lawyers in Vancouver and that experience shows in their novels.

The story takes place in Vancouver, London, and Rhode Island. It's mostly set in the mid 80's but there are some flashbacks. The story follows a Canadian Mountie Zinc Chandler and Chief Detective Hilary Rand of Scotland Yard in their search for answers concerning brutal murders in both Vancouver and London. The first connection made between the 2 locations in a death metal band called Ghoul. The story is briefly told through the mind of some of the band members. It also tells the story from the perspective of the 3 murders, The Vampire Killer, Jack the Bomber, and the Sewer Killer. All of murder in twisted ways. The Vampire Killer drains the blood of his victims through a wound in their neck then cuts out the heart. The Sewer Killer mutilates his victims much in the style of Jack the Ripper. Jack the Bomber plants (you guessed it) bombs at locations frequented by homosexuals. Keep in mind this novel is set in the mid-80s, at the height of the AIDS scare. People did not understand how it could be transmitted and thought it was confined to the gay community.

When I started to read this, I was expecting to get a full on horror novel. But as it turns out Ghoul is part horror, part crime drama. The horror aspects come out in the careful description of the brutal killings. There several classic horror elements incorporated into the story such as the character of the ghoul (aka the sewer killer) which is described in the same way as the ghoul from old horror movies. A tall, pale-skinned madman with cold eyes who wanders the streets of London in search of unsuspecting victims. The authors also use numerous references from old horror movies in their novel.

The story definitely held my attention. The characters are interesting and likable. It can feel a bit disjointed at times because it jumps around to different locations and characters. I suspect this is do to the fact that the book has 3 authors. It does mention the date and location at the beginning of each section, so that helps. By the middle of the book, everything starts coming together. You find out what one set of characters in one location has to do with another set in another location. All in all, it was a good novel. It has a few shocks, cringe inducing imagery, and a bit of the unexpected thrown in for good measure. By the end all the questions are answered and the book contains no plot holes that I noticed. It's a great book if you like horror or crime dramas about the psychology of a killer.

Unfortunately Ghoul is no longer in print but you can purchase it used on Amazon or find it at your local library. If your interested in purchasing other books by Michael Slade, you can find a list on Amazon.

Funny Stuff From Around the Web Part 1

2011-11-14T18:10:00.001-08:00

Funny stuff from around the web
24 Things Other Countries Suspect About Life in America

I can so relate

Websites I frequent

2011-11-14T03:42:00.000-08:00

The funny ones first:

Cracked a hilariously informative website.

Failblog be sure to check out Failbook and WIN! too

Memebase also part of the Cheezburger family of sites

News and Info sites:

Newsvine

The Village Voice

CNN

Internet Movie Database

Time killers:

Online Sweepstakes Lists thousands of no purchase necessary online sweepstakes.

Free Zombie Games

Documentary Storm Free streaming docs

Den of Geek The internet home of geeks

Some of my favorite video sites:

Red Letter Media funny stuff for movie geeks.

Zero Punctuation Yahtzee does great game reviews

The Guild a great webseries for gamers

Steam- Heaven for PC Gamers

2011-11-14T03:29:00.000-08:00

Every gamer should have Steam . It's a free program that allows you to meet and play with other people online. Not only do they have majors sales in the summer and around the holidays, Steam has 14 free to play games. Team Fortress 2 is critically acclaimed with a metascore of 92 and it's free! They have features such as being able to connect your Facebook page and YouTube channel to your Steam profile. You can even embed your videos on Steam. You can also set up a wishlist where your friends can see the games you want so they know what to buy you for Christmas! Steam has an easy to use screenshot system and they are easily viewable on your profile page.

Steam is run by the game developers, Valve. They not only made TF2, they are also responsible for Left4Dead 1&2, the Half-Life games, and Portal 1&2. These are some of the best games to come out in the last 10 years. One of the great things about Valve games is that they are designed to run on the average PC. You don't have to own a state of the art system to play their latest game Portal 2 let alone their older ones. Valve never charges for their DLCs on PC. Most developers do. Almost everyone of their games have DLCs.

I play all my games through Steam, so the games I review are all playable through steam. I will link to their websites and store pages when I write the reviews.

Earn a few extra bucks easy!

2011-11-13T23:03:00.000-08:00

Click this link Jingit to accept my invite to make a few bucks just for watching commercials!

Thoughts on the X Factor (US)

2011-11-12T19:01:00.000-08:00

I used to watch American Idol but I lost interest after Simon Cowell left the show. So I was really excited when he brought The X Factor to America. I watched the previous 2 seasons of the UK version and enjoyed it very much. Unlike American Idol, the show uses dancers to make a more concert worthy musical production. I love that Simon and Paula are back together and L.A. Reid and Nichole Sherzinger do a great job of rounding out a professional judging panel.

My favorite contestant is Josh Krajcik but all the contestants are talented performers. I'm not a fan of rap but I have to admit Astro is an extremely talented kid. I recommend this show to everyone but especially those who have become bored with American Idol. The X Factor airs on Fox on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Check your local listings for times.

Yummy Giveaway!

2011-11-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

My fellow blogger Out numbered 3 to 1 is running a giveaway for Gourmet Brownie and Crumb Collection from Bake Me a Wish!

You can enter here. It runs through 11/19. So don't miss out!

Review of Terra Nova

2011-11-10T01:31:00.000-08:00

I've been watching Terra Nova since the first episode and I've yet to decide if I like it or not. TV networks have been scrambling to find a series to fill the void that Lost left behind. The setting is the Earth's prehistoric past. It follows a family of five that has left 2149 behind for a new life in the colony of Terra Nova. The head of the household Jim Shannon works security for the colony's leader Commander Taylor. Jim's wife Elizabeth is a surgeon on the colony's medical team. They have three children, Josh is 17, Maddy is 15, and their youngest Zoe is 5.

The plot centers around the mysteries of Terra Nova and how the family is adjusting to their new life. The colony has several threats to deal with like the dinosaurs and a group they call the Sixers. The Sixers came over on the 6th pilgrimage to Terra Nova. They defected and moved into the prehistoric wilderness due to disagreements with Commander Taylor. Mira is their leader and the show's main protagonist. Several of the episodes have involved the ongoing conflict between the colony and the Sixers.

As I said before, Several networks seem to be airing shows they think might be able to replace Lost. Some elements are similar such as a group of people out of place in time and location, a constant threat from an outside group, and "monsters" lurking in the forest. But we all know that there will never be another Lost. The Shannons for the most part are boring characters and the people who play them are average actors. I haven't developed any emotional connection with them and unless the writing drastically changes, I doubt I ever will. As it stands now the writing is mediocre at best. The children's characters and the character of Commander Taylor are very cliche. Zoe is the cute innocent little girl, Maddy is the intelligent older sister, and Josh is a rebellious youth with father issues. Taylor is the classic hard-nosed military leader that has secrets to hide.

I don't know how a TV series set during the age of the dinosaurs can be so ordinary. It's entertaining enough that I haven't stopped watching it yet, but I do find myself getting distracted by shiny objects during the show. In other words, it doesn't hold my attention like a show with that setting should. I mean you think, "Dinosaurs! It must be awesome!" but alas no, no it's not.

Giveaways!

2011-11-09T00:22:00.000-08:00

A Rafflecopter sweeps for a $25 Visa giftcard. Ends tomorrow! http://thecoolestwebsiteontheinternet.com/frontpage/giveaway-25-visa-gift-card/

Here's one for a $50 Amazon giftcard on the same site that doesn't end for another 21 days. http://thecoolestwebsiteontheinternet.com/frontpage/50-amazon-gift-card/

Black Friday Shopping Tips

2011-11-08T01:16:00.000-08:00

The easiest way to take advantage of black friday sales is to stay home and check out the deals online. You can sign-up for an ad newsletter here black friday newsletter. Check out this giveaway Black friday giveaway via Mom's Online Garage Sale. Enter for a chance to win a $50 Target giftcard!

My Current Reading List

2011-11-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

I recently decided to go back to my local library after 14 years of absence. After all I can't afford to buy every book I wanna read. Here's the list of books that I'm making my way through HWA list of best horror novels I've read 10 of them so far and I some of the lesser known ones. Right now I'm reading Ghoul by Michael Slade. I believe I will review it when I'm done. I should have the review up within a week.

Why I decided to start blogging

2011-11-05T01:17:00.000-07:00

So I've been entering sweepstakes on blog sites recently. I found some of the sites very interesting and decided I wanted to give this a go. I hope to be blogging about all sorts of things. I'll review games, movies, and probably some girly stuff too. Speaking of girly stuff here's a contest from a fellow blogger that gives you a chance to win $70 to Twisted Orchid. They've got some killer handbags like this one http://www.twistedorchid.com/Green-Kirie-Hobo_p_1785.html They also have some retro shell handbags. Click here to enter the contest http://ourwhiskeylullaby.blogspot.com/2011/10/twisted-orchid-review-and-giveaway.html If there's any girly obsession I have, it's purses. I can't enter Target without buying one.

I think I'll be reviewing some PC games in the near future. So keep a look out for future posts!