Nerdery Week: Day 3

So, I’m going to try and make this not so long and convoluted. I think if I keep up the pace I’m at I’m gonna run out of nerdery to document.

I thought I’d take you in for a closer look at the shelf on my desk and all the nerdiness piled up there. Tomorrow we’re going to look at ‘Fridge Corner’ and I have no idea what the plan is for the rest of the week.

We’ll wing it, yo.
Okay, starting from the left hand side and working out way to the right…

1. Children’s Writer’s & Illustrated Market for 2007 book. I decided about 30 minutes after buying it that it will be my last. Seriously. It’s such a waste of money and it’s basically outdated the moment you pull it out of the Border’s bag. I have some rejection letters and a book of stamps stuck in there for good measure.

2. The 3 A.M. Epiphany it’s a book by Brian Kiteley that’s designed to give you a ‘nudge’ in terms of writing. I thought it was a cool-looking book and liked some of the exercises in there. Since I haven’t needed a nudge in a long time, I haven’t done a single exercise. Still, it’s good to know it’s there…just in case.

3. The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. Gee…big surprise that I’ve got this sitting in my nerdery. It’s everything you need to know in preparation for the zombie apocalypse. I read his other zombie book World War Z. Um…yeah. You notice THAT book isn’t present here.

4. Parents Wanted by George Harrar. A critique partner and friend let me read this book a while back and I REALLY need to get it back to her. I finished it and thought it was good, but didn’t really feel much for the main character. Well written, though.

5. American History X DVD. This is from a friend at work. We talked about scenes in movies where people had the opportunity to ‘taste the curb’ (don’t ask) and he brought this for me to watch. Haven’t watched it yet, but I plan on it. Soon. Really.

6. Journals that I haven’t really written much in. You’d think a writer-nerd like myself would have LOADS of journals just filled with ideas. Uh…nope, not really. I mean, I’ve scratched out some stuff on some pages, but most of my ideas stay in my head, leaving little room for much else. Just ask my wife.

7. Sony PSP & Ratchet & Clank Size Matters Game Did I ever mention what a short attention span I have? It’s sinister. To that end, I hardly go anywhere without some sort of portable entertainment. Truly. If we’re sitting somewhere for too long and I’m not actively DOING SOMETHING I start to go crazy. In these times of trouble, I break out the PSP. Yes, I’m 12.

8. Big Ol’ Pile of Writing Stuff For all those folks that think my nerdery is too neat, I tend to agree. This is the pile where I put works in progress, critiques from my industrious critique partners and any other thing that I’m going to get to later. If I had my way, I’d have it all spread out everywhere. Actually, that’s not true. I need some order. Sue me.

9. DVD Camcorder Battery I’m not sure how this got there. I’ve been meaning to charge it since, like, forever, but I keep forgetting. Sorry.

10. Cobra Commander Not nearly as cool as the original CC, but I saw this reissue in the store and had to have him. I sort of like him better than the hooded one anyway. Also, I love that you can still have him carry his pistol on his back.

11. Electric Chair Marv Probably one of my most favorite nerdy action figures of all time. It’s Marv from the comic book Sin City. There’s a switch you can push down on to give him the ‘juice’ and he says: Is that the best you can do? Pansies… Also, his eyes light up and the whole thing shakes like he’s being electricuted. Triple awesome with a side of wicked.

12. Zartan My all time favorite GI Joe action figure from years past is/was Zartan. This is another reissue but I couldn’t resist. He comes with a backpack that’s got a mask on so he can be in disguise. The funny thing? His outfit totally screams ZARTAN! A goofy mask isn’t going to disguise him all that well.

13. Sigma 6 Snake Eyes In a move that I still don’t understand, they release some GI Joes with sort of an anime bent to them. One of the figures was this guy. He’s got a checklist of cool (nerdiness) built in: Uzi (check), sword (check), dogtags (check), quiet yet deadly disposition (check and checkmate)

14. New Goblin Easily one of the worst (along with Lucy from Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) action figures I own is this guy. While I loved the character from Spiderman 3, I was disappointed with how lame the figure was. Despite it all, he still gets to air-board his way onto my desk…and into our hearts.

15. The Tatooine Gang Now don’t get me wrong, I still have all the old 1970’s Star Wars guys, but they’re all locked up in a cryogenic chamber beneath our house. In the meantime, I have to settle for the newer guys I picked up. I don’t know what it is, but I love me some sand-dwelling Star Wars guys, especially the Tusken Raider. Anyway, there’s a Jawa in there, that weird Dome Droid and the R2 unit without the bad motivator.

16. Fat Bastard The best part about this guy? He came in a box that said ‘Fat Man.’ I guess the stores didn’t want to carry a figure with the word ‘bastard’ on it. He’s got a pull string and says: Frisky are we? I’m dead sexy, look at my sexy body! Oh I got your mojo now, Sonny Jim! He weighs like 15 pounds and is always watching me while I type. Even now…

17. Abbey Chase I’ve got a thing for ‘chicks with guns’ so this was an easy sell. This is Abbey Chase from the short run comic series Danger Girl. Not sure what else to say other than I love that she’s standing in front of some ancient ruins and is ready to pop caps on any suckas who front.

18. Snake Eyes When one Snake Eyes isn’t enough, a second one can’t hurt. Another reissue from the GI Joe 25th Anniversay series. He was too cool to pass up.

19. Boba Fett vs Sarlaac I’m pretty sure I’m the only Star Wars nerd who likes Boba Fett (insert sarcastic tone) so this called to me from the Target clearance shelf. He was actually my first ‘official’ addition to the desk shelf. I love the idea that this cool character had a fighting chance against the Sarlaac pit. As Caryle mentioned in a comment a few days ago, he’s probably still being digested by that thing. Sigh.

20. Cop Car Decepitcon from Transformers Here’s where I pull the lame card. I don’t remember this guy’s name from the movie, but I like the cop car anyway. The real reason? Instead of saying ‘To Serve & Protect’ along the side, it says ‘To Punish & Enslave.’ Full disclosure: I thought the Transformers movie was lame. I actually fell asleep during the ‘exciting’ conclusion. At one point Shia LaBouf was holding some dumb glowing orb and the next minute they were tossing Megatron into the drink. Zzzzz…

Anyway, that’ll wrap up Day 3 for me. I’m pleased to announce some new Nerderies have joined the fray! Visit ’em and show ’em your love!

Susan Sandmore
Catherine J. Gardner/Phoenix Rendell

Along with our founding fathers/mothers:

Dan – This Man’s World
Matt – Blue Birdland
Caryle – Caryle’s Corner
Jeff – May the Force Be With Y’all

Nerdery Week continues…TOMORROW!