Ode to Jake 2.0 and Chuck

My favorite TV show of all time is Jake 2.0. It lasted one season on the CW, and is about a tech support geek who's accidentally injected with nano technology that makes him super-fast, -strong, etc. It stars a young Christopher Gorham, and he is SO CUTE. I love this show so much. Sadly, it's not even on DVD, it's so obscure. Sometimes Syfy will play mini-marathons of it in the afternoon.

Another TV show I love love love love love is Chuck. Maybe not as much as Jake 2.0, because it doesn't have Christopher Gorham in it, but it is my anti-drug. I AM SERIOUS, it's my anti-drug. It's also about tech geek who works at a Best Buy-type store, and visually downloads "the Intersect," which gives him ALL THE INFORMATION. Then spies have to drag him along with them on missions.

So clearly, I have a think for computer geeks. What's you favorite TV show?


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Why I Love Jane Eyre

My favorite book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Brontë had me from practically the first sentence of this novel. I love Jane because she always remains true to herself, even when it forces her to make decisions that most people would find impossible to make. I don't think I could be as strong as Jane Eyre if I found myself in some of the situations she found herself in; but because she's willing to take chances, eventually she realizes her dreams.

If I was going to ask Jane Eyre anything, it would be, did you ever completely lose hope?

What's your favorite novel?


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7 Facts About Ellis Drake

1. My name is not Ellis Drake.
2. All the things in my first short story, Hanged to Death, actually happened (except for the murder, of course).
3. I don't know how to swim.
4. My dream is to have a pet octopus. THIS IS MY DREAM.
5. For some reason, I can still remember all of my student i.d. numbers and the license plate of my first car.
6. I go to the library so much I'm on a first-name basis with the security guards.
7. According to my grandma, when I was little I could count in Russian, German, Polish, and Spanish (and English, of course).

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Promo: HANGED TO DEATH free for a limited time!

In anticipation of the release of Tweet the Police, I'm offering Hanged to Death free for a limited time. This edition contains a small teaser of Tweet the Police at the end.

Where to download:
Smashwords (Nook and Kindle editions also available here)

Invisible Me

If I could have any superpower, I would love to be able to turn invisible. Just think of it--I could go anywhere! I could do anything! Airport security: bam. Living in a museum like those kids from The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: easy. I could explore on a whim.

According to The A-Z Files, this question about superpower tends to boil down to four powers: flying, invisibility, teleportation, and time travel. The personalities of people who pick invisibility are:

You're a generous team player, a solid rock and the foundation for any successful collaborative endeavor. You're always humble about your contributions, and your broad and deep empathy drives you to put others before yourself. You enjoy a quiet moment to yourself after a job well done.

Perhaps not coincidentally considering our culture, the only comic book characters with the power to turn invisible are women.


Don't know what your superpower would be? Take this quiz!


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iPod Shuffle

Top ten results of a random iTunes shuffle:

1. "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)" by Shania Twain--Ah, Shania Twain. I think I summed up my feelings on this one when I told my friend, "She's pretty good if you don't mind shallow."
   
2. "Surprise Hotel" by Fool's Gold--This was a free weekly download on iTunes. /end why I have it on my iTunes
   
3. "Always" by Panic! At the Disco--I saw this CD at my library and was like, "w00t, free CD." Panic! At the Disco is okay. My brother thinks they're an an emo band (they kind of are).
   
4. "Make You Feel My Love" by Maria Muldaur--Muldaur made an entire album of Bob Dylan covers. It's pretty good if Dylan is a little too up-tempo for you. Slow that song down, buddy, I was almost staying awake.
   
5. "San Francisco Bay Blues" by Eric Clapton--It's Eric Clapton. /end why I have it on my iTunes
   
6. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" by Eddie Izzard--Uhg, I actually HATE this song. Or not the song, really, just the way Eddie Izzard sings it. It's on the Across the Universe soundtrack. I would delete it, but having incomplete soundtracks on my iTunes makes me twitchy.
   
7. "Pick Somebody Up" by Rick Midon--Pretty sure this was another free download.
   
8. "Rapt: In the Evening Air" by The Art of Noise--This is part of an album I heard about on Twitter, The Seduction of Claude Debussy. The Art of Noise used Debussy's ideas of music evoking all the senses and blended Debussy's compositions with jazz, hip-hop, electronica, opera, narration, etc. I like this track especially because of the line, "It will remind you of a line from Baudelaire: sound and perfume swirling in the evening air."
   
9. "Paradise (Not for Me)" by Madonna--I like Madonna. She's ballsy.
   
10. "Brokedown Palace" by The Grateful Dead--I was totally obsessed with The Grateful Dead when I was in high school, but I haven't listened to this song in forever! I'm suddenly struck with the desire to sit outside and do absolutely nothing.
    

Any of these on your iTunes?


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Guilty Pleasure

It looks so real!

Confession: I am a total sucker for cheesy Cinderella-type movies. You know that Lifetime movie about about Prince William and Kate Middleton, William & Kate, that aired almost two years ago? I totally watched that at least seven times. And then a few months later I rented the DVD so I could watch it some more. Why? Why would I do that to myself? It was such a stupid movie.

Another really good Cinderella movie (by which I mean totally cheesy yet fun) is Another Cinderella Story--such an original title!--starring Selena Gomez. Yes, I am fifteen years old. On the inside. Gomez also starred in a not-quite-as-good cheesy movie called Monte Carlo, where she had an evil doppelganger. I really like Selena Gomez; I think I might become a fan on FaceBook.

Of course, we can't forget The Prince & Me, starring Julia What's-Her-Face, which I may or may not have watched three too many times (and yes, I did watch the sequel. As if I wouldn't); A Cinderella Story with Hilary Duff, and all those Princess Diaries movies.

There are also some take-offs on the Cinderella theme that don't strictly follow the rules of the fairy tale, but feel like they do because they are so corny. Such as What a Girl Wants (Colin Firth plays the British dad... you know that one) and Chasing Liberty (President's daughter goes to Prague, Matthew Goode is adorable).

What makes me feel guilty about watching these movies is that I know while I'm watching them that they're totally teenager-y (is that a word? It is now) and stupid. But that's also why I like them! It's like when I'm watching a stupid movie, I can stop worrying about all the stupid problems in my own life, at least temporarily. Then, when it's over, I'm like, "Dreams really do come truuuuuuuuue." I am such a cheeseball sometimes.

What are your favorite cheesy movies?


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