AM~Erica is a Marvel...But...

So anyway...

I'm a geeky girl. I know it. I'm now proud of it. And I'm not afraid to admit it.

My geek levels to run a large gamut in the spectrum of geekery...so I know quite a bit about several different things geeky.

** Here's a guide to the difference between Geek & Nerd **

**********

Star Trek already runs in my veins (reminder HERE), and really so does Star Wars (check it out HERE). I love Dr. Seuss (if you need a refresher, click HERE). I do try to stay at least semi-fluent in other realms of geekery to keep up conversations with the kiddos, too. But when it comes to the comic universe, I tend to lean more one way than the other...usually...

I grew up with Christopher Reeves' Superman being in the limelight. Eventually, Tim Burton brought back the world of Batman in the beginnings of a movie franchise, too. Who knew that Michael Keeton would honestly be a decent Batman? Since then, Batman has become like James Bond movies: not only the toys...but it's always about WHO will play the caped crusader next! With Ben Affleck up to bat (*SNORT*...yeah...I just said that), the nerds & geeks have exploded with opinions on it! Personally, I'm in the camp that believes it will work. Just for the record.

With all the DC Comic stuff that I grew up with...heck, I even had my Wonder Woman & Super Girl Underoos as a kid (remember those?)! But I have wavered from that. I've come to be a HUGE fan of Stan Lee & the Marvel of this superhero universe he's created. It's brilliantly done...even with the villains. The crossovers have been spectacular, too.  The Avengers & The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are all coming together & crossing over with Spiderman & The Guardians of the Galaxy are all making their way together...where the same atmosphere contains all Marvel!
Heck...Stan Lee even had the TV show where he was to immortalize super civilians in their own alter ego hero. It was quite entertaining trying to keep up with "Who Wants to be a Superhero?" to see who would be the reigning champ to get their own Stan Lee comic book.

...geeks, too.

Here is my only real disappointment with Marvel: even though there are several female "heroes" & superhumans/mutants...not really any of them have been lifted up to stand alone. Black Widow is PART of the Avengers & just really excels at what she does. Even Storm & Rouge are part of the X-Men. What's up with that? And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's SO many more than that!

As I have been running (reminder HERE), I have been thinking of running & race outfits (some thought process HERE) that would be great, especially with tutus. But, I don't always wear the tutus since those are reserved for race days. But I've been needing a little extra motivation for just the training runs.

I have been researching & noticing a boost in tutu superhero running outfits. And I love them! But I've seen them more drawn to to Iron Man, Captain America, Superman & Batman (per se)...you get the idea. A lot of feminized male heroes. Which is FINE! Even if you took Super Girl & Bat Girl (ugh..."girl"), they are feminized versions of Superman & Batman. Amm-i-rite?

Then there is Wonder Woman. Where is she in all of this? She's stand alone. She's awesome. And no one can seem to give her the respectful reboot she deserves. She's supposed to make a cameo, apparently, in the new Superman/Batman movie to try to help lead up to a Justice League gathering...but c'mon! WHERE'S THE RESPECT?

Wonder Woman (that's right...WOMAN) got stuck in my head. I did find a few gals in running outfits inspired by this strong female superhero. And I wanted in on it! And I began reminiscing about my Wonder Woman Underoos when I was 4 or 5 years old...

So, I found some leggings (that I actually got for a different reason, but they work beautifully), I searched out a sleeveless top or tank I could afford, some socks to top off the order, and a gold-colored Bondi Band to give it a boost.

Though it's a race outfit in progress...I wanted to use it as some motivation for some hills. I have this race coming up that is just one giant hill...that we hit twice. That's just for the 5k...those doing the 10k has to double up on that! Geez! And since my 'hood is filled with hills...my hubby & I started tackling them to build up a bit for this race...
And after I got my WW tank & socks, plus the Bondi Band, I threw it all on with the leggings for a hilly 5k training run...

You know what? Even though my hubby just looked at me like I was crazy & said, "Nice get-up." I just thanked him & continued to get ready to go out the door to run. And I hit those hills like they were almost nothing! I felt SO good...I could've hit another hill! But I didn't want to overdo it with the race coming. But I felt nearly invincible! I ended my training run SMILING! I even got weird looks from neighbors...but I think they were just jealous they couldn't be Wonder Woman, too. Even the dudes...I'm sure of it!
When I got back, my hubby looked at me (since he'd been following my run online) and said, "Must have been the Wonder Woman outfit."

Well yes...I think so, too.

My following training day did not feel as good...but I was trying to keep it a bit shorter as I build to the race. So today, even though I didn't have a full-on superhero outfit...my socks came in a variety of DC characters. So, I opted for the Batsocks today. I paired them up with my gray Beast Mode Bondi Band from RunJunkEes. And I felt pretty good!

Even though I'm a Marvel universe kind of chic...I almost deferring back to my DC Underoos days. I'm thinking of Super Girl & Bat Girl outfits to just do training runs in.

And then...let the neighbors talk...
...whatever it takes to motivate...
Amm-i-rite?

In the meantime...c'mon Stan! At least one superchic to be stand-alone. Seriously...

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Helps Take on Who?

So anyway...

If you read the previous post, you know about the AMAZING BIRTHDAY EXPERIENCE Teen Girl had. But it didn't stop there. See...my daughter has this habit, as many do, of living in fandoms. Probably her main fandom is the world of Who. Yes, she is a Whovian.

Now then, I am no stranger to the Whovian fandom...my friend Nikki, who I have BROUGHT UP BEFORE, has been one for many years. So, I grew up watching Four, but didn't grasp how long it had been going, or how long it might last. But I would hear Nikki talk of the different Doctors here & there. Plus, in the days before caller ID, if there was an obscene or telemarketing call, she would just "tell" them (read: yell at them), "I'M A WHOVIAN!" Yeah...entertaining.

Now with my daughter into it, plus my sons sort of, and with other friends of mine who are Whovians...PLUS all the nerd/geek boards on Pinterest...I pretty much quasi-stay up with it by association. So I know what some references are. Enough that I can understand some of the Who-speak without totally pulling my smile-&-nod technique.

With this being the case, it started on Christmas 2012 (beyond just the episodes we'd try to help her find) when she received this from Santa:

Yep...that's right. There was a TARDIS in the living room. A cardboard cutout stand up...but a 6', super amazingly-awesome TARDIS! Oh...and a sonic screwdriver set, too.

Well, her love for Who hasn't let up at all. And with it being her birthday, taking her to the cottage garden got her super excited when she saw the little greenhouse. Why? Well it has a familiar look to a Whovian, and she had to get her pic with it, of course:

Imagine how freaked out she was when she saw the greenhouse was "TARDIS blue"! With the windows, it had a TARDIS-like feel...so we got her picture in it.

And it didn't stop there! We found an amazing gift for her! One that was so perfect, we had to make sure she had it! We got it at, what some might dread, Hot Topic. We actually went to see if they had any t-shirts for any of her fandoms, and we found a lot of different things! One employee ended up helping us. And I mean she HELPED us!! This chic was a gothic-pinup-tattooed character with a friendly & bubbly personality & disposition. Hubby & I decided she was a shorter version of Abby Sciuto (you know...NCIS lab chic). She showed us a lot of really cool things. We sauntered around the store, found a few possibilities, but nothing we were really excited about. Somehow we missed the entire Doctor Who corner at the FRONT of the store... *face palm* So we were trying to get excited about something there...but...ugh. We told our Abby-like chic that we were shopping for Teen Girl's 17th bday...and her eyes lit up. She asked what size Teen Girl wears & says she might have something in the back. But it's so special...it hasn't been put out in the store yet...but didn't want to tell us what it was in case they didn't have her size. She bebopped to the back room...and we waited...

After a couple of minutes she came out with the most amazing thing! THE. MOST. AMAZING. THING.
However, she didn't have the right size & we decided to order it. We got it picked up in time for the family gathering. And this is what she wore:

Is that amazing? Yes...it is a TARDIS & British flag dress. And it's totes a-dorbes on her!

Then, along with that, she was dying to have a TARDIS cake. Well...no pressure there, eh? *sigh* After thinking thru trying to a 3D TARDIS, This is what I came up with:

Teen Girl felt the urge to light the candles on her own TARDIS cake

So...only being a partial Whovian, I did the best I could to try to appease a hardcore Whovian. It was a nail-biter! But Teen Girl seemed amused. I'll take it, cuz it is what it is. But I got some encouragement & pats on the head from posting these pics. But then...this happened...

If you click right HERE, you will see where this pic ended up & the message attached to it! It's kind of a big deal, yo. You need to read the comments, too! So awesome!!! (Just FYI: I was asked if it could be used by the page...that made me feel even better about my cake effort!)

So...I think the TARDIS has served her well. I just hope an actual blue box doesn't show up...she would jump on the chance to be a companion, for sure. I think she'd be an awesome companion...but I would miss her! Well...at that point in time. I'd see her other times, too...I'm sure.

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

You May Refer to AM~Erica as Your Highness

So anyway...

Believe it or not, I am not one who puts it out there whenever it's my birthday. There is usually too many other things going on right at the same time, our time gets taken being pulled in several directions. So, I just put it off as another day.

I usually don't have it broadcast of Facebook either. But I got Facebook's new timeline setup & think it triggered the re-broadcasting of my birthday. Because...imagine my surprise when I kept getting very sweet well wishes...especially by folks who wouldn't know it was my birthday unless you REALLY knew me! As I got looking...it appeared that Facebook was, indeed, the blabber-mouth. But I was very blessed with so many well wishes...I could hardly keep up thru the day! Thank you, all!

Now, please realize this is absolutely NOT a post to pander for more birthday greetings...like I said...I'm not that person. But I wanted to point this out instead:

Yesterday was Day 1 of Planet Comicon in KC. Originally, I GOT REALLY EXCITED ABOUT GOING & had fully hoped to take it in. I had certainly hoped to meet some sci-fi legendry. However, mommyhood set in...and it turns out that Teen Girl, who also wanted to go, had a choir contest smack-dab in the middle of the day. Figures. And then...Lil Guy got signed up for spring flag football...and found out that his 1st two games would be...oh yes, that's right...the same day. And? Smack-dab in the middle of the day! *sigh*

It appeared that Comicon would not be happening. And I really wanted Day 1 since George Takei & Wil Wheaton would both be there. I think Ray Park, too. *sigh* Figures. But mommyhood had to come first. So I put out a call to any of my friends going to do me a solid & keep bringing up a birthday party that these legendary icons (yes...I am considering Wil Wheaton a legendary icon at this point...he's made his mark) that would want to come to...and then "gently invite" (or possibly steal & throw in a trunk to force <<<=== haha - I said "force") into coming to have cake & possibly some antioxidant fortified Jesus water. That's all. Not much to ask at all!

But...to no avail. I heard the security was pretty tight...but the security could've come, too! And then...AND THEN??? I found out my "head geek", whom I put in charge of such mission, actually came into inadvertent contact with George Takei! Yeah...that's all cool & stuffs...but...you know. It's an entertaining story...that I had nothing to do with. Why? Cuz I was busy being a mommy!

*SHAKE IT OFF-SHAKE IT OFF*

However...being a wife & mommy...my family did get me some pretty perfect cardage.

First, my kiddos gave me this envelope:

That's right...it does say "Your Highness (:"! And yes...that would be me!

And then here was the card:

FRONT

INSIDE

Now then...my hubby thinks he's so adorable when he says that I look good for being 45 (or sometimes up to 54). And he's being so ornery since I'm no where near any of those ages! He likes to tell people what a cougar I am...even though he is older than me. I usually say that I'm always 24! And I really like to remind him that I'm totally the trophy wife! DUH! And yes...we really do have this conversation from time-to-time.

With that said...here's the card front I got from my hubby:

Greatest Card Ever! My hubby really does like to golf (even though he hasn't been in a while). I really do dance & have gotten trophies that look very much like the one in the pic. This was so crazy perfect...I can't stop giggling!

I did go out to eat at one of my fave places (got me my Spinada Enchilada at Jose Peppers) & see family, had cake...got gifts. It was a good day. Just crazy. Cuz I'm more in the mom role...and it strangely still felt like just another day. Weird? It's my off-kilter brainy-brain.

And today...the kiddos have more stuff going. Just the crazy busy weekend that everyone decided to schedule everything for this weekend. I can't tell you how many things we actually had to turn down!

Now...how to get George & Wil here for cake & tea...or antioxidant fortified Jesus water...

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica's Dream Trek

So anyway...

If you weren't already aware...I'm kind of a GEEKY KIND OF GIRL. Sometimes...I scare myself. Especially when it comes to STAR TREK STUFF and STAR WARS STUFF.

There's also superhero stuff in there, too...but it's the sci-fi stuffs that I got stuck on.

Well, a few nights ago, I had a couple of dreams in the same sleep cycle. They both involved Star Trek in very different ways...

*************************

TREK DREAM: PART I:

I was seated at a table in a restaurant. I don't know if I worked there & was just overzealous in my approach or if I was some kind of interviewer/reporter type person...but I took a seat at a table with Christopher Lloyd.

I was talking to him about his career...and then I almost came out of my seat as I got super excited talking to him about being a Klingon...and how he was part of the Star Trek family...and how I needed my picture with him because of that...and that I needed my picture with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy & George Takei! It had to happen!

Lloyd as Kruge

Ummm...I think I must've been an overzealous food service employee. And I think Mr. Lloyd was terrified of me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TREK DREAM: PART 2:

I was getting ready for some kind of dance thing. Not sure if it was a show, audition or rehearsal...but I was all done up! I was in this amazing white pinstriped, double-breasted suit with black stripes, matching fedora...very gangster like. And, in a very artistic fashion, I had on white face paint (almost mask-like) and a painted black handlebar MOUSTACHE. And all I know is that I was planning on dancing to some Rihanna song.

And then, after doing some last minute warmups & primping, I headed to the hardwood studio floor. But there was a door open between wall mirrors that looked like it lead to a small bathroom or dressing room...and primping in the mirror was a younger William Shatner...in a white gangster pinstriped suit, matching fedora, sporting a white painted face & a painted black handlebar moustache! *GASP*

However, he was not going to be performing to Rihanna...but something else. I decided it was fate, scrapped my Rihanna song, and somehow picked up on the dance moves to what The Shat had choreographed.

**************************

Now that I am in full Trek mode, and after my geeky summer of with the family VISIT TO WICHITA & the GEEKY MOMENT IN SEATTLE, imagine how worked up I have gotten lately when I learned what is coming to town:

PLANET COMICON KC!

We couldn't go last year. I think we had too much stuff happening, but we had planned to go the following year. Well...it's the following year. And I was getting information about when & where to figure out the how!

I also heard that George Takei would be there! GEORGE TAKEI, PEOPLE!!!

*SQUEEEEEEEEEE...*

I also found out that Wil Wheaton would be there, people! WIL WHEATON!!!!!

*SQUEEEEEEE...*

And Peter Mayhew, folks....I said...PETER MAYHEW!!!!!

*GARGHHHARRRRRRHAHHHH...*

Oh...and Lou Ferrigno! That's right...I said LOU FERRIGNO!!!

Uhhh...Lou Ferrigno WITH Stan Lee?? *EPIC*

*RAWWWWWARRRRR...*

Oh...how do I work this out? Because I have an issue...
That weekend is way too busy. *sigh*
Teen Girl has a choir competition. Figures.
Lil Guy's first 2 games of the season happen then, too. But, of course.
Oh...and it's happening right around my birthday...

How? How am I going to try to work in?
I'm trying to figure out timing of appearances so I know how to elbow my way to the front & force (haha...I said "force"...*snort*) pictures with George, Wil & Peter, for sure.

This will happen, right? Amm-i-rite??

People...here's what we must do so this will come to be:

"Make it so..."

MAKE IT SO, PEOPLE!!!

Not much to ask, amm-i-rite? And why are my children looking at me funny & suggesting I should be a mental patient? Weird.

Oh...and while we are securing my photo opps...someone should totally make me a tshirt that says...

"Oh Myyy..." 

...and totally in Star Trek font. Thank you.

Me "posing" with George Takei's autograph on a mural is not good enough this time!!

Stay tuned...& LLAP...

God Bless, AM~Erica

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UPDATE: 

Well, since the above posting, there have been additions to Planet Comicon. Like Ray Park & Lindsay Wagner! Sweeeeeeeeeeet!!!

But now I am also a bit crushed. Remember when I said it was my birthday weekend? Well...things are too busy. Looks like I won't make it here to get the photos I was so hoping to get. *sigh* So I will have to keep up with the pics my friends post on social media to make do.

Was so close...but still so far...

Maybe next year...*sigh*

~~~ OR ~~~

Someone heading that way could "gently invite" the people I mentioned to come to my place for antioxidant-fortified Jesus water for some really great geek-speak...and some serious fan-girling on my part. That's all. Since the folks I am hoping to meet are all doing their thing while I am already booked elsewhere...be a sweety & just bring them to me. K? Thanks.

AM~Erica Has Been Geekily Looking Forward to This

So anyway...

We now have full bellies of yummylicious pizza...we are now headed to the one place hubby & I have been counting down for WEEKS to get to...

Wanna know where?

Well...do you wanna?

DO YOU?????

I got to get my geek girl on again. How you ask? My going to the EMP (Experience Music Project) Museum! It's a place that showcases Seattle-based musicians & some interactive exhibits, too.

And...

AND????

AND...they just acquired an ongoing exhibit of of Icons of Science Fiction!! *happy dance*

Part of this exhibit includes a holy grail of much of the science fiction world...well part of mine anyway...

This, my friends, is what I geek-girl squealed & cried over when I saw it...Captain Kirk's chair from Star Trek The Original Series! It was pretty glassed off...so we couldn't sit in it...*sigh*

Hubby in his best James T. Kirk pose & I giving LLAP sign...

that I've been trained to do since childhood.)

And around Kirk's chair just happened to be something else iconic from ST-TOS:

...TRIBBLES!!!!!!! Loved it!!

And...I about left a puddle when I saw THIS displayed right next to The Chair and Tribbles:

That excitement on my face is not a pose...that's the real deal. I almost peed my pants when I came this close to Lt. Uhurah's dress & earpiece!!!! My heart really did skip a beat, I think.

And to keep up the Trek Geek Girl in me...

...in a showcase of Sci-Fi weapons, there was a Klingon bat'leth used in The Next Generation! I prefer to believe Worf used it. Don't try to tell me otherwise!

And here is Data's uniform, also from TNG (in case you're aren't familiar with the canons). I was so excited, I wanted to hug it the best I could...but it was in a glass case, too. And, according to the picture, I became Tasha Yar for just a moment. And I would like for you to note that hubby took the pic. So we were unaware of how exactly the pic turned out until WAY later. D'oh!

We saw things from the Matrix movies (like Neo's coat from :Reloaded), Independence Day (aka ID4), and Men in Black...

And...AND???
I got to get my Star Wars Geekiness on again!!

From Star Wars, this is. Belonging to Yoda, this necklace & cane did.

Darth Vader's light saber used during the, "NO! I am your father!" fight scene with Luke.

Demasked Vader-back-to-Anakin headpiece from death scene.

And this moving on...was...SUPERMAN!!! One worn by Christopher Reeves in the 4th of the series:

The boys were inspired to stand in their best kimbo pose...
and Lil Guy unintentionally wearing a very appropriate shirt

And we ran into...The Tew-mah-nay-tah:

We also came across something that Teen Girl burst into her fan-girl tears & squeals:

Teen Girl posed with a dalek used in Dr. Who. So this is for all of you Whovians out there! And remember that bowtie she bought at Pike Place? Yep...she's wearing it. And, no, the dalek did not exclaim, "Exterminate!"

Then, on the outer part of the museum, I saw this...and had to take pause...uh...to pose...

OK...realized I could see my reflection...so still needed to give the LLAP sign...DUH!

And off we stumbled to the Horror Exhibit nearly connected...

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica