The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes

Hey everyone! This one’s going to be a bit shorter than usual. Those of you who know me know how important my family is to me. So this week got a bit hectic when we were hosting my cousin and his new wife and stepson for a long weekend! As an added bonus, even more family was in town but staying with my grandparents. Things got a bit crazy, and what I was going to do for this week had to get pushed back until things died down. But we did see and do some things that are perfectly nerdy, and very active.

The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes has been in town this summer, and my family all got tickets. Now I don’t have photos from the actual event, because it was expressly forbidden and I actually saw a family get kicked out of the exhibit for breaking that rule. I love you guys, but there is no way I was going to risk it. But I can tell you what to expect.

At the start, you’re given a pad of paper because you’re going to help Sherlock “solve a crime”. This will have something similar in each location.

About the size of a rectangular Post-it pad.

The exhibit was three parts, starting first with pieces from Arthur Conan Doyle’s personal collection. You get to see specimens of anatomical forensics up close and personal that were made close to 100 years ago! It also includes information about many of the forensic techniques and areas of the day, along with several of the inspirations behind both the writing style of Doyle’s works and the men who influenced the creation of Sherlock Holmes himself. The beautiful things about the books is that Doyle was always including every bit of evidence that you needed to solve the crimes on your own, never holding anything back to make Sherlock seem amazing or brilliant when something doesn’t make sense. The fact that Doyle’s books inspired the creation of many of the basic principles of forensic science is a testament to the success of his writing.

There is one part about this section that was frustrating though, and it was the part where you were allowed to practice doing an etching to reveal a secret message when aligned with a piece of paper with boxes cut out of it. It was very difficult to do with the materials provided and at the angle you are expecting. The best work-around I found was to line up the paper, figure out where the holes of the punch-out aligned, and just write it in yourself.

It was an absolute mess.  The work around took time, but was less frustrating in the long run.

The second part is the fun part: Solving the crime! While the collection of the crime scene evidence is rudimentary and everything is laid out for you, the best part is going around and testing Scotland Yard’s theories against your own to figure out the crime. There’s the Slaughterhouse, where there are three machines showing you different styles of blood splatter against a sheet of glass, the Greenhouse where you test for toxins by essentially matching colors and checking an etching against poisonous common plants of the time, a sandy area to check for track patterns, and a Penny Arcade to see how different methods can cause different breaks in a stone bust.

My favorite part of the testing was the blood splatter analysis, but I also know I’m hugely biased towards it. I’ve been a forensics fangirl since I was in middle school, and I even went to a science summer camp based completely around forensics. My specialization? Physics and the interpretation of blood splatter analysis. Weird as it is, I take some serious pride in it.

Not ashamed to admit I have the shape to angle mostly memorized.

My least favorite area was analyzing the track patterns, mostly because it required some outside information and knowledge because the tests weren’t too well designed. Out of the 9 members of our family there, there were only two of us who got it right. But we used completely different methods. I overanalyzed the heck out of it, basing my choice on the difference of wet to dry sand leaving on impressions overtime. My uncle kept it simple and remembered that the area was designed so even kids could figure it out. Even so, you were still able to figure out the mystery even if you couldn’t get it exactly right.

The third area was smaller, a little gift shop and an exhibit on more recent takes on Sherlock in the media. This included the C4-laden jacket from the BBC series where Moriarty makes his first appearance, so I was super excited about that. The merchandise was interesting as well, but you could find cheaper elsewhere.

For all you Ohio natives who are Sherlock Holmes fans, this is a fun experience if you don’t take yourself too seriously and want to see some things never before released from the Doyle estate.I highly recommend going to see it. It’s still at Cosi until September 1st before it starts packing to move on to its next location. After that it’s going to St. Louis, so be sure to catch it while it’s in town! To know where else it is planning to open, you can go to http://sherlockholmesexhibition.com/ to learn more.

This was a lot of fun for every bit of my family that went, and a great way to spend a day out in Columbus. Cosi is one of those places that I love going back to whenever they have anything new, and has a lot of happy memories. Now I don’t have a picture of how awesome I felt after leaving (I got to lift a car. Serious She-Hulk moment), but I would totally go again given the chance.

And it's totally non-profit. Cost of admission is to keep the exhibits and building running.

Love your nerdiness, and don’t be afraid to be active about it. It’s just elementary.

Game of "Woah": A Game of Thrones Season 4 Lookback

SPOILER ALERT: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4. If you don’t want to see spoilers, I’m sorry but this is a really bad week for you. Here are doggies fighting with toy axes and swords.

So now that that’s out of the way….Game of Thrones!

Sunday brought the end of the 4th season of Game of Thrones. And what a season it was! Now I was one of the people who had read the books before, so I knew a lot of this was coming. And it was based out of the most exciting half of my favorite book of the series! But nothing could prepare me for this season, book and all. Lets take a look at the twists of season 4.

Not all of the episodes will be listed, but that's just because there wasn't really a big twist in them in my opinion. So lets just skip right to the one that I've been waiting for since I first started reading the books.

Episode 2: The Lion and the Rose

This was the big one. The game-changer. The event that kicked off every last twist on this list, and will have repercussions well into the next winter in Westeros. The Purple Wedding.

As if you needed more reasons to not get married in Westeros. And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, could it? No redemption to Jeoffery, Cersei is devastated, and Tyrion is accused of killing his nephew. It also sets back the Tyrells, the house I would belong to if I got to choose. Margery’s luck in men is very bad for the longevity of said men. I think the only one who got out of this the best was actually Sansa, that poor girl.

I first watched this episode next to a friend who hadn’t read the books. Most of his comments were to Jeoffery being a little prick and asking if Sansa “was ready to play the game” yet at the screen. He at least got catharsis this time, but Sansa hasn’t started yet.

And poor Tyrion! I’m so glad that they had cast Peter Dinklage, because a lesser actor would have broken that scene. That subtle tension between he and Jack Gleeson was absolutely perfect, and the micro expressions for each little emotion were amazing! I’m actually kind of sad Jeoffrey’s dead now, because Gleeson was that fun to watch. Whatever he goes on to do, I wish him all the success in the world. No one is going to forget King Jeoffrey anytime soon.

......in about 15 minutes.

Episode 3: Breaker of Chains

Okay, things need to be addressed. This had one of the most controversial moments in the entire show, for very legitimate reasons. All I have to say is that it was originally a Jamie POV chapter, so the potential for that interpretation was there. It’s uncomfortable, but a legitimate choice they could have made. Wasn’t a fan, but I understand why the directors chose that.

Moving swiftly on, the twist! Littlefinger was behind Sansa’s escape and Jeoffery’s death, Ser Dontos is now Ser Dead, and they’re off to the Eyrie.

Episode 4: Oathkeeper

The big twist this time came at the very end, with the reveal of the White Walkers and what happens to Craster’s sons. This is something I had no clue about, because so far it hasn’t been in the books whatsoever. It’s really throwing me off, and I want to see where they go with this.

Also Lady Olenna killed Jeoffrey. That’s a thing.

Episode 6: The Laws of Gods and Men

Trial by combat! Give Peter Dinklage another Emmy, this season is his for how little he’s in it. Shae is back, lying against Tyrion. Jamie made a deal for Tyrion’s life, but of course Tyrion decides to mess that up.  Nothing else really needs to be said but “Go Tyrion!” and see who his champion will be.

Episode 7: Mockingbird

And finally the Moon Door pays off! I never liked Lysa Arryn, and the news that she was the one who killed her husband on a suggestion from Littlefinger made me dislike her even more than the crazy. Seeing her get pushed out the Moon Door was just a little slice of happiness, and more than a little stupid on the part of Lysa for having the thing freaking open all the time. One slip and you die is apt and symbolic in the story but not in interior design choices.

Oh, and Oberyn, the new character this season has stepped forward as Tyrion’s champion to get a crack at the mountain. This can only end well, right?

Episode 8: The Mountain and the Viper

Sansa finally joined the game! 

But in other news, yeah, Oberyn didn’t exactly do so well in the fight. Like, at all. The second highest count of reaction videos, and more in the first day than the Red Wedding. I couldn’t look at it at all, and I didn’t look away when the womb-stab happened. Prince Oberyn was fun this season, and I really liked him. But he did what you should never do until your enemy is dead and you're absolutely sure of it, monologue. I was expecting brutal, just not nearly as much as what I actually saw. I wouldn't say skip this episode if you're squeamish, because way too much happens that's important to the series. Just look away when you think things are going downhill, and you'll be about right.

Episode 9: The Watchers on The Wall

Probably not really a twist, but you have to talk about the penultimate episode with the show if you’re going to talk about anything Game of Thrones. It’s just tradition at this point. Everything I expected to happen happened, except for two of Jon’s friends dying who didn’t in the book. They weren’t too big in the show though, so it’s not a choice I hated.

Can I just say how awesome the cooks are at Castle Black? Wildlings break in then “EAT HOT BROTH TO THE FACE!” The cleaver was pretty excellent too. Yigrette was killed, but the moment was very well done.

Episode 10: The Children

Brienne vs The Hound...that wasn’t a fight I remember from the books. But go Brienne! I’ll call that twist number three, the first being Stannis and his sudden appearance at the wall. The fight with the Reeds and Bran was impressive too. Dany didn’t really do much past react, and Cersei was outshined by her father. Arya’s expression when she realizes Brienne was sent by her mother followed by the betrayal by realizing Jamie Lannister also sent her just accentuates her reaction to the Hound’s seemingly mortal wounds. Arya wasn’t a sweet little girl anymore, but that last straw is gone.

But the shining moment again belongs to Peter Dinklage as Tyrion. I swear I’m not fangirling. As much as I’d like to be at least. This was just another amazing performance. The anger and betrayal at seeing Shae in his father’s bed, killing her, then methodically killing his father? Priceless. You could read every single emotion on his face. Arya was a good tie-in to leave this season on a slightly calmer note, but Tyrion will be the talk of the globe, and Westeros, for a long time.

Season 5 has some seriously big shoes to fill, and I really can’t wait until it comes out. Will it live up to season 4? Time can only tell.

Game Of Thrones is owned by George R.R. Martin and HBO. Opinions are my own. Pay tribute to our Dread Lord Martin and perhaps your favorite character will live. Probably not though.

And remember, it doesn’t matter what you’re nerdy about, as long as you’re active.

Games That Made Me

When I had decided to make this blog, I knew this post was going to happen. I just didn’t know when. Growing up, I was a Poke-Fanatic. Even now when I look around my room, there’s at least 3 pieces of Pokemon merchandise within easy eyeshot. I carry a Jigglypuff keychain wherever I go, and trust me that key chain has been through a whole lot. Jiggly’s looking a little scrappy after 14 years.

This is after washing her again. Yikes.

What’s even weirder is that the keychain is old enough to get a driving learners permit in some states. The thing I put my keys on are almost old enough to drive my car. That’s more than a little freaky to me. But Pokemon’s always been there.

This one holds a special place in my heart. Pokemon Yellow was the first game I ever bought for myself, on the first system I ever bought for myself. I had saved up all of my allowances for over a year and didn’t spend any money or ask for anything for my birthday, except for my mom to take me to the Toys ‘R Us. I was going to buy a GameBoy Color in Nintendo Purple, and Pokemon Blue. I had heard of Pokemon Yellow, but my little 7 year old brain could not remember release dates or had the means to look them up. I knew I really wanted it, but I could wait until it came out if I got my hands on any Pokemon Game. But when we got to the store, they were out of Pokemon Blue. I was devastated, and started to actually cry in the middle of the store.

Not the one I went to, but the closest looking one. Ours was torn down in 2006.

But this is where my late 7th birthday present to myself became special. My mom noticed that an employee was putting up copies of Pokemon Yellow into the case, since the release day was exactly one day after we came in. The store was almost closed, and I wouldn’t get the chance to come back for two weeks because we were about to go on vacation. There were also so many pre-orders that they were expecting to sell out first day. But she went over anyways, asked the clerk if we could get my GameBoy Color in Nintendo Purple, and asked if they were out of Pokemon Blue. They said they wouldn’t get another shipment in for a month, but he just looked at my face. The next thing I knew I was holding Pokemon Yellow, Super Mario Brothers, and my GameBoy, standing at the register paying for everything. It took me years to realize that what he did, and how special that was to me. Some young man took pity on a little girl, obviously paying for the game herself with how many $5 bills she was clutching, and broke street date rules so a little girl could have her dream game for her first game.

The closest Pokemon-related pic I could find for pure kindness.

That’s why this Game That Made Me will be a little different from all the others. Like my Books That Made Me, I try to replay the games that I felt influenced me to see if they hold up in an unbiased way. But in this case, I can’t be unbiased. Not because of the nostalgia factor for the game itself, but because of what it represents for me. I can’t review pure human kindness. I may be overly optimistic, but  I don’t think anyone can be as cynical as that.

I know it’s a statistical impossibility that the man who did this will ever read my blog, or even remember I existed. But if he ever does read this, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for making me a lifelong gamer, and really who I am today. I know since Pokemon is still making games, I’ll probably never actually “catch ‘em all”, but I did catch something because of you. You’re what made this blog possible, and you’ll probably never even know. Thank you.

Oh, and to end on a lighter note, here’s the dream team that I always tried to catch:

Pikachu, Jigglypuff,Oddish,Poliwag,Vulpix, Eevee.

I have a soft spot for the cuties.

D'aww

Thanks for sticking with me through a very personal edition of Actively Nerdy. And remember, it doesn’t matter what you’re nerdy about. Just as long as you’re active.

I Saw A Film Today

Welcome to “I Saw A Film Today”, where I give you my first impressions and spoiler-free reviews of movies that I’ve seen for the first time. If it doesn’t fit a theme or belong in a different category, it’ll go here. So what did I watch over the weekend?

So. This is a thing.

X-Men: Days of Future Past was based on the event comic of the same name, sending one of the X-Men back in time to stop an apocalyptic future set in motion in the 70s. While there are some differences between page and screen (of course), the screenwriters did an amazing job of filling in the blanks in between for non X-Men readers.

One thing to get out of the way that screams to be addressed is who went back in time in the movie. This isn’t exactly a spoiler since it’s in the trailer, but Logan/Wolverine is the one to go back in time instead of the comic’s choice of Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat. They actually explain this one away really well though, setting up that her powers work slightly differently than before, that Logan was not the first choice to send back, and that he was the only one left alive that could survive the process. While I really wish Ellen Page had more to do on screen in her role, it makes sense as to why they wrote her part smaller in exchange for the X-Men’s top cash cow, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.

Nothing personal Ms. Page but....c'mon.

The casting director did an amazing job of getting back all of your favorite X-Men, both from the original 3 movies and First Class. Hugh Jackman is back, of course. Ellen Page’s role is expanded from the almost-cameo appearances, of course. They even brought back Halle Berry as Storm, and the actors who played Jean Grey and Cyclops for cameos. There was one actor who I couldn’t place the entire movie, and it was nagging at the back of my skull for hours after. He looked like a cross between a young Leo-Dicaprio and Chris Hemsworth, but I finally figured out it was Havok from First Class. I could’ve sworn they had gotten the same actor that had played Toad from the original trilogy, but it turned out that Evan Jonigket was just a dead ringer for the older actor. It was just those little details that I can really appreciate as someone whose watched all of the X-Men movies.

Best friends and knightly acting buddies Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen return as best friends and mortal enemies Professor Xavier and Magneto, and both step back into their roles as if they never left. They’re a great compliment to James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, and you can really see how the characters evolved from their younger selves. Jennifer Lawrence is back as Mystique/Raven, and while she gets less screen time than Xavier and Erik, every moment that she’s on screen is effective and compelling. But my favorite pairing of actors on that screen were Hugh Jackman and Nicolas Hoult, getting the odd but strangely perfect friendship between Wolverine and Beast almost instantly.

Not as perfect as this though. Nothing could be as perfect as this.

                                   

So the X-Men movie continuity and the main Marvel movie continuity is completely separate, and thus one of the two characters who crosses between those two doesn’t have to have the same actor. In this case, we’re introduced to Quicksilver, played excellently by Evan Peters. He has some of the most humorous parts of the film, and the sequence that got the most laughs out of the theatre I was in. He’s contracted for the next one, so I’m excited to see how he does with a larger role next time.

Can we talk about that Peter Dinklage? Lets talk about that Peter Dinklage. Peter Dinklage was amazing as Dr. Trask, and needs more big screen roles. Definitely a complex character actor, I would kill to see him and fellow former Richard II performer Sir Ian on stage or screen together at the same time. Granted, this movie gave me something I didn’t know I needed in my life, having 5 of my top 7 favorite actors in the same movie. All it needed was Benedict Cumber-dragon and Martin “Bilbo” Freeman and I could’ve died a happy fangirl.

Tyrion with a 70's 'stashe....You will never unsee

The action scenes are tight and well paced, with well integrated effects when necessary and pauses in just the right places. The humor hits and I couldn’t look away. The final battle, no spoilers, is amazing and has great editing. And the writing confirms that there is not a single X-Man live action movie that doesn’t fit within its own continuity. This is one of the best X-Men sequels, and I don’t think it falls into the stereotypical “second movie syndrome” tropes. In fact, I think it makes some of its predecessors better with what it introduces. I mean, it can’t make 3 or Origins  good films, but it does make it not nearly as painful on a rewatch.

X-Men: Days of Future Past  is an excellent summer blockbuster that I didn’t have to turn my brain off to watch. Would I recommend it as a Marvel fan? Yes. Would I recommend it even if I wasn’t super into comics? Probably yes still, because the acting and writing were just that good. Whether you’re looking for an action movie to pass the time with or a superhero movie to get you through to the next big Marvel release, you could do a whole lot worse.