Having two weeks off for the holidays is a pretty special thing that I appreciate about my job right now. That means lots of free time for me to catch up on all the geeky stuff I didn’t have time for earlier in the year!
Here’s a Listmas list of what’s on my plate for the next couple weeks. It’s a lot to take on in a mere 14 days — we will see if I can do it all!
And if you don’t know about the blogger tradition of Listmas, check out C.T. Murphy’s post about it!
12. My Novel
Now that NaNoWriMo is over (that’s National Novel Writing Month), I’ve been pretty bad about writing. I guess I felt like I needed a break, but I also don’t want to lose momentum on the science fiction novel I’m working on. That’s why I’d like to devote a few hours per week to distraction-free writing.
11. “Sherlock Holmes” Special
It’s not sci-fi, fantasy, or a video game, but Sherlock Holmes is kind of a geek staple. A British television series starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and Martin Freeman as Watson, it is a brilliant modern-day detective show that I have watched so many times, I’ve almost memorized some of the episodes. My sister and I spent a couple years just addicted to it. (Has it really been almost two years since this show last aired? They really make you wait between seasons.) And now, they are putting out a holiday special set in Victorian London — a nice twist.
10. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Like the rest of the world, I love Star Wars. Sometimes I feel like I’m not the biggest fan out there, because I didn’t watch most of the movies until I was a little older, haven’t gotten tickets to The Force Awakens yet, and enjoy making fun of Chewy as much as possible. But I am so ready to see this movie. I love the Star Wars worldbuilding so much, and the only thing I have “against” the other movies is that their special effects are lackluster and they’re pretty cheesy. That means this new movie might be the one for me…
9. Doctor Who
The last time I watched Doctor Who, Matt Smith was still the Doctor. (Well, maybe I saw Peter Capaldi take over for, like, a few seconds.) I’ve noticed things written about the companion Clara, heard talk of Capaldi being a stronger Doctor in his second season, seen pictures of Arya Stark — er, Maisie Williams — in there… but I have no idea what’s going on. It’s time to fix that and earn that TARDIS collection I have on my desk at work. I miss all that timey-wimey stuff. Plus, Christmas special!
8. The Expanse
SyFy’s new TV show, The Expanse, is already getting reviews in and I can’t wait to see how it plays out. I read the first novel (Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey) on a summer vacation a few years ago and really enjoyed it. (I even reviewed it here!) As a huge fan of science fiction and the space opera genre in particular, I am prepared for its combination of epic space adventures, political drama, and cheesy dialogue. Let’s do this!
7. Mercenary Instinct
Did I ever tell you guys that I’m pretty much always in the middle of reading a sci-fi romance book? It’s my guilty pleasure, I guess. I follow the Vaginal Fantasy book club on Goodreads, which is how all this crazy romance book stuff started for me. (See how I cast blame?!) Right now, I’m reading Mercenary Instinct by Ruby Lionsdrake. I’ll admit it’s not the best sci-fi romance I have ever read, but it’s decent and atmospheric… and at the very least, I love that it has nerdy scientists as the female leads and hunky bounty hunters as the love interests!
6. Saga
A while back I was very into the weird, wonderful sci-fantasy Saga comics by Image… but I haven’t read the latest collected volume. I even purchased it a few months ago — that’s how ready I am — but I have been too bogged down with NaNoWriMo, video games, and other books (The Martian, then Mercenary Instinct) to actually spend an evening devouring that thing. But this Christmas, I will devour that thing.
5. You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)
Once I’m done with Saga and Mercenary Instinct, I’ll be reading Felicia Day’s bestselling book You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost). It’s been getting rave reviews and apparently lots of laughs, the latter of which is exactly what I need this holiday season after a pretty busy and stressful couple months!
4. Fallout 4
I’m still playing Fallout 4. I will be for many more weeks, I think. It’s a long game, and I’m just getting into building houses. That might be all I do with the game for the next two weeks, because the building in this game rocks harder than constructing my awesome mansion in Skyrim’s Hearthfire DLC. Even if the houses all turn out looking really run-down and ugly — I guess ugly is part of the Fallout charm.
3. Life Is Strange
Is it sad that I’m also still playing Life is Strange? I’m loving the series so far — teenagehood and the magic ability to rewind time go together surprisingly well — so I just need to wrap up the last episodes once and for all. I keep seeing it and hearing about it and while I have avoided major spoilers (yay!), I can’t wait to see how the story ends.
2. EVE Online
This is a doozy, but for a few years now, I’ve been toying with the idea of playing EVE Online. I know it’s a tough game with a steep learning curve, and that’s why so many people try and fail to get into it. But this season, I’m going to really take a stab at it. I’ve already been doing background research on the worldbuilding, the history of the races I can play as, and even some of the corporations I may be able to join when I get started. I will keep you posted on how it goes, probably with a new game log here!
1. Rise of the Tomb Raider
This is my number one I’m-so-excited-to-play-this game of the season. I purposefully waited until the holiday break to get started, because a.) I wanted to play Fallout while it was still all the rage, and b.) I wanted to really sink into Tomb Raider when I had nothing else going on. I’m even bringing my Xbox One home to my mom’s house so that in addition to all the family time and cooking and watching cheesy holiday movies, I can just sit back, feast on Christmas leftovers, and raid tombs all week long.
Whether you celebrate this time of year or not… whether you’re working or taking a vacation… I hope you’re all in good health and can enjoy geeking out to your favorite things this winter, too. =)
— Ashley
Robo♥beat 
I’m geeking out or have been geeking about pretty much everything on this list! Saga has taken some wild turns lately. I follow it issue by issue, but I think it might be better TPB to TPB. Star Wars was amazing and I can’t wait to see it a couple more times. The 12th Doctor is good, but not as good as 10th or 11th. However, I think this past season was maybe the best overall season yet. Rise of the Tomb Raider was awesome. You’ll love it! Life is Strange was a good one. It takes timey-wimey to a new level. Almost hard to keep up with, but still cool. I haven’t watched The Expanse yet, but it’s on my DVR. I’m also looking forward to the Sherlock special. I got to see 221b Baker Street and other Victorian places while I was in London this Fall, so I think I’m going to nerd out more than usual. Fallout 4 is a great game, but I’m currently taking a break. I’m sure I’ll pop back in before too long, though! Bethesda is the best.
Haha that’s so cool! Sounds like we have the same taste. I checked off The Expanse last night, might check off Saga with my coffee here this morning. I have read it issue by issue but then didn’t keep up during the last period it came out, so I need to catch up!
Have fun during your long holiday break! If only my job offered me something like that. So jealous! :) Sounds like a jam packed, geeky break and I think it’s the best kind. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Ashley!
Thanks! I am excited because sometimes the only thing stopping me from doing more geeky stuff is not having enough time! Happy Holidays and have a great New Year too!