If We were Having Coffee – December 2nd 2018

Welcome back to another ‘If we were having coffee’ -post were we pretend to meet up for a coffee to catch up with each others lives.

By now, our frequent readers will know that it is common for this blog to become quiet for months at a time. At this point, there is no apology I can give to fully compensate for that. However, I still want to give an update or explanation as to why I, for one, disappeared.

Since the last time we had our virtual meet-up in April , a lot has happened in my life. I got a job offer not long after that post, moved to a different city and started my new job. These changes have been rather bitter-sweet for me. While I love my job and my new home, and hometown, I miss living close to my family and friends. It has been about four months since I’ve moved, but I’m far from finding new friends or even exploring my new home town. About every fortnight, I visit my parents over the weekend which means that I’m commuting a lot (I have no car and are using public transport) which leaves me with not much freetime and during that little freetime I have, I’m too exhausted to do anything.  Basically, I’m still adjusting to working 40 hours a week and commuting every second weekend. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel: I’m slowly getting used to it and very slowly go back to enjoying my various hobbies (incl. this blog) that are not reading.

Speaking of reading, because I’ve been commuting so much the past several months, and was too braindead to do anything else, I’ve read a lot. As of now when this post is published, I’ve read 62 books! Sure some of you read way over 100 books each year, every year, but I’m a slow reader and this number is a big deal to me. I’ll create a infographic for my 2018 reading year where I’ll break down how many books I’ve consumed as printed editions, e-books, and audiobooks, alongside other reading related statistics. However, I’ll be honest, without audiobooks, this number would’ve been a lot lower. And no, listening to audiobooks is not cheating, it is as valid as reading a printed book. Fight me if you like, I’m not changing my mind!

I’ve finally got Netflix! Yeah I know I’m very late to the game, but where I lived previously had a terrible internet connection where loading a 10 minute long Youtube video took ages, so I never bothered to get Netflix. So far, however, I’ve watched only one TV series in its entirety, but started several others. The only one I finished was Mind Hunters and I’ll give it 3,5 or 4 out of 5 stars. I was good, don’t get me wrong, but not exaclty what I expected. I hoped for more interviews with serial killers and less personal drama, but that was just my own misguided expectation. I’ve started watching Sabrina and I probably won’t finish it. Yeah its nicely done and has some good elements, but for the most part, I just don’t care for any of the characters. Also I miss my sarcastic and adorkable speaking Salem. The last show I started, but genuinly love, is, of course, Stranger Things. Yes, the hype is real, I’m completely hooked and can’t wait to finish it.

I’m still learning how to deal with my money responsibly which is code for ‘I hauled a bunch of stuff which I’ll share with you in the weeks to come’. I never had such a well-paying job so as of now I spend most of my money on books, nerdy collectibles, and stuff for my apartment. Ok that is a slight exaggeration, but still, I need to start saving money for hard times as well as a car.

What has your life been like? Any topics you want me to write about? Leave a comment down below! Oh and  I wish you a merry first advent for those of you who celebrate Christmas. To the rest of you, I wish you a merry Sunday. 

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IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE | APRIL 18th, 2018

Welcome back to another ‘If we were having coffee’ -post were we pretend to meet up for a coffee to catch up with each others lives.

It has been almost a year since our last virtual ‘coffee meet-up’ so I thought I’d give you a brief update of things.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I’m re-reading The Lord of the Rings again. In my last ‘If we were having coffee’ – post from June 2017, I’ve talked about how I’ve re-read The Silmarillion and The Hobbit, and were re-reading LOTR. Almost a year later, I’m planning to do (almost) the same. I’m currently half-way through reading The Two Towers and have read Beren and Luthien a few weeks ago. I plan on reading The Silmarillion next, but in order to switch things up, I think I’ll read The Children of Hurin instead of The Hobbit afterwards. Very exciting news, I know.

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I’ve given up trying to stay up to date with geeky news. I’ve still haven’t watched many of the things I plan on watching for years and I’ve accepted that I’ll probably never will. I’m still very much in the mood to read and do nothing much but read. At some point I might start writing book reviews…. if I ever manage to get my nose out of a book long enough! In the meantime, the best book I’ve read this years so far is The Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov.

I have, however, managed to catch up with one TV show though. During the Christmas break, I’ve managed to watch Westworld season one and OH EM GEE this show is soo good. This show has everything I love about the art form of Television all the way down to even a great intro song. My favourite characters? The Man in Black and Maeve, hands down. I have not seen the trailer for season two and I’m not planning to do it either. I want to surprised by whats to come.

I’ve simply walked into Mordor. A few months ago, Lord of the Rings Online released Mordor as a region, and my Hobbit hunter is finally strong enough to enter and quest in Mordor…well, kind of. Mordor is designed for levels 105 and higher and even though my Hobbit hunter is level 108 (of 115 in total) I’m still struggling to quest in Mordor. Sure, Mordor was designed to be difficult, it is Mordor after all, but still the struggle is very very real! I’m loving it though. Also, LOTRO recently released Laketown, Thranduil’s palace and the Lonely Mountain as Rergions and I’m soooo tempted to buy the region because I really want to quest there!

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How about you, what have your geeky life has been like in the last ten months? Have you watched Westworld and if you did which was your favourite character? Leave a comment down below!

If We Were Having Coffee | June 10th, 2017

Welcome back to another ‘If we were having coffee’ -post were we pretend to meet up for a coffee to catch up with each others lives.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I’ve re-read The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Two Towers back to back. Right now, I’m still reading The Return of the King and I’m having all the Middle-earth feels. This is the first time that I not only re-read these books back to back, but also the first time I re-read these books in the same year. Usually, I’d read one of them (LOTR counting as one) in a certain year, then the next year another book. I’m so deep down the Middle-earth rabbit hole, I’ll probably read Beren and Luthien right after ROTK, once I get my hand(s) on Beren and Luthien (no pun intended….I’m one-handed myself, but I feel like writing “Once I get my hand on it” sounds odd or could appear as a typo so I tend to use the plural form when writing this phrase….but I digress).

 

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you how, now that I’m not saving up for a trip, I’m spending most of my money on my geeky collections. Well, primarily my Tolkien collection (Although, I’ve also have a few items on my wishlist for my Harry Potter and X-Files obsession) I’ve got 3 Middle-earth related books in the mail already, waiting on 3 more to arrive in the next few days while also having pre-ordered 4 of the 6 LOTR Funkos. The remaining two, I’m planning on pre-ordering with the next paycheck. Sure, for some hardcore collectors, this seems like nothing, but to me this is a huge deal. In the last 4 years, I’ve been saving all my paychecks for one trip or another (A semester abroad, Belgium, twice to London, and a trip to New Zealand). So having the luxury to devote my time and love on my collections makes me go overboard a bit.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you how much I struggle with keeping up with geeky TV shows, movies, and books. There are so many franchises out there that are on my ‘to read’ or ‘to watch’ list that I don’t even know where to begin. Just to give you an example, I’ve watched a few episodes of the first season of Breaking Bad when it came out and I still haven’t finished watching the rest of it to this day…and the show ended in 2013! So what do I do instead? Re-watch movies and TV shows and re-read books I know by heart already. Which brings me to….

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If we were having coffee, I’d tell you, that I’ve been re-watching The X-Files from season 1 (once again) and now I have this urge to talk about it. I’m thinking about analyzing a few episodes here and there on this blog, such as the Pilot (there is so much I could say, argh!) and I’m wondering if people would be interested? The plan wouldn’t be to analyze every single episode of every single season (ain’t nobody got time for that!). Instead, I’d just pick a few episodes here and there that I loved, that frightened me or that, for some other reason, made me want to discuss them. So what do you say, Yay or Nay? Let me know!

So, how has 2017 been so far for you? Should I analyze and discuss my favourite X-Files episodes? Leave a comment down below!

If We Were Having Coffee | February 20th, 2017

It has been almost a year since our last virtual coffee (or tea) date so I thought it’ll be nice to sit down an have a chat. Take you time, go and grab a hot beverage of your choice and enjoy!

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Photo by my fellow travelling geek, Alice!

If we were having coffee, I’d thank you for your patience. Travelling Geek Show has been on hiatus for a while because we all three needed a break. After graduating in September, I left home for, what turned out to be, a two and a half month long trip to New Zealand. Then, life happened. I’m glad for this break because I’m full of ideas and enthusiasm for this (& my own) blog again.

If we were having coffee, I’d be mean and brag about my second visit to Hobbiton, New Zealand. I thought that 8 years ago, when the Hobbit holes were nothing but empty shells, my experience was magical, but oh boy was I wrong. This time, now that Hobbiton actually looks like Hobbiton, it was beyond comprehension. I think I speak for everyone who was lucky enough to have visited Hobbiton when I say “Oh Eru, please let me live there foreverrrrrrrr”. I genuinly believe that a piece of my soul never left Hobbiton.

If we were having coffee, I’d force you to watch True Detective Season 1 so I could talk to you about it. It took me a while to stumble upon this gem, but when I finally did, I was blown away. Everything about it is a perfect storm of creativity and talent. The acting is phenomenally, the plot is intelligent and full of epic twists, the cinematography is stunning, heck, even title song is amazing! I’ve heard mixed, mostly negative, things about the second season so I’m very hesitant to watch it. I guess I’ll just re-watch the first season again and again…

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If we were having coffee, I’d ask you to form a Hobbit-themed hiking gang. I love hiking, especially in the forest, but I have no one to hike with. I mean, how cool would it be to dress up as Hobbits (or other beings of Middle-earth), meet up once a month and go for a stroll through forests and fields while discussing Middle-earth and eating one Hobbit meal after another. Any volunteers?

So, what have you been up to in the last few months? Do you have any new TV series, movies, or books to recommend?

Bonus Question: If you could form any Middle-earth related gang of your choice, what would your secret handshake look like?

If We Were Having Coffee | February 28, 2015

Photo by my fellow travelling geek, Alice! Available on stationary, iPhone skins, and more!

Photo by my fellow travelling geek, Alice! Available on stationary, iPhone skins, and more!

What a wonderful Saturday! Come on in and enjoy a coffee (or tea) with me. Each week, we travelling geeks will invite you for a nice (virtual) geeky get-together over a hot beverage of your choice. You can read Lily’s previous entry over here and Alice’s here.

  • If we were having coffee I’d admit that I’m not a fan of tabletop games. It’s less the fact that I don’t like it, no one in my family or none of my friends are into tabletop games. Apart from monopoly, I’ve never played any tabletop game. I’d like try one but I don’t know which one to purchase. So if we were having coffee, I’d ask you for any recommendations, especially if there are any Lord of the Rings related ones you’d recommend.
  • If we were having coffee, I’d ask you about your favourite vlogging channels, apart from the webseries Tabletop. I’d tell you how, since I’m no longer watching TV, vloggers became my new entertainment. First I’d recommend you Wisecrack’s two series ‘Thugnotes’ and ‘8-bit Philosophy ‘. I could go on explain you everythoing, but it would be easier if you just take a look. Another channel I’m obsessed with is Cracked, especially their ‘After Hours’ series. My personal favourite human being on Youtube is Dael Kingsmill. I admire and love her crazyness. If we were having coffee I’d ask you whether you’ve seen any of my recommendations and if you have one I need to see.
  • If we were having coffee, I’d tell you everything about my current Harry Potter obsession. I love Harry Potter almost as much as I love Middle-earth, but I tend to focus all my attention ( & money) on Middle-earth. Once in a while I get obsessed, as in ‘can’t stop thinking about anything else’, and need to share this love. Of course I’d ask you which house you belong to or want to belong to. I’m a proud Slytherin through and through! While I’d immediately tell you that not every Slytherin is bad, I’d be probably among those that would’ve supported Lord Voldemort. Now you’d probably look at me in fear, wondering how to escape. There are plenty of good reasons to hate Death Eaters, but you have to admit that they know how to make an entrance. Also, we all want to be bad sometimes, right?… Right???
  • If we were having coffee, I’d tell you everything about how amazing some fanvideos are. Fanart, fanfiction, and cosplay receive tremendous attantion, but it seems as if fanvideos are frequently overlooked despite some very talented people out there. I understand why many fanvideos are being deleted due to copyright issue, yet I mourn every time an amazing one suddenly dissapears. Since I’m currently obsessed with Harry Potter and bad guys, I’d show you two videos I’m watching on repeat for days.