Winter is coming...

...and is looking adorable! POP! has made adorable figures of pop culture icons ranging from Michael Jackson, to the Avengers, so a series of figures for Game of Thrones is hardly a surprise.

To see the rest of the figures, or to check preorder, check out BigBadToyStore.com!

Hot drinks really get you going

I had no idea that the Wendy's fast food chain had the secret talent of creating catchy music videos...this is truly bizarre:

   

I love when music, food, and humor get together to have a party!

Tuesday's Tunes: Queen of California

I'll admit to buying John Mayer's "Born and Raised" album  the week it came in...wait for it...COMPACT DISC FORMAT! While my favorite Mayer album is the bluesy "Continuum", I think the folksy sensibilities of his newest album match perfectly with the crisp September air, music that's a little more mellow than the tunes I was rocking with the blistering heatof the summer, but nonetheless compliment my surroundings.

Queen of California
By: John Mayer

If Superman were to start going senile...

Courtesy of threadless

If Superman were to start going senile, it would probably look a little like the above.

I've been a delinquent blogger

This past week felt like it both whizzed by AND moved with glacier-like speed. Regardless, this is what I deserve for not posting all week:

COMICS
Since I have comic books on the brain, for those of you who read your comics digitally, Comixology is running a Thanos Sale ending next Thursday, 9/27 at 11pm EST:

You may remember him as the villain that sent geek hearts aflutter when he appeared at the end of the Avengers movie this summer. Now, you can see what all the fuss is about. I recommend the Infinity Gauntlet mini-series, where Thanos goes on to kill half of the population of the universe (?!?) and the Marvel heroes have to unite to stop him.

MUSIC
This week I've been listening to The Legend of Johnny Cash and found myself recognizing more songs than I thought I would. I'm also really liking Joss Stone's new album, The Soul Sessions, Vol. 2, which is worth checking out just for her cover of Broken Bells' "High Road".

ART
Lastly, friends and readers in NY, do yourself a favor and check out the gallery showing for one of my favorite artists, Phil Noto. In addition to comics, he often illustrates characters from pop culture like Mad Men or Downton Abbey. Check out the poster for the showing:

I hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys this stretch of nice weather for New Englanders.

In honor of NY Fashion Week

I present to you...BLUE STEEL...

 ...and a dance off judged by David Bowie...

...with commentary by famous designer MUGATU...

...your welcome.

Rain boots

With all the rain that New England gets every year, I had been wanting to add a pair of solid rain boots to my arsenal. Enter my infatuation with the ruggedly handsome and iconic L.L. Bean signature Bean Boots. While these boots would likely make the laziest of couch potatoes ("Ooh, that's me!") want to adventure in the woods or climb a mountain, I really just need something that will keep my feet dry on the streets of Boston, and if you look at the picture above, nothing about the Bean Boots really screams "urban".

Putting my thoughts of romping in the forest on the shelf, a friend of mine suggested checking out Tretorn, adding that his pair felt as comfortable as a a pair of sneakers...which had me instantly sold. I wound up purchasing a pair of the Tretorn Strala boots from Bonobos (who incidentally make a great pair of pants) and after a few summer showers, found my new best friends to combat the rain!

Tuesday's Tunes: September

I guess I will go ahead and continue the trend of posting some choice vintage pop tunes. Though I only recently saw this trippy video from the 70's (if you couldn't tell), I've been a long time fan of Earth, Wind and Fire, and specifically, their song "September," a perfect way to usher in the Fall.

September
By Earth, Wind and Fire

Suggested Reading: Atomic Robo

Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne (Vol. 1)
Written by Brian Clevinger
Art by Scott Wegener

"In 1923, Nikola Tesla's career is in its twilight... until he unveils a robot with automatic intelligence - ATOMIC ROBO! After decades of dealing with all manner of weirdness, Atomic Robo and the so-called Action Scientists of Tesladyne become the go-to defense force against the unexplained! See ROBO take on Nazis, giant ants, clockwork mummies, walking pyramids, Mars, cyborgs, and his nemesis, Baron von Helsingard, in his first trade paperback graphic novel."

One word  sums up this book: FUNTASTIC! Ok, that's not a real word...but it should be.

With the comics industry focusing their attention on an increasingly older readership, titles like Atomic Robo remembers a key ingredient to reading comics: fun! Atomic Robo is fifty percent Indiana Jones and fifty percent Hellboy, which translates to a healthy amount of Nazis getting beaten up. The first volume in the series is a rollicking adventure and where Hellboy is steeped in myth and magic, Atomic Robo gives us a world a rich world of comic book science: brains in jars controlling giant robots, gigantic radioactive ants, and so much more.

After borrowing the first volume from the library, this became my first electronic comic purchase via the Comixology app on my iPad. Check out the gruff but lovable Atomic Robo on whatever medium you like to read your funny books!

hsiehdy on Pinterest

Hello readers,
I signed up for Pinterest back in the Spring on a whim...and have actually continued to use it. It's eclectic (just like this blog), but some of you might get a kick out of it:

http://pinterest.com/hsiehdy/

If you do check it out, be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think of my Pinterest cultivating skills, or lack thereof.

Taiwan Through Pictures: Part 2

For the first part of this post, check out Taiwan Through Pictures: Part 1.

Wow, it's been 5 months since my trip to Taiwan. That will teach me to wait too long to post about my trips in the future! Unfortunately my memory is getting fuzzier and fuzzier, but hey, that's what pictures are for!

The favorite stop on the trip for both me and T was Sun Moon Lake. A lot of natural beauty here, although it rained the hardest on our way to the lake. This is how I found out my jacket that I packed for the trip was water resistant, as opposed to waterPROOF. You live and you learn. But the thunderstorm finally broke over night, lending us the beautiful view form our hotel room above.

We had the opportunity to visit a Hakka village, enjoy their cuisine, and even make some Hakka tea, which was a mix of green tea powder, black sesame, white sesame, puffed rice, and a couple of items I can't quite remember (in the baggie has either pine nuts or peanuts). Suffice to say, it was all very tasty.

At one of the rest stops, there was signage for one of my favorite Taiwanese soft drinks, Apple Sidra, a caramel-colored apple soda. My other favorite is Hey Song Sarsaparilla, which I guess is like a more medicine-y tasting root beer. Perhaps more of an acquired taste, T is unfortunately not a fan.

For the rest of this post, I will merely share the rest of my pictures, with the occasional caption. This will hopefully teach me the importance of writing things to down during or shortly after my future trips.

Outside the Beitou Hot Spring Museum

Best. Pork. Ever.

We had some delicious mango and strawberry snow from this place, but not as much fun as posing with their mascot.

While I don't know when our next trip will be to Taiwan, I'm so thankful for the opportunity to go with my family, and to show my wife a bit of the motherland!

Tuesday's Tunes: Summer Breeze

The original version of "Summer Breeze" has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. It's an inoffensive, catchy but not too catchy tune perfect for the waiting room of a dentist's office. It was also featured in an early episode of "How I Met Your Mother," in case it sounds familiar to you and you're a fan of the show.. Lucky for us, Jason Mraz did a nice cover of the song, getting this catchy tune into the ears of a new generation. It's the perfect chill song for closing out the summer season, enjoy!

Summer Breeze
Cover by Jason  Mraz