New Amazing Spider-Man 2 costume

I'm digging the new costume for the Amazing Spider-Man 2 because it looks closer to the comic book version, and is an improvement on the yellow eyed costume used in the first ASM:

And now a quick comparison with a recent comic cover by artist Humberto Ramos::

It's too bad a lot of people didn't give the new Spidey movie a try, since a casual viewer can only take so much retelling of an origin story (I don't blame you), but casting is top notch and worth a viewing if you're in the mood for some fun super-hero antics. For those psyched for Amazing Spider-Man 2, here's a few photos that popped up recently.

Preparations

An adorable hat the Mrs. knit this weekend

Once it felt like Baby Hsieh's due date would never come, that it was months and months away...and now, with roughly a month to go,  I find myself physically and mentally scrambling to get ready for the his arrival! Granted, I'm not expecting to truly feel 100% "ready" before his arrival, but there are a few tasks that I'd really like to wrap up in the next few weekends:

• Purchase the crib and dresser/changing table at IKEA
• Assemble said crib and dresser
• Purchase the stroller
• Install the car seat

A few of these tasks requires me asking for help, which I seriously struggle with, but something I know I will need to be doing more in the near future. Blame it on a combination of stubbornness and macho/delusional pride.

It also seems like the remaining weekends are going to fly by. A quick glance at the calendar reveals daylight savings time coming up (the bad one where we lose an hour), and in two weekends I'm expecting a wonderful visit from my sister and cousins, who are making the trek from New York to visit us up in Boston...on St. Patrick's Day weekend (an unplanned coincidence). Following that, we've got Palm Sunday and Easter, which I look forward to every year as time of celebration and gratitude. After that, there may be a sliiight decrease in the frequency of blog posts ;)

Batman and Twinkies

I don't think this is the same "League of Assassins" we know today from the Animated Series or the Nolan movies...

This is just one of the many super-hero Hostess ads I recently discovered on this page, back when Batman, Spider-Man, more would get into some crazy hijinks involving snack cakes as the answer.

RIP Hostess.

Recent viewings

Although I haven't really been listening to much music as of late (hence the lack of "Tuesday's Tunes" posts), I can share some quick bits about what I've been watching:

MOVIES
 
Hobbit 3D: It was a fun movie, but I'm reserving giving this any rating until all three parts are released. A nice bit of fantasy to escape into, especially if you're secretly wanting to live in a luxurious Hobbit hole or go on an adventure!

Ted: I might not have been in the right mood to watch this one, but I thought it was kind overhyped and awkward. I love a fart joke as much as the next guy, but I was only lukewarm to this one.

Crazy, Stupid, Love: I enjoy a good rom-com now and then, but this one had some depth and substance to it. Sure this one's from two years ago, but I'm glad I was finally able to watch it.

Moonrise Kingdom: I really enjoyed this one, and this was T's first Wes Anderson movie. Luckily, it was probably the most accessible too, and she enjoyed it as well!


TV

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes: I'm really bummed they cancelled this one after only two seasons, but man, they crammed it full of Marvel's C and D-list characters, I was in geek heaven. I would never think that I would see an animated version of the Guardians of the Galaxy, but then again, they ARE going to get their own movie at some point in 2014.

Shark Tank: I can't get enough of it, multiple friends have been recommending it to me for awhile, and I finally got hooked after I caught an episode last week while I was staying at the hotel.

Community: Two episodes in from it's return...and its very "meh" but I will stick with this one out of loyalty...and the fact that its coming to a close.

Pity Cyclops

"Jeaaaaaaaaan!"

Talk radio and aging with grace

I've gotten back to listening to podcasts on my daily commute. In no particular order, here's what I've been subscribing to:

• This American Life
• Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
• Radiolab
• The Moth
• Comic Dorks
• Fatman on Batman (with Kevin Smith)

In what is probably related news, I had some (slightly younger) friends mention a few songs and musicians that they've been listening to...and I had never heard of the artists before. I then promptly went home and created playlists on Spotify of Frank Ocean and A$Ap Rocky to help ease the pain and humiliation. Guys...this is totally happening:

I'm alive!

Happy Valentine's Day readers! I just got wrapped up my busiest season of work, a five day postgraduate course we put on annually the first full week of February. This usually means a very busy, rapid-paced January, but everything shaped up in the end, despite a big 'ol blizzard hitting Boston on the last day of the course.

Anyhow, that explains the lack of posts in in January, I should be posting more regularly in the coming weeks, but in the mean time, I leave you with the following song that's been stuck in my head since the weekend:


Can't wait for the new album to drop in March!