Birthday Dinner

This past weekend, we went up to Allentown, PA to celebrate my birthday with my parents.  They wanted to take my family and I out to dinner and we found the place called Rodizio Grill.  It was a glorious restaurant, done extremely well.  The basis of this restaurant is an all-you-can-eat buffet of meat seasoned as if you were eating in Brazil.  It is called a Brazilian Steakhouse, or Churrascaria.  You start off with two choices of meals, whether you want to eat meat and the salad bar, or just eat the salad bar.  Of course, if you go to a restaurant like this, you are going to eat meat, otherwise, what's the point.  At Rodizio, you have choices from beef, chicken, fish (at some locations), pork, and lamb (at some locations).  Some of the delicious meat that was served there included:

- Maminha - Tri-tip sirloin steak
 
- Picanha - Top sirloin
 
- Bife Com Alho - Garlic rubbed sirloin
 
- Miolo da Paleta - Center cut
 
- Assado - Brazilian style braised beef
 
- Picanha com Parmesao - Top sirloin grilled with Parmesan Cheese
 
- Alcatra - Whole sirloin
 
- Peru com Bacon - Turkey wrapped in bacon
 
- Lombo com Queijo - Pork grilled with Parmesan Cheese and Bacon
 
- Presunto - Grilled Ham
 

Everything at the restaurant was amazingly cooked by their professional chefs, but my favorite was probably the Peru com Bacon, just because the turkey was so moist and the bacon on the outside had the perfect amount of crisp around the outside ring.  The only food that we had that we would tell you not to try would be the Assado, even though its description sounds delicious, was basically a beef stew that had too much water.

Another place to try if you like this type of eating would be Fogo de Chao, which can also be found in many different location.

Overall, we give Rodizio Grill a 4.5 stars out of 5 only because it is not very friendly for the picky child eater, unless they really like mashed potatoes.

Central PA Comic Con

Over this past weekend we went to our first Comic Convention for the 2015 convention season.  This convention was know as the Central PA Comic Con, located at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in York, PA.  For this convention only my wife and I went to the convention.  We knew going into this convention that it wasn't going to be a gigantic convention that we have been used to going to, but we knew that based on the website, we were going to at least be going to a well organized convention.  We only went to the convention for one day (Saturday) and it was well priced for the size and time necessary to go to the convention.  Since we paid online before the convention, it only cost us 10 dollars per person for the single day, which is actually not seen for most conventions anymore.

Like most conventions nowadays, they use some of their money and bring in guests to do panels and signings, and sometimes the guests themselves will be there selling their own goods.  Well at this convention, one guest in particular brought me into wanting to go there and that was because he was in one of my favorite TV shows running now on AMC, The Walking Dead.  His name is Theodus Crane, and even though he was only on the show for a short time as Big Tiny, he was still on the TV show.  Other guests for this convention included:

- Alex Saviuk - Green Lantern, Superman, Flash, Amazing Spider-man
- JG Herzler - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Klingon General Martok
- Felix Silla - The Addams Family Cousin Itt
- Chris Campana
- Bryan J. Glass
- Katrina Henderson
- Ken Hunt - Batman, Daredevil
- Jamal Jones, Michael May, Laura Ojeda, Sarah Poet
- Anthony Spay - Escape from Wonderland
- Ben Steckler, Keith Williams
- Neil Vokes - Robotech, Vampirella
- Chris Yambar - The Simpsons
- Victoria Cosplay - cosplay

This convention when you walk around you can definitely see that it is not generally a normal convention with the normal convention goers.  This convention had a lot of families going around, even though there was a no strollers allowed rule.  There was still a lot of families with their little ones going around in cosplay. 

We only made two little purchases at this convention.  My wife purchased one of her missing Lois Lane comics and a small resin Tardis from the Doctor Who series that we are going to make into a magnet for our refrigerator.  I purchased a resin model kit from Arsenal Models that was a replica from Luke Skywalker and Han Solo's blaster from Return of the Jedi.  I will post pictures of the resin kit as i put it together.

Well there was our first review of the first convention we went to this year.  Hopefully, more will follow this year as we continue into the convention season.  Later this month we will have Zenkaikon out in Lancaster, PA and later we will have Steel City Con and Tekkoshocon out in Pittsburgh, PA.

Disney Kids TV

We started off with the shows on Nickelodeon and PBS and now as the title says, now its time for the children's TV of Walt Disney, or at least his amazing followers.

"Phineas and Ferb" - Phineas and Ferb is an American animated comedy-musical television series that follows Phineas Flynn and his British stepbrother Ferb Fletcher while on summer vacation. Every day, the boys embark on some grand new project, which annoys their controlling sister, Candace, who frequently tries to reveal their shenanigans to the boys' mother, Linda Flynn-Fletcher, and less frequently to their father, Lawrence Fletcher.  The series follows a standard plot system; running gags occur every episode, and the B-Plot almost always features Perry the Platypus working as a spy ("Agent P") for OWCA (the Organization Without a Cool Acronym), to defeat the latest scheme of Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, a mad scientist driven largely by a need to assert his evilness. Sometimes, other villains scoff at his level of evil. The two plots intersect at the end to erase all traces of the boys' project just before Candace can show it to their mother. This usually leaves Candace very frustrated.

"Star Wars Rebels" - Star Wars Rebels is an American 3D CGI animated television series produced by Lucasfilm and Lucasfilm Animation.  Set fourteen years after Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and five years before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Rebels takes place during an era when the Galactic Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy. Imperial forces are hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights while a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking form.

"Marvel's Avengers Assemble" - Avengers Assemble is an American animated television series, based on the fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, the Avengers.  The series is a replacement for The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.  It airs alongside Ultimate Spider-Man and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H..  Additionally, it features a near-identical cast and crew with both shows, and shares continuity with them as part of the block.

"Marvel's Hulk and the Agents of Smash" - The story is told from the perspective of an online reality show created by Rick Jones, to foster public acceptance of the Hulk, as a hero and not a monster.  The "show" is filmed by robotic flying cameras that accompany the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. everywhere they go, resulting in humorous vignettes and visual gags throughout each episode.  Hulk, She-Hulk, Red Hulk, A-Bomb, and Skaar come together as the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (the acronym later stands for Supreme Military Agency of Super Humans) to tackle threats that no other superheroes can face.

"Ultimate Spiderman" - Ultimate Spider-Man is an American animated television series based on the Spider-Man comics published by Marvel Comics, including some elements of Marvel's Ultimate line of books.

"The Avengers" - The Avenger: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! was an American animated television series based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers.  The series initially features a team based on the roster for the original Avengers, composed of Iron Man, Giant Man, Hulk, Thor, and the Wasp.  The team is later joined by Captain America, Black Panther, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, and Vision.

"Doc McStuffins" - Doc McStuffins is an animated children's television series about a girl who can "fix" toys, with help from her stuffed animal friends.

"Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" - Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto star in the series, which focuses on interacting with the viewer to stimulate problem solving.  Each episode has the characters help children "solve a specific age-appropriate problem utilizing basic math skills, such as identifying shapes and counting through ten." The series uses "Disney Junior's 'whole child' curriculum of cognitive, social and creative learning opportunities."  Once the problem of the episode has been explained, Mickey invites viewers to join him at the Mousekadoer, a giant Mickey-head-shaped computer whose main function is to distribute the day's Mousekatools, a collection of objects needed to solve the day's problem, to Mickey. Once the tools have been shown to Mickey on the Mousekadoer screen, they are quickly downloaded to Toodles, a small, Mickey-head-shaped flying extension of the Mousekadoer. By calling, "Oh Toodles!" Mickey summons him to pop up from where he is hiding and fly up to the screen so the viewer can pick which tool Mickey needs for the current situation.

More Kids TV Choices

Now that we went into the realm of Kids TV shows on Nickelodeon, here are the shows that we use to raise our children from the world of PBS.

"Sid the Science Kid" - Sid the Science Kid is an award-winning educational animated television series that uses comedy and music to promote exploration, discovery and science readiness among preschoolers. Sid the Science Kid features a practical in-school science curriculum and celebrates children’s natural curiosity about science in everyday life. Each episode of “Sid the Science Kid” focuses on a single scientific concept that is presented using Preschool Pathways to Science (PrePS©), a practical science readiness curriculum used in preschool classrooms that was created by cognitive researchers and preschool educators, incorporating lessons learned from developmental research as well as classroom experience.

"The Cat in the Hat" -  The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!^TM is designed to spark a love of learning and an interest in science in preschool-aged children.  The TV series and online resources are designed to cultivate positive views about science and scientists among the next generation—the children who will become tomorrow’s citizens and innovators—and help families and teachers build communities of science explorers.  In each program, the Cat in the Hat and his friends Sally and Nick go on a science adventure such as shrinking to bee-size to explore a hive and discover how honey is made; flying with birds to discover how and why they migrate; diving inside flowers to find out more about the animals that depend on them to live; or taking a snowcat to the Arctic to explore freezing and melting. Guided by the Cat, the children figure things out by engaging in science inquiry. They ask questions, make observations, make predictions, plan investigations, collect data, make discoveries, and generate and discuss ideas about how the world works.  Each adventure revolves around a specific science concept such as bird migration or animal camouflage.
 

"Curious George" - Curious George is a 2-time Daytime Emmy® award-winning animated series based on the popular books by Margret and H.A. Rey. Aimed at preschool viewers (ages three to five), the goal of the series is to inspire children to explore science, engineering, and math in the world around them. And what better guide is there for this kind of exploration than the world's most curious monkey?  George lives to find new things to discover, touch, spill, and chew. Everything is new to George and worth investigating. Of course, in George's hands — all four of them — investigation often leads to unintended consequences! Throughout George's adventures, he encounters and models basic concepts in each of the three content areas. While remaining true to the look and feel of the beloved books, the daily series expands George's world to include a host of colorful new characters and locales. The CURIOUS GEORGE series also aims to show parents and caregivers how to foster the development of science and math literacy in children.

"Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" - Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is a new animated program for preschoolers ages 2 to 4 which builds on the pioneering PBS series, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. This new series, for a new generation of children, tells its engaging stories about the life of a preschooler using musical strategies grounded in Fred Rogers’ landmark social-emotional curriculum. Through imagination, creativity and music, Daniel and his friends learn the key social skills necessary for school and for life.  Each episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood consists of two engaging stories that center on a common early learning theme such as dealing with disappointment. One of the key ingredients that sets the new series apart is its groundbreaking use of catchy, musical strategies that reinforce each theme and that preschoolers and parents will both sing – and use – together in their daily lives.  It all adds up to a powerful tool for parents: an entertaining and thoughtful guide for today’s families that integrates music, interactivity and a research-based curriculum.

"Dinosaur Train" - Dinosaur Train embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains, while encouraging basic scientific thinking skills as the audience learns about life science, natural history and paleontology. Young viewers can join Buddy and his adoptive Pteranodon family on a whimsical voyage through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans, as they unearth basic concepts in life science, natural history and paleontology. 

Dinosaur Train begins when Buddy is adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Pteranodon and brought to their nest to hatch at the same time as his new siblings, Tiny, Shiny and Don. Buddy and his new family have an insatiable desire to learn all about the different types of dinosaurs, so they board the wondrous Dinosaur Train, which allows them to travel and explore the world inhabited by these amazing creatures.  Departing from Pteranodon Station, the Dinosaur Train is a colorful locomotive, customized to accommodate all kinds of dinosaurs. Windows are perfect for the long-necked herbivores, and there’s plenty of head room in the Observation Car for the Giganotosaurus, giving all the species onboard a chance to check out the prehistoric world as they ride on the train. The Dinosaur Train has the ability to visit the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous worlds, while the Train’s Conductor, a knowledgeable Troodon, provides passengers with cool facts about dinosaurs along the way.

"Peg + Cat" - Peg + Cat is an animated math-based series for children ages 3-5 years old. The show follows the adorable, spirited Peg and her sidekick Cat as they embark on adventures, solve problems together, and learn foundational math concepts and skills.  They grapple with all kinds of loony, loopy obstacles, under intense time pressure.  They write out diagrams and charts on the graph paper that comprises their background.  They interact with one another in their own quirky, comical way.  And somehow, they always find a way to solve the math and save the day.  Peg + Cat will inspire preschoolers’ natural curiosity about math and help them develop new skills and strategies for solving problems creatively in their daily lives. 

"Super Why" - Super Why...to the rescue!  Welcome to SUPER WHY, a breakthrough preschool series designed to help kids ages 3 to 6 with the critical skills that they need to learn to read (and love to read!) as recommended by the National Reading Panel (alphabet skills, word families, spelling, comprehension and vocabulary). SUPER WHY makes reading an empowering adventure by using interactive literacy games that need YOU to play. SUPER WHY is an interactive reading adventure!  Storybrook Village is the home of your child's favorite fairytale characters. Immediately, you'll meet the four best friends who anchor each episode: Red, from Little Red Riding Hood; Pig from The Three Little Pigs, Princess from The Princess and The Pea, and Wyatt, the curious younger brother of Jack from Jack and The Beanstalk who discovers he has the power to fly inside books to find answers to his questions. Each of these characters is re-imagined as an everyday kid, not unlike your child's own friends: Red rides roller blades; Pig drives a trike; Princess loves tea parties and dress-up; and Wyatt is the group's natural leader.  Each episode starts with a preschool relatable problem.  In every episode, one of the friends encounters a problem with another Storybrook Village character. As in real life, the problems require preschool social skills to resolve. And that's when SUPER WHY gets super-powered! Wyatt calls his fairy tale friends to their secret clubhouse, named "The Book Club," where they transform themselves from mere mortals into literacy-powered super heroes: Alpha Pig with "Alphabet Power," Wonder Red with "Word Power," Princess Presto with "Spelling Power," Super Why with the "Power to Read," and your child-Super You, with the "Power to Help." The adventure begins as the Super Readers find out how famous fictional characters handled similar situations. This adventure inside a book helps the Super Readers figure out the answers to their own problems. Be prepared to hear: Super Why and the Super Readers.to the rescue!  The Super Readers can solve any obstacle with their literacy powers!
"Inside" each book the Super Readers lead the viewer on an engaging reading adventure. They talk to fictional characters from the story, play reading games and activities to overcome obstacles, search for Super Letters, and practice such key skills as letter identification, word decoding, spelling, vocabulary and comprehension. What's unique about this approach is that while kids are learning and practicing the ABC's of reading, they're also thinking about what they're reading, applying reasoning skills to see the story in a real-life context and experiencing books in a powerful new way. The episode ends with the characters modeling the behavior so kids can actually see the problem being fixed.

"Caillou" - Caillou is a 4-year-old boy who delights in the small wonders of the world around him, embellishing everything he sees with his rich imagination. Surrounded by his parents, his little sister, Rosie, his grandparents and friends his age, Caillou discovers the world and just can't wait to grow up! Everything around him is an excuse to embark on exciting adventures, learn new things and have fun. Whether he's at school, at home or in a park, Caillou finds opportunities for learning and growing everywhere!  Thanks to his vivid imagination, ordinary, everyday events quickly become exciting adventures where Caillou can play "make-believe".  In each adventure, Caillou discovers the big, wide world, experiences new things, shares his imaginary adventures with us and sometimes, even sings for his little viewers!

Kids TV Choices

Now with a family of 5 and three of them being children under the age of 10, it becomes hard to watch normal TV in the house.  With trying to raise our children in our image, we must figure out a way to introduce the "Geek" concept into their minds, that it isn't bad.  Most of the days in our house, the TV will be either turned on to Sprout, Nickelodeon, or PBS.

So for the kids we always tend to watch shows like Team Umizoomi, Paw Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Avatar, Legend of Korra, and Fairly Oddparents, just to name a few on the Nickelodeon Channel.  None of these are generally Geek, but we had to start our kids off easy before delving into some of the more outrageous TV shows that can be found here in America or even abroad the oceans.  So here is some information about these "Geek" children shows that can be used to get your children interested in modern day TV.

"Team Umizoomi" - Team Umizoomi is an animated live-action series on Nick Jr. It's located in the center of a wonderfully urban environment, where the streets are paved with origami, the sidewalks are swirled with color, and even the manhole covers have whimsical patterns embedded within. Team Umizoomi is made up of Milli, Geo, and Bot, who solve everyday problems with their Mighty Math Powers in order to keep Umi City running smoothly.

"Paw Patrol" - PAW Patrol is a CG, action-adventure preschool series starring a pack of six heroic puppies: Chase, Marshall, Rocky, Zuma, Rubble, and Skye, who are led by a tech-savvy 10-year-old boy named Ryder. With a unique blend of problem-solving skills, cool vehicles and lots of cute doggy humor, the PAW Patrol works together on high-stakes rescue missions to protect the Adventure Bay community.   

"TMNT" - Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, trained in the art of ninjutsu by a wise rat sensei they call Master Splinter. Is New York City ready for these radical reptile brothers?  With a sick sewer lair and tough friends like April O'Neil and Casey Jones, the Turtles are about to face evil more dangerous and pizza more delicious than anything they could have imagined.  Fighting villains like Shredder, the Kraang and loads of super-powerful mutants, Leo, Donnie, Raph and Mikey will become the heroes they were destined to be, and have loads of fun along the way!

"Avatar" - Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Only the Avatar was the master of all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless Fire Nation from conquering the world. But when the world needed him most, he disappeared. Until now... On the South Pole, a lone Water Tribe village struggles to survive. It's here that a young Waterbender named Katara and her warrior brother Sokka rescue a strange boy named Aang from a cavernous iceberg. Not only is Aang an Airbender--a race of people no one has seen in a century--but they soon discover that Aang is also the long lost Avatar. Now it's up to Katara and Sokka to make sure Aang faces his destiny to save the tribe--and himself.

"Legend of Korra" - Welcome to the world of The Avatar, where some humans have the power to manipulate earth, air, fire or water, and others will stop at nothing to take that power away. Able to bend all four elements, the Avatar must maintain peace.  Though Avatar Aang fought for balance between the four nations and successfully ended the Hundred Years War, Avatar Korra has plenty of new challenges ahead of her.  With new villains like the Red Lotus hot on her trail, Korra must focus on her element bending abilities to conquer all the evil threatening Earth. Was opening the portal between Spirit and Man a good idea?

"Fairly Oddparents" -  With an evil babysitter, a hyperactive dog, and off-the-wall parents, Timmy Turner is just your average boy navigating his way through childhood in his little town of Dimsdale. But while other kids are dealing with their parents, Timmy is busy managing The Fairly Oddparents.   When Timmy has a problem, all he has to do is turn to Cosmo and Wanda for some magical, mystical and totally outrageous solutions. With Fairy Godparents as wacky as Cosmo and Wanda (and as cute as Baby Poof), Timmy gets more "help" than he bargained for, and some awesome adventures too!

So if you haven't been connected to the internet in awhile, you might have missed that Netflix has been courting the option of bringing back a Legend of Zelda TV series back to the general public.  If you are young, like i'm sure some of my readers might be, Zelda had a TV show back in 1989 that was aired once a week in place of the Super Mario Bros. cartoon that played for the rest of the week.  In the TV show, they loosely followed the stories of the first two video games for the original NES, with some combinations of characters between the two games.  Adult versions of these characters were then added later on to the Captain N TV show that aired from 1989-1991 on Saturday Mornings.

Nothing has really been posted about this upcoming Live Action Series by Netflix, because it seems since working in tandem with Nintendo on their intellectual property, Nintendo likes to keep everyone in the dark. Hopefully this show does come to fruition, so all the Nintendo Geeks in the world can finally feel connected with some of the general public.

This all leads into my actual post.  Will this TV show have the success it might deserve like other Comic/Video Game TV shows, or will it follow in the style of Video Game to movie mockeries that we have had to deal with in the past?  Everyone remembers the Super Mario Bros. Movie right?

If this succeeds, what are some other Video Game to TV shows would you like to see?
I'll post my ideas and what others post in response next post.

So I haven't been able to update this blog since Christmas, so I wan to wish everyone a Happy New Year for 2015.  Hope everyone has set up their own New Year's Resolutions if you plan on following them. 

Well this post I decided to write because I had come across an article written on the Fashionably Geek blog and I thought I could also post it on my blog.  Well the idea is that during the New Years, there tends to be a lot of newly engaged couples around the world.  Most of my friends are already engaged or married, but I found this post aimed precisely towards Star Wars geeks, which I happen to be one of.


Fashionably Geek posted a picture of this wonderful engagement that follows a pattern around the bottom of the ring of a lightsaber.  As you can see from the second picture, the ring from the side is where it looks like a lightsaber the most, topped with whatever diamond or "bling" on top.  The ring in the photo is crafted with emeralds going up the sides to represent the blade, but I'm sure they can be replaced with any type of jewel you would like to place, perhaps the jewel of the significant other's birthstone.