There are a lot of foods I am nerdy over: apple pie, pumpkin, coffee, tea and McDonald's fries {mmmm}, but Dunkin' Donuts holds a special place since it has been out of my grasp these last five years since moving to San Diego.
San Diego has just open its first Dunkin' Donuts in over 20 years. I joined the masses the Wednesday after its opening and had time to ponder while in the two hour line, why Dunkin' Donuts held such a large place in my heart.
The earliest DD memory I can recall is getting a box of Munchkins as a young child. Then as many things from your childhood do, they disappeared only to return again later in life.
When I moved back east to attend Penn State my love of Dunkin' Donuts returned. I would go now and again but not obsessively so. It is not until something is out of your grasp do you realize how much it means to you. Since moving to San Diego in 2009, every time I am near a Dunkin' Donuts, I MUST get it. Visiting The Music Maven in Colorado? Dunkin' Donuts. Visiting the in laws in Boston? Dunkin' Donuts. Traveling anywhere I scour the airports for my beloved pink and orange sign.
The San Diego location opened up right near the convention center in the Embassy Suites, which is going to be perfect for SDCC! Even more perfect if that is where you are staying. I can say for certain, that one of our group members will be hitting DD up for us while we camp in either H Hall or Ballroom 20 line!
Dunkin' Donuts holds a place in my heart with nostalgia mixed with a yummy product. The pink logo helps too! "Also America Runs On Dunkin'!"
My Psych story is quite similar to my Chuck story. My love for both shows can be traced back to San Diego Comic Con. What did I do before SDCC?! I had known about Psych, from Twitter friends, but had never watched the show. By the time their hour long panel was over, I was ready to start.
One reason was the cast's enthusiasm for their show, even though it was nearing its end. Stars James Roday and Dule Hill both got up and sang a bit from their upcoming musical. Then I became a fan!
As soon as the SDCC madness was over, I headed home for my Netflix Psych marathon. Catching up just in time for the musical and première of season 8.
My favorite part of the Psych fandom is the way you as a fan can feel a part of the show. The creators and stars give all of themselves to their fans and make it easy for you to connect with them. Psych All Night was my first experience with this. I came home Thursday night after work to a mysterious package on my front door. It was from Psych! Tissues to get me through the end of the series.
WHAT OTHER SHOW DOES THIS!?
While watching Psych one Wednesday night, The Hunny mentions that he could totally cosplay as Shawn, since he wears "regular" clothes. Thus our very first cosplaying adventure together was born! At this year's SDCC The Hunny will be cosplaying as Shawn and I his Pineapple.
Catch the Psych series finale THIS Wednesday on USA at 9pm. Then stay tuned for the Psych after show. I'm sure there will be plenty of tears so I have my Psych tissues at the ready!
I had just finished up Doctor Who {which The Hunny refused to watch with me because "there are too many episodes"} and wanted a show that we could both watch together! I had been hearing so many good things about Sherlock, but wasn't sure he would like it. I watched the first episode alone, fell in LOVE and MADE him try it out. Now we are both Sherlocked!
With only six episodes out, my nerding out is in high gear waiting for more to come! News is all over the internet about the filming of series 3 coming to an end. I am trying to avoid any and all spoilers like a mad women. Hopefully we can see the new episodes the same time as the UK so we don't get any spoilers!
Favorite Characters:
*Sherlock - Benedict Cumberbatch
{He always gets the best lines and I love how oblivious he is to how others feel and what they think about him, in a good way.}
*John Watson - Martin Freeman
{I love how much he loves Sherlock and he is quite funny as well, but in a totally different way.}
*Molly Hooper - Louise Brealey
{I FEEL so much for her character. The longing she has for Sherlock and how he totally and completely takes advantage of her. My heart hurts for her.}
*James Moriarty - Andrew Scott
{One of THE best actors I have ever seen! He played Moriarty so amazingly. Everything. He is brilliant!}
Favorite Episode:
*A Scandal in Belgravia
{I can never tell with this show! Was Sherlock in love with Irene Adler? Did she escape? I was on the edge of my seat and my heart was beating fast! I really hope get to see more character interaction from them in whats to come.}
Favorite Quotes:
"Shut up." - Sherlock
"I wasn't..." - Lastrade
"You were thinking it's annoying." - Sherlock
"Houston we have a mistake." - Sherlock
"Don't talk out loud you lower the IQ of the entire street." - Sherlock
Sherlock Shopping:
This Sherlock pendant from Bazinga Jewellery is so awesome. I already LOVE the British flag add the Sher-locked lettering...perfection!
My most favorite thing is this Sherlock skirt from Nerd Alert Creations. I loved the wallpaper in the show, but when Sherlock painted the smiley face on it and took his frustrations out on it, TV magic was made! I am fully in love with this skirt, it is the perfect combination of nerdy and girlie. It also has POCKETS!! I had such an amazing time wearing it at our SherlockeDCC party this past San Diego Comic Con! I still can't believe I was able to be involved in that amazing event!
If you have NOT watched this show go straight away to either Netflix or Amazon Prime and WATCH it is GENIUS!
My first sci-fi movie was in 1990 when I saw Back to the Future III in the first row at the movie theater. My second was Jurassic Park in the theaters in 1993. I was also a big X-Files fan at that time, but it would mostly give me nightmares, but that didn't stop me from watching! It was not until 1996 and the release of Independence Day that I was hooked. I had the poster on my bedroom wall and when the VHS was released I took the time to pause and rewind multiple times to write down the president's end speech. {Side Note: Didn't realize Adam Baldwin was in ID4 until I jumped on the Firefly bandwagon in 2009.}
As I go through the "sci-fi" movies on Amazon, there are a LOT. Some I didn't include because I labeled them under fantasy instead of sci-fi {Harry Potter, LOTR, Vampires} if it wasn't science/tech or space I didn't include them. If a movie comes out that is alien or space or future {especially future/space!} related, I am there! I could go on and on with this movie list, but I won't bore you :)
My sci-fi obsession also spills over to TV. Futurama has been my top favorite show since it began airing reruns at night in Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network. I would watch it every night as my lullaby. When I could afford it, I finally bought the DVDs and watched them every night. When we got Netflix and I found it there, I watched it every night. I'm a bit obsessed with that show.
Then my Doctor Who obsession finally began in November of last year. David Tennant is my Doctor and I cannot tell anyone enough about how awesome this show is and how everyone should watch it!!
Before the finale season of Fringe began in 2012, I did a month long marathon to caught up {S1, S2, S3, S4} so I could watch the last season live! It was worth it. I had watched season 1 and maybe half of 2 when they aired. Then life got in the way and we had no DVR back then {HOW DID WE LIVE?!}. I am so happy to be a Fringie again! I also go get the above graphic novel, it was GREAT and fun way to get more Fringe stories!
It is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I am so sad for it to be over, but so happy that it had a chance to go out on top and have an amazing ending. Here is how my love for Being Human began.
When I saw THIS^ poster in a New York subway station Christmas time 2010, it was covering one entire wall and I stopped to stare while my group walked along. One look and I KNEW it was a show for me! As a HUGE vampire fan, I quickly took a picture to remind me to watch it.
Once January 17th, 2011 rolled around I persuaded The Hunny to watch along with me and we have been hooked back since! With GREAT story lines and GREAT actors equal AWESOME show! By the time SDCC 2011 rolled along we were primed and ready to put in the long wait and early wake up call to get into their panel.
We ended up with nice seats in the Hilton Bayfront Hotel ballroom and the panel was well worth the wait! The cast was funny, kind and so gracious! I was so happy to see them in person after all those nights watching them on the show.
When that day was almost done, I was hanging out in front of the Hard Rock Hotel {my now go to place to see celebs during SDCC!} and the entire cast walked by! I took a quick few shots, but nothing great. I was waiting to meet my family when a while later, the cast walked back by and just hung out talking! I took my chance to get a shot with Meaghan Rath.
I always feel bad bothering them, but she was super sweet and nice! She loved that my name was Megan too :) Then I asked if I could get a group shot and she was like sure...so my SDCC 2011 was made with the above shot! Ps it is totally on my fridge!
My wonderful Hunny took both photos. He was ever so sweet about me drooling over Sam Witwer! But The Hunny was doing some drooling of his own over Sam Huntington. I managed to convince him to grab Sam for an individual shot and The Hunny was all smiles!
Halloween 2011 I dressed up as Meaghan Rath's character Sally the ghost. It's an easy one and comfy too for a Halloween night passing out candy. Perfect for an Everyday Cosplay!
Being Human also has one of the best soundtracks on TV! From the very first song they played during the pilot, I was hooked! I had to find out who that was. And so began my love for the musician Royal Wood. He was the first song they played in the pilot and it was love at first listen. I was so happy to hear that he would be featured again in the series finale and it ended up being the last song. The first and the last, so perfect. His vinyls are the ones I spin the most, especially while writing, I call him "swoon" music. Now we just need to get him to come tour the US!
Sam Witwer & I at Phoenix Comic Con
I was extremely happy with the series finale. I was worried it wouldn't wrap up neatly, but I am so happy how all the characters had a happy ending. Even with the sadness of the show ending, they were able to get some funny parts in which I think makes the show unique. I had a huge ugly cry at the end! I cannot remember a show that I was with from BEFORE the beginning to the EVERY end! It was an emotional night!
You can catch season one through three on Netflix and season one through three on Amazon Prime with four available for purchase. Now that US is over, I can try the UK version!
The year was 1992 & I was only 9 years old when my vampire obsession began! Now that I look back, I can't believe I was so young, but it was all quite innocent. The thing that started it all was a little show on Nickelodeon's late night program Snick, entitled Are You Afraid of the Dark. The Episode was "The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors." The story was pretty tame, good for a 9 year old. What got me was it the mystery? The charmingness of the neighbors? Whichever, I was hooked.
My next vampire memory is Interview With a Vampire {which is STILL my top favorite movie of all time to this day}. This came out in 1994, so I am quite sure I did not see it at that time. I do not remember my first time seeing it. All the time they were able to live, all the things they got to see and do. That is my biggest allure. I tried reading the book, but after seeing the movie soooo many times, going to the book was so different. I could not get through it, all I could imagine was the movie. Another draw was the fashion! Is it weird that I wanted/want all of Claudia's cute lil dresses, especially {spoiler alert?!} the one she dies in, its to die for {literally!}.
I love beautiful book covers.
Then Twilight came along. I was living in VA and a friend of mine told me about this series she was reading. She even gave me the 1st one as a birthday present. I distinctly remember reading the first one so quickly that I still had birthday money left over {which is surprising as I spend as soon as I receive} and was able to go to Borders and buy the second and third books right away. I was even able to purchase Eclipse with Stephanie Meyer's signature in it. I am such a hopeless romantic that I was pulled right in.
Then came True Blood. I cannot remember if I began watching the show as it aired or bought season one when it was over. But regardless in June of 2009 I began reading the books. I bought one through seven and was ready for the SDCC panel in July of that same year. I have finished up to book ten as of now {two more have come out since} and Sookie STILL hasn't wanted to turn. That is so hard for me to get over as, if I was her, I would want to turn. So many things you would get to see and do! Also look young forever..sign me up :)
Next was The Vampire Diaries. I had read the books {another friend recommendation} and was super excited for the show. I did drop off a bit in the middle, but just finished a full marathon this summer to be ready for the SDCC panel in 2012 and the season four premiere that just aired.
My love for vampires peaked in 2010 when we were on vacation in NYC for Christmas. On one of our many subway trips I saw a poster for a show about three roommates: a vampire, ghost and werewolf. My group was walking fast ahead of me and I remember pointing it out to them and saying I wanted to watch this. I highly anticipated the premiere of the show Being Human on the SyFy network. I even persuaded The Hunny into watching it and it is now our FAVORITE show on TV. In 2011 we had the chance to see their SDCC panel AND get to meet them! That was the highlight of our con! We CANNOT wait for the return in Monday January 14th, 2013. It will make getting through Monday a bit easier!
Just recently I began reading comics and one of my obsessions since I LOVE the movie is 30 Days of Night. The reboot of the original comic series, is such a great way to continue on with such a great story. It has such strong and interesting characters. They are re-releasing the original series of graphic novels just in time for Christmas {added to wish list!}. I love the movie, it is extremely dark and scary. I'm not usually a huge horror fan {I like the nice vamps {contradiction?!}} but the story/cinematography was so amazing that I just watch it with the lights on. I love the RED blood against the WHITE snow {so graphic}.
Since my love of vampires began I haven enjoyed many vampire movies/TV shows and books:
I cannot remember when I first began watching Dexter. Usually these things are quite clear in my mind, but for some reason Dexter is not. I do remember that my lovely Aunt suggested it. So I did a bit of investigating
We own seasons 1-4 so I searched my Amazon account to see if I bought them there. The only one that showed up was season 3 in August of 2009. So I am pretty sure I pre-ordered that one. Now seasons 1 and 2. I do vividly remember always seeing season 1 around stores, since the cover is quite weird! So we probably began season one when we first moved to San Diego in 2009. That is also when I began reading the books which I also love. The first is similar to the first season, but the other are not. The third book I did buy here in SD and it was signed by the author, which is a nice treat to have.
SDCC 2009 our very first!
At 2009's SDCC we did not attend the Dexter panel, but I saw those Dexter bags for the first time and HAD to have one! I made it to the booth right in time to buy my Dexter bobble head {he sits on my desk} and get the LAST bag. That was also the year they were passing out the Dexter baby pins. I sadly did not get a full set as we did not go to the convention center on Sunday.
Yes, I was blonde for a VERY short time!
To this day I proudly carry my Dexter bag every time we go to the beach. Still the 2009 one, that is getting carried till it is no more. THEN I can begin to break into my stash of other years bags.
Dexter 2010 SDCC panel
2010's SDCC we did get to attend the Dexter panel for the first time and we were pretty close to the stage! Again the Dexter bag is the main swag I HAVE to get. But this time it was FREE :)
at SDCC 2011 with bag in front of the Coco Museum of Art
2011's SDCC I got my Dexter bag on the 2nd day of the con. There was a fuss to get it, but not as much as 2012.
What I wait my entire SDCC for!
2012's SDCC was the LAST year for Dexter bags, so it felt very hard to get one. I stalked the booth for the giveaways and was lucky enough to get two {one for me and one for The Hunny, but really both for me!}.
Car decor.
The Dexter pin, which now sits on my badge holder in my car with all my other con badges. I just recently made some "art" out of all my buttons from cons and now only a few are left in my car Dexter holding one of the places of honor.
My Dexter bag collection is now complete.
For the season 5 finale we were invited over to our friends house {which we do every Sunday} and I baked some special Dexter victim gingerbread cookies. Nothing says Merry Christmas like gingerbread men wrapped up ready to die.
Why love a serial killer you say? Because I, like his sister Deb, do believe that there is good in him. He rids the world of bad people. He also loves and protects his family too.
Michael C. Hall is such an amazing actor. Every season he IS Dexter. There is one scene in particular that stands out in my mind, Dexter is in a men's restroom and this guy is trying to make him mad, Dexter just flips out. The anger/hate that you see is not something you would usually see or react like. Michael makes you believe him. On the flip side, when he says to a sweet sleeping Harrison "it's going to be all right." You believe that to. From 2002-2011 he has been nominated for a SAG award and 2007-2011 for a Golden Globe. He won his first Globe in 2010. It was great to see him FINALLY be officially recognized for his amazing acting abilities.
My favorite episodes would have to be the two amazing cliffhangers of season 4 and 6! Brilliant and left me dying for more!
For the final episode I had a little Dexter themed party! I was not happy about how they ended the series. I thought that if they ended it with him sailing off into the storm, I could have lived with that. Or returning safely to Harrison and Hannah. I cried for the end and I cried for what could have been, but mostly I cried because I would miss Dexter.
I began noticing Entertainment Weekly {EW} when my Harry Potter obsession began in 2001. But it wasn't until 2006 that I gifted myself the magazine as a subscription for my birthday. Since then I have been loyal if not obsessed with this magazine. Every Friday or Saturday when it arrives in the mail I take an hour to read it cover to cover!
EWs I cannot part with!
It is the unique cover photos that makes me love EW. Being a photographer myself and a nerd, I love when the two come together to create something awesome! All the covers that I LOVE I hold on to. They have been a HUGE inspiration to me in my own work. And if it wasn't for the hunny our house would look like my tween bedroom with these amazing photos covering our walls. Of course my dream job as a photographer/nerd would be to work for EW. Every year during/after Comic Con I long to see the awesome portraits that come out of the convention weekend. I drool over the prospect of that job. What Mike Muller, the photographer, gets the actors to do in his photos, brings out their most comfortable side, it is amazing and inspiring.
Right before I began my subscription, was when the Twilight phenomenon was beginning.
I LOVED the 1st Twilight cover, it was unique and it is one of the reasons I began subscribing to EW. But years later they have not ANY Twilight covers as good as the 1st one. Usually now the covers are just posed pictures of the starts. The latest one looks like a still from the movie, and I cannot get over that her jacket makes her look like she is pregnant. Placement people, it is all in the details. Let's keep the creative juices flowing guys, that is THE reason I first bought the magazine. The cover is what draws the customer to the magazine...if it looks like every other magazine why buy it?
I LOVE what thetvaddict.com did when they were tired of seeing Twilight covers. I was browsing through Google pix of EW and saw this one and was like WHAT???!!! How did I miss this one?!
Of course it was not real. You can read their article here.
Guess EW FINALLY heard the fandom and Joss was featured on the cover in August of 2013.
EW's inspiring photos are only the tip of the iceberg, in my love for this magazine. All the TV/movies/books/music/pop culture things I nerd out about are all here in this ONE magazine EVERY week! Its nice to have a place to go that has people who understand what you LOVE and LOVE it too! I have gotten TONS of recommendations from this magazine and they are all things I would have never heard about otherwise. Thank you EW for feeding my inner nerd weekly!
Somewhere along the way, it turned into something bigger than I expected…a space for rebuilding, growth, and figuring it all out when everything changes.
Now, all these years later, I’m self-publishing my first novel
Musical Awakening.
"I'm a sucker for epistolary novels, so when I first read about it on Megan's blog I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy. If you're a millennial that spent their teens and 20's in small show venues every weekend then this is the book for you. A very cute story, perfect for a cozy weekend in with a cup of coffee (or tea) :)"
"As someone who also lives in music and feels it deeply this is a story for you! A quick read that took me to a nostalgic time where music and traveling shaped my life and helped me with some of my own self discoveries. I felt right at home reading this book!"
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