The Sunday Geekery: Now, this is *my* kind of Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day, woo hoo! Ok, so I don't really get TOO excited about days like today. I am, in fact, a mother and I'm lucky enough to have a pretty great kid. She makes me feel special everyday! Even though I don't make a big to-do about Mother's Day or days like it, I'm always looking for an excuse to sit back and chill out.

Here's some of my favorite time wasters these last few weeks.

What I'm watching on Netflix:

House Hunting. Last Saturday was an icky rainy day and I was feeling less than stellar. I randomly picked this movie expecting nothing and was given everything! If I gave you a list of my absolute favorite things in movie (besides campy horror) it would go something like this - 1. Surprise, it goes places I dont expect. 2. Understandable mental deconstruction of the main characters. 3. Ghost/supernatural storyline. 4. small or independent production. Check them all! In this film, two families find themselves in a house for sale that wont let them leave. As it turns out, both families have lots of secrets revealed through the story. This film really hits a home run for me. It's dark with the just the right amount of uncomfortable.

Occupant:  Another beautifully made small production. This film is about a young man who inherits his grandmother's rent controlled apartment. To keep it, he has to squat in it until his residency can be established (or some legal mumbo jumbo). As it turns out, he might not be alone in the house. I'm still not sure if it is the solitude or the haunting, but he goes a little stir crazy. It isn't a happy feel good movie, but a fun ride into dark side of sanity. It started a little slow, but once it got rolling, I was completely engaged.

House of Cards. This is a political drama that is usually way out of my wheel house. For some reason, probably Kevin Spacey, I've actually watched this one. Some of the episodes are deliciously scandalous, others are just kind of slow and tough to get through. Even with rough spots, I'd recommend checking this one out.

What I'm playing:

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS). Nintendo - when you get it right, you really get it right. This game (despite my pet peeves with the 3DS) is genius. Luigi is just adorable. He interacts with his environment in all sorts of fun and unexpected ways. I'm not sure there is anything that makes me happier than when he starts humming along with the theme music. What a great break of the fourth wall! The game play is fun and engaging. They did a fantastic job of balancing reward for exploration. It is really worth your time to look under every carpet, pull on all the wallpaper, check every drawer and explore areas that aren't on the main path for that level. The game is really solid and it replays well. As it turns out, that may be the best feature. I've played some levels upwards of five times looking for those elusive boos and hidden gems and trying to hit the three star award. I've hemmed and hawed about buying the 3DS, but suddenly, I'm really glad to have one!

Where I'm killing time on the web:

Build your own robot @ MyRobotNation!! I spotted this on one of my favorite blogs of blogs, epbot. Jen has been "kind" enough to test the service and ordered her own robot. Looks flippin sweet! I couldn't *not* try the software. I've only spent about 30 minutes with it, but those 30 minutes, what fun! There's about a zillion things to add your your robot with all sorts of styles, colors, and accessories. I found myself directionless, so I didn't get very far with my first attempt. I think I will give it another whirl, but this time, a plan - I need a Bored Zombie robot! I hope I get some time soon to build one. Rest assured, if I do, you'll hear about it on a future Sunday Geekery!

What are you doing with your down time?

So, what say you? Have any Netflix recommendations for me? Did you try out My Robot Nation? I'd LOVE to see your robot, even if you dont have him printed!


(and happy mothers day to all the moms out there!)

Linked to Not Done Growing.