#IWantMyNerdHQ Update and Final Push!

“Being nerdy just means being passionate about something, including everyone - the coolest people on Earth are passionate and therefore nerdy about something whatever it is, whether it's sports, or gaming, or technology, or fashion, or beauty, or food, or whatever.” - Zachary Levi

I kinda sorta love that quote.

I told you in my previous post that I'm a nerd. Always have been. Always will be. And I'm totally OK with that. I'm a Disney nerd, a word nerd (also known as a grammar freak), and a book nerd.

Whatever. It's all cool.

And that guy up there...Zachary Levi (a.k.a. Flynn Rider and Chuck)...well, he's a self-proclaimed NERD and he runs an organization called The Nerd Machine.

The Nerd Machine sponsors the NerdHQ during San Diego's annual ComicCon event. This year's event is scheduled for July 24-27 at Petco Park in San Diego. And...it's a FREE event. As in totally free.

NerdHQ gives fans and celebrities an "intimate and engaging experience" that is unlike any other in the Nerd Universe.

In addition to the cool fan-and-celebrity interaction, NerdHQ also raises funds for Operation Smile - the international organization for which Zachary is an ambassador. To date NerdHQ has raised $415K for Operation Smile!

That's right. NerdHQ has raised almost HALF A MILLION DOLLARS for Operation Smile.

So...here's what I'm asking you, my faithful nerd readers, to do: Donate just $5 to #IWantMyNerdHQ so that Zachary and The Nerd Machine can put on a successful NerdHQ in July and raise even more money for Operation Smile.

It's that easy.
Just $5. Or maybe $10. Or if you're feeling really generous...a little bit more.

Why, you might ask, should you donate anything to NerdHQ?

Because this: NerdHQ costs money to organize and getting money via sponsors isn't the best way to do it. So, NerdHQ is asking you and me to donate money to help fund the event and in return you will be part of the #NerdHQArmy and your name will be placed on the Nerd HQ Wall of Honor at the event this summer in San Diego.

And so...long story short....

If you want to donate to NerdHQ (and you know you do) go here.

That's it.
Oh, and you have until 11:59 p.m. on April 25 to donate. 

And if you're feeling so inclined you can also tell your friends, family, coworkers, and fellow nerds about NerdHQ and all the good work they do. And if you're into the whole social media scene...follow Zac on Twitter @ZacharyLevi and follow the Nerd Machine @thenerdmachine.

And you can check out the indiegogo link here. You'll find answers to your questions and more information about NerdHQ and why they do what they do!


And that's it.
Be a nerd.
Help Zachary Levi do great things.

Disclosure: I am part of the #NerdHQArmy through the #ENMNetwork. That's all. 

'North America' - A Review

I'm a Midwest girl - born and raised in northwest Ohio, I have only traveled west of the great Mississippi twice. And both times were on a plane.

I have never visited the Grand Canyon. Or the Great Plains. I've never been to the Dakotas. I dream about visiting Alaska, but so far it's only a dream. And the only places I've seen in California are Los Angeles and San Diego.

But this past week I had the chance to travel around this incredible country and visit places I have only dreamed about thanks to North America, a 7-part Discovery Channel natural history documentary.

The kids and I sat down to watch the first few episodes, not really knowing what to expect. I hoped it wasn't going to be a "ho-hum" sort of experience where the kids would be bored after five minutes of watching the buffalo roam.

What we saw in the first few minutes was in fact, amazing. The cinematography was breathtaking. You actually felt as if you were soaring over the mountains and the beauty of it all nearly brought me to tears. It was THAT epic.

Of course, it helped that that narrator of the series is Tom Selleck (who is still swoon-worthy in my book) and the music was not your run-of-the-mill documentary music. The theme song for North America is "Army of One" by Bon Jovi (still one of the best bands out there, in my oh-so-humble opinion. And Jon Bon Jovi? Um, yeah. Swoon.)

Throughout the seven episodes the kids and I found ourselves rooting for the survival of  a baby mountain goat braving the rapids (Episode One: Born to Be Wild), feeling sad for the baby turtles who would never make it to the ocean (Episode One: Born to Be Wild), covering our eyes when faced with SPIDERS! (Episode Two: No Place to Hide), laughing out loud as a chipmunk defends his nuts (Episode Three: Learn Young or Die), and watching with a mix of awe and slight terror as we watched a massive shark migration happen off the coast of Florida (Episode Four: The Savage Edge).

And, Olivia is still talking about the adorable and furry Pika (who lives in Labrador) ... because as cute and cuddly as this animal looks, we learned that it stores dead birds in its home and EATS THEIR BRAINS. Yeah, the Pika is pretty much a zombie. The girls found that amusing.

Aside from the Bon Jovi theme song, the music throughout the series was incredible. The filmmakers used Lenny Kravitz's "I Love the Rain" during an intense storm scene shot in the southwest, Dr. John's "Such a Night" for a scene featuring spadefoot frogs mating in a 24-hour period in the Sonoran Desert, Etta James' "At Last" for a hummingbird mating scene, and The Troggs' "Wild Thing" for a scene showing tens of thousands of garter snakes mating. (I admit I had to cover my eyes during this scene because I am terrified of snakes).

Read that paragraph again - you see how many times I mention the word "mating"? Yeah. There was a lot of that going on in this movie - spiders, snakes, horseshoe crabs, frogs, birds. Pick an animal from the series and I'm sure they were mating at some point. The girls (ages 9 and 6) didn't ask many questions about that - and when they did, I simply said "they're making baby animals." So if you're watching this documentary with the kids, be prepared to answer some "birds and the bees" questions.

Over the course of two nights the girls and I had a chance to visit so many amazing, beautiful, and "must see" places thanks to this documentary. I have added so many places to my "travel bucket list" and even promised the kids we'd visit the Grand Canyon someday because they thought it was "really cool."

I absolutely LOVED this documentary and the kids keep asking when they can watch it again. If you're looking for something that is visually stunning, educational, and leaves you wanting to learn more about North America, this is the documentary you need to watch. You won't be disappointed, and it's very likely that you'll find yourself saying "Wow! I had no idea!" many, many times. (If you're looking to purchase the DVD, it's available at the Discovery Channel Store for $24.99).

Disclaimer: I received this DVD to review as part of my participation in the Entertainment New Media Network. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.