Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast - Movie Review

 "...deep down in the darkness, something awakes." 

Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast

   So, I first heard of Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast from a host of blog friends going to a press conference for the film. With an amazing list of voice talent including Ginnifer Goodwin, Mae Whitman, Rosario Dawson, Lucy Liu, Pamela Adlon, and Raven-Symoné, I had high hopes for our family's viewing. The official plot summary is: "Fun and talented animal fairy Fawn believes you can't judge a book by its cover, or an animal by its fangs, so she befriends a huge and mysterious creature known as the NeverBeast. While Tinkerbell and her friends aren't so sure about this scary addition to Pixie Hollow, the elite Scout Fairies set out to capture the monster before he destroys their home. Fawn must trust her heart and take a leap of faith if she hopes to rally the girls to save the NeverBeast." (Written by DisneyToon Studios).

   The thing you notice in the first 10 minutes is that the story is more about Fawn, and her adventures with the Neverbeast. Tinkerbell is a supporting character, and that scared me for a minute. That melted away as our family got caught up in just what the Neverbeast was up to. While the Neverbeast himself was the highlight of the movie, I thought the Scout Fairies were pretty darn cool. Brave and dedicated, skilled and professional, this troop makes you want to sign up for the cause of protecting Pixie Hollow! The Scouts gave my daughter another example of girls that can kick butt, and I'm veryokay with that.

   (Mild Spoiler) In the end, we say goodbye to the Never beast. While I won't give away any major details, I will confirm that Disney does what it does best, which is give you a great ending that lures out the tears. By the time the incredibly sad and touching music plays over the slow rolling credits, my 9YO daughter was in tears, not wanting to say goodbye, not wanting it to end, and not wanting to ever watch that ending again. (*UPDATE* - Upon the second viewing, when the end scene came, she ran out of the room and sat at the bottom of the stairs in order to not go through the emotional gauntlet like before) We all loved the movie, and have had SEVERAL viewings since. It's fun, powerful, cute, lovable, and everything you'd expect from a great Disney flick. While I thought featuring one of the sidekick fairies would detract from the "Tinkerbell" theme, I was pleasantly surprised, and so were the kids. So check it out! It's worth the ride.

J.

Friday Flush #18

 Friday Flush #18

    I've been saving today's Friday Flush entries for a little while now. It's time to share. If there's something that the past dozen and a half Friday Flush posts has shown me, it's that there is SO MUCH cool stuff, cool people, and overall coolness in the world, that I'm glad I have a place to reference them all. So today we look at old time new technology, little critter home swapping, and plants you can't kill unless you really try. 

Runcible, The Smart Pocket Watch

Like most people these days, I loves me some technology. I also love antiques and old wares, with an affinity for pocket watches. Imagine my delight when I stumbled across the Runcible, a smart pocket watch by Mohohm. George Arriola, founder and CPO of Monohm, said "the Runcible is meant to remove us from how we're so buried in our phones." See the full article by Sean O'Kane at the above link. The features I got excited about were the swappable backings that came in tin, copper, brass, and several types of wood. Also, to add a bit of fun and diversity, pictures and video will be in a round format. In a fun twist of functionality, users will be able to rotate the Runcible to focus and zoom. I got put on the mailing list to be made aware when it was ready for purchase. I'm already starting a change jar.

Hermit Crabs' New Shell
While I've never owned a hermit crab, I've always been fascinated by them. They're adorable in their little shells, and scoot across the ground with such purpose (when their not just chilling there, doing nothing). I've had cousins, nephews, and friends who've had them as childhood pets, and I'd always wondered a few things. Like, are they born that big? If not, does the shell grow with them? Mostly common sense and what little my associates knew filled in the blanks,.....until now. A wonderful little documentary on Vimeo titled "Crabs", dispelled any myths and took me on a fun journey around what these little guys go through as they get bigger. Funny enough, at a time in my life where I'm needing to appreciate what I have as opposed to what I don't, there was a line in the documentary that stood out to me when the littlest hermit crab's new home had a hole in it. The line went, "...but even a bad shell is better than being homeless." 

No Kill Plants 

Yahoo! Makers ran an article called 6 Spring Plants You Can't Kill (Unless You Really Try). I love mother nature. I love the foliage this planet is blessed with. I love the rich colors and the diverse shapes. I love the smell of the flowers and the oxygen our trees produce. I DON'T, however, like that I can kill just about anything that comes into my home. I feel like I could probably kill a fake plant at this point. As a couple, my wife and I are trying to add more green to our front porch, so this article came at the right time. I plan on talking with our local nursery to make sure I'm choosing the right plants for our region, but the point is still the same. There are plants out there, resilient to the torture I'm ready to provide (even if it's unintentional). So I give the advice to you that I give to myself. Be brave, get out there, and get your hands dirty. The payoff is quite satisfying.

   I leave you with a clear mind going into the weekend. We talked about making technology fun, being not too crabby, and being brave to plant some foliage.  This post will begin the kids' week off for Spring break, sooooo..........wish me luck!

J.

Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors - Toy Review

"Remember, with great power. comes great responsibility." - Uncle Ben, Spider-Man

   Spider-Man is one of those superheroes that is fun, adventurous, and if you're not looking, can teach you to be a better human being. The lessons learned in my youth about an average boy given immense power who chooses to use it for good made in impact on me. As an iconic hero of the Marvel world, Hasbro has teamed up to offer some downright awesome toys. Upon the reveal, BOTH my 5YO boy and 9YO girl were all over the gear listed below. Here's The Cheeky Review:

Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors Web Slingers RACER
(Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $14.99) 
Can the enemies of justice keep up with the Web Warriors? Not when they’re at the wheel of their web-launching vehicles! You can launch two webs from its vehicle racer. Choose from characters from the hit animated series Marvel’s ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN: WEB WARRIORS like SPIDER-MAN with ATV, AGENT VENOM with Motorcycle and more! Each figure vehicle sold separately. *The Quad is a sweet vehicle. Agent Venom is a cool take on the character. You kind of get a two for one. After we got done with target practice, we rolled the quad with Agent Venom across the tile floor. Both were a good time.

Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors Web Slingers BLASTERS
(Ages 5 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $14.99) 
Send webs flying into action! Load a web onto your Web Slingers blaster, then pull back and launch it at the included target! Hone your web-slinging abilities and help the Web Warriors defeat their enemies. The Spider-Man Web Slingers Blaster lets you get in the action with your own Spider-Man gear! Choose from characters from the hit animated series Marvel’s ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN: WEB WARRIORS like SPIDER-MAN , IRON SPIDER and SPIDER-MAN 2099.Each sold separately. Requires 2 AAA batteries. Demo batteries included. * While it took time to learn how to aim, this item was played with last, so we had three targets in total to aim at. I could see the excitement in my 5YO's eyes as he was envisioning himself as the webbed hero. The Cheeky Daddy was having a hard time not taking it over for himself!!!

Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors Web Slingers TRICKSHOT SHOWDOWN Playset
(Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $24.99/Available: Spring 2015)
Now kids can join the Web Warriors in web-launching action with the Trickshot Showdown playset! This web-blasting arena includes a 6-inch scale Spider-Man figure, 2 stretchy webs, and 5 targets to blast! The Spider-Man figure can attach to the spinning crane and go crashing through the doors to attack the villains. Targets include a spinning Venom and collapsing Green Goblin. * While the wearable and individual action figures are a load of fun, a decent sized playset seems to unleash the imagination the best. It helps to put the child (and parent?) into the world. We had fun shooting at the 6 or so targets and did some fun hero role playing. Thumbs up for this one.

   Each of the toys listed above were fun to get into. The Web Slinger function of the rubber "ammunition" does take a bit of time to get good at, but was a good time with my 5YO boy. There was a fair amount of smack talk verses the bad guys we were up against! Good times ahead,.....my Spider-Sense is tingling!!!

J.

FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Hasbro, practically another member of the Cheeky family with how long they've been in our home. Toys were provided for review. All opinions are that of The Cheeky Daddy, Jason Swann.

The Friday Flush #17

The Friday Flush #17

   Oh, it's Friday, in the biggest way. With sick kids draining the last ounce of energy and patience from mom and dad, I peruse the internet for something cool. I know I've really only scratched the surface, and who knows, maybe in a few years I'll have amassed a nice collection of awesome links. For now, you end the week with Google Maps image stitching, someone taking over Google's old archive projects, and choosing your digital devices.

HyperLabs
   I remember the day when Google Earth debuted. I was blown away when I could see my truck parked in my mother's driveway, like I was a target in Will Smith's Enemy of the State. Things have taken another leap with Hyperlabs, that stitches the street view images from Google Maps into video. I took a peek at the example video and was immediately impressed. Of course, picking a great stretch of road and putting it to moving music takes a good eye, but the end result should be pleasing, no matter the skill level. At the least, it seems like a great way to capture some fun vacation memories of drives from the past.


The Internet Archive
   There was a time when we all heard that Google was going to basically digitize the world. Every book was going to be available digitally and they were going to be the ones to do it. A lofty goal, but it seemed like Google was the behemoth to do it. Alas, time and money, (and profit) all get in the way, and projects get abandoned. There is, however, a group that has vowed to take over the task. The Internet Archive is a group committed to taking over the task.  The original article on medium.com detailed the chain of events leading up to the "change of the guard". Some of the achievments: 6 million public domain books, 1.9 million videos, 6,000 ephemeral films, including vintage advertising, educational and industrial footage, 2.3 million audio recordings, 137,000 concert recordings,, 10,000 audiobooks from LibriVox and more, the largest collection of historical software in the world, and so on. It's worth checking out. 

Product Chart
   When it comes to our electronics, we Americans love choice. One of the biggest problems I have had over the years, is the issue of too many choices. I hit this wall of indecision when we looked for a new digital camera, laptop, tablet, and smartphone. The people at Product Chart have a beta version of a tool that can help with that. The comparison chart features an interactive way to search, compare, and choose a product covering smartphones, laptops, MP3 players, solid state drives, and flash drives. It's fun to play with and helps with that lingering problem of choice. 

    So happy Friday, and take it easy. We've looked at the world stitched together, the world digitized for consumption, and a way to choose a device to consume that world. Have fun!

J.  

The Friday Flush #16

Friday Flush #16

   The first week back to school after three weeks off on Christmas vacation has been a bear. Kids that don't want to get up. Parents that don't want to get them up. Homework that does not want to be done. Ahhhhh, this is the life. I find my escape at times by finding  videos online that take my breath away, inspire, or in any other way give me a small escape. Friday Flush #16 brings you the jet pack man, undiscovered WWII images, and,.....well.....the universe.

Dual Flight Jet Pack
I think we've all thought about how cool it would be to fly. I came across JIM CROW a while ago and was blown away by his jet pack. A-MAZED I tell you. I watched him fly solo, with jets, and it was just incredible. I read recently that his goal was to do a dual flight with another jet pack. I watched his new video on YouTube and the ending gave me the chills. I love the innovation, and I love the "dreamer" aspect of this story. Gives whole new meaning to the "spread your wings" bit. Give it a watch, and don't forget to play it to the very end. I got goosebumps. I'm sure you will too.

31 Rolls of Undeveloped Film from a Soldier in WWII Discovered and Processed
I've always had an interest in the various aspects of war. The causes, the dedication of an individual, etc. I inherited my grandfather's book of pictures from his time in Papa New Guinea. 
I saw a link via Reddit about 31 rolls of undeveloped film from WWII that photographer Levi Bettweiser purchased at an auction in Ohio. The process is inspirational and the result is nothing less than preserving history. They reminded me of the kind and quality of the images from my grandfather's book. Every day shots from the war, that give more personality to such an epic event. The full video of the project can be found at http://www.rescuedfilm.com/#!rescuedwwii - so take a look when you have some time to watch and absorb.

Andromeda Galaxy
While I live on the 3rd rock from the sun, the great expanse of the universe has always captivated me. Most every night, as I lock up the house, I step out onto my porch and gaze up at the sky. In the summer, I take my time. In the winter, I haul but back inside. So you can imagine my sense of awe when I found the video of the 1.5 gigapixel image of the Andromeda galaxy as seen by the Hubble telescope. Somewhere around the 0:47 mark, my mouth dropped open and I felt more small and insignificant than ever before (and then afterward, got back to worrying about the little things in life). This was breathtaking, and I know if you take a quiet moment to watch and reflect, you will be awestruck as well.

Happy Friday all. Be inspired.

J.

DYI Disney Infinity Poster Art

 

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." 

- Walt Disney

   It's not a secret that our family has been wanting Disney Infinity in for home for nearly a year leading up to this past Christmas. The kids made no bones about it, and mom & dad masked their desire as "for the kids". We started the new year, defeating frost giants in the Marvel Avenger's play set. The kids got WAY creative in Toybox mode. Having come off a Guardians of the Galaxy high, we also delved into Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy play set. The game play is fun, the chance for both male and female gamers to be represented is cool, and the adventure seems endless. 

   One aspect that I hadn't anticipated is a little bonus gift that came with our starter kits. #DisneyInfinity starter kits include an incredibly cool 16" x 23" poster that features characters from that play set. I was tickled to have a few in our possession after the holidays and figured they'd be pinned up in the kids' room in no time. However, the creative side got a hold of me and I got to planning for a fun project with these awesome posters.

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A quick method to make these lovely bonus posters into a permanent art piece for the kids' room goes as follows:
1. I purchased a cedar tongue and groove board from Lowes, then sized and cut the wood to fit the size of the posters.
2. Assembly was easy with drilling pilot holes and putting both pieces together with wood screws.
3. I moved the project inside and prepped for the nest steps.
4. I adhered the posters to the wood with Modge Podge, working out the bubbles with a roller and my hands.
5. Once dry, I took the pieces outside for sanding.
6. Light sanding on the corners aged each piece. A small amount of dark finishing wax was used to age even more. An afternoon to dry, and they were ready for hanging.

    

   As Walt Disney's quotes says above, I talk a good talk, but need to do more. The Wife and I have SO many ideas that we want to see come to life, but when you boil down all the talk it comes time to actually do something about it. It was easier on this project, because our family is in the middle of a Disney Infinity REVOLUTION!!! These little posters are just simply the exclamation mark to highlight this moment in time. It adds something to the kids' room that they are passionate about (as well as mom & dad). The wood portion adds some dimension to already amazing artwork. The whole project was a creative outlet for dear old dad. Lastly, it's a way for me to show my love for the Disney brand, as it has brought us so much happiness and joy from when I was a boy, to the present day with our little family.

Happy gaming. 

J.

The Annoying Sibling Syndrome

 

"Mock,...Yea-ah,...Ing,...Yea-ah,...BIIIIRD!!!...Yea-ah,...YEA,...Yea-ah..."

- Lloyed and Harry, Dumb and Dumber

   The day previous to this post, The Wife looked back and saw our 5YO son reenacting the above scene sitting next to our 2YO daughter. She told him to knock it off, and in a frustrated voice muttered, "Geez,....Lloyd." I busted up laughing since I also noticed our poor wee girl had the same look on her face as the guy in the middle. 

   In a long line of annoying siblings, our boy can be the leader of the pack. While he is sweet, loving, tender, caring, and a snuggle-bug,....is also a button pusher and bluff caller. Once he's in the car, there's an invisible timer to see how fast he can get me to blow up like the guy from Dumb and Dumber. It can be mind-numbingly irritating, but then, wasn't I a young boy once?

   This is the key point. Our pediatrician once said that our boy is "very bright, and with that, he needs engagement or he will get bored." So the challenge is to be "creative in a really interesting way..." (Dr. Oatman, Gross Pointe Blank). Sure, we can plan outings, excursions, invasions, etc., but what does one do in the car? I'm not a fan of putting a movie on EVERY time we enter the vehicle. That can spiral out of control. The flip side of that is Lloyd singing Mockingbird in my daughters face.

   So the challenge continues. Any thoughts are welcome. Suggestions will be considered. Patience will continue to be tested. In the meantime, here's the most annoying sound in the world.

J.

Dressing The Part

"And as long as I've got my suit and tie, I'mma leave it all on the floor tonight."
Justin Timberlake, Suit & Tie

   As a guy, I followed the stereotype that I don't care what I look like half the time,….for far too long. Growing up, I was your typical boy. Dirty and mismatched fairly often. One year in middle school, I wore Bermuda board shorts the whole year round, even in the cold and rainy winter. In high school, I went probably two years without any new shoes, as I just inherited hand me downs that either my older brother didn't want or ones that were left behind at a weekend party. Yeah, I kind of just didn't care. It's a miracle my wife ever saw past that.

   Fast forward to present day, and while I've taken more notice of how I dress, it's not gotten much better. I dress the part for my job, as I need to look a certain way in the medical industry. I also have a few nice casual shirts, and a pair of jeans I like. The rest of the time, it's whatever is available. Health issues for the past 5-7 years have caused weight gains and losses that have made it hard to want to make future purchases, so things have either been tight on me or threatened to fall off. My work clothes and suit currently look I'm a child trying on my old man's clothes. A recent turn of events caused me to take a closer look at that, and a trip to buy some new threads was in order.

   The result was convincing. I've ignored it too long, and I wonder how many of us guys need to take notice. I decided a "before and after" was needed to show what I WAS wearing, and what I will be from now on. I made do with what I had, but my concern not what people think about me in terms of popularity. I'm more concerned with not being taken seriously, viewed as a professional, and things of that nature. So with the wife, we took the time to find my current measurements, with room to grow in case of some small weight gain. She actually dedicated a "date night" to the cause. Amazing!

Our end product is shown here as a before and after. Pretty darn cool. 

J.

P.S. As an added bonus, here's Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie"

9 Signs He'll Be A Good Dad

"I've done all kinds of cool things as an actor: I've jumped out of helicopters
and done some daring stunts and played baseball in a professional stadium,
but none of it means anything compared to being somebody's daddy,"
- Chris Pratt

   I kept a link to an article in Yahoo! Parenting title "9 Signs He'll Be A Good Dad". Like most these days, I was wary going into it, assuming I'd debunk most of the signs as "NOT ME". As I read, the traits were pretty spot on. We're all different, and that makes the world go 'round. That being said, I wanted to give a thought on each point that was listed, and how I personally ranked myself.


He’s in touch with his inner dork.
When I was young, I was shy in a group setting, convinced I wasn't funny or interesting. I was easily embarrassed and wouldn't do anything spontaneous. My father was similar, so I didn't know any better. Through life experience, I'm now the complete opposite. I'll drop down in the middle of a Target to do a backspin, or bust out some dance moves, just to show my kids I can be a dork, wherever and whenever.

He’s hard to gross out.
I'm about a 4 out of 10 on this one. I still get grossed out with diapers, but mostly I can't manage the baby/toddler getting super messy in their high chair. Covered in applesauce, yoghurt, and any other manner of food makes me cringe.

He’s comfortable saying “I love you,” “I’m sorry” and — when appropriate — nothing at all.
Done, done, and done. I try to buck the system on this one. My kids will know they're loved, they will know how to say sorry, and know the precious value of silence.

He doesn’t need to be the center of attention.
When was I ever?

He’s the future king of Candy Land.
This bullet point discussed playing games. It's always been about the wee ones having fun, so I try to keep it that way. That being said, I have a need to play by the rules even while I'm being Mr. Fun. Something to work on.

He’s rich in something other than money.
The line, "children need your presence, not your presents" made sense (not cents? Ha!). I know friends and family that make money more important than whom they are providing it for. It's hard when you task yourself with providing the financial side, when you also want to be good at the "being there" side.

He’s very good at something.
My kids know I have a great attention to detail around my creative work. Hopefully that is passed on, as I do see it in each child's need to finish a project. I'm also big on life hacks, so I'm trying to add to my list of things I can do.

He’s got close friends.
I have a few close friends that I go to for advice. A few times they've come to me, so I feel that there's a good support system in place for us to lean on each other,……and vent when necessary.

He genuinely wants to be a dad.
The Wife and I chose to spend a number of years just being married,….without kids. It bonded us and allowed for some childless fun. Then we were ready for the next phase, and I wanted children. Now I have moments where I twirl my hair in my fingers, rocking back and forth, muttering to myself. Seriously though, I loved hearing the title of "daddy" being called from across the room or yard. It's the adventure of a lifetime.


   So, read the brief article and let me know….how do you see YOURself? As long as were trying, I think we get points. There are so many great dads out there these days. Here's to all of you.

J.

Do You Bro, Bra, or Dude?

Here's my story, sad but true
About a girl that I once knew.
She broke my heart, I became unglued,
It all started when she called me dude. 

-Scatterbrain

   I came across The Dude Map: How Americans Refer To Their Bros at QZ.com. Looking at language used in Tweets, a forensic linguist looked at the use of slang terms that guys used for each other. "Dude" rose to the top as the most commonly used term, and I was like, dude, you GOT to be kidding!

   I've used, bro, bra, pal, man, and the like for years,.....but DUDE has been my label of choice. I've even donned crew, clan (as in Scottish,...NOT the other one), and so forth. In the end, dudes are dudes, in whatever form it takes.

   It was interesting looking at the most popular term used to refer to your bro in each part of the country. I wonder how that translates around the globe. In my time across the pond in England, I remember terms like chap, mate, and so forth. I'd be interested to hear what term was used in other parts of the world. Any way you slice it, we have our bros, dudes, or whatever. There's a distinct word we use to describe and refer to them with.

What's yours, dude?

J.