Holiday Gift Guide: For the Zombie-phile in your life. (This one isn't for everyone. You've been warned.)

Pic via here. 

I debated posting this gift guide. For awhile. I had another one planned, one with lots of pretty things. One with swoon-worthy goodies for you and your loved ones...but then I thought: "hey, it's Sunday. The Walking Dead is on tonight. Let's talk about zombies instead." In fact, today is an even bigger Walking Dead day than normal, because tonight is the mid-season finale. Which means that come Monday night when I get to watch the episode they're going to inevitably kill off a character that I love and I will be all tears and emotions instead of tacos, and I hate that. Le sigh. Hashtag that one emphath problems.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with zombies...a zombie-phile, if you will. I love not only the genre that George Romero created in the 60s, but also the humble beginnings of zombie movies in the 30s that revolved around voodoo-ism. I know I can't be the only one, so this gift guide is for those people on your list. The sometimes eclectic. The ones who can get in arguments over zombie theory with a passerby on the subway. The ones who know what their weapon of choice would be during the zombie apocalypse. The ones who when they hear "Don't Stop me Now" by Queen immediately want to watch "Shaun of the Dead." 

I promise to return to normal programming tomorrow. Swear. Lots of pretty things. Girly things. Cute baby things. In fact, there may even be something like a quite normal coffee mug or swoon-worthy sweater in tomorrow's gift guide. But for now, just humor me and my love of all things zombie culture. Maybe you'll find something for the hard-to-buy-for-with-very-specific-tastes on your list. Thanks bunches and bunches. 

Pic via here. 

Everyone loves a good parody. This one happens to tug at my zombie loving heart strings. I wouldn't mind switching up the Very Hungry Caterpillar routine that we currently find ourselves in at the House of Hadron...

Pic via here. 

More awesomeness from Hopewell Creek! I can't wait until Oswin is old enough to pretend that we are defending our house from a zombie invasion. I'm pretty sure that zombie bomb would be my weapon of choice...just kidding, that's for one time use. But it'd be great in the zombie fighting arsenal.

Pic via here.

For all my Romero fans out there. A t-shirt is almost always the best way to show your fandom, am I right? Have you seen them all (and his remakes)?

Pic via here. 

...because it's always more fun to be able to say "well it happened differently in the comic..." Look into your heart you know it to be true! (Also, it is very different in the comic, so it's definitely worth a read if you're into the show.)

Pic via here. 

This is my favorite board game of all time. It turns out that Dan is a surprisingly good zombie. "Last Night on Earth" is a great game to bring out after a dinner party if you've got friends who think they are good enough at strategy to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Pic via here. 

For the lover of all zombie culture and history. This book takes you back to the beginning of zombie culture, with movies like "White Zombie" (1932) that started it all.

Pic via here.

...and since we're talking "White Zombie," why not get them a copy? It's amazing how much the genre has shifted over the years.

Pic via here. 

...because it's even cooler in French. (I'm a bit biased though, I have this same poster in our foyer).

Pic via here. 

This zombie cookie cutter would make a great stocking stuffer for the zombie fan in your life...and I bet zombie snickerdoodles taste delicious.

Pic via here. 

Don't you even try to tell me that he isn't your favorite...unless you're a walker, because then I get it. 

Pic via here. 

A pretty little cross stitch pattern to make your own little dedication to those who fought at The Winchester...

Pic via here. 

I love a good map, especially when Alternate Histories gets their hands on it. I'm also really loving this print about the zombie wall in Ocean City, NJ...

Pic via here. 

...or if you've got an extra six grand, go big and get 'em this pinball machine. I can already think of the perfect place for it in our house, wouldn't you agree Dan?

More gift guides tomorrow! Remember, pretty things! Promise!

A la prochaine friends...

Honey 

Life lately.

 

Sleep schedules are being conquered, as well as bronchitis.

 

Snow is thawing.

 

Our favorite self-proclaimed "third wheel" is embarking on new and exciting adventures, and we're trying to soak up as much time with our dear JimmyDegs as we can before he officially leaves his five and half year expat-francophile existence in the dust.

Sweet new french vintage finds were found.
 

Green juice was drunk in mass quantities.


Re-reading "The Walking Dead" never gets old.

Lots of tea, redecorating and relaxing.

Lots and lots and lots of cheese at both our house and Le Refuge de Florimont.

It's been harder getting back to our life in SwitzerFrance than I had thought it would it, probably because I was in the US for so long. I really needed this week to just get reacquainted with life here, as well as to get reacquainted with this house. Which would also explain my need to completely redecorate the second floor (first floor by french standards). One thing is for sure, my french has gone to complete merde in my time away. Food shopping last week marks the first time in years that I've been nervous holding small conversations with cashiers and neighbors. It'll take some time, but I know it will come back to me.

Luckily I picked up these two old french textbooks at The Book Trader in Philly over the holidays, so I'm excited to jump back in to the linguistics game.

But not today, today is for catching up on my zombie comics. After all, it is Sunday.

A la prochaine friends...

Honey

The best Chrismukkah present ever...Ever!

Doc and I exchanged Chrismukkah presents a little late this year, as we were in the US until almost mid-January, but it was well worth the wait.

 

We don't go crazy on presents for the holidays. It's just not our thing, but I can't help gush over this particular present:

 

OH OUAIII.

 

Cheese lovers and francophiles alike will recognize this as a real, charcoal-fueled, honest aux dieux de fromage Raclette machine.

 

And the best part about it? This raclette machine doesn't plug into a wall, and it's not coated in Tefal, which were both requirements for our dreamboat raclette machine.

 

Problem was, we couldn't find one. For years.

 

Everything you find in the stores here in France and Switzerland plugs into a wall and is coated in Tefal...

 

In fact, it took Doc the better part of two years to even find this one, and it happened to be not only made by hand in a little shop, but this little shop also happens to be in France.

 

Winner winner raclette dinner!

Doc made sure we acquired all of the necessary accessories as well, including the potato basket which was also made in the same little shop, and has little elderflowers and such handpainted on one side...

 

So obviously we needed to break this sucker in, which is what we did last Friday night with a few happy guinea pigs...

 

As much as I love going for raclette at our favorite french restaurant in the mountains, I have to admit that it was nice to save some money and put that money to having 5 times the available dried meats for our round of raclette.

 

The other plus to serving up raclette via hot charcoal at home? Zombie fun is only an arms length away, right next to the scotch...

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey



First of the season.

 

Last Friday, we had our first tartiflette of the season, and if you remember I was uber excited about it.

There would be cheese!

 

 

And wine!

 

 

And friends!

 

 

And snow!

 

 

Well, two of those things kind of wrastled with each other a little bit, and spoiler alert, the snow won, so a few of our friends were unable to make it. We carried on, just with a few fewer in tow.

 

 

In case you didn't notice the need for two tartiflette vessels in the first picture, there was a necessity, due to just how extreme that tartiflette was.

 

(Read: Someone got a little layer happy :cough:Doc:cough:)

 

There were also plans for a snowman, and those plans included an eye patch, which was made by the one and only JimmyDegs out of paper and scotch tape...because obviously it needed to be waterproofed.

 

(That's what happens when you leave snowman plans up to two physicists who have been drinking.)

 

 

The snowman didn't happen unfortunately, but that could be because we were playing Munchkin Zombies and watching Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas until 4 am...there really is only so much time in a day, isn't there?

 

 

Oh well, at least we've got the supplies for the next time we get dumped on by snow.

 

Have any of you tried your own tartiflette night yet? I'd love to hear all about it!

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey