Harry Potter party favor: pretzel wands

I'm no Pinterest queen, but my friend Dana wanted to have a Harry Potter birthday party for her daughter. Now, you can find tons of Star Wars and Frozen party supplies, but since the Harry Potter books and movies have been out for years, their product licenses haven't been renewed, and hardly any party stores have any HP materials. So it's a DIY party for the most part--our local grocery store does do HP cakes with plastic figures on them, so they've apparently kept paying the license fee.

Anyway, I made wands for each Hogwarts house, dipped in white chocolate and then rolled them in sugar or sprinkles showing the main color of their house's crest--red for Gryffindor, green for Slytherin, blue for Ravenclaw and yellow for Hufflepuff. I also rolled some in rainbow sprinkles for any Hogwarts faculty, parents or random Muggles who wander by.

I also printed out each house's crest, and the main Hogwarts logo, and taped them on the glasses for each house.

Dana bought some of those gold-foil wrapped Ferraro Rocher hazelnut-chocolate candies and cut out a pair of wings for each one. Voila, golden snitch!

Pop some pop culture under your tree

Need a holiday gift? How about giving a childhood friend Brian Bellmont's and my two pop-culture books? The perfect present for the best pal who buried your Barbie out back, or fought with you over Shrinky Dinks, or shared a Marathon bar with you.

The books are "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," and "The Totally Sweet '90s," and I'd love for you to buy one or both.

Windows into the future

My latest review for The Seattle Review of Books is of the Microsoft Research-inspired "Future Visions." My favorite line is " And then, thanks to PowerPoint, we successfully shut down Dr. Evil’s killer robot!” But kidding aside, the sci-fi anthology is excellent, and free.

Here's my writeup.

My second favorite line is the 3M reference, amiright, Minnesotans?

Rest in peace, Pete

Rob's dad Pete Cooper, passed away Saturday at 81. 

My favorite memory of him is from our 1993 wedding. It was time for the bride to dance with her father, and my dad was nowhere to be found (we later discovered he was paying the vendors!). So Pete, my new father-in-law of approximately one hour, gallantly took my hands and said, "I know I'm not your dad, but will I do?" And we danced until my dad finished writing checks and came to cut in. 

Rest in peace, Michigan man and lifetime Detroit sports fan, Dodgers-hater and Angels-rooter, pioneer computer engineer, loving grandpa, devoted reader. In the 1950s, he drove a tiny MG from Pontiac to California to start his adult life in the Golden State and never looked back. You lived life on your terms, no question about it

Dog gone it

Got to have a special sunny afternoon dog at Chicago's Superdawg with good friends a few years back. The founder died this weekend. There are a lot of regional treasures in America, and Superdawg is certainly one. Sorry, New York, but I think Chicago has the best hot dogs in the world.

Hail to thee, alma mater?

Not sure which profile in the college alumni magazine makes me feel least-accomplished: The circus acrobat, the winemaker, the twentysomething making a living off her food blog, "Wild" author Cheryl Strayed, or the dude who worked in the Vatican's secret archives. ARE THERE EXTRA COMMANDMENTS ONLY HE KNOWS ABOUT??

Is this thing on?

I started PCJM in August of 1999, when I'd just learned I was about to be laid off from a Microsoft-related job (Twin Cities Sidewalk). I kept it up pretty well for years, and the site gained a following and was well-reviewed, including mentions in the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly. But the blog kind of went dormant when I had Kelly, especially after I began concentrating on writing two books with the awesome Brian Bellmont. (Please read 'em if you haven't already -- "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops?" is a pop-culture encyclopedia of the '70s and '80s, and "The Totally Sweet '90s" does the same for the next decade.)

Now, guess what? I was again laid off from a Microsoft-related job (I was movies editor for the site that started as msnbc.com, but later became NBC News Digital), and I'm hoping to make some time for PCJM again.

Blogs have changed since I was an early adopter back in 1999, one of a small and close-knit group of valiant bloggers (how we haaaated that word, preferring "weblog," but we lost that war). Back then, I feel like I read every major blog every day (Robot Wisdom was my first), and there were maybe two dozen of us. When I found a job on the digital side of the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper after my layoff, I was the one who explained what a blog was to Tim McGuire, then Strib editor-in-chief -- he'd literally never heard of them. I would later go on to write one for his paper and for its website. (Read Tim's book, "Some People Even Take Them Home," about growing up with disabilities and raising son Jason, who has Down Syndrome--it's a great read.)

I also spoke at South by Southwest Interactive as well as at an early JournalCon, where I debated blogs vs online journals on a panel. The online journal panelist sitting next to me reaaaally hated blogs. ("Journals are REAL WORK, blogs are just LINKS" was pretty much his take.) That discussion went well.

I met great people through PCJM, and read a lot of wonderful writing. I believe it was the confidence gained from PCJM that helped me publish my books.

In 2015, most of the blogs I used to read are gone, but many of the talented and hilarious people who wrote them are around, writing for websites, TV shows, publishing books, email newsletters, running podcasts. Few of them do the old-fashioned linky blog anymore, But PCJM was never just text-link, text-link to me, it was a bit of my personality measured out in what I chose to write about, and I'd like to try it again.

You can also follow the two Facebook pages for my books, which are open to the public and regularly post nostalgic links about everything from "The Brady Bunch" to Ecto Cooler and Crispy M&Ms. (GenXtinct is for '70s-'80s fans, The Totally Sweet '90s for '90s kids.)

Not sure how often I'll post -- I'm working on another book, trying to find writing and editing work, having a life, But I'd like to blow the dust off and share things again. I missed it.

Living on Japan's vending machines

Not ashamed to say it, Japan's vending machines were one of the top reasons I wanted to go there.

I was not disappointed.

Catching up

Yes, I've fallen way out of step as far as updating this blog. Part of it is that Blogger is so clunky to use to update when sites like Facebook and Twitter let you update with practically one click, even displaying the photo from your chosen story without you having to go get it. So if there's a blog product that works as easily as adding links to Facebook, let me know.

Anyway, here are a few of my recent stories for work, which transformed from msnbc.com to NBC News.com over the summer.

• Your guide to Hollywood's holiday offerings
• 'Doctor Who' stamps to honor all 11 Doctors
• Year in movies: Time to punch a wolf
• Is 'Christmas Shoes' the worst holiday song ever?
• 'Hall bitten by Oates' story sparks 'Maneater' headline
• Singer turns Stanley Steemer jingle into dazzling romp
• Toothbrushing doofus stars in worst commercial of year

Well, was she right?

This is kind of a funny headline: "TODAY's Gael Fashingbauer Cooper convinced single tweet means Oscars are silly for Billy."

It's not like I am the sole person convinced of that, considering it's true.

Martha, Martha, Martha!

On Friday at 2:30 ET, Brian and I will be interviewed about the book on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Sirius XM 110. We'll also be taking calls about lost 70s-80s products.

If you don't have satellite radio, you can sign up for a 7-day free trial and listen online.

Seattle publicity on Monday

Seattleites: You can see us Monday on Q-13 news at 9:15 am, hear us on KOMO AM at 11 am, and win prizes/hear a reading/get a signed copy at University Books (4326 University Way NE) at 7 pm!

In Seattle? Join us!~

Seattleites: Join us at 6:30 pm tonight (Saturday, June 18) at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park! 70s-80s trivia! Prizes! More!

No one's going to show up, are they? Man, I bet Stephen King never has that worry...

Seattle book readings

Just a reminder that the first of our two Seattle book readings is this Saturday! I'm kind of terrified no one will come to these. Brian and I will both be at them...his very first visit to the Emerald City!
Saturday, June 18: Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE., Lake Forest Park
6:30 PM (I feel like this is a weird time...but it is at 6:30 not 7)
We'll have 70s-80s trivia, prizes, snacks, props, will do a little reading from the book and sign books for anyone who wants. Completely casual but would love to see you there.

If you can't make it, there is another one!
Monday, June 20: University Books, 4326 University Way, N.E., Seattle
7 pm (this seems a more normal time)
And again, retro trivia, prizes, snacks, props, a reading and book signings.

Please come to either or both! Bring friends! Relatives, even!

Is there cake? There was!

Someone in my office runs a Twitter account whose sole purpose is to tell if there is cake in our newsroom each day. Surprisingly often, there is. And on Thursday, it was for my book! Yum! And thanks!

I heard a rumor that there are similar Twitter accounts for "is there beer?" and "is there a dog?" but have yet to find those.

I do have a masters degree in Royalology

The Oakland Tribune quotes me about the Royal Wedding. Mentions the book. This is exactly what we'd love to do more of -- be spokespeople about the pop culture of the 1970s and 1980s as it relates to today.

Hi, we are a bank that doesn't exist

I got this phishing call today on my cell phone. A robo-voice claims my debit card has been locked. At a bank I don't have an account at. That no longer exists.

Lights, camera, action!

So they filmed a commercial for the Washington State Lottery across the street from me on Friday. Not only was our block blocked off from traffic by a Seattle Police squad car, but they set up craft services (a.k.a. lunch!) in MY DRIVEWAY. Made for an interesting day, but I'm glad to have access to our block back!

My friend Steph thus passed along this link, On Location Vacations, which shows different locations where movies are filming around the country. It doesn't seem very easy to search though. I just hope my block stays off the set list for a while!

My Jeopardy categories

Did you read the wonderful "Microserfs"? In that book, Doug Coupland had his characters list their Jeopardy categories--the areas that they were obsessed with lately, and which they'd have no trouble being quizzed on.

Here are mine as of late:

--Buying vintage Tell-A-Tale books for Kelly (we love "Peppermint," about a sad white kitten who has a magical transformation and wins a cat show)

--The creepy apocalyptic-virus movie "Carriers," which oddly went straight to DVD, and really is less a horror-gore-zombie movie than a drama about people in a creepy situation.

--XM Radio's Fantasy Sports channel. I normally haaate sports call-in shows, but because the people calling a fantasy channel all have a specific, non-emotional question to ask, I don't hate this. Also, the hosts sound like normal people you'd like to know, not ESPN blowhards.

--Roger Ebert's always-fascinating, always smart Twitter feed. (Don't miss Attack of the B-list Monsters!)

--The absolutely awesome mental hygiene shorts at Rifftrax.com (Carnivorous Plants!)

That's the pop-culture I'm obsessing over lately. You?

Black and white and read all over

My friend Ara Jane did a Readathon today. She and her love, Chris, read for 24 hours straight (or perhaps they still are).

I have never heard of this! It sounds awesome. Not that as the the mom of a toddler I could ever do anything for 24 hours straight, but I am following Ara Jane's blog posts with fascination and envy.