Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Homeschooled for "hippie reasons" in the deep south, Felicia Day was a gifted student who was admitted to college at the age of 16 and graduated as valedictorian with a math degree but struggled in social situations unless they were over the internet. After moving to Hollywood to be an actress and struggling to find roles that spoke to her, she with help from friends she met online, decided to create her own web series The Guild, about gaming culture and became an internet star as a result. This memoir tells her story. Review: While not overly familiar with The Guild , other than watching a few episodes, I am a Felicity Day fan from her time on Supernatural and do follow her on social media. I recently read her graphic novel, The Lost Daughter of Sparta and enjoyed it enough to give her memoir You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) a try. I finished reading it this morning and was glad I did. Day's life story is an interesting one. She was a brilli...

The film Die Hard is a staple in my house. I think I put the movie on at least once per month, though by this point it has mostly just been as background noise with me only paying attention during the highlights. However, I put it on again last night and with nothing to distract me, did wind up paying attention to the whole film (or at least most of it). As I did, one thought popped into my head. Who was the inside man working with Hans Gruber ( Alan Rickman ) and his gang of terrorists? While the movie doesn't explicitly state there is someone withing the Nakatomi Corporation that is working with Gruber and his men, the evidence is there if you pay attention. First, the security in Nakatomi Plaza is atrocious, to the point it seems almost by design.  There is a lone security guard who doesn't check identification and a computerized directory that lists the names of everyone in the building. John McClane ( Bruce Willis ) was obviously the good guy in the film but could have ju...

Synopsis: Harry Baldwin takes his wife Ann and two teenagers, Rick and Karen, on a camping trip in Sierra, Nevada. While on they are on the road, nuclear war breaks out, wiping out their home in Los Angeles as well as other major cities and quickly throwing the world into chaos. Determined to keep his family safe, Harry drives them as far from civilization as possible and they take up residence in a cave. However, he soon learns even hiding in the deep wilderness isn't enough to protect them from danger. Who's in it? The movie stars Ray Milland , Jean Hagan , Frankie Avalon , Mary Mitchel and Joan Freeman. Review: I overslept a bit this morning and realizing I couldn't remember the movie I had planned on watching, randomly selected one from my library. This ended up being Panic in Year Zero! I've seen plenty of end-of-the-world movies and some are much better than others. This is one I would describe as one of those better ones. One of the things I liked most about t...

It's a bit warmer/more humid than it was yesterday but I still managed to get out for two separate walks today. The first was early this morning along the lake while the other was through the park at lunch (when I could really feel the muggy weather). Here are some of the photos: ____________________________________________________________________________ Here are some previous nature photos: Lunchtime Walk Photos (6/2/2025) Lunchtime Walk Photos (9/27/2024) Lunchtime Walk Photos 8/7/2024 Morning and Lunchtime Walk Photos 5/16/2024

Synopsis: Tom Breneman hosts popular radio show Breakfast in Hollywood and during one of the tapings, meets a young woman from Minnesota, Dorothy Larson, who is looking for her sailor fiancé, Jimmy, and introduces her to another sailor from Minnesota, Ken Smith. The pair hit it off with Ken developing an instant crush. However, when Dorothy learns Ken is friends with Jimmy and he tells her the truth about her fiancé, their relationship seems doomed and a desperate Ken begs Breneman for help. Who's in it? The movie stars Tom Breneman, Bonita Granville , Edward Ryan, Beulah Bondi and Hedda Hopper. Review: I've had Breakfast in Hollywood in my library for some time, mostly because I am a Bonita Granville fan. However, I was somewhat reluctant to watch it because I wasn't completely sure it would be a movie I'd enjoy. I ended up giving it a try this morning though and it proved to be a much better choice than expected. The movie's concept is somewhat clever. Breakfa...

It is the first day in a while where it is neither raining or dangerously hot/humid outside, so I found the time to take a walk with my camera at lunch.  It was somewhat quiet there, with very few signs of life, but I did still manage to get at least some photos. Here are a few of them: _______________________________________________________________________ Here are some previous nature photos: Lunchtime Walk Photos (5/13/2026) A Couple Trail Camera Squirrel Photos (2/14/2026) Morning Walk Photos 4/27/2018 Some Bird Photos from Around the Yard