I recently saw the new Fantastic Beasts film and enjoyed it. Because the film has only just been released, that's pretty much all I'm going to say because I want other people to enjoy it. I'll just say, as I've already said, that I liked it. As for the toys, all I can find are pop vinyl figures. They've got a niffler, newt with egg and I think Tina.
Also @Dark I've got a question, I know I've asked this before but I apologize for not following it up so I'm sorry I have to ask you the same thing again, but how do you get your books? I've got an iPhone, pc and an mp3 player, so what sorts of things could you recommend?

I'm actually going to see the fantastic beasts film this weekend, which should be cool. It's rather appropriate given that my lady and I recently watched through all of the hp films, since she'd not seen them before (read the books just not done the films). Actually this weekend should be nice, we're heading back  to my parents for a little post phd celibration, also probably a few  practical things like me trying to sort out a new pc with Windows 10, since much as I don't like the fact, xp is actually becoming inconvenient in terms of stuff I can't do on it, albeit I'll probably still keep my xp laptop around.

More scarily, with my phd hopefully finally finished we now need to actually decide what we're doing for the next of our lives, a decision which will probably also involve moving house at some point next year since while my lady and I are quite able to live together in a comparatively small space without getting on each other's wick, we do seriously need more storage space us both being fond of random interesting things like fantasy statues, angels, dragons, mermaids, bells etc, not to mention mundane items like clothing and computers and so on.

Other than that, lots more alter, indeed those turkies are having me level up quite nicely and I'm liking the advent calendar, also buffy season 4 rocks! Spike is just plane hilarious! I actually wish I could get Buffy audio described for my lady, but sadly the best I can do are transcripts which don't really have the same impact.

I'd also love to introduce her to tng and perhaps babylon 5, though again, lack of audio described stuff is a little irritating here, (I think she'd love bits of Tng).

I've nearly finished The Belgariad, which has been amazing, however then I need to get back to Peers bloody  brown and the sequel to red rising.
I'm an idiot, most people who read the first book of a trilogy they didn't care for probably wouldn't read the other two, but firstly I want to see if the series improves, secondly there were a few things about red rising which actually were good (when my review gets uploaded I'll post a link), and thirdly and most nastily, I actually want to see the main character fail. Or rather, I want to see the main character stop telling us how awesome he is and actually meet something that will get through his irritating layer of cocky self confident annoyence!

The thing I really can't! beliebe about Red rising is just how much good reports it's got, in particular people talking about it's political stance, but really having a main character who realizes three quarters through the book that ruling by enforced slavery doesn't work very well and he'd be better to rule by aclammation, and then basically ruling by everyone saying how awesome he personally is does not! mean it's politically clever, heck James dashner recognized this at the start of the MAzerunner.

If I were being snide I might draw a paralell to a certain country who are the first to talk about freedom and democracy and equality and then elect their leaders based almost entirely upon believed personal charisma, but that would be mean (I missed that out of the review).

So, that's another reason I'm not looking forward to finishing the Belgariad, which is really stupidd I agree.

As to the blindfold games, I'll see what time I've got, the snakes and ladders one actually sounded pretty cooll, I love games with board progression and challenges.

which reminds me, @Nocturnus What exactly is Moncala? I do remember something about it being a game about sewing seeds, but I have never played it and only recall hearing about it once when someone proposed making an accessible version and I had to wiki what it was.

Lastly Aaron, as regards books, the answer is the same.
I get them wherever I can. Big finish, the Rnib, and of course most recently by plundering my lady's Bard collection, indeed that is pretty awesome and makes the Rnib look quite sick in terms of availability. It's just such a dam shame the books aren't available to none americans a little more easily, though I can sort of understand why.

I'll freely admit this is a distinct bennifit to being married to a Yanky which I didn't expect at all :d.

@Aaron, your correct that ebooks aren't that expensive, however I really hate reading with a synth. I keep trying, but even on better synths like alex or the siri voices the intonation and rythm just sets my teeth on edge. I can do it for games and on the internet, although I often miss writing quality especially in dialogue, but for real novels, no, I'd always need a human.
This might change if I had a braille display since I did used to read in braille, though to be honest I still prefer a human voice over that, so for me it is always audiobooks from one source or another.

As regards statues and such, I have a good few things, in materials from vinal to brass and even silver, and in content from dragons, to ogres, to an awesome bronze chess set I bought in griece. Indeed I've got several wrelics of places I've been round the world, including an alabasta pyramid from egypt and a statue of liberty replica from New York. I've then got several things from different places including a beautiful plasta phenix which my lady ordered me from Russia, and a gold plated replica of the sultan's own coffee cup which a good friend of mine bought me on a trip to morocco.

Most recent acquisitions include a very lovely brass unicorn which was a gift from my father in law, and a mermaid statue from my lady as a christmas present.

So yes, quite the collection of stuff.

We're now back at my parents' in Nottingham, so I'm feeling a bit rung out as I usually do after travelling, still I do want my alteraeon advent gift for today so might go and spent half an hour turkey slaying .

@Phil, that sounds rather cool, though Im amused at the "made in china" part.
Actually I need to get myself a real scarf from my own university, since uni scarves are a bit of a thing over here, hence why hogwarts houses have them. My brother has a slitherin one. Though which house I'd be in myself I'm not sure.
Slitherin is definitely my brother's personality, though very much more with the sneaking and coniving than the hole pure blood nazi thing. As for me, hmmmm, my wife is fairly convinced I'd be a Griffindor, though I'm not sure if I'd end up in Ravenclaw myself. Then again I'm fairly sure she counts as Grifindor too.

Well yesterday was amazingly fun, involving taking three dogs to the dog swimming pool. Yes, this actually exists, and Reever and my mum's dog Zia absolutely loved it. My lady's dog Neo was a bit less certain of the hole thing (perhaps because he thought it all a trick of the machines).

My lady has gone out for a monster shopping trip today while I'm appreciating not having masses to do other than sit around and read the second Pierce brown book. It's better than Red rising, but not that much better, though i'll probably be writing a review of it soon enough.
Speaking of reviews, my review of Dianna Wynne Jones Book Dogsbody is now up and can be read here 

That one was rather good, especially if you like dogs.

@Steve, Well Bard rocks, and is far better than the Uk equivolent, I'm very much enjoying my lady's collection though I did recently have a break and do some of the backlog of Dr. who I'd not come across before.
In particular there was a very awesome torchwood special involving a plague in CArdif, the monthly release involving the scary combination of daleks and monks, and a rather good special entitled old doctors new monsters where favourite doctors met up with monsters from the new series.
I was a little sorry that the fith, sixth,  seventh and eighth doctors actually new the monsters before hand since it would've been nice if this told their first meeting and was the reason why the 10th and 11th doctors new about them, ---- plus weeping angels, sickorax or judoon would make a great first empression, but still the stories were rather good, I particularly liked the judoon one involving judoon who learn creativity and poetry and a wonderful satyr on coorporations, and the sickorax one which involved people with personal data pads which told them which drugs to take for certain emotions, Silvester Mccoy's wonderfully synical "Oh it's aps and self obsession, one of those egotistical eras" sounded great.

Oddly enough mccoy is one of the Doctors who actually bennifits from having a slightly aged voice.

Other than that I've been mostly runing around and metting friends, also unfortunately having to take my lady's dog to the vets since he's not been feeling well, which wasn't good, though on the plus side the end of buffy season 4 was great, I particularly liked how the big bad guy was dealt with in the second to last episode which left a story all about weerdness and odd dream scapes.

either way, crimbo ahoy, and also lots more alteraeon, I'm looking forward to the event this year and getting all the advent presents.

@Dan, awesome your working for Audazle. I've really liked the sound of a lot of the things they've been doing, indeed what you describe of their new title sounds great, though I hope there's a single player mode too if nobody in your house gets to try the thing out, or a way to play with others online or something.
Anyway I'll save that discussion for later as it's game related.

My lady has actually done the schools awareness thing, I haven't, though I have done some street campaigns for guide  dogs on occasion, indeed now that my lady's dog is registered with them we'll probably be having more to do with them later.

I'd forgotten about Rogue one, hopefully  I'll get to see it this christmas. I confess I am wondering on prequals since the last attempt at a starwars prequal didn't exactly work out, but we'll see.

Well now my book review for Red rising is posted and people can read it here and can see all my complaints I'm just finishing the third in the series, which is better, but still not exactly what I'd call good, indeed the third of the series reads far more like an author's first novel than the actual first book did.

I have also just got Sanderson's new short story collection, ARcanum unbounded, which will rock! so I think I'll probably go on to that when I've finished pierce brown, as there were several bits in Bands of Mourning that need explaning and are only explained in the novella secret history, which thus far has only been available as an ebook.

A little tired today owing to having to travel from Durham to my parents in nottingham which meant three hours or so on the train, but still we're back now and heading out to a carral service tonight which should be good, though I'll stil have time to get my Alteraeon advent present for today .