04.29.08
Quoth the Raven-Con
This past weekend was the third annual RavenCon, a sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, and mystery convention out of Richmond, VA. It was also my first convention. It was so kewl to meet a bunch of the podcasters that I’ve loved listening to and had dreamed of meeting, and I met a lot of new people as well. It was a weekend of long days and short nights. Friday night we didn’t get home until 4 AM. Saturday we managed to get to bed before 2 AM.
The dealer’s room was stuffed full of all sorts of vendors – tees, gaming supplies, books, costuming accessories, comics. I got a few books, a few comics, a piece of art that benefited a local school’s literacy program, and two tee shirts – one for my brother, and one for my boyfriend.
I had a lot of fun, and I look forward to BaltiCon next month.
04.21.08
A Trip to Mars Bar
This past weekend was one of my most favorite weekends. It ranks right up there with the GeekLabel Pub Crawl. I made my way down to Richmond, VA, which is about 3 hours away. Assuming traffic isn’t an issue. Which, of course, it was. I got onto the 270 spur around 5:30 or so, which was a huge mistake – right in the middle of Friday rush-hour traffic, and they close the beltway. It took me an entire hour to make it from the 270 spur to the beltway. When I finally made it there, I’d driven for 4 and half hours. But I was glad to be there. Mae & I met up, we got my stuff out of the car, and then went out for a little sushi before meeting the boys. I met Chip and Max – two of Mae & Scotts’ friends. We messed around Maxs’ apartment until about 2 or so, and then went back to Mae’s place and crashed.
Saturday we got up and finally got rolling around noon – we went to this crazy huge mall in a place called Short Pump, on the outskirts of Richmond. Super fancy, open-air mall with two floors and a bajillion shops. I spent way too much money, but I had a ton of fun.
Saturday night we went out for a quick bite and then met Max and Chip at Mars Bar. They play 80s music almost all the time. The Vicar was there, and some of his groupies, and then The Bruce showed up and we journeyed next door to Fallout, which is a ‘goth’ club. It was “Sado-Saturday” but I really didn’t see much Sadism going on. Girls wandering around in platform boots and lingerie, mostly. Usually tacky, ripped and torn lingerie. I guess it makes it look ‘hardcore.’ I could’ve done better, if I had the energy, and if I had shaved…
This weekend I’ll be going back down to Richmond for RavenCon. I plan on leaving during the early afternoon on Friday so I don’t have to fight with beltway traffic, and to see all the stuff they’ve got planned that day. I don’t plan on drinking as much, as fast as I did this past weekend. I plan on mixing more water into the evenings, also. I plan on having an assload of fun.
If you see me, make sure to say hi.
04.08.08
Chain Mail
The problem with chain letters is that they are thoroughly obnoxious. Sure, they could contain useful information, like how much fecal material resides on your toothbrush, or how bad margarine is for you, but some chain letters are completely false, or contain information that’s YEARS old! So, how does one separate the fact from the fiction, the cream from the crap? With a heavy dose of intelligence, a level head, and a few investigative websites.
Intelligence – use it or lose it
First of all, don’t ever believe everything you read. Especially if it’s online, and even more so if it’s from that crazy aunt who keeps 40 cats and claims she keeps a zebra in the backyard. Just because it exists, or someone says it exists, doesn’t mean it exists, or that it’s entirely truthful. If it sounds outrageous and crazy, it probably is outrageous and crazy.
A Level Head – even keeled means smooth sailing
Secondly, chain letters are usually created, even the truthful ones, to provoke those who are easily panicked into a frenzy, flooding their friends inboxes with disastrous information. Learning to pause and take a moment to think about what you just read can save your friends from groaning each time they see your e-mail address in their inbox.
Investigative Websites – A little legwork goes a long way
Last, there are some great websites that can help you sort out whether you should trash or forward that letter. www.breakthechain.org is a website dedicated to convincing people that not all chain letters and forwarded e-mails are truthful, and even the ones that are claiming to be truthful are entirely true. It shows you letters that have been caught as chain letters, and lets you send chain letters to the webmaster so that they can keep helping to ‘break the chain.’
Another website that will help you determine fact from fiction is www.snopes.com, which is dedicated to dispelling urban myths and legends. They’re set up so all you have to do is search for a specific topic, like “strawberry meth,” to return a wealth of information on the subjects’ half-truths. Likewise, www.scambusters.org will help you figure out if that prince from Nigeria really is willing to share his fortune with you or if he just wants to wipe out your bank accounts. They also have an Urban Legends section that can aid you in finding out why Aunt Betty wants you to make sure you keep panty hose on the ends of your water faucets.
And so, to sum it all up, there are three ways to keep your friends from hating your e-mail address in their inboxes. Use your head, don’t panic, and do a little research before you hit the “forward” and “send to entire address book” buttons.
I’ve never forwarded a chain e-mail in my life. I’ve sent back rebuttals from Snopes disproving their letters, and even have received flack from it. But there’s no shortage of people who don’t think things through on the Internet.
04.01.08
Bring Your Own
Last week, my boyfriend and I went to the Chinese restaurant a few shops down from the laundromat where his clothes were drying. We were gonna catch a bite to eat while we waiting, and so we strolled in and were seated. It was a buffet, so we loaded up and sat down to consume.
Being the brat that I am about Chinese food consumption, I usually refuse to eat Chinese without chopsticks. It’s just who I am. So, naturally, I’m looking around for the container of chopsticks. There isn’t a single chopstick to be found out in the open. By this time, we’ve already finished a plateful each. So my boyfriend asks the waitress for chopsticks. She seems to understand, and toddles off. So we both go up and get a second plate. When we return, there are no chopsticks to be found. By that time, I was so frustrated I just gave up. My boyfriend suggested that, since I have so many of my own at home, I should carry some with me for when these instances arise. I had decided that was a brilliant idea, and enlisted my mother in the creation of a chopstick pouch. I’m not allowed to use her sewing machine, so she made it for me while I watched and gave measurements. It’s large enough to fit two sets, possibly three, and has a flap that I can tuck inside to keep them secure. Even though I had had the idea before, I am proud of my boyfriend for his suggestion, and my mother for facilitating the creation of an idea that only cost about 10 minutes time.
The pictures of my chopstick case can be seen on my Flickr – here, and here.
I’m thinking about making one or two more, in softer more attractive fabrics. I don’t know. Perhaps.
Feed It