They've Got Nothing To Prove

Geek Girl Con 2013
Seattle, WA
October 2013

This is the third year of the event and I have had the opportunity to attend twice.  I really need to be an Agent one of these years and I do kind of feel bad I wasn't this year.  So many fellow Enforcers and Minions are around this that it would have been awesome.

I ran into an artist that I once wrote magazine articles for back in the day so that was nice to catch up.  There were fellow teachers with students I know.  One of the guys from the KK video I did last year was there. 

Still, to go and attend a couple panels, even going up to the mike and asking questions, was nice. It reminded me why I started working these cons in the first place, they are awesome.

Friday Night Concert at Wayward Coffee with The Doublelicks and Molly Lewis.  

Fully Functional.  It was mentioned that I would enjoy hearing her say that, but it simply was met with a chuckle.  It was fun to be able to text this to my bro and discuss her appearance as a Romulan with him.  Also, it was cool to discuss some of her great Trek moments with her.  Yes, a little of the fanboy came out.

Ninja gig, non amplified

Dalek in gaming

Jane and Amber for Buffy fans. This was the Husbands panel.

Lizzie panel, behind the scenes folks from the production.

Working with 4 year olds

Some days I get to play while working.

Game Day 6 months ago

6 months can fly by when one makes the right choices. 

The Gum Wall

Being a native and someone who spends a lot of time in town and has enjoyed Pike Place forever, I really have generally ignored the existence of The Gum Wall until recently even though it has been there for many years now.

It is about as disgusting as it sounds and looks, which is as it should be.

I feel sorry for the wall on the other side of the alley that someone tries to keep clean.

They still have these

The design is a bit snazzier, but we would totally get these cups with chicken broth down in The HUB and play against each other.  School vending machines still have these.  It warms my heart.

How I party some weekends

Pop the car up on the jack. 

They guys from the neighboring apartments suddenly emerge and it's a party on the patio.

Also, post a picture of auto repairs and women start making offers in exchange for your services ...

It's weird to be in the prizes.

I am at peace with the reality of Standard Constructed. For the past year as I have played MTG it really is true that the amount of money one spends on the cards and decks that are winning the big tourneys has a direct influence on whether one does well or not in a store tourney most of the time.

So, I win some games now and then with the decks I build.  However, i recently have managed to make a red white deck that is ferocious enough and comes out fast enough often enough to actually place and be playing for and winning prizes in recent tournaments.

Part of me is happy about that.  It's nice to do well.  But, it is also odd to suddenly be 2-0 in the third round against another 2-0 and be playing for stuff.  The social aspect of gaming and the competitive juices do come out.  I still had fun.  It was nice to get respect from the guys who could not imagine how my deck was so good and to then discuss the deck build with them. It was also nice to earn some store credit and packs from that success.

I had come to the conclusion that I was a pretty good limited player and have had some success with that, but I had written off the notion of doing well in Standard Constructed because of the reasons stated above.  It was nice to be a little wrong.

Time for the internet to do its thing

The beauty of the information age we live in is not social media, it is knowing that I can do a search and find out what kind of mushroom this is and follow my intellectual curiosity.

However, wow ... glad I only took these photos as opposed to picking these. I would have some legal troubles if my research is correct.

The dark side

I know some tech guys that have mocked me for years for not being wired at home.  I also totally oversold how much of a Luddite I may or may not be.  Some of my friends and family know better.  But, I also caught a lot of crap for apparently getting the Yugo of computers back in March.

Baby steps.

Baby steps.

Analog has its drawbacks

I am all about playing games old school when I can.

So, with the current D&D group I decided to keep everything on paper and not go digital.  Fortunately, I had a backup version of the character sheet, because I bumped the dial and turned on the burner and caught my character sheet on fire.  I am lucky it is all that caught fire and is an amusing anecdote and not something far worse.

I missed the chair

EMP MUSEUM

Yesterday

Dang it, my timing was such that I missed the Iron Throne.  

Ah, well. I did enjoy the notes on display from Lewis, Martin, and others.  The fantasy costumes were a treat.  I will use my membership more often.

It was also a return to the scene of the crime ... the crime of lying to Neil about The Doctor.  Given that the lie was about something that is nonlinear insofar as time, since I am actively working to get to the episode in question I will soon enough be no longer lying about it, just in retrospect.

So much for a secret Identity

A student really did this one day.  I appreciate it very much.

The Monorail whenever possible

I like riding the Monorail.

Old school tea

Since I have something like 7 different ways of making coffee in my apartment, including some more labor intensive ones, it seems right to also have the same for some tea.

Ginger peach tea, for the record.

Because I wanted one

It cannot be considered an impulse purchase if you have wanted one for many years.

Scarves for the Rave Green Boys as of 2013

Kindergarten classroom rules

I think I hold kids to a higher standard than I hold adults these days.

I have no idea what this game is

This is some sort of Canadian finger shuffleboard tabletop game a friend of mine has.  I am absolutely terrible at it but I love it.  

Candied Bacon

Learned this from a friend.  Add maple syrup to the bacon as it is pan frying and the maple turns the bacon into a candy.

I was once this little

My hair color used to be white.  It is going back.  However, the DMV would not let me change the hair color to grey on my license so I am still legally blonde.

Sheldon, I would trade you

Because the new season of The Big Bang Theory starts tonight.

Oh, like I wouldn't

So it turns out these had been in plain sight at the comic store for a period of time.
Problem solved.

It had been too long since I had been to the Rose City

Rose City Comic Con
September 21-22, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, OR

It had been since October of 2004 since I had been to Portland.  There had been a stretch of years there where I basically went about once a year for a soccer game.  

This time it was an opportunity to go and work the Rose City Comic Con. My fellow Henchmen were awesome.  This event has a real chance to blow up and become something special.

Cullen Bunn writes The Sixth Gun and he signed my name badge for me.

My mother loves Grimm.  I got the opportunity to explain her situation to the star of the show.

Flash Gordon. 'nuff said.

Moments later this was full.

There are two wookies in this photo.

We got two of the celebs to pose in our volunteer shirts. Alexis Cruz and Sam Jones.

Did Austin or PDX have this sign first?

Really worth standing in a flash downpour for.

Round trip train ride for fifty bucks.  It turns out that the people that work for Amtrak are pretty decent and will help you out when you have a ticket issue and save you from wasting money. We got to ride with friends and listen to the funniest PA announcer I could imagine ever having on a train ride.

An old friend of mine opened this food cart down in PDX a few years ago to pretty solid reviews and success.  I missed seeing her, but I did get to eat the grub.  The Pork Hammer is totally amazing.

At the range

Sometimes I get out and do some shooting myself.

This should never happen.  It does from time to time.

Actually I am confused

This is from The Gates Foundation one day last Spring.

Friends have told me the picture is very much one of a man deep in thought, wise, and whatnot.

I was only trying to figure out the kiosk and how it works and it turned out it had already taken the picture. sI am not deep in thought, I am confused.

Many moons ago I looked up for the first time

Recently I found myself with the opportunity to return to a building I spent most of a decade working in.  All sorts of changes and yet all sorts of the same. It had been a while since I was inside.  It's not like I never went back, I had for the stair climb and a few other things, but it had still been about a decade I think.  

Greatest Sandwich Name Ever

I do not possess the necessary self restraint needed to avoid impulse photos and purchases.

For the record, the Hot Jeff is tasty and messy.

I should have posted this on May 4

Because it is a ninja rubber duck

Thanks, Brian.

The donuts are so awesome you will tip anyway

A little donut place in Pike Place Market. I like to get to the market early and grab a coffee from the first Starbucks, then a peach from a fruit vendor, and finally a small bag of cinnamon donuts.

nomnomnom ...