Wait, You Like Dudes?

Because You Demanded It!.....Sort of...

2010-01-12T16:31:00.005-06:00

There were no loud objections to me writing about my food adventures in the blog so here we go!

I'm not that confidant in my food photography skills so you don't get pictures yet, plus I was really freaking tired after being at work all day with new student orientation and then to the store and then cooking.

Last night for Metropolis Secret Santa I made Beef Stew and hand-mashed potatoes.

The recipe here ----> http://www.notquitenigella.com/2009/08/06/beef-beer-stew-with-cheese-dumplings-aka-the-marriage-maker/

is the one I used. I didn't make the cheese dumplings to go with it because I bought some bread (which I forgot about till I was going to bed and scared the ever-loving crap out of myself when I remembered I'd left in the oven to warm...it didn't burn though!)

And last time I made it, we needed the potato to cut through the richness. This time it didn't turn out so rich and heavy because I added more stock (about a container and a half) and less bacon. I do not live in Australia therefore when you tell me 150g of bacon I have no clue what that is, so I will assume you mean at least a half package.

Yes, I have a kitchen scale. Shut up.

It's BACON for Christs' sake...

Also I added some carrots and seasonings, because it seemed like it would be bland without them.

It still turned out rather tasty and it isn't that expensive to make considering beef stew cuts are pretty reasonable.

Tonight it's either going to be butterflied porkchops or more likely a box o' mac and cheese.

I wish I had the money and energy to go buy some fresh eggs, I'd make Eggs Benedict....

Update on the books...

2010-01-04T16:11:00.003-06:00

So I finished Fahrenheit 451 which, admittedly, is not the hardest or longest read on the list I posted. But I still greatly enjoyed it!

I indulged when I got back into town and went with Padawan to the brand-spanking new Barnes and Noble at the mall. I bought a small collection of Sherlock Holmes, like everyone else, since I'd just seen the movie with family. Go see the movie, it's an hour and a half of fun and giggling at the "I see what you did there" bro-love jokes between Holmes and Watson.

So, finishing the Doyle this week and hopefully making a dent in the Amber Spyglass.

I'm also considering starting a new blog from this one that has to do with food. any opinions? Would anyone be annoyed if I just started to talk more about food here?

Oh and because I finally have a picture of myself I like this is me and Padawan on New Years all dolled up and the local dive bar.

(P.S. - Padawan is not his real name, although that would be funny, he just enjoys his privacy)

I hate getting these e-mails....

2009-12-09T16:00:00.002-06:00

A co-worker sent me this e-mail today.

It's offensive to me.

If you, the co-worker, happen upon this blog one day please take this as a sign I don't want these things anymore....

"This is one of the best commemtary's I have read and I especially like Anne Grahams
remarks!
I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late ! !

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against.. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW..'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.

If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein"

It's Been a Few Months...

2009-12-09T09:16:00.003-06:00

I'm not the best at keeping up my blog. I should be better about it since I sit in front of a computer all day but sometimes I actually need to do work, at work.

If you enjoy writing, like I do, when you go on hiatus for awhile some times it can be a good thing. It's not such a good thing when you realize you've been neglecting one of the most important parts of being a writer, even if it's just a hobby; READING. The most basic fact of writing; you don't read, you don't write. And since my hiatus also included not reading as much it's time to get that part of daily life back.

A lot of the time in my adult life I find myself having stretches of time where I have a lot of time to myself to do things like read (often these times go hand in hand with being single). And then all of a sudden I'm too busy/tired to even pick up a book or spend time on my own hobbies. So, I'm now attempting to up back up on that horse and opt to read more instead of say, plop in front of the TV after work. (Apologies to my roommates, I find it hard to read in the living room due to noise)

Recently, I've come into easy access of about double my normal library of books. Yes, my room is now a bit more crowded than it was a few weeks ago but having stacks of books everywhere makes me look scholarly and I like it. The following is a list of books I plan on reading within the next month or two. I'll update when I finish them with a short review. I warn you now there are some books that most of you read when you were in high school, you will look at it being on the list and shout at your screen in anger. If you live near/with me please refrain from smacking me.

When She Was Good - Philip Roth

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (I know, SHUT UP!)

Blood & Iron - Elizabeth Bear (Buying a copy at B&N today, I've been reading a lot of her blog and really want to get into her alternate history)

The Best Non-Required Reading 2008 and 2009 - Dave Eggers (Editor)

Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman (I will finally finish this series!)

Also, on a side note, I'm doing Reddit Secret Santa this year and it's been confirmed that I'm actually getting a gift! I'll post a picture of whatever I get and let you know if the guy I'm sending a present to enjoys it as well.

MFing District 9

2009-09-01T08:13:00.003-05:00

I know I was a little late getting to see District 9, lack of money will do that, but it was completely worth it.
as you might know there are several different kinds of "nerd" or "dork". Most people start out as kids falling in love with Transformers, Power Rangers, comic books, the Sunday comics, or maybe just general things like science. As a kid I read a lot of comic strips like Fox Trot, Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes ect. ect.
My parents would often refer to these as "dessert" books. Yes I was reading, which is good, but I wasn't reading something that took brain power. So I went on a search for something "meatier". I remember the first time I found a fantasy novel that I enjoyed and new this was something I could really read and satisfied my parents. This of course lead my father to start to steer me towards a genre he enjoyed, science fiction.

Long way around for an introduction to District 9, huh? It's because you need to understand how deep seated my love for GOOD science fiction is, not only as an adult but since I was 12 years old.
Good science fiction is hard to find. It's especially hard to find in a movie theater since I’ve been cognitive enough to know the difference. Sure, I love bad science fiction too. Who doesn’t? I’ve been given many a glare when in the middle of a gossip session about the latest on Dr. Who, when I point out its fun science fiction but not very GOOD science fiction.

Sure, Independence Day was a fun let’s-go-shoot-aliens-fuck-yeah-humanity movie; but good science fiction? No. Not even close. There have been several jokes about the random guy sneezing which makes Jeff Goldblum think he can bring down the aliens with a virus, not the basis of good science fiction.

District 9, however, is really good science fiction. Sure it has some problems but they’re the kind of problems that doesn’t take away from anything. I was lucky enough to go see the movie with someone else who also really likes science fiction, so we discussed in length some of the plot points after the movie and late into the night, but I never stopped in the middle of the movie to ask, REALLY?

Again, not a perfect movie, but GOOD science fiction.

Sharlto Copley, does an amazing job as Wikus Van De Merwe, a stumbling government bureaucrat who is just as racist as anyone else in the movie and the most unlikely action star ever. But this is what sells us. Sure something like, Inglorious Basterds, is a lot of fun but do I see myself on the same level as Na-zi killer Brad Pitt? No. Can I identify with Wikus? Yes.

Wikus is humanity incarnate. He was just at work, trying not to fuck up the promotion his father-in-law gave him, sure he was horrible to these aliens but these are conditions many people across the world face (which was a little bit, WAKE-UP-SHEEPLE), and he saw it as just doing his job.

Wikus does eventually start to show humanity can have kindness towards something we don’t understand, and at the same time finally becomes a badass with a little help from a MEC and a cute little kid. I don’t want to give too much away because this is not a movie you have to see on the big screen to appreciate, so if you’re like me and money is tight at times, rent it. But I would first encourage you to maybe not go to the bar a few nights or eat a sandwich at home to save the 7 bucks and see it as soon as possible.

Project ADD

2009-07-13T15:41:00.002-05:00

Is there such thing as project ADD? Cause if there is I think I have it.

I start a lot of projects, get it rolling then move on to the next one. Some times this method of work makes some things fall to the way-side.

NerdBoy Comics, is currently on hiatus till we get issue two squared away. I'll post the last few pages of ZC as I get them then it's re-group time! This is mainly due to a CRAZY work schedule I have for my day job during the summer and then not really being on the ball as EIC.

Maybe I need to give my lil helpers at the company some more responsibility so more stuff can get done. Our official launch (or re-launch?) will be at the Lubbock Comic Con and if everything goes as planned we'll actually have professionaly bound copies of issues 1 and 2, yay!

I'm still working on issue #3, like I said old and new projects duke it ou tall the time.

As for new projects, I've started writing a little one-act stage play. We'll see how that goes.

I have a few connections in the Lubbock theater community that might be willing to workshop it which would be awesome.

If you've read any of my short stories (Which I don't think you have because your name isn't Sam or Byrle, or Rick for that matter) my strong point has always been dialogue.

So why not try a form that is based around some thing I enjoy writing so much?

I'm also needing to brush up on my reading for Art History if I really do want to go back for my M.A., but we'll see. Hmm, I wonder if I can tutor freshman and charge then $20 and hour...everyone wins!

Re-Direct to a Movie Review

2009-05-13T11:23:00.002-05:00

Here's the link to my Movie Review of Star Trek, follow it to read what I have to say about the newest installment of the series.

I'm off to get some more writing and to-do lists done.

Stolen from JP on the Llano Idea blog

2009-05-05T12:00:00.001-05:00

Writing: Technology vs. Nostalgia

2009-04-29T08:49:00.001-05:00

A friend-of-a-friend posted this link on his Twitter, “How to Make a Moleskine PDA - http://tinyurl.com/dzj7u4”. I’ve been a big fan of Moleskine since high school.

My generation might be the last to not have laptops mandatory for every student, and I still have old notebooks that have story notes/outlines in between algebra problems and history notes. So I have very fond memories of tucking a pocket Moleskine in my hoodie when heading out the door.

Recently with technology being more and more accessible to every person, more user friendly, and people just getting used to taking notes on their PDA or iPhone; the tradition of note taking has changed.

Twitter is just a note taking program. Gmail has built in documents. A computer is always a 2 minute walk away in Lubbock or any other city.

I’ve been known to whip out my iPhone while at the bar, jot down a story idea in the “notepad”, and go about my business. I used to rely on the Moleskine for that purpose and in some ways I still do. My Moleskins were never as organized as the link above, more for general notes, but the point is they are still around. Yeah, they’re locked up in my files (I’m a self-conscious writer and constantly have people in and out of my apartment, often unsupervised) and I only look through them when I think I’ve already got notes for something, but they are THERE.
Most of my iPhone notes stick around for about a month or two and then they’re deleted. They could stay on the phone for all of eternity, however the privacy issue comes up again. My phone is passed around a lot at the bar.

I’m not a big fan of sharing my story ideas or even my writing till I’ve “finished” it or at least feel comfortable that the idea is strong.

When I used to whip out my notebooks in class or around friends, it’s been an instant attention grabber. Most people now-a-days know I’m a writer, in high school I didn’t talk much about it, but it still leads to questions.

“What’s that?”
“My notebook. I keep it around when I want to remember something.”
“Remember something for what?”
“For a story later.”
“I’m going to be in a story?”
“No, but the way you just got shot down by that girl might be.”

The point of this is that while I prefer the tradition and permanence of the notebook, technology is starting to win.

Moleskines get wet. Ruined. Lost.

My phone/computer can be backed up. Printed off. Incognito.

There’s a major snag that still keeps me from relying on electronic means of note taking, recently my computer stopped. Won’t get past the boot screen. My phone dies, often. The notebook never runs out of power. While I was traveling in China my computer stayed in my apartment unless I was at the café downstairs. Even when you live in China, you’re backpacking in China.

Files get deleted all the time. The phone has to be cleared out to make room for the album I just bought.

But the Moleskines are still in the file cabinet.
Waiting to embarrass me at a later date.

STAPLE! or How to Buy a Sarah Palin Sex Doll

2009-03-09T09:00:00.003-05:00

This weekend was...interesting.
I’ve always been wary of road trips with the boys. What rational girl would be willing to spend 12+ hours in a car filled with nerds who want to argue about Doc Manhattan’s junk the whole time?

Apparently this one.

Friday we spent most of the day on the road. Myself, Padawan, and Sasquatch loaded up my car and hit the road about mid-afternoon. We soon learned that trying to caravan with Wombat, JP and Master Cylinder wasn’t gonna work. So we spent time entertaining ourselves with stapling together comics, listening to music, and talking about who we wanted to see at the con.

In Austin we had time to kill before heading to the Drafthouse on South Lamar to see Watchmen. So being the good Austin-ite that I am, I steered the boys towards Waterloo Records and Book People on Lamar. There are many fond memories of this corner of Lamar from when I was a kid. My mom, brother and I would come down here during the summer to grab a burger with my Dad and wander around Book People. When I was 16 the back of my ’69 VW Bug was covered with bumper stickers from the store and I met Bruce Campbell that summer. (The story of meeting Bruce Campbell is an Arnold family favorite at major holidays)

Padawan picked up a Joanna Newsome vinyl, proving even more to me that he’s secretly my Dad at 23, my Dad’s the Doctor.

And the three of us looked around Book People for a bit. The best part of visiting Austin with friends is seeing how floored they are at the variety and selection of things. The graphic novel section of Book People (which isn’t that big) alone had them picking things up saying, “I didn’t know he came out with a new book…” or “Wow, I’ve been wanting to read this…”

It’s hard to find things just sitting on the shelves in Lubbock, many times you have to order things you think you might like.

After that we headed to the Drafthouse to stand in line for Watchmen.
I’m not going to go on a Watchmen rant here but I will make a few points.

~I’m wanting to hear the feedback from people who haven’t read the book and see if they could follow it or found it entertaining.
~There was no need for that amount of gore and sex. This book changed many things for the graphic novel and that much gore and sex took away from that.
~The rape scene went too far for my tastes. And I can handle a good amount of violence.
~The last ten minutes insulted my intelligence. Really, millions of people dyeing is a BAD thing? Who knew?

Ok, I’m done.

The boys had many of the same feelings. Overall it’s a fun movie but does no justice to the book.
As soon as we got outside the theater the ranting started and the volume only got louder and louder till I finally pointed out we were bitching about a three hour movie at 3 am in front of the theater, maybe it was time to find the hotel.

Saturday was a touch more stressful.

I had no idea what to expect when I got to STAPLE. I’ve been to several Cons but never as an exhibitor or artist. It’s a different animal.
I was able to push a few comics and hand out a bunch of flyers. I got some great reactions from people who glanced at the table and stopped,

“Zombie Cow?”
“Yeah, it’s exactly what it sounds like.”

I’m glad I went with the decision of editing it down a bit to be more geared as an all ages comic. People seemed to appreciate it, plus I need to balance out the horror that is Brady’s comic.

I made a few rounds as well passing out free comics to people like Danielle Corsetto, Mitch Clem, and Jeffery Brown.

Oh man is Jeffery Brown adorable. I can’t help but turn girl to 11 when I’m around those kinds of guys. It didn’t hurt either that I played the game of wearing a low cut shirt for the day either.

Our conversation went something like this;
“Hey, how’s it going?”
“Buh,…good.” Super quiet shy guy voice.
“That’s great. I just wanted to give you these. I just started my own comic and publishing company and I would love if you checked it out sometime.”
“Yeah, cool, thanks.”
“So your day’s been going well?”
“Yeah, yeah. You know a lot of nice people.”
“Awesome. Are you going to the after party?”
“Uh, yeah. You?”
“Yeah. I’ll have to find you and buy you a drink.”
“Buh, ok…yeah that sounds great.”

That man is a ball of awkward in a man shape. And that’s the best kind of guy to flirt with on a weekend like STAPLE. I didn’t manage to get him that drink (he looked like he’d had a few by the time I got to him) but I did pick him up a bottle of water.

I got the best reactions when I walked up to him and his friends, a lot of “Dude, did a girl just try to buy Jeff a drink?”
Anyways back to STAPLE.

Overall I’m going to give it a thumbs up for NerdBoy Comics. I’ll be getting a table for Lubbock Comic Expo and maybe looking at some other cons this year.
Saturday night was on an epic level.

We went to the after party at Red7, where we ran into Jeffery Brown and Danielle Corsetto again. After Red7 we walked down to Oil Can Harry’s to see Kyle. Man that bar was PACKED with gay dudes. I don’t think I’ve ever been called sweetheart so much in so little time.

We ended the night at Fado’s, the best Irish pub in Texas. There was a punk band, Irish beers on tap, and the ability to actually make conversation.
This is where the night gets interesting and a little fuzzy. I’m told by Padawan that on our way back to the hotel we stopped by Dreamers and made a purchase. We were all responsibly sober of course so I blame aliens for the purchase of a Sarah Palin sex-doll.

Ah yes I am indeed a classy classy lady.

But it made for a great morning and great pictures of Sasquatch, although it was a touch creepy with him groping the doll and saying, “Oh…yeah...Sarah.” Ew.
So overall good weekend.

It was capped by lunch at my parents house which is always awesome. I think the boys enjoyed it too.
OK, off to write and work on the website.
WHOOSH!

What to Read at Work Pt 2 (The Horror Fans Cometh)

2009-02-09T13:24:00.002-06:00

There's a large variety of webcomics out there. One of the widely disregarded ones is horror. Personally I'm not a HUGE horror fan but there are some series out there that are worth looking at, here's a few...

The Zombie Hunters - When I type "zombie webcomic" into Firefox, this comic popped up. It's still relatively new on the scene (Nov 2006) but is well written and the art is above par for webcomics. It's a very basic telling of zombie aftermath and those who live in it but you get a sense of what the world is very quickly and has one of the best hooks I've seen so far in webcomic - graphic novels. The author/artist Jenny Romanchuck is a Canadian still going to school but shows much promise in turn this into a career. Updates on Thursdays.

Everyday Decay- You'll like this if you're into teenage angst and ignoring the general rules of the zombie universe. While the characters are believable and interesting the world Derrick Ravey has build is nothing more than copy and paste zombie universe and adds nothing to the cannon. The art is well drawn, although Ravey has further to go, but potential if he can get his head out of his ass.

Bear Versus Zombies - This could possibly be one of the best "B-movie" type horror webcomics. While there's only 18 pages up so far this comic is full of horrible one liners and lots of zombie killing. With his Rabbit side-kick who constantly makes puns and one liners about Whinney the Pooh this is a well rounded light hearted romp though the zombie universe.

Elsie Hooper - This comic started as part of the UMass student newspaper and has now transferred to online and perhaps Hollywood. Since 2003 there have been talks to making an EH movie and things are starting to come together. The black & white art is very well done and keeps to its true style most of the time. While it is a little too “I am Horror I am Angst” for me, true horror fans will eat this up.

High Moon- Is through the Zuda website. If you haven't heard of Zuda yet it's a webcomics project from DC that runs on a competition scale. If your comic is received well it stays on, if not you have to submit something else. Not a bad idea from DC however these artists are by no means "green" and this shows little innovation on DC's part. However “High Moon” is a well written comic about a Texas Werewolf sheriff, and plays to the horror audience well. It's professionally drawn and scripted so there's not much room for a "wow" factor in new talent but a fun read.

What to Read at Work, Pt 1

2009-02-03T10:23:00.003-06:00

Now that I'm getting into the webcomic business, I've been reading a lot of webcomics in my free time. This first started as an exercise in researching the layouts and content of well known comics and smaller ones as well. Also I needed to check to make sure someone wasn't already making the comic I'm creating. Luckily I haven't to run into this problem, yet.

It did occur to me that I might put this new knowledge to further use by doing a weekly post about webcomics. So let's count this as the first post towards that endeavor. I'll be generally reviewing a few webcomics every week, let you know if there's anything that Reddit perhaps missed (although the comic/webcomic thread on Reddit is more self wankery than actual GOOD comics 3/4 of the time), and more importantly what comics you should be reading but just haven't found yet.

So let's get started boys and girls.

I wanna first get to the comics that you should be checking everyday (or every MWF as the case may be) because they have yet to fail me.

Girls With Slingshots - You've seen this on my links section toward the right --->
And there's good reason for it. Danielle Corsetto knows how to give you a arcing story but still entertain on a daily basis without resorting to cheap drama tricks. Hazel is obviously Corsetto only perhaps a bit more sex and alcohol driven. While Hazel's best friend, Jamie, is the best friend everyone wishes they had; someone who's willing to use her boobs to get free drink and pass along the booty (haha). Through in a talking cactus and his sick kick in crime, his talking mustache, and you have fried gold comedy. Updates M-F

xkcd - If you don't know what this webcomic is, get off my internet. And yes, it sometimes can be safe for Liberal arts majors.

Questionable Content - Hold on. Quit your bitching. I SAID HOLD ON! Let me explain myself. Yes this comic is full of EMO hipsters, music references some might not get, and yes Jeph Jacques seems like the biggest douche ever at times. But it still has its shining moments of comedy. He's in a constant state of re-evaluating his art and changing his style around. If you ever sit down and read through the entirety of posts you'll see that every few months Jacques will make changes to how he draws the comic, and it's gotten better and better.

And who can deny Hipster Batman? Even if it was done by Rene Engstrom, who is also a very good webcomic creator but we'll save her for the SUPER DRAMA SPECTACULAR.

Penny Arcade - If you've ever uttered the words WoW or gaming in front of anyone who enjoys laughing, you've heard of Penny Arcade. You may not get all the jokes if you don't follow gaming culture but it's still worth a read. Plus Tycho's blog updates tend to explain things well if you're just slightly out of the loop, and you'll learn something along the way. That's always the goal isn't it? These guys are often seen as the kings of webcomics, in the sense that they never ever have to work a "real" job again. Ever.
They have their own Expo for Christ's sake!

ItsWalky! - This only updates on Fridays however it's hilarious every time. While I still haven't sat down and read through every strip, these one note strips on Fridays are an eerie look into every fun relationship that I've had. Cause who hasn't thought that Icey Hot is a good idea? This comic is really more of a spinoff of ShortPacked and the storylines are way too crisscrossed for my little brain to care.

and last...

FREAKANGELS - This is not your older brother's webcomic, and if it is then you have a cool older brother. This is one of those rare moments where you can see a new genre being defined. Warren Ellis has taken the idea of a webcomic and bumped it up a few notches. With the extremely talented Paul Duffield by his side, every Friday this graphic novel is updated with six pages. Compared to other webcomics these guys are very well established comic book writers and artists, and seem to be putting this out because they want to give back something to fans. While the story does start off a bit slow, Warren Ellis once again shows his audience and fans why he is a great story teller and a complete badass. Only dark comedy is found here in little slices and the focus is more on the drama around the post-apocalyptic telepathic Londoners. It'll be interesting to see if this new genre takes off, and how far this story will reach.
The forums attached are not a bad place to look around and see the large variety of people who read Mr. Ellis' stories, and wave at a far distance at the reclusive writer.

I Can Has Xbox?

2009-01-26T11:15:00.003-06:00

This past week I indulged myself and bought an Xbox360. This might be the most satisfying purchase ever. I asked for one for Christmas and was sadly disappointed when I received a blender instead. Ah, parents. Being an adult is stupid.

It came with Guitar Hero II and III. GH III has not been cracked open yet but GH II has been played thoroughly, but not by yours truly. My apartment was invaded by boys when the words Guitar Hero were uttered. I've had more people in my apartment this weekend than I have since I moved in this past summer.

But by far the game that's been taking up most of my time is Geometry Wars 2. This is a super simple shooter game with amazing visuals. Me and a friend played this for at least 8+ hours this weekend. The best part of this game might be the co-pilot feature. You can be either the pilot or the gunner while the other person controls the other function you don't choose. You get the feeling of what it must of been like on that fateful day on the Hoth battle grounds.

I also picked up a copy of Prince of Persia and BioShock. Both good games but haven't played much of either yet.

The Xbox also brought on day dreams from friends of one day buying the apartment/house I live in currently for a nerd hide out. It's a large two story house with a few one and two bedroom apartments. Very similar to flats you'd find in any metropolis. Which is always one of those fun day dreams; everyone living together but has thier seperate apartments and can just knock on each other's door for cups of sugar or to borrow Left 4 Dead.

Down the Rabbit Hole

2009-01-14T15:06:00.002-06:00

Via Warren Ellis:

Dan Curtis Johnson:

Let’s face it. You’re in a blog rut.

Most of the time, you write about more of the same kinda stuff that you usually write about.

Maybe it’s your day-to-day life, the stuff you did. Maybe it’s topical news response. Maybe it’s short fiction. Maybe it’s re-linking random stuff you see on the internet. Maybe it’s LOLCAT porn. (I hope it’s not LOLCAT porn.) Maybe it’s here on LiveJournal, or it’s over on Vox, or Blogspot or Blogger or Blogblog or Postablogablowablog, or WordPress or Facebook or FacePress or FacePlant or maybe it’s just your Twitter account. It’s what you’re comfortable with, I know, I know…

…but why not try doing something different, just for a day?

Two weeks from today, Tuesday January 27th, is Lewis Carroll’s 177th birthday. Carroll, you’ll recall, wrote about a girl who fell down a rabbit hole and found herself in a place where all the rules had changed. In two weeks, on Lewis Carroll’s 177th birthday, you should do the same.

That’s right: the 5th Annual Rabbit Hole Day is coming.

When you wake up on the 27th, instead of writing about your usual work and school and politics and friends and news and stuff, experience life down the Rabbit Hole and write about the work, the school, the politics, the friends, the news, the stuff that you find there instead. Travel through time. Turn into an animal. Flee from assassins. Talk to your goldfish. Conquer Greenland. Sprout some extra limbs. Learn how to walk on water. Marry an insect.

Take a break from the Every Day and write about your Rabbit Hole Day. Your normal life will be waiting for you when you get back.

(And if you don't know who Warren Ellis is, get the hell off of my blog)

Brain...HURTS!

2009-01-08T14:52:00.002-06:00

We have officially taken off over at NerdBoy Comics! nerdboycomics.net

The site is really sketchy, and there's just some general information up, BUT it's there.

This will now be the site where Zombie Cows is hosted and can be viewed when it's done.

So I guess I'm the founder of a comic publishing company now...? Or a co-op? Or something.

Building a website is a pain in the butt so if anyone wants to take it over for me, that would be great. I might even be will to pay you...that's how much it hurts my brain.

Side note: There is a KTXT Rally Concert tonight at 7pm at Jake's
A lot of awesome bands and great people will be there!

Zombie-Cow Characters

2008-12-18T10:39:00.007-06:00

Hello all!
I've been in the process of creating a one shot comic series with a friend I met through Twitter of all places. This is going to be a 5-6 issue comic that will first be posted online in a webcomic format (a few pages each week) and then when I go to Cons I'm thinking about printing a few off to try and make a buck or two.
Zombie-Cow is still being written by yours truly but part 1 is pretty close to being done. I'm hoping to have a website set up and be ready to start posting pages by early next year.

If you want to see more by the aritst, go to kncomics.com

Below are the character designs she's come up with and so far they're pretty spot on for what I was looking for and more is to come.

FYI If you also follow this to be updated on Metropolis, JP is working on getting last week's episode online. Follow me here or on Twitter (sarah_arnold) to find out where.

Thanks guys!

WHAT WE WANT TEXAS TECH TO DO TO HELP BRING BACK KTXT-FM

2008-12-15T09:10:00.001-06:00

WHAT WE WANT TEXAS TECH TO DO TO HELP BRING BACK KTXT-FM, BETTER AND STRONGER THAN EVER, AND SEE THAT IT CONTINUES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS:

1. We want the university to find KTXT-FM 88.1 a new independent home, under the current umbrella of the Texas Tech University system that is fully committed to preserving and fostering the rich 47 year history of student-run radio at Tech. We would also like this entity value the mission of maintaining many different diverse student activities and organizations who are openly available to all students on campus, such as KTXT-FM is currently.

2. We want Derrick Ginter at KOHM to be named our Texas Tech staff advisor, and be the conservator of our non-commercial FCC license, thus allowing us to continue to broadcast over the airwaves and online. Derrick would also be responsible for advising and advocating KTXT-FM on overall program goals and merit-worthy upgrades of assets pertaining to the radio station offices and studios - as well as other integral broadcasting equipment. (We do not however, want to be considered a part of KOHM proper, or be housed directly under them, due to the very different funding and mission statements of the current three broadcast entities at Texas Tech – KOHM, KTXT and KTXT-TV.)

3. We want a full-time assistant staff advisor hired to help support the student staff of the radio station. This person would be available to answer student questions, help develop fund-raising initiatives alongside the student staff, provide advanced broadcast training to the student staff, and mediate conflicts. This person would also be an advocate for KTXT-FM and the student radio program on the Texas Tech campus at large, regarding funding and alumni outreach, and maintaining historical records. (This would also fall under the suggestions that were outlined in the Division of Student Affairs Strategic Plan for KTXT-FM.) We would like Derrick Ginter and Blake Porter, the current student Station Manager at KTXT to jointly vet this new hire, and for him or her to have prior experience advising a student-staffed broadcast organization.

4. We want our offices and studios housed on the second floor of the Student Media Building returned to KTXT-FM, or another comparable location be made available to the student-run radio station program. (We occupied this same office space over two decades, before our five years with Student Media.) We would prefer that any alternate location be close to KOHM, and we would like the University to consider a future plan to house both entities together in a space that would allow growth for both stations to continue – such as the empty office space on the 5th floor of the 1901 University building, where KOHM is currently housed.

5. We want all new and old broadcasting assets previously purchased in the name of KTXT-FM which were seized on December 10th 2008, by the Department of Student Media, returned to KTXT-FM and signed over to Derrick Ginter. (This same courtesy was provided the Department of Student Media when they acquired KTXT from the College of Mass Communications, and we think it is the right thing to do in the current case.) Otherwise we request that comparable replacement assets be re-purchased in time for the 2009 spring semester for the station by Texas Tech University. We would also like all of our digital assets, (music and digital spots), returned to KTXT-FM regardless of who keeps the hardware. We want our KTXT.net website domain transferred to Derrick Ginter.

7. If we are forced to relocate and rebuild, we want to have a way to automate music and broadcast temporarily from the old location, so that our FCC license does not become jeopardized, during any sort of transition due to code violations for being off-air too long.

7. We want to continue to have student service fees help fund KTXT-FM, as they have done historically. We would also like a fair base operating budget for the program be instated by Texas Tech University through various means of campus funding. This budget would include money for the student staff, TTU staff advisors and the typical annual costs of maintaining the radio station’s assets and student-radio program. This figure would come from looking at past years base operating expenses.

8. We want official endowment fund set up for KTXT-FM through the Center for Campus Life so that Texas Tech/KTXT-FM alumni and the community can make donations to help keep KTXT-FM on the air, by helping to offset the economic burden of costly broadcasting equipment failures or upgrades to the studio. We see this fund as being similar in nature to the Texas Tech Masked Rider Endowment Fund that is in place to help maintain and preserve that great Texas Tech Tradition, and a hub for alumni who would like to see KTXT-FM thrive on campus like it has for the past 47 years.

KTXT

2008-12-11T09:20:00.002-06:00

On December 10th 2008, KTXT 88.1 closed its doors for the first time in 47 years.

I'm hoping my personal story with KTXT will help those of you outside of Lubbock understand why this is so important.

I came to Lubbock my Freshman year still very much in my shell. I didn't put too much effort into making friends. I had a boyfriend back home that I was fully devoted to.
I clearly remember walking to class one day and being handed a flyer.
"What kind of music do you like?" the girl asked me.
"Umm I dunno. Alternative stuff. Modest Mouse?" I stuttered.
"Awesome! You should come to the hiring meeting. You could become a DJ." She smiled and walked off to go pass out more flyers.

I didn't go to the hiring meeting that night. I wish I had.
But I did start listening to 88.1
The station introduced me to legends like Johnny Cash, the wide variety of the Beatles (not just the songs on car commercials), something called alternative country, noise-rock, classic punk, and student opinion.

Student opinion.

That blew my mind.

All you had to do is become a DJ, show that you could show up on time, and you could get a specialty show together.

I wandered through my college career. Made friends with people in my major. Spent four months in China. And then senior year it happened.

It always happens when you know something is about to end.

I was introduced to, what are now, my best friends.

A good friend told me she was going to Skooners that night to hang out with some friends and thought I would enjoy their company.
So I went.

Admittedly, I didn't talk much.

They were into music, comics, sci-fi, all around they were nerds.

I'd found my home.

I only found out a few days later these were the guys I occasionally caught on Thursday nights on KTXT. The now legendary Metropolis.

This is how KTXT helped me find my soulmates in Lubbock TX.

This past year I became actively involved in KTXT.

I host, produce and direct the talk show, EVOLUTION.

Scratch that I hosted the program...

We were the only student based talk radio program in all of Lubbock. The only place you could tune in and get student opinions on the news and politics.

I will never in my life forget November 4th at the station.

I was there for 10 hours, giving updates on one of the most historic elections of our nation.

At 10:05 pm on November 4th I announced on 88.1 KTXT that the president-elect was Barack Obama.

I was the student voice for that day.

Things like that will never happen again.

We will fight.

We will fight to the death.

We will find a new home.

This is not the last time you will here my voice on the airwaves fighting with Ben.

The fight will live on.

Hipsters

2008-12-10T13:42:00.002-06:00

Last night I got into a nice yelling match with a close friend about a very important subject.

Hipsters.

Now according to this friend our whole generation's sub-culture is labeled at Hipsters. So anyone who isn't into mainstream pop culture is classified as Hipster and then sub-categorized into different areas. Like nerds, history geeks, indie kids and so forth.

I very much disagree.

I, for example, am not a Hipster.

To me Hipsters are people who get into arguments about records, wear head bands made of Lycra, and have neon plastic sun glasses. Most of the time they can also be spotted wearing pearl snap shirts.
These are the true Hipsters in my book.

So don't dare you try and tell me I'm a Hipster but then sub-categorize me into Nerd-Girl.
I'm Nerd-Girl through and through. Maybe a little bit Indie too, but no Hipster.

Why does a whole generation of people who live under the main stream have to have just ONE title?

Turkey Day

2008-12-01T13:51:00.002-06:00

Greetings all, I have gloriously returned from my trek back to the homeland.
While many like to bitch and complain about being near their families, mine isn't too bad. My parents are on the edge of crazy liberal, so me and my lil brother get away with many things many parents wouldn't stand for.
For example, we openly talk about Keith drinking on the weekends (who is currently 20), smoking illegal substances, and had a sad talk about Prop 8.

But anyways, this isn't really about Turkey Day, this is about the day after Turkey Day.
I don't know why but my parents tend to listen to me when it comes to the topic of video games and my lil brother. Since I'm not talking about video games 24/7, and I can hold a conversation about other things, like comics for example, they see me as a good base against Keith. So when Keith demands he wants a game, that his world will end if he doesn't get it, they turn to me to give them an answer.

Well this came up with the game Rock Band. Ok, I'll be honest for a second I really wanted them to get him Rock Band for his Wii so I could play it over the break.
One day I WILL master the drums!
But I did successfully convince them that getting him this game will indeed boost his social skills/standing and he won't get too wrapped into it where he'll play for hours at a time. Only because your arms/hands/fingers/ankle starts to HURT after a few hours.

But after playing for an hour or two I realized that Rock Band on the Wii sucks balls. a lot of the timing is off which you can't fix, you can't use your Guitar Hero guitar with the system (and who likes the rock Band guitar?) and the song selection is a gigantic ball of suck.

So added to the Xmas wishlist besides a 360 is the Rock Band to go along with it. Because while my genetic make up prevents me from naturally keeping a beat, I will force myself to learn.

Too Much of a Selected Audience?

2008-11-25T10:27:00.000-06:00

As it states clearly to my right, I also run a talk show here in Lubbock*.
Due to some unforeseen events my normal co-host, Mr. Singularity**, wasn't able to join me on air yesterday. Don't worry guys; things involving electricity and male genitals are in his future. However, Sasquatch was able to fill in for him.
Sasquatch is now a normal player in the circle of nerd-friends I hang out with (more on them at a later date). He’s a few years younger than most but hey, as you get older a few years here and there don't really make that much of a difference. That's one of the many things you learn in college; as long as you're not a Freshman, you're ok.
Sasquatch is a really really funny dude, but like a lot of funny dudes, he's crude and centers around nerd-based jokes. Which is really hard to balance out since the show is based on commenting on current events with a student perspective. Sometimes are actually try and shoot for serious, according to Wombat (station manager, also in the nerd-circle) we're one of the few legitimate talk shows on the station. Now that's a scary thought.
Anyways, we got to a story at one point in the hour about a guy who flew over a gorge in Arizona on jet-pack. The headline read, "Daredevil flies 1500 over Gorge".
Which in turn prompted Brady to say, "Wow he really traveled far just to jump over a gorge in Arizona?"

I got the joke. You get the joke.

But what about the rest of Lubbock or even the majority of Americans?

Sasquatch is typically the "phone-bitch" for one of the other talk-shows, Metropolis, on KTXT. They discuss comics, pop culture, and well mainly comics. Again, more at a later date on the story of me and Metropolis.
So people listening to that show are expecting jokes that revolve around comics.

Basically my question is, do you think with the rise in comic books, sci-fi, and fantasy in today's culture, that most people got that joke? "Daredevil" the movie came out not too long ago, and didn't fair bad at the box office, and I'm sure it influenced at least a few people to go out and pick up the series.
But is it embedded enough into "normal" people that they would find it funny?
Maybe. I hang out with guys who still walk around making "It's a trap!!!" jokes***.

Notes:

*The show is on Monday nights 7-8pm CST and can be streamed from KTXT.net
**Everyone who works at the station has DJ names, and for the protection of their families I'll hold back on using real names for a bit.
***If "It's a trap!!!" isn't enough for you, look up Star Wars, Colonel Akbar.

Hey Look I'm Not Purple!

2008-11-24T13:55:00.002-06:00

Yeah, you're not going to see pretty purple ponies, kittens, or little pink flowers here buddy. Here you're going to find a nerd-girl who knows what she's talking about. And I'm not saying that those others who also claim to be nerd-girls do not have their place with the ponies and flowers, but I'm not here for that.

I'm here to convey my knowledge of Nerd-dom, from a girl's point of view, minus the flowers.
As to the title of this blog, this is one of the most common questions I get in life. Yes I do indeed like dudes. Get over it, just ‘cause I can drink beer with the boys, hold my own in a conversation about comics, technology or sci-fi, and I can make a grown man cry doesn't mean I like the girls.

I'm just the coolest girl you may ever meet.

Check back here for at the very least weekly updates on what I think about the world today, you might even learn something about girls. Well, nerd-girls at the very least.