Head's Up

As it occurs to me that some people might not know, this is just a heads up that this blog has a new home: http://www.thatgeekchick.net/blog

Yay, Purse!

I have a hard time shopping for purses.

Yes, I love them. If I were slightly better off financially, I'd likely get a nice Coach bag or a Dooney and Burke ever year or so. But the problem is, in the business casual world, accessories are one of the few ways a woman has to display her personality. I can't exactly wear my Starfleet Academy T-shirt to work.

In this regard, Etsy has been a godsend. I managed to get a cute Princess Leia necklace with pink lightsaber earrings that I absolutely adore wearing.

But for some reason, I've been at a loss to find a good purse that I like. There were a few retro Trek and Wars inspired ones that amused me, but that weren't quite what I was looking for. After purchasing a tokidoki unicorn figure from ThinkGeek, I ended up wandering to their website.

And lo and behold I found exactly what I wanted!

It's absolutely adorable, the wallet is insanely functional (my Droid X fits in it!) and I love the details. From little rhinestones on the tokidoki logo, to heart skull and crossbones shaped zipper pulls, it's positively awesome.

For a helpful reference, if you happen to be looking for a Coach carrying case that will fit even the Droid X, their Poppy Universal Leather Case is quite nice (although their site fails at direct linking).

Downton Abbey

I'll admit it - I'm a glutton for a good period piece. So when I saw that Felicia Day had mentioned Downton Abbey, I knew that I had to take a peek. Luckily enough, the entire 1st season was on Netflix, and I happily devoured it over a period of a few days. The TV show features the residents of Downton Abbey - both the Earl and his family, and the servants as well. In this, I was quite intrigued, for it seems like much of the time, it's the upper-class members of society that are featured in such productions. The seven episodes of season 1 encompass over 2 years of time between April 1912 and August 1914 - specifically, it begins with the sinking of the Titanic, and ends with the beginning of World War I. This prevents the show from dwelling too much on minor details, but the writers are careful to ensure that we don't feel like we missed to much in between episodes either.

It starts out in a very Pride and Prejudice sort of manner. The Earl of Gratham, Robert Crawley, has three daughters, and because of inheritance laws, none of them are able to inherit Downton. In the first episode, his heir (who was to marry the eldest of his daughters) dies tragically on the Titanic, throwing life at Downton into turmoil. Admissably, I was initially disappointed, figuring that this plot has been done time and time again. But by the conclusion of the first episode, I was already pleased with how they were handling something that could have easily become cliche. A large part of this was the acting - all of the characters from the great Earl to the mere kitchen maid were quite realistically portrayed.

As mentioned, the servants lives are just as integral to the plotline of the show as their employers are. It's fascinating seeing the differences between the two worlds, which is often starkly evident through the use of clever camera shots and editing. We see the footmen walking through the lavish family sections of the Abbey, down into the servant's quarters, which are stark and cold. We see cuts between the Earl's family having a lavish, multi-course dinner and the servants eating a simple bowl of soup.

That's not to say that you are meant to feel bad for the servants, or to feel that the aristocracy puts the Crawleys unfairly ahead. Both the Crawley family and the servants feature some characters that are worthy of empathy, and others who are more deserving of scorn. Some of the servants are proud to work for such a nice house, and to not be laboring in a factory or a farm, while others resent the cards that they've drawn in life.

The Crawley girls are dynamic characters in that I found myself split between feeling bad for them, and feeling like they'd gotten what they'd deserved. They interact in a fashion that is typical of a real family - they bicker, they disagree, and occasionally they do something to ruin one another's lives. They are complex characters in a fast changing world, who - despite their parent's best attempts to protect them - seem to have no difficulty getting themselves into bad situations.

While the movings of a rapidly evolving world impact the Crawley girls, it is their grandmother the Dowager Countess who primarily demonstrates both these evolutions, and the differences between high society and the common man. She is fearful of the electric lights that are in Downton Abbey, especially because they are in the kitchens, and she worries what it might do to her food. And when in the presence of the working class Matthew Crawley, she is confused by his use of the term "weekend" - as people who have never needed to have a job don't grasp the concept of days off.

The only major complaint that I have was that while the costumes and sets are amazing, the camera work is kind of annoying. I'm not a particularly big fan of the use of soft focus... especially not in every single shot of a series. I also think it would be nice to have a few more episodes in a season, as the 7 from season 1 left me wanting more. Hopefully, the next season will deliver.

After great success in both the UK and Australia, they have begun to film the second season, which will take place during World War I in England, and should feature the characters going through dramatic changes as a result.

On the Subject of Inspiration

First off, Hi to all the random people finding my blog because I've been retweeted by ThinkGeek and Patrick Norton.

I've been feeling rather inspired recently.

I have to admit, this is somewhat frustrating. Where was this inspiration when I was home unemployed doing nothing?

As I've mentioned before, I'm pretty active in two different Pern fandom email groups - Triad Weyrs and (my own site) 11th Pass Pern. I joined Pern fandom a little over a year ago to try and get my spelling, grammar, etc. back up to par to finish work on the aforementioned novel. I've gotten proofreaders. I've gotten feedback - good feedback - from many of them. Half of them keep hounding me for more.

The problem is, now that I'm employed and my free time has lessened, I have more and more ideas.

I'm not really "good" at prioritization.

It's no secret - I've wanted to make a short web series ever since I was in college. Studying film. Because, you know, that's what the modern film major does. Ever since YouTube became a viable source for film projects, that's what the aspiring film maker has tried to do.

It's free. No one controls you. If you make good keywords, people will inadvertently stumble onto your work.

The Guild has been one of my biggest inspirations for years now. Nerdy red headed girl playing MMOs? Yes please! And she's even a Priest! How self-reflective. Ever since I've watched it I've wanted to do something vaguely similar. Something that featured on a more snobbish crew of gamers. The seedy underworld of the MMO subculture.

The "Elitist Jerks" as they're often called.

In The Guild, the Axis of Anarchy hints at it - but we're very rarely meant to sympathize with them. In general, they are meant as the "villains" of the show. But there's so much material there!

Like the stigmas against female gamers at the upper echelon of play, and the assumption that if you're good, it's because someone helped you get gear. Or the drama that occurs when a raid leader calls out a member for their failures. And of course, the psychology behind people that will let their entire real life turn to shambles because they're "godly" in a video game. Or even the Long Distance relationships (protip: there's at least one in every raiding guild)!

But more than just MMOs, Elitists tend to have a different manner of seeing everything. Watching them Powergame at Dungeons and Dragons would be fascinating. Heck, even trips to the local watering hole are amusing (albeit, frequently extremely vulgar).

I wouldn't even necessarily want to start it as a web series - mainly because I don't know enough people who'd be willing to "act" for it. I mean, I think it's a viable short story concept as well.

The problem is, no matter how "different" it ended up being, it'd always be thought of as a "stolen" concept - because it is. And I think because of that very reason, I'd never want to do it.

I wish I had inspirations for original concepts, and not variations on current themes...

Oh well.

The Book - An Excerpt

I started writing a novel back in November of 2009. At the time, I was unemployed, had a lot of free time, and was slightly obsessed with Charlaine Harris' "Sookie Stackhouse" novels. I've attempted to regain interest in my start since then, but have found it hard to get back into it, largely because I'm not actually convinced that anyone would be interested in it. I figured I'd post the first three pages of the Preface here and see how it was received. So.... here goes.

Preface

So let’s get this straight from the very beginning. I'm not the type of girl that people look at and assume “That Delilah, she hangs out with Vampires.” Obviously, this statement hinges on you actually believing in the creatures in the first place, but let's table that skepticism for a moment. My life has always been pretty normal. I wasn't the ostracized kid who always boasted on how “different” they were from their peers, dressing in black, and listening to loud, cacophonous music. Nor was I the type to dye my hair different colors, act out to upset my parents, or spend my nights smoking weed in the basement. In fact, the most “abnormal” thing about me was that my parents raised me strictly Catholic in a neighborhood that was more or less full of Protestants. I was the type of girl that did well in classes and studied hard, but still managed to have a relatively stable group of friends. Work hard, Play hard had always been my father's motto, and I took it to heart. Even inwardly, I had never had reason to even consider that I might be different than my peers until shortly after the accident.

Truly – I should have seen the accident coming. I'd been an insomniac since High School, and it only stood to reason that at some point the lack of sleep would catch up with me. It wasn't unusual that I would occasionally grow faint, or pass out during the day – I was a college student. Living off of Ramen, caffeine pills and borrowed Adderall was the road to cum laude status, wasn't it? But of course, I kept ignoring the signs until I passed out while driving to class a few weeks before finals, my Senior year. Obviously what came next was a near disaster, as I plowed my beloved, second-hand Ford Taurus into a guard rail. I still count myself as being extremely lucky that I was the only one hurt. One moment I was trying to remember the fates of the wives of Henry VIII (divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived), and the next I was in excruciating pain, looking up at the concerned faces of my mother and elder brother.

I tried to force my lips to create words, while also trying to look at how bad the damage had been. My right arm was in a cast, and I felt as though an elephant was sitting perched on my chest. “Where am I?” I managed to squeak out, my voice sounding harsh and grating to my own ears.

“Johns Hopkins!” My mother said, her voice wrought with grief. I was puzzled. I'd been nowhere near the vicinity of that hospital, which inferred that I was most likely airlifted there. My first trip in a helicopter and I was asleep for it! I thought to myself, slightly disappointed. I then wondered what kind of narcotics the doctor's had given me to cause such an out of place thought at a time where I should be grateful to be alive.

I squinted, looking around, puzzled. My mother was wringing her hands anxiously, and worry lines crossed my brother's brow. “Dad?” I asked, trying to remember if he was in town, or if he was off talking at some convention or another. My father worked in the IT field, developing software specifically targeted at small churches. As a result, he often traveled to either show off his projects, or to visit some of the churches already utilizing the programs.

“It's men's retreat week. I've sent a message to the Priest, he should be returning later this week. I should go get the doctor; he wasn't expecting you to awaken so soon,” my mother responded. I watched as she turned, and exited the small hospital room. She still moved with the grace of a dancer, even after the birth of my brother and me. She and I shared the same short stature, and lithe build, but that was about where the similarity ended. My mother was a mousy looking brunette, with dark brown eyes and unremarkable facial features. She was the type of woman that if you saw only her face, you'd immediately think, “Yep, she's a mom.” Me on the other hand, I possessed auburn hair and clear blue eyes – obviously the result of some recessive genetics at work, family members had joked.

I gazed around the room while my mother was gone, noting that some of my friends and family had left me cards and flowers. It was then that I truly understood the gravity of the situation - I’d been at the hospital long enough for people to miss me. For some reason I felt guilty then for making everyone worry about my well being. I searched around for any sign of my cell phone, but didn’t see it anywhere. As it had been in my pocket when the accident occurred, I could only assume that it had been destroyed in the process. No cell phone meant no contact with the outside world - and would make my stay at the hospital even more boring.

My brother's scowl snapped me out of my reverie. “How long has this been happening?” He asked, curtly. His icy blue eyes glared at me with disapproval.

I shrugged without thinking, and winced at the pain it caused. “What? The black outs?” I shook my head. “I don't sleep enough, Mikey; it was bound to happen eventually.”

I hoped that his scowl was because I called him Mikey – a nickname he hated – but I assumed that it was likely because he was disappointed in me. His gaze left mine to focus on the IV that was supplying me with fluids, and I followed his gaze. In addition to the standard clear IV bag was one that had been filled with blood – AB negative# by the label. “You lost a lot of blood. You have a rare type, the hospital had to call several blood banks to track some down.” He stated absently. I had a momentary twinge of guilt. The blood drives at college had often complained of how short the local blood supply was, but I'd never donated.

“But mom used to donate, couldn't she have just tapped open a vein?” I joked.

Mikhael didn't smile. “Mom wasn't a match. Nor was I, and Dad was out of town,” He explained simply. I eyed the empty bag, feeling disconcerted. Even being college educated, there was still some part of me that got a little creeped out by the thought of somebody else's vital fluids in my body. His gaze focused on me once more. “We need to hang out more once you're out of here, little sis. I've missed you,” He said, his voice full of sincerity. There was a rather large age gap between Mikhael and myself, 7 years, but he had always tried to be there for me, especially recently. Shortly after our grandmother had passed away, back when I was 14 and he was 21, he had a phase where he had lost touch with the family for a while, and he always felt bad about abandoning me then. Grannie and I had been quite close, and her death was hard on me.

Our discussion was interrupted by the return of my mother, who brought with her the doctor, who appeared to be in his late 40s. His dark brown hair was graying, but his hazel eyes still looked like that of a young boy, curious and intelligent. “Miss Connolly, how are you feeling? You're up rather sooner than we expected.”

“I feel like I was hit by a truck,” I said, truthfully. My midsection both itched and ached horribly and I suspected that if I were to look down, I would find stitches holding me together. “How long have I been out?”

“About 48 hours.” He answered, as he produced a flashlight from his pocket and gestured for me to follow it with my eyes. “You hit your head pretty good, so you had a minor concussion. Your left arm was fractured, as were several ribs. There was some internal bleeding as well, but luckily nothing important was punctured.” He clicked off the flashlight decisively, and fixed me with a stern look. “You are very lucky that nothing more serious occurred, and that no one else was injured.” He stated. Then his hands began to probe at a bump on my scalp that I had previously not been aware of. Under pressure, however, it stung, and I winced. “I'll get you a bit more morphine,” he stated, and left momentarily. He returned with a vial and a syringe, which he injected into the IV.

My mouth was filled with a vaguely metallic taste, and although I fought valiantly, I couldn't seem to stop myself from drifting back off to sleep. The last thing I remember hearing in my semi-conscious state was the doctor explaining to my mother that while he was impressed that I had awoken so quickly, that didn't necessarily mean that I was out of danger.

~*~

Legos for Girls?

My apologies for not posting more earlier this week, but with starting the new job and with Blogspot misbehaving, I just didn't have time to worry about it that much. Also, I apologize for my blog taking a somewhat feminist bend the past couple posts, it just seems to be on my mind recently.

While looking for ways to stay awake at work until midnight, I got to perusing around the Lego website. I've adored them since I was a child, and remember vividly playing with both the "boy" themed sets, and their line of pink horse ranches for girls. Admissably, I probably didn't play with them the way the Lego pople intended. The little horse whip that came with the riders had a loop at the end so it could double over itself. I realized that the hole was the perfect size to slip over around one of the Lego guy's heads, so my girls would ride around on their horses, dragging the boys around by their necks.



Needless to say, when I was looking on their website by category, I clicked on the girls section of the website. While I wasn't necessarily looking for something girly, I remembered there was a good number of cute horse farm sets when I was a child, and I figured with all the girl geeks nowadays, there would have been a push to make more girl-friendly Legos.



Hrm... well, that's not a whole heck of a lot of different sets (for reference, Lego has about 40+ different "themes" right now). And there was only one set listed under the "Belville" set of Horse Stables! Of course, the one set there was was geared for girls around the age of 6. I remember the sets that I had as a child were fun to play with even at 10-12, and had a lot of pieces, similar to the "less girly" sets available at the time. The other sets are likewise aimed for younger girls - around the age of preschool girls.

I've seen several instances where parents have contacted Lego, and Lego has basically said that a large percentage of their sales in the US is for boys, and that due to the amount of countries/ethnicities they market to Internationally, it's not practical for them to market to absolutely every demographic in every country they're sold in.

Ok. That's fine. While I think it would be super awesome for them to have huge horse ranch sets for girls of all ages, pink robots, and pink race cars, that's just what I like. I understand that a set that's specifically geared for girls probably isn't going to have the sort of market that a "Star Wars" set would.

I decided to start searching outside of the "girls" category, to see what sets are out there that might appeal to a girl. Having a specific category for girls is kind of silly, as different children have different likes and interests. Although there will be some parents that only look at that one category, I'd like to think that most would be inclined to search the other categories as well.

For those of you who aren't "in the know" regarding Lego, they have rights to produce toys for a ton of different popular franchises - Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Prince of Persia, Cars, and Spongebob Squarepants to name just a few.

I started with the Pirates of the Caribbean playsets. Elizabeth Swann is a pretty strong female character, who becomes more and more independent as the three movies progress. I was really disappointed to see that there was only one playset featuring Elizabeth. Surely it's something cool, like celebrating how Elizabeth was a Pirate Captain in the third movie? I mean, that was pretty fricking cool, wasn't it?



Oh... well... that's a missed opportunity I guess. There's mermaids in the set for the newest movie, but the only thing that they are there for is so they can be captured by a net flinger. Ho hum.

Let's move on to Star Wars. I mean, Padme Amidala wasn't a character of Leia proportions, but she was pretty major in the first three movies. I mean, she had a cool space ship, I'm sure that warranted a set?

Oh... I guess it didn't. In fact, I looked on their site for a playset that actually included Padme and I couldn't find one. And there were only two that I saw that included Leia, the hard-to-find Tantive IV ship that Darth Vader pursued before capturing her, and the Death Star that includes like 24 different minifigs.

Their Kingdoms sets at least come with female minifigs from time to time, although some of them are milkmaids.... who you get to protect from the evil Dragon Knights! While there is a Princess minifig... she doesn't come with the Castle! It's just the King and his Knights! Where's the Princess? Oh, she is in the Prison Tower, waiting to be rescued.

Alright, alright. Medieval times weren't exactly known for being empowering to women. Let's check out Harry Potter. Hermione was a pretty empowered girl, I'm sure that there's a playset where she's making a potion or something, right? Well she doesn't get her own set, but at least she's included in a good majority of the sets. And Ron didn't get his own sets either, so I guess that's fair.

I dunno. It's alright that they don't make a bunch of pretty princess sets, but it would be really nice to see Lego step up and try to present more of the female characters in their pop culture sets in more empowering scenarios.

Oh, the Irony

In an attempt to blog a bit more regularly, I've decided to make some shorter blog posts in between the "meatier" ones. Besides, something happened at Abercrombie and Fitch the other day that made me laugh a whole lot, and required sharing.

First off, if you've never shopped at A&F, you probably don't know that they typically only hire the "prettiest" men and women, the people that embody their standard of beauty. Now I'm not going to state that this is true for everyone that works at A&F, but what I've seen at the ones that I shop at is that they generally tend to treat people a bit differently depending on how they dress. For example, if I go in there in non-name-brand clothes, they are polite, but you can tell that they think that I'm just browsing and can't actually afford what they sell. If I go in a competitor's clothing, they tend to be just a little bit icy and demeaning. It's only when I go wearing their own brand of clothing that people seem genuinely nice to me.

I ran there really quickly the other day because they were having a great sale on tees and tanks, and I just wore my Portal 2 inspired, The Cheese is a Liederkrantz shirt from shirt.woot. And something happened to me that has never before occurred at A&F - one of the employees started flirting with me! At first he was just asking if I happened to work at GameStop, but when I told him that no, I actually like video games, he became strangely interested in me.

I LOL'd.