tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46005840970709024072024-02-18T21:41:52.587-08:00Geeky Mormon WomanMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-32906830294181402632013-02-08T16:34:00.000-08:002013-02-08T21:16:38.492-08:00How To Make A Cube: Episode IX: Return of the Cube<div style="text-align: left;"><p>TL;DR Send $35 ($40 if international) to nekonariko at g mail(put that address back together...) dot com via PayPal for a Companion Cube Plushy Pattern!</p>
<p>I’m back!</p>
<p>So, Reddit has posted my “Nap Time For Chell” picture for the... fourth time.<a href="#trefn1" id="refn1" title="At least that I know of."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a></p>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOlD1KxR8fF1emZrZwxvDw9cORfK6eA-2bRawAf8FTxpXraCcnlIL6021PSwgA_JZOMbC9XksBfyx160xcnRm8FnQ2Edge8-GUuc-7D-N7UIMqtg1X-0ic1gqDZMcWeDsyA8FOqTSrOY/s320/SleepingChell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="358" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOlD1KxR8fF1emZrZwxvDw9cORfK6eA-2bRawAf8FTxpXraCcnlIL6021PSwgA_JZOMbC9XksBfyx160xcnRm8FnQ2Edge8-GUuc-7D-N7UIMqtg1X-0ic1gqDZMcWeDsyA8FOqTSrOY/s320/SleepingChell.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">I don't know how you could have <strong>not</strong> seen the picture yet.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<p>And people are asking where to buy one again!<a href="#trefn2" id="refn2" title="It’s like people think a plush, game-accurate cube is awesome or something... ;)"><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a> I don’t really have time to make more cubes,<a href="#trefn3" id="refn3" title="And even if I did, they’d be so expensive... Maybe I’ll donate one to the Child’s Play auction. *Maybe.*"><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a> so I’ve often talked about making the pattern, and I even promised that I would in my post from....16 months ago...<a href="#trefn4" id="refn4" title="gosh I’ve been busy...or at least distracted..."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a></p>
<p>Well, confession time, I finished the pattern months ago... but I’ve been too busy to try and sell it.<a href="#trefn5" id="refn5" title="I’ll admit that I’m a bit worried about how many of these I’ll sell. I’m guess only 5 or over 9000!"><sup><strong>5</strong></sup></a> I’ve also been debating on if I should sell the CAD file, or the paper pattern. I could just sell the CAD file, but unless you have access to a drafting printer, you are gonna have a hard time printing it.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17tCilhrWlMENEjCHc3hQR0geZy_f1xK_IuNSQkLq3seaxOp4g71SS_3UCSEr1oLFRcIjUMvEBQBWWNHxU8ZNn7jToOGf1UYY4VaM3YXUE329AykwN2RZdcxrQ54dUQ-dR5c8eTBm-Yc/s1600/CubePatternFinal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="309" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17tCilhrWlMENEjCHc3hQR0geZy_f1xK_IuNSQkLq3seaxOp4g71SS_3UCSEr1oLFRcIjUMvEBQBWWNHxU8ZNn7jToOGf1UYY4VaM3YXUE329AykwN2RZdcxrQ54dUQ-dR5c8eTBm-Yc/s400/CubePatternFinal.png" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 8pt;">This image is too big for your printer.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><p>Well, I <strong>do</strong> have access to a drafting printer, and I can print at pretty reasonable rates.<a href="#trefn6" id="refn6" title="FedEx would probably gouge you"><sup><strong>6</strong></sup></a> So at the risk of spending the rest of my night several nights printing companion cubes, I’m going to sell the paper patterns. It’s not free for me to print them,<a href="#trefn7" id="refn7" title="even with my membership at Tech Shop"><sup><strong>7</strong></sup></a> and I put a lot of work into this project, and so after much deliberation, and conference with my cats, I’ve decided to sell the paper pattern for $35 if you are in the USA, and $40 if you are international. (If you want it sent faster than USPS Priority in the USA, or 1st class mail international, please contact me before purchasing).</p>
<p>So, instructions! If you would like to purchase an Aperture Science Weighted Companion Cube Plushy Pattern (1:1 Scale), please PayPal nekonariko at g mail(put that address back together...) dot com the correct sum ($35 or $40, I’m sure you can pick the right one.) Make sure there is an address attached to your PayPal account, as this is where I will be sending the pattern.<a href="#trefn8" id="refn8" title="I need to weed out all those people hacking PayPal for free Companion Cube patterns."><sup><strong>8</strong></sup></a>
<p>This pattern is untested on Human Subjects, so if you have any questions, feedback, or comments, please either e-mail me, or post a comment here. I promise to try and respond as quickly and as helpfully as GLaDOS would ;).<a href="#trefn9" id="refn9" title="I kid... I'd actually love to help you and not send your to a dramatic death in a furance!"><sup><strong>9</strong></sup></a>Good luck everyone! I can't wait to see how they turn out!</p>
<p><a href="#refn1" id="trefn1"><strong>1</strong></a> At least that I know of.</br><a href="#refn2" id="trefn2"><strong>2</strong></a> It’s like people think a plush, game-accurate cube is awesome or something... ;)</br><a href="#refn3" id="trefn3"><strong>3</strong></a> And even if I did, they’d be so expensive... Maybe I’ll donate one to the Child’s Play auction. *Maybe.*</br><a href="#refn4" id="trefn4"><strong>4</strong></a> Gosh I’ve been busy...or at least distracted...</br><a href="#refn5" id="trefn5"><strong>5</strong></a> I’ll admit that I’m a bit worried about how many of these I’ll sell. I’m guess only 5 or over 9000!</br><a href="#refn6" id="trefn6"><strong>6</strong></a> FedEx would probably gouge you</br><a href="#refn7" id="trefn7"><strong>7</strong></a> even with my membership at Tech Shop</br><a href="#refn8" id="trefn8"><strong>8</strong></a> I need to weed out all those people hacking PayPal for free Companion Cube patterns.</br><a href="#refn9" id="trefn9"><strong>9</strong></a> I kid... I'd actually love to help you and not send your to a dramatic death in a furance!</br>
</p></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-53590071948427179042012-04-14T22:07:00.005-07:002012-04-30T09:19:25.837-07:00The Cake is a Pie<div style="text-align: left;"><p>I case you couldn’t tell from my <a href="http://www.geekymormonwoman.com/2011/10/wedding-numbers.html">post</a>, I kinda love cool dates.<a href="#trefm1" id="refm1" title="Ok, I’m obsessed with them."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a> So it’s no surprise that I love to celebrate Pi Day. Back in Utah, this was a lot easier, because, my friend Kristine would usually take care of organizing an appropriate gathering for this blessed holiday. But then she got all married and pregnant and had a baby and I moved away,<a href="#trefm2" id="refm2" title="It was actually the last one that really was the problem."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a> so if I wanted a Pi Day party, I was gonna have to do something about it myself.</p><p>Parties require planning. And Cooking. And Cleaning. I do not make as much time for these things as I should,<a href="#trefm3" id="refm3" title="Messing things up is *always* more fun than cleaning."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a> but for Pi Day, I was willing to do it all! I even completely rearranged my living room and put my murphy bed away.<a href="#trefm4" id="refm4" title="Murphy beds are cool."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a> But the big question was what pies to make? While I had many family pie recipes,<a href="#trefm5" id="refm5" title="Mostly taken from the 1970s version of The Joy Of Cooking."><sup><strong>5</strong></sup></a> I wanted a little more "nerd" to my Pi Day than just a selection of pies,<a href="#trefm6" id="refm6" title="Yes, I felt the need to nerd up *Pi* day...are you really surprised?"><sup><strong>6</strong></sup></a> even if they were really good pies. And then I was struck with a <strong>brilliant</strong> idea. </p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Cake is a Pie</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hYjVrbw8VxNTuvY6uNaDxL3fLOI0cpehO93DUlQdIoo-XZCBTERWtHFWIE1aeqlKkZRs7nUxwFS3nwwWPPvZ7i4W2MmVdbS2Oxra6YW3_cpUgtQyBFT_BkxEgyk3CwnrTDX10gJA4lM/s1600/CakeIsAPie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="358" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hYjVrbw8VxNTuvY6uNaDxL3fLOI0cpehO93DUlQdIoo-XZCBTERWtHFWIE1aeqlKkZRs7nUxwFS3nwwWPPvZ7i4W2MmVdbS2Oxra6YW3_cpUgtQyBFT_BkxEgyk3CwnrTDX10gJA4lM/s400/CakeIsAPie2.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">I had to buy Maraschino Cherries for this. I hate Maraschino Cherries.<br />
That’s how much I love Portal.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Do you get it? It’s from Portal.<a href="#trefm7" id="refm7" title="Cause you know, the Cake is a *lie*, but "lie" rhymes with "pie", and so the Cake could be a "pie" or a "pi", instead of a "lie", but that is a lie, cause the cake is really a cake, not Pie, or a Pi. See, I told you the best jokes were the ones you had to explain!"><sup><strong>7</strong></sup></a> And if you remember, I kinda love portal.<a href="#trefm8" id="refm8" title="As exhibited by previous posts, costumes, videos and furniture."><sup><strong>8</strong></sup></a> And I love <strong>really awesome</strong> puns.<a href="#trefm9" id="refm9" title="Definition of an awesome pun: Megan thinks that it is cool. Definition of a stupid pun: All other puns that aren’t awesome."><sup><strong>9</strong></sup></a> And this is a <strong>beyond awesome</strong> pun. Mostly because it’s about Portal. And Pi Day. And I came up with it myself. And the internet isn’t saturated with it yet.<a href="#trefm10" id="refm10" title="At least according to Google. If you search for "the cake is a pie", not all articles on the first page are even related to Portal. But they are mostly at least about cake, or pie."><sup><strong>10</strong></sup></a> <br />
</p><p>But what <strong>kind</strong> of pie is the cake? Well, we know from the almighty Cake Core that the cake is a chocolate cake with coconut pecan icing.<a href="#trefm11" id="refm11" title="Garnished with fish shaped ethelbenzene."><sup><strong>11</strong></sup></a> So I googled "chocolate coconut pecan pie" and low and behold, that pie actually <a href="http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate-coconut-pecan-pie-57770.aspx">exists</a>!<a href="#trefm12" id="refm12" title="You should make one, they are good."><sup><strong>12</strong></sup></a> I didn't have to make something up for once!<a href="#trefm13" id="refm13" title="I make up so much stuff when working on costumes..."><sup><strong>13</strong></sup></a></p><p>But I was not satisfied with making merely one interpretation of this brilliant joke. No, this joke needed <strong>two</strong> pies. Or Pies, or Pi’s, or... what is the plural of Pi?<a href="#trefm14" id="refm14" title="I don’t care that there is only one Pi in the universe, I should be able to pluralize it! English, don’t fail me now!!"><sup><strong>14</strong></sup></a> As you might have noticed before, the phrase could be "The Cake is a Pie" or "The Cake is a Pi". The Pi was made using the directions from the Cake Core, and a bit of quick sculpting with a knife.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Cake is a Pi</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbnJ-NOvk07RZVpYHBCRZHp6qipRLIzYQgSzaIsHTWwXd3IoE7EYSXh0If01vSQoW4LJmonuxzPO-zMD-9jT5HyDAcs4p8w0RaeOgyXSkoNtZZKyeDr8SwfRLekwS9LBswFbQD-3CA4s/s1600/CakeIsAPi2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="337" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbnJ-NOvk07RZVpYHBCRZHp6qipRLIzYQgSzaIsHTWwXd3IoE7EYSXh0If01vSQoW4LJmonuxzPO-zMD-9jT5HyDAcs4p8w0RaeOgyXSkoNtZZKyeDr8SwfRLekwS9LBswFbQD-3CA4s/s400/CakeIsAPi2.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Does the pie tin also make it a pie?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Now I’m not sure which one is funnier, but the pie was tastier than the pi, or at least more appealing. Cause there was very little pie left, but quite a bit of pi left.<a href="#trefm15" id="refm15" title="My guests did tell me they didn’t want to eat the Pi, because it looked like I spent so much time on it, but honestly, it really doesn’t take a lot of time to cut a cake into a pi."><sup><strong>15</strong></sup></a><br />
</p><p>As awesome as all of this was, I invited mostly Mormons<a href="#trefm16" id="refm16" title="Ok, pretty much all Mormons"><sup><strong>16</strong></sup></a> to the Pi Party, and many of them were not-so nerdy. So whenever I had someone show up that I <strong>though</strong> might get the joke, I would drag them over to the table, and point expectedly at the pies, and say "Do you get it?!? Huh? Huh? Do you get it?!??" Most of the selected guests did, and I was happy. And I knew that even if not many people at my party got it, that I could share it with the internet, and that <strong>you</strong> would get it!<a href="#trefm17" id="refm17" title="And hopefully even think it’s funny! You do think it’s funny, right?"><sup><strong>17</strong></sup></a></p><p>Happy Pi Day. For Science. You Monster.<a href="#trefm18" id="refm18" title="Did you get it??!"><sup><strong>18</strong></sup></a></p><p><a href="#refm1" id="trefm1"><strong>1</strong></a> Ok, I’m obsessed with them.</br><a href="#refm2" id="trefm2"><strong>2</strong></a> It was actually the last one that really was the problem.</br><a href="#refm3" id="trefm3"><strong>3</strong></a> Messing things up is <strong>always</strong> more fun than cleaning.</br><a href="#refm4" id="trefm4"><strong>4</strong></a> Murphy beds are cool.</br><a href="#refm5" id="trefm5"><strong>5</strong></a> Mostly taken from the 1970s version of The Joy Of Cooking.</br><a href="#refm6" id="trefm6"><strong>6</strong></a> Yes, I felt the need to nerd up *Pi* day...are you really surprised?</br><a href="#refm7" id="trefm7"><strong>7</strong></a> Cause you know, the Cake is a <strong>lie</strong>, but "lie" rhymes with "pie", and so the Cake could be a "pie" or a "pi", instead of a "lie", but that is a lie, cause the cake is really a cake, not Pie, or a Pi. See, I told you the best jokes were the ones you had to explain!</br><a href="#refm8" id="trefm8"><strong>8</strong></a> As exhibited by previous posts, costumes, videos and furniture.</br><a href="#refm9" id="trefm9"><strong>9</strong></a> Definition of an awesome pun: Megan thinks that it is cool. Definition of a stupid pun: All other puns that aren’t awesome.</br><a href="#refm10" id="trefm10"><strong>10</strong></a> At least according to Google. If you search for "the cake is a pie", not all articles on the first page are even related to Portal. But they are mostly at least about cake, or pie.</br><a href="#refm11" id="trefm11"><strong>11</strong></a> Garnished with fish shaped ethelbenzene.</br><a href="#refm12" id="trefm12"><strong>12</strong></a> You should make one, they are good.</br><a href="#refm13" id="trefm13"><strong>13</strong></a> I make up so much stuff when working on costumes...</br><a href="#refm14" id="trefm14"><strong>14</strong></a> I don’t care that there is only one Pi in the universe, I should be able to pluralize it! English, don’t fail me now!!</br><a href="#refm15" id="trefm15"><strong>15</strong></a> My guests did tell me they didn’t want to eat the Pi, because it looked like I spent so much time on it, but honestly, it really doesn’t take a lot of time to cut a cake into a pi.</br><a href="#refm16" id="trefm16"><strong>16</strong></a> Ok, pretty much all Mormons</br><a href="#refm17" id="trefm17"><strong>17</strong></a> And hopefully even think it’s funny! You do think it’s funny, right?</br><a href="#refm18" id="trefm18"><strong>18</strong></a> Did you get it??!</p></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-68116450052145984242012-03-16T00:57:00.005-07:002012-04-30T09:19:35.052-07:00The Nerd Club(bing)<div style="text-align: left;"><p>I love to dance. And by dance, I mean go clubbing. And by clubbing I mean, go to a club. By myself. And dance like a crazy person for about an hour. All the while hoping that everyone will just leave me alone.<a href="#trefn1" id="refn1" title="Odd, I know. Normal people go to clubs with others, or in the hopes of meeting others. But I think we’ve established that I am *far* from normal..."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a> It might seem odd, but I believe this behavior stems from me being a Geeky Mormon Woman. Even though it’s not exactly Geeky, and not all Mormon.<a href="#trefn2" id="refn2" title="The Woman element I guess is applicable... Chicks go to clubs, right? I’m always too busy dancing to notice."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a></p><p>So why do I love something that isn’t exactly native to my demographic? And why would my non-applicable demographic be the source of my non-demographic behavior? Well, see, Mormons have this thing where they throw dances for the Youth<a href="#trefn3" id="refn3" title="What all members from 12 to 18 are called, though you pretty much get treated as a Youth until you are married, no matter how old you are."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a> as a way of getting the boys to interact with the girls in some sort of semi-appropriate manner.<a href="#trefn4" id="refn4" title="Cause you sure know they aren’t actually going to ask the girls on dates, even once they turn 16. They might figure out how to do this once they make it to college."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a> In High School, I was unfortunately too nerdy for the Mormons, and too Mormon for most of the nerds, so interactions with boys weren’t exactly plentiful. And these dances were no exception. Since I wasn’t getting asked to dance a lot, I would get bored. And when I get bored I look for something to do. And I was at a dance, so I figured I’d dance.<a href="#trefn5" id="refn5" title="Odd, I know. Most people choose to talk or hide in the hallways when they are bored. I’m a rebel like that. And my rebel I mean awkward nerd."><sup><strong>5</strong></sup></a></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZRabWCzPZb1b3VEqh1Dk-uHAX3Bqtv2czKjpkJtwmoyOgtCa925TieJpHefHftho5BMNnyK8juFA401T9THbaGnxEc5H8CkrsFitzinBffgYfM9bYcwY1XIOLE0tL3tyb_XbiwNy3cg/s1600/Megan+Dancing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="265" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZRabWCzPZb1b3VEqh1Dk-uHAX3Bqtv2czKjpkJtwmoyOgtCa925TieJpHefHftho5BMNnyK8juFA401T9THbaGnxEc5H8CkrsFitzinBffgYfM9bYcwY1XIOLE0tL3tyb_XbiwNy3cg/s400/Megan+Dancing.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Dancing rarely looks cool when in freeze frame...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Fortunately for my dancing desires, there were a variety of songs played at these dances. They didn’t just play lame slow songs(the presence of which would sometimes force me to awkwardly ask boys to dance), they also played fast songs. Like YMCA and the Macarena<a href="#trefn6" id="refn6" title="The Macarena is cool. Ok, it *was* cool. Ok, it was stupid, but at least it got people dancing. But bow ties are still cool."><sup><strong>6</strong></sup></a> as well as plenty of other 90s classics that I don’t know the names of.<a href="#trefn7" id="refn7" title="I’m not all that great with names and artists. I was singing along to the radio in a store recently, and a girl asked me who the artist was, and I had *no* idea who the artist was, or even what the song was called..."><sup><strong>7</strong></sup></a> I really liked it when they played these songs, since you could dance by yourself, and thus avoid that whole awkward thing of dealing with boys. I’m never one to be content with mediocrity<a href="#trefn8" id="refn8" title="Are you really surprised?"><sup><strong>8</strong></sup></a>, so I started experimenting with how to dance and how I could get my body to move in cool and different ways. And eventually, I got pretty good, and I got pretty confident. To the point that one of my good friends, who was actually a trained dancer, would often comment on how good I was.</p><p>So, If I was not a Mormon, there would not have been so many dances for me to go to,<a href="#trefn9" id="refn9" title="Like almost one a month during the school year"><sup><strong>9</strong></sup></a> and if I wasn’t a geek, I wouldn’t be so awkward, and prone to experimentation. Thus the origin of my non-standard behavior.</p><p>This trend of going to dances and making up my own moves continued through college. But after college, I didn’t exactly feel like crashing college dances. I was all old and graduated with a real job making video games,<a href="#trefn10" id="refn10" title="Yes Grandma, that *is* a real job"><sup><strong>10</strong></sup></a> so I didn’t feel like hanging out on campus anymore. But I still wanted to go dancing. So I decided to try out a *real* club. Cause that’s where adults go dancing, right? And I was an adult, right?<a href="#trefn11" id="refn11" title="Sometimes I still have to remind myself of this..."><sup><strong>11</strong></sup></a></p><p>But these clubs are full of people that are not Mormon, and even though I’m now in Silicon Valley, I don’t think most of them are Geeks either. And honestly, that’s just a real big turn off to me. I went clubbing with a Mormon girlfriend of mine recently, and she made a comment about seeing who could get more numbers,<a href="#trefn12" id="refn12" title="Just as a joke."><sup><strong>12</strong></sup></a> and my response was "what’s the point??" I mean, there were no Mormon boys at the club that I didn’t already know,<a href="#trefn13" id="refn13" title="They came with us..."><sup><strong>13</strong></sup></a> and honestly, there aren’t a whole lot of guys that really look like my kind of Geek at these kind of clubs.<a href="#trefn14" id="refn14" title="Maybe I’m being a bit pre-judgy, but I’ve gotten pretty good at spotting engineers. I think it’s their pasty skin, dark circles under their eyes and the carpel tunnel that gives them away."><sup><strong>14</strong></sup></a> So even if I just went on one random date with these guys that try and pick up on me at the club, I don’t think I’d really enjoy it. I probably shouldn’t admit it, but I’m kinda a nerd elitist...<a href="#trefn15" id="refn15" title="I’m working on it!"><sup><strong>15</strong></sup></a></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWh8IzX4MdiPspPgnYtpCJWpSO1VvD-JHGPI1381wgwUmfyYpNFBdKlArD6wT8GJ5h2a8kgDshblZ-T19jViTqW3k9PhEVd7IGdX6EP875F5lyX6J9votqSNv6wXvUjMAg-AOOGlrnCY8/s1600/Kirk+Vs+Spock.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWh8IzX4MdiPspPgnYtpCJWpSO1VvD-JHGPI1381wgwUmfyYpNFBdKlArD6wT8GJ5h2a8kgDshblZ-T19jViTqW3k9PhEVd7IGdX6EP875F5lyX6J9votqSNv6wXvUjMAg-AOOGlrnCY8/s400/Kirk+Vs+Spock.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Even my examples of Nerd "superiority" are Nerdy.</br>So Meta.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>So when I dance, I try to just be as into it and crazy as possible. Cause people don’t bother that crazy person. They let them do whatever it is that crazy people do. And usually, people leave me alone. And when they don’t, it’s usually either to tell me that they think I’m good, or to try and get me to give them some level of physical contact that I’m really not interested in. I like the former, because complete strangers don’t usually stop you in the middle of what you’re doing to tell you a lie. I could really do with out the latter, though.<a href="#trefn16" id="refn16" title="Like completely do with out it. How are some men so handsy! And the handsy ones are ruining it for the ones that would be just content with dancing a little..."><sup><strong>16</strong></sup></a></p><p>But good dancer or not, all I really want to do at a club is have some fun. And by fun I mean dance. And by dance I mean actually move and do some neat moves. And that’s how this Geeky Mormon Woman hangs at a club.</p><p><a href="#refn1" id="trefn1"><strong>1</strong></a> Odd, I know. Normal people go to clubs with others, or in the hopes of meeting others. But I think we’ve established that I am <strong>far</strong> from normal...</br><a href="#refn2" id="trefn2"><strong>2</strong></a> The Woman element I guess is applicable... Chicks go to clubs, right? I’m always too busy dancing to notice.</br><a href="#refn3" id="trefn3"><strong>3</strong></a> What all members from 12 to 18 are called, though you pretty much get treated as a Youth until you are married, no matter how old you are.</br><a href="#refn4" id="trefn4"><strong>4</strong></a> Cause you sure know they aren’t actually going to ask the girls on dates, even once they turn 16. They might figure out how to do this once they make it to college.</br><a href="#refn5" id="trefn5"><strong>5</strong></a> Odd, I know. Most people choose to talk or hide in the hallways when they are bored. I’m a rebel like that. And my rebel I mean awkward nerd.</br><a href="#refn6" id="trefn6"><strong>6</strong></a> The Macarena is cool. Ok, it <strong>was</strong> cool. Ok, it was stupid, but at least it got people dancing. But bow ties are still cool.</br><a href="#refn7" id="trefn7"><strong>7</strong></a> I’m not all that great with names and artists. I was singing along to the radio in a store recently, and a girl asked me who the artist was, and I had *no* idea who the artist was, or even what the song was called...</br><a href="#refn8" id="trefn8"><strong>8</strong></a> Are you really surprised?</br><a href="#refn9" id="trefn9"><strong>9</strong></a> Like almost one a month during the school year</br><a href="#refn10" id="trefn10"><strong>10</strong></a> Yes Grandma, that <strong>is</strong> a real job</br><a href="#refn11" id="trefn11"><strong>11</strong></a> Sometimes I still have to remind myself of this...</br><a href="#refn12" id="trefn12"><strong>12</strong></a> Just as a joke.</br><a href="#refn13" id="trefn13"><strong>13</strong></a> They came with us...</br><a href="#refn14" id="trefn14"><strong>14</strong></a> Maybe I’m being a bit pre-judgy, but I’ve gotten pretty good at spotting engineers. I think it’s their pasty skin, dark circles under their eyes and the carpel tunnel that gives them away.</br><a href="#refn15" id="trefn15"><strong>15</strong></a> I’m working on it!</br><a href="#refn16" id="trefn16"><strong>16</strong></a> Like completely do with out it. How are some men so handsy! And the handsy ones are ruining it for the ones that would be just content with dancing a little...</p></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-86287336658674673712012-02-06T09:32:00.000-08:002012-02-06T09:32:24.571-08:00Welcome Tumblr People<div style="text-align: left;">If you're here because of this:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5g6I4LgbSrlMQ4pTwMPrLLbzhbIxf_aPT8oiSwTTqg0VxUaOOjmPbxJzC692Ezl2q-S4WEXNutfOg3BcYap5B0KG5O68uPLsqRrxA2bw2ImTXicFdtC-EO20-U9WXSZkHnGVca730fI/s1600/WesleyNyan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5g6I4LgbSrlMQ4pTwMPrLLbzhbIxf_aPT8oiSwTTqg0VxUaOOjmPbxJzC692Ezl2q-S4WEXNutfOg3BcYap5B0KG5O68uPLsqRrxA2bw2ImTXicFdtC-EO20-U9WXSZkHnGVca730fI/s400/WesleyNyan2.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Not even Nyan Cat can make this sweater tolerable.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
Please go<br />
<br />
Here: <a href="http://www.geekymormonwoman.com/2011/10/meeting-wil-wheaton.html">Intro - Meeting Will Wheaton</a><br />
<br />
Here: <a href="http://www.geekymormonwoman.com/2011/10/all-good-things-must-come-from.html">Part 1 - All Good Things... Must Come from Somewhere</a><br />
<br />
or Here: <a href="http://www.geekymormonwoman.com/2011/11/encounter-at-dragoncon.html">Part 2 - Encounter at Dragon*Con</a><br />
<br />
For more awesome fun.</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-78763853539871319362011-12-31T01:07:00.000-08:002012-01-03T19:28:28.460-08:00Geeky Christmas Tree!<div style="text-align: left;"><p>As any true geek, I let my geekyness bleed into as many place in my life as I can. This includes my Christmas decorations. Or rather just my Christmas tree, because as a young-ish single woman, I don’t have a lot of motivation to decorate for Christmas. I mean, most years, I’m not even here. And my cats like to eat and knock over all my stuff, especially items new to their environment, so decorations are just asking for trouble.</p><p>But even with the feline danger, I just can’t resist a getting a tree. I just get a small tree, so the cats can’t climb it. They limit their destruction to knocking off the low hanging ornaments and drinking the water out of the stand.<a href="#trefm1" id="refm1" title="My cats like to drink water from *anywhere* other than their water dish, including, but not limited to, my water glass, the shower, watercolor water, and, of course, the Christmas Tree stand."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a></p><p>And as I said, I deck my tree with as many nerdy things as I can find. As long as I can find a way to attach them to my tree. I say things, because we don’t usually buy actual ornaments in my family. We buy other things, like keychains and the like, and then jerry-rig them into ornaments.<a href="#trefm2" id="refm2" title="You’ll notice that I have only one purchased ornament set in this whole article."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a> But even so, I don't have a whole ton of ornaments. I should fix that.<a href="#trefm3" id="refm3" title="I have nothing from Portal, Doctor Who, or any fan convention that I've attended. If those things are as important as I claim they are, they definitely should be represented on my tree!"><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-txgRLthMk8LF7nprvtFrs44b2XjkU7w-XXmNiYr2_EuBDZFvxvIiIElFpGNY6lmP-tzA4_lqO2jry7Y1ICatZNHkfKg-4OuZ5PFWsOE8Gagkqr5E4IbjrItRoEjMClSeZCcSBU7W2Y/s1600/ChristmasTree.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-txgRLthMk8LF7nprvtFrs44b2XjkU7w-XXmNiYr2_EuBDZFvxvIiIElFpGNY6lmP-tzA4_lqO2jry7Y1ICatZNHkfKg-4OuZ5PFWsOE8Gagkqr5E4IbjrItRoEjMClSeZCcSBU7W2Y/s400/ChristmasTree.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Complete with LED lights!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>So here’s my tree, in all it’s glory! But you can’t see the awesomenss of each individual ornament, so we’re gonna do a run down of all the Geekiest ornmants on my tree. In no particular order.<a href="#trefm4" id="refm4" title="Seriously, how I’m supposed to rank-compare Star Wars to Star Trek, much less either of those to NASA?"><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23Svve4MgiOC9bpNjg86CuurMrfJJjKItW53JdpZi8yBpX8wbw_XyAv1CdYNWFmMZ5it3Vi7xc9NPW0tHc2uZj8g-6EmCDDFZIi3tV_TV2lm1oety-K6R-rFN-Bk5woqN-Zw8KtTPlHk/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_Wiimote.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23Svve4MgiOC9bpNjg86CuurMrfJJjKItW53JdpZi8yBpX8wbw_XyAv1CdYNWFmMZ5it3Vi7xc9NPW0tHc2uZj8g-6EmCDDFZIi3tV_TV2lm1oety-K6R-rFN-Bk5woqN-Zw8KtTPlHk/s400/ChristmasOrnament_Wiimote.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">I don’t care what the Official Nintendo Docs say. It’s a Wiimote.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>First up, is a Wiimote keychain that my very first team lead brought back from E3,<a href="#trefm5" id="refm5" title="Electonics Entertainment Expo"><sup><strong>5</strong></sup></a> or GDC,<a href="#trefm6" id="refm6" title="Game Develops Conference"><sup><strong>6</strong></sup></a> or something. I won it by rolling a D20 and getting the highest roll. So not only is it a geeky thing, from a geeky place, I got it in a pretty geeky manner as well. It’s like Triply Geeky!</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xj-lh45mGqfvfnxh7o1fvU86qAsDMpIpTcmBkTB9sVyh0ePjwToJ0qTKyYbaSsZmu0oZ56awKaJSAj0-gwYzQ_NUj5Jv3AtBGSmzTLwMtDGhyphenhyphenQ2sNe-JHP4ygS3EwhB7Ul7R3NHU-FU/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_Soot.Png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xj-lh45mGqfvfnxh7o1fvU86qAsDMpIpTcmBkTB9sVyh0ePjwToJ0qTKyYbaSsZmu0oZ56awKaJSAj0-gwYzQ_NUj5Jv3AtBGSmzTLwMtDGhyphenhyphenQ2sNe-JHP4ygS3EwhB7Ul7R3NHU-FU/s400/ChristmasOrnament_Soot.Png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t put keychains on your tree.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Next up is a soot sprite from the Miyazaki films. I’m going to say it’s from Spirited Away. Mostly cause that’s my favorite film of his. I got it in Akihabara on my trip to Japan. So that’s pretty nerdy. You’d think that traveling to Japan would seem like a bigger deal, but it turns out that you’re not really an Anime fan unless you’ve been to Japan. I’m not really joking. Just to go any anime convention. You’ll never find a larger collection of poor high school and college students who have managed to travel abroad a first world country. I have no idea how most of them afforded it. I only went after I had had a real job for over two years.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGOoKB7cX1kvh5JK-VzhdSbD-gh7G4L4MxgIbphrb9VNPKI_GE5PanOhIQ-6OVGESNa1RXqCXOnIU9AjoT2Xap4f4dKPo_8m8Px2L59E79oXqZEV3BRAx8Ou8qz57ICga3dNjIJDHqds/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_CarbonFiber.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGOoKB7cX1kvh5JK-VzhdSbD-gh7G4L4MxgIbphrb9VNPKI_GE5PanOhIQ-6OVGESNa1RXqCXOnIU9AjoT2Xap4f4dKPo_8m8Px2L59E79oXqZEV3BRAx8Ou8qz57ICga3dNjIJDHqds/s400/ChristmasOrnament_CarbonFiber.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Major points if you know what this is, even if you don’t know why I’d put it on a tree.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Now, I don’t always buy my ornaments. Sometimes I make them. This wasn’t really intended to be an ornament, but when we were punching holes in our finished products, I realised that it would make a perfect ornament, so I punched my hole in the middle on top, instead of on a corner. So now that I told you all that, do you know what it is? That’s ok, it’s pretty random, really. It’s my test piece from my Carbon Fiber class that I took at Tech Shop.<a href="#trefm7" id="refm7" title="The most amazing place on Earth. Google it if you don’t believe me."><sup><strong>7</strong></sup></a></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49h2cH4PuN35dn_fYbhG1a_or_t3mC3wgxLQu4RTS3ZmSU5kjVKZv2swFW-JjdPrWybVsw77LM1KVn45XBX9VSU3PA7iXRTP8IkUOssZtr_ZLsY14KGOyeu66EwCP8-yy0oE6oQOB7oo/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_DS9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="314" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49h2cH4PuN35dn_fYbhG1a_or_t3mC3wgxLQu4RTS3ZmSU5kjVKZv2swFW-JjdPrWybVsw77LM1KVn45XBX9VSU3PA7iXRTP8IkUOssZtr_ZLsY14KGOyeu66EwCP8-yy0oE6oQOB7oo/s400/ChristmasOrnament_DS9.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">The largest, and realest ornament.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Now, not <strong>everything</strong> has a location or creation story. Sometimes I just buy geeky things. Like this DS9 ornament. Now, I can’t remember when,where or why I bought it, other than it was before 2001, and I love Star Trek. Maybe it was on sale, maybe a family member got it for me for Christmas. Maybe I got it for a family member for Christmas, cause it was something that I liked.<a href="#trefm8" id="refm8" title="We do this too often in my family. My Mom always gets my Dad things for Christmas that she wants for herself."><sup><strong>8</strong></sup></a> Either way, it recently ended back up in my possession.<a href="#trefm9" id="refm9" title="Because I wanted to write this post, and I asked my parents to bring it with when they came to visit me recently."><sup><strong>9</strong></sup></a></p><p>The coolest part of the DS9 ornament, is that it came with three ships. Unfortunately, none of them are to scale. Either with each other, or the spacestation, but you can put them on the hooks at the top of the pylons, to simulate docking. I just put them on their own hooks, and placed them on my tree as separate pieces. I don’t have a ton of ornaments, so I need to space them out.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxga5vh9sre-PQpHgrem1qUzeVEKYAjRoO_W9lnnq_KODZu-D5dJbfFQ8q0GIhA7UdQj6KG6UM7NRyjCc7Y06xbXWq1R4RJpiXJFOw1xUMqdOr2FbwKReI95kGSQ1WPJ5G_7wkwGU-bng/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_Defiant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="254" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxga5vh9sre-PQpHgrem1qUzeVEKYAjRoO_W9lnnq_KODZu-D5dJbfFQ8q0GIhA7UdQj6KG6UM7NRyjCc7Y06xbXWq1R4RJpiXJFOw1xUMqdOr2FbwKReI95kGSQ1WPJ5G_7wkwGU-bng/s400/ChristmasOrnament_Defiant.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">DS9 got so much cooler when they got this ship.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vfx5BzSGiMn6rkNwC_enZDNHp_hZ1fUabIdAu3voaICmTDK8XyDZLsMNbgreozyepKU3S5DJaLYuJlwXLKPycsbzXinZy3Ht73vUf1-lo4o-av9sxOMeYYsvE0Ob0WJzhJ2KSDBHGmg/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_Voyager.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="228" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vfx5BzSGiMn6rkNwC_enZDNHp_hZ1fUabIdAu3voaICmTDK8XyDZLsMNbgreozyepKU3S5DJaLYuJlwXLKPycsbzXinZy3Ht73vUf1-lo4o-av9sxOMeYYsvE0Ob0WJzhJ2KSDBHGmg/s400/ChristmasOrnament_Voyager.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">I should probably put Voyager on the back side of the tree or something,</br>but then no one would see it to get the joke.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDaOMh2kMBXoOLW6jYlYv6NrJxAxiZm9zZKSRF6Ho0zYCcZuGSEEIVsIL1OPTmM96qfejwT_FWVN7lOh8HsSTtFCO-vnGtyiw8kvN_eR79-NpVjNz-ndg_ojo2dlUVL1A87nbv9MyQVQ/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_EnterpriseE.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="93" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDaOMh2kMBXoOLW6jYlYv6NrJxAxiZm9zZKSRF6Ho0zYCcZuGSEEIVsIL1OPTmM96qfejwT_FWVN7lOh8HsSTtFCO-vnGtyiw8kvN_eR79-NpVjNz-ndg_ojo2dlUVL1A87nbv9MyQVQ/s400/ChristmasOrnament_EnterpriseE.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the Enterprise E...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>I do love my Star Trek ornament fleet, but I’ve got plenty of other awesome things to show you.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgire8ktn8c-JIwK-WakzCQrVK1QazhyTJMF_EqZ-_upUaD9nN-PcxSVjtSsIzD2HjkwMmigiRvJG3yRYhNg9iXH2RwyOnM-6miMhGa-jx86S47bhT5JQSE-M34IvCxXUdyTcp2ftOVY1g/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_LinkShield.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgire8ktn8c-JIwK-WakzCQrVK1QazhyTJMF_EqZ-_upUaD9nN-PcxSVjtSsIzD2HjkwMmigiRvJG3yRYhNg9iXH2RwyOnM-6miMhGa-jx86S47bhT5JQSE-M34IvCxXUdyTcp2ftOVY1g/s400/ChristmasOrnament_LinkShield.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Anything can be an ornament. You just have to put it on a tree.<br />
This was a mint tin. And it’s not the only one that ended up on my tree.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>The Hero of Hyrul! Man, I love Zelda. And by love Zelda, I mean the Zelda games. Because I actually love Link. Cause I’m a girl. And not a lesbian. A friend of mine gave this to me as a part of the wrapping of my Christmas present one year. I immediately decided I needed to turn it into an ornament.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCV9Q6nzIkh-nmQibl96AYsEm_l7MKy5Tog1YEz1rsM21X_GD8cGGr32NJWZpEa5a0koUUrS6Ay0BlHECAhsry8l9roo2TNg3IlARz8B8PGsFR5LZFT44gdV-ofVDRda5lvSPaxrivtx4/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_NASA.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCV9Q6nzIkh-nmQibl96AYsEm_l7MKy5Tog1YEz1rsM21X_GD8cGGr32NJWZpEa5a0koUUrS6Ay0BlHECAhsry8l9roo2TNg3IlARz8B8PGsFR5LZFT44gdV-ofVDRda5lvSPaxrivtx4/s400/ChristmasOrnament_NASA.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">This is supposed to be a pin.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>This is from when my parents and I went to the last shuttle launch of the Discovery space shuttle. It was a pretty amazing experience. Obviously, I’d seen the shuttles take off dozens of times on TV and in movies, etc, but when you see it yourself, it all becomes real. We see so many fantastical things on film these days, that I think it’s a bit hard to realise the magnitude of what you’re watching unless you see them in real life. I don’t think space travel was really real in my head until I saw that Shuttle take off. And now they’re all retired... At least I got to have a piece of that history when it was available to have.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJc7eNxJ8Xi6O7yPMiWQF41RZssr0Bank8VmCLRZ93J8kxfqTzmu1pBW6SldMA2j6QkcZZ8X4M9oUaNETOYG2JlX6qSO5ShauyCVZDMbGa8PNIyAbM4y6Q4w4rqN_iQPkyskcKmwMzC2o/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_JPL.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJc7eNxJ8Xi6O7yPMiWQF41RZssr0Bank8VmCLRZ93J8kxfqTzmu1pBW6SldMA2j6QkcZZ8X4M9oUaNETOYG2JlX6qSO5ShauyCVZDMbGa8PNIyAbM4y6Q4w4rqN_iQPkyskcKmwMzC2o/s400/ChristmasOrnament_JPL.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">And this is a car antenna ball.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Speaking of NASA, I picked this up when I interned at JPL my first summer in College. It sounds a lot cooler than it was. I lived at an observatory, and I wrote a SQL database to interface with a program written in IRAF.<a href="#trefm10" id="refm10" title="If you have even *heard* of this language, without googling it, I’m sorry."><sup><strong>10</strong></sup></a> I think the coolest part of that internship was being able to tell people for the rest of my life that I interned at NASA.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuv2vSx0lQEaV03FgsKFP8guw8SloluAseAn2055-M-qMfXSLYSOdgxu1iBQvTAZvLkHdQfKzQGTs3n5SE6X7A3rWgvdTyTaPwSgnkRcNIuo5m_VznluDDMRBDmLxD3uxakBNfAkIqGI/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_StarTours.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="188" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuv2vSx0lQEaV03FgsKFP8guw8SloluAseAn2055-M-qMfXSLYSOdgxu1iBQvTAZvLkHdQfKzQGTs3n5SE6X7A3rWgvdTyTaPwSgnkRcNIuo5m_VznluDDMRBDmLxD3uxakBNfAkIqGI/s400/ChristmasOrnament_StarTours.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">I bet you can’t guess what this is, or what it’s original purpose was.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>So, speaking of space travel, do you know what this is? It’s the StarTours Vehicle! Now, I don’t know if Star Tours is still cool, because they changed it in the last year, and I haven’t been back to Disneyland since it’s changed, but it was my favorite ride when we went to Disneyworld in 2000. So when I went to Disneyland with my family last year, I had to pick up something that was star-tours based. Even though we only went on the ride once. If I’d realized that they were closing it, I’d have probably gone more. I’m terrified that they’ve put too much of the new movies in the updated version... And the new movies are <strong>terrible</strong>... Oh, and that’s a toy car type thing. It’s got wheels and crud.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvMuOcK6dvLoCYvwJtTJ_LkVSwcwPxGr4tre2f17voKQY0IWWYoGHO3j1kM-17QVwx2JEMzc6wDXjnEpB636zlll0qydNtfdJ234J53oMqbbM9JSPKw-yTQXfQfBh_ufxit40pOMi_Nw/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_NintendoWreath.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvMuOcK6dvLoCYvwJtTJ_LkVSwcwPxGr4tre2f17voKQY0IWWYoGHO3j1kM-17QVwx2JEMzc6wDXjnEpB636zlll0qydNtfdJ234J53oMqbbM9JSPKw-yTQXfQfBh_ufxit40pOMi_Nw/s400/ChristmasOrnament_NintendoWreath.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">This is supposed to be an ornament. But I totally made it myself.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>And finally, my masterpiece. I made this for an ornament contest at my first game studio job. I worked on it for like three days straight, and I was <strong>so</strong> proud. And then I was basically the only entry. So I practically won by default. Not that I really won anything. But I still think this is pretty epic. The N64 controller even has the Z button, you just can’t see it, cause it’s glued onto the wreath of controller wire.</p><p>So that’s my Geeky Christmas Tree! It's pretty Geeky, but it could be geekier. I should get some more ornaments, or souvenirs from cons or something. You can never have too geeky a tree. I just wish my cats would stop knocking stuff off. I don't like it when my ornaments make unscheduled travel plans...</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgtH6I7GhR3uB8F7ik7WAKm2zLInkZRXaFkvyL7IH1aO4YEp05SaX5XLE2GyC-uer7zd5OleIBrLObWhQTXANygw-_ozWXZa-wrosHh4FooDAFsRCPvI61qXGG1xfZ3uIlwp-lHq5hT4/s1600/ChristmasOrnament_EnterpriseE_Warp1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="95" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgtH6I7GhR3uB8F7ik7WAKm2zLInkZRXaFkvyL7IH1aO4YEp05SaX5XLE2GyC-uer7zd5OleIBrLObWhQTXANygw-_ozWXZa-wrosHh4FooDAFsRCPvI61qXGG1xfZ3uIlwp-lHq5hT4/s400/ChristmasOrnament_EnterpriseE_Warp1.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Oh no! She’s entering Warp! Not so close to the tree! Think of the cats!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><a href="#refm1" id="trefm1"><strong>1</strong></a> My cats like to drink water from <strong>anywhere</strong> other than their water dish, including, but not limited to, my water glass, the shower, watercolor water, and, of course, the Christmas Tree stand.</br><a href="#refm2" id="trefm2"><strong>2</strong></a> You’ll notice that I have only one purchased ornament set in this whole article.</br><a href="#refm3" id="trefm3"><strong>3</strong></a> I have nothing from Portal, Doctor Who, or any fan convention that I've attended. If those things are as important as I claim they are, they definitely should be represented on my tree!</br><a href="#refm4" id="trefm4"><strong>4</strong></a> Seriously, how I’m supposed to rank-compare Star Wars to Star Trek, much less either of those to NASA?</br><a href="#refm5" id="trefm5"><strong>5</strong></a> Electonics Entertainment Expo</br><a href="#refm6" id="trefm6"><strong>6</strong></a> Game Develops Conference</br><a href="#refm7" id="trefm7"><strong>7</strong></a> The most amazing place on Earth. Google it if you don’t believe me.</br><a href="#refm8" id="trefm8"><strong>8</strong></a> We do this too often in my family. My Mom always gets my Dad things for Christmas that she wants for herself.</br><a href="#refm9" id="trefm9"><strong>9</strong></a> Because I wanted to write this post, and I asked my parents to bring it with when they came to visit me recently.</br><a href="#refm10" id="trefm10"><strong>10</strong></a> If you have even <strong>heard</strong> of this language, without googling it, I’m sorry.</p></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-11116114789083308152011-12-19T14:45:00.000-08:002011-12-19T21:07:26.729-08:00Red Cross, Crossed Out<div style="text-align: left;"><p>Now I know this is old news<a href="#trefl1" id="refl1" title="i.e. it’s been longer than a week since it was on Kotaku."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a>, but I it takes me forever to write up these articles, so just pretend it’s still the first week of Dec 2011. If you haven’t heard<a href="#trefl2" id="refl2" title="Or more likely forgot."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a>, the Red Cross is making a stink about the fact that War Video Games are not enforcing the Geneva Convention against the players of these games. POWs can be shot without consequence, civilians can be tortured, personal property destroyed in search of Rupees. Basically, you can do things in these games that would land you in some sort of war tribunal if you tried to do them on a real battle field.</p><p>Now, of course the Internet has labeled this as Ridiculous, and the comments sections are ablaze with rebuttals like "pixels aren’t real", and "shouldn’t you be spending your time worrying about <strong>actual</strong> wars and war crimes?" But these are far too reasonable and rational arguments. I think that a completely ridiculous claim warrants an equally ridiculous response.</p><p>And so I say "Red Cross, you don’t even <strong>exist</strong> in video games, because that is what <strong>you</strong> wanted! So it’s you fault that there’s no one around to enforce the Geneova Convention! I mean Geneva.<a href="#trefl3" id="refl3" title="That joke came from an honest to goodness typo."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a>"</p><p>Now I think there needs to be a bit of an explanation of how the Red Cross doesn’t exist in video games. I’m not talking about some alternate reality thing, or anything like that, I’m referring the debacle of about 5 years ago when Canadian Red Cross <a href="http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=16637&tid=001">threw a fit</a> and threatened to sue any new video game that used the actual symbol of the Red Cross for any purpose.</p><p>Now regardless of the legality of this claim, or the fact that video games had been using it for fifteen or twenty years without a peep from any branch of the red cross, or that the Canadian <strong>anything</strong> has no power over the rest of the world, video game companies took them seriously.</p><p>How do I know? Well, I used to make video games for a living. And when I did, I had the opportunity to work on the best selling classic Petz Vet<a href="#trefl4" id="refl4" title="You know it’s awesome, cause of the ‘z’."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a> for the GBA. Now, despite having been sold under the prestigious Petz animal games franchise, the GBA version was merely a translated version of a Japanese game called, actually, I have no idea, cause it was in Japanese.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhvaO7BlcobngEkYkp43z1v_3hN-TCoLEppFXEe-Kd-lSakCrMrptIseF2hPZQoVt0NDqPkCwVRIoCv3L__oFrQwOCn0OUpwLKlMqSnSAXPqSAqt7LDnFVKt3Up54JKEKyUy9KcAlwHg/s1600/OriginalPetzVet.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="160" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhvaO7BlcobngEkYkp43z1v_3hN-TCoLEppFXEe-Kd-lSakCrMrptIseF2hPZQoVt0NDqPkCwVRIoCv3L__oFrQwOCn0OUpwLKlMqSnSAXPqSAqt7LDnFVKt3Up54JKEKyUy9KcAlwHg/s400/OriginalPetzVet.PNG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">So many memoriez...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Now despite not having some <strong>crucial</strong> files needed for the completion of this game<a href="#trefl5" id="refl5" title="Including, but not limited to half of the art, and all the assembly macro definition files."><sup><strong>5</strong></sup></a>, I was able to finish this project.<a href="#trefl6" id="refl6" title="And I will totally tell that story, which is full of awesome, as long as Ubisoft promises not to sue me."><sup><strong>6</strong></sup></a> At the end, the testers would always have a list of things that I had to put in the game, or take out, that weren’t even there in the first place, and I would proceed to tell them what I thought of them and their ridiculous rules that the original game didn’t have to follow, so why did I have to put this in now, it’s only three years later, so why do I need to put in these extra screens??<a href="#trefl7" id="refl7" title="I know it’s not their fault, but I’ve gotta get mad at someone for changing the rules. And I can’t yell at Nintendo with impunity. Sorry testers."><sup><strong>7</strong></sup></a></p><p>So one day this tester, who name I don’t remember, but I actually kinda liked, came and told me that the other testing house said that the third and final unlockable outfit for the main character had red crosses on it, and we <strong>had</strong> to take them out. I was a little upset, because this was one of the missing art pieces, and it supposedly showed up in another section of art that I had not tackled yet, and I wasn’t looking to reconstructing and cramming art in yet another part of the game. So before I went into full panic mode, I decided to make sure that there really was a problem. So I used my mad programmer skillz and checked the tile banks<a href="#trefl8" id="refl8" title="*Mad* props if you know what a tile bank is."><sup><strong>8</strong></sup></a> on that screen, and I was able to prove that they were not, in fact, red crosses, but puppy paws.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pLmmC85D8V28yjRUwG7sGYGsYfY3VN8cu80WPyl-9Hp7v5dVfkXrC7hjRhuzoNkQpXfeaQIZaRNFpN3fpEjGgar_aHIk0BQZPAYDqG92bETxoa7AuL2onf88YjomBZfcYqpsSsoytLw/s1600/PetzVetOutfits.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="160" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pLmmC85D8V28yjRUwG7sGYGsYfY3VN8cu80WPyl-9Hp7v5dVfkXrC7hjRhuzoNkQpXfeaQIZaRNFpN3fpEjGgar_aHIk0BQZPAYDqG92bETxoa7AuL2onf88YjomBZfcYqpsSsoytLw/s400/PetzVetOutfits.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Do those look like red crosses to you? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Now I tell this story not to highlight my mad programming prowess<a href="#trefl9" id="refl9" title="Although that is a bonus."><sup><strong>9</strong></sup></a>, but to illustrate that Ubisoft would have been unwilling to publish a game in which the third unlockable outfit had red crosses on a pink uniform.<a href="#trefl10" id="refl10" title="You’d have to actually *play* this game for *hours* to find the unlockable..."><sup><strong>10</strong></sup></a> This was a vet game, for kids, where you treated sick animals and made them feel better by playing innocuous minigames.<a href="#trefl11" id="refl11" title="No, I don’t get it either."><sup><strong>11</strong></sup></a> And this was game was shovel-ware at it’s finest. I’m pretty sure the Japanese company sold their original version for $50 and a sandwich on their way out of business.<a href="#trefl12" id="refl12" title="No matter how much we asked, we could never get support from the original developers, and as I said, we were missing some *very* crucial files."><sup><strong>12</strong></sup></a> And probably paid Sensory Sweep<a href="#trefl13" id="refl13" title="May it rest in pieces."><sup><strong>13</strong></sup></a> enough money to feed me pizza for the two months that I spent smashing English text in it with a hammer.<a href="#trefl14" id="refl14" title="That’s exactly what it felt like."><sup><strong>14</strong></sup></a></p><p>Seriously, I think the 37 people that commented on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9GALoTGAVQ">this</a> video are the only people who even bought and played this game. I doubt the red cross in Canada or New Zealand or anywhere would have noticed if this slipped through, or even minded for that matter. It’s a live-<strong>saving</strong> game! Not those mad-crazy shooters where you blow people’s head off. But Ubisoft wasn’t going to risk it. And if Ubisoft didn’t want to risk angering the red cross with too many cute, cared for pixel puppies, I think we can say that the Red Cross threatened themselves right out of <strong>all</strong> video games.</p><p>And I don’t know how you’re supposed to enforce a real treaty for real people in a virtual world, when you demanded that your life saving influence be removed from these video games. So Red Cross, it’s <strong>your</strong> fault that all those pixels are being harmed needlessly. If you had just let your symbols remain on those health packs, you could have argued that you exist in those video games, and that thusly your pixel counterpart had just as much obligation to enforce the treaty as you do for real people. But you can’t. Because the Canadian Red Cross whined you all out of existence.</p><br />
<br />
<p><a href="#refl1" id="trefl1"><strong>1</strong></a> i.e. it’s been longer than a week since it was on Kotaku.</br><a href="#refl2" id="trefl2"><strong>2</strong></a> Or more likely forgot.</br><a href="#refl3" id="trefl3"><strong>3</strong></a> That joke came from an honest to goodness typo.</br><a href="#refl4" id="trefl4"><strong>4</strong></a> You know it’s awesome, cause of the ‘z’.</br><a href="#refl5" id="trefl5"><strong>5</strong></a> Including, but not limited to half of the art, and all the assembly macro definition files.</br><a href="#refl6" id="trefl6"><strong>6</strong></a> And I will totally tell that story, which is full of awesome, as long as Ubisoft promises not to sue me.</br><a href="#refl7" id="trefl7"><strong>7</strong></a> I know it’s not their fault, but I’ve gotta get mad at someone for changing the rules. And I can’t yell at Nintendo with impunity. Sorry testers.</br><a href="#refl8" id="trefl8"><strong>8</strong></a> <strong>Mad</strong> props if you know what a tile bank is.</br><a href="#refl9" id="trefl9"><strong>9</strong></a> Although that is a bonus.</br><a href="#refl10" id="trefl10"><strong>10</strong></a> You’d have to actually <strong>play</strong> this game for <strong>hours</strong> to find the unlockable...</br><a href="#refl11" id="trefl11"><strong>11</strong></a> No, I don’t get it either.</br><a href="#refl12" id="trefl12"><strong>12</strong></a> No matter how much we asked, we could never get support from the original developers, and as I said, we were missing some <strong>very</strong> crucial files.</br><a href="#refl13" id="trefl13"><strong>13</strong></a> May it rest in pieces.</br><a href="#refl14" id="trefl14"><strong>14</strong></a> That’s exactly what it felt like.</p></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-39769889514359289862011-11-04T14:10:00.000-07:002011-11-08T13:26:58.038-08:00Encounter at Dragon*Con<div style="text-align: left;"><p>So we’re picking up the story on Day 1 of Dragon*Con. If you don’t know how we got here, and care about the space-time continuum, go back and read <a href="http://www.geekymormonwoman.com/2011/10/all-good-things-must-come-from.html">Part 1</a>. In the words of River Song: Spoilers!</p><p>For those who are just joining us now, and did not heed my words of warning, I am running on empty after an all-nighter and several preceding days of four hours of sleep a night, but the Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher Cosplay is done, and it’s accurate, down to the details.</p><p>The first day of the con, I’m exhausted, but also excited. I’ve never been to Dragon*Con, and I’ve never really met a celebrity, or even been in the same room with one.<a href="#trefk1" id="refk1" title="Ok, that’s not quite true. I met Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, the voice of Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell, and Richard Epcar, the voice of Batou, but they were at this tiny con of like 300 people, and it was just a much more intimate and less intimidating setting. Also, I met Bob Ballard when I was about 14 when we took him to the airport after he’d given at talk at the university my parents work at, but I was too young to really know what to say. What do you mean you don’t know who Bob Ballard is? He discovered the mid-Atlantic vents and dozens of new species of plants and animals that use a method other than photosynthesis to survive. Also, he found the Titanic."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a> For the last few weeks, I’ve been getting really nervous about the concept of meeting Wil. I’m not used to caring what other people think, much less a famous person. But this is different. I’m about to meet Wil Wheaton, King of the Nerds. The lack of sleep is messing with my head, and I start to worry.</p><p>So to ease into this whole new celebrity experience, I decide to go to the Guild panel, but not in costume. Wil is actually more awesome in person, if that’s even possible.<a href="#trefk2" id="refk2" title="Also, Amy is super nice and a bit shy, which is hilarious to me, considering she plays Tink. Robin is like a more reasonable version of Clara, which is also awesome. Amy, Robin, if you are reading this, this is what I wanted to say to you guys in the Guild Autograph Line, but it was the end of the con, and I was exhausted, and I just forgot everything I was going to say once I got to the front of the line. Sorry."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a> So I’m feeling better, but still nervous. I find out that Wil’s done a blog post with his <a href="http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2011/09/my-dragoncon-schedule.html">schedule</a>. I’m excited to see that he’s got such a large chuck of time today in the Walk of Fame, where you can get autographs, and he’s even doing pictures. But then I read his comment about his Wesley Crusher panel, and my heart sinks. I was really looking forward to that panel. I start to over-think things, and worry that Wil might not be as excited about my costume as I am. Oh, did I mention that sleep deprivation makes me crazy?</p><p>So I’m even more terrified now, but I decide to go to Wil’s signings anyways. I finish hemming my cuffs and put on my layers of padding and shaping and attempted my cross-gender makeup.<a href="#trefk3" id="refk3" title="I rarely wear makeup, so doing makeup for my costumes is not something I’m very good at yet."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a> After finishing up my transformation, I zip up my spacesuit and walk to the convention with my friend. I’m not getting any recognition as I walk to the convention, and it isn’t making me feel any better about the situation. No one even comments on my costume when I finally make it to the Wil Wheaton autograph line. Which is really long. So long, that we have to go and wait outside as they take in smaller groups.</p><p>So after about 45 minutes, we finally move into the main line that is inside the Walk of Fame with Wil. Since I’m so short, Wil has no chance of seeing me early. I can barely see him myself. I don’t know how he’s going to react, and I don’t know what to say to him. Finally, the couple in front of me walks away, and I walk up to the table.</p><p>Wil: "hi"<br />
Megan: "hi"<br />
<br />
And then I see it hit him. His eyes go really big.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnl_NEIMf0HXQbqVjM3xPh9iGqMFHC8GoLeLVqAAYZVRTUBL-YwbGFeauPV0BdH141O3cT5ZTYWtzCyb_omtKiTY2JGTymg9UtvA7-cqw1QYzVux526rwNhEEnbj1QcpsLMmOhSJ5BdIo/s1600/WilInitial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="330" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnl_NEIMf0HXQbqVjM3xPh9iGqMFHC8GoLeLVqAAYZVRTUBL-YwbGFeauPV0BdH141O3cT5ZTYWtzCyb_omtKiTY2JGTymg9UtvA7-cqw1QYzVux526rwNhEEnbj1QcpsLMmOhSJ5BdIo/s400/WilInitial.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">I’m barely able to contain my excitement.</span></div><p>Wil: "OMG YOU'RE WESLEY F###ING CRUSHER!!! OMG, OMG, dude, you’re amazing! this is <strong>amazing</strong>!!"</p><p>As I back up and show it off, Wil is just saying “OMG, OMG this is amazing” over and over again, and I can see him register each detail in turn. If anyone knows what this costume is supposed to look like, it’s him. I’ve done all the weird seaming and stitching. That stupid giant arrow pointing to my crotch, the weird waist flaps, the piping and sweater section on the shoulders, the silver communicator, it’s <strong>all</strong> there.</p><p>Wil: “Wow, this is amazing, this is so amazing!! I have to get a picture of this, my wife will never believe it! You've even got the Mother F###ing bouffant!!”</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksdfRlzcBz-r6ZDsKotrD0gtnIPLhn0H1sbDLMXfttCvUQ0gtKeUssBEDnS1MbJQSxriNKa9bax81ey5s6CpXWoHFkGanrHET-uqDqxIKXN-0H9jOsCr3V0OGONECNNiMWvtko4fITp8/s1600/MeAndWil3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksdfRlzcBz-r6ZDsKotrD0gtnIPLhn0H1sbDLMXfttCvUQ0gtKeUssBEDnS1MbJQSxriNKa9bax81ey5s6CpXWoHFkGanrHET-uqDqxIKXN-0H9jOsCr3V0OGONECNNiMWvtko4fITp8/s400/MeAndWil3.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">I didn’t know this was his pose until I saw this picture.</span></div><p>Wil walks around the table, and comes to stand next to me. I put down all my stuff and try and look as Wesley as possible. My friend is snapping photos as fast as he can, and fortunately, Wil's assistant person is having trouble with Wil’s smartphone, leading to us having more time for more pictures. I was just trying to focus on being as professional as possible and not touch Wil.<a href="#trefk4" id="refk4" title="Wil doesn’t touch people at cons because he doesn’t want to get sick, which I totally respect, despite my overwhelming desire to hug the living daylights out of him."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDdWcesS2r7LmbsBvT6Ow2CITyq93NP2rdJTcxhCl18o0tjSxKa4CIBlD5Xf-q8U93w_szjg3E5IpwcQmoTKMHE6D-p09ZFE3wh9EFPx5YkYlWZPx29QqDvq3MZ1V7Zsv_8RE2HHr1xU/s1600/WilSigning.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDdWcesS2r7LmbsBvT6Ow2CITyq93NP2rdJTcxhCl18o0tjSxKa4CIBlD5Xf-q8U93w_szjg3E5IpwcQmoTKMHE6D-p09ZFE3wh9EFPx5YkYlWZPx29QqDvq3MZ1V7Zsv_8RE2HHr1xU/s400/WilSigning.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Back to me freaking out.</span></div><p>He comes back around and sits down again.</p><p>Megan: “I've been staring at pictures of you for the last three months, trying to get all the details right. I even brought an iPad as a prop.”<br />
Wil: “Of course you did!”</p><p>I think the whole iPad as a PADD is hilarious, and I’m glad that Wil agrees.</p><p>Wil: “Now is this the most uncomfortable thing you’ve ever worn?”</p><p>I dance around a bit verbally, cause as I explained in <a href="http://www.geekymormonwoman.com/2011/10/all-good-things-must-come-from.html">Part 1</a>, it was, and I fixed it, and I know that “yes” is the right answer, and I don’t know how long I’ll have to explain what and why I did. Is there a timer somewhere? Is something going to buzz and I’m going to have overstayed my welcome? So I condense down my explanation to "kinda”.</p><p>Wil exclaims "Then it's accurate!"</p><p>I hand him my Wesley crusher action figured that I found at the Fanime swap meet for $1, I only bought this because I figured I had to bring <strong>something</strong> for him to sign. Again, I wasn’t sure how these celebrity things worked. I had to find something as I didn’t exactly have a lot of trek merchandise.<a href="#trefk5" id="refk5" title="After the recent episode of The Big Bang Theory, having this action figure seems much more pertinent as a fan of Wil Wheaton."><sup><strong>5</strong></sup></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTmopSwfRs2JYOTJ1HMqUrWGICmM9Dz5VqmNBsfLfalQbDiLT4BzV34JkjKGvnYww1nBdok7WHBRSOdtUiauJgk4KeAvuyciwYqM8rtA7baIfaBKIu604ZUlqnhyphenhyphenvzC41rLUi0nhyphenhyphenKK0/s1600/FigureSigned.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTmopSwfRs2JYOTJ1HMqUrWGICmM9Dz5VqmNBsfLfalQbDiLT4BzV34JkjKGvnYww1nBdok7WHBRSOdtUiauJgk4KeAvuyciwYqM8rtA7baIfaBKIu604ZUlqnhyphenhyphenvzC41rLUi0nhyphenhyphenKK0/s400/FigureSigned.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Who’s the coolest nerd now, Sheldon.</span></div><p>Megan: “So I brought this for you to sign, but just for the lolz."<br />
Wil: "Sure, what's your name?"<br />
Megan: "Megan. And I was also wondering if I could get one of these," I say, pointing to the pictures of him as Wesley in the very uniform I'm wearing. This seemed to be a much more pertinent thing for him to sign.<br />
Wil: "Of course!"</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHgxFjNZB_lHZDy4llUWZ4EhLwjwJ4jm9o1Ayw_G9myh0eBEpWsroTKsI9N4-k8-tOLV1mEzI77dLcV9Q2rDiPoqDyAK-qUW9_vDRCLBxnT5yBt-gF51hvFL_13vnwjiac90GhOzOcag/s1600/SignedEnsign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHgxFjNZB_lHZDy4llUWZ4EhLwjwJ4jm9o1Ayw_G9myh0eBEpWsroTKsI9N4-k8-tOLV1mEzI77dLcV9Q2rDiPoqDyAK-qUW9_vDRCLBxnT5yBt-gF51hvFL_13vnwjiac90GhOzOcag/s400/SignedEnsign.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">It's offical.</br>I'm Amazing!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Megan: “I’ve been really nervous about seeing you...”<br />
Wil: "Why? You've done something amazing!"<br />
Megan: “Well, I tend to psych myself out a lot...”<br />
Wil: "Look, I've been doing this for 23 years and I've never seen anything like this. You're the first, and you're the best. You are amazing."<a href="#trefk6" id="refk6" title="This was the most important thing he said to me. For him to say he’d never seen anything like this before, and that he was totally blown away was more than I could have ever hoped for. I still remember the genuine tone of his voice when he said this."><sup><strong>6</strong></sup></a><br />
<p>I just keep saying thank you, cause I don't know what else to say. I settle on confirming the photo op later. I want a nice photo with Wil.</p><p>Megan: “Now you’re doing photos later today, correct?”<br />
Wil: “Yeah, I am, are you coming?” He asks, genuinely excited by the thought.<br />
Megan: “Yes”<br />
Wil: “Awesome, I'm making Froggie give me one."<a href="#trefk7" id="refk7" title="Froggie is the name of the photographer, apparently."><sup><strong>7</strong></sup></a><br />
Megan: “Ok, then I’ll see you later.”</p><p>That meeting couldn’t have gone any better. He went completely crazy over me. All the tired-crazy is gone, and replaced with what-in-the-world-just-happened-crazy.</p><p>I go over to the Star Trek panel, and my friend takes a few photos of me next to the TARDIS, claiming this would probably fulfill someone's fan fiction desires, and I think it’s kinda funny, so I go with it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhRHgEelCIU_kberIyPnXMwNNMhbrwQl1ZZqlW3aR0QaMClBLtUckYiXrBXeTBdctY3scEyj5KqMF_IGrpEaqpWKvrEeREL8hF09ih5JHBEWElb1H1aUV0Y0e-9nk0_c-FJuntlC3jCU/s1600/WesTardis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhRHgEelCIU_kberIyPnXMwNNMhbrwQl1ZZqlW3aR0QaMClBLtUckYiXrBXeTBdctY3scEyj5KqMF_IGrpEaqpWKvrEeREL8hF09ih5JHBEWElb1H1aUV0Y0e-9nk0_c-FJuntlC3jCU/s400/WesTardis.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Maybe Wesley is a Time Lord. He did run off with the Traveler.</span></div><p>I’m not in the trek panel for very long, I had to leave early for photos, and I need to play the line game before I’ll actually get to the part where I get my picture with Wil.<a href="#trefk8" id="refk8" title="If you’ve never been to a con, there are a lot of lines."><sup><strong>8</strong></sup></a> In some of these lines, I’m actually getting recognized. Maybe it’s cause I’m still riding high off my encounter of less than an hour ago, and my happy smugness is making me look more Wesley-ish. After finally ending up in the line for just Wil Wheaton pictures, they start sending us through like a conveyor belt. As I approach, Wil's face lights up again, and pointing excitedly at me, he exclaims to the photographer, "See! I told you!!" I’m so glad he’s so happy to see me again. We both stand and look stoic for the camera.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vOEJ_3G3Hv3xlfYLDnnvb0U_vuIf4Dl9f_rbRjN-TLuT4Dv8CzxeJESBQMEt9S82FPOOEkVeLXeamR8pCVbxm4gN0y_4kPRIX7bA4JlDW2RYfauAg1_-Ohn_UTpiNg6IuU18WGMnaGE/s1600/MeAndWilOfficial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vOEJ_3G3Hv3xlfYLDnnvb0U_vuIf4Dl9f_rbRjN-TLuT4Dv8CzxeJESBQMEt9S82FPOOEkVeLXeamR8pCVbxm4gN0y_4kPRIX7bA4JlDW2RYfauAg1_-Ohn_UTpiNg6IuU18WGMnaGE/s400/MeAndWilOfficial.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">I love this picture of him. He looks so smug and regal and happy all at the same time. I couldn’t ask for a better picture.</span></div><p>Then the photographer said "Now Wil step out". I was confused, but just stood there, looking as Wesley as I could. The camera man then took a picture of <strong>JUST</strong> me. As it was happening, my brain was trying to piece together what had just happened. Wil had talked to the photographer before, and told him that when I arrived, he wanted a picture of just me. Wil Wheaton, WIL WHEATON, asked a <strong>professional photographer</strong> for a picture of <strong>me</strong>….. of <strong>ME</strong>!!!!!! Now if that doesn’t make you feel special, I don’t know what wil, I mean will.</p><p>I walked around the rest of the day with a few looks of recognition, only one or two picture requests, and few to no comments. One person remarked “Oh, you’re Wesley, well, at least I liked you when you were on TV.” Honestly, I think the assumed hatred of Wesley is so pervasive that it even dampened the reception of my costume. I think I’ve started to <strong>really</strong> understand why Wil doesn’t like talking about Wesley. It was so long ago, and there’s so much negative energy around the character that it’s just really not fun to deal with. So I may not have had the kind of reactions from fellow con goers that I've grown used to,<a href="#trefk9" id="refk9" title="I've made some pretty impressive costumes, and yes, it can go to your head."><sup><strong>9</strong></sup></a> but Wil Wheaton went completely crazy over me, and honestly, that's the best thing that could have ever happened.</p><br />
<p>Epilogue:</p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5EZCi35PGIDxfV7cyLXB57pZW5LO8zuHiWOKBamo1mWmtpE9ws8Kcg-a-Pw7MY30oW8UXNqL53LbDVDxU6nFPwWo_22948ETu6Y3jGltbWePt56U-D_mfo4VUAccjLtiMvDFZY_gi64/s1600/SignedMeAndWil.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="340" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5EZCi35PGIDxfV7cyLXB57pZW5LO8zuHiWOKBamo1mWmtpE9ws8Kcg-a-Pw7MY30oW8UXNqL53LbDVDxU6nFPwWo_22948ETu6Y3jGltbWePt56U-D_mfo4VUAccjLtiMvDFZY_gi64/s400/SignedMeAndWil.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">It's even better signed.</span></div><p>As you can see, Wil was nice enough to put up with me a second time, and sign my picture of us for me. I tried to take the opportunity to try explain away some of my crazy, saying I’d been nervous because I was unsure of how he would receive me focusing on Wesley, especially since he had that negative encounter when he arrived. To which Wil said, “You know, there’s a difference between people being a d*ck about it, and celebrating Wesley.”, and I agreed. I gave him my costuming business card. He apparently checked out my <a href="http://nekonariko.deviantart.com/">Deviant Art</a> page <strong>that</strong> night, and told me so when I asked a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXzlo69GME0&feature=channel_video_title">question</a> the next day in his Wesley Crusher panel. I know he was even more exhausted than I was, so it really means a lot to me that he took the time to check it out while still at the con.</p><p>So Wil, if you are reading this, you totally made my convention. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me. Your panels were awesome and hilarious, and I loved hearing about your process as an actor. Your reaction on Friday was truly more than I could have ever hoped. I won the Wil Wheaton Award of Amazing, and that’s the best award I've ever received.</p><br />
<br />
<p><a href="#refk1" id="trefk1"><strong>1</strong></a> Ok, that’s not quite true. I met Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, the voice of Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell, and Richard Epcar, the voice of Batou, but they were at this tiny con of like 300 people, and it was just a much more intimate and less intimidating setting. Also, I met Bob Ballard when I was about 14 when we took him to the airport after he’d given at talk at the university my parents work at, but I was too young to really know what to say. What do you mean you don’t know who Bob Ballard is? He discovered the mid-Atlantic vents and dozens of new species of plants and animals that use a method other than photosynthesis to survive. Also, he found the Titanic.</br><a href="#refk2" id="trefk2"><strong>2</strong></a> Also, Amy is super nice and a bit shy, which is hilarious to me, considering she plays Tink. Robin is like a more reasonable version of Clara, which is also awesome. Amy, Robin, if you are reading this, this is what I wanted to say to you guys in the Guild Autograph Line, but it was the end of the con, and I was exhausted, and I just forgot everything I was going to say once I got to the front of the line. Sorry.</br><a href="#refk3" id="trefk3"><strong>3</strong></a> I rarely wear makeup, so doing makeup for my costumes is not something I’m very good at yet.</br><a href="#refk4" id="trefk4"><strong>4</strong></a> Wil doesn’t touch people at cons because he doesn’t want to get sick, which I totally respect, despite my overwhelming desire to hug the living daylights out of him.</br><a href="#refk5" id="trefk5"><strong>5</strong></a> After the recent episode of The Big Bang Theory, having this action figure seems much more pertinent as a fan of Wil Wheaton.</br><a href="#refk6" id="trefk6"><strong>6</strong></a> This was the most important thing he said to me. For him to say he’d never seen anything like this before, and that he was totally blown away was more than I could have ever hoped for. I still remember the genuine tone of his voice when he said this.</br><a href="#refk7" id="trefk7"><strong>7</strong></a> Froggie is the name of the photographer, apparently.</br><a href="#refk8" id="trefk8"><strong>8</strong></a> If you’ve never been to a con, there are a lot of lines.</br><a href="#refk9" id="trefk9"><strong>9</strong></a> I've made some pretty impressive <a href="http://nekonariko.deviantart.com/">costumes</a>, and yes, it can go to your head.</p></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-81491152965157450302011-11-04T14:09:00.000-07:002011-11-05T00:59:28.728-07:00All Good Things... Must Come From Somewhere<div style="text-align: left;"><p>You <strong>do</strong> care about me! I knew you were cool.</p><p>So, the first step once you’ve picked a costume is research. Massive amounts of research.<a href="#trefj1" id="refj1" title="Note: This only actually applies if you are a crazy-insane costumer, or if you want the company and respect of crazy-insane costumers."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a> If you don’t, you might miss a vital detail. For instance, if you decided to cosplay the 10th Doctor from Doctor Who, you’d need to make sure you are aware of the color of his pocket welts, which for the record, are orange. And if you don’t have orange pocket welts, WELL, you might as well leave that sonic screwdriver at home, because you, my friend, are <strong>not</strong> the Doctor! In this instance, I am meeting Wil Wheaton. Even though Star Trek was twenty years ago, I’m sure it has been so completely burned into his brain,<a href="#trefj2" id="refj2" title="Both from the awesomeness and having to answer questions about it for those twenty years."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a> he might actually remember this costume enough to know if I did it right. And the only person I really care about liking this is Wil. Oh, and me, I care if I like it. Oh and everyone else, they should like it too.</p><p>So even though this is a pretty simple jumpsuit, I want to make sure I do it right. So I ask The Google for some pictures. After combing through the stack of headshots and an assortment of mildly-related images, I finally find a useful reference for Wesley:</p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuFRNbRcxRhbcndobRKXfbnU94ZeZPu4qmLMbq1Q1qmgl7_H3Rqnag4WtE-83KHG0hgxAyhl_gNXoJPeKVc-ZODaOAIP9cpXUNQ_yTkYAY6zHRqwBEVSocvnmdWGX4YRhbA9ybxh-3zY/s1600/WesleyUniform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuFRNbRcxRhbcndobRKXfbnU94ZeZPu4qmLMbq1Q1qmgl7_H3Rqnag4WtE-83KHG0hgxAyhl_gNXoJPeKVc-ZODaOAIP9cpXUNQ_yTkYAY6zHRqwBEVSocvnmdWGX4YRhbA9ybxh-3zY/s400/WesleyUniform.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Official picture of listing at Christie’s Auction House.</br>I should have just spend the two grand and saved myself the headache.</br>(Yes, I know, it wouldn’t fit me. Shut up.)</span></div><p>So you probably see a grey jumpsuit.</p><p>Let me show you what I saw:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-oki4X0kRcLJi8zrZEe2l59ehRIKAxoedDBEirV2puKLYJQzoSU7Nb2Q5yPJ889fX0Z38bFQIkL7e_t51P-f80chzd6-pJeNOjh3QIyWMWFrvWDzQeMtOnzNEmpBu-q5iExjfXkfjZYU/s1600/Whatswrong.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-oki4X0kRcLJi8zrZEe2l59ehRIKAxoedDBEirV2puKLYJQzoSU7Nb2Q5yPJ889fX0Z38bFQIkL7e_t51P-f80chzd6-pJeNOjh3QIyWMWFrvWDzQeMtOnzNEmpBu-q5iExjfXkfjZYU/s400/Whatswrong.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Through the Eyes of a Costumer</br>...is the name of my David Bowie coverband.</span></div><p>Wesley, what is up with your pants?! Why is there a giant arrow pointing to your crotch? That’s not a fly, I know what a fly looks like, and that is <strong>not</strong> a fly. That is the most unimportant and incredibly awkward stitching that I have ever seen. Seriously, what is the point of that stitching!?!</p><p>Unfortunately, there’s not an accompanying back shot. And I <strong>need</strong> to see the back now. If this is what the front is like, what in the world does the back have in store for me?! We’re going to need to crack open the DVDs for this. Season two is where he gets the jumpsuit, so if we just skip through a few episodes we might find something useful. Ok Wes, stop driving the ship and turn around so I can see your butt.... I mean waistband.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaMB-WNiHAJg2JdbNHqhhjXkf78kJnD6u3C7oNWt-XLQSbxm4al2f2TPu3blMd8E7Oq6Qo7cIdcv1ySbK0FNInIzDu73CmI4Bs-yPDVBMCEh8_misWZakeMnPL5MHMyI7rQ01644sxSs/s1600/BackCropped.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="306" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaMB-WNiHAJg2JdbNHqhhjXkf78kJnD6u3C7oNWt-XLQSbxm4al2f2TPu3blMd8E7Oq6Qo7cIdcv1ySbK0FNInIzDu73CmI4Bs-yPDVBMCEh8_misWZakeMnPL5MHMyI7rQ01644sxSs/s400/BackCropped.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">And I though the front was confusing...</span></div><p>…This is worse that I imagined. What <strong>are</strong> those flaps?? Your Mother lets you out of your room in that thing? Oh wait, she wasn’t around? Did someone tell you this spacesuit was cool? It’s not cool. Bow-ties are cool. This is the weirdest space suit ever. Seriously, this was supposed to be <strong>easy</strong>! What happened to "just a grey jumpsuit"? I’ve now got a suit with a not-a-fly and the most confusing looking waistband of all time. Not to mention all the inexplicable sweater knit, that is apparently in the cuffs as well as the collar and shoulders.</p><p>Don’t Panic. This probably isn’t as hard as it looks. Surely, I’m not the first one to make a highly accurate Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher costume. Someone has always done the hard work for you when you are doing a costume this old. Or not. Internet, you fail me.....</p><p>Maybe the Star Trek uniform forums have something that might help me. Nope. Apparently, since Wes doesn’t stick out enough as the only child allowed to run around on the bridge, they’ve got to stuff him in the only monochromatic jumpsuit ever designed for Star Fleet. It’s not even close to the other uniforms. No color blocking, none of the same seam lines. I mean, he doesn’t even get a standard com badge!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFnVtlOBwZ_6tTb-Eq8hQGD9GKzQZGnAbRJg6KiPtYPLi0dkc9OkkjoJya9Q5XdXecSIp6aK5UeBmzD2lNnfAfmfkwdaGu2qYUXKHEGqsVSU7-vcq_in3qsBr5cjsK45ngpWZsTjtTOzI/s1600/Communicators2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFnVtlOBwZ_6tTb-Eq8hQGD9GKzQZGnAbRJg6KiPtYPLi0dkc9OkkjoJya9Q5XdXecSIp6aK5UeBmzD2lNnfAfmfkwdaGu2qYUXKHEGqsVSU7-vcq_in3qsBr5cjsK45ngpWZsTjtTOzI/s400/Communicators2.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Even his communicator is monochromatic.</br>WHY is <strong>EVERYTHING</strong> different!?!?</span></div><p>I continue to scour the Internet for any information about the suit. Wil Wheaton blogs a lot and has talked about his time on Star Trek, so maybe he talks about his costumes some. The only story I can find that included mention of his space suit is the story of when he met <a href="http://suicidegirls.com/news/geek/20562/">William Shatner</a>. All I really glean from this is that it’s a very uncomfortable jumpsuit, and he and all the main TNG cast members had to wear muscle suits. Well, that explains Wil’s perfectly smoothed torso, and it gives me yet another thing that I probably have to do to make the costume look right.</p><p>I’m at the end of my rope here, so in an effort to gain as much information as I can, I even contact the original costume designer for the second season of TNG.<a href="#trefj3" id="refj3" title="You might wonder why I didn’t contact Wil about this. Well, I wanted it to be a surprise, and I couldn’t come up with a way to ask about the suit in detail without tipping him off."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a> She actually responds, but refers me to the person who was actually responsible for creating the costume. He never gets back to me. Not that I blame him. I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone much about a project I did twenty-three years ago.<a href="#trefj4" id="refj4" title="Twenty three years is over half a career ago for most, and nearly a whole lifetime ago for me."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a> </p><p>So I’m back to gathering stills from the DVDs. The additional images aren’t really helping me. If anything, they are adding to my confusion. I have no idea how the top of the waistband is connected, or not connected, to the rest of the suit. I mean, the side seam doesn’t line up. And it moves...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45nkkq__Z0vGfBwVR5L29UXzfyDRxk9vNjXfZrSAtXmEuLdhI4KPLIP3lrZUJ2aTMNkfNgvCBNoMTPYzH6SPycb-FS4b78EHj_hMbs6sGNxsKVMJZu2QHp6uf-dFvGGJlJnVCbTAg0Uk/s1600/MovingSeam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="306" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45nkkq__Z0vGfBwVR5L29UXzfyDRxk9vNjXfZrSAtXmEuLdhI4KPLIP3lrZUJ2aTMNkfNgvCBNoMTPYzH6SPycb-FS4b78EHj_hMbs6sGNxsKVMJZu2QHp6uf-dFvGGJlJnVCbTAg0Uk/s400/MovingSeam.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">That side seam so doesn’t line up, which means it’s not connected.</br>Which means the top is held on by magic.</span></div><p>I’m starting to think that a spacial anomaly has taken up residence around Wes’s waist. It’s as reasonable an explanation as any. So I just have the waistband connect to the suit on the bottom, leaving the top open like a flap, or pocket. I still have no idea if this is even close to right.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNgPnPbCtYBsgg2-sW-DI6WWzZggfw_QuUJWB0deFiJGB0VvhM2XYsNc16RnY6pc7ovwrA6Hc3cKmQGMExtZtSwyCECClS_4VOQVByjw0ZAc8PrK9OUvK1a77iL5UKeVK4fmegySzaw8/s1600/NepoleonWes2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="199" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNgPnPbCtYBsgg2-sW-DI6WWzZggfw_QuUJWB0deFiJGB0VvhM2XYsNc16RnY6pc7ovwrA6Hc3cKmQGMExtZtSwyCECClS_4VOQVByjw0ZAc8PrK9OUvK1a77iL5UKeVK4fmegySzaw8/s400/NepoleonWes2.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Nepoleon or gangster. You decide.</span></div><p>Meanwhile, I’m also trying to figure out Wesley’s hair. I'm all about accuracy, but I’m not cutting my hair. Especially into whatever <strong>that</strong> style is. So I’m stuck with a wig. For a short style, this is a terrible option, but it’s the only one I have. So I get a men side part styled wig. Now, your average person would just take this, mousse it into position, and call it good. But I’m a <strong>crazy</strong> person, so I spend twenty hours ripping out and replacing the hairline with a lacefront, and adding in some more wefts to give it more body. This is to make it look more realistic, or at least more like what Wil’s got glued to his head. Once I make it to Atlanta, I douse it in wig mousse, to give it that shiny, helmet-y look and feel. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, the awkwardness of a short styled wig gives the wig away within the first two seconds of looking at me, but you can’t say I didn’t try.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAw3d0SZth3f7SauArQOeX7mDK7xhqxwrg0ZeSwr4DTGny1CCntnygI1-HtMJq6EQbPkw3fMWJ5iSDtf3yk2XYXrecb2_gxBT6u1fL-ahPEuzUgOpXfFuMrcyUhgRiYRGUMdPoFLfNa5Q/s1600/WesleyHair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAw3d0SZth3f7SauArQOeX7mDK7xhqxwrg0ZeSwr4DTGny1CCntnygI1-HtMJq6EQbPkw3fMWJ5iSDtf3yk2XYXrecb2_gxBT6u1fL-ahPEuzUgOpXfFuMrcyUhgRiYRGUMdPoFLfNa5Q/s400/WesleyHair.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Why am I spending so much time trying to make this look more realistic?</br>I’m pretty sure this hairstyle defies the laws of physics.</span></div><p>To finish off my accessories, I grab some grey ugg-like boots from Ebay. There are really aren’t any good shots of the shoes on Star Trek,<a href="#trefj5" id="refj5" title="Probably cause they couldn’t figure out something futuristic to do to them."><sup><strong>5</strong></sup></a> so I just get something that looks close. The communicator prop from Roddenburry.com is great, but I have to repaint the gold circle with Testor’s silver model paint. Because as I've mentioned before, <strong>Everything</strong> about this costume is apparenlty unique...<a href="#trefj6" id="refj6" title="Maybe they were trying to remind Wesley that he's not a *real* officer."><sup><strong>6</strong></sup></a> To finish off my look, I ask my friend to loan me his iPad as a PADD. It’s not the same shape, but that’s about the only difference. That and you can’t use an iPad to drive a space ship. Actually, there’s probably an app for that.<br />
<p>Now that I’ve got the wig, boots and badge, it’s time to finish the suit. This is actually a fairly tight fitting jumpsuit, but I am not boy-shaped. So I need to make a padded under-suit to fool people into thinking I am.<a href="#trefj7" id="refj7" title="Not *that* kind of padding..."><sup><strong>7</strong></sup></a> Also, Wil did wear a muscle suit, so I should probably try and emulate that somewhat. I’ve already got a pretty good chest binder that turns my chest from female to buff-looking male, but I also really need to fill in my waist to try and get rid of my girly hips. After a couple hours with my body suit patterns, some quilting batting and stretch polyester lining, and I’ve got a more boy-shape. Or a boy-that-was-forced-to-wear-a-muscle-suit-shape.</p><p>Now that all my base layers are in place, I’m ready for my first mock up. I draft it off of numerous old patterns, and then cut and sew it up quickly and try it on. Even without a zipper, this is very uncomfortable. I can’t believe it, Wil was totally right. This is the most uncomforatble thing I've ever worn. Well, I’m my own costumer, so I’m fixing this. Accuracy, smaccuracy, I don’t need to give Wil sympathy pain for a role he played 20 years ago.<a href="#trefj8" id="refj8" title="I added a dance sleeve that had a build in gusset, and lengthened the torso. A gusset is an extra piece of fabric added to areas, usually under sleeves to allow for more movement, especially in... oh who am I kidding, no one is reading this footnote."><sup><strong>8</strong></sup></a></p><p>So work, work, work. Pattern, pattern, pattern. Sew, Sew, Sew. Only 36 hours to go, and I’ve still got to go to work the next day. After a bleary day of coding, I come home on Wednesday and pull an all-nighter. And by the end, Wes is nearly done, and he looks pretty awesome. I even take a break to throw a zipper in my companion cube so I can finally take him to a con.<a href="#trefj9" id="refj9" title="I made a custom inflatable balloon to put inside the companion cube. I just needed put a zipper in so that I could easily open and close him up in order to inflate and deflate the balloon. Unfortunately, the balloon still has some holes in it, but it held air long enough for me to hang out for a while at Dragon*Con in Chell & Cube cosplay for the first time at a convention."><sup><strong>9</strong></sup></a> Come Thursday morning, I stagger out the door with my four bags full of costumes that probably weigh more than I do. After I finally get some sleep on the plane and make it safely to the hotel, I spend a few more hours sewing up the neckline, leaving just the sleeves and the pants for the next day. Fact: 98% of costumes are completed in hotel rooms. The other 2% are completed by costume gnomes while you sleep.</p><br />
<p><a href="http://www.geekymormonwoman.com/2011/11/encounter-at-dragoncon.html">Continued in Part 2 - Encounter at Dragon*Con</a></p><br />
<p><a href="#refj1" id="trefj1"><strong>1</strong></a> Note: This only actually applies if you are a crazy-insane costumer, or if you want the company and respect of crazy-insane costumers.</br><a href="#refj2" id="trefj2"><strong>2</strong></a> Both from the awesomeness and having to answer questions about it for those twenty years.</br><a href="#refj3" id="trefj3"><strong>3</strong></a> You might wonder why I didn’t contact Wil about this. Well, I wanted it to be a surprise, and I couldn’t come up with a way to ask about the suit in detail without tipping him off.</br><a href="#refj4" id="trefj4"><strong>4</strong></a> Twenty three years is over half a career ago for most, and nearly a whole lifetime ago for me.</br><a href="#refj5" id="trefj5"><strong>5</strong></a> Probably cause they couldn’t figure out something futuristic to do to them.</br><a href="#refj6" id="trefj6"><strong>6</strong></a> Maybe they were trying to remind Wesley that he's not a <strong>real</strong> officer.</br><a href="#refj7" id="trefj7"><strong>7</strong></a> Not <strong>that</strong> kind of padding...</br><a href="#refj8" id="trefj8"><strong>8</strong></a> I added a dance sleeve that had a build in gusset, and lengthened the torso. A gusset is an extra piece of fabric added to areas, usually under sleeves to allow for more movement, especially in... oh who am I kidding, no one is reading this footnote.</br><a href="#refj9" id="trefj9"><strong>9</strong></a> I made a custom inflatable balloon to put inside the companion cube. I just needed put a zipper in so that I could easily open and close him up in order to inflate and deflate the balloon. Unfortunately, the balloon still has some holes in it, but it held air long enough for me to hang out for a while at Dragon*Con in Chell & Cube cosplay for the first time.</p></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-55995263969662534832011-11-04T14:07:00.000-07:002011-11-04T15:28:06.342-07:00Meeting Wil Wheaton<div style="text-align: left;"><p>This is the story about how Wil Wheaton completely flipped out. And it was amazing.</p><p>How did this happen? Well, in a freak time-fiction accident, Wesley Crusher was ripped from his post on the Starship Enterprise and showed up at Dragon*Con 2011. And by that I mean I spent three months carefully constructing the best Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher cosplay ever made, and then went to Dragon*Con to meet Wil Wheaton.</p><p>Why in the world did I choose to cosplay a character from twenty years ago that half the Trekkies hate, and that Wil Wheaton himself has confessed he doesn't always care for?<a href="#trefi1" id="refi1" title="Some would say he hates Wesley. I think "It’s Complicated" might be more accurate."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a> Well, I love Wesley, I love Wil Wheaton, I love costuming, and my friend was throwing a Star Trek:TNG viewing and costume party<a href="#trefi2" id="refi2" title="Fun fact: This party still hasn’t happened yet. So far, it’s been all talk, and no dice."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a>, and I didn’t think that I fit any of the other Star Trek characters very well. Did I mention I love Wil Wheaton?<a href="#trefi3" id="refi3" title="And by love I mean revere and respect from an appropriate fan distance."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a></p><p>So why Acting Ensign and not the Rainbow Sweater?</p><p>I hate the rainbow sweater.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5g6I4LgbSrlMQ4pTwMPrLLbzhbIxf_aPT8oiSwTTqg0VxUaOOjmPbxJzC692Ezl2q-S4WEXNutfOg3BcYap5B0KG5O68uPLsqRrxA2bw2ImTXicFdtC-EO20-U9WXSZkHnGVca730fI/s1600/WesleyNyan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5g6I4LgbSrlMQ4pTwMPrLLbzhbIxf_aPT8oiSwTTqg0VxUaOOjmPbxJzC692Ezl2q-S4WEXNutfOg3BcYap5B0KG5O68uPLsqRrxA2bw2ImTXicFdtC-EO20-U9WXSZkHnGVca730fI/s400/WesleyNyan2.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Not even Nyan Cat can make this sweater tolerable.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Besides, the Acting Ensign uniform is very iconicly Wesley. He’s the only one that "gets" to wear such a unique uniform. And since I don’t have the body of a sixteen year old boy, if I did Ensign Wesley Crusher in his Starfleet uniform, I’d just end up looking like a gender-confused ensign with really bad hair. And, It’s just a grey jumpsuit, that’s not going to be hard, right?<a href="#trefi4" id="refi4" title="Spoilers: I was wrong..."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a><br />
<p>So this is a two part story. If you want to find out about all the work I had to go through to make an acurate Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher uniform, and how difficult that actually was, you should start with Part 1. If you don’t care about me, or my hard work, and you just want to hear about Wil Wheaton, just skip to the end, and go to Part 2.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.geekymormonwoman.com/2011/10/all-good-things-must-come-from.html">Part 1 - All Good Things... Must Come from Somewhere</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.geekymormonwoman.com/2011/11/encounter-at-dragoncon.html">Part 2 - Encounter at Dragon*Con</a><br />
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<p><a href="#refh1" id="trefh1"><strong>1</strong></a> Some would say he hates Wesley. I think "It’s Complicated" might be more accurate.</br><a href="#refh2" id="trefh2"><strong>2</strong></a> Fun fact: This party still hasn’t happened yet. So far, it’s been all talk, and no dice.</br><a href="#refh3" id="trefh3"><strong>3</strong></a> And by love I mean revere and respect from an appropriate fan distance.</br><a href="#refh4" id="trefh4"><strong>4</strong></a> Spoilers: I was wrong...</br></p></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-17619223922675104052011-10-21T18:04:00.000-07:002011-11-02T16:33:41.188-07:00Wedding Numbers<div style="text-align: left;"><p>So as a single Mormon<a href="#trefh1" id="refh1" title="Strike that, this is not limited to my culture."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a> woman, I’m obsessed with my future wedding.</p><p>However, I don’t obsess about the same things that normal women might obsess over. Mostly because I’m a geek.</p><p>Yes, I do try and think of what cute ways I could include Portal in my wedding invitations, and I dream of how many hits the you-tube video of my incredibly geeky proposal will have, but there’s something involving numbers that I care about even more.</p><p>My wedding date.</p><p>I started thinking about this in the spring of 2009. My friend was getting married on 6/6/9, which I thought was pretty cool. So even though I was single, and didn’t really have any prospects,<a href="#trefh2" id="refh2" title="Note: Wanting him back really badly doesn’t count as a prospect."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a> I started thinking about cool dates to get married.</p><p>And that’s when I realized that 9/9/9 was like the <strong>most awesomest</strong> date to get married. Cause back in the ancient times of computer programming,<a href="#trefh3" id="refh3" title="i.e. twenty years ago."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a> programs would often use 999 as an escape character. So you’re escaping single-hood! How clever is that!</p><p>But I tend to be practical, and even though I <strong>really</strong> wanted to, I probably wasn’t going to get married on 9/9/9, so I started to think of other cool dates to get married. Initially, I rejected 10/10/10, because it is too close to my birthday. <a href="#trefh4" id="refh4" title="And who wants your anniversary to be close to your birthday? Then your lame husband is just going to want to get you one gift for both of them. And we all know the strength of your marriage can be measured by the awesomeness of the gifts your husband gives you for important occasions, and if he tries to double up, then you have to divide the awesomeness by 2, making his job even harder, so really, you're doing him a favor by spreading the gifting times out."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a> But then it was pointed out to me that in binary 101010=42. If that’s not the most awesomely nerdy wedding date ever, I just don’t know what is. And if I have to explain to you why 42 is cool, well, so long and thanks for all the fish, the world is coming to an end.<a href="#trefh5" id="refh5" title="Ok, I do hope that there are some non-nerds aka, my family, who might be reading this, and they *might* not know about the answer to life, the universe and everything. But then again, even Siri knows that answer. Go ask her."><sup><strong>5</strong></sup></a><br />
<p>My friend wasn’t the only person I personally know that got married on an interesting day. My cousin got married on 10/20/2010. Again, it’s too close to my birthday, and comeon, 10/10/10!! But, even though it’s hard to argue with the awesomeness of 10/10/10, it was probably all booked up cause even if you don't get the nerdyness, there's been a strong trend towards getting married on n/n/n dates, so I applaud her ingenuity. Plus, extra points for using the first two digits of the year. That’s not easy to do.</p><p>Now we have to back up a bit here. Cause the awesome date I’d come up with for 2010 was earlier in the year. 3/21/10. Do you get why it's cool? Now this is going to really separate the nerds from the geeks. I’ll give you a hint, you need to reverse the order of the numbers. Give up? It’s the Fibonacci sequence! Yeah, I know, it’s pretty geeky and weird to like the Fibonacci sequence. But I’ve loved it ever since the days of MathNet.<a href="#trefh6" id="refh6" title="Duh Dun Duh Dun. Duh Dun Duh Dun Dun."><sup><strong>6</strong></sup></a> It’s pretty awesome all around, and useful, so you should probably like it, too.<a href="#trefh7" id="refh7" title="It also didn’t hurt that a guy that I had a crush on in High School thought that my Fibonacci sequence program was pretty innovative for using two variables for calculation instead of three. I thought that twenty line program with the peak of my genius for a lot longer that I should have. The funny things men do to you..."><sup><strong>7</strong></sup></a></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27wsRva_rocSrprvdMGzULSQ3I_ot7eu8sgJqaIznilj6vSZD0R_U9z_jSwkJivMC9Zb403ISZnhRbsDGP3M-1Iyh2HTRGStruesn_xnmExlxxPB9oRLVSAwp5EPgHLSmzrLPs3HEfPA/s1600/FibonaciiMathNet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="302" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27wsRva_rocSrprvdMGzULSQ3I_ot7eu8sgJqaIznilj6vSZD0R_U9z_jSwkJivMC9Zb403ISZnhRbsDGP3M-1Iyh2HTRGStruesn_xnmExlxxPB9oRLVSAwp5EPgHLSmzrLPs3HEfPA/s400/FibonaciiMathNet.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">If you remember this, I think we need to get married, just on principle.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>But as 2009 drew to a close, it became apparent that I was going to miss this mathematical day. Not to worry, I still had 3/2/11 to fall back on. And it was a more traditional representation of my beloved sequence.<a href="#trefh8" id="refh8" title="And by traditional I mean the way I learned it. Apparently kids these days like to start with 0. It’s hard to keep up with the trends sometimes."><sup><strong>8</strong></sup></a><br />
<p>But now it 10/2011. And we’ve got no more binary dates. Well, 11/11/11, but that’s awful close to Thanksgiving, and 111111=63. That’s not very exciting. And I really doubt that I could find a boyfriend and get him to marry me in less than three weeks. That’s pretty fast, even for Mormons.</p><p>You could suggest 12/12/12, but that’s really close to Christmas. Besides, there’s no such thing as 2.</p><p>So I was about to despair. What could I look forward to now that all the interesting wedding dates have passed??</p><p>But then I remembered, the Fibonacci sequence goes on! And the next bit ends in 13! So 5/8/13 could be a very good date! It’s a bit more obscure, but it could definitely work.</p><p>And I completely forgot about Pi Day! The most sacred of all geek holidays. Second only to Talk-like-a-pirate day!<a href="#trefh9" id="refh9" title="I kid. I actually think this holiday is rather silly, and I can’t believe it’s been officially recognized. And by officially recognized, I mean large MMOs give you special drops on that day. Actually, I think that makes Pirate day officially more official than Pi Day. I think I’m going to cry."><sup><strong>9</strong></sup></a> And what’s even better, is we’ve got a special, extended edition Pi day coming up! 3/14/15! I’ve got plenty of time between then and now to find me a husband who’s willing to plan our wedding around an inane set of numbers. </p><p>And if it takes a <strong>really</strong> long time, we’ve also got 1/1/23, and an extra awesome mole day of 6/02/23.<a href="#trefh10" id="refh10" title="Instead of 6:02 on 10/23. I think there’d be more Mole day celebrations if we ate moles."><sup><strong>10</strong></sup></a> But I don’t want to tell you how old I’ll be in 2023...Lets just say, I’ll be well out of singles ward range.<a href="#trefh11" id="refh11" title="Singles wards are special Mormon congregations for single members aged 18-30. Yes, Mormons want their young adults to get married so badly they corral them into their own world and don’t let them out until they are married, or full blown menaces to society."><sup><strong>11</strong></sup></a></div><br />
<p><a href="#refh1" id="trefh1"><strong>1</strong></a> Strike that, this is not limited to my culture.</br><a href="#refh2" id="trefh2"><strong>2</strong></a> Note: Wanting him back really badly doesn’t count as a prospect.</br><a href="#refh3" id="trefh3"><strong>3</strong></a> i.e. twenty years ago.</br><a href="#refh4" id="trefh4"><strong>4</strong></a> And who wants your anniversary to be close to your birthday? Then your lame husband is just going to want to get you one gift for both of them. And we all know the strength of your marriage can be measured by the awesomeness of the gifts your husband gives you for important occasions, and if he tries to double up, then you have to divide the awesomeness by 2, making his job even harder, so really, you're doing him a favor by spreading the gifting times out.</br><a href="#refh5" id="trefh5"><strong>5</strong></a> Ok, I do hope that there are some non-nerds aka, my family, who might be reading this, and they *might* not know about the answer to life, the universe and everything. But then again, even Siri knows that answer. Go ask her.</br><a href="#refh6" id="trefh6"><strong>6</strong></a> Duh Dun Duh Dun. Duh Dun Duh Dun Dun.</br><a href="#refh7" id="trefh7"><strong>7</strong></a> It also didn’t hurt that a guy that I had a crush on in High School thought that my Fibonacci sequence program was pretty innovative for using two variables for calculation instead of three. I thought that twenty line program with the peak of my genius for a lot longer that I should have. The funny things men do to you...</br><a href="#refh8" id="trefh8"><strong>8</strong></a> And by traditional I mean the way I learned it. Apparently kids these days like to start with 0. It’s hard to keep up with the trends sometimes.</br><a href="#refh9" id="trefh9"><strong>9</strong></a> I kid. I actually think this holiday is rather silly, and I can’t believe it’s been officially recognized. And by officially recognized, I mean large MMOs give you special drops on that day. Actually, I think that makes Pirate day officially more official than Pi Day. I think I’m going to cry.</br><a href="#refh10" id="trefh10"><strong>10</strong></a> Instead of 6:02 on 10/23. I think there’d be more Mole day celebrations if we ate moles.</br><a href="#refh11" id="trefh11"><strong>11</strong></a> Singles wards are special Mormon congregations for single members aged 18-30. Yes, Mormons want their young adults to get married so badly they corral them into their own world and don’t let them out until they are married, or full blown menaces to society.</p>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-22347322495750126882011-10-19T17:04:00.000-07:002011-10-23T23:28:01.143-07:00How To Make A Cube: Episode VII: That's No Moon... It's a Giant Plushie!!<p>So you’ve got a pattern, but you don’t know what to do with it. Might I suggest making a companion cube. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwfKfjhhTGr9pZrnCdJj96beVmvEUEhS_LehEywPRHyQ6JW_s_Lk7NxVNoHLc9qrnAN7iu7dlIpYovjyhBJTFAvz41dAsgPIqapi7y0BEIHJBpdJNXD9XcWfAcTiMuAoqPxtwH4RXHzw/s1600/CubeCatBed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwfKfjhhTGr9pZrnCdJj96beVmvEUEhS_LehEywPRHyQ6JW_s_Lk7NxVNoHLc9qrnAN7iu7dlIpYovjyhBJTFAvz41dAsgPIqapi7y0BEIHJBpdJNXD9XcWfAcTiMuAoqPxtwH4RXHzw/s400/CubeCatBed.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Also known as the most awesome cat bed evar.</span></div><p>Oh, right, that’s why you’re here. Well, first step would be to procure some fabric.<a href="#trefg1" id="refg1" title="Unless you just want to make your cube out of printer paper and tape. ProTip: fabric is much, much cuddlier than paper."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a> I used polar fleece from Joann’s and a local store in Utah. You could use polar fleece, or minky, or felt, depending on the look and feel your want for you cube. Now you probably want to me to tell you the yardage that you’ll need. Unfortunately, I finished the cube a while ago, and I am unsure of my exact yardage, so I am going to attempt to over estimate. I ran out of light grey fabric, and in that time, Joann’s stopped carrying that particular color of polar fleece.<a href="#trefg2" id="refg2" title="ProTip: Buy enough fabric, so you don’t have to try and color match later, cause that is pretty much impossible. I don’t want to admit the about of money and hours I have poured into attempting to do just that."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a> I would suggest getting 5 yards of light grey and 2.5 yards of dark grey. You should only need about half a yard for the pink hearts, and just about a quarter of a yard of the dark pink for the lines. No, I did not use the same fabric for both pinks...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0SepAyoVNBZ_wzMMpW7N-3CINe1DOYIChHnvhuuXuzQREFQy81mfX1ql5polEWpcNBBwv5aDupKvAK1sGu4KIDhjw7F9PKV7PMBiyZo2YmiId2Xe7U1qKr_htdjQQTmvBzLB2R1oy3qU/s1600/CompanionCube.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="272" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0SepAyoVNBZ_wzMMpW7N-3CINe1DOYIChHnvhuuXuzQREFQy81mfX1ql5polEWpcNBBwv5aDupKvAK1sGu4KIDhjw7F9PKV7PMBiyZo2YmiId2Xe7U1qKr_htdjQQTmvBzLB2R1oy3qU/s400/CompanionCube.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Do those look like the same color to you?!</span></div><p>If you want your cube to be a bit stiffer and hold it’s shape better, I recommend backing all the the pieces with craft fuse. You can find this in the interfacing section of your local craft store. As long as your local craft store is called “Joann’s”. But I'm sure other places carry it. It's basically just a thick interfacing.<a href="#trefg3" id="refg3" title="If you don’t know what interfacing is... you might want to wiki that..."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a> I would strongly recommend a fuseable interfacing. The craft fuse isn’t going to make your cube stand up on it’s own. However, it will give it more structure where there was none before. It will also help keep the fabric from stretching out.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mXDQvTdE7LUFuPdzqRUnGzf98-x-jRVkfx2Oni2eTNZxblTjBeVfqG89KTeCiQXJLFEWL0ih6dNiHV_koYr0YXsCkISIxqI5BKeFhafGfa8NlqnvQ4C3jIjG_ZuK1-v29o15-ySeSX0/s1600/PieceStack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="139" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mXDQvTdE7LUFuPdzqRUnGzf98-x-jRVkfx2Oni2eTNZxblTjBeVfqG89KTeCiQXJLFEWL0ih6dNiHV_koYr0YXsCkISIxqI5BKeFhafGfa8NlqnvQ4C3jIjG_ZuK1-v29o15-ySeSX0/s400/PieceStack.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">A small selection of craft fuse pieces.</span></div><p>Now get out the dvds, or netflix, or whatever because you are about to spend the next year cutting out 700+ odd shapes. You <strong>will</strong> get bored. Try and push through it, cause this is where I kept getting stuck. I made all the patterns quite quickly, and sewing them together took time, but I was able to make steady progress. Cutting out all those pieces seriously felt like it took forever, and it just wasn’t enjoyable. Maybe make a party of it, like when you get your guildies to come and kill a monster with you. Cause this cube is one major monster, and if you’re not careful, you will grind yourself right out of not actually finishing this project. But I believe in you! And no, I won’t cut them out for you.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKom3c5zzr9cvnch6rkiEOaPnVSBJYVVESXlK_Gu6rUOsilpFBwzISuHXwQ6L1O7flUA6FKnVjrCk7GY8pR7QKZFF6CHXQStXdd3WzF2tC9lq7hQIxIVPDoCfDXDZ9YpPsEL4XW3-wtk/s1600/CutPieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKom3c5zzr9cvnch6rkiEOaPnVSBJYVVESXlK_Gu6rUOsilpFBwzISuHXwQ6L1O7flUA6FKnVjrCk7GY8pR7QKZFF6CHXQStXdd3WzF2tC9lq7hQIxIVPDoCfDXDZ9YpPsEL4XW3-wtk/s400/CutPieces.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">I wish I could write a function to do this for me...</span></div><p>Now when you cut the fabric, you should definitely cut the pattern pieces with seam allowance. When you cut the craft fuse, you could cut the smaller, original sized piece. This will keep your seams cleaner, and it’s what I did with my cube. However, if I was doing it again, I would interface the whole piece. Which goes against everything I stand for as a seamstress, but this is a piece of furniture, or a large toy, not a garment, so I think it’s ok. Just don’t tell anyone, and they might not take away my sewing licence.<a href="#trefg4" id="refg4" title="I could try and explain why you shouldn’t have interfacing in a seam, but honestly it really doesn’t matter, and I’m probably making too big a deal over this... IGNORE ME!!"><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a></p><p>Ok, I’m going to climb into my TARDIS here and meet you in six months, cause I just can’t wait around while you cut out all those pieces...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgt4Zcb3jA_2mlhEReAHBe2WGtOtcAleduhWSNZATLibc-42ufivuHIeWwZ8w9PhC5gw2eGbt1fY0fJ_ZsSV8Zx-4U4WLY3XI36nn9qYlyRn_mnLFy7XDvOYq5UbM6jb76XXHaLXTSXRI/s1600/Tardis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="374" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgt4Zcb3jA_2mlhEReAHBe2WGtOtcAleduhWSNZATLibc-42ufivuHIeWwZ8w9PhC5gw2eGbt1fY0fJ_ZsSV8Zx-4U4WLY3XI36nn9qYlyRn_mnLFy7XDvOYq5UbM6jb76XXHaLXTSXRI/s400/Tardis.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">My other vehicle is a Honda Accord.</span></div><p>Ok, I’m back! Are you done yet? Awesome! I knew you could do it!</p><p>Now we have to sew up all those pieces. I sewed each section in turn. First I sewed up the corners.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgTD9sntfF7xYcPoG2hZhatI2KbzV1Nevcx6ygFs3gbq9OTZxJYnWdDjI7Ekp463NP0_JZcKlToPbM3O9OmEpW567yjvuKY4L4J7fw2umCQWooRjQqPKqWF46qJENL3a6qcSwcLuRuvE/s1600/StackOfCorners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgTD9sntfF7xYcPoG2hZhatI2KbzV1Nevcx6ygFs3gbq9OTZxJYnWdDjI7Ekp463NP0_JZcKlToPbM3O9OmEpW567yjvuKY4L4J7fw2umCQWooRjQqPKqWF46qJENL3a6qcSwcLuRuvE/s400/StackOfCorners.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">A stack of corners. Or maybe a bit of folded space.</span></div><p>Then I sewed up the edges. And the dark grey channels.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqi-KHCqGt6a4WhT0bKbcE9YYtA2ea3CioMjO2mXSU_M66bcOeeX64j7MvphC0RvejANffuAvy0uhwAndpD8Bw2UZuS9BDkxH9uT5Lx2CKPscoDYLKTQWXUdLCQYLnF6Fwa56Q18fROI/s1600/SewingSidesAndChannels.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqi-KHCqGt6a4WhT0bKbcE9YYtA2ea3CioMjO2mXSU_M66bcOeeX64j7MvphC0RvejANffuAvy0uhwAndpD8Bw2UZuS9BDkxH9uT5Lx2CKPscoDYLKTQWXUdLCQYLnF6Fwa56Q18fROI/s400/SewingSidesAndChannels.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Here I’m sewing the channels onto the edges. These pictures are a little timey-wimey.</span></div><p>Then I sewed up the buttons, with the face and stripes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90Kif4CONt_6vh8CUdG7zIKjQxyF8f5UF4SBSMRdHwGH8i7fZMtNtQxXMDyYywt_UemfcIFnNGion45nPh4UhnHJr3dM4-wH9Q7wOp30WgyMD14SlsnvK1M2OLS31YcOb0hyphenhyphen5gGDMucM/s1600/StackOfCenters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90Kif4CONt_6vh8CUdG7zIKjQxyF8f5UF4SBSMRdHwGH8i7fZMtNtQxXMDyYywt_UemfcIFnNGion45nPh4UhnHJr3dM4-wH9Q7wOp30WgyMD14SlsnvK1M2OLS31YcOb0hyphenhyphen5gGDMucM/s400/StackOfCenters.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">A companion cube has six hearts, which means he loves you three time more than the Doctor can.</br>Also he’s three times harder to kill. Minus regeneration.</span></div><p>And finally, I sewed up the dark grey channels to the edges, and the edges to the corners, and the face to the ring of corners and edges. I finally had a full side.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhuL9YpVWxBHx1G6YwHSk2-y1XSGFJWCaC_dDg8kbilR49YMWtk1mLHmEh2GB94cZ9bj2w8TfvX4gYApc_ZuW5bmjsXU54JOTVxWAlow6x-VbMsCJHDIvi4Y6pPtnvHgLByW93meD2c8/s1600/FullSide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhuL9YpVWxBHx1G6YwHSk2-y1XSGFJWCaC_dDg8kbilR49YMWtk1mLHmEh2GB94cZ9bj2w8TfvX4gYApc_ZuW5bmjsXU54JOTVxWAlow6x-VbMsCJHDIvi4Y6pPtnvHgLByW93meD2c8/s400/FullSide.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Objects when assembled will be larger than their separate parts appeared.</span></div><p>And this is when I realize exactly how big the cube was, and I wondered what I had just gotten myself into...</p><p>But it was too late to turn back. I continued added onto this face, with corners and edges and centers. The centers always went in last. Also, I made sure that the hearts were facing the right way according to the cube model. Also, don’t forget to install a zipper somewhere. I originally just hand-sewed the cube up, but on the second go around, I installed a zipper.<a href="#trefg5" id="refg5" title="ProTip: Just do this the first time."><sup><strong>5</strong><sup></a> I did a dark grey invisible zipper, and I put it on the edge between a button and the face. This would be easy to insert when you are constructing a center. I think this is a great place for it, as it’s a long enough seam to take a 22” zipper, and it’s also a pretty hidden place. You can’t see the zipper unless you know it’s there, so I routinely forget where it is. Which is good and bad.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCF4eR36jTLpYHy4vXyFA8g080RPNeFtdkbty6qRPUfwmQSGAX9PvmzW7XJbGzyjow304GX-TqaR3s_1151VKu5ABNzSLg1vYAs8Hv7gahGr4PSA-OJafqpFvUe3bdILRMmYPJEQeYdMs/s1600/Zipper.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCF4eR36jTLpYHy4vXyFA8g080RPNeFtdkbty6qRPUfwmQSGAX9PvmzW7XJbGzyjow304GX-TqaR3s_1151VKu5ABNzSLg1vYAs8Hv7gahGr4PSA-OJafqpFvUe3bdILRMmYPJEQeYdMs/s400/Zipper.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Can you spot the zipper??</span></div><p>For my first go around, I also made some stabilization inserts for the corners. I initially made these out of some extra felt I had, but any material will do, as long as it’s stable, ie. it won’t stretch much. I would not recommend polar fleece for these. These were sew into the seam allowance of the complete cube corners on the completed cube. This helps the corners maintain their shape, and helps the cube maintain an overall more cube shape.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp21vJTHphyphenhyphenCkqlNXBMtF_rUSQT-WSXqBIBxb5cAcKIutIEwB8x3x9dTzFVQF7NkOTeV07HlTjAZg6TBXIxPWTuyg2IBJCHqeqUP25bPUFoqfKnHqcsPUMY66LxF-_YUGAZKSvaxZpObU/s1600/CornerPattern.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp21vJTHphyphenhyphenCkqlNXBMtF_rUSQT-WSXqBIBxb5cAcKIutIEwB8x3x9dTzFVQF7NkOTeV07HlTjAZg6TBXIxPWTuyg2IBJCHqeqUP25bPUFoqfKnHqcsPUMY66LxF-_YUGAZKSvaxZpObU/s400/CornerPattern.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Just sew the tabs into the seam allowance of the corners.</span></div><p>I then stuffed the cube will all manner of foam, and foam-like objects. The majority of what I used what was knock-off lovesac filler. When using this kind of material, always, always, <strong>ALWAYS</strong>, put it in a bag of some sort. I am still picking this stuff off of my cube since I unstuffed it, and I will never fully get it out of the inside of the cube, no matter how long I, or the cube, live. I also used normal poly-fill for the corners, and I used bean bag pellets to finish it off, because my love sac foam just wasn’t enough, and I was on a time crunch at that point, and this is what I could get a hold of.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGgdGA1KD5Vqt7S5bO6tv5k_zTPwYXTv6ShcO4reiJvbacJ2eNfwnjxGMghdFWzgxDutb2AoGwjtVIzYFSvqz1ePozB4WAvaqQrXvy-Qi8vTyUBDNkFQwQE0MlYbG8Td48BQ7YwVc3yI/s1600/UnstuffingCube.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGgdGA1KD5Vqt7S5bO6tv5k_zTPwYXTv6ShcO4reiJvbacJ2eNfwnjxGMghdFWzgxDutb2AoGwjtVIzYFSvqz1ePozB4WAvaqQrXvy-Qi8vTyUBDNkFQwQE0MlYbG8Td48BQ7YwVc3yI/s400/UnstuffingCube.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Cube is bleeding!!!</span></div><p>Now all this made for a very heavy cube. When we were dragging it around for the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZWzJU8Fm2E&list=FLLjhW-EjfVEpUOT6XQn-2cg&index=1">video</a>, we were using two furniture dollies and a piece of plywood. And it was <strong>still</strong> hard. When I was trying to push the cube, I didn’t have to act like it was hard. It <strong>was</strong> that hard.</p><p>But after the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZWzJU8Fm2E&list=FLLjhW-EjfVEpUOT6XQn-2cg&index=1">video</a><a href="#trefg6" id="refg6" title="Same link, but you should probably watch it again. And tell your friends to watch it."><sup><strong>6</strong></sup></a>, I really wanted to take the cube with me to a convention. I thought of trying to have a collapsible structure made of foam and pvc pipes, but my cosplay friend <a href="http://hylianjean.deviantart.com/">Hylian Jean</a> suggested that I buy a large inflatable cube. Instead of buying one, I just made one out of painter’s plastic and a valve from a broken air mattress. It’s not perfect. It still loses air somehow, and I haven’t found the leak, despite my best efforts. I hope to correct this in the near future. I would only recommend a plastic inside when making a portable cube. The Luv Sac foam is actually a great filler, as long as you plan on moving it about as much as you move a Luv Sac.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPE9GR_5uy0ofTSm-y4sDqjHDulwDwUGaPIRQr0mKmlLjZw6qgl7z8HcjP9OjVQyRCTyc93FIewRLebPKWS05FRYPuY3UTlWwKHUY73A8WXsceMH8xhNvUEn-4wAjbzJSBxwlBM5b9CM/s1600/PlasticCube.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPE9GR_5uy0ofTSm-y4sDqjHDulwDwUGaPIRQr0mKmlLjZw6qgl7z8HcjP9OjVQyRCTyc93FIewRLebPKWS05FRYPuY3UTlWwKHUY73A8WXsceMH8xhNvUEn-4wAjbzJSBxwlBM5b9CM/s400/PlasticCube.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">If it only <strong>stayed</strong> this inflated.</span></div><p>But there you have it! In just about a million hours, you will have your own cube! You’d better get started. Time waits for no one! And at the end, a cake appears! <a href="#trefg7" id="refg7" title="As long as you have a super awesome friend who promises to make a cake for you when you finish your cube and throw a party."><strong><sup>7</sup></strong></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0yakgeVKf25Vf2m_fKf92D2PaSHy-vHmvcA4weLi4OyyXa9bEln9thhrL7ZwIgLMXQh5scTwL8WTSWHfXR8RdKDvLJNQ9es_wlNihiKWXnLDnHgSe275jS6gVZvChph4k9xIeAbqcmA/s1600/CubeAndCake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0yakgeVKf25Vf2m_fKf92D2PaSHy-vHmvcA4weLi4OyyXa9bEln9thhrL7ZwIgLMXQh5scTwL8WTSWHfXR8RdKDvLJNQ9es_wlNihiKWXnLDnHgSe275jS6gVZvChph4k9xIeAbqcmA/s400/CubeAndCake.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Cube and Cake, together at last!</span></div><br />
<p><a href="#refg1" id="trefg1"><strong>1</strong></a> Unless you just want to make your cube out of printer paper and tape. ProTip: fabric is much, much cuddlier than paper.</br><a href="#refg2" id="trefg2"><strong>2</strong></a> ProTip: Buy enough fabric, so you don’t have to try and color match later, cause that is pretty much impossible. I don’t want to admit the about of money and hours I have poured into attempting to do just that.</br><a href="#refg3" id="trefg3"><strong>3</strong></a> If you don’t know what interfacing is... you might want to wiki that...</br><a href="#refg4" id="trefg4"><strong>4</strong></a> I could try and explain why you shouldn’t have interfacing in a seam, but honestly it really doesn’t matter, and I’m probably making too big a deal over this... IGNORE ME!!</br><a href="#refg5" id="trefg5"><strong>5</strong></a> ProTip: Just do this the first time.</br><a href="#refg6" id="trefg6"><strong>6</strong></a> Same link, but you should probably watch it again. And tell your friends to watch it.</br><a href="#refg7" id="trefg7"><strong>7</strong></a> As long as you have a super awesome friend who promises to make a cake for you when you finish your cube and throw a party.</p>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-18632497277699741322011-10-19T15:41:00.001-07:002012-03-12T00:38:28.310-07:00How To Make A Cube: Episode II: Attack of the Cartesian Plane<p>So you want to make a pattern from a 3D Model. There are probably several methods for this, but I am going to be doing a direct and very hands on method. This way I can be sure that you’ve got it exactly how you want, without having to learn and wrestle with a new program. Things might be easier if you use something like Paperkura or a CAD program, but I don’t know how to use either. What I do know how to use is graph paper. So we’re going to use that.</p><p>First step is to get the cube into a usable .obj form. I’m not going to tell you how to do this. For one, there are many tutorials out there that cover the extraction and conversion of .mdl files from Source games.<a href="#treff1" id="reff1" title="And I don’t want to make one more that will be out of date in six month."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a> Two, I’ve posted a .obj of the cube on my <a href="http://nekonariko.deviantart.com/#/d4cl0o8">DA</a>. It’s not textured, so it’s really only useful for making patterns. If you want a textured version, use Google and the Internet to teach yourself how to do it.</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DbWEJvdPAizdrPM_2A-z7kRSZ8rOICmBB7wg7BLbELvPAVI5rpdoPa3Tn2TEhhyPoxAdOqIjQxHeaC9s01pqqaTRexdwD2AE74prcjCUIOyRxeD6LHvW6BRjapnWFumcfB2VjoIkSG0/s1600/GoogleMatrix.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="145" width="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DbWEJvdPAizdrPM_2A-z7kRSZ8rOICmBB7wg7BLbELvPAVI5rpdoPa3Tn2TEhhyPoxAdOqIjQxHeaC9s01pqqaTRexdwD2AE74prcjCUIOyRxeD6LHvW6BRjapnWFumcfB2VjoIkSG0/s400/GoogleMatrix.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">It’s like the Matrix, only slower.</div></span><br />
<p>Once you’ve got a .obj file, you’re going to need a way to see the values of the vertices. I’ve used a myriad of different 3d programs over the years, but I currently use Silo.<a href="#treff2" id="reff2" title="My choice of this program has nothing to do with me personally knowing the developer and having received a free copy. Not that that means it's not good. It's actually great. At least for taking data from models. Which is all I used 3d programs for these days."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a> It’s not too expensive, for a 3d modeling program, and the trial version should give you enough functionality to gather the data we need from this model. Also, it is more intuitive than Blender.<a href="#treff3" id="reff3" title="Which is so unintuitive I have to relearn the basic controls every time I use it. Sometimes I think that the Open Source movement likes to punish people for using free software by making them so unintuitive, you pay for them in time and brain cells. Which you lose when you smash your head on the desk so hard you pass out. No, I haven’t actually done that. Yet."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a></p><p>You can either use sheets of graph paper, or a computer program to plot your data. Since I am not proficient in a CAD program, and drawing programs like GIMP, while serviceable, take <strong>forever</strong> to plot this data in, we’re going to use graph paper. Just like I did when I made my original patterns.</p><p>When you procure your graph paper, make sure it’s marked at 1/10” or 1/5" markings. If you get normal graph paper, that is marked at 1/8" or 1/4" you are going to have to make a lot more calculations and guesses, based of the decimal values of 8ths. This isn’t all that easy, and it isn’t pretty. I know, I used 1/8" graph paper the first time around.<a href="#treff4" id="reff4" title="No, I don't know why. I'm allowed to do stupid thing. Don't judge me. I'm keeping *you* from doing stupid things."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a> Also, there are a lot of free graph paper websites out there. The one I used produced graph paper that wasn’t actually spaced correctly, so make sure to measure any Internet graph paper before actually using it.<a href="#treff5" id="reff5" title="I used it for this demo, mostly cause it ment I didn't have to go to the store and buy things. What? I'm a tad lazy. Remeber, we're not judging me cause I'm helpful."><sup><strong>5</strong></sup></a></p><p>So now that we’ve got all of our materials, it’s time to build a cube. Or at least the patterns we’ll need to build a cube. Open up Silo<a href="#treff6" id="reff6" title="Or whatever 3d program you are using. You don't have to be cool if you don't want to."><sup><strong>6</strong></sup></a>, and import your .obj cube. Now, you can either center the cube at zero, which is putting the very center of the cube at (0,0,0), or you can center to cube at (20,20,20).</p><p>Having the cube at (20,20,20) is nice, because then all your numbers will be positive. Not that it really matters, you certainly leave it at (0,0,0) if you choose. Now you need to pick which face you are going to work off of. I’d recommend orienting the cube so that z is constant, and you are moving in the x/y space. But you don’t have to do this, just make sure that you are plotting your points using the correct coordinate values.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pksIpLjCG8PuYw3OpjCJs_Uh2K0l3TP3zYyCALzTDzOO9P4LUQE4fkwgabfHlnEZAf3BVQVdKeMOjM2ICmh-bxD8dZjCVp8ESm3zYo99_EPxOItFiZVq7Xii9yjNz1I0pFWg3SvKJYY/s1600/Instructions01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="323" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pksIpLjCG8PuYw3OpjCJs_Uh2K0l3TP3zYyCALzTDzOO9P4LUQE4fkwgabfHlnEZAf3BVQVdKeMOjM2ICmh-bxD8dZjCVp8ESm3zYo99_EPxOItFiZVq7Xii9yjNz1I0pFWg3SvKJYY/s400/Instructions01.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">ProTip: Click on this or any other picture for a higher-rez version that it easier to read.</div></span><br />
<p>So now you need to plot your points onto your graph paper. Let’s do the large face on the edge as an example. First you need to set up your graph paper. I checked the range of the points on the face that I’m working on, and picked a scaled the worked with that range, and labeled the axes according to that scale. Not all of your pieces will fit on just one normal sheet of graph paper, so you might need to tape a few together in order to have enough space to plot all your data.</p><p>Now there are going to be a lot of pictures. Just follow what they say, and in the end you will have two of the twenty pattern pieces you will need to complete this cube. So don’t fall asleep! <a href="#treff7" id="reff7" title="If you one of the two people here for the lolz, just scroll till you see a lot of text again. Talking about making stuff is really dry. And not the funny kind of dry."><sup><strong>7</strong></sup></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSr9Ry_DjIGpgnoCBMfZfBKrGE5xEqS1jU_l0UOLUN4Sxb1czPi8ZgSx0YO815N8guohjKWr5nEfnFkr5KpzlisqfanZfDLMc86xOigOKJCjr-lmo5Gaxc9zJrQJAxel_XZCjf79jL6bQ/s1600/Graph01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="310" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSr9Ry_DjIGpgnoCBMfZfBKrGE5xEqS1jU_l0UOLUN4Sxb1czPi8ZgSx0YO815N8guohjKWr5nEfnFkr5KpzlisqfanZfDLMc86xOigOKJCjr-lmo5Gaxc9zJrQJAxel_XZCjf79jL6bQ/s400/Graph01.png" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscxOBjlQlxc5uFLQeqdTRmivf_nKK24yvjlxpvSCtmfvLxD0t3WQrVUzX-VJaZw4mqvUKVKfyVWTYidbvB7t-n43gqjA41l56p4WxaRUDPxF3hoWWQBoxvKiOitnKNZgJdkoCt1Qba9Y/s1600/Graph04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="312" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscxOBjlQlxc5uFLQeqdTRmivf_nKK24yvjlxpvSCtmfvLxD0t3WQrVUzX-VJaZw4mqvUKVKfyVWTYidbvB7t-n43gqjA41l56p4WxaRUDPxF3hoWWQBoxvKiOitnKNZgJdkoCt1Qba9Y/s400/Graph04.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2kxhiTDk1A5U463_K-nNmI-VC-3Zw7VgF-Ml6Uhz2iYKNGumrSC3lKi9E0M1_rnTf3Fddl6RfkPKoqIW_Eiew8KY_lEaZc4t82oXO88a-77kiGc22GQHK1vgranZnDazZtoy5oxJQMI/s1600/Graph06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="311" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2kxhiTDk1A5U463_K-nNmI-VC-3Zw7VgF-Ml6Uhz2iYKNGumrSC3lKi9E0M1_rnTf3Fddl6RfkPKoqIW_Eiew8KY_lEaZc4t82oXO88a-77kiGc22GQHK1vgranZnDazZtoy5oxJQMI/s400/Graph06.png" /></a></div><p>Now we need to add seam allowance. If you tried to just use this as your pattern, then how would you sew one piece to another?? Answer: Seam allowance! Now standard seam allowance for clothing is 5/8ths of an inch. However, the cube is not clothes, so I’ve done a 1/2 inch seam allowance. This just seemed like a good idea at the time. You can add whatever seam allowance you want when you make your pattern.</p><br />
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<p>That wasn’t so bad! And there’s only only nineteen more to do! Unfortunately, not all patterns are on an plane that allows us to just plot the points on a piece of graph paper. Sometimes we will need to use math. For example, we’ll do the triangle on the edge of the corner. </p><br />
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<p>Now just repeat that for every face. It’s worth noting that I didn’t make a pattern for the long strips that go around the base of the heart button, I just made some calculations and cut strips.<a href="#treff8" id="reff8" title="The pattern would be a long rectangle. ProTip: Rectangles are easier to cut with a quilting ruler and a mat than a paper pattern."><sup><strong>8</strong></sup></a> I also made two strips, one light grey, on dark gray, based on the coloring I observed on the model.</p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0SepAyoVNBZ_wzMMpW7N-3CINe1DOYIChHnvhuuXuzQREFQy81mfX1ql5polEWpcNBBwv5aDupKvAK1sGu4KIDhjw7F9PKV7PMBiyZo2YmiId2Xe7U1qKr_htdjQQTmvBzLB2R1oy3qU/s1600/CompanionCube.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="272" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0SepAyoVNBZ_wzMMpW7N-3CINe1DOYIChHnvhuuXuzQREFQy81mfX1ql5polEWpcNBBwv5aDupKvAK1sGu4KIDhjw7F9PKV7PMBiyZo2YmiId2Xe7U1qKr_htdjQQTmvBzLB2R1oy3qU/s400/CompanionCube.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Note the two different colored rings.</div></span><br />
<p>I also didn’t worry too much about making deep channels for the pink lines, that you can see from this view. I’m sorry, it would just be too difficult and complicated with a plushie of this size. Also, no one will notice.<a href="#treff9" id="reff9" title="Bet you never thought you'd hear me say that. Or read me say that? or.... read my typing... um, you know what I mean..."><sup><strong>9</strong></sup></a> So I just did narrow strips. I did press the seam allowances to the outside instead of each to their own side like I normally would, so they are at least slightly depressed.</p><p>Also, the dark grey sections were not cut as one large piece. The side channels were cut separately from the large half-circles. This saved fabric, and made construction easier.<a href="#treff10" id="reff10" title="Yes, even I believe in making things easier. Besides, you can kinda see some seam-like coloration where the channels meet the curve. Just check that shot above. In fact, just commit it to memory, we're going to use it again."><sup><strong>10</strong></sup></a></p><p>Now I know I said that programs were harder to use than just graphing everything, however, they are easier for one thing, making circles. Especially big circles. Now you could just jerryrig up a large compass with a bit of string, and in a way that would be easier, but I also wanted to have a good pattern for the heart. Again, you could just sketch that on your circle based on what the looked like, but I am a <strong>tad</strong> obsessed with things being <strong>exactly</strong> accurate<a href="#treff11" id="reff11" title="I'm not *always* reasonable. Did you forget who you were dealing with?"><sup><strong>11</strong></sup></a> that I wanted to make sure that my heart was as right as possible. So you can use a program, or just draw a large circle on four pieces of paper and sketch a good-looking heart. Then you won’t have to wrestle with gimp to make it print your picture true-to-scale. <a href="#treff12" id="reff12" title="It’s open-source, it knows better than you."><sup><strong>12</strong></sup></a><br />
<p>Now go and finish the rest of those patterns. And then take a nap. Or two or three. Patterning is <strong>hard</strong>. Once you’re rested, we can move on to <a href="http://geekymormonwoman.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-to-make-cube-episode-vii-thats-no.html">constructing the cube.</a></p><br />
<p><a href="#reff1" id="treff1"><strong>1</strong></a> And I don’t want to make one more that will be out of date in six month.</br><a href="#reff2" id="treff2"><strong>2</strong></a> My choice of this program has nothing to do with me personally knowing the developer and having received a free copy. Not that that means it's not good. It's actually great. At least for taking data from models. Which is all I used 3d programs for these days.</br><a href="#reff3" id="treff3"><strong>3</strong></a>Which is so unintuitive I have to relearn the basic controls every time I use it. Sometimes I think that the Open Source movement likes to punish people for using free software by making them so unintuitive, you pay for them in time and brain cells. Which you lose when you smash your head on the desk so hard you pass out. No, I haven’t actually done that. Yet.</br><a href="#reff4" id="treff4"><strong>4</strong></a> No, I don't know why. I'm allowed to do stupid thing. Don't judge me. I'm keeping *you* from doing stupid things.</br><a href="#reff5" id="treff5"><strong>5</strong></a> I used it for this demo, mostly cause it ment I didn't have to go to the store and buy things. What? I'm a tad lazy. Remeber, we're not judging me cause I'm helpful.</br><a href="#reff6" id="treff6"><strong>6</strong></a> Or whatever 3d program you are using. You don't have to be cool if you don't want to.</br><a href="#reff7" id="treff7"><strong>7</strong></a> If you one of the two people here for the lolz, just scroll till you see a lot of text again. Talking about making stuff is really dry. And not the funny kind of dry.</br><a href="#reff8" id="treff8"><strong>8</strong></a> The pattern would be a long rectangle. ProTip: Rectangles are easier to cut with a quilting ruler and a mat than a paper pattern.</br><a href="#reff9" id="treff9"><strong>9</strong></a> Bet you never thought you'd hear me say that. Or read me say that? or.... read my typing... um, you know what I mean...</br><a href="#reff10" id="treff10"><strong>10</strong></a> Yes, even I believe in making things easier. Besides, you can kinda see some seam-like coloration where the channels meet the curve. Just check that shot above. In fact, just commit it to memory, we're going to use it again.</br><a href="#reff11" id="treff11"><strong>11</strong></a> I'm not <strong>always</strong> reasonable. Did you forget who you were dealing with?</br><a href="#reff12" id="treff12"><strong>12</strong></a> It’s open-source, it knows better than you.</p>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-57362703753579315792011-10-17T12:59:00.000-07:002011-12-22T03:19:02.309-08:00How To Make A Cube: Episode IV: A New Help<div style="text-align: left;"><p>So you want to make a cube? First, draw a square. Then, draw another square slightly offset from that one. Then connect the lines. You now have you very own cube!</p><p>Ok, just kidding. What I'm actually going to do is cover the basics of what I did to make my very own game-accurate Plushie Companion Cube. So maybe you can make your own!<a href="#trefe1" id="refe1" title="Or you can just read this for the lolz. Normal tutiorals are boring. Tutorials that waste time with humor are much more fun. For me to write. If you don't like it, tough cookies."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFLI4sEZdgLRTlmwzeo6QWIp3RUtB1hQabzd28jCtlxZrY8oVozt4X8Ueg1m-LChT_LxwX5zUOQ8-6lPNtBds___w4_hI763FGXi4x3CjcxfosWgQIurHyRA1VDwRQ-13t1N3GuT4j6Y/s1600/CubePreview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFLI4sEZdgLRTlmwzeo6QWIp3RUtB1hQabzd28jCtlxZrY8oVozt4X8Ueg1m-LChT_LxwX5zUOQ8-6lPNtBds___w4_hI763FGXi4x3CjcxfosWgQIurHyRA1VDwRQ-13t1N3GuT4j6Y/s320/CubePreview.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Unfortunately, 3D printers don't have a plushie setting. Yet.</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><p>If you would like to skip to the end, and are interested in just buying a pattern from me rather than attempting your own, please contact me at nekonariko at g mail.<a href="#trefe2" id="refe2" title="Turn that into an e-mail address. We don't want the spambots trying to order companion cube patterns."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a> Subject: "Companion Cube Pattern". I need to see how much interest there is before I decide finalize the production method. Cost is projected to be $25+shipping. Some assembly required.<a href="#trefe3" id="refe3" title="Of both cube and pattern."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a> You are paying for the time that I put into making this pattern. And the paper. And the ink. But my time and skills are the most valuable parts. The actual cube and data are owned by Valve. And if they have a problem with me selling this, then I will cease to sell, as long as they promise to read my <a href="http://www.geekymormonwoman.com/2011/10/dear-valve.html">open letter</a> to them. And implement my suggestions.</p><p>But I'm not selling anything you can't do yourself. So basically if you buy it, it's like cheating, but in an awesome way where I get to buy more fabric. In full disclosure, it will be helpful if you know a bit of basic trigonometry, and maybe even some 3d modeling knowledge. Or you might get lost. And I'm going to show you how to do this, but I'm not going to do it all for you. Unless you pay me, at which point, you should just buy the pattern. My rates for on-site tutorials are <strong>insane</strong>.<a href="#trefe4" id="refe4" title="They involve private jets and all-you-can-eat sushi. And that's in additon to my hourly rate."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4PcCIYumCHdj19QTKAT7nhZ7DOge2Isnrpk_CERlTQ68bLXHGw02eLurhtRX0uNvF6midKYWRrFvzZhYSknUh5bvIAE-pD1msHnii_EHZlL0QxKQo5Mo-o0X8NpSlq37WS8-wesEVO90/s1600/Trig.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4PcCIYumCHdj19QTKAT7nhZ7DOge2Isnrpk_CERlTQ68bLXHGw02eLurhtRX0uNvF6midKYWRrFvzZhYSknUh5bvIAE-pD1msHnii_EHZlL0QxKQo5Mo-o0X8NpSlq37WS8-wesEVO90/s320/Trig.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">And you thought trig was so useless.</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><p>This tutorial will be in two parts. The first part will cover how to make a pattern. The second part will be tips on constructing the actual cube. I'm going to alter my techniques a bit, because I have learned a lot since I made my cube in 2008/2009, and I think that you might benefit from that experience. I know I do.</p><p>So if you want to learn how to make a pattern, go <a href="http://geekymormonwoman.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-to-make-cube-episode-ii-attack-of.html">here</a>.</p><p>If you have a pattern, and you want some tips on cube construction, go <a href="http://geekymormonwoman.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-to-make-cube-episode-vii-thats-no.html">here</a>.</p><p><a href="#refe1" id="trefe1"><strong>1</strong></a> Or you can just read this for the lolz. Normal tutiorals are boring. Tutorials that waste time with humor are much more fun. For me to write. If you don't like it, tough cookies.</br><a href="#refe2" id="trefe2"><strong>2</strong></a> Turn that into an e-mail address. We don't want the spambots trying to order companion cube patterns.</br><a href="#refe3" id="trefe3"><strong>3</strong></a> Of both cube and pattern.</br><a href="#refe4" id="trefe4"><strong>4</strong></a> They involve private jets and all-you-can-eat sushi. And that's in additon to my hourly rate.<br />
</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-44104664945792984022011-10-05T00:47:00.000-07:002011-10-23T23:22:09.072-07:00Dear Valve,<div style="text-align: left;">I love your games. Ok, I love Portal. But I Love Portal a whole lot. I love portal SOOOOO much I made my own full-sized companion cube, but in plushie form, so I could hug it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6JEH9VoEiMECZofPKG2A7jIfbikzX09fxCM52zQmdi21obkKobgdpvi7cOruuX-Zt6dmL-gjSYS4hnqeIBzDwKzaoOBYJGEd0GPq_TJZYt-lh7AcTmaRzyP93V7xaG9ANf3r3AepL5E/s1600/CubeHug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6JEH9VoEiMECZofPKG2A7jIfbikzX09fxCM52zQmdi21obkKobgdpvi7cOruuX-Zt6dmL-gjSYS4hnqeIBzDwKzaoOBYJGEd0GPq_TJZYt-lh7AcTmaRzyP93V7xaG9ANf3r3AepL5E/s320/CubeHug.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">The Cube will always love you back!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>After I devoured Portal 2, you announced a music video contest. I have a friend that likes Portal, and <strong>loves</strong> The National, and has a giant video camera. I already had the plushie cube of awesome, so all I needed was a Chell cosplay, and we were going to have the most awesome <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZWzJU8Fm2E&list=FLLjhW-EjfVEpUOT6XQn-2cg&index=1">video</a> ever.<a href="#trefd1" id="refd1" title="Too bad you didn’t think so. Apparently a cube isn’t as cool as a sock puppet. No, I’m not bitter. I respect your decision. To break my heart."><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a></p><p>Now, I had been considering doing a Chell cosplay for a while, but the fact that I couldn’t run around barefoot at a convention really bothered me.<a href=" #trefd2" id="refd2" title="Yes, I care about this level of accuracy. And for some reason "it’s a part of my costume " doesn’t ever matter to convention staff..."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a> And I wasn’t exactly stoked about doing a Portal 2 version. I was kinda upset about all the changes you had made. For one, how in the world does being in suspended animation “quite a lot longer” than normal cause this kind of transformation?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHngpowg7OYvYhhAQfGotWCIQubtZ1c8sZksA-ug7KWQN3AI0KDeujNHsH7HpmV5W6E_St2WBTbZpHIBe7tPeAxdqQ7hiBGM6KK3SybyGXgj_1_ZsxgbU_Er2dZOmLsBQyHV5DLYhky3k/s1600/Faces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHngpowg7OYvYhhAQfGotWCIQubtZ1c8sZksA-ug7KWQN3AI0KDeujNHsH7HpmV5W6E_St2WBTbZpHIBe7tPeAxdqQ7hiBGM6KK3SybyGXgj_1_ZsxgbU_Er2dZOmLsBQyHV5DLYhky3k/s320/Faces.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Might not have a minor case of serious brain damage, but has a <strong>major</strong> case of serious plastic surgery.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>On a level, I understand that Portal is now a success, and you want your main character to look more heroic, but I don’t know why "heroic" means that she’s got to be wearing makeup. Seriously, where did she get the stuff? Your original model, while haggard, was much more believable for someone trapped in a facility run by murderous robots.</p><p>Now we could branch off here into a big long discussion about how the only heroines we can have in video games have to be attractive.<a href="#trefd3" id="refd3" title="Have you ever seen the female equivalent to Tychus Findley in a main role in a video game? Yeah, me either."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a> And this is definitely a discussion I want to have, but it really deserves a whole separate post, because as important as that discussion is, I just don’t really think I can focus on it. Right now, all I can really think about is how Chell's jumpsuit in Portal 2 isn’t even <strong>close</strong> to the same as what she was wearing in Portal.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BLyX7RcJQDZnoRxz3lSEE4OX45RoCeLvTYwsnCY4XXgAAhYnwqtarqHfUE6oF05vOFRWwiLfhrsuMm1fmVV6HP2VPKTZkJYovzS5RUJV8xxWfrj2rg1T-fgX3u6TGYbXz-Mc1sE17wk/s1600/Differences.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BLyX7RcJQDZnoRxz3lSEE4OX45RoCeLvTYwsnCY4XXgAAhYnwqtarqHfUE6oF05vOFRWwiLfhrsuMm1fmVV6HP2VPKTZkJYovzS5RUJV8xxWfrj2rg1T-fgX3u6TGYbXz-Mc1sE17wk/s320/Differences.jpg" width="201" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Am I the only one who noticed?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Those are <strong>so</strong> not the same!! She didn’t just unzip her jumpsuit and tie it around her waist to get down to business. She clearly changed her whole jumpsuit! Maybe I’m being a bit nit-picky. Characters change costumes all the time. And the old jumpsuit did have holes in the knees, so maybe she really did need a new one. And there are some comments that you’ve made about the first jumpsuit looking more like robots dressed her. So maybe Wheatly changed her clothes while she was sleeping at some point in time.<a href="#trefd4" id="refd4" title="Back off fan fic writers."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a> But if you wanted to redesign your character, why did you go from “makes sense” to “inexplicable”??</p><p>Cause it’s not just the changes on the suit that bug me. Her other articles of clothing don’t exactly make a whole lot of sense either.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSGszmIeFZ-h0wP5-fj07byw5mufM5qlPrWDGq4OEntPzT5nJXTw5jwTAot9TxZxg4TvCqB4VG0h3-7f2hB_3lAvizWzy8DV_sL84NKqrnk2Cho8abFsHS-Q3F0uf78eDEY14uDwui6c/s1600/GreyThing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSGszmIeFZ-h0wP5-fj07byw5mufM5qlPrWDGq4OEntPzT5nJXTw5jwTAot9TxZxg4TvCqB4VG0h3-7f2hB_3lAvizWzy8DV_sL84NKqrnk2Cho8abFsHS-Q3F0uf78eDEY14uDwui6c/s1600/GreyThing.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">WHAT IS THAT GREY THING???</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Seriously, what is the grey thing? Is it her underwear? If it is I might have to take back everything I’ve said about video game chicks always having to be hot, cause those are some mad-terrible grannie panties/spanks. For my costume, I wear two pairs of nylons that have been cut off at mid-thigh. I need two, one black, one grey to get the right color and opaqueness. And with the seaming and everything else, I can’t figure out what else it could be. Honestly, I’m wondering if you know what it is either. And don’t get me started on the non-existence of three-quarter length tank tops.</p><p>And while we’re looking at this, note the placement of her jumpsuit. It’s about six inches below her waist! When you tie your jacket around your waist, do you make sure it’s sitting all sexy and low on your hips? Oh, you never really thought about it before? Yeah, cause you just tie it around your waist. I have to pin my jumpsuit in no less than three places to make the knot tight enough to keep the jumpsuit from slipping down and off my butt. You could have at <strong>least</strong> had her tie a double knot...</p><p>Now lets look at the jumpsuit a little closer. The jumpsuit in Portal was actually really well thought out. Your seams were unique, but they made sense. Also, the jumpsuit was symmetrical in it’s construction. That’s not usually something you have to point out in a video game model, but in this case, apparently I do. Cause you lost it in Portal 2. And subsequently, so did I.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcAbIJkA90dWCa8s9vHBJZGKJZra9O2HPnSI9rcPfcSpZyVcFBCon5T91G-jO6H1Hob1uxg8LIsaHgxxes-Vo9o1GdOz6lNSqs-ca0q19-LU59FVXwvze6nNnhwm8cgCgEa8lJ7aBIEM/s1600/CompareSides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcAbIJkA90dWCa8s9vHBJZGKJZra9O2HPnSI9rcPfcSpZyVcFBCon5T91G-jO6H1Hob1uxg8LIsaHgxxes-Vo9o1GdOz6lNSqs-ca0q19-LU59FVXwvze6nNnhwm8cgCgEa8lJ7aBIEM/s320/CompareSides.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">If you don’t want someone to look at your model so close, don’t make such a good game.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>What <strong>were</strong> you thinking?!? I'm really starting to lose it here!! Seriously, I think that GLaDOS just analyzed at this jumpsuit too closely, and <strong>that’s</strong> why she tried to kill everyone. Did you think that no one was going to look at this that closely?! You do realize that there are costumers out there, and that a lot of them have an eye for detail, right?! Did your forget that you allow people to unpack and view your assets!?! All the pictures in this article were taken using <strong>YOUR</strong> viewer!! And I’m sorry, I’ve got a bit of a <strong>thing</strong> for costumes making sense. And this doesn’t make sense. You wouldn’t have such different seams on each side of your jumpsuit. And you can’t have a seam start on one side and not end up on the other! Where did it go?!?!?!<a href=" #trefd5" id="refd5" title="Don’t say "portals.""><sup><strong>5</strong></sup></a> Did you have two different designs and forget to merge them into one? Did you have a reverse copy-paste error<a href=" #trefd6" id="refd6" title="An error where a programmer copies a section of code, and pastes it somewhere else, but then doesn’t make the changes needed for it to work in the new environment."><sup><strong>6</strong></sup></a> where you copied one side of the texture to the other, and forgot to leave it <strong>alone</strong>??<a href=" #trefd7" id="refd7" title="Yes, I know, you can’t just do that with the geometry of this model. I made video games for 6 years, I know how textures work. Do you know how seams work??"><sup><strong>7</strong></sup></a></p><p>And don’t even get me started on the seven seams on the legs. Seven!!! Not two,<a href="#trefd8" id="refd8" title="Like normal."><sup><strong>8</strong></sup></a> not four,<a href=" #trefd9" id="refd9" title="It could work..."><sup><strong>9</strong></sup></a> not eight<a href=" #trefd10" id="refd10" title="At least it’s a multiple of two!!"><sup><strong>10</strong></sup></a>, SEVEN!?! Are you <strong>trying</strong> to make me crazy?? Cause it’s WORKING!!!!</p><p>And now for the final, and most disappointing part of all. The Longfall Boots. Let’s be clear here. I was really excited for these boots. They are super cool! And now that Chell has footwear, I was looking forward to feeling wholly accurate in a convention environment. But that was before <strong>I</strong> started to make the boots. Now, remember, I was on a really tight schedule,<a href=" #trefd11" id="refd11" title="I normally like to have months or years to work on my costumes, not just a few weeks."><sup><strong>11</strong></sup></a> so I didn’t have time to make them how I would have liked. I had to do something fast. I attempted to shape the white part of the boot out of model magic<a href="#trefd12" id="refd12" title="Worst. Product. Ever. Don’t use it. Every costumer tries it once before they join the "I hate model magic" Facebook group."><sup><strong>12</strong></sup></a>, just to see if I could quickly make something boot-shaped that would work on camera. However, once it was molded over my foot, and it had mostly dried, I couldn’t get it over my heel and ankle without ripping it. So I’m really not sure how you expect these boots to come off. Or go on for that matter.<a href=" #trefd13" id="refd13" title="If you say "portals" I'm going to have to punch something."><sup><strong>13</strong></sup></a></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1gQ8p5qOo-kuqRJcC-klx5MYtjn0V4Zq-WKm8YsPFn45fbVvRn5LMqs0oOdkuURO95vmZj-fXW6bha11C_oHhXNi6c7DCpNYq7JbuIpbTcGmvctHDsWoMkuINSFOeIH1q-78ltt7T8E/s1600/Boots2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1gQ8p5qOo-kuqRJcC-klx5MYtjn0V4Zq-WKm8YsPFn45fbVvRn5LMqs0oOdkuURO95vmZj-fXW6bha11C_oHhXNi6c7DCpNYq7JbuIpbTcGmvctHDsWoMkuINSFOeIH1q-78ltt7T8E/s320/Boots2.jpg" width="211" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;"> Awesome until you realize they are impossible.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>And don't tell me she just slips into them. Those are <strong>form fit</strong> to her legs from above the ankle. There is a <strong>REASON</strong> that ankle boots have zippers. They aren't just there for decoration. Like whatever that weird line is on the side of her foot.<a href=" #trefd14" id="refd14" title="I don't know what that is, and if it's supposed to be a zipper, I think you need to go and look at a zipper again."><sup><strong>14</strong></sup></a></p><p>And then why on earth did you keep making her run around on her toes? My Chell boots are a <strong>beast</strong> to walk in. Did you see my video?!? Did you see how I couldn't get enough traction to push my poor cube up the hill? Yeah, they didn't work so well for that. There's a <strong>reason</strong> I ripped them off!<a href="#trefd15" id="refd15" title="Note, look closely, I have to unzip them to take them off!!!"><sup><strong>15</strong></sup></a> And note with I did with them after!!<a href="#trefd16" id="refd16" title="Spoilers! I threw them off a cliff!!!!!! ...Yes, we picked them up so I could fix them for the next day of shooting..."><sup><strong>16</strong></sup></a> Yeah, that's wasn't acting. That's <strong>exactly</strong> how I feel about those boots!!!! Granted, I did make mine by chopping up some old gogo boots. And they don't have the best soles. Not to mention, in order to make them more true to form, I ripped the heels off. Which probably wasn't the be idea on my part.<a href="#trefd17" id="refd17" title="Most Portal 2 Chell cosplayers have boots with heels."><sup><strong>17</strong></sup></a> Because, now when I go to conventions, I can't walk down stairs. Or rather, I have to walk down them sideways, one step at a time. I'm not Lady Gaga, I don't have my degree in walking in crazy shoes. But I have a suspicion that even when I make them out of plastic and spring steel that they are still going to be problematic to walk in. Mostly because they are 4" tall and the springs stick out 4" from the back. Which is the real problem when attempting stairs. And if walking and stairs are going to give me trouble, I don't know how I'm supposed to solve spatial puzzles<a href="#trefd18" id="refd18" title="Like how to get the boots on and off my feet."><sup><strong>18</strong></sup></a>, outwit a diabolical being bent on my destruction<a href="#trefd19" id="refd19" title="The designer of these boots. Or GLaDOS."><sup><strong>19</strong></sup></a>, and the defeat the dumbest moron who ever lived.<a href="#trefd20" id="refd20" title="Wheatly, of course. Who did you think I was referring to??"><sup><strong>20</strong></sup></a> Ok, maybe that last part isn't so hard.</p><p>So Valve. I love you. I really do. You guys are great. You make great games. But would you mind just thinking your character's clothes through a little more? I'm not saying you need to pander to anyone, I'm just saying when you're done with your models, maybe find a costumer with a little experience, maybe someone who used to be in video games, maybe someone who has some basic 3d modeling knowledge, maybe someone with their own giant plushie cube. Maybe you could just ask her if they make sense. And then we can just avoid these problems in the future. And I'm sure then we'll all sleep better at night. I know I will.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOlD1KxR8fF1emZrZwxvDw9cORfK6eA-2bRawAf8FTxpXraCcnlIL6021PSwgA_JZOMbC9XksBfyx160xcnRm8FnQ2Edge8-GUuc-7D-N7UIMqtg1X-0ic1gqDZMcWeDsyA8FOqTSrOY/s1600/SleepingChell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOlD1KxR8fF1emZrZwxvDw9cORfK6eA-2bRawAf8FTxpXraCcnlIL6021PSwgA_JZOMbC9XksBfyx160xcnRm8FnQ2Edge8-GUuc-7D-N7UIMqtg1X-0ic1gqDZMcWeDsyA8FOqTSrOY/s320/SleepingChell.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Best nights sleep evar.</span></div><p><a href="#refd1" id="trefd1"><strong>1</strong></a> Too bad you didn’t think so. Apparently a cube isn’t as cool as a sock puppet. No, I’m not bitter. I respect your decision. To break my heart.</br><a href="#refd2" id="trefd2"><strong>2</strong></a> Yes, I care about this level of accuracy. And for some reason "it’s a part of my costume " doesn’t ever matter to convention staff...</br><a href="#refd3" id="trefd3"><strong>3</strong></a> Have you ever seen the female equivalent to Tychus Findley in a main role in a video game? Yeah, me either.</br><a href="#refd4" id="trefd4"><strong>4</strong></a> Back off fan fic writers.</br><a href="#refd5" id="trefd5"><strong>5</strong></a> Don’t say "portals."</br><a href="#refd6" id="trefd6"><strong>6</strong></a> An error where a programmer copies a section of code, and pastes it somewhere else, but then doesn’t make the changes needed for it to work in the new environment.</br><a href="#refd7" id="trefd7"><strong>7</strong></a> Yes, I know, you can’t just do that with the geometry of this model. I made video games for 6 years, I know how textures work. Do you know how seams work??</br><a href="#refd8" id="trefd8"><strong>8</strong></a> Like normal.</br><a href="#refd9" id="trefd9"><strong>9</strong></a> It could work...</br><a href="#refd10" id="trefd10"><strong>10</strong></a> At least it’s a multiple of two!!</br><a href="#refd11" id="trefd11"><strong>11</strong></a> I normally like to have months or years to work on my costumes, not just a few weeks.</br><a href="#refd12" id="trefd12"><strong>12</strong></a> Worst. Product. Ever. Don’t use it. Every costumer tries it once before they join the "I hate model magic" Facebook group.</br><a href="#refd13" id="trefd13"><strong>13</strong></a> If you say "portals" I'm going to have to punch something.</br><a href="#refd14" id="trefd14"><strong>14</strong></a> I don't know what that is, and if it's supposed to be a zipper, I think you need to go and look at a zipper again.</br><a href="#refd15" id="trefd15"><strong>15</strong></a> Note, look closely, I have to unzip them to take them off!!!</br><a href="#refd16" id="trefd16"><strong>16</strong></a> Spoilers! I threw them off a cliff!!!!!! ...Yes, we picked them up so I could fix them for the next day of shooting...</br><a href="#refd17" id="trefd17"><strong>17</strong></a> Most Portal 2 Chell cosplayers have boots with heels.</br><a href="#refd18" id="trefd18"><strong>18</strong></a> Like how to get the boots on and off my feet.</br><a href="#refd19" id="trefd19"><strong>19</strong></a> The designer of these boots. Or GLaDOS.</br><a href="#refd20" id="trefd20"><strong>20</strong></a> Wheatly, of course. Who did you think I was referring to??</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-88835414869540286422011-10-03T01:50:00.000-07:002011-10-23T23:03:55.991-07:00Comeon Guys...<div style="text-align: left;"><p>My mom tells me that when I was in preschool, I tended to play with the boys more than the girls. I would want to play on the truck on the playground, and the only other people who were doing so were boys. So I played with the boys.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvJjJZB6s6T1VVXQqbBk4uhX7BftBALzkTHxLKhOcvMF3T6E3HUn8K25YfczfjgPzcCbEZ1wzfCezpH358zXFvADlO01lESqr9rBl_lsahMnD9-iWdYIn5RLsXdC_XYHdLjhXrHF4zHQ/s1600/PlaygroundTruck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvJjJZB6s6T1VVXQqbBk4uhX7BftBALzkTHxLKhOcvMF3T6E3HUn8K25YfczfjgPzcCbEZ1wzfCezpH358zXFvADlO01lESqr9rBl_lsahMnD9-iWdYIn5RLsXdC_XYHdLjhXrHF4zHQ/s320/PlaygroundTruck.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Coolest thing on the playground</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>This pretty much set the tone for the rest of my life. I rarely even noticed when activities were being done by all boys. I remember daydreaming as a small child about things I would do when I was older. In church I used to daydream about the day that I would be old enough to pass the sacrament.<a href=" #trefc1" id="refc1" title="Kinda like communion, but it’s passed to the congregation instead of people coming up to the front. Oh, you don’t know what communion is? Neither did I. Just wiki it. Or better yet, just wiki "sacrament""><sup><strong>1</strong></sup></a> It didn’t occur to me that the only people doing so were young men. </p><p>So as I grew, I continued in my pursuit of things that I found interesting. Which tended to be dominated by men.</p><p>I was the only girl on my Science Bowl team in High School.<br />
I was one of two girls in my Robotics club in High School.<br />
I was the only girl in my Advanced Programming class in High School.<br />
I was one of the few girls in my Historical Fencing club in College.<br />
I was often the only girl, or one of two girls in my College Programming classes.<br />
I was the only woman programmer at my last job in Utah.<br />
I was the only girl in most of my D&D<a href=" #trefc2" id="refc2" title="Dungeons and Dragons. Why do I need to tell you what that is? Aren’t you a Geek? If not, go wiki it."><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a> groups throughout my life.</p><p>I am sure there are examples I am forgetting, because being the only girl is pretty old hat to me. To the point where I don’t always recognize it anymore.</p><p>Which is one of the reasons I hate having it pointed out to me. </p><p>Now I know that a lot of feminists think that “guys” is not gender neutral. But to me, especially when used in a casual setting, it is. Most of the time, people don’t make a big deal about it in my work or personal situations. However, when I worked at one of the larger corporate companies, I ran into questions about this all the time. Every time I changed teams, my lead would ask me if I was offended by the term “guys”, since he<a href=" #trefc3" id="refc3" title="Yes, all my leads were men. I was the only woman in the entire department. So all the leads were men. And even if I was a lead, I’d hardly ask myself questions in the third person like this. I’m not Elmo or Bob Dole."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a> was used to using it in e-mail. And I would assure him that I wasn’t, and that I considered “guys” to be a gender neutral term. </p><p>As silly as I felt the question was, I preferred this method of it being brought up. They askedfor my input, and I gave it. But, the people above my leads would still stumble around this. I would be in a meeting, and the programming lead on my game, or the head of our studio, or somebody from corporate headquarters would be running the meeting, and he’d keep saying “guys” this and “guys” that. And then he’d realize that I was in the room, and that’d he’d been saying “guys” the whole time, and that he’d just done it again. So in an attempt to be PC, he’d try and correct mid-sentence with “guys... and girls”. To me, this is even worse that calling everyone “guys”. ‘Cause there’s nothing that makes you feel more valued than being called a “girl” in a professional setting. But that’s what most people default to as the feminine version of “guy”, unless you are channeling a southern slant, at which point you’ll say “gal”. And being named with a pronoun that is more appropriate for tiny cowgirls doesn’t sound odd or patronizing at all.</p><p>And while I understand where this behavior comes from<a href=" #trefc4" id="refc4" title="They just retook the corporate training web course on PC language."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a>, but honestly, at this point, what’s being said? To me, it says “OH Look! There’s a <strong>girl</strong> here! Lets make her feel special and included by pointing out the one thing that makes her different from the rest of us and is completely irrelevant to her ability to do her job! Here’s a gold star for being a woman!” I swear, we might as well be singing the sesame street song:</p><p><em>One of these things is not like the others!</em><br />
[And by not like the others, we mean super special and awesome for the special attribute that she possesses]<br />
<em>One of these things just doesn’t belong!</em><br />
[We mean, one of these things is so super special and awesome that it extra belongs, and it’s special awesome difference should be pointed out as much as possible to show how super progressive and sensitive we are]<br />
<em>Can you tell me which thing is not like the others.</em><br />
[And by not like, we mean actually kinda the same and special and different and awesome, and actually probably better, which is why we’re pointing it out!]<br />
<em>By the time I finish this song?</em></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPV9JY0HNa28lQt4q2dF_cHKQEbAQ-vi8UIwD0_A8BJ4zDXkXEwcGJu6xWamPSqrkbUeamw5ZsCAAj0JA4TA4l0CiP0YD3zHrVrl3EUkS_GihkbFNgLUGf5EmjdzIQxa7GbzymI8HiAcg/s1600/Elmo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPV9JY0HNa28lQt4q2dF_cHKQEbAQ-vi8UIwD0_A8BJ4zDXkXEwcGJu6xWamPSqrkbUeamw5ZsCAAj0JA4TA4l0CiP0YD3zHrVrl3EUkS_GihkbFNgLUGf5EmjdzIQxa7GbzymI8HiAcg/s320/Elmo.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Elmo wants you to feel loved! And awkward!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Please. I’m a woman, not a sentient plant or alien. I’m not that much an an anomaly. I don’t need you to trip over your words to make me feel included. In fact, I’d prefer you didn’t. It really just makes everyone feel awkward.</p><p>That being said, if we’re talking about a professional job posting that is looking for a “cool software guy”, then yes, we should look for a more professional way to phrase that. And some more gender neutral language would also be nice. But we aren’t going to be able to shame people into changing their language into something that is foreign and awkward. Especially spoken language.</p><p>We’ve tried for a few decades now to introduce a new personal pronoun that is gender neutral. You know what happened? No one adopted any of them.<a href=" #trefc5" id="refc5" title= When’s the last time you heard someone say "phe" or "zher" or "mer". Oh, never? Yeah, I thought so."><sup><strong>5</strong></sup></a> Do you know why? Because no one can remember something that is super awkward or foreign to say. New words usual come out when there’s a new object or activity that needs to be named. Women aren’t new. Besides, we’ve already got precedence in our language to use the plural non-gendered pronoun “they” as a singular non-gendered pronoun. In fact, it’s now officially recognized as correct grammar to do so.<a href=" #trefc6" id="refc6" title=" I overheard this in the Portal 2 commentary. Which is pretty much the definitive source on English grammar. Also apparently Shakespeare used they as a singular pronoun. And most of the rest of the English speaking world, but no one told my middle school English teacher that."><sup><strong>6</strong></sup></a></p><p>So can we just stop with all the demands to use awkward words like “personkind” and “policeperson”. These are horribly awkward words, and no one is going to adopt them. If you want to use less masculine language, use phrases like “human race” and “police officer”. Those are phrases that already exist in our language. And that’s pretty much the only way you can adjust people’s language. You need to steer them from something that is gendered or offensive to something that is un-gendered or less offensive. Like the campaign to stop people from using the work “gay” to denote that something is stupid. You don’t need to invent a new word that means “stupid”, we already have a word for that. It’s “stupid”.</p><p><a href=" #refc1" id="trefc1"><strong>1</strong></a> Kinda like communion, but it’s passed to the congregation instead of people coming up to the front. Oh, you don’t know what communion is? Neither did I. Just wiki it. Or better yet, just wiki “sacrament”<br />
<a href=" #refc2" id="trefc2"><strong>2</strong></a> Dungeons and Dragons. Why did I need to tell you what that is? Aren’t you a Geek? If not, go wiki it.<br />
<a href=" #refc3" id="trefc3"><strong>3</strong></a> Yes, all my leads were men. I was the only woman in the entire department. So all the leads were men. And even if I was a lead, I’d hardly ask myself questions in the third person like this. I’m not Elmo or Bob Dole.<br />
<a href=" #refc4" id="trefc4"><strong>4</strong></a> They just retook the corporate training web course on PC language.<br />
<a href=" #refc5" id="trefc5"><strong>5</strong></a> When’s the last time you heard someone say “phe” or “zher” or “mer”. Oh, never? Yeah, I thought so.<br />
<a href=" #refc6" id="trefc6"><strong>6</strong></a> I overheard this in the Portal 2 commentary. Which is pretty much the definitive source on English grammar. Also apparently Shakespeare used they as a singular pronoun. And most of the rest of the English speaking world, but no one told my middle school English teacher that.</p></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-70744032278416579102011-09-21T22:28:00.000-07:002011-10-23T22:54:03.931-07:00CTRing<div style="text-align: left;"><p>For years, I forgot about my CTR<sup><a href=" #trefb1" id="refb1" title=" CTR stand for "Choose the Right""> <strong>1</strong></a></sup> ring. </p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEo6YJCVufFvdxe-6PFjeq_WMxYFImNM7g3Y6J_HPMt_9d1QslCAkeQ6Czu7hhms02r_gD0FHaHdJR2CnXbx_mvCobV8m1qyGesyCdl2SR2WmGP-2_-W4EzNGZPIdApRVFzzryr5L46k/s1600/CTRRing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="137" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEo6YJCVufFvdxe-6PFjeq_WMxYFImNM7g3Y6J_HPMt_9d1QslCAkeQ6Czu7hhms02r_gD0FHaHdJR2CnXbx_mvCobV8m1qyGesyCdl2SR2WmGP-2_-W4EzNGZPIdApRVFzzryr5L46k/s320/CTRRing.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Actually stands for “I am a Mormon”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>See, I’ve been looking for a way to identify myself as Mormon in my geeky settings. Yet somehow a CTR ring never occurred to me. Probably because their ability to influence me to make correct decisions wore off about twenty years ago. And then it was just a small piece of jewelry that just wasn’t as cool as anything else I owned. </p><p>I forgot that the real power of a CTR ring is branding.</p.><p>Since I exist in two subcultures that don't have a lot of overlap, I have to dig to find one in the other. And that’s where branding comes in. For the past few years, I’ve been trying to brand myself as a Geek when I am in Mormon environments. This seemed the best course of action since the most important attribute for my significant other is his faith and standing in the Church. However, despite my clever geeky shirts, necklaces made of resistors, and triforce earrings, I have yet to have a boy come up to me at Institute or another church activity and say “I see that you are a Geek. I am also a Geek, would you like a free meal?”<a href=" #trefb2" id="refb2" title="Come on boys, is that so hard?"><sup><strong>2</strong></sup></a></p><p>As a joke, I even tried to combine my Mormonness and my Geekyness in the form of a charm that is attached to my purse. Behold!</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYZ9eXGu4DemlGYr6dLmClBTCW7IxrWDDdvCohPjfvXvgWXpWGfnDjqw_UPsBFVyEZ2lWiwIY2Rtg5fsdNtIbSU-jXWpRp_9DIKt0SY3NIzyjUcwNBzUWM2ytB5epPS5ymN1VFkoXFnY/s1600/MoralityCore.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYZ9eXGu4DemlGYr6dLmClBTCW7IxrWDDdvCohPjfvXvgWXpWGfnDjqw_UPsBFVyEZ2lWiwIY2Rtg5fsdNtIbSU-jXWpRp_9DIKt0SY3NIzyjUcwNBzUWM2ytB5epPS5ymN1VFkoXFnY/s320/MoralityCore.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">The only thing between you and a world full of deadly neurotoxin.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>It’s the Morality Core from Portal! It declares my Geeky love for Portal, and my dedication to not flood the world with deadly neurotoxin! It's my geeky CTR ring! Unfortunately this joke is so obscure I didn't even get it until I explained it to myself. No one else has picked up on it without explanation. And we all know that the mark of a good joke is a lengthy explanation after the punch line. The explanation should be at least two to three times longer than the joke itself. Seriously, the longer the better. Then you know it’s really funny.</p><p>Honestly, I don’t know why I try so hard to brand myself as a Geek at church. Anyone that talks to me for more than thirty seconds will figure that out. I guess I’m just hoping that tagging myself will get geeks to talk to me without me having to ferret them out. Unfortunately, I forgot that Geeky men are terrified of all women, even ones who are apparently geeky. </p><p>So I’ve started to think that maybe I need to switch my strategy and wear something Mormon in a Geeky environment. But I somehow forgot about my CTR right. Probably because I don’t usually wear rings in my geeky environments. I’m a programmer, so a t-shirt and jeans is my uniform. And I’ve never seen a Mormon-themed t-shirt that I would actually not feel stupid wearing.<a href=" #trefb3" id="refb3" title=" A giant "CTR" or "I can’t. I’m Mormon" doesn’t make me feel very clever."><sup><strong>3</strong></sup></a><br />
<p>Also, I’ve rarely noticed anyone wearing CTR rings outside of church. And using a CTR ring would probably work better if I was a man. Women tend to look at little things like rings. Men, not so much. Which is why sometimes engaged and married women get hit on. Men just don’t always think to look for *the* ring. However, when married men get hit on, it’s usually because they refuse to wear their wedding rings for some reason or another.<a href="#trefb4" id="refb4" title="Seriously, this is the very first thing I look for when I meet a new nerd man. Men, if you don’t wear your wedding ring, it is your fault that I am hitting on you."><sup><strong>4</strong></sup></a> Which sometimes gets me into trouble when I go to Geeky gatherings. I tend to go to these functions, not only too see what people are working on, but also to attempt to pick up men. This has never worked out for me, as of yet, because all the good ones are married.</p><p>So now that I’ve remembered my CTR ring, I’ll probably start wearing it to Geeky settings. It can’t hurt, and if anyone ever asks me what it means, I can just tell them it stands for “Companion, Tardis, Regeneration”, and that I’m a Time Lord.</p><p><a href=" #refb1" id="trefb1"><strong>1</strong></a> CTR stand for “Choose the Right”</br><a href=" #refb2" id="trefb2"><strong>2</strong></a> Come on boys, is that so hard?</br><a href=" #refb3" id="trefb3"><strong>3</strong></a> A giant “CTR” or “I can’t. I’m Mormon” doesn’t make me feel very clever.</br><a href=" #refb4" id="trefb4"><strong>4</strong></a> Seriously, this is the <strong>very</strong> first thing I look for when I meet a new nerd man. Men, if you don’t wear your wedding ring, it is your fault that I am hitting on you.</p></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4600584097070902407.post-40521795135650199362011-09-17T21:01:00.000-07:002011-10-23T22:14:34.261-07:00Hello World.<div style="text-align: left;"><p>I am a Geeky Mormon Woman.</p><p>These three words are not usually used in the same sentence, much less to describe the same person. Though I’m sure I’m not the only one in existence. There have to be at <strong>least</strong> a dozen of us.</p><p>Even in that dozen, we tend to be Geeky in different ways. Most of the Mormon Women Engineers I know spend their nights and weekends in pursuit of different activities. Some do not actually have nights and weekends because their jobs and so stressful.<sup><b><a href="#trefa1" id="refa1" title="Not a fun place to be, but a lot of us have been there.">1</a></b></sup> Some choose to train for and run marathons. Others put together Mario themed parties for their babies. I spend my nights sewing costumes based on the media I consume. My chosen activities sometimes make me feel unique, even among Geeky Mormon Women.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLXVqxlG-BGhIJDOOFUpBEwAE4n5P4QjqqlwUAJfH475yX9bxtPY3cpJ_EWOYwtVxfAGzaO9Ug_fI17n8lyvGO6mU1mRkMg-fQxQBKDAf0rBMpqCY8xTD3fbYCjjAOuvBmDAtmNEynX4/s1600/SaltLake8BitBig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #eeeeee;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLXVqxlG-BGhIJDOOFUpBEwAE4n5P4QjqqlwUAJfH475yX9bxtPY3cpJ_EWOYwtVxfAGzaO9Ug_fI17n8lyvGO6mU1mRkMg-fQxQBKDAf0rBMpqCY8xTD3fbYCjjAOuvBmDAtmNEynX4/s1600/SaltLake8BitBig.jpg" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Mormons: The Video Game</br>Harness the untapped market!<br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>Being unique is awesome, it makes you singular. Like Chell.<a href="#trefa2" id="refa2" title="For those of you who are not gamers, Chell is the heroine of Portal 2. She is the only surviving human in the Aperture Science facility and takes down a robot bent on her destruction. It’s a good game, you should play it."><sup><b>2</b></sup></a> Or Abish.<a href="#trefa3" id="refa3" title="For those who are not Mormons, Abish is a Lamanite woman in the 1st century BC. She is the sole Christian among the Lamanites until Ammon arrived, and she aided in the conversion of an entire nation. It’s a good story, you should read it."><sup><b>3</b></sup></a> It can also leave you single. This can be a difficult state when one of your cultures has a lot of focus on family, and the other culture doesn’t understand how you can possibly get through your day without coffee.</p><p>However, I see harmony where others assume discord.</p><p>I intend to explore that harmony between the different things that I am. A Geek. A Mormon. A Woman. I hope to cover a lot of space where these overlap, and prove that there is a presence, where many assume there is a void.</p><p>This should be a fun ride.</p><p><a href=" #refa1" id="trefa1"><b>1</b></a> Not a fun place to be, but a lot of us have been there.</br><a href=" #refa2" id="trefa2"><b>2</b></a> For those of you who are not gamers, Chell is the heroine of Portal 2. She is the only surviving human in the Aperture Science facility and takes down a robot bent on her destruction. It’s a good game, you should play it.</br><a href=" #refa3" id="trefa3"><b>3</b></a> For those who are not Mormons, Abish is a Lamanite woman in the 1st century BC. She is the sole Christian among the Lamanites until Ammon arrived, and she aided in the conversion of an entire nation. It’s a good story, you should read it.</p></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747952451997666369noreply@blogger.com6