Geek Girls Rule! #105 – Man, I have a lot of stuff.

Ok, I don’t know if it’s like this for all geeks, but damn we have a lot of crap.  A LOT of crap.  We’ve been going through boxes and closets, and trying to divest ourselves of a good chunk of it.  I don’t know if all geeks are packrats like this, but an awful lot of the geeks I hang with are.

Part of it, geeks are information hoarders.  And yes, while technology is somewhat more compact than it was, I know I’m not the only one out there with a 12 year old computer sitting in my closet because it’s the only system that will play an old favorite game (Blood Bowl) and there’s a bunch of stuff on there I would like to retrieve one day, but I just haven’t gotten around to it.

Another form which information takes is books, and we have… many.  We have applied a second layer of insulation, in the form of bookshelves on every flat wall, to our living space.  Now, some of them I’m not ever giving up:  my copy of “Unicorn Variations” signed by Zelazny, my collected works of Manly Wade Wellman, the hardcover Little House on the Prairie books my grandmother bought me when I was little, the complete L. Frank Baum Wizard of Oz, and I could keep going.  We have gotten better in recent years about culling the collection every so often and selling them off or donating them to a library.  But still, after about six months of the Geek Husband What Rules picking me up at a Barnes and Noble after work, yeah, those shelves fill right back up real quick.

In addition to information, we also have music.  The Geek Husband What Rules is a Music Nerd of the first water.  He used to DJ at a college radio station and occasionally at the club where we both worked.  As a result, we have a couple thousand CDs, most of which we got for free.  We have a HUGE Reggae and Dancehall collection, as well as Industrial, Heavy Metal, Nu Wave, Punk, Ska, my chick rock, Rockabilly and the classics like the Beatles, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Sr. and Patsy Cline.

After that come the comics and comics-related collectibles.  I have the wall of Nightcrawler, which is not quite complete, but getting there.  We have a Man-Eating Cow action figure, lots of Spawn, the Hansen Brothers from Slapshot and lots of other random things that catch our fancies.

I also collect fountain pens, hedgehog figures and Devil Duckies.

THEN we have the gaming shelves.  Traditional, Indie, weird, all sorts of RPGs populate the collection.  Early White Wolf, two editions of GURPS, two editions of Warhammer FRPG, ASL, dozens of copies of White Dwarf and Dragon magazine all grace those shelves.

We really do have an insane amount of just crap, but we’re getting better.  In fact I spent this evening going through a bunch of my writing from jr. high and high school and tossing out old notebooks.  I have not yet decided whether to throw a dramatic reading or a bonfire.

G.I. Joe fanfic with a serious Mary Sue, anyone?

Geek Girls Rule! Flash Update Part the second.

And here I was thinking, “Wow, Marvel and Joe Quesada haven’t done anything to spike my blood presure in weeks!”

Ahem.

Ok, only the Emma Frost costume looks anything like an actual costume worn by any of the characters.  I have totally seen Emma Frost wearing that.  Aside from that, FAIL!!!!!!!

Are we supposed to be ecstatic that Marvel’s increased the range of costumes to other characters since the inital release of their costume line earlier this year?  Since of the 13 costumes, they’re essentially the same four designs in different colors, yeah, not so much on the increased range.  And, as I said above, save for Emma Frost none of these characters has ever worn anything even approximating these costumes. 

Sigh. 

Why do Marvel and Joe Quesada hate my blood pressure?

ETA:  In Marvel’s defense, they also have this shirt.  I feel dirty being grateful for crumbs.

Geek Girls Rule – Flash Update

I’ve been blogging over at the California Chapter of NOW’s blog for a while, which explains some of the slowdown over here.  And today I did something for them that is equally germane to this blog, but I’m not going to repost it in its entirety, so go there and read it.  

Essentially, enough people sent me the link to Limpdick McDouchepants… I mean, “Pro-Male/Anti-Feminist Tech”’s screed about how girls are getting estrogen all over his SF/F, and gay men are getting their gay-ey gayness… or whatever, all over his SF/F and he’s had enough! 

I think we can all picture Captain Sadpants McDateless, at least his demeanor if not his looks.  He’s the kind of guy who’ll spend half an hour telling a girl why she can’t possibly understand SF/F like him and his giant, genius man-brain, and how all women are gold diggers and whores, then ask her out and wonder why she doesn’t leap at the chance.  I’ve met him, you’ve met him, we all wish we hadn’t. 

Thankfully, these jerks are a minority in SF/F and gaming circles.

AmberCon NW!

Ok, so I just posted, but I’m so excited!!! 

For years, because of a conversation between Deborah Donoghue and Ogre, we’ve been joking about running Amber Family Therapy. 

This year, I’m doing it!  And I just got my player list.  This is going to be amazing!!!  I have so many excellent gamers involved!!!  Holy crap, there are not enough exclamation points in the WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I’ll be refereeing as the therapist.  This should be a blast.  I’m thinking of advocating booze during. 

The Harry Potter game, in it’s forth year, also looks incredibly promising.  That game’s always fun, but this year we’re full with about a 50/50 spread of new and old players.  I’m pretty excited. 

My first game, Attack of the B-movies, is a little smaller than I’d intended, but I may well just give everyone a fist full of characters and start slaughtering them with horror tropes as quickly as I possibly can. 

Amber Family Therapy, though.  I could not ask for a better bunch of players for that game.  I hope it lives up to and exceeds expectations.

Geek Girls Rule! #104 – Trolly Trolly Troll Troll.

Occasionally, not often, but occasionally, I get trolls here.  When I do, on those rare occasions, unless they’ve said something actionable in a court of law, I leave them up.  I mean, I can’t possibly make them look any dumber than they have themselves.  And really, I’m hoping to inspire them to great heights (or depths) of trollness for my entertainment, because I really do find these guys funny.  Guys?  Excuse my assumed sexism, people.  But I think it’s generally a safe bet that they are guys, just because of the content of the trolling. 

One of the first actual trolls I got replied to one of my posts with, “I think someone needs to start shaving.”  My response, “I wax.”  Really, that’s the best you can come up with?  I’m a Feminist so I must be hairy?  He wasn’t even really trying. 

The next one I received felt the need to take me to task over my hatred of Windows Vista.  I found this hilarious.  The idea that MICROSOFT needs a brave defender from me.  Good Gods, people.  Microsoft could buy several small nations.  I seriously doubt that my harsh words even ding their tough, dinosaur-like hide. 

However, if Microsoft are listening I have some advice for you guys.  Put out a finished product.  See, I remember when you used to do that.  Windows 95, 98, Office 97.  Then you started the Beta testing program, where users could get free copies of things like the Office suite in beta, and they would agree to send all their feedback to Microsoft.  In return, beta testers got a reduced price on the finished product.  I was a beta user for Microsoft Office 2000. 

THEN Microsoft decided, “Well we can just release the betas charge people $300, install something that automatically reports all the problems back to us if they’re on the net, and then issues so many patches it will render all but the most powerful machines nigh useless.”  Sigh.

There it is, you want me to quit bitching about Microsoft?  Tell your bosses to release actual finished software instead of betas, for which they charge too fucking much.  The end.

Next, I just got my first troll on the podcast (no, I haven’t unhidden his comment).  He’s so cute!  I just want to pinch his chubby little cheeks, run my fingers through his crazy sticky up neon hair and rub the jewel in his tummy!!!!

Trolly, Trolly, Troll Troll

I think if girls want to get involved with roleplaying the best way they can do it is to convey snacks and beverages to the gaming table, preferably barefoot. On no account should they be allowed into a dungeon, they will take 20 minutes to parallel park their floating disk at the best of times and will start moaning as soon as they realise the game isn’t solely about them. Or taking their clothes off for attention.  (by Nerd)

Isn’t he just the most adorable and completely unoriginal little Troll you ever did see? 

Now, there are two possible explanations for this comment.  1. Is that he thinks he’s being ironic, and his imitation of douche-ness is just so spot on that we’re missing the satire.  Or 2. He’s sitting at home alone, waiting for puberty and is going to spend the rest of his life wondering why girls don’t like him.*

I’m leaning heavily toward 2 at this point.  Honestly, I just hope he never shoots up a health club like that asshole in Pennsylvania.  And that last bit about girls taking their clothes off for attention, does that sound the teeniest bit like wishful thinking to any of the rest of you?  Yeah, I thought so. 

I’ve always wondered whether it was masochism or pure entitlement that makes people come into spaces that are pretty much guaranteed to piss them off, and pee all over everything.  I mean, come on Dude, look at the title of the blog and podcast:  Geek GIRLS RULE!  I mean, you already know this is not your thing.  This would be like me going into a blog called “It’s so cute when women pretend to think” and being surprised at the rampant misogyny.  Is it some pathological plea for help?  Did mommy not love you enough?  What? 

On the other hand, thank you for one hell of a good laugh.  My keyboard may never be the same.

So, guys, share your best trolls with us.  Or even the best trolls and responses you’ve ever seen. 

*The ‘waiting for puberty’ comment stands regardless of whether he’s 13 or 30.