No Memory Lane Monday this week (hire me!!!)

I didn't have time to write a MLM post this week becuase I was too busy flipping out about a casting call notice I recieved in my e-mail inbox at the end of last week. It was calling for an enthusiastic female video gamer with writing, improv and hosting experience. I am all of those things. The best part? The company posting the casting call was DeFranco Creative! That's right, SourceFed is hiring hosts, you guys!!! 

 

Source

Boyfriend and I have been saying for over a year that it would be a dream job to work at SourceFed for one or both of us!  I need this chance. Boyfriend put up a host reel for me on YouTube, and a friend of mine might possibly be able to get in touch with Phil, but it's iffy at this point. I feel like I would be a perfect fit for them at SourceFed. I love Meg and Trisha and Joe and Lee and Phil. I'm pretty sure they'd love me too if I could just get an audition.

But that's the tough thing about the showbiz biz. You have very little control of what happens to you up to a certain point. I sent in my submission via the casting service, Boyfriend edited and threw my reel up online for me, and my friend is trying to track down his contacts at DeFranco to say "Hey, you totally need to give this girl a second look and audition." But beyond what I've already done, I just have to wait at this point. I hate waiting. I'm not asking for charity or for this job to just be handed to me. I just want a chance to show them what I can do.

So, come on, universe!  Let's do 2014 right!!!
If anyone out there has any connection to Philly D, would you please point him to my blog?

Friday Favorites: Yule Edition

In 2 days, Boyfriend and I are traveling to Colorado to spend Christmas with my family, which means we are flying with Leeloo for the first time (and we all know how I feel about flying.) My biggest fear is that I will start having anxiety attacks before we even get on the plane, which will cause the dog to become very agitated, which will, in turn, make me have a full-blown anxiety-fueled meltdown, which will upset the dog even further and it will spiral out of control in a never ending anxious cycle until Leeloo and I are both trembling and screaming in a huddled mess in the aisle and get kicked off the plane. But maybe I'm overreacting already...story of my life.

That being said, let me distract all of us with some delightful (mostly) winter holiday themed links for your pre-Christmas enjoyment. Joyeaux Noel!

7 Reasons the TSA Sucks
In the spirit of holiday travel, which really doesn't do much for my anxious feelings...alas.

Best Ugly Sweater
Every nerd needs one of these for Christmas!

BS Christmas News Stories
Never fear, the "War on Christmas" is not really a thing.

Hardest VG Decisions
Not really holiday related, but still funny

A Christmas Letter From Neil & Sky
My friends Neil and Sky made this catchy holiday music video a couple of years ago. I enjoy it year after year. (Super NSFW)

35 Pictures Proving the World isn't Such a Bad Place
I've seen a few of these before, but they never stop warming my heart, or tearing my eyes.

The Friday Before Christmas
A magical holiday video made in less than 48 hours by your friends, The White Liars

And finally,

5 Moments when the Eleventh Doctor Broke our hearts
Are you guys ready for it? I'm going to be a blubbering Christmas mess December 25th at 9/8 Central time.

Memory Lane Monday: Geeking Out or Panic Attack or Both?

It's not really a secret that I don't leave the house much. Boyfriend tends to have to coax me out into public events.  Most of the time, after all is said and done, a small part of me is generally content to have faced the fear and left the house, but mostly, I am just relieved to be home again.  But, every now and then, when I get home, I am so happy that Boyfriend pulled me outside of my comfort zone.  Last weekend was one such event.

Boyfriend found a free fan-film premiere at an event space in L.A. He ran it by me several weeks before we went, and I almost forgot about it until it came time to go. We were going to see a Harry Potter fan film (The Greater Good) and a Call of Duty fan series (935: A Nazi Zombie Series.) That night, I was still feeling the almost constant ache of homesickness, and fear that we'd made a terrible irreversible mistake in moving out here. So, I was slightly more surly and anxiety-filled than normal. Add all those feelings to a fancy room full of strangers, and you get a very cranky, awkward Jess.

I was immediately uncomfortable when we walked in. Everyone at the venue seemed to know each other, and I really wanted to just go into the corner and dig a giant hole to jump into so no one would look at me. Then things took a turn and I felt better and worse/more awkward at the same time. I looked at one of the posters for 935: A Nazi Zombie Series and saw a familiar face looking back at me. Yuri Lowenthal was starring in it! Me being uber-nerd that I am, I devoured Yuri's book he wrote with his wife, Tara Platt, and while I'm not hugely into anime, I am familiar with and a fan of Yuri's voice over work (seriously, who wasn't in love with the Prince of Persia's voice?! *Swoon*)

Sorry, Jakey, not even close.

After spotting Yuri on the poster, I turned to Boyfriend to exclaim, "Hey Yuri Lowenthal's in this!" But was cut short by the sight of the actual Yuri in person not 10 feet from me. At this point, I reached total nerd core reactor overload. The stress in my personal life mixed with my social anxiety, now mixed with a full blown geek-out was too much for my poor little psyche. I clammed up. I froze. I couldn't make words in my own head.  I found a nice corner to stand in and just stared into space. Boyfriend noticed the change and pointed out that he noticed that everyone appeared to know each other. This was not helping. I finally blurted out that Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt were here. It took a moment for it to register with Boyfriend who I was talking about, but he realized I was having some sort of inner meltdown and tried to help by coaxing me to go say hi. Again, I couldn't make words. So I just stared at them like a creeper.

Yes, I was the creeper

As I stood trying to make my legs move to walk over and say hi, Yuri walked by us and noticed my Paul and Storm "________ is the name of my _______ cover band" t-shirt. He stopped and told me my shirt was awesome and I almost melted. But I had an ice-breaker now. He had done the hard part for me. So, we talked about my shirt for a minute and then I finally blurted out that I was a fan and I really liked his book. And then we talked about how amazing Rob Paulsen is. It was really great talking to Yuri.

After the films were over I was feeling much better, but still awkward. After everyone was exiting the theater, and congratulating the filmmakers, I wanted to talk to Yuri one last time and say hi to Tara. Expecting to have to introduce myself to him again, I approached him timidly, but with a big smile. As soon as he saw me and Boyfriend his face lit up and he gave us both a big hug. We chatted for a moment more, said hi to Tara and then we all went on our separate ways. Yuri is like Rob Paulsen Jr. He is super nice and unassuming, he was hilarious in the film, and then when we tweeted him and Tara that night after we got home, they both responded.

Best. Anxiety Attack. Ever.

So, thanks Tara and Yuri for making this little nerd-girl feel better about life for a night!

I Don't Have The Words

I was quite absent from blogging this past week simply because I was uber busy. I had rehearsals, several job interviews, and I actually worked and earned some money, yay. All of my stressing out and complaining about money, work and the holidays this week was put into perspective on Friday.  I don't claim to have all of the details, but an unfortunately increasingly common incident occurred at my brother's high school: a student brought a shotgun into the school, intending to hurt someone, and he succeeded. Who knows how/if any of the news reports are accurate, but the facts seem to be that a teenage girl is fighting for her life in a hospital bed, and a very upset, but supposedly promising young man took his own life. At a school.

Friday was scary, to say the least. My brother and his friends were, thankfully uninjured, but it was a very upsetting afternoon. I sat crying uncontrollably in a sandwich shop on my lunch break. I wept out of relief that my brother was safe. I wept out of fear, anger, sadness, PTSD; you name it, I felt it. I'm tired of things like this happening. I'm especially tired of it hitting so close to home.

Take care of each other, and stay strong, Warriors.

Memory Lane Monday: And I Thought L.A Would Be Boring...

Saturday was The Day of the Doctor, as any self-respecting Whovian would know. Unfortunately, I did not get to experience it live like the rest of the world. Because of budgetary concerns and simply because we refuse to give Time Warner Cable any more of our money, Boyfriend and I opted to not get cable after we moved. The internet and our vast collection of video game systems are more than enough for us. But, it is not without its downside. The downside being Boyfriend was at work all day Saturday (i.e. he had the car) and I was stuck at home, avoiding social media to prevent spoiling anything for myself. So, it was just me, Leeloo, and the PS3, and we settled in for a long boring day while we waited for Boyfriend to come home so we could definitely not illegally download the 50th Anniversary Special and watch it. As it turns out, our day was not so boring after all.

The day started normally enough: Boyfriend got up at the ass-crack of dawn to go to work all day with One Direction. Oh yeah, he got to be part of that 8 hour live stream magic. There was even supposed to be a Doctor Who patch-in and I waited for Boyfriend to text me so I could go online and watch it (seriously, I wasn't about to sit through 3 hours of 1D Day just for them to throw Doctor Who a bone.) But the text I got from Boyfriend in the late morning was that the Live "Doctor Who segment just went tits up" (that is a direct quote from Boyfriend via text) so that's when I said fuck it and decided to play Ni No Kuni for the rest of the day. Then things got...interesting. 

Sort of...

Around noon, Leeloo was sleeping on my lap while I was grinding and treasure hunting in Ni No Kuni when a noise scared the shit out of us. This was no ordinary noise. I'd never heard anything like this. My neighbor later described it as sounding like someone was dragging a washing machine full of bricks across concrete. But it was more than that, and it happened 3 or 4 times. It was so loud, it vibrated the building. It sounded like something heavy and metallic being dragged across cement mixed with a Tesla Cannon... inside my courtyard. Car alarms started going off, the power failed, Leeloo started running around barking her head off, and I could hear a crowd of neighbors exiting the building asking "What the fuck...?"  My first reaction was to think earthquake, but I've experienced one earthquake in my life and it didn't feel/sound like this. My second reaction was it sounded like a power plant explosion, but we didn't live near one. My third reaction was panic. After the fourth occurrence of the noise, curiosity overtook my fear and I went outside like the rest of the residents of the block. I documented the incident via Twitter just in case.

It turns out at least 2 of the directional transformers on the power line poles on our street shorted out and/or exploded. Very exciting. Except for the part where I didn't save my game and the power went out. And then it happened agin later in the day when the power company was trying to fix the situation. #NerdGurlProblems am I right? (Apparently loud explosions in my neck of the woods are not uncommon this year.)

And just when I thought my day couldn't get any more exciting...I was wrong again. I hate that. 

Leeloo and I went for a night walk around the neighborhood since we were no longer in danger of encountering downed power lines. towards the end of our loop back home, a lady in a Prius pulled up asking me if I'd seen a golden retriever running around. I told her that I had not and wished her luck. She drove off. Not 30 seconds later a giant golden dog bounded up to me, happy as could be. I grabbed him by the collar and turned hoping the Prius lady was driving slowly enough that I could yell at her, but she was gone. had I been on my own, I probably could have handled this giant 70+ lb dog, but his giant body that bounded around out of control, combined with Leeloo sprinting around my legs to simultaneously smell and hide from this behemoth dog made anything difficult. Somehow I managed to walk/hobble/be dragged down the street close-ish to the corner street light and miraculously, I got the giant dog to sit long enough for me to find his tag and call his owner to tell her I had him. 

Leeloo and I sat with our new friend, "Buddy" waiting for his mom. Well, Buddy and I sat, Leeloo sprinted in circles barking at his Buddy's giant rudder tail. I was feeling really good about myself and how serendipitous it was to be at the right place at the right time to reunite a frantic (oh boy, and I do mean frantic) dog owner with her Buddy. Stupid me. I should know better than to give the universe a chance to piss on my parade.  

Buddy's mom pulled up in her car several minutes later. Buddy, in his excitement (and me in my sillyness) got so excited/riled up at the site of her car, that he leaped forward just as I was trying to stand up. The next thing I knew was my face was firmly planted on the sidewalk, my knees hurt like hell, and Buddy was sprinting away into the darkness. Leeloo, the ever-staunch observer, barked and hopped around in the direction Buddy ran. I staggered after him into the blackness of some strange people's yard, but I couldn't find him. I ran back to the owner's car. She was standing there perplexed. I'm willing to give this woman the benefit of the doubt that she was just having a really bad day and was distraught at her dog running away, but to say that she was a basket-case would be the understatement of the century.

Short story long, Buddy got away again, but as the owner, and soon her friends in the Prius, and I congregated, dumbfounded, her cell phone rang. Someone else had found Buddy almost half a mile away. They all drove off into the night to retrieve Buddy, thanking me for my efforts. I hobbled home with Leeloo, hoping that Buddy was alright and that this story had a happy ending. My knees sure didn't have a happy ending.

No good deed goes unpunished

 But, it's nothing an underpants bandage can't fix.

I did eventually get to watch the 50th Anniversary Special and I also watched An Adventure in Space and Time. If you are a Whovian and have not seen either/both of these yet, get off your ass, you are missing out. They were/are both even better than I hoped for. 
Go. Go watch now! If you've watched, go watch again!!!

Friday Favorites: Someone Better Come Pick Me Up in a TaRDIS Tomorrow...or else.

Tomorrow is The Day of the Doctor!!! Unfortunately, I don't have cable, so I can't watch it live. My one Whovian friend in this city is actually in London for the premier frivolities. Sadly, I will have trouble getting anywhere where I might view the fabulous-ness of the day because Nerdmelt and other cool places are too far for me to walk because I won't have a car tomorrow because Boyfriend has has to work (on some super top-secret live event at the YouTube Studios...coincidence? Yeah, probably.)

-Allie Brosh on NPR
I love this girl so much. Go buy her book. *Trigger Warning: She discusses self-harm and depression.

-This is incredible
*Trigger Warning: this is a comic strip is intended for adults and discusses childhood sexual violence.

-Parenting: you're doing it right
My dinosaurs came to life too.

-GoldieBlox: Empowering our future female engineers
This is a great toy and we need more like it. If you want to help this awesome video air during the Superbowl, go vote here!

-Kanye starts a feud with Zappos?
Normally I don't pay attention to the "Imma let you finish" guy but Zappos' CEO just won the internet. The product comments are amazing.

-Super cafe: Who's a Hero
And last but not least, in honor of The Doctor. LOL

Memory Lane Monday: L.A Vs. NYC (Round 1) or Dear God What Have I Done?!

Source

I've been in L.A for 3 weeks now. I knew it would be an adjustment, but I'm having a much harder time feeling settled and feeling like I'm "home" than expected. I still wake up in the morning half expecting to be in my old shit-hole apartment. I'm relieved that I'm not, but then I remember that I no longer live in NY and I get a little sad/confused/scared/happy.


I'm definitely feeling more insecurity than I've felt in a long time (which is saying a lot, actually.) I miss my NY friends. A lot.  I miss my routine. I feel scared and guilty and horrified that I've made a terrible mistake. I got cast in a play from the very first audition I went on after I got here, and I was feeling pretty good about myself despite my homesickness. Unfortunately, this weekend some serious high-school-level crazy drama bullshit went down and I'm no longer enjoying my theatrical experience. I won't go into it here and now, since it's still fresh and I don't know how it's all going to pan out yet, plus I don't want to embarrass anyone or burn any bridges this early in my L.A tenure.  I'd be lying, though, if I said it wasn't contributing to my melancholy today.
 
All those feelings aside, I have made some humorous (at least to me) observances about the differences between NYC and L.A...wait observances? That's not right is it? Observations. Fucking brain. I need to start drinking earlier...
Anywho, there are some subtle -let's call them oddities- I was unaware of before arriving in California:

-In NY, no one can drive worth a damn, and they will run your ass over, but usually they can't go faster than 30 mph, but they'll gladly flip you off afterwards.  
In L.A, no one can drive worth a damn and they will run your ass over going 75 while they sip their non-fat decaf soy mocha latte and gladly flick their cigarette butt out the window at you.

-In NY if you invite your friends out and they decline, it might be because the subway is all screwed up and they won't be able to get home easily after 10pm. 
In L.A if you invite your friends out and they decline it's probably because they found "the most amazing parking spot" and don't want to go out because they'll lose it. (True story, I wish I were joking.)

-NY is filthy. 
L.A is filthier.

-In NY if you want to see nature, you have to get in a car and drive for an hour to go upstate.
In L.A if you want to see nature, you just have to wait for a not-so-smoggy day and you can see the mountains. 


-In NY it's not completely unheard of to see a full-grown man dressed up in an elaborate black and white Charlie Chaplin costume getting onto the subway.
In L.A it's not completely unheard of to see a full-grown man dressed up in an elaborate black and white Charlie Chaplin costume getting into his car.

-NY, even though it is an oblong island shape, it is a grid for the most part.

L.A and the surrounding areas are...whatever the fuck this is:

-In NY a student film casting call will say something like "18-30 female, brunette, 5'6" and taller, 120lbs, must be comfortable with same sex kissing, must be comfortable with full-frontal nudity and simulating sex on camera, payment: no pay, copy, credit."


In L.A student film casting will say something like "18-30 female, blond, 5'6" and taller, must be comfortable with same sex kissing, must be comfortable with full-frontal nudity and simulating sex on camera, Payment: deferred pay, lunch, copy, credit."

-New Yorkers have the reputation for being rude, but I understand them.

Angelenos are friendly in comparison, but it weirds me out on some level.


These are my observations thus far. Stay tuned, I'm sure I'll catalog some more in the coming months. For now, if you'll send your thoughts, feelings, prayers, good juju, etc my way in the hopes that I can get a job soon, that'd be great. Thanks, guys.

Friday Favorites: OMG I Need a Job

Holy shit, it's Friday! 
This week flew by. I'm sitting here drinking wine out of a 33 cent plastic Darth Vader cup because we still don't have wine glasses. I haven't had a do-nothing day since we moved and I'm starting to feel the stress of it all. Nevertheless, I still had plenty of time to find these gems on the interwebs to share with you guys.
You're welcome.

-5 Awesome Things Invented By the Last People You'd Expect
Yup, quite unexpected.

-Big Fluffy Dog and Tiny Kitteh Play
Oh the feels!!! If this doesn't bring a smile to your day, I cannot help you.

-How to Interact With an Introvert
I love love love this! I don't know that I'm a true introvert. I think I stand somewhere in between intro and extro. But all my anxiety makes me appear as though I'm a true introvert.

-Inspirational Disney Quotes
Thanks Uncle Walt!

-Thomas the Tank Engine Crash Compilation
Maybe I'm in a weird place today, but this cracked me up

-Tonight You Belong to Me
If this doesn't make you smile (or double over in laughter as it does for Boyfriend) then I'm sorry to inform you, you have no soul.

Memory Lane Monday: I Miss NY

I have been in California for a little less than 2 weeks, and I'm feeling bouts of homesickness for NY, helplessness, and a general feeling of overwhelmy-ness. Maybe these feelings will go away faster once I have my own car, (Boyfriend and I are sharing a car now) I get my feet wet acting wise, or I get a job.

There are plenty of reasons for me to feel ok right now. Boyfriend's amazing string of apartment luck struck again the day after we arrived. We stumbled upon our new digs less than 24 hours after arriving in L.A. We were looking at a building and were really underwhelmed by it, and as we were walking back to our car, we saw another building with 1 bedroom apartments for rent, called the number on the sign, saw the apartment, loved it, and put in an application. We were approved the next day and moved in a couple of days later. Another Sullivan apartment miracle!

I really like our new apartment. It has its idiosyncrasies that I'm not in love with, but for a first-time L.A apartment that we found randomly, it can't be beat. Our place has new carpet, new paint, new appliances, A.C, a garbage disposal (you will never know how much you miss having one until you don't have one,) new kitchen tile, decent neighbors (so far,) a walk-in closet, a giant bathroom, and a great open floor plan.  Our apartment is great and costs us $200 less than our smaller, crappier NY apartment.  But I'm still homesick for NY. I miss our corner bodega that I could walk to at any hour of the day in my PJs and get anything I needed: amazing coffee, an amazing sandwich, any number of organic groceries. Here in North Hollywood, we have 3 corner stores within walking distance and a 7-11 within a longer walk, and all of those stores together cannot hold a candle to Verdi Fresh. It's weird how something so small can make you so down.

I miss no delivery fees, I miss NY pizza already, I miss walking everywhere, I miss my friends, I miss a couple of our old neighbors, I even kind of miss the subway. It's so weird. I've had a couple of anxiety attacks since we got here, but I have to be careful about taking my meds now because I can't drive after taking them and since I have to drive pretty much everywhere here...yeah. The transition has felt a little better than I expected but it's the little things that I didn't expect that have been setting me off. I went to get change out of my purse the other day and found my MetroCard (it probably has 95 cents on it and is completely useless) and I almost cried. I watch my friends YouTube videos and realize that they are now 3000 miles away instead of 6 blocks away.

On the plus side, I got cast in the very first thing I auditioned for here. And of all things, it's a play. I was in NYC for almost 7 years and I did maybe 6 plays. I'm in L.A for a week and boom: cast in a play. Crazy. I have heard that casting directors here go nuts for NY actors. I guess it sounds prestigious or something. Well, I'll take it, I need everything in my corner that I can get.

Hmm...I was going to try to make this post funny since I really haven't blogged in a while. Whelp this is all I got today.

Friday Favorites: The Return of the Interwebs

We finally have internet!!!!! I didn't realize how much I missed just dicking around online until I was without a computer with an internet connection for almost 2 weeks. I missed a lot, but I felt like I really experienced America. It was great fun driving 2800 miles across the country.
Boyfriend, Leeloo and I have a new apartment in North Hollywood. It's a really great living space and it's slowly coming together with all of our stuff. So far, L.A is more of a culture shock than I expected and I am currently feeling some homesickness for Astoria. I sort feel like I just returned from the most amazing vacation on Mars only to discover that I have in fact returned "home" on the Moon. The internet helps, though. I sat down to "check my e-mail" and "look for a job" about 3 hours ago. I have finished doing neither of those tasks. Oh internet...don't ever change.

-L.A I am in you!
And I plan on making some changes

-P-Ink.Org
My tat serves a similar purpose, to look at it an see my own strength

-Much Loved
I need this book for my brand new coffee table

-War on Kinkade
I also require one of these prints for my plethora of new walls

-Swedish Cinemas on the gender bias in movies
I am sad that so many of my favorite movies fail this test, but it won't prevent me from loving them. We just need to do better moving forward. And when I say 'we' I'm looking at you, Hollywood! (See first entry.)

Friday Favorites: Halloween Edition

As I sit here typing this, (scheduling it to publish on Nov 1st since I don't think I'll have internet or a place to live yet) I am trying desperately to breathe normally and not have a full-blown anxiety attack. I leave NYC in 11 days, give or a take a few hours. I fluctuate violently from excitement to sadness to full on panic. It's been rough. Hopefully, by the time you read this post, I will be in Denver making a nice long pit stop to visit family before making the final leg of our journey and arriving in L.A by Halloween. Needless to say, I won't be doing much interwebs browsing in the coming days, so I'm stock-piling some cool stuff here. You're welcome.

-It's Just a Cat
Ah, the classic scary movie trope

-Needless Video Game Features 
It makes you want to scream doesn't it?

-Australia Welcomes You
 

Friday Favorites: On the Move

This one is a shorty that I had to write and schedule to publish quickly. If you're reading this, I'm on the most epic road trip ever with Boyfriend and Leeloo. I have no interwebs right now!

-The Top 5 Deathbed Regrets
A morbid way to start your Friday, but something to think about

-Gaming Gender Gap (And How to Fix it)
I like articles with suggested solutions instead of just reporting the problems we all already know exist

-Cute Gangsta Cars

Friday Favorites: Pets Are the Best

This week in between packing and freak-outs about packing, I hold my dog -probably tighter than she would really like. I hold her. I hold her until the panic goes away. Sometimes I lay down with her on my chest to remind myself that I'm still breathing. She doesn't like this much either, but she lets me. Because she loves me. My dog is the best.

She's the best. She loves me even when I make her try on the sweater I knit her in the middle of July. THE. BEST.

-Wet Dog Gives You a Piece of His Mind
This is an oldie, but it makes me laugh every time

-Rats Doing Tricks
I find rats fascinating, but their hairy tails creep me out

-My Life in a Drawing
This is why I never get anything done

-Baby Shower Vodka
Many many years from now, this better be at my baby shower 

-Calling in Sick
Why is this not a legit reason?! 

-Cute Snake
That's right.


-Animals Wearing Dinosaur Costumes
Because.


On a completely different note, Her Universe just named me Fan Girl of the Day today!!! I feel a little like a failed Fan Girl since I'm not at NYCC like everyone else, but I have a lot on my plate these days and couldn't handle a convention this weekend right before my big move. Also, nothing nothing nothing could ever top last year. 

Thanks Ashley, you're a class act!!!

NYCC 2011

Memory Lane Monday: Farewell NYC Edition

I haven't posted much lately because it's taking every ounce of my sanity and energy to not die from anxiety over moving across the country in 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS!!!! My apartment is a shit-hole (more so than usual right now) and everything is chaos in my brain (again, more than usual.) To compound the throbbing panic that constantly floods my brain and the invisible belt around my chest that feels like its being cinched tighter every hour making it impossible to breath, Boyfriend got on a plane at the ass-crack of dawn this morning to go visit family and to pick up our "new" car to drive back here. So, I am trying to keep my emotional shit together while packing for the biggest move of my life by myself for 5 days. Not gonna lie, it's been a rough 12 hours.

Don't get me wrong, Boyfriend is not the bad guy here, my mental health (or lack thereof) is the big culprit. I just never realized how much I relied on Boyfriend as my constant and my support system until I was left to my own devices for a day knowing that there were still 4 days to go. But, I digress...

This might be my last "regularly scheduled" blog entry for the next few weeks, so I tried to make it a good one. But all I got was lists. You're welcome.

What I'll Miss Most About NYC

-My Friends

I have made so many wonderful friends here, the tears really started today and they probably won't stop for a month.

-The Pizza

Everyone keeps telling me I can't get good bagels and pizza anywhere else. That may have been true in the 80's, but now it's not that difficult to find good bagels and good pizza. But there's just something about going to Frankie's or 2 Bros. and getting a slice and a coke for $3 and pushing your way through the smelly crowded sidewalk with steaming hot pizza grease dripping down your chin.

-The ability to find almost anything you could possibly need at 2 am

Seriously, you can find the most random necessities at 2 in the morning.

-The skyline

There's just something magical about that skyline. Which I got to view from the Statue of Liberty for the first time this summer. How sad is that?! I was born here, lived here almost 7 years of my adult life and never went to visit Lady Liberty?

-The energy

NYC has a very special energy or aura, something about the way the city moves if you just stop and feel it, it's amazing.

What I Won't Miss

-Roaches the size of matchbooks

And bigger. Lots bigger. Fucking horrifying.

-The crazy fucking neighbors

Exhibit A.  Exhibit B.  Exhibit C.  Exhibit D.  

And those are just the ones I've written about.

-Smelly/hot/cold/sticky subway cars

You really don't want me going into detail.

-Sweating ALL the time

I never knew my kneecaps could sweat until I moved here. Humidity's a bitch.

Alright, so these lists aren't comprehensive, but you catch my drift. Despite all the crazy shit here, I am going to miss NYC. L.A is going to be very different, but this is one of the few times in my life that I can remember being ready for a change.  So, if I fall off the radar next week, don't worry, I'll be back to my normal snarky, mentally addled self soon. Also, it's 2800+ miles from here to L.A. I'm probably going to tweet A LOT. You've been warned.

Friday Favorites: Do What You Want

I'm feeling a tad moody and all "fuck-it-y" today.

-The True Power of Force Ghosts
This made me laugh so hard. It almost makes the whole Anakin ghost thing better. Almost.

-The Two Words No Woman Wants to Hear
I really thought I was alone in feeling icky and indignant when a stranger (usually male) says this to me on the street. We are not alone. Only we have domain over our bodies and ourselves. It is never wrong to not want to be told what to do with your own body.

-Sesame Street Goes Game of Thrones
I'm not obsessed with GoT the way a lot of people are, but I know it's a damn good show when ye ole Street De Sesame gets in on the action.

-One Word Comeback
Maybe we need to just pelt the news outlets with history books and they'll get a clue?

-Epic Parenting
I'm not a parent yet, and don't plan to be for a few more years, but sites like this make it seem way less scary.

-My Life As A Warrior Princess
A cool article written by Jennifer Sky about her experiences on one of my favorite shows in the 90's.

Memory Lane Monday: A Fair Fare-thee-well to Ye Olde Renaissance Faire, Also, Camels

You know that feeling when you write a post for your blog and then hit "save" instead of "publish," and then you try to fend off the stress and anxiety from the knowledge that you are moving across the country in 3 weeks and leaving behind everything you've known for the past 7 years by binge-watching Breaking Bad which just makes you feel shittier so then you try to cleanse your pallet by binge-playing Ni No Kuni and then the next thing you realize is you've gone an entire week without accomplishing anything? Yeah.

Boyfriend, our friend Jen, and I made our annual pilgrimage to the New York Renaissance Faire this year, probably for the last time. It was fun. I rode a camel! 
But, Faire felt different this year. Maybe it's grown stale for me since it's the same year after year, or maybe I was just melancholy that day, or maybe it was all the drunk assholes since they decided to add a Pub Crawl to the roster to boost sales but didn't think to boost security. I'm going to go with a little of all of the above. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Faire, but this year felt different. I still had fun, I rode a camel. I think I'm just blue about the reality of leaving NY.It was nice to be outdoors on a nice day and sort of push the stress of moving out of my mind for a few hours, but as moving day draws nearer, the stress bubble inside my brain grows and grows. But, I rode a camel, and that was awesome.

The first time I ever rode a camel I was 3 years old and it was at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio. We were probably visiting my grandparents. I remember nothing about it except looking down from atop the camel to the ground. It was terrifying and fascinating and I felt a thousand feet high. I've had dreams and flashbacks to that moment staring down from the camel's back throughout my life. Yet I never really knew if these memories were real or just something I had imagined. I never knew until I rode that Camel at the Ren Faire, and I looked down from the camel's hump and felt the same feeling I had almost 27 years ago. It was a relief. Lately I've been questioning my own sanity and my ability to remember real things. I think it's just stress and anxiety and fear manifesting into me shutting things out. But being able to know that one very distinct memory of that camel ride at age 3 was not something I had invented, helped me feel sane and free for the 5-ish minutes adult me was on that camel. Thank you, Ren Faire.

So go out there and ride your camel!

I can conquer anything

Friday Favorites: Procrastination Edition

I finally started watching Breaking Bad this week on Netflix. Holy shit that show is intense and amazing. Between that and Ni No Kuni, I have been fairly useless this week. Any excuse to procrastinate getting prepared to move...OMG I'M MOVING ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN A MONTH!!!!

-A Field Guide to Procrastinators
I am all of these

-Sexism in Video Games Not Dealing With Giant Boobies
It probably doesn't help that I call them "boobies" huh?

-Baby Elephant and a Sleeping Dog
Other than the obnoxious rooster in the background, this is a very soothing sweet video

-Why Grammar is Important
Learn that shit, yo! 
(Sorry, I've been watching a lot of Breaking Bad lately. Like, a LOT.)

-Cats Knocking Sh*t Over
Exactly.

-Disney Princess Costume Swap
This is darling and I want a collection of prints. My favorite one is Belle in Beast's clothing

And on a more serious but important and educational note:

-Mental Health in the Marketplace
Useful resources and information for those struggling with mental health issues.

Friday Favorites: The Revenge

My laptop is acting crazy today. It has these wierd flickering lines on it like an old tube TV that isn't getting good reception. I think it's dying you guys. Um...other than that, I've got nothing today. Here:



-Roommate Confessions
With my series of awful roommates/living situations, I am proud to say I never did any of these things.

-Things I Never Learned in School T-Shirt
Yeah, I kind of need this shirt...

-Dear Fake Geek Girls, Go Away?
Thank you satire. Note: if you read the comments on this video, your head might explode with rage...mine almost did.

-We Can To Please Have More Doctors?
I don't claim to be a DW expert (I reserve that title for my buddy, KAnderson) but I really do hope that there are multiple Doctors/companions/other DW alums in the 50th anniversary. I really believe it will lose something if there aren't as many alums as possible.

-More Harry Potter...sort of!
When I first saw the headline, I almost rolled my eyes, but stay with it, guys.

-Dr. Lollipop the Unicorn
Oh yes, it's a thing.

-My former place of residence in under water!
Of all the natural (and unnatural) disasters I have experience or expected to experience in Colorado, massive flooding was not one of them.

And finally, I'm going to include something that I read this week but did not like:

-10 Things You Didn't know about Playing Video Games
Normally I really like a lot of the stuff written on LifeHack.com, but I found this article to be slightly condescending especially since it was written by a female gamer who is addicted to The Sims just like me! Feel free to leave your opinions in the comments. Maybe I'm too sensitive. 
Also, for the record, (and not to sound all hipstery or troll-y) yes I did know all of those things about playing video games, because I read technology-based publications regularly, and most of the studies the author referred to (that ABC and NYT just now appear to be reporting on) came out last year. But maybe I'm just splitting hairs...

Memory Lane Monday: When Childhood Gaming and Being a Classy Adult Get Together and Make an Awesome Baby

Last Friday night, Boyfriend and I did something that, as a child, I always imagined every cultured person in NYC did all the time: we attended an art show at a gallery. Now this was no ordinary art show, thank you very much. This was the 3 NES Show at the Bottleneck Gallery, featuring a multitude of pieces in every medium imaginable, all inspired by the Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid games. So in other words: Best. Art Show. Ever.

To be honest, I was only mildly excited about going to the art show opening. Firstly, the gallery was in Williamsburg, which is not only mildly annoying to get to from Astoria, but we all know how I feel about Williamsburg. Secondly, going to a crowded art gallery (aka a small space) did not sound very appealing... you know, that whole social anxiety thing.  However, once we got inside and I got a free beer in my hand (thank you Brooklyn Brewery) I felt ok. Then I just reminded myself that I was surrounded by other nerds like me who probably all had their own awkward inner demons, and we were all there because we liked video games and/or free beer. But once all the people who were only there for the free beer cleared out, and I started documenting things for the blog, I felt a lot better and really enjoyed myself.

My t-shirt was designed by ShayLei and can be purchased on Redbubble

There was so much amazing art at this gallery! I wish I could have taken pictures of everything to share, but then no one would go to the gallery to see the show. So here are just some of my favorite pieces:

These gorgeous portraits of Peach, Zelda, and Samus are painted with acrylic by Kathleen Sanders and are available to purchase for $300 each. If I had a thousand extra bucks laying around, I would have snatched these up in a heartbeat.

Peach

Zelda

Samus

This amazing paper mache sculpture, entitled "Chomper Plant with Fireball" was done by Art Lopez, and stands approximately 13" high.

Boyfriend and I did end up buying 4 limited edition prints of some pieces we really liked. That's right, bitches, we bought us some art, like adults! Because we're all classy and shit.

"Armoured Beauty" By: Javier Jimenez

 Boyfriend and I bought a set of 3 of these giclee prints of your favorite video game beauties all tattooed and bad-ass-looking. We also bought this signed limited edition archival print of Link and dark Link in the Water Temple. I wanted this not only because it's awesome, but also because of the piece's title:

"The F ' ing Water Temple" By: Kim Herbst

I won't comment on all the pieces that I documented except this one last giclee print. I'm only going to share this one because it made me feel icky and it falls into the category of "things you can't unsee" and I need to share that pain with you all. I cropped the photo to be as SFW as possible, but it probably still isn't. Behold, your childhood game heroines as call-girl posters: (After the break)