Kevin and Rubi have been happily married and in love for over fifteen years and have three great kids. He's a Public Safety Communications Supervisor and a "fantastic fiction" geek. She's a wonderful wife and a great mom, and writes about computer games for a living at Massively.com. Kev and Rubi enjoy spending as much time together as they can given their busy lives.
Christmas draws nigh and I'm sure many people are already finished with their Christmas Shopping. I'm one of those people that tends to put it off until December every year, and usually the back-half of the month.
This year, I've done more shopping online than in previous years. I scored a free Prime membership to Amazon, so shipping is free on just about anything I buy that Amazon ships (though not from their resellers). I'm just about finished buying for my wife - I could stop now and call it good, but I might try to pick up one or two more things for her - though I don't know what those would be just yet.
She and I are close to being finished shopping for our kids. We're completely finished shopping for our youngest daughter - deals for her gifts just seemed to fall into our laps this year and when we stopped to take stock of what we'd bought, we were surprised by how much stuff we had already bought... now we have to catch up on the other two kids. We do have some stuff for each of them, but we're not finished.
We also need to buy stuff for her parents, and maybe something else for my parents. We bought a little something for my parents, but I think I'd like to add to it.
As for myself, I had a mix of fun stuff and home-improvement stuff on my own gift list, in addition to all the cool stuff on my Amazon wish list. Some of the stuff on my list includes:
A kindle or other ebook reader.
Two ceiling fans for my house (to replace aging ones).
Two storm doors for my house (to replace aging or missing ones).
A tool chest of drawers and cabinets.
Geeky T-shirts, including anything Firefly/Serenity.
USB to HDMI adapter
Wireless laptop mouse
Saw horses.
A 13’ extension ladder (or thereabouts)
Those are some of things I've asked for this year. And hey, if you want to help me out... ;-)
I finally made it to my very first Gen Con this year! I only attended on Saturday, but I had a blast and hope to be able to attend more than one day in the future.
Gen Con is a staple of table-top gaming conventions; I’d say it’s the king. It seems like there’s never been a time I haven’t known of it. It moved to Indianapolis in 2003, which is close enough to me that I could at least make a day trip for one day. But for some reason I never managed to get around to it. This year, since my wife writes about computer games and I review books, we decided to try to make the trip. I could only get one day off from my day job though, so Saturday we got up at three o’clock in the morning and drove to Indy.
Our first stop was to meet some of Rubi’s coworkers for breakfast away from the con – next time we go, we’re doing the Tracy Hickman Breakfast. I’ve been hearing for years that it’s awesome, but since we only had one day this year, we had to scant time to do much. After breakfast, we drove into Indy proper and hit the convention center. Once checked-in, we flipped through the program to decide what to do.
While planning, we ran into a great cosplayer dressed as Darth Vader. A costumed violin player quickly set up near him while there was a crowd around and started playing the Star Wars theme, then transitioned into the Imperial March. That was a thing of beauty – impeccable timing and great talent! I really enjoy seeing all the costumes at cons.
Our first stop was the exhibition hall. We could have spent days in the exhibition hall. Especially with unlimited funding! I found so many things I wanted to purchase for myself, and for my family. One thing for future trips: we need to demo more games while in the exhibition hall.
As we were walking through the exhibition hall, Rubi found the line to see the cast of The Guild. I think the line stretched to Gary, Indiana and back. Rubi was crazy about speaking with Felicia Day in-person since she got to interview her for Massively Speaking, and she wasn’t able to swing an in-person interview during Gen Con for some reason. She opted to catch the after-lunch line instead of the current one.
We eventually made it to the Asmadi Games booth, where we had planned on replacing our missing We Didn’t Play Test This At All card game that we bought at PAXEast. However, they had a combo-deal that was too good to pass up – we got the card game, plus all its expansion decks, and the game Win, Lose, Banana! This purchase made the entire family happy. We also demo’d WDPTTAL, so we all got Cake! (That’s a card similar to the Banana card, only with Cake featured instead.)
By this time, we needed lunch. I’m cheap, so we hit the mall food court. After foodage, we headed back to the exhibition hall to make our round-about way to the line to see Felicia Day. Our first stop though was the art show. I was so impressed by the talent on display there. I see fantasy and science fiction art frequently and I know someone has to create that, but seeing the art right there on canvas with the artist sitting in front of it really brought that home for me. I saw more than one tip jar in the various art booths as well, to feed “starving artists”. They deserve every penny.
Authors’ Row was next to the art exhibit, so of course I had to stop and see if anything interested me. (Note to self: don’t do this anymore unless you plan on taking more money with you, or blatantly asking for review copies.) I did find several interesting books and Rubi talked me into buying one that sounded interesting to all of us. I traded business cards with another author, who upon reading my card, asked if I wanted a review copy. Of course I do! But only if the author is okay with giving me one. This author had a very nice hard-back ARC of his novel that had been autographed to another fan. The book had a small ding on the spine and the fan didn’t like that. Also, that fan had a very unusual name so the author couldn’t “recycle” the book for another fan with the same name. I happily took that copy and will be reviewing it soon. A few booths away was the artist who did the cover art for that book. His signature now adorns the cover of my review copy.
As we were wandering through the art exhibit, Rubi noticed a sign declaring an artist that did concept art for her favorite MMO would be there later. Later being while she was in-line to see Felicia Day. We walked her down to the line, where she’d have to wait for an hour or more, and returned to the art and author exhibit to finish our browsing and make finalize our purchases. Then went over and chatted with the artist for a bit. Rubi’s co-worker Justin asked some great questions and the artist was nice enough to provide some great answers.
A fun part of this trip was bringing our oldest daughter, Lizzy, with us to Gen Con. She’s been itching to go to a con, loves seeing the cosplayers, and wanted to pick up some con swag if possible. While Rubi was in line, I took our daughter around and she managed to get some fun buttons and some kind of plushy manga character. Rubi’s coworker Justin, hung out with us most of day too. That was a blast. I wish we had had more time to hang out with him and his family. While taking Lizzy around, Rubi called me to let me know she was almost at the front of the line and I needed to come take pictures. I sent Lizzy off to see the costume parade and visit the manga library while I met back up with Rubi and took pictures of her with the cast of The Guild.
After that, we decided, since it’s a gaming con, we had to at least try one game. We visited the Rio Grande Games room where Justin introduced to Dominion, which we must soon purchase. We enjoyed playing Dominion. We really should do more actual gaming next time we do Gen Con. While Rubi, Justin, and I played the game, Lizzy made it back to us and hung out for a few minutes, then went back to the exhibition hall to take some video on her phone.
I honestly don’t remember exactly what we did next. But eventually we ended up sitting on the floor near a pillar and playing We Didn’t Play Test This At All until Justin had to leave to meet back up with his family for their trip home.
After a quick dinner, in the mall again (next time, we must feast at the Red Dragon Inn), we got in line for our final event of the evening: The Guild panel. That was very fun, and Lizzy decided she needed to start watching The Guild. After the panel, we made our three hour drive back home and were in bed by midnight.
Long day, but well worth it. We all had a blast and now we’re jonesing for the next con we can go to as a family. Rubi’s heading out to PAX in September, but I won’t be able to go with her this time. I’m look for some inexpensive, closer to home, smaller cons that maybe we can do. We’ve already missed InConJunction this year, but there’s ConGlomeration a ways off around Easter next year.
Thanks to Gen Con for providing Sporadic Reviews with a media pass. I’ll get my reviews of the books I acquired at the con posted as soon as I can.
Yes, my wife took that picture. We walked by, and I said "Hey, I should get my picture taken with them!" in a wink-wink-nudge-nudge voice. Rubi answered "Don't think I won't take that picture, get over there!"
The first decade of the 21st Century: the naughts, the aughts, the naughties, the ohs?
Let's see what has transpired for The Bayer Family over the past decade.
2000: Alexander, our second child, is born. Yay! (Lizzy was born last century!)
2001: Catherine, our third child and second daughter, is born. Yay! (How'd that happen?)
2002: Lizzy started Kindergarten at the same private school I attended.
2003: I registered this blog... then waited a year to begin posting
2004: Rubi and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on our first family trip to Walt Disney World! Thanks to Rubi's parents.
2005: I started reviewing books on this blog, and elsewhere, occasionally.
2006: Rubi and I became fans of Firefly via the DVDs.
2007: Our second family trip to Walt Disney World! Thanks Rubi's parents!
2008: Rubi and I took up in-line skating for the spring.
2009: Rubi and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary!
1. Do you like blue cheese? I'm not sure I've ever had it.
2. Have you ever been drunk? No. Strung out on cold medicine and caffeine? yes.
3. Do you own a gun? No. Never learned to use one. Wouldn't mind though. (except guns are expensive).
4. What flavor of Kool Aid was your favorite? fruit punch.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? No.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I like them.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? Die Hard.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Water, OJ, or if she's made it, Rubi's Tea.
9. Can you do push ups? Sure.
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? I only wear my wedding band.
11. Favorite hobby? Reading, and napping.
12. Do you have A.D.D.? A dynamite darling. she's my bride. Oh wait, that's not the right answer.. No I don't have ADD.
13. What’s your favorite shoe? At the moment, a pair of Airwalks from Pay Less (that I most certainly did not pay less for...)
14. Middle name? pudintain.
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? Did I spell puddintain correctly? I want to drink some more tea. My shoulder hurts.
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Water, tea, coke.
17. Current worry? Finances.
18. Current hate right now? Finances.
19. Dum da dum dummmm what is that? What you hum when the kid next to you gets called to the principal's office.
20. How did you bring in the new year? I don't recall. I was either at work, or home asleep.
21. Where would you like to go? I'll go just about anywhere if someone else pays for it! I'd like to visit Alaska, and Texas (my sister-in-law moved there), and Chicago with Rubi - lots of different places.
22. Name three people who will complete this? ??
23. Do you own slippers? Nope.
24. What color shirt are you wearing right now? Red.
25. Do you like sleeping on Satin sheets? Never have.
26. Can you whistle? Yes.
27. Favorite color? Dark blue.
28. Would you be a pirate? Arrr matey! And I'd make ye walk th'plank!
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't.
30. Favorite Girl’s Name? Rubi ;-)
31. Favorite boy’s name? Alexander is nice.
32. What’s in your pocket right now? pocket fuzz.
33. Last thing that made you laugh? Rubi.
34. Best bed sheets as a child? the ones at the hotels when traveling.
35. Worst injury you’ve ever had as a child? Fractured a finger.
36. Do you love where you live? I love Evansville. I like owning my home.
37. Revenge of the Nerds or Fast Times at Ridgemont High? Neither.
38. Who is your loudest friend? Some of my co-workers can be noisy.
39. How many dogs do you have? None.
40. Does someone have a crush on you? I hope Rubi does!
41. What is your favorite book? Too many to list.
42. What is your favorite candy? Smarties probably. Big Kats are good, but I'm more of a cake and cinnamon roll guy.
43. Favorite Sports Team? Whatever team my kids are on.
44. What song do you want played at your funeral? Something from Monty Python, and/or Queen "Don't stop me now" (possibly followed by "Who Wants to Live Forever" just to get the tears flowing! Muwhahaha!)
Here are some things I've learned about remodeling rooms:
-It's a pain in the neck - literally. I've had a kink in my neck for over a week and my shoulders are sore. I fell the other day and still hurt; and I also stepped on a nail.
-Let your kiddos help knock out walls and stuff. They're also good at carrying things to the trash and bringing you things when you need them, or finding tools you've misplaced.
-You might be surprised what you find behind the walls in an old house. When we first moved in and did some work on the home, we found a giant hand-drawn R2D2 on one of the walls in the Master Bedroom. This time around, we found an old Bingo ball behind one of the walls in the closet. We also found really nice, though poorly maintained, hardwood floors under all the carpeting.
-It's a good idea to wear sunscreen while standing outside on a hot summer day painting doors and trim.
-It's a bad idea to wear your only really good pair of jeans to paint.
-Cheap face masks should have an integral place in every tool box, and are a must when sanding or installing blown-in installation.
-Paint rollers never EVER rinse clean.
-When you purchase carpet to install in two rooms at separate times, it's a good idea to get the carpet cut into two separate rolls. It's much easier to carry that way.
-Apparently, previous owners that did all the additions and remodeling before us believed in the addage "you can never use enough nails".
-They also had problems with straight lines, squared corners, and keeping everything level. (Maybe they subscribed to my remodeling ethic: "GAH! Let's just get it done! Who cares if it's perfect!"
-And for some reason, they really liked pink: Pink on the walls in the bathroom, in a closet; I actually think they used pink as a primer... And this really nasty shade of green in places inside and on the shutters outside.
-They also wired the house so that just about whatever breaker you throw, something in each room turns off.
-During remodeling, someone will inevitable curse in front of the children. Cursing during remodeling is, in itself, inevitable.
Our current project, Alexander's room, isn't finished yet. I may have more tidbits once that's finished.
I finally got to do something I've been wanting to do for years!
For some reason this morning, when my alarm went off - I turned it off instead of hitting snooze button a gazillion times like I usually do. As a result, I got up ...a little later than I expected. And oddly, my kids slept in too. Which is okay, because usually they get up way too early anyway - but now it was definitely time to get up and they were all still asleep. So...
I threw open the doors to their rooms, turned on their lights and started loudly singing:
Rise and Shine And give God the glory glory! Rise and Shine And give God the glory glory! Rise! And! Shine! And! Give God the glory glory! Children... time to get up!
I was so happy!! My kids were all "daaaaaad... zzzzzzz". I've been wanting to loudly sing them awake with that for years!
Friday afternoon Rubi and I took the kiddos to the annual Fall Festival, the "second largest street fair in America."
Several block of food booths, two midways with rides and games, and Evansville's finest citizens out in all their fat glory, eating everything in sight, and often fighting amongst themselves and ending up in jail.
One of the draws of the festival, besides the endless sea of artery-clogging yummies, is new types of artery-clogging yummies (or disgustings as the case may be): such as scorpion suckers or kangaroo-meat burritos.
We usually stay away from the really nasty sounding stuff (bug candy). This year we gave a couple of new things a try though. The first one was Pig Lickers - bacon dipped in chocolate. Lizzy liked it, the rest of us thought it was nasty. The same booth also had deep fried green beans: green beans breaded and deep fried, served with ranch sauce- those weren't too bad. Rubi liked them.
Everyone (but me) shared the deep fried cookie dough with ice cream and chocolate sauce (that's nasty!!). They like it though.
Rubi and her sister got to ride the FREAKOUT!, which Rubi also rode later with Lizzy. Lizzy hated it. And the kiddos got to ride several other rides too.
Drove down Sunday, spent the night about an hour outside of WDW. Monday morning we drove into WDW and checked into the hotel. As Rubi mentioned, we were granted an upgrade to the "Concierge Level" (which translates from the French to mean "here's free food and people to do your bidding"). After our early check-in, we went to a character breakfast - I don't remember where. Much food was had by all.
After breakfast, we went to the Magic Kingdom. The first thing we did was go to see Mickey's Philharmagic - which is a must see. In fact, we saw it twice that day. We also rode many of the kids rides: Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, It's a Small World (those dolls are freaky!). The families split up for a bit after a the kiddie rides. My family had lunch at the restaurant just across from the Peter Pan ride - I don't recall the name of the place, but we also ate there last time we went to WDW in 2004. Rubi and I both ordered a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich meal. We should have split one; neither of us finished it. After lunch was when we did Philharmagic again. We came out of the restaurant and saw there was no line, so we walked right in.
It had rained a bit while we were inside, and started to sprinkle again as we were deciding what to do next, so we ducked into Tinkerbell's Treasures just as the rain started to pour. Luckily, the shower didn't last too long, and afterwards we decided to head back to the hotel and get in some swimming at the fantastic pool.
After swimming, we went to the beach and roasted marshmellows and made s'mores - a nightly activity the hotel puts on at the beach, in addition to movies on the beach. After the kids gorged on s'mores, we went back to our room and got cleaned up and went back to the Magic Kingdom for a few more hours. I don't recall what we did for dinner Monday.
Tuesday, we had breakfast in the Concierge Lounge (continental-style: donuts, juice, cereal, fruit, etc.) Then we went to Epcot, which was a 5-minute walk from the back door of our hotel. Epcot seemed much more crowded than the Magic Kingdom had been. Rubi and I took the kids to the Finding Nemo ride, then met up with the rest of our crew for Test Track (which I could never remember the correct name: always calling it Fast Track for some reason) and Soarin' (which was great!). We had lunch at some place right in the middle of the park, the Electric Umbrella or something like that. Tuesday is blur after that - I don't recall what we did after lunch, or where we had dinner. I think that might have been the night we had dinner at Cape May, the restaurant at our hotel. Prime Rib and Seafood buffet. Much food was had by all.
Tuesday night was Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom. This was an additional ticket purchase, allowing us into the park after-hours for this special event that included a special parade and shows, "snow" on Main Street, and cookies and cocoa - plus access to all the rides. I was surprised that the park was jam-packed for this event: literally shoulder-to-shoulder at times. I thought it would be much less crowded than usual.
Wednesday we had a Character Breakfast at Chef Mickey. Chef Mickey is the "good" character breakfast with singing and interaction and a huge buffet. After breakfast, we went to Animal Kingdom or whatever it's called. Everyone but me and my daughters rode the Everest rollercoaster. My family rode the Kali River Rapids ride, and only Rubi got really soaked! Elizabeth and I stayed mostly dry. The look on Rubi's face when she got drenched was hilarious - but the poor thing was freezing for most of the day after that.
We watched the holiday version of the Animal Kingdom parade. For lunch that day, Rubi and the kids and I had lunch at one of the chinese restaurants there. Again, I don't recall what we did for dinner this day.
Thursday was our trip to MGM after a Conceirge-Breakfast. Alexander and I were really looking forward to this park, as it has a Star Wars-themed area, ride, and show. None of the kids got picked to particpate in the Jedi Training Academy show, but they enjoyed watching it. We rode the Star Tours ride twice.
We also went to see the Muppets 3D show, and have the little kids pictures taken with Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable (or... the sad WDW approximation of those characters). The rollercoaster riders in the family also did the Rockin' RollerCoaster and the Tower of Terror. My family had lunch at one of the many restaurants there, and caught the last half of a parade than right outside that restaurant.
Dinner was at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney, followed by much shopping. Much food was had by all; including a crazy desert where the waitress yelled "VOLCANO!!" as she brought out the desert - chocolate cake, ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce (supposedly), etc.
Friday we had a character breakfast at Cape May, then went back to Epcot to do Test Track and Soarin' again. Well, everyone else did Test Track - I sat that one out this time. We also got in some more swimming at the hotel, and another campfire with s'mores, and this time with campfire songs too! Dinner Friday was begrudgingly partaken of at Big River Steakhouse on the Boardwalk, a short walk from the back door of our hotel. I saw begrudgingly, because by that time much food had been by all - and frequently - and none of us were really very hungry. But we were using the Dining Plan, and had a table service meal left on our cards to use up - and we were leaving the next day; so we had to use it up.
Saturday, we drove back home. But before leaving, we had several snacks left on our Dining Plan - so I stopped by the store at the hotel and got some snacks for the drive home.
As for, souvenirs: Rubi got a nice white zip-up hooded sweatshirt with a subtle Mickey logo on the chest, I got a "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" baseball cap from MGM and a Beach Club Resort baseball hat, and the kids each got a Pin Lanyard and a bunch of pins and spent the trip trading pins with Disney Cast Members, as well as light-up Mickey ears (Catherine got a princess hat with Mickey ears instead of the light-up hat), and assorted other trinkets.
Hmm... on reading this over, I might have Tuesday and Wednesday confused, and some of the dining details out of order... all I remember for sure is: Much food was had by all.
From E.E. Knight's LJ, he picked some of my interests/meta-keywords and wants me to explain them.
APCO From http://www.apcointl.org/new/about/
"APCO International is the world's largest organization dedicated to public safety communications. We have been around since 1935 - far longer than any other public safety communications association (visit APCOHistory.org for more on APCO's 70+ year history). More than 15,000 members rely on APCO for their professional needs - from examining standards and issues to providing education, products and services.
With more than 70 years behind us, APCO has a rich and interesting history worth exploring. View past bulletins from as far back as 1935, read meeting minutes and explore original charters. It’s these decades of experience that make APCO the most formidable and well-operated association of its kind. Our governing documents, executive leaders and senior members are a testament to the public safety community’s dedication and expertise.
APCO Mission
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) is a member driven association of communications professionals that provides leadership; influences public safety communications decisions of government and industry; promotes professional development; and, fosters the development and use of technology for the benefit of the public."
FAMILY I have one. My wife and three kids constantly make me proud to be a part of their lives.
GUILD WARS This is a Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Game. See Guildwars.com. It's fun, and both my wife and I play, as does our oldest daughter.
NENA NENA is the National Emergency Number Association, of which I am a member. From: http://www.nena.org/pages/ContentList.asp?CTID=38
NENA's mission is to foster the technological advancement, availability, and implementation of a universal emergency telephone number system. In carrying out its mission, NENA promotes research, planning, training and education. The protection of human life, the preservation of property and the maintenance of general community security are among NENA's objectives. NENA's elected Executive Board, volunteer Chapter Presidents and Committee Chairpersons, and NENA Headquarters staff are easily reachable to help you.
PUBLIC SAFETY This is the business I'm in. My career as a Public Safety Communications Supervisor I oversee the day-to-day operations on my shift: taking 9-1-1 calls, dispatching law enforcement and fire services as needed to emergency and non-emergency incidents.
TALL WOMEN (Heh) My wife is taller than I am. When I was applying for my job, I had to take a psychological exam and one of the questions was "Do you like tall women?". I had to answer in the affirmative because I like my wife.
TECH Gadgets are cool. Gadgets are fun. I like technological things.
Occasionally on my blog, I’ll post a few things and links to places I’ve been on the internet. I call them “THINKS”, a combination of the words things and links. It’s been months since I’ve posted any THINKS… It’s been months since I posted anything of substance at all. Lately it’s been random memes and questionnaires.
Here are a few THINKS, some related to my hometown – Evansville, Indiana. Others are just some things I find interesting.
If you’re a Star Wars fan, the Evansville region has it’s very own Star Wars FanForce fanclub (look for the “Welcome New Members” thread and introduce yourself!). They have monthly book club meetings, monthly collecting meetings, monthly costuming meetings, monthly General meetings (all optional, you can pick and choose what you want to attend and what you don’t). They also have occasional “unofficial” get-togethers and movie outings. Again: Join up! Oh, and the club also maintains a MySpace page.
If you’re in the Evansville area and a fan of Joss Whedon’s Firefly and Serenity… you’re out of luck. There’s no fanclub for us Browncoats in the area. There is a website for Indiana Browncoats to gather though. Once again I say: Join up (even if you’re not in Indiana, we’ll take anyone willing to make a trek to Hoosierland ever now and again for Browncoat revelry – Louisville, St. Louis, etc.)!
Lately I’ve been playing a couple of online games, both are sort of “Space Strategy” games. In oGame, you start a colony on a planet and build up your production to produce fleets of ships, conduct research into new technology, colonize other planets, and maybe attack other players’ colonies to raid for resources. In Dark Pirates, you are a loan pirate raiding transport ships, convoys, and fleets, attacking other pirates, searching for resources, and working on space-stations to earn money to repair and upgrade your ship or buy a new ship. If you join up at either of these, please don’t attack me!
And to finish up, my sister (who does not live in the Evansville area) has started her own blog. She’s better at it than I am.
Carrie at Mommy Brain posted a Five Random Questions meme. I commented, so she asked me 5 random questions as well, based on her reading of my blog.
1. What on earth is Guild Wars? Answer: Guild Wars isn't on Earth :-) It's a computer game, a MMORPG, that takes place on a planet named Tyria. It's a Fantasy/Medieval setting: knights, dragons, magic, dwarves, etc. There are three chapters/games; each one is independent of the other (you don't need all three, and you can start with the 2nd or 3rd if you want). There is a 4th coming out at the end of this month that is an expansion pack - you have to have one of the previous chapters to play that one. It wraps up the story line and the game and ties you into the new Guild Wars 2 that is supposed to come out in a couple of years.
It's a pretty fun game. I play it, Rubi plays, and we let Elizabeth play too as long as she's with one of us or other people we approve first. There's even a podcast about the game that to which we listen.
We have two accounts in the game, and each account is in a different Guild (group of players that we play the game with). Rubi is an officer in both of those Guilds.
2. Which power from Heroes would you like to have and why? Answer: Hmmm... Maybe Peter's ability to copy the power of others. That way, I could conceivably have a bunch of different powers. But if that's cheating, or it's not likely that I'd ever be near someone with powers, then I think probably I'd want either the ability to fly or the ability to teleport. That'd make my commute much easier.
3. What should the plot be for a sequel to Serenity (f there ever is one)? Answer: I sure hope there is a sequel. The actors' contracts for a sequel supposedly expire in September. So we have hope until then. As for the plot of a sequel. Who cares? It's Serenity, and Joss Whedon would be writing it. It will be good!
4. What does a Public Safety Communications Supervisor do? Answer: I supervise communications involving the safety of the public :-). What? That's cheating? Oh okay. I oversee the day-to-day operations of my shift, making sure my dispatchers are doing what they're supposed to be doing (following SOPs). I handle any complaints regarding my shift. I'll take difficult callers if my dispatchers need me to handle it. I'll make decisions for them if they aren't sure of what to do in certain situations. I do emergency call-ins if someone calls-in sick. If needed, I answer 9-1-1 calls and calls on the administrative lines and enter runs into the computer if needed from those calls. I make telephone calls or handle radio traffic if needed (very rarely am I on the radio). I handle any equipment problems that might crop up during my shift - that could mean switching out a defective mouse or keyboard, or calling a technician in from a vendor to fix a problem with the phone computers. I also handle the content management for our department internet and intranet websites. And I'm the chair of the Morale and Recognition Committee.
5. What is the best sci-fi book of all time? Answer: The one I haven't written yet :-) This is a hard question. There are so many good books. I guess I'd have to say the best SF book of all time would be the Increasingly Inaccurately Named Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Trilogy (since you can buy an omnibus edition, it counts as one book. Really.).
--- Carrie went on to post the rules of the meme:
The Rules of the Meme:
1. Leave me a comment saying anything random, like [the food you hate most in all the world]. (oh... I didn't catch that about the food you hate the most the first time I read the rules. I just said the first word that popped into my head, which happened to be "Cheese". I definitely don't hate cheese. Cheese is good.) So post something random. Whatever you like. 2. I respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better. 3. You will update your [blog] with the answers to the questions. 4. You will include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in the post. 5. When others comment asking to be asked, you will ask them five questions.
To Star Wars. I forgot to post something about it a week ago during the "official" 30th anniversary of the original release of Star Wars.
I first saw Star Wars, the original, in the theater with my older brother and my youngest older sister one Sunday afternoon after church. I remember being five years old, which would make it the late summer of 1978, was Star Wars still in theaters at that point? If not, then I must have been four years old when I first saw it.
That's really all I remember about it. I remember a little more about the trip itself, but not seeing the movie for the first time. I remember my sister and her friends didn't want to sit with my brother and his friends, and I had to choose which group to sit with. I chose both, and ran back and forth between the groups at least once during the movie. I think my sister got mad at me for that.
It's not really a meme... but feel free to take it and run with it. From a press release comes the 100 words every high school graduate should know. I'll bold the ones I, as a high school and college graduate know (or have somewhat vaguely heard of).
Some of those I could define poorly but I'd be close! Some of the words I've heard, and even remember looking up at some point, but couldn't even come close to telling you what they mean now.
Answer all of the following questions using only one word:
1. Where is your cell phone? pocket 2. Relationship? married 3. Your hair? brown 4. Work? yep 5. Your sister? three 6. Your favorite thing? nap 7. Your dream last night? forgotten 8. Your favorite drink? caffeine 9. Your dream car? gasless 10. The room you’re in? loud 11. Your shoes? off 12. Your fears? fearful 13. What do you want to be in 10 years? happy 14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? family 15. What you’re not good at? conversation 16. Muffin? please! 17. One of your wish list items? books 18. Where you grew up? Indiana 19. The last thing you did? typed 20. What are you wearing? clothes 21. What aren’t you wearing? shoes 22. Your pet? mini 23. Your computer? on 24. Your life? busy 25. Your mood? bleh 26. Missing? no 27. What are you thinking about right now? answers 28. Your car? parked 29. Your kitchen? messy 30. Your summer? hot 31. Your favorite color? blue 32. When is the last time you laughed? dunno 33. Last time you cried? dunno 34. School? OVER! 35. Love? often
Yesterday, I took my 6 year old son Alexander to a local comic book store for Free Comic Book Day. I knew in advance that my local Star Wars Fan Force club would have a table set up, and one of the members was dressed up in his replica Darth Vader costume. I thought Alexander would get a big kick out of meeting the Dark Lord of the Sith in person. The comic store also had a Spiderman out front handing out copies of the free Spidey comic book and Alexander thought that was really neat too. After meeting Spidey and Vader, I let him explore the store for awhile. He wandered up and down the aisles checking out all the cool comi book-related toys the store had displayed, picked up a few freebies from FCBD and the store, and then we were on our way back home.
Taking a couple days off from work this weekend so Rubi and I can spend a couple of days in Indianapolis at the Indianapolis Film Festival. She'll also get to hit a couple of scrapbooking stores.
Rubi's parents (they rock!) are taking all three kids for the weekend so it's just Rubi and I going. We're calling an early anniversary celebration.
Our 13th anniversary is next month. The same weekend as Elizabeth's birthday and Mother's Day. We're spreading the celebrating out. Our celebration is this weekend. Mom's Day is on Mom's day, and we're having Elizabeth's birthday party the following weekend.
We will miss most of the celebrating of Guild Wars 2nd birthday on-line this week. Lots of cool in-game stuff this weekend. It is sad that we're kinda disappointed that we're going to miss that.
You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything. You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word. Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world.
MCF nears the end of the second round of the MCFPerilous! Next up: Double MCF Perilous? Final MCF Perilous? Audio MCF Perilous?
1. I'm going to use it to clear all 100 levels. Why did MCF buy a high-powered magnet for his Marvel game?
2. Because at my age, I don't think The Transformers: The Movie is a socially acceptable choice for that. What movie will MCF not invite his date to see?
3. 617. How many times has MCF written a blog post?
4. September 11, 1984. When did MCF first discover the Transformers?
5. “The cowards never started./The weak died on the way./Only the strong arrived./They were Pioneers.” What are some lyrics to a song?
6. Boxy. How would MCF describe the original Transformers compared to the new Movie versions of the Transformers?
7. Heroes and Law & Order: SVU What two shows does MCF enjoy?
8. They both went from fantasy heroes to science fiction characters. What is similar about the careers of the stars of Xena and Hercules?
9. Through a crowbar. How did MCF meet his first girlfriend?
10. B12 What username did B13 not choose because it's a vitamin?
**edited to add question marks at the end of some of my questions?
The Podculture Network, "Equal Opportunity Geekness", is a great podcast.
The show is currently recorded every other week, split into two parts and fed weekly. You get part "A" the first week and part "B" the second week. It is not a "professional" podcast with specific show topics and scripts. It's three friends sitting around "geeking" with microphones recording them.
Brad, Glenn, and Christina host Podculture and spend their time rambling about what they watch on TV, what's in their DVD player, their new "toys" and video games, comic books, and a couple of special segments called "Geek Cuisine" and "Glenn's Guilty Pleasures". Geek Cuisine has the hosts trying out a different snack and beverage each episode on-mic and discussing whether or not they like them and why. Glenn's Guilty Pleasures features Glenn talking about really bad old movies that he likes and thinks other geeks might like. Podculture also is friendly with other podcasts, and runs promos for those podcasts, and even has been "syndicating" sci-fi reviews from the excellent Firefly podcast, The Signal. The hosts also mention a little bit about their "real lives" during the show, as asides to whatever the current topic of conversation may be.
It's that little bit about their real lives that makes Podculture extra special. Through their rambling, you seem to get to know these three people more and more as you listen to each episode. Listening to Podculture makes it seem like you are right there, sitting on the couch in Brad's living room talking about the geeky stuff you've done over the past week - except you're the introvert of the bunch and you let everyone else talk while you listen.
Brad produces the show very well. He has each person miked and runs each mic into a mixer before running it into his computer for recording. He also edits in bumpers, promos, intros, outros, and music for the show after the initial recording session. Podculture has a clean, well-produced sound. There is no hiss or digital artifacting. It almost sounds like Brad runs the audio through a compressor - it's that clean.
The only thing I might suggest to them to make the show a little more "user friendly" would be to announce the title of the songs they play during breaks either before or after the break. This probably would involve more planning on their part, as the songs are probably edited in during post along with the segment intros and other pre-produced items. I know that information is usually available in the show notes. But I rarely check show notes for the podcasts I listen to. I'm also not sure about the split feed/two-part thing. I'm always behind in my listening, so it really doesn't matter to me. But it seems like they changed the order of the segments when they went to the two-part episode. I liked them having a set order for their segments. But I'm not completely against the change they've made. It does keep things interesting not knowing which segment is next. Oh, one more thing: Brad has mentioned in some episodes that he is a Christian. That's a cool thing for a geek to blatantly admit to the world. But Brad sure does curse frequently for a Christian. Glenn and Christina don't seem to curse as much as Brad. But now that I think about it - this goes along with the "being in the living room" with them. I know Christians that, when in their living rooms, occasionally curse to express or elicit emotion: humor, displeasure, disgust, etc. But they'd never do it out in public. I guess this is the same thing.
Podculture occasionally invites listeners to submit their own audio for inclusion in the show. They have "fan-made" voice-overs for bumpers for various segments. They also invite listeners to send them ideas for Glenn's Guilty Pleasures reviews, Geek Cuisine ideas, or a dollar.
You can find the Podculture Network at Podculture.net and their forums are hosted at Bluegrassbrowncoats.net, where you can find the rules for The Podculture Drinking Game and discuss episodes, among other things. Brad and Christina also host the Stargate Louisville podcast. Or so they say. Hosting Podculture and Real Life seem to be conspiring against new episodes of SGL.
If you're a geek, this is a fun show. Podculture is number three in my list of podcasts that I have to listen to, and I listen to many podcasts.
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