Czeltic Girl

Yay! Zombies.

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010 | General | No Comments

I am completely smitten with The Walking Dead. I love the comic. I love the show. And now, I love this fabulous poster from artist Andrew Kolb.

Because we all like to mock stock photography

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 | Design-y Bits, Fun With Teh Intarweb | 1 Comment

Hahahahaha:
Domestic Conflict, Explained By Stock Photos

Thanks, Lisey.

p.s. Yes, I know I never finished the Comic-Con stuff. I’ll get to it. Probably.

The rest of the Comic-Con update

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 | Bloggity goodness | No Comments

I know I said I’d get to it over the weekend.

I didn’t specify which weekend.

Notes from my first Comic-Con, part 1

Friday, July 30th, 2010 | General, Life in Czeltistan | 2 Comments

So back in late-October or early-November, my friend Bridget and I decided we should go check out Comic-Con. Passes were still available and, we thought, quite affordable. By the time we actually got around to buying them, Preview Night was sold out, but we still managed to get four-day passes.

Next came the hard part: waiting for July.

By the time July came around, we had a booking for a cute little cottage and a vague idea of what to expect from the convention itself. Except that nothing could really prepare us for the Con. It was pretty mind-bending, right from the get-go.

For starters, the convention center was HUGE. (You’re looking at less than half of it in the photo above.) It took us the better part of three days to see everything on the exhibit hall floor. Seemed like every exhibitor had something interesting we had to stop and check out. Our mantra for day one was “we don’t need to impulse buy everything.” (MUCH harder than it sounds.)

We started at the far end of the convention center in a section called “Artists Alley.” It was one of my favorite parts of the show floor. It’s just a bunch of tables. Nothing fancy. But at each table is an artist — some more well-known than others. They’re selling their wares, of course, like just about every other vendor at the show, but at their booths you can watch them actually create their art, commission a quick on-the-spot piece, or get them to sign existing pieces they have with them. Name a style of art, it was there.

A few days before we left for San Diego, I’d seen a retweet by someone on Twitter and followed a link. It led me to an artist named Katie Cook. She had a booth at SDCC, so she was on my little map of vendors I wanted to see (and was the reason we started at the Artists Alley section). Not only did I get the piece I wanted from her, I got a little drawing she did and got two commissions from her (one of Cliff and Norm). Bridget got a few pieces, too. Visiting Katie’s booth was an excellent start to the event. (Later in the weekend, we visited another booth in Artists Alley and bought fab posters of Boilerplate the robot, signed by artist Dan Guinan. It’s the World’s Fair image at the top of this page.)

After that, we wandered into the rest of the exhibit hall floor. The displays were massive and eye-catching. People in costumes were everywhere. There were lights and movie props and giant robots and things going “pew pew pew.” We wanted to buy nearly every cool new thing we saw (and there was a LOT of that). In short, it was to nerds what a bowl full of Pixie Stix and a giant ball pit is to a group of pre-schoolers. I’m surprised our heads didn’t explode.

Around noon, it was time to explore the surrounding area in search of lunch. I’d heard the SyFy Channel turned the nearby Hard Rock Cafe into Cafe Diem from Eureka. I had to check it out. The food was pretty much standard Hard Rock fare, but I enjoyed nerding out on the decor. I may have “liberated” a Cafe Diem pen at the end of our meal. (Oh, dear. Was I supposed to leave that on the table? My bad.)

After that, it was back to the convention center to pick up where we left off. After a bit, we decided to check out a couple panels up in Ballroom 20. We’d heard warnings about the lines, especially for Ballroom 20 and Hall H. Now it was time to experience them first-hand. We thought our first line was huge. It went all the way down the hall and started up again outside! Turns out the hall is massive and the line moved pretty quickly. (It also turns out this was a “short” line for the room.) We got into the room in time to see both of the panels we wanted to see. Hooray! (For those of you playing at home, the panels were for USA Network shows White Collar and Psych.) It was also our introduction to panels with giveaways. Oh, man, do those spoil you for panels that don’t give things away. It’s amazing the lure a couple of t-shirts and a foam pineapple “finger” can have.

After the panels, we made an attempt to check out more of the exhibit halls, but quickly realized we were pretty exhausted from the day. I was also anxious to call home and see how my basement was surviving the massive storms at home, especially in light of the fact there was now a massive new sinkhole farther down my street. (Answer: some water in the basement, but not that bad. Considering how hard many of my neighbors were hit, I was very, very lucky.) We picked up our panel giveaways and set off back into the Gaslamp Quarter in search of a cocktail and some food.

After food, it was time for an exciting game of “get ready for disappointment.” Bridget is a huge Dr. Who and Being Human fan and there was a screening of both in one of the conference rooms. We went back to the convention center and got in line (Line-Con!). We got within six people of the door to the room when they announced the room was full and no one else was getting in. Bummer!

We could have waited around to see if anyone left the room (unlikely) but it was time to call it a night. Eleven hours of crowds was enough for one day. We made a quick run to Ralph’s for groceries (yay for lodging with a kitchen) and went home to crash.

So, yeah. There’s more, but I tire of typing at the moment and this is long enough, so it’ll have to wait. To keep you occupied in the meantime, head over to Flickr and sift through my photos from the weekend. I’ll try to write up the rest over the weekend.

Poor li’l neglected blog

Thursday, June 24th, 2010 | Bloggity goodness | 4 Comments

It’s the blog’s 8th anniversary today (or, according to m@, Czeltic Day).

Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll have enough time to go find some fun links to post for you today. Sorry.

It’s a good day for Flickr sets

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 | Bloggity goodness, Fun With Teh Intarweb | 1 Comment

The one in the post below is still my fave, but this one’s pretty good, too.

Author Douglas Coupland (who also happens to be one of my favorite writers) has taken the iconic Penguin book cover design and created a series of book covers to explain the year 2010 to folks in 1935.

Speaking to the Past is a little bit depressing. I’m not sure I’d actually want to show it to people in 1935. But it’s definitely interesting, and I did get a bit of a chuckle out of numbers 16 and 32.

Locals vs. Tourists

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 | Bloggity goodness, Fun With Teh Intarweb | No Comments

This may be my new favorite set on Flickr. Eric Fischer has created a set of maps for several dozen major cities around the world and used geotagged images to determine where in those cities locals take photos (blue dots) and where tourists do (red dots).

Some cities have expected results (find Times Square/Rockefeller Center/Central Park on the NYC map/a>*), but some are more unexpected. Rome, for example, seems to have almost no photos from the locals.

Another fun thing about the set is that other Flickr users are using notes to identify landmarks in each map. It definitely helps explain some of the clusters.

(via The Morning News)

*As a side note, I was kind of amused at the fact that I’ve now spent enough time in Astoria, Queens that I could identify most of the locations of the locals’ hotspots there without having to consult a map. Thanks, Piler Arms residents, for making that happen.

Don’t forget your towel

Thursday, May 20th, 2010 | Bloggity goodness | 1 Comment

File under: Things that totally made my day

This site has mp3s of the original BBC Radio broadcasts of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

You have to download each episode separately, which is a bit of a pain, but the server is really fast so it’s not too horrible.

Make sure you check out the rest of his BBC Radio directory. There are some real gems in there.

Oh, and don’t forget Towel Day is coming up.

(via The Morning News)

Success

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 | General | No Comments

Hey! Didn’t even blow things up this time. (You’re welcome, m@.)

Now I just have to actually add some new content one of these days. (Be patient.)

Fair warning

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 | Bloggity goodness | No Comments

I need to update my version of WordPress. Last time I did this, I blew up the blog for a bit.

I’m gonna try not to do that this time, but in case there is a day or two of dead air over here, that’s the likely culprit, and I’ll get it fixed as soon as I can.

This earns a hearty “Ewwww”

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 | Bloggity goodness | 2 Comments

But it’s still funny, so I will post it.

I am neither a fan of sushi nor a fan of Peeps (though I do enjoy putting the latter in the microwave to make them joust), so the idea of Peep sushi is just plain gross…but amusing.

I will eat the Rice Krispie treats, though.

Another round of awesome

Friday, March 26th, 2010 | Bloggity goodness | 1 Comment

Now this? This is a great use of Tumblr. The Internet can die happy now.

Eating off the People’s Princess

Thanks, Jane. You always find such…intriguing stuff.

Celebrate by watching Schoolhouse Rock

Thursday, March 4th, 2010 | Grammar! | 1 Comment

Popping out of seclusion to wish you a happy National Grammar Day.

In case you’d like to celebrate with a nice adult beverage, John McIntyre can help you make sure you mix up the perfect grammartini.

Not abandoned

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 | General | 1 Comment

I haven’t forgotten about this place. Just kind of busy elsewhere. Be back soon.

Relief for Haiti

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 | You Call This News? | No Comments

In case you’re looking to make a donation to relief efforts in Haiti, but don’t know where to do so, I’d like to suggest a donation to Doctors Without Borders. In addition to being a wonderful group, they already have a presence in Haiti (though, sadly, at the moment many of their people already in the country are unaccounted for) and their skilled services are badly needed right now.

Also, if you donate through Small Dog Electronics, they will match any donation up to $200.

Too nerdy cool to eat

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 | Bloggity goodness, Design-y Bits | 2 Comments

Yeah, cupcakes are delicious, but I’d have such a hard time eating these games cupcakes. They’re so cool!

See how many of them you can guess. When you think you have your answer for each, mouseover the question mark button to see if you’re right. The number you get will really depend on how old you are and how familiar you are with a number of video games, but there’s something for everyone. They even included pre-video games in the mix.

Hmm. Looking at these has left me hungry, wanting to play some video games, and with the phrase “get the humanoid” stuck in my head.

(Via Wil Wheaton, who always finds the coolest stuff. This is one of the many, many reasons he is our geek leader.)

Who wants nog?

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 | You Call This News? | No Comments

Ok, now it’s Christmas: the Gävle goat burned early this morning.

I can’t speak for fellow goat-torchin’ watchers Christyl & Matt, but this is one of the things I look forward to during the holidays. (Sorry, goats. And sorry, Gävle residents. I know that thing’s expensive.)

Update: The goatcam, which may now officially be the saddest webcam ever. Poor li’l goat.

Fingers crossed

Friday, December 18th, 2009 | Life in Czeltistan | 2 Comments

Car situation may not be quite so dire. Apparently some replacement parts can wait if you drive as little as I do.

Still waiting on a final tally, but it’s looking to be under $1000.

Excellent news, as I’m in no mood to go buy a car right now. Besides, I was feeling a little weepy at the thought of giving up my Camry. She & I have been through a lot together in the past nice (almost 10!) years.

Today’s craptastic decision:

Thursday, December 17th, 2009 | Life in Czeltistan | 5 Comments

Sink $2500 in repairs into a 17-year-old car or get a new car?

FML. Is this miserable year over yet?

Best Advent calendar ever

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 | Bloggity goodness | 3 Comments

Yes, I know it’s a bit amusing that an agnostic likes Advent calendars, but I do. (It’s kind of like Mom’s Jewish friend who adores Christmas lights.) I don’t care one whit what they stand for. I just enjoy a new little surprise every day. (Hmm. Note to self: Groundhog Day countdown calendars!)

It makes me sad every year that there won’t be any more of Leslie Harpold’s wonderful calendars, but The Big Picture has stepped in and come up with what may be my new favorite: the Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar. Check back every day for a new image.

Not quite sure how I missed this one last year, as TBP is one of my daily stops, but I sure am glad I found it now.

And if I find any other good calendars, I’ll make sure to post those, too.