Beach Bum!

Summer is finally here!

Packed the cooler, and the car and headed to Little Beach, in Port Stanley, on Lake Erie for the day! It was my first experience swimming in one of the Great Lakes, and also, my first time topless at the beach ;) Some of you may not realize, but Canadian Law (sections 173, and 174) permits men and women alike to be topless in public. I don't make a habit of walking down town like that, but the beach is the perfect place to do so!

I'll admit to being a little bit shy. I wasn't worried about people gawking at me (I'm a bit of an exhibitionist ;) ). I was worried that parents with children with them might say something, especially adolescent boys. But I am happy, and even a little bit proud, to announce that the only person who said anything, was a middle aged woman who was there on her own. She made a comment that there was "a nude beach over there", to which she received the thumbs up neutral acknowledgement. There were plenty of parents nearby, with children of all ages, and some even set up camp next to us while I was laying on the beach, catching some rays. None of them said boo. That made me feel good.

It made me proud to be Canadian, and proud to be surrounded by so many seemingly sex positive people, (or at least not snobbish prudes ;))

I'm planning at least one more topless beach day. If you want in on the fun, send me an email, and I'll try to give you a couple of days warning!

TheNerdyCompanion@Gmail.Com

Furnal Equinox: 2013

I attended my first over night convention over the weekend of the March 8th through 10th. Toronto's Sheraton Airport Hotel and Convention Center hosted Furnal Equinox, an annual Furry convention. Besides exchanging business cards, I also got to scope out some really awesome art and wares, as well as meet some very interesting people, sit in on informative panels, and even make some new friends.

Wares on display were things like Buttons, Leather Products, Jewelry, T-Shirts, and more Jewelry, as well as artists taking commissions, of course. For the spread sheet of vendors whose business cards I picked up, please click here. (See? Trading business cards wasn't just a gimmick, I put work into this! :P)

The panels that I was interested in were largely to do with writing and Podcasting. Anyone know what foreshadowing means? ;)

I didn't end up with the energy to manage to walk around the Con all day every day and still make it out to the Karaoke nights every night, however there was a lot of Rockband action. I sang for over an hour the first night! Note to self: singing Evanescence while you have a cold is a very bad idea! I hit the notes, but my voice did not thank me, nor did my lungs :P

The Parade was really something to behold. There were over 200 Fursuiters prancing through the convention center, waving, sweating, and preening for the cameras. I managed to grab a spot with amazing back lighting, and caught the whole thing on video. 

I lucked out and ended up with a room on the ground floor, which was a blessing when you consider that Fursuiters get precedence. 

Best find of the weekend was Perkins restraunt. 24 hr breakfast, and not only do they serve ham steak, but when you order coffee or tea, they leave a carafe at your table!Furnal Equinox drew over 750 attendees, and there was over $ 6, 000 raised for the Mississauga Humane Society (every Furry's charity of choice ;-)  ) thanks to a charity auction, art show, and donations.

All in all, I had a great time at the event. It was a great warm up for next year's plans to attend AnthroCon in Pittsburgh.

I wish that I would have thought to get more pictures taken! And if anyone has any of me, or with me in the background, please email them to me! But here's one of me with a very pretty Kitty ;)

Fitocracy

Alright y'all, time for a little freebie from The Nerdy Companion about a website that will change your life! Before you ask, no, I am not being paid to write this as an ad for the site in question :P 

I have discovered an amazing tool for Geek Fitness! Fitocracy has an app for your phone, so you can track your workouts on the fly. You earn points for everything you do, including negative points for sitting on your ass ;) As you gain points, you earn levels! And depending on what you're doing to earn those points, you can even unlock achievements.

Are you a math nerd? Maybe you can figure out the algorithms they use to calculate your points based on your height, weight, and gender, as well as the workout details. You can add layers to what you track to include variations like distance, weight carried, terrain type, etc. You get more points the harder you push yourself. Want to challenge yourself? Do 5 more sit ups than you usually do. Walk up 2 more flights of stairs. Hold that Wall Sit for 20 more seconds. It’s worth it, literally!

I am currently level 7. I've unlocked a couple of achievements, and I'm working on my second quest. I took my first trip to a weight room since high school. I've been doing crunches, lunges, sit ups, even push ups! And they are all worth points! I've already noticed progress as far as my weight is concerned, and some toning. I'm hoping to work on my strength, as I've lost a lot of the muscle definition in my arms and upper body.

I’ve always been very self motivated, but a change in my health has made keeping fit something that has fallen to the wayside. Some friends of mine told me about Fitocracy, and now I can’t say enough great things about it!

Join up! Find muscles you forgot, or never knew you had! Try new moves and combinations as you work towards completing the available Quests and unlocking Achievements. Feeling feisty? Start a quest, or challenge your friends to a duel! Invite your Gamer buddies to power lvling sessions whether it’s at Game, or razzing each other over voice chat on your favourite gaming console or computer. You can even post your bragging rights/progress via Facebook, Twitter, and Tumbler.

Oh, and while you’re at it, Follow me, NerdyCompanion, and send me a message telling me how much you love my blog ;)

11011

My Birthday always seems to be a time when I suddenly realize just how much of a nerd and geek that I truly am. This year was no exception. 

We played Star Trek Catan while listening to a compilation of Nerd music from a personalized album put together for me by one of the guys, snacked on shrimp trays, birthday cake, and a kinky little dish called S&M's. This tasty treat is created by mixing M&M's and Skittles in the same bowl. 

In true Angie fashion,the male to female ratio was 2.5:1. I had to break up at least one instance of Nerd Rage. Most of the rest of the battles were either self diffused, or settled via a match of Super Smash Bros. Melee, or through a round of a card game that we were play testing. 

There were, of course, quotes from several of our favourite geek shows, ranging from Star Trek to The Big Bang Theory. 

I was gifted with, along with the afore mentioned album, two bouquets of some of my favourite flowers, and a selection of amazing jewelry, both from clients, as well as an Art from the creator of Leftover Soup. Oh! and I got Borderlands 2! So I guess we know what this little Mechromancer will be up to for the next while ;)

Fun was had by one and all, and nearly everyone participated in the distribution of my 27 Paddy Wacks. I think I'm still probably sporting a hand print or two. Let's just hope they've faded by next year!

And Now, Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming...

Sorry about the hiatus, guys. Real Life, and all that.

But I've dealt with what needed dealing with, and have also moved my computer to the ground floor to encourage more cyber interactions in the moments when I need to get off of my feet. There are only about ten feet of difference, and no stairs between the computer and the Xbox now, so you guys won't get beat out by Borderlands through sheer physics anymore ;)

You can expect more regular updates on Fetlife, Fitocracy, Facebook (Gee, I seem to do a lot of Effing around ;) ), Twitter and of course, here.

I'm still accepting new clients, so If you have and inquiries or have a friend who should be introduced to me, drop me a line and we'll make some arrangements.

Starting in February, you can expect to find me at the Game Chamber once a week for at least an hour. I'll be rotating the day of the week so that I'm sure to give myself the optimum opportunity for mingling. Keep an eye on FB and Twitter for those times and dates.

And, hey! Don't be shy! Add me on Facebook and Twitter!

Laterz!

~Angie~