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~

Not Your Average Girl

One of the Guys
I am the girl who is consistently labelled as 'one of the guys'. I laugh at the things they laugh at, I enjoy the same things they enjoy, and despite having long, polished nails, I can crack a beer/energy drink, chug it back, and belch -if not the alphabet- at least all of the vowels. \o/

XXX, Crank, The Fast and the Furious, Formula 51, The Boondock Saints, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Transporter, and A Man Apart are all must-see cinema, as far as I'm concerned.

Hell! Some of my favourite jokes are female bashers. Why are wedding dresses white? So all of the appliances match! *snickers*

Not That Kind of Girl
I prefer Lost Girl to Jersey Shore (though I love Bones' take on this one!), Jaqueline Carey's writing to your average Harlequin Romance, and Riddick to The Twilight Saga. I hang out with Furries and Kinksters, Gamers and LARPers, I troll Facebook and FetLife.

Jennifer Garner, Anna Silk, Vin Diesel and Johnny Galecki are all my 'type'. The only pink I have in my wardrobe are two hot pink sarongs, a pink and purple striped, leopard print tee, and some socks. Most of the rest of my clothes are black, blue, or grey. Angie; the walking bruise.

I had my ears pierced once upon a time, but playing rugby-rules basketball with the guys meant that they were constantly getting ripped out, so I let them grow over. I have a nifty little collection of earrings that I never wear, mostly given to me my family, or that came as a set with some of my numerous necklaces. Oh ya, did I mention that I have a weakness for necklaces? *smirks*


I have <10 pairs of shoes, several of which are in dire need of replacing.
My favourite colours are blue and red, because black is not a colour. I have scarf/hat/mitts in both colours. My 'purses' (yes I have two) are more of a backpack. I prefer a hoodie and an over sized jock jacket as my winter coat.




Geek Cred
Don't worry, just because I have a jock streak, doesn't mean I'm not also a Geek.

I spent the better part of two years playing WoW as 'quality time' with my BF at the time. When we parted ways, I drowned my sorrows by throwing myself into DnD paper and pencil games and Vampire Masquerade LARP.

While I do a fair amount of my shopping in places like Ardène, Urban Planet and the George section of Walmart, if ThinkGeek had a local Canadian location, I'd not only be fuelling my entire wardrobe from there, I'd likely be District Manager ;) In fact, I was recently gifted with three shirts off of my Wishlist!


I've been a Trekkie as long as I can remember, and am also quickly becoming a Whovian. But please, don't try to make me decide who my favourite Doctor or Captain is. x.X

Pretty much it comes to a split of my inner City Girl and my inner Country Girl, and when the two combine, you've got the perfect candidate for party leader during the Zombie Apocalypse. I'm still learning which of your Southern plants are edible, but I can snare, kill, clean and cook rodents and birds.

Not Pretentious At All

Okay, I admit it, I'm an addict!

My Roommate thought I was bored,
 so he gave me some quests!

I play Games on my Android, I play Games on my computer, I even play Games when I'm visiting friends. Gaming is generally the first thing I do when I get up in the morning, and the last thing I do before bed. I Tweet about Games, I Facebook about Games, I eat sleep and breathe Games!

Here's the difference between me and most addicts: I don't let my addiction come between me and real life! I am more likely to ditch whatever dungeon I'm running to go and wash the dishes or start the laundry, than I am to hit lvl 30 before I remember that I had a To-Do List to get through. Nor do I ignore my friends in favour of Games, I am generally invited to play because it is something we genuinely enjoy doing together. In fact, I have one friend who rolled a new character on Borderlands 2 because he couldn't bring himself to play his main without me :P I also recently had a female friend pout because, whenever I come over, we seem to barely have enough time to play one hand of Magic.

I have been told recently that mentioning my To-Do Lists so much on Twitter is apt to make my target audience think I'm a bit of a pretentious, over-achiever. That I am somehow alienating my fan/client base before I've even got myself a steady stream of customers. Okay guys, really? How is it pretentious if I really am getting all of these things done AND finding time to Game to my heart's content? How is it not self advertising to tell people that if I can manage to do all of this, with a chronic health issue, then I can obviously help light a fire under your procrastinating ass if that's what you need?

I will admit that I am, in fact, an over-achiever. I hold myself to a ridiculously high standard. But I strive to hold my friends and clients to only what standard they wish to be held to. You set the bar and tell me how gentle or relentless to be. I'll be the evil taskmaster that drives you towards it.*innocent smile*

Fellow Multitasker 

Admittedly, the A.D.H.D. lends itself towards me being a multi-multi-MULTI-tasker, which generally means that I putter away at several tasks at once, and am suddenly done several of them in the space of a half hour. Hey, what good am I going to be as a Game Hostess if I can't multitask like a dual core processor?